During the summer of 2005, I had the privilege of serving the Lord on a mission trip to the Amazon River in Peru with Missionsports.  Little did I realize the blessings and lessons that the Lord had in store for me.  Although having taught Spanish for over 13 years, I had fears of being able to communicate effectively enough to lead someone to the Lord.  These fears were put to rest quickly on the second day while street witnessing in Iquitos, Peru.  The first two ladies that we witnessed to accepted the Lord as their personal Savior.  What a blessing and a humble reminder that the Lord just wants us to "go" and share the "good news of salvation" and allow the Holy Spirit to do the rest.  As a confirmation to know for sure that the ladies understood everything, I asked them "if you were to die today, where would you go?"  With a smile on their faces, both confirmed that Heaven is where they would go and even explained how they knew for sure.  This experience gave me even more confidence and boldness to witness in Spanish and I'm grateful to the Lord for this opportunity.

     Another lesson that the Lord taught me was to be more thankful for His blessings to me each day.  Words cannot begin to describe the conditions in which many of the individuals on the Amazon River are living in.  It was a humble experience for me and I will always remember the lesson a 14 year old boy taught me...."No necesito tu dinero senor porque Dios nos da todo lo que necesitamos."  (I do not need your money because God gives us everything that we NEED!!)  I will always have a special place in my heart for these individuals in Peru and I look forward to returning in 2006!!

Malcolm Deans