During May we had a South America Regional Gathering in Lima, Peru for SIM missionaries and partners involved in children’s ministry. It was great to be together and I’ve asked one of the participants, Fiona C., serving with SIM in Paraguay, to give you some insights.

We gathered together from different countries in South America, with one purpose; to enrich our ministries amongst the children of our continent. From Peru, Ecuador, Chile, and Paraguay came host culture children's workers and missionaries, to learn from the wisdom and experience of Betty and David Constance, our speakers for the week. We met in a lovely old hotel in Lima, under the grey skies of approaching winter, the last week of May 2009.

Betty and David opened up the Bible to show us more deeply God's passion for children and drew from their vast experience to teach us how better to minister to those who are hurting. We could all identify children who had been through distressing experiences and Betty revealed the importance of not just containing the difficult behaviour that often results, but of finding out its root cause and helping the child come to terms with his or her pain. It was a real joy to listen to Betty express her passion for children and to hear the way the Lord has equipped her over the years to minister to children who were living difficult circumstances. Her talks were also packed full of practical advice for us, so we came away with ideas for helping children we knew.

I enjoyed hearing from all the participants—the different ways God is using his church in South America to give children hope and show them God's love. We had plenty of time to fellowship together outside the formal sessions, and the conversations over coffee and at meal times were particularly rewarding, as we discovered the things we had in common and the differences between us. There were tears at times, but there was also much laughter as we began to get to know each other.

I feel very privileged to have participated in this CrucialMoments Regional Gathering and I am extremely grateful to Hannelore for all the work she put into its organisation. I learned a lot, but mostly I think it did my soul a lot of good to spend time with these special people, all of whom love God and seek to share that love with children.

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