Breaking Free

3:39 PM



Last week, I posted on Facebook about Maria.  It was her first week to come witnessing with us in Alto Peru.  Her excitement for reaching the people there in Alto Peru challenged me immensely, and today I found out a little bit more of why she was so excited to reach the people.  Her story touched my heart in such a sweet way that I just have to share!

20 years ago, Maria tells me, she received Christ as her Savior.  She mentioned that she always felt like there was a fight in her, and she knew that living a sinful lifestyle was wrong.  For years she lived in drugs, alcohol, and making it from "high to high."  From what I could tell from her story today, about 8 months ago, one of her children went to Alto Peru and picked her up, and took her out of the city to a more rural area.  She had just gone 5 days straight without sleeping due to being so high on drugs.  There in the "Provincia" as they call it,  she finally was able to break free from the drugs and alcohol.  Upon returning to the city of Lima, she began attending a church.

About 2 months ago, a lady named Paula brought her friend Irene to church.  Irene, since then has brought many, many family members and friends to our church.  Irene has a sweet, outgoing personality, and has fallen in love with our church.  Irene, just happens to be Maria's daughter.  About a month ago, Irene invited her mom to come to our church, Iglesia Bautista Internacional. Irene told her mom, "Mom!  This church is different than any other!  I'm starting to fall in love with Jesus all over again!  It's the most wonderful experience!" Maria came one Wednesday night to see her granddaughter sing in our children's choir, and has continued coming faithfully.

Today was the second week we took Maria up to Alto Peru.  I knew she used to live there, but I didn't realize until today, that every time Maria sees a someone on drugs, someone lying in the streets, someone smoking on the street corner, or someone that's totally hopeless, she remembers that that was her- 8 months ago.  No hope, no joy, total dissatisfaction, helplessness; bondage in drugs and alcohol. Today I was walking down the road with her, as she put her arms around another lady named Maria.  This Maria is about 4 1/2 feet tall, and a sweet lady.  Maria told her that God had completely changed her.  She overflows with joy as she tells the people what God has done in her and her family.  Then, she introduces me to her friends.  "This is my friend Joselyn (Heather)" she'll say, "and she's going to witness to you."  Today, Maria listened intently as I thoroughly shared the Gospel with her.  When I asked her if she wanted to receive Jesus Christ as her Savior, her answer was, "Of course!"  

Walking down the streets with her is amazing!  She'll walk up to someone, put her arms around them, and they stare at her in disbelief.  "Look at me!  I'm changed!"  She'll say to them. "God has changed my whole life!  I'm healthy and happy, and never known so much joy as I have now."  Many will ask her on the streets, "Oh, you found religion?"  "No," she'll answer,  "I've found Jesus."

Although she hasn't quite learned to share the whole Gospel, she'll tell them what Jesus has done in her.  Until today, I did not realize that she almost doesn't have to say anything.  Just looking at her, everyone knows that God has done a miracle in her!

Because Maria knows the people and the people know her and where she's come from, it leaves an amazing open door to share the Gospel with the people of Alto Peru.  Almost in tears, as she finished telling her story to me today, she said, "This past month, I have grown to see the incredible mercy of God.  He is so good!  He's done SO much for me and changed my life."

Maria and I 

Maria has dreams.  She still has one daughter who lives in Alto Peru with her grandchildren. Maria hugs her sweet grandchildren who live in a difficult home situation and tells them how much she loves them.  She longs to see her daughter accept Christ so she can know the joy that only God can bring to one's life. Will you pray with me that God will continue to change her family? 

Bury My Heart

12:49 PM




If I thought before that I lived in a third world country, I had forgotten.  Until I went to Alto Peru last week, that is.  We had been told it was a dangerous area of town, but had decided to go up anyways and to go in groups.  Thankfully, several people who attend our church regularly had already made friends in this area.  So while trying to talk to people there, we could simply ask them if they knew Fivos, Andres, or Patti.  When they did, it was almost as if you could visibly see the barrier wall fall down. My Americanized mind almost didn't know what to do when we arrived at the "park": a 10 by 10 ft cement slab in the middle of their area.  There were small children everywhere, covered in dirt.  Their clothes were messy and worn, and I thought, "This really is the mission field, isn't it?"  As I stood there looking around, I saw a mother standing in the doorway of a house nearby and I went over to talk to her.  I introduced myself.  As I did, I noticed little children running around the room behind her.  They were just as dirty as the kids outside.  I saw the bare, dirty room, and the completely trashed furniture and wondered how this lady did it.  God gave me the wonderful opportunity of leading her to Christ, and I was excited to tell her that we would be coming back to the area each week.

