The work force in San Juan de Lurigancho -

Unemployment is high and it cannot possibly be documented accurately here in Peru. Jobs are scarce. Many work menial jobs. Many work hours upon hours, at the market, on the street corner, in the city, selling whatever they can and almost anything you would ever want. From prepackaged snacks like chips, cookies, and soda, to q-tips, toilet paper, key chains, pens, and rags. The items for sale include fresh fruit, and home cooked meals. On any given day you can find nail clippers, jewelry, shoelaces, phones minutes, t-shirts, hats/caps, pets, and even religious items for sale. Others work shining shoes, selling newspapers, construction, driving motorcars, cabs or busses or collecting fares on the busses. There are definitely the professionals who work in the fields of civil service, finance, insurance, medical, government and education, as well. And then there are those who have a home business other than food preparation to sell on the street. Our neighbor is one.

On the roof top of his house, across the street from ours, we see him hard at work every day. In the blazing sun, he will wear a long-sleeve t-shirt on top of his head like a scarf and tied under his chin, letting it drape from the top of his head down the back of his neck, as protection from the suns’ burning rays. He is there diligently dipping white pieces of material (looks like plaster of paris to us, but maybe another casted material) into a bucket of yellow liquid. After coating each piece he lays it out to dry. Hundreds of these are done every day. On other days, he pours molds by the hour, sanding off the rough edges when they have dried in the sun. We asked our friend Laura what it was he was doing and she explained that he was an artisan preparing for the upcoming Christmas season. The cast items were figurines from the nativity scene. She told us the next step would be for him to paint them or have them painted. And, we can only assume the final step would be selling them. Sure enough Don saw a taxi arrive one afternoon and there were boxes of the yellow items packed neatly in the back of the cab along with a plastic stool and a plastic bag. Not sure where he was going, but his son, about 10 years of age, was with him.

Thinking back on my conversation with Laura, immediately my mind went to that day in Bethlehem when the Christ Child was born, many years ago. Does this man, this artist, who spends hours upon hours, actually days and weeks working with these figurines know the one central figure of the scene? Does he know Him? I mean know Him? Oh there are so many who are religious in this predominantly catholic country. Seeing nativity scenes, crucifixes, and statues every which way you turn makes you wonder, although seeing an empty cross is hardly ever the case.

The Peruvian people are open and hungry for the gospel. We continue to seek opportunities to share Jesus in practical ways coming along side the Peruvian Pastors and Christians as they share the Savior and the Word in their native tongue.