Tonight we had the privilege of meeting and chatting with a Peruvian man here in North Carolina. He was amazed to find that we live there most of the time and that we love his homeland. He went on to tell us of his relatives that still live in Lima. He then asked if we could go start a church in his former neighborhood. He told us that "there are Catholics, Mormons, and many other groups but no Bible teaching Baptists." He said that they would give us a building for a church if we would go to start one there. He was disappointed to hear we wouldn't return until next summer. He commented, "You are needed there, you are needed there now!" Unfortunately, Lima is a huge city, and we live nearly 2 hours from where his family is located. It was just another reminder of the urgency of the great need that exists in Lima, Peru. We simply need more missionaries.
Perhaps God could use you in Lima. Would you consider the great need? Will you remember those words we just heard tonight: "You are needed there, you are needed there now!"
Furlough can be Refreshing...
Before we returned to the states for furlough we received a booklet from our mission entitled "Furlough can be Refreshing." The booklet describes ways to make your furlough less stressful and to find time as a family to relax. Most missionaries are ready to return to the field for a break! After a crazy month of traveling visiting churches we decided to take a few days of vacation as a family. We love the beach so we headed to Carolina Beach, NC. It was a wonderful time for each of us. The weather was cool, but the skies were clear and beautiful. We did manage to actually have a very refreshing time. We ended our time by visiting a nearby church.
November will find us visiting in 9 different churches, and visiting in one Christian school before finishing the month with family for Thansgiving. We'll keep you updated on our travels and any special news we hear from Peru. As always we covet your prayers each day!
November will find us visiting in 9 different churches, and visiting in one Christian school before finishing the month with family for Thansgiving. We'll keep you updated on our travels and any special news we hear from Peru. As always we covet your prayers each day!
The girls enjoyed a Ferry ride. It was Olivia's first boat trip. We called it a "Missionary Cruise Ship!" You can see a few extra pictures of the girls on their BLOG.
We Survived!
Thanks to all of you that have prayed for us during the month of October! We have had a super busy month filled with many blessings. Now that the month draws to a close we can look back and rejoice in all that God accomplished. We appreciate your prayers as we traveled to six churches, and participated in 23 services. (That's possible because we were in four missions conferences!)
October was perhaps the busiest month of our entire furlough year. Because of people like you it will perhaps be the most blessed! Now we take five days off before starting to visit churches again. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.
October was perhaps the busiest month of our entire furlough year. Because of people like you it will perhaps be the most blessed! Now we take five days off before starting to visit churches again. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.
A New Supporting Church
We just completed a wonderful missions conference in Hickory, NC. The conference at Tabernacle Baptist Church was a real blessing to our family. The meetings had an emphasis on missions in Latin America. All of the missionaries present work in Latin American countries, or with Hispanic ministries in the US. It was exciting to hear reports of God's work all over Central and South America. It was a special blessing to use our Spanish skills with these missionaries and with the Hispanic members of the church. Tabernacle Baptist Church has recently started a Spanish ministry.
A special highlight of the week was a visitation time in a local Hispanic neighborhood. We were able to invite dozens of Latinos to attend the church. It was a blessing to see the mission field right here in NC!
We are also pleased to report that the kind folks at Tabernacle have chosen to partner with us to reach the souls in Peru. They are our newest supporting church! God continues to provide for our financial needs in many special ways.
A special highlight of the week was a visitation time in a local Hispanic neighborhood. We were able to invite dozens of Latinos to attend the church. It was a blessing to see the mission field right here in NC!
We are also pleased to report that the kind folks at Tabernacle have chosen to partner with us to reach the souls in Peru. They are our newest supporting church! God continues to provide for our financial needs in many special ways.
Missions: It's A Family Affair
Thanks to all of you that prayed for the missions conference at our home church. The weekend went well as missions was promoted and all of us were challenged with the Great Commission of our Lord. Our conference theme was: "Missions, It's a Family Affair" It was a special conference as 4 of the 5 couples sent from our home church were able to attend. It was indeed good to be home with family.
Speaking of family, don't miss the update on our Poekids BLOG.
A View from Peru
Lima continues to grow at a tremendous rate. As the city grows, nearly every square inch of available ground is used for homes. This hillside, near our church, is nearly covered with tiny homes. Notice the yellow stairs and the large white water tank. Scenes like this are common throughout the city of Lima. The needs in this city are easy to see.
Nervous!?!?
We just finished visiting six churches in two weeks. During those two weeks we were involved in twelve church services. Now, having that many experiences what is there to be nervous about? Starting tomorrow night we will be participating in our home church's missions conference. It will be a great time with friends and fellow missionaries. The only problem is I am the key-note speaker. I've preached plenty of times in probably close to 100 churches. Normally, no problem! This time I feel responsible for setting the mood for the entire conference. Promoting missions in your own home church is a big responsibility. Perhaps I should see it as "the home court advantage!"
Please pray that God will bless the conference. Pray that folks will see the importance of world missions and that they will be excited to see God at work around the world. Pray that everyone there will be motivated to do more to spread the good news of God's love.
Please pray that God will bless the conference. Pray that folks will see the importance of world missions and that they will be excited to see God at work around the world. Pray that everyone there will be motivated to do more to spread the good news of God's love.
Pray for the Lima Church
As many of you know, God blessed our church in Lima with a lovely property. The church has grown to the point where the auditorium needs to be expanded. The plans have been drawn-up and plans are in place to start the expansion. Now, the local municipality is hindering the expansion with some small legal technicalities. They are requiring a greater number of available parking spaces before they will issue building permits. This is a bit frustrating since none of the church folks have vehicles. The parking spaces would always go unused! Please pray that these obstacles can be overcome so the building program can be finished and space made available to accomodate the growing crowds.
Where are we now?
Thanks for all your recent prayers! We have been blessed by good travels, strong health and prosperous church visits in the last week. Wednesday found us visiting a church in nearby Welcome, NC. Then we headed to Virginia where we visited a church in Danville, and started a four day conference just outside of the Roanoke Valley. We'll finish up this week with a three day conference in Roanoke. It is often hard to keep up with the day of the week or our location when visiting four churches in 5 days! It has been a blessing to see old friends and meet new folks at every church. It's also a blessing to see old missionary friends that we haven't seen for a number of years.
Peru is once again in the news today. This past weekend, two powerful earthquakes shook southern Peru. Since Saturday more than 180 after-shocks have rocked the region leaving millions sleeping in the streets. They fear that the tremors will damage their homes. Fortunately, these quakes have only been minor in Lima. In the last week strong earthquakes have been felt in nearly every region of Peru. Pray that God will provide safety for folks in this region. Pray that these events will cause them to turn to the Lord.
Peru is once again in the news today. This past weekend, two powerful earthquakes shook southern Peru. Since Saturday more than 180 after-shocks have rocked the region leaving millions sleeping in the streets. They fear that the tremors will damage their homes. Fortunately, these quakes have only been minor in Lima. In the last week strong earthquakes have been felt in nearly every region of Peru. Pray that God will provide safety for folks in this region. Pray that these events will cause them to turn to the Lord.
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