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Fran Schmidt is a good friend of mine, a vibrant Canadian Lutheran Pastor serving the ELCIC (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada) as a long-term missionary in Peru. I recently caught up with her to ask her about her work and ministry and life in Lima. She lives in Miraflores and is here for a total of four years, and has already served one year.

Fran, tell us about your work as a Pastor in ILEP (the Iglesia Luterana Evangelica Peruana) in Peru?

First, as the Canadian Lutheran missionary to Peru, I serve a local congregation in San Juan de Lurighancho, San Juan Camino de Esperanza. In this capacity, I preach and lead weekly worship services, weddings, funerals, baptisms, teach bible studies, confirmation classes, and equip lay leaders to serve in the church. The other half of my time, I serve the larger church by teaching church liturgy and music to the pastors, lay leaders (laicos), and young people. Our goal is to equip and strengthen musical skills and leadership in the Peruvian Lutheran church.

Peru is mainly a Catholic country; tell us about the Lutheran community in Peru.

This is true. The Lutheran Church is very small in Peru. There are 18 congregations in Lima, Iquitos, Cusco, Trujillo, and Huancayo that are a part of ILEP. There are other Lutheran churches and missionaries working here but they are not a part of ILEP. The membership of these 18 congregations is around 1500 members with 14 Pastors, 9 are Peruvians and the other 5 are missionaries.

Being an expat and missionary in Peru must not be an easy thing. What did you do to prepare for this call?

Prior to leaving Canada I attended a two week long mission orientation in Toronto, facilitated by Canadian Forum for Global Missions which is an organization of the Canadian Council of Churches. In the orientation we talked about a range of topics, everything from adapting to food and the new culture to safety and security to the challenges of being a female pastor in a developing country. The other part of my preparation was attending language school in Cochabamba, Bolivia for three and a half months. In addition to language classes, I lived with a host family of 12 people. There was a cultural education component to this time as well, in which we had guest speakers from all across S.A. This training helped, as well as the fact that I had been here on a two-week cross-cultural experience with my seminar (Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan).

Is this experience what made you decide on Peru as opposed to another country?

Well, I fell in love with the people, the language, the history, and the food. Everything that makes up the culture!

Tell us about some of the challenges and joys of being an expat working in Lima?

My biggest difficulty has been living 5 months without sun! Also, I have missed family and friends, and those things, customs or attitudes that are familiar and predictable.

My biggest joy is working with the children and youth! Whether teaching music or in my own parish, they have a thirst for knowledge and an innocent joy for living.

How is serving in Peru different then in Canada?

Overpopulation, crowding, the extremes, people seem to be very rich or very poor. Working and communicating in another language is challenging, in addition to the cultural difference in which the priorities and values are different than what I have lived with my whole life.

San Juan de Lurigancho has some extreme poverty, tell us about your experience serving in this area.

Extreme is the word that comes to mind. There are members of my church who do not have running water, who live in the Sierras, others who live in a one-room house. It´s difficult for some to find jobs and therefore providing for their families is a challenge. Nutritional balance is often a concern as well. There are others, though, who have stable jobs, a decent education, and who can support themselves and are providing well for the future of their children, but its still very basic.

Tell us about how does faith in God impact your members?

What I have found here is that people have a deep and abiding faith in God despite the lack of physical possessions and concern for the future of their children. Everyone is worried for their children's future, they live for their children. It is God who helps them to live each day and try and find better work to be able to provide for their families. The church has a practical impact, too. For instance, we have a children's program on Saturdays, we provide a lunch, we teach music lessons, and help with their homework. This one little action of helping a child complete a math assignment, for instance, does more than we can imagine! To me this is God's real presence. As I go and visit people in their homes, I am sort of a representative of the church and a sign of God presence, too. When we (as church or pastor) do this, it helps to share concerns and burdens, and there is a sense that there is someone else who cares, and that God, through Christ, is right here with us! This helps to ground our faith and belief, it helps daily to know we are not alone, it gives a sense of hope for the future which is grounded in faith in God.

How can people stay connected to your work and ministry?
People can stay connected with my work, ministry, and life by checking out my blog: fransadventures.blogspot.com or they can check out the information on the ELCIC web-site: www.elcic.ca, the Global Mission section.