Our plans, His purposes
The first 9 months of ministry in Peru for Paths of Hope have looked very different than we conceived last summer! We had laid out a plan to identify churches where our mentoring programs would begin, and then match them up with schools where the need for mentors was evident. Our missionaries, Billy and Kate Greenman, would continue to pursue young men and women they had contacts with over their 10 years of full-time ministry in Peru.
We had hoped to put in place our first partnership by March, when school started in Peru. Then a global pandemic hit, and it has hit the country of Peru very hard. The people of Peru have been in full lockdown since March 14, only a week after most schools started their year. Schools will not be in session through December. Churches cannot meet in person. Mentor training and prayer groups cannot happen, and mentoring relationships cannot begin during a quarantine.
God is not surprised by this! “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” Proverbs 19:21
Billy and Will maintain contact through technology.
Kate helps will develop his creative side.
Technology has enabled Billy and Kate to remain in touch with their families in the U.S. as well as the Paths of Hope Ministries board of directors. Billy has maintained his contacts in Peru, and many of the young men he once worked with have reached out to him during this pandemic. Though life and ministry has been different than planned, Paths of Hope has been busy in a number of different areas:
Training - Billy continues to learn trauma competent care through several organizations we have partnered with. He has attended virtual training with Back2Back and Christian Alliance For Orphans (CAFO). These would have been cost-prohibitive if he would have had to travel to the U.S., but he was able to “attend” from home in Lima. In addition, Billy is being mentored virtually by the folks at Casa Viva, an organization in Costa Rica that partners churches with children in need of foster homes.
Mentoring and emergency relief – Billy and Kate have been actively assisting several young men who have emergent needs complicated by the pandemic. Huberth is continuing his studies in architecture (full article) and is in regular contact with Billy. Another young man who grew up in a boy’s home was released from prison during the quarantine and had no place to live or opportunity for work (read Billy’s account here). Billy has worked with another partner organization Health Bridges International (HBI) to locate a room for him to rent, a bed, chair, and table and basic kitchen utensils. Luis, suffering with tuberculosis and unable to work, has needed assistance getting medical care, food and rent. And one young man who has been diagnosed HIV-positive has had no access to the medical care he needs. Billy coordinated care for him at a non-profit clinic which organized all his appointments on one day and got him on the necessary antiretroviral treatment. This process would normally take 3-4 months!
Huberth shares a recent architecture design project with Billy
The quarantine in Peru has severely limited contact and time outside. Missionary Billy Greenman and his son Will are limited to only 30 minutes of outdoor time each day.
A young man recently released from prison now has a cell phone to be able to remain in contact with Billy.
God continues to use Paths of Hope Ministries to guide and support young adults in Peru to discover and pursue the path that God has for them. Thank you for your continued partnership with us.
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