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A Very Different Napoleon
31 August 2009
At 23-years-old, Napoleon has come "full circle" and is now working with youth who enjoy the ministry of Arequipa Children's Ministries in Peru. Unlike Napoleon Bonaparte, he did not go from victory to victory until his final surrender. On the contrary, Napoleon grew up on the altiplano, or high plateau, in the Lake Titicaca area of Peru and for most children growing up in the region, childhood means a lonesome and simple life on their parents' farm. Life has its challenges at an elevation of 15,000 feet. Napoleon and his family spent most of their time looking after the sheep and llama herds of their family—either enduring the scorching sun in the summer months or exposed to the cold winter winds that blow through the plateau. Since his parents didn't get along very well, Napoleon preferred to live with his uncle. He attended a school in a village in which the residents are known for participating in both black and white magic. In fact, every year a "miracle working virgin" attracts hundreds of people from other parts of the country to this village and people meet with witch doctors along the roadside. Witch doctors promise prosperity and success for this life and less time spent in purgatory for the next. Somehow, despite growing up in the midst of all of the negative influences around him, Napoleon was able to connect with a small evangelical church. Still, he was determined to leave the village behind. After he graduated, he was offered an opportunity to go to Arequipa. A man from his church offered him bus fare and a job in the man's shoe repair shop. Napoleon found the offer tempting enough. He gathered up all that he had and boarded the overnight bus. It only took a few days in his new situation to realize that it was not what he though he was signing up for originally. The man had promised him work and a better life in a new place, but now he found himself a slave at the hands of this man. He was only allowed out on Sundays and he couldn't go alone. After one year, he was finally able to escape. He was lost for a few days in a big city that he knew little about, until he unexpectedly came across a sign for the IEP, Iglesia Evangélica Peruana, the Evangelical Church of Peru. He received a warm welcome and accommodation, and loving care and counseling among a group of young Christians in the church. They encouraged his talent to work with children and youth, and now he is involved in ministry in a Sunday school and a homework club, as well as his involvement in the Arequipa Children's Ministries program. When he walked through the doors of the IEP, Napoleon began his own "Napoleonic Triumph" and he hasn't looked back since. His victory is secure in his relationship with Christ and he hopes to be able to study further at Seminary. Get InvolvedArequipa Children's Ministries reaches out to kids in need, shares God's love with them, and teaches them how they can serve others. Find out how you can help 
 
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