COMMON HOPE

Time has passed quickly and it is hard to believe we have completed the fourth “Tienda de Navidad” (Christmas Store) in Peru. It has become a major activity for the members of El Buen Pastor church each year as they spend weeks in preparation for the event. But a smile on the faces of children and their families is worth all the effort each year. We acknowledge that while the gift itself meets a material need, it allows us an opportunity to connect in an important way to poor families and opens a door of opportunity to know the need in the family.

Two boys in Peru waiting outside the Christmas Store as mothers “shopped”

The history of the Christmas Store began in Arlington, Texas, years ago and traveled to Georgia where Larry Parsley, now senior pastor at Valley Ranch Baptist Church (VRBC), once served at a local church in Atlanta. When he joined VRBC, the concept traveled with him back to Texas and was implemented 10 years ago at VRBC in association with Cornerstone Baptist Church located in a poor area of south Dallas. This particular part of south Dallas was once known as the “war zone” and was characterized by drugs and violence. Over time, this area has been transformed through the efforts of Cornerstone. The Christmas Store has played a part in that transformation.

A smiling mother carrying the gifts chosen for her children

The Christmas Store event not only opened doors in south Dallas but always has become a part of the DNA of VRBC. Not content to serve in Dallas alone, Kathy Lonborg who has led the event for VRBC envisioned taking the Christmas Store to Peru. She approached me six years ago about the possibility of leading the effort in Peru, and something in me immediately connected with the idea. I took my first trip to Peru in July, 2005, and returned convinced there was a way to translate the concept in a meaningful way into another culture.

A small boy holding the bag containing his new shoes from delivered by team with Buckner International

God had begun preparing the way for the Christmas Store through the Conde-Sandoval family as they served at a small church, El Buen Pastor, located in a poor zone in Chorrillos, a southeastern district of Lima. For years members of the family taught Sunday School and grew to love the children and the families who lived there. Lou Conde-Sandoval went on a mission trip as a translator in July, 2005, and was assigned to my mission team. Several months after the trip, Lou mentioned to me in an email that he and the other teachers who taught Sunday School at El Buen Pastor bought gifts for the children. He sent me a foto of one of the children standing by a table of gifts, and I immediately realized I had found the location for the Peruvian Christmas Store.

Leslie Chase from Buckner International with a group of children from El Buen Pastor

In December 2006 the first Christmas Store in Peru was held for approximately 150 children who attended Sunday School in El Buen Pastor. Four years later 234 children received gifts and most importantly hear the news of God’s love for them and their families. In addition to the partnership with VRBC, Buckner International has a team in Peru at the same time, and they come on a separate day to provide a new pair of shoes for the kids. Families receive a Bible and spend some time with a church member praying about their needs. With the information obtained, home visits are made to the families in an effort to work with them through the church at El Buen Pastor, but also through the community development work that Lou and I now do through the founding of Common Hope, a community center located near El Buen Pastor, where we provide services for the families in conjunction with Buckner International.