March 2008


This is a precious little Quechua boy in the village of Chaglla, Peru.  He came with family to our veterinary clinic last week.  His face looks so sad to me.  And the boots on backwards is a classic touch! :)

This is Dr. Stan Rogers, a member of Crossroads Fellowship, and an international missionary. Here, with a little help from Anibal (one of our Peruvian translators), he is administering de-worming medication to one very loud, squealing pig.

Who would have thought that pigs could be effective in cross-cultural evangelism?

Well, we discovered that they can be quite effective. Our most recent team to the village of Chaglla in Peru had an on-site veterinary clinic as its primary strategy for establishing relationships and sharing the Gospel. Over the course of two days the team de-wormed about 300 pigs, and an unknown number of sheep, cows, horses, burros, guineas, chickens, and cuy (guinea pigs … and they were not kept as pets, if you know what I mean). The clinic was sponsored by the evangelical church in Chaglla. Everyone in this mountain community knew that they were the ones who brought the gringos to town. The team had many opportunities to witness on their own, but their very presence drew a standing room only crowd to the evangelistic meetings in the evening.

So … God can use a pig, a sheep, a burro, and even a guinea pig, as a Gospel bridge. The question is … will we, as God’s people, choose to build and cross these Gospel bridges.