Churches across Peru are snapping up the Buena Tierra (“good soil”) teaching materials for children ranging from pre-school to teenage.

Brenda Parkins, from Bradford, is seeing success as she works with a Peruvian team of seven to produce these Bible-based teaching aids. She says, ‘About three years ago God really pointed to the fact that if we were ever going to make headway in the churches for children’s ministry to be taken seriously then we would have to go for the “heads”.

‘Since then we have been praying for opportunities to share the importance of children’s work with pastors and leaders of all the different denominations here in Peru.’

Brenda and her team-mate Elizabeth recently led teacher-training events in Cusco, up in the mountains, and in Puerto Maldonado, a jungle region. In Cusco, pastors from several denominations invited them to their weekly prayer breakfast to share their vision and demonstrate the Buena Tierra materials. They were so impressed they encouraged their people to attend and buy them. There was such a huge turn out that they ended up having to turn people away due to lack of space!

In Puerto Maldonado, Brenda and Elizabeth worked in conjunction with the Peruvian Bible Society. They were able to talk personally with different pastors - including the president of the Pastors’ Fraternity - and to have them as students at their workshops.

‘God has been faithful,’ says Brenda, ‘Little by little these opportunities have been presenting themselves, often in unexpected ways.’

Brenda Parkins and her husband Andy are members of Latin Link. While Brenda works with the Buena Tierra team, Andy is a Bible teacher and part of the leadership team of a church in El Agustino, Lima.

(April 2004)

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