Ccahuanati is a small community located in the lower parts of the Peruvian Andes mountains. At an elevation of 10,000 feet, Ccahuanati is cold. The people in the community are mostly poor, surviving on agriculture and raising small animals.
Alex is thirteen and lives in Ccahuanati with his parents, older sister, and two younger brothers. While his brothers are still able to attend school in their community, Alex and his sister must make the three-hour walk to attend secondary school.
When Cecilio Huamanñahui from Iglesia Evangelica Bautista first met Alex’s family, the need was obvious. Alcohol abuse is rampant in Ccahuanati, and Alex’s parents were no exception. Alex’s father hadn’t held a job for some time, and there was very little money to buy food. Alex and his siblings didn’t have proper clothing for the cold weather.
In addition to the family’s physical need, Cecilio recognized their spiritual need. He started visiting Alex’s family, bringing a basket of food and sharing the gospel.
The food was a great help to Alex’s family, allowing them to improve their diet. It also allowed them to save a little money to buy clothes for the children.
Like many of the people who live in the mountains of Peru, the community of Ccahuanati is made up of people who mainly speak Quechua. Cecilio gave the family a Bible translated into their own language, and as Alex’s family got to know Cecilio, the Lord began to soften their hearts to what he had to say. One by one, they began to make declarations of faith. Cecilio began to see a change in the family’s behavior. Alex’s parents stopped drinking and began to work their farm and raise small animals.
They have changed in the way they treat each other. When they speak, they do it with more delicacy, with more love. The children treat each other with respect. When I tell them about the Bible, the whole family is attentive.
Sadly, their new faith brought about a new problem, as members of their community—and even some of their relatives—began to ostracize them when Alex’s parents stopped drinking. Work is not easy to find in Ccahuanati, and it became harder to find once they accepted the gospel and changed their behavior.
Despite these difficulties, Cecilio has seen that Alex’s father has the potential to become a good leader in the community. The family still has a lot to learn from the Bible, but they are eager to understand more and are not intimidated by the treatment they receive by members of the community.
For Alex, visits from Cecilio mean more than food for the family. He and his siblings have also experienced a change of heart since being exposed to the gospel.
I learned how God created everything with His word alone—I like that. The gospel is good news if we believe in it. Jesus came into this world to die for me. I want to keep learning more about the Bible.
Alex has taken on more responsibility around the house. When he and his sister return home from school in the afternoon, they help their parents take care of the animals or their younger brothers.
In many ways, Alex is like any other thirteen-year-old boy. He likes to play fútbol—soccer to those of us in the US—in his spare time. When Alex grows up, he dreams of leaving his small community. He wants to get an education and study to become a nurse or a doctor.
Poverty is not a part of Alex’s dream, and it doesn’t have to be a part of his future. Thanks to the local church in Ccahuanati and the support of our faithful supporters, Alex’s future already looks vastly different. Alex has hope.
Recipients’ names have been changed to protect their privacy.
