Christmas Eve Service: Here is our "Church Choir" ready to sing!
Not bad for a church that only started two weeks earlier.
Leave...But make sure you come back!
Today we had an exciting day in Vina Alta! We started out with our regular kids club. The children were able to hear the Christmas story, play games and practice singing various Christmas songs. We had invited their parents to come hear the special songs. As the 4:30 service time approached there were no parents to be seen. Only a handful of people had come into the church. We decided to take a chance, and dismissed all the kids. We gave them a printed invitation and told them to return in five minutes with their parents. We were a little concerned that they would leave and not return! The children went running in every direction.
Within a few minutes families started appearing from everywhere. In less than ten minutes the building was full with every seat occupied. Parents, grandparents and interested neighbors made their way into the building. The people were attentive and cheerful. We were able to have a tiny program with the children. I was also able to bring a Gospel message. I preached on how Jesus revealed four important things during Christmas: The person of God, the power of God, the pardon of God, and the Provision of God.
In the end we had a special social with hot chocolate and panetone. Each child present received a CD with children's Bible stories. All total we had 60 people present, 25 of which were children.
Many promised to return in the coming days and weeks. We trust that a seed was planted in the hearts of many.
Then a few minutes after we finished cleaning up after our service we received a phone call on our cellular phone. It was our pastor calling from our home church in North Carolina. We were patched into the sound system and were able to update the folks on the progress of our new ministry. They sent Christmas greetings and prayed with us over the phone. It was a wonderful Christmas eve that we will not soon forget!
Within a few minutes families started appearing from everywhere. In less than ten minutes the building was full with every seat occupied. Parents, grandparents and interested neighbors made their way into the building. The people were attentive and cheerful. We were able to have a tiny program with the children. I was also able to bring a Gospel message. I preached on how Jesus revealed four important things during Christmas: The person of God, the power of God, the pardon of God, and the Provision of God.
In the end we had a special social with hot chocolate and panetone. Each child present received a CD with children's Bible stories. All total we had 60 people present, 25 of which were children.
Many promised to return in the coming days and weeks. We trust that a seed was planted in the hearts of many.
Then a few minutes after we finished cleaning up after our service we received a phone call on our cellular phone. It was our pastor calling from our home church in North Carolina. We were patched into the sound system and were able to update the folks on the progress of our new ministry. They sent Christmas greetings and prayed with us over the phone. It was a wonderful Christmas eve that we will not soon forget!
Do you hear what I hear?
The unusual view from our window last night.
Last night at 2:13 a.m. I was awakened by a strange sound. What could it possibly be? The sound was growing in intensity. I finally got out of bed to investigate the strange, ever growing noise. As I looked out the window I saw an extremely rare event: rain!
The rain was pouring down and tiny rivers of water were flowing down the streets. The windows were splattered with rain and the sound of dripping and splashing filled the air. Perhaps this isn't big news in much of the world, but in Lima its a rare occurrence. Lima, being one of the driest places on earth, doesn't get rain. In the last five years we can only remember seeing a few drops on the ground. Annual precipitation rates average 1/10 of an inch. The rain continued for more than an hour. I imagine we got several years worth of rain in a matter of a few minutes.
I couldn't help but think of the millions of Peruvians that must have suffered last night. Many have no real roof over their heads. Plastic sheets and woven bamboo roofs don't provide much protection during a rainy night. The bad news is that the "El Nino" weather patterns could lead to even more rain in Lima. I tucked myself back into bed and drifted back to sleep listening to the lovely sound of rainfall. It was hard to believe my ears: rain in the desert!
Christmas Competition
Yesterday we had our second services in Vina Alta. When we arrived early to open up the building and prepare we noticed the entire area looked like a ghost town. The normally busy streets were nearly empty of people. There were no vendors in the streets and the normal sound of children playing was not to be heard. Even the soccer field was empty. What was going on? Where had everyone gone? We managed to find a few families walking nearby and they explained that the municipality had a party with gifts for the children. Hundreds of people from all around Lima would be there to receive a gift. Plus the local elementary school had a special event and nearly every school child was there. We had almost given up hope of having our Kids Club.