We began walking down the streets. These streets are not perhaps exactly what you would imagine.  They were very narrow, actually I don't know if a real car could fit down some of them.  They were made of brick.  Buildings on both sides of the road were run down, and graffiti was everywhere.  We continued walking down the road, meeting people.  It's always a big deal when I walk down any street, because I'm a foreigner.  People just stopped, starred, and watched us; wondering why we were in their neighborhood.  Why were we there?  To share Jesus.  
One week later, we returned to the same neighborhood in order to start a ministry for teenagers. We once again walked down the same streets, as well as a few new ones- this time more confidently.  The people who now knew us greeted us with smiles, happy to see us.  We stopped and talked to every person we could, inviting them to church and looking for opportunities to share Christ with them.  We also invited the teenagers out to the court to play dodge ball. Around one, we met back at the park, gathered up some teenagers and headed out to the court.  Other groups of people met us there, and I was thrilled to see the large group of people who came!  It was awesome!  We gathered everyone together and our activity began.  
Daniel, welcoming the group that came out for the activity. 





I think I fell in love with every little child I met... See the little dirt smudges on their faces?  I just want to take them home and give them a warm bubble bath and some clean clothes!  Several of the children had snot running down their faces, and warts on them.  Ah, my heart aches for them.  At first I was a little stand off-ish.  (Yes, embarressing to admit) but by the end of our short time with them, I was on the ground, hugging and kissing them, rubbing their greasy dirty hair, and letting them give me kisses.  The boy on the skateboard in the picture to the left is actually mute.  He was adorable communicating with me.  He kept pointing and showing me numbers to beg to play the way he wanted.

After the games, Daniel preached to them and shared the gospel.  Shortly thereafter, he broke the kids up into groups so we could personally explain the Gospel to them.  


At that point, I was over teaching the little kids a made up version of Duck Duck Goose, which I used the two profound Spanish words, "eeee, and Yah" to play. When I heard my name called I walked back over to find all the ladies and girls waiting on me.  I quickly jumped into the plan of salvation.  The girls listened intently as I shared the most beautiful story ever heard~ about God's amazing love.  


As you can see above me, many of our teenage boys are talking one on one or one on three to explain the Gospel to the guys that came.

As we walked away that day, we conversed with our teenagers about all that had happened in just the past several hours.  God had once again done a miracle!  27 people in all had received Christ as their personal Savior. I have never seen anything like it!  God once again amazed me!

Although we had just been there a few hours and barely met these people, I felt like I was walking away from people who had become very dear to me.  I didn't want to say goodbye.  A whole week before I could see them again?  Are you kidding?

I left a big piece of my heart with them....  Oh, that I might spend and be spent for the cause of Christ.

Alto Peru, Bury my heart... 



A Mountaintop Experience

2:13 PM


Recenty, a man with whom my husband did a Bible study several months ago, has started his own Bible study. Several weeks ago, my husband and I had the privilege to attend, and see his study in action!  Here is a peek of our experience. Hope you enjoy! 


 We headed about about 6:30 pm and walked the two blocks to get on the bus to take us over to that part of town. We jumped off, and crossed the street to catch the next bus to head up to San Genaro II, as they call it.  Years ago, people with little or no money started building their houses into the mountain, now called San Genaro. (Ok, that's my version... I'm sure there's a much more lengthy and deep history...lol) They have built up so high now, that the highest part of the mountain is called San Genaro II.  It's not a very common area of town, so few busses head that way.  We waited on the side of the road for a good 15 minutes, and then saw a combie so full of people that we decided to wait for the next.  (Combies here are common transportation for everyone.  It's a van that they will load up with as many people as possible.  As long as you know the route, you can jump on one and get to pretty much anywhere you want to go.  At night, and during busy times of the day, they'll pack 30+ people into one van.)  The next combie whizzed by around the stop light and we starred in amazement that it didn't even stop! Another one flew by, as my husband started yelling for it, the man who runs it had his head out the door and saw us, but it too was so full I'm sure the driver didn't hear him yell to stop.  Finally, we were able to get on another combie and it was less full.
  
We jumped on the combie, and thankfully there was a seat available.  My husband motioned for me to sit down, and he stood up rather hunched over beside me.  As we went, many people started boarding.  As I mentioned, they never stop loading people into the combies. The more people, the better, because the more money they will make.  As the combie filled up to capactiy, we stopped again, and a mother and her two school girls, still in uniform, pushed their way on our combie.  I told the older of the two sisters she could sit in my lap.  She waited for her mother's approval, (seriously, it's very uncommon to see a white person on a combie, and even more so for them to invite you to sit with them.)  Her mother nodded her head, and thanked me for allowing her little girl to sit there.  The other sister got as close as she could, and held on tight as the combie drove wrecklessly up the mountain.

 I love sitting by the windows on combies, because you never know what you will see!  Nearly everyone who lives on the mountain, lives in a small shack, made on top of a concrete slab, with thin wood walls, and tin metal roofs.  Many people don't have running water, they wait each day for the water truck to deliver it.  They run out to the streets at the appointed time to get their water for the day.

