Loving Latin America: An Interview With Lisa Merritt of Inca Link International

Posted by parkejladd on Jan 4, 2010 in Featured {Article} | 5 comments

 

An interview with Lisa Merritt of Inca Link International, an organization dedicated to faithfully serving the Latin American youth of Ecuador, Peru, Nicaraugua, and Colombia, with the love of Christ.

Parke:  You have an incredible passion and heart for the people, especially the youth, of Latin America.  How was your passion for serving and loving kids in Latin America cultivated?

Lisa:  During my senior year of college, I earnestly prayed for God to show me what He wanted for my life after graduation.  I was working on a degree in business management, and my parents really wanted me to go into business, but the Lord was growing my heart for missions.  I pursued a job in the business world but was turned down.  It wasn’t until a month after graduation that God connected me and my passions (youth, speaking Spanish, missions, the outdoors, staying connected with The Alliance) to an opportunity serving Him in Ecuador working with Alliance Missionaries, Rich and Lisa Brown.  I went down to Ecuador for a year long internship, and God continued to grow my heart for missions and Latin America as I served Him there with all of my passions.

Parke:   What was your initial response to God calling you to Latin America?

Lisa:  My college Pastor’s wife, Shaele Massey, once asked me: “If God was calling you to missions, would you do it?”  I knew the right answer was yes, but my honest answer was, “NO!”  I had an unhealthy desire to please my parents, and I knew they wanted me to succeed in the business world.  I didn’t want to disappoint them, and I felt like I owed it to them to make something of myself because they had paid for my college education.  They wanted me to make money, not ask other people for money.  So my initial response was no because I feared what my parents would think and say.  But, after realizing that the Lord was my ultimate Father and Authority, I knew I needed to obey Him.

Parke:  We as Jesus followers talk a lot about being “called” to missions.  Do you believe that this calling is on every Jesus follower’s life or just a select few? 

Lisa:  Every believer is called to something, and we are all called to support missions or missionaries in some way.  I do not believe that every believer is called to missions overseas.  Some of us are called to pray, others are called to give, and yet others are called to go.  There are MANY creative ways to support missions, and it’s not just limited to these three.  I believe that every believer has some role in supporting missions in one way or another.

Parke:  Did anyone think you were crazy when you told them you were moving to Latin America in order to show Christ’s love to kids?

Lisa:  Yes!  Several of my friends are Christians and had gone away to do missions, so most of them understood, but my family was definitely the biggest obstacle.  My immediate family didn’t really want me to go.  I suppose you could say that at the time my parents were lukewarm Christians, and they definitely had some concerns with me going.  They all thought it was admirable to go and help the poor but also thoroughly crazy due to legitimate safety issues, health concerns, distance, money, and most of them didn’t want me to push my religion on other people–especially my dad on this point!  After several long talks and carefully written letters, I explained to them why I wanted to go and why I must go.  When I got on the plane for my year long internship on Nov. 1, 2005, my parents told me that they supported me 100%.  That meant the world to me.  Since then, they really have been my biggest supporters!  They even came, along with my brother, to visit me!  The rest of my family (aunts,uncles, and cousins) are all really proud of the work I do and always find it exciting to hear what I’m doing.

Parke:  You mention lukewarm Christianity in regards to your parents.  What are your thoughts on lukewarm faith, and how, from your experience, does it differ from genuine faith? 

Lisa:  I’m definitely not a scholar, and I feel a bit inadequate to define such things, but I will do my best to describe what I think lukewarm faith and genuine faith look like.  I mentioned lukewarm faith regarding my parents because I believe that they believe in God, Jesus, and everything the Bible says, but they don’t acknowledge the truth everyday.  Lukewarm Christians, in my opinion, are those that believe in truth but don’t often acknowledge it.  I believe that people with lukewarm faith have a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and are genuinely saved, but have somehow drifted away from the excitement and joys of the truth.  Genuine faith Christians have a constant knowledge of God’s presence in their life and allow God to direct them each step of the way.  They take steps of faith and stand in awe of who God is and what he does.

