I n the fall of 2023, ten women from St. Thomas Reformed Church in the U.S. Virgin Islands started studying women of the Bible. In volume 1, session 1 of the She Is Called Women of the Bible study series, the women read Romans 16 and learned about Phoebe, a deacon, benefactor, and friend of the apostle Paul. As they engaged the application section of the study, wheels began to turn as the women considered what God might be calling them to do.
“We were in my living room looking at a map of Phoebe’s journey, and we were amazed by that,” says Katie Landry, who led the Bible study. “When you live on an island, you grasp the depth of that kind of journey much better. We talked about her courage, then asked, ‘How do we apply Phoebe’s obedience and courage to today?’”
A few weeks later, independent of one another, Katie and another Bible study member both had an answer: Maybe God wants us to make a journey to share the love of Jesus, just like Phoebe.
Eight months later, 15 women landed in Peru—on mission.
Building connections and planning the trip
As the idea of a trip like Phoebe’s took root, Katie received guidance from her pastor as well as the pastor of St. Croix Reformed Church (also in the U.S. Virgin Islands) to contact Rev. Liz Testa, the director of equity-based hospitality and women’s transformation and leadership for the Reformed Church in America (RCA). Katie did so in January 2024.
Then, a destination needed to be determined.
“Once we knew God was calling us to do this, I looked at the RCA missionaries,” says Katie. “I started praying and narrowed it down to three options. Then I settled on the Rodriguez family in Peru, even though I don’t speak any Spanish.”
Katie then contacted Sandy Rodriguez to see if she and her family would be open to receiving a team of women. The answer was a resounding yes, so Katie looped back to Liz to start concrete planning. Liz’s colleague Rev. Stephanie Soderstrom, supervisor for short-term mission and North American partnerships, was brought on to the planning team too. In a few short months, the plans came together for a late summer trip.
“It all came together,” says Katie. “Everyone who was supposed to be there was there.”
That “everyone” included women from the St. Thomas women’s Bible study as well as other women from around the Reformed Church in America. All in all, the group consisted of 15 women, ranging in age from 16 to 68, hailing from the Caribbean, the New York City area, and Michigan, and representing a variety of diverse backgrounds, including a number of women with Hispanic heritage. In addition, a number of the women spoke Spanish, which Liz says enriched the group’s time in Peru as they were able to communicate well and even help with interpretation, prayer, and other leadership roles.
“We were a group of women who wanted to go somewhere where we could minister to another group of women,” says Katie. “We weren’t going to build anything or do medical missions; we were just a group of diverse women, mostly lay laborers in the church, who could bring love and fellowship to the young women (and men) at Casa del Maestro in Peru. And that’s exactly what Sandy said they needed.”
To learn more about She Is Called / Ella es Llamada global experiences or short-term mission trips, contact equip@rca.org or shortterm@rca.org.
On the mission field in Peru
Casa del Maestro (House of the Master) is a ministry that Sandy and Albino Rodriguez, along with two colleagues, started about a decade ago. In southern Peru, many young people come from rural villages to Cusco seeking opportunity. That journey and relocation often leaves them vulnerable to exploitation. As a solution, Casa del Maestro serves as a safe place for young people in Cusco, providing housing as well as discipleship classes and skills training that will set them up to succeed in the city. And this is not just a way to change the residents’ lives, but to create generational change in the young people’s families and villages.
“Ten years into this ministry, they’re blossoming and getting ready to expand,” says Rev. Liz Testa. “Where our group of women entered into this narrative is a story of God’s timing. Sandy and Albino had used all of their contacts and were wondering how to grow Casa Del Maestro. They hadn’t had any groups visit them since before the COVID pandemic. Now, people from seven churches are interested, including two of their supporting churches. We all understood it was ‘for such a time as this’—to bless Casa del Maestro in the moment of being there but also being part of the movement of growth.”
The impact of the women’s workshop weekend
Three times a year, Casa del Maestro puts on a weekend of workshops and presentations, followed by a visit by the resident young people’s families. The group of women were invited to engage with the students at Casa del Maestro through worship and the facilitation of workshops.
The workshop topics varied but all had a discipleship focus, encouraging the students—mostly young women, ages 16 through 22—to consider how they’re called to be followers of Jesus. The workshop line-up included spoken and written word poetry, in which students wrote a piece on identity (who others say you are, who you say you are, and who God says you are); a Bible study and workshop on Lydia, in which students made purple quilt patches and prayer squares; a Bible study and workshop on the Samaritan woman at the well that involved creating skits about a contemporary experience with Jesus to help contextualize the Bible story; a workshop on expression through art; another on sabbath rest practices; and a career panel in which the women talked about living into God’s calling, pivoting as needed, and pursuing callings and careers despite challenges and set-backs.
“These workshops led to amazing times of sharing, both with our women and with the girls at Casa del Maestro,” shares Liz. “Half of our women shared their stories and journeys to live into their callings—there’s a lot of challenges in those stories. Some of the girls were homesick, overwhelmed, teased for their faith, and more. Through engaging with us, they were able to stand up, look up, and be proud of who they are. They were encouraged by being with us.”
The women were likewise encouraged and blessed by their time at Casa del Maestro.
“What stood out to me was the faith of the youth,” says Katie. “It’s the first time I’ve seen faith that strong in this age group. God has moved in Sandy and Albino’s stories, and we got to hear the young women’s stories too.”
The story sharing didn’t end there, though. As is the custom at Casa del Maestro, students’ families were invited to participate as the workshop weekend concluded. Liz says that families and parents were also invited to share their testimonies—and they did. As a result, there was trilingual simultaneous translation with Quechua, Spanish, and English languages being spoken!
Looking forward
“I want to go back,” says Katie simply. “This trip was just the beginning.”
Katie already has ideas for ongoing partnership: raising money and support for Casa del Maestro, taking St. Thomas’s youth group to Peru, a return women’s trip, and maybe even a cross-cultural exchange trip with some of the Peruvian youth.
“The work of Casa del Maestro is so important,” she says. “It’s about discipling the next generation. Most of the young people at Casa del Maestro have younger siblings at home. When you reach one, you’re actually reaching more than one. It’s very easy and meaningful to support this ministry.”
And there’s no telling what will happen as the St. Thomas women’s Bible study continues to engage the stories of women in the Bible and apply what they’re studying.
“We’re finishing up volume 1,” says Katie. “The Bible study gives us a starting point to learn about the characters, but then we start to discuss the meaning that has for our lives.
“That little story about Phoebe made such an impact. Most women didn’t know it was there. But the application went in so many different beautiful directions. It’s amazing to me that this small Bible study on St. Thomas brought together women from multiple states to Peru, in less than a year. It wasn’t something I would have thought about. That’s the power of God to cut through and reach people’s hearts.”
Support Casa del Maestro with a Gift of Hope
Casa del Maestro provides a safe place for Quechua youth in southern Peru and empowers them with vocational training, equips them with biblical truth, and helps them discern their calling in the world. Your Gift of Hope provides one month of living expenses for a student at Casa del Maestro.
Becky Getz is a writer and editor for the Reformed Church in America's communication team. You can contact Becky at bgetz@rca.org.
