Cheon Il Guk Peru Missionaries: Oikos For the Win!

These past two weeks felt so long! The amount of spirit and energy we’ve accumulated by the end of the week honestly could not be done on regular days.

On February 18, our team received some guidance on Oikos from Señor Dokhwa, the president of CARP Perú. The word derives from Korea, and is essentially about the heart and care we should strive for when interacting with our guests. “To have a heart of a parent and the shoes of a servant,” were one of the many phrases expressed during this guidance. It is a method that encourages us to be flexible and creative in our ways of being present for the guests. It’s about steadily building a relationship of becoming true brothers and sisters, where both sides trust and respect each other. Everything that is done is based off of love.

Left: B. O. 19, CIGYM, right: Jesus, 17, CARP participant

Most days this past week would be spent tending to guests until a little past 9 pm. With all of our debriefings and individual tasks, we’d go to sleep some time past 12:00 am. By the 3rd week, there was a lot more emphasis placed upon time management! We debriefed on how to take care of our physical well- being while continuing to spend quality time with our guests!

We are very excited about new and old guests - some are returnees from last year’s group! The following is a short reflection from a young guest who just finished studying with B. O. This participant has been around for about a year now, but has recently come back to begin studying with us again, starting right from the beginning!

“I don’t remember all this from last year - I want to learn more about God - Jesus

Here are a few more words expressed by our new friends and family!

“I turn on my notification. I like, subscribe and follow this channel” - Nyls Cruz

“That was good… I felt that God was speaking to my heart. -Milagrose Paldo

Our week has been full of ups and downs, from working on our team chemistry, to learning about and practicing Oikos, learning the new language and environment, and ultimately, learning how to give, forget that one has given, and to give again!

This is one of the days where most of our more consistent guests could meet each other! Nyls is the second one from the right, and Milagrose is the first girl from the right. Jesus is the one in the grey shirt, holding a thumbs up as he stands next to Diego, one of our CARP brothers.