Ten members of Living Word, a mission congregation in Waukesha, Wis., teamed up with volunteers from Evangelical Lutheran Synod congregations in the Amazon to build a church in Tarapoto, Peru, in October 2007.

“It was amazing to work with these men who traveled days through the Amazon jungle to help their brothers and sisters in the faith,” says John Borgwardt, pastor at Living Word. “It was a great way to share in that fellowship, knowing that we stand together on the Scriptures.”

After three days of labor, the church was nearly complete. “We actually didn’t have time to put the roof on before the dedication service,” says Borgwardt. “Over 100 people came to the service, and we had just finished working probably 20 minutes before. People were coming in and we still had our hammers and were pounding nails.” Local members put the finishing touches on the building after the volunteers left.

This is the second trip to Peru for members of Living Word. Another group went in December 2005 on a vacation Bible school tour. “[These trips] have showed me the zeal that a number of people in our congregation have,” says Borgwardt. “They just said, ‘This is what we’re going to do,’ and they did it. It was really neat to be able to see them put their faith in action.”