The combie turned and headed straight up the mountain.  "Aviso para bajar" yelled the doorman, meaning "Let me know when you want to get out."  We passed many people in the streets, walking home in the dark after a hard days work.  Many stray dogs ran up and down the streets.  At one point, the mountain becomes level for a short bit, and we passed a soccer court.  By court,  I mean a small slab of dust, and dirt, with two metal goals.  No gates or walls guarding the edge, just the edge of the mountain.  On went the combie, up and up. I like it when the combie stops, because it means people are getting out and there will be more room to breathe! 

  About 1/2 way up the mountain the combie stopped.  I watched as many people started getting down.  "Oh good, I thought, this will make the rest of the ride so much better.  I think at least 15 people got off before I heard a little girl say, "Tenemos que caminar tanto??"  (We have to walk THAT far?) I looked out my window and felt sorry for her, wondering why they didn't get in the combie and ride it a bit longer.  Just then, my husband put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Let's go."

"Where are we going?"  I asked.  "Why did the combie stop there?" "Are we going to walk all the way to the top?" Questions were running through my head.  The combie man explained that tonight, this was as far as they were going. 

 My husband and I began the walk up the mountain.  I have to admit I was a bit scared that night. I grabbed my husband's arm tightly as he lead my way.  We hadn't walked far before we realized why the combie couldn't come up the mountain.  There were huge holes in the road where they were installing a sewage system.  Up till this point, these people simply used outhouses.  We kept walking and it wasn't far till I started noticing where we were.  We were almost at the top and made the usual turn.  It was from here that we usually walked to the study.  I felt better now, and saw some kids playing soccer in the road, right in front of their little tienda (store, that was in front of their house.  These small stores amaze me.  They will put things on shelves all the way up to the ceiling, and sell practically everything a person would need.)  We followed the beaten path, walking up first, and around, and then down till we arrived at Bro Rocky's house.  We knocked on the small door, and were greeted by a room full of people who had gathered for the Bible study that night.  The room can't be any bigger that 8 ft wide, and about 12 feet long.  The cement floor was painted red, and the furniture had covers on it to dress the place up a bit.  It was a cold winter night, but the room was warm from the people gathered.  A young man moved to stand on the other side of the room so I could sit in his seat.  Bro Luis bowed his head to pray, and the study began.

Last week, they had 25 people there in attendance.  All of their people now attend our church down in town, but soon would like to start a church on top of the mountain, so their neighbors might also come to know Christ.  We are excited to see these families who have grown in their faith.  Please pray for this little study up on the mountain.  We believe God can do great things through this community, and are begging that God will!

Their sign, right outside Rocky's house

Part of the group, gathered inside Rocky's home

Their group!  Bro Luis, the man teaching the study, is on the far left.

1st Anniversary

12:15 PM

 


We planned for 200.  Having two hundred people on our first year anniversary would be incredible!  Having a regular attendance of around 120 on Sunday mornings we figured planning for 200 would be plenty. God exceeded our expectations by allowing us to have our biggest service ever that morning.  Two hundred forty-two people came to celebrate our day with us, and 34 got saved! 


One of my favorite parts of the day, was getting to sing with both the children and teen choir! We sang the song About the Cross, in Spanish of course.

Check out the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkciSnl-Ppo




Following our morning service, we had a great big meal of chicken and potatoes for everyone!  Our church was packed out!  


It was so cool to have two of my siblings here!
That night we were blessed to have a group from San Gabriel (our first plant) join us for our services. Over twenty people came from San Gabriel, and a whole family was baptized!  
To God be the glory, great things He has done!  

And this... is just the beginning! 

Just for a Moment

2:51 PM




I was sitting with my husband eating a delicious chicken dinner.  They're famous here for rotisserie chicken, french fries, and salad.  I absolutely love it!  It's a super delicious meal, and very reasonably priced here.  As we were about to leave our table, a small scruffy boy suddenly appeared at our table.  He couldn't have been any taller than the table.  I looked down at him shocked!  He had walked in so fast (obviously trying to sneak past the restaurant staff who would shoo him away) that I didn't quite know what to do.

"Senora," He said to me with the biggest and sweetest little eyes, "Me puedes dar un sol a comprar unos galletas a comer por favor.  Yo tengo hambre." (Could you please give me a sol [about 2.56 soles to every US dollar] so I can buy some crackers/cookies, please?  I am hungry.)

Intrigued, I looked down at the little sweet boy (who had already won my heart, I daresay) and asked, "Why, why are you hungry?"

He went on, and I could tell he was for real.  He really wanted some food.  As I was about to open my purse, my husband suggested that we give him some of our french fries and chicken.  What a great idea, I thought!