Parke:  What’s going on with the youth in Latin America.  What are the kids like?  What’s their story?  What kind of backgrounds are they coming from?  And what is Inca Link’s roll in identifying children in need and helping them?

Lisa:  There are over 300 million youth in need in Latin America.  The term “youth” can refer to anyone who is under the age of 30 or even older!  You are considered a “youth” if you aren’t married so it’s a fairly broad term.  Inca Link tries to reach all of these youth, no matter what their age and circumstance.  In Ecuador, we have ministries working with street kids (ages 5-18), orphanages (ages 0-15 and special needs), women’s prisons, and pregnant teens.  In Peru, we are heavily involved with a Day Care Center and an orphanage.  The Day Care Center has about 70 children which are some of the poorest in the world.  They live right next to the garbage dump and most have some sort of dysfunctional family life such as alcoholic parents, sexually abusive parents, physically abusive family members, lack of funds to buy food, lack of parental supervision, etc. etc.  Inca Link’s roll in identifying which children are in need and how to help them, is up to God and the Inca Link Board in Peru, which is completely composed of Nationals.  They research different places with the same ministries and follow the examples that are already in place and working.

Parke:  Are there any specific passages of scripture which you turn to as your reference and guide?

Lisa:  Matthew 25:40, specifically, and really the whole passage leading up to it.  Also, I like Colossians 3:12-14.

Parke:  What do you love the most about the people and culture of Latin America?

Lisa:  There is so much to love about the people and culture of Latin America.  The people there are very laid back and easy going.  They are usually late to any appointment you have and can be up to an hour late without it being considered rude.  One thing I really like about the culture is their focus on relationships.  They are people oriented rather than task oriented.  You can see this in the way they work and play.  They are also very family oriented.  They love their family, spend a lot of time with them (even extended family), and will do anything to support one another.  They are fun people and are usually more affectionate with one another.  Plus, their food is delicious!  Overall it’s a great culture!

Parke:  Living by faith has surely allowed the Lord to do some incredible things through you and Inca Link.  Anything crazy happen this past year?

Lisa:  God is definitely achieving many of our goals in a much shorter time than we ever expected.  To make a long story short, we thought it would take us MONTHS to raise $30,000 for a property to build the Orphanage in Peru.  God provided this money within a WEEK! 

Parke: $30,000 in one week?

Lisa:  He’s good like that!  Same thing with CasaBlanca–which is a place where pregnant teens can come and receive a place to stay, prenatal care, counseling, love, and hope.  God provided us a wonderful property in Quito and the perfect couple/family to manage it.  CasaBlanca also welcomes women who have just recently been let out of prison who are looking for jobs but can’t find any.  This is a way for these women to make an honest living and not fall back into the temptation of drugs.

Parke:  What kind of challenges, big and small, does Inca Link face?  What are the areas which you must constantly rely upon the Lord, trusting that He will provide?

Lisa:  Inca Link faces plenty of challenges.  One of our biggest challenges is to trust and have faith that He will provide.  Because we are small and have such big dreams and visions, it requires both of these things in order for us to get anything accomplished.  It takes faith in the small things just as it does in the big things. 

Parke:  What’s next for you and Inca Link?

Lisa:  Inca Link is currently in Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Nicaragua.  Our plan is to move into Uruguay and Paraguay within the next 5 years, and possibly Bolivia too.  We are really trusting the Lord and moving forward faithfully as we look to continue to raise support for the CasaBlanca project in Ecuador and acquire teams for this summer to support the different ministry opportunities here.

Inca Link International is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization focused on reaching the 300 million youth in Latin America with Christ’s irresistible love.  We do this through direct evangelism, training leaders, connecting people, and compassion ministries.  We are devoted to helping the least of these.

You can find out more about Lisa and Inca Link International here and here