Pinocchio and His Maker, Gepetto

Below is a letter I received yesterday from Daniel Peloso.**  

 **Daniel and his wife, Viviana, and family are Argen-tineans and have served as missionaries sent out by our Argentine churches for over 20 years now.  They first served 3 years in Paraguay where they planted a successful church, then 6 years in Venezuela where they pastored a church and helped establish the National Assemblies of God Department of Missions.  Daniel also served for several years as Vice-Director of the National Department of Missions in his home country, promoting World Missions all over Argentina under the excellent leadership of Missionary Brad Walz.  Now for 4½ years they have been missionaries to Costa Rica, where he serves as National Director of World Missions there. 

From the first time he saw Felipe, Daniel says he wanted to become a ventriloquist.  He attended one of our Generation XXI events in the early nineties where I taught short courses on ventriloquism.  He made a cloth puppet and used him in Paraguay.  Years later Missionary Myrna Wilkins purchased two vent figures and gave one to him and the other to his son.  Today Daniel (with his little Pedrito) and his son, Kevin (with his little Samuelito), are both excellent ventriloquists.  He says to tell Felipe that he now has two grandsons!

Now read this letter that I just received from Daniel in Costa Rica yesterday:  You’ll love it.

Hermano Rafael: (Brother Ralph) 

Here is a story that you need to hear:

We were in our final months before leaving Argentina to serve as missionaries to Paraguay.  Our kids were small.  Dana, the oldest, was 5, Camila 3 y Kevin 1.  It was not easy for them.  They could not understand why we had to go live in another country.

One day we purchased them an illustrated book of the story of Pinocchio… how a carpenter, named Gepetto, made a puppet, called him Pinocchio and how he came to life.  They all loved it.  We must have read it to them 100 times and they enjoyed every moment… always asking us to read it to them again and again.    

Then one day you and Frances came to our church in Moron where Moisés Barrientos was our pastor.  Before preaching you took out your little Felipe.  The impact was great on everyone young and old and my kids were fascinated.

After the service I took my 5 year old daughter, Dana, over to where you were standing and told her, “I want you to meet a friend.”  When you looked down at her, I asked her, “Do you know who this is?” 

She answered with no hesitation at all.  “Yes!  He’s Gepetto!”

Now Dana is 24 years old and will be graduating shortly with a degree in psychology.  She is my personal assistant in my office as Director of World Missions for the country of Costa Rica… and together we still all laugh as we remember that night when Felipe y “Gepetto” visited our church.   

We treasure these moments!

Dani 

PS from me to all you young, single guys out there: Check out this photo of Daniel with his personal secretary, Dana, and then "Go eat your heart out!"

Ralph