After a few minutes of hunting we managed to find a handful of children. They were anxious to come to our club seeing that they had been left out of the other nearby events. After 10 minutes we had 13 children. They enjoyed games, singing, and a Christmas Bible story. We were especially impressed by their good behavior. They were all excited and promised to return next week.
Our service for adults was smaller than last week. We managed to have 7 adults. Thankfully everyone listened well and heard a clear gospel message. We are hoping that we can pick up in attendance after the holidays. Christmas shopping, parties, and special events are keeping most people busy. It seems there is no time for visiting a new church this month. Slowly but surely we will grow and people will continue to hear the story of the saving grace of our savior Jesus Christ.
Several of you wrote and asked how our first services went on December 10th. I am sorry we didn't update the BLOG with that information. We sent out an email update and didn't get to update the BLOG. If you would like to be added to our email list, please send a request to us at: poefolks@terra.com.pe Thanks for keeping us in your prayers!
After a few minutes of hunting we managed to find a handful of children. They were anxious to come to our club seeing that they had been left out of the other nearby events. After 10 minutes we had 13 children. They enjoyed games, singing, and a Christmas Bible story. We were especially impressed by their good behavior. They were all excited and promised to return next week.
Our service for adults was smaller than last week. We managed to have 7 adults. Thankfully everyone listened well and heard a clear gospel message. We are hoping that we can pick up in attendance after the holidays. Christmas shopping, parties, and special events are keeping most people busy. It seems there is no time for visiting a new church this month. Slowly but surely we will grow and people will continue to hear the story of the saving grace of our savior Jesus Christ.
Several of you wrote and asked how our first services went on December 10th. I am sorry we didn't update the BLOG with that information. We sent out an email update and didn't get to update the BLOG. If you would like to be added to our email list, please send a request to us at: poefolks@terra.com.pe Thanks for keeping us in your prayers!
Christmas Poem
It’s become a family tradition to write a brief poem each year for Christmas to summarize God’s blessings during the past year. This is our fifth annual “Poe Christmas Poem.” Hope you enjoy!
Twelve months have passed, 2006 just flew
Now the four Poes are back in Peru.
We wanted to send you this message in rhyme
To tell some of what happened during that time.
January through May, we stayed on the run
Seeing old friends and new is always such fun!
Meetings and conferences, both near and far
We sure spent a lot of time in our car.
Then there was packing, oh what a chore!
We meant to take less, but ended up with more!
A trip to D.C. for Olivia's visa went great
No problems at all, not even a wait.
The next two months went by in a flash
In July we had Olivia's (early) birthday bash.
Then friends and family farewells, always a bit sad
And then onto the plane, John's nerves weren't TOO bad!
We hit the ground running when back in Peru
Got the house clean and in order, no time to feel blue.
We got our car back, checked under the hood
Tried out our Spanish and were still understood!
Elizabeth started kindergarten and we're proud to proclaim
She's mastered letters, small words and writing her name.
Olivia walks now, smiles and crinkles her nose
She quickly makes friends wherever she goes.
Now our "Big News", we're excited to tell
Things for the new church plant are going so well.
We've surveyed a neighborhood, found great interest there
Our new co-workers Daniel and Julie are answers to prayer.
We've rented a building, gotten chairs and a sign
All the small details have worked out just fine.
It once was a restaurant, but with God's help it’s our goal
To make it a place to get food for the soul!
Merry Christmas from the Poes and a Blessed New Year
We trust that you know that to us you're so dear.
We want to thank you for all that you do
You are truly our partners in our work in Peru!
Twelve months have passed, 2006 just flew
Now the four Poes are back in Peru.
We wanted to send you this message in rhyme
To tell some of what happened during that time.
January through May, we stayed on the run
Seeing old friends and new is always such fun!
Meetings and conferences, both near and far
We sure spent a lot of time in our car.
Then there was packing, oh what a chore!
We meant to take less, but ended up with more!
A trip to D.C. for Olivia's visa went great
No problems at all, not even a wait.
