Last summer, International Mission Board missionary Holly Smith was feeling discouraged about her language skills. She longed to be able to share Christ with people in the local language, but it was a struggle.
She recalled crying out to God, “Lord, I don’t feel like I’m doing anything.”
Smith and her husband Jonathan, who is an engineer by trade, moved to Peru five years ago to join the IMB city team in Lima as team associates. Their family arrived to the field just as the coronavirus pandemic started. Within months they were under lockdown with their three young boys in a brand new, completely empty apartment building.
Peru went on to experience one of the highest per capita death rates from COVID-19 in the world, and Smith looks back on their first two years as “kind of a blur.” She recalled navigating obstacles like face masks and government restrictions while trying to learn the local language and culture.
People come from all over Peru to find work in Lima. The small community on the outskirts of the city provides proximity while being less expensive than living in the city. IMB missionaries Holly and Jonathan Smith are working alongside a local church in Lima to help plant a church in the community. IMB Photo
Despite a rough start, the Smiths have become a steadfast presence among the people of Lima. They work alongside a local church to help with a church plant in a small community about two hours outside the city. Smith described the work as slow and challenging.
“There are people from all over Peru, they come from the mountains, the jungle,” Smith explained. “You’ll feel like you’re gaining ground with discipleship or people coming to church, and then they leave to find work, and they’re gone for months.”
When they finally return, the cycle starts all over. It is especially difficult to help new believers get into a routine of meeting together regularly for worship and discipleship.
As Smith was crying out to God for new opportunities to share the gospel, she heard about the IMB’s digital engagement strategy for the Paris Olympics.
The team in Europe needed volunteers from around the world to be digital responders for ads placed across social media platforms asking questions like, “How can we pray for you?”
Smith felt like the opportunity might be an answer to her prayer and decided to participate. After receiving training as a virtual volunteer, she jumped in responding to a list of contacts from the digital ads.
“I was really enjoying it, because it’s easier for me to write and express myself that way than in person,” Smith said.
She responded to several people, including believers who were lonely or needed encouragement, before receiving a message from a woman named Stella.
Stella wrote, “Pray the demon addiction and confusion leave Michael. He’s been mentally and emotionally so cruel to me.”
Smith responded with a heartfelt prayer for Michael in Jesus’ name and sent Stella the link to a website sharing the gospel in more detail. When Stella wrote back, she told Smith she wanted to follow Jesus.
As they continued messaging back and forth over the next couple days, Smith shared verses from Scripture and a prayer of salvation. She was thrilled when Stella wrote back that she had accepted Jesus as her Savior.
When Smith asked her if she would like to be connected with a church or missionary in person, Stella chose not to share any further information about herself.
“That was the hardest thing about digital engagement,” Smith shared. “You really had to be like, ‘Ok, Lord. Send somebody to encourage her and help her grow.’”
Holly Smith and her husband, Jonathan, serve as team associates on the International Mission Board city team in Lima. They moved to Peru five years ago with their three boys, Joshua (20), Caleb (16) and Jordan (13). IMB Photo
But, Smith said, given the opportunity, she would definitely do it again.
“If you look around, people are always on their phones,” Smith said, “and the cool thing is it doesn’t cost much to send out digital ads, so you have the potential to reach even more people.”
Smith’s team launched their first digital ad project for Lima earlier this year. They are excited to see how digital engagement strategies impact the spread of the gospel in Peru. But, in the meantime, Smith, her family and their teammates remain a steadfast presence among the people of Lima, pursuing every opportunity to make Jesus known.
Team associates are a critical component of IMB missionary teams. They are non-IMB funded missionaries who are active members of an IMB missionary team and often provide access to unique segments of society through their giftings and skills. Team associates are self-funded, usually through their jobs or their own personal resources.