26 August 2026

When the Heavens Opened to Bless:
First National NMI Congress in Peru

By Ruth Bravo

One day before the first-ever NMI National Congress in Peru’s history, the sky over Chiclayo darkened. It rained relentlessly, and the forecast for the entire week offered no respite: more rain. Meanwhile, from the most remote corners of the country, including the Peruvian jungle, many brothers and sisters had already been traveling for days to get there. The services had been booked, and delegations from the country’s 16 districts were on their way—yet everything pointed to the event being canceled.

Pastor Marleni Palma, national coordinator of NMI and leader of the conference organizing committee, did not react with panic, but with a call to prayer. And God heard her. The rain stopped. The ground was still wet, but the hearts of those who came to Chiclayo during those days burned with a fire that no storm could extinguish.

The conference opened with an experience that transformed the courtyard of the Nazarene Theological Seminary into a living map of the world. At their own booths, each district represented a Church of the Nazarene global region —featuring its music, traditional clothing, cuisine, challenges, and specific prayer requests. Those walking among the booths saw different cultures and were invited to pause and pray for that region. They turned each stop into a genuine act of intercession for nations that many of those present would never visit but to which they had now committed their hearts.

For three days, the Word was preached with a clarity that pointed toward a single horizon: the world yet to be reached. NMI Global Director Cheryl Crouch, South America NMI Regional Coordinator Ruth Bravo, Global NMI Project Coordinator Jen Staudt, Regional Ministries Coordinator Scott Armstrong, and Missionary Staff Coordinator Emily Armstrong shared teachings and workshops that went beyond theory: they challenged each attendee to live with a missionary heart.

The most moving part of the conference wasn’t on the main stage, however, but in the young faces that filled every session. Many of them are already participating in the AVIVA mentoring program, the regional program for young people with a missionary calling. Others are just beginning to explore that calling, not yet knowing where God will lead them. And still others actively serve in their local and district NMI chapters, without waiting to “be ready” to begin obeying. In each of them, the same truth was evident: God is raising up a generation in Peru that not only hears the call but also responds to it.

The convention also set aside time to honor the faithfulness of those who are already giving: districts that contributed to WEF (World Evangelism Fund) were publicly recognized. And in one of the most moving moments of the gathering, the missionaries in attendance stepped forward while all the participants prayed for them—a simple gesture, yet one rich in meaning: the promise of an entire community committed to supporting those who serve.

Three days later, when the delegations set out to return to their districts, something had changed. It wasn’t just a conference. It was a visible step toward a Peru that dares to dream of being not just a country that receives missionaries, but one that sends them out into the world. The rains stopped that week in Chiclayo. But what began there, in the hearts of hundreds of young people and Peruvian leaders, is just getting started.

The first missionary to Peru, pastor Roger Winans, went in obedience to a vision where he “saw a tribe of Indians in the Upper Amazon and a hand appeared to point to them.” Convinced that this was his mission field, Roger Winans and his wife Mary left for Peru in 1914. Today, the Church of the Nazarene in Peru has over 70,000 members and 16 districts.

Are you a young person who wants to explore missions, or do you know a young person exploring a call? Learn about The Cause here: The Cause - Church of the Nazarene

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