PERU

PERU – We began a partnership with Julio Serrano and his wife Rosario in 2019 when we were introduced by the staff at our partner organization, Base Ministry. Julio is director of Base-Peru a ministry dedicated to the advancement of the gospel through training and equipping local church leaders to actively share their faith in the communities where they live and serve.

The vision of Base-Peru is to equip national leaders to engage in mission, in Peru and abroad. We are training native believers to empower them in church planting.

Julio is intent on bringing some sustainable resourcing to the church planting and leader training process in the coming years. He understands the ever-pressing need for long term planning, and preparing the next generation demands in-country funding models to produce longevity.

The ministry in Peru faces a significant amount of persecution. One of the regions Julio works in is the “red zone” for drug cartels, the deforestation mafia, and the fish mafia (illegal logging and illegal fishing). In cooperation with government authorities, the ministry leaders have worked to create a partnership in the communities focused on caring for the environment. Unfortunately, this has attracted the attention of the mafias and now Julio is followed by thugs as he travels. Three friends and students at the seminary have been killed by gangsters recently for not cooperating with drug traffickers. The government of Peru is also corrupt and unstable. Crime is rampant, inflation is spiraling out of control, and there are rumors of a potential coup against the president. 

In spite of all the challenges, Julio continues looking to the cross of Christ and asks for prayers for his beloved country. In a recent email update he said, “Thank God we are still united as a missionary family and waiting for the coming of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.