Rueful chuckles can be heard in the church yard as small clusters of adults try to paint tiny wooden sticks without painting themselves in the process. These Quechua believers know how to work with their hands, but children’s craft projects aren’t part of their usual routine.
It’s the first day of a weekend conference hosted by AIDIA for Apurímac pastors and their wives. A one-room village church is the venue for two days of worship and prayer, literacy activities and Scripture engagement training.
Most pastors in this region have a regular job—often farming, or other physical labour—in addition to their church work, and their wives are just as busy. Eking out a living in Apurímac is hard work, and the cost is written in the leathered skin and thickened joints of their hands and feet. Two days set aside to learn new skills, eat good food and connect with old friends is clearly a welcome break in their gruelling routines.
After the wooden sticks finish drying in the sun, it’s time to use them in a Scripture engagement game, a sort of Romans Road version of ‘Pick Up Sticks.’ The laughter and jokes continue as everyone tries to demonstrate their dexterity in front of their friends. It’s a reminder that the God who transforms lives has a sense of humour.
