Ministry In Peru
“All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.”
— Galatians 2:10
Ministry in Peru
Robert and Tami Erisman and their family serve with other full-time missionaries - singles and families - in the Amazon region of Peru (Picota, San Martin). They live among the poor whom they serve, which allows them to build relationships and community more naturally.
They serve in a variety of ways. Ministries include:
Helping with peoples’ basic human needs of food, medicine, and housing
Assisting with the start-up costs for small businesses for families to provide a sustainable income
Visiting the sick and homebound
Holding weekly adoration, praise and worship, and formation nights
Aiding in retreats for the catechists of each pueblo, the youth, and other parish programs
Bringing people into town to attend Mass
Discipling families and singles to be domestic missionaries
Community Center Project
Our Community Center Project is underway! Our town of Tingo de Ponasa has its own church but there isn’t another space for the community to gather for other things, such as the youth group meetings or faith-building events. We had been looking into the possibility of building an additional building in the vacant lot behind the church, but the landowner wouldn’t agree to it. But the Lord provided! We have been given the use of a property down the street from the church. It is the old Mother’s Club building and as such, is the perfect place to have gatherings! We will be able to host ongoing formation, bible studies, youth group, meetings for the local catechists, and any other event the church community would like to gather for. In the work of making missionary disciples of Jesus, it is important that we have this place to come together as a People of God to build community among one another. As the community is fed through shared worship and formation, they will be ready to go out to serve and disciple others.
Starting construction on the bunk rooms next to the Community Center.
We have also been wanting to have the ability to host small to mid-sized mission trips here in Tingo de Ponasa. The advantages of hosting trips here is that we can continue to stay in our house with our children during mission trips instead of relocating to the bigger town where the pastoral center is. But the biggest advantage is that groups are able to enter into the existing ministries that we have and get to know our community and our friends and fellow missionaries.
For this reason, we are adding bunkrooms and a large kitchen and dining room on to the Community Center so that we will be able to house mission trips. There will be five rooms that will sleep six people each, and every room will have its own bathroom.
We are still fundraising to be able to complete this project. Please consider donating so that we can complete this construction project this year.
Support The Mission
The Francis Institute seeks to partner with existing Catholic organizations and parishes to assist them in fulfilling their call to renew the Church and, in the words of Peter, to “remember the poor. "