July 2007 - Southern Adventist University

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Southern Union FeaturePeruvian BlessingsBy Paul OppOne thing that I never wantedto be when I grew up was a missionary.I couldn’t understand whysomeone would give up the comfortsand security of this country and goto a place where everything is moredifficult, where creature comforts aregone, where great distance separatesthem from their loved ones, andwhere at every turn you are overwhelmedwith need.be more than just a glorified vacation).And, send someone to mentorthat individual so they won’t fallthrough the cracks.God answered all three requestsas an entire family heard the Gospelfor the very first time. With thisamazing outcome I promised to comeback, and one year later I returned toIquitos alone.My new Peruvian friends andGod gives you a love for a specificwork, many of life’s other prioritiesget rearranged, and our family’s focusturned toward full time ministry inPeru...but how? We owned a smalllogging company in eastern Washingtonand all the financial burdens thatgo along with it. We had two daughtersin academy and no obvious wayto transition into the ministry that wefelt God was calling us to. Then cameCandy and Martha were hanging outin the streets the night Paul Opp foundthem.In 2000, I went on an UpperColumbia Academy mission trip withmy daughter, Risha. We were supportstaff to Dwayne McKee, who dida series of meetings in Iquitos, Peru.I thought this would be a great timeto do some father-daughter bondingwhile being involved in some meaningfulministry work. Little did I know!Before we left for Peru I askedGod for three simple things: I wanta God-given love for the people inPeru. I knew that my ability to lovepeople unconditionally was limited.Let me be instrumental in bringingone person to Jesus (this needed to26 T IDINGS • J u l y 2 0 0 7Paul and Sandi Opp stand with their daughters,Risha and Kristen, and their adopted Peruviandaughters, Candy and Martha.I found 150 people that neededmedical attention, whole villages thatneeded food and parasite medicine,and countless opportunities to preachand teach in the poor communities.All of these efforts were supported bypeople back home who got excitedabout saving lives as we took peopleto the Ana Stahl hospital, paid fortheir exams, lab work, medicines,and surgeries. God used our effortson that trip to literally save the livesof some dying people, and to bringthe Gospel to those who had neverheard.I became a man possessed! WhenThirteen-year-old Steffenie was the firstgirl in the crisis center long before it wasready. Paul Opp holds her one-year-oldbaby, Nicole. You can read her storyon the web site story section; it’s titled,“Come to My Father’s House.”the third trip.Late one night after feeding streetchildren on the plaza, I met two littlegirls that changed my life. Martha andCandy were eight and 10 years oldand had been living on the streetsalone for two years, since the deathof their mother. They were filthy dirty,hungry, filled with parasites, andcovered with lice. As I knelt on thesidewalk and listened to their story,something happened in my heart thatI still can’t explain.
People in a village outside Iquitos line up for free medicalservices in the local Adventist church.At that moment I knew that Sandiand I would spend the rest of ourlives rescuing children in crisis, and Iknew that Martha and Candy wouldbe our daughters. This process isamazing. When you fall in love withsomeone, everything that stands inyour way becomes less significant.We bought a small house in Iquitoson that trip and moved a Peruvianfamily into the home to care for thegirls. Since that time, our energy wenttoward redirecting our lives into fulltime service in Peru. Three-and-a-halfyears ago we closed our business andmade the transition.People of Peru Project is the resultof our full time ministry. God hasused a variety of organizations andindividuals to support the work wedo in Iquitos. Little Debbie purchasedthe headquarters facility three yearsago, and ASI provided the funds torenovate it so that we now have housingfacilities for volunteer groups whowant to serve in the Amazon jungle.Community Development Inc., inCaldwell, Idaho, has given a sponsorshipfor administrative costs here inthe United States. This has allowed usto channel all other support directlyto Peru.Pacific Press Publishing Associationpurchased the land for the CrisisFoster Care Facility for teen girlsand babies who have been abusedor abandoned. Families from WallaWalla came last December to startthe construction for a dormitory withgrant money from the northwest ASIChapter.More than 25 groups have joinedCamila, the full time nurse, and her children, watch as her husbandis baptized. This is the family the Lord led Paul Opp to during hisfirst trip to Peru.Peruvian girls and babies from the CrisisCenter are thankful for the services availableto them.The top three rooms of the Crisis CenterDormitory are almost finished, and thebottom floor is well under way. Twelvemore rooms are in the plans for thiscomplex.the project in the last two years,including Kettering Hospital whoperformed 65 plastic surgeries, emergencyroom doctors from Loma LindaUniversity, and Libby Dental groupfrom Anchorage. We host WashingtonState University School of Nursingas part of its International StudiesProgram, and have given free medicalattention totaled to more than 10,000people.Many academy groups have cometo conduct medical and dental clinics,vacation Bible schools, constructionprojects, crisis intervention, and evangelisticseries. Last month, Christianathletes volunteered to help with thefirst sports camp. Various groups alsovisit our jungle facility up the AmazonRiver to give support to the agriculturalengineer. In this primitive villagehe teaches the children, instructs theadults in agriculture, and studies theBible with families. These humblepeople are meeting Jesus for the firsttime.God has used hundreds of ordinarypeople to impact thousands oflives. I am so humbled to be a part ofthis work. God gave us the commissionto feed, heal, teach, and love sothat we’ll have absolute assurance thatthis is His work, and He will supplythe passion and the resources neededto get it done.When I was a child I neverwanted to be a missionary. Now?How could I do anything else?When we blend our lives withthose in need, a tapestry is wovenfrom threads beyond this world. Apattern rich and vibrant eclipses everypossible combination that we alonepossess.Visit www.PeopleofPeru.org andread the whole story; also, you mayrequest a free DVD.July 2007 • TIDINGS 27
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July 2007 - Southern Adventist University

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