The next two months went by in a flash
In July we had Olivia's (early) birthday bash.
Then friends and family farewells, always a bit sad
And then onto the plane, John's nerves weren't TOO bad!
We hit the ground running when back in Peru
Got the house clean and in order, no time to feel blue.
We got our car back, checked under the hood
Tried out our Spanish and were still understood!
Elizabeth started kindergarten and we're proud to proclaim
She's mastered letters, small words and writing her name.
Olivia walks now, smiles and crinkles her nose
She quickly makes friends wherever she goes.
Now our "Big News", we're excited to tell
Things for the new church plant are going so well.
We've surveyed a neighborhood, found great interest there
Our new co-workers Daniel and Julie are answers to prayer.
We've rented a building, gotten chairs and a sign
All the small details have worked out just fine.
It once was a restaurant, but with God's help it’s our goal
To make it a place to get food for the soul!
Merry Christmas from the Poes and a Blessed New Year
We trust that you know that to us you're so dear.
We want to thank you for all that you do
You are truly our partners in our work in Peru!
BEFORE and AFTER
Below you'll find a couple of photos. They show what our church looks like. Perhaps not a beautiful sight compared to American churches, but beautiful to us. When we first found this location it was in terrible shape. The inside was filled with junk. The walls, floors, and ceiling were dirty and greasy. The outside was an eyesore. It was a bit hard to imagine a church could meet there, but we had hope. After a month of hard work, we have a presentable place to invite people to hear the life changing good news of Christ.
Actually the building could be an illustration of what we hope happens in Vina Alta. Most people in the world today are filled with junk. They have lives that are cluttered by the evils of sin. Their families, goals, and relationships are in desperate need of a makeover. Really mankind is an eyesore of sorts to a righteous and holy God. Yet, with the help of the Lord, lives can be renovated, repentance can take place and a new person can be made presentable to God.
We've finished cleaning up our church building for now. We hope starting Sunday that we can see the Lord cleaning up the lives of those that come for a visit. That would be the ultimate "Before and After" picture. We're thankful for how God brought that change about in our own lives. Please pray for us this Sunday. We'll begin our first service at 3:00 p.m. We'll let you know how it goes!
Actually the building could be an illustration of what we hope happens in Vina Alta. Most people in the world today are filled with junk. They have lives that are cluttered by the evils of sin. Their families, goals, and relationships are in desperate need of a makeover. Really mankind is an eyesore of sorts to a righteous and holy God. Yet, with the help of the Lord, lives can be renovated, repentance can take place and a new person can be made presentable to God.
We've finished cleaning up our church building for now. We hope starting Sunday that we can see the Lord cleaning up the lives of those that come for a visit. That would be the ultimate "Before and After" picture. We're thankful for how God brought that change about in our own lives. Please pray for us this Sunday. We'll begin our first service at 3:00 p.m. We'll let you know how it goes!
Almost "Open for Business"
"Do you really think your church will make money here?" This was the question we were asked recently by a neighbor. She assumed we were there to make money off of the offerings collected during church services. She was expecting us to also sell items from our store front location. She also assumed we had made investments in improving the building just to benefit our pocketbook. When we explained that we weren't there to make money she seemed a little surprised. We were able to share with her our true purpose in being there: To share the good news of the Gospel with her and all her neighbors. She wanted to know when we were "open for business!"
We plan to start our weekly services this Sunday afternoon. The building is clean and refurbished. The chairs have been purchased and are now in place. The sign was designed and made today. We are almost ready to go! In the next several days we will go door-to-door and invite everyone a second time. We are praying that we will have a full house.
Please pray as we plan the services. Pray for a good turnout. Pray that people will be open to the message and that we might see some folks saved.
We plan to start our weekly services this Sunday afternoon. The building is clean and refurbished. The chairs have been purchased and are now in place. The sign was designed and made today. We are almost ready to go! In the next several days we will go door-to-door and invite everyone a second time. We are praying that we will have a full house.
Please pray as we plan the services. Pray for a good turnout. Pray that people will be open to the message and that we might see some folks saved.
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