The little boy graciously accepted, but after he had taken one bite asked, "Could I please go get my sister?  She's waiting outside."

As quickly as he had appeared in the restaurant he left, and just a few moments returned with his older sister.  By this time, Dan and I were curious, and began asking them their names while they began to eat.  The little boy was Raider, and the girl, Naomi. Naomi was older by a year, but they seriously didn't look like they could possible be 7 and 8 years old.  I noticed immediately that Naomi was much more shy and reserved.  She didn't know quite what to think about eating our food or talking with us.  Raider, however; ate away and chatted with us as he ate.

As I tried to convince Naomi to eat more food, Raider blurted out, "It's cause you're white, ma'am!" (If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that phrase... I'd be one rich lady!)  I looked at Raider with a very serious look on my face and said, "I know.  I've tried and tried to stay out in the sun and get darker, and I just can't!"
"Well, " Raider responded, "I don't ever put sun block on when I go outside, and look at me" He said, offering his best advice while showing me his arms.

A few moments later, it was time to leave.  Our church is about 1/2 a block away from the restaurant, so we convinced them to come to the church for a few minutes to meet the man who Pastors in their area.  The sweet kids had no idea what their address was, so I at least wanted them to know where our church was located in case they ever needed something.

When we left the restaurant the kids stood back, away from me and just stared.  Naomi finally was warming up by then and began to speak, "You're SO tall."  She said, completely shocked. (I'm guessing this was her first time to see an American Giant. ;))  

I smiled. 

"You're really, really tall!" She said again, like she couldn't get over it.  

"Yes, I am. "  I answered smiling. 

"Wow!" She exclaimed.  "How old are you?" 

"25" I answered.

Both the kids exclaimed "WoW!" Together, which made me wonder why they were so amazed.

"Why?" I asked, "How old do you think I look?"

"Like 58!"  Naomi answered.

"No!  I'm not that old," I exclaimed.  And then I wondered, if perhaps they thought the older I was, the taller I would have grown, and perhaps this is why they thought I should be 58.  :)

They walked into our church, and met the Pastor and his wife. We tried hard to explain to them about our church, and tried to get them to tell their mom so they all could come.

At that moment, Raider said, "Oh no, we can't show this to our mom, she'll lock us up with the key all day. "

Naomi gave him a sharp look that said 'Don't say a word!' and a million thoughts ran through my head.  Surely no one would ever lock up these precious children! I tried desperately to push these horrid thoughts out of my head.  (and I was totally thinking, "God, I'll take them!!!")

Before I knew it, Naomi and Raider had turned around and were walking away.  I went with them to the door of our church and tried to talk.  "We're always here if you need anything" I told them.  They said goodbye and I watched them walk away for as long as I could until I could no longer see them.

I'm not quite sure how two little kids can walk into your life and steal your heart in a moment.  Who knows if I'll ever see them again.  Who knows what their lives are like.  I do know this.... God gave me my dream: to live on the mission field.  The best I can do is love every single person He sends into my world, and show them Jesus.  Even if... just for a moment.  

A Glance at our Mother's Day

8:17 AM

Teaching teenagers to obey, honor and respect authority is one thing.  Preaching at them the truths from God's Word is also very important.  But actions are worth a thousand words.  Perhaps that's why we had such a great time honoring the sweet ladies and mothers at our church yesterday.  My husband planned it up big!  He asked all the teens to wear their very best.  For some of the guys, this meant wearing their only suit. For others, it meant renting a suit, and then a few got to borrow theirs from Bro. Dan.  All of them looked super sharp, and did a great job honoring the moms!  Our young men stood at the entrance of the church, and escorted the moms into church. 


Our young men stood at the entrance of the church, and escorted the mothers into church. 

There, the young ladies greeted each lady and put a corsage her.



The men were gracious escorts and waited while the lady had a flower pinned on her. 



God has been doing great things here in Lima, Peru.  Our church plant in San Gabriel has their Sunday morning service at the exact same time as we do, and they had 31 people in attendance. At the main church we had 130 attending yesterday morning, and 8 people got saved.  


We also had a special service last evening.  Bro Ezekiel Martinez will be starting our fourth church this coming Sunday, May 19th in Surco.  The men of our church came up to the front, laid hands on him and prayed for him as he begins this new church next week.


Please pray for this new work as it begins next weekend.  We are thrilled to see all God is doing here in Peru!  One thing Preacher talked about yesterday, was how amazing it is that last year this time, none of this existed!  In less than a year's time, God has given us a strong church here in Lima that has already started 3 other churches.  None of this would be possible without your prayers.

I think my all time favorite part of the day was during the invitation that night. While I was given a visitor to whom I was to witness, I was also asked to train another new member how to witness while witnessing. (Makes perfect sense, right?) So after I shared the gospel with the visitor who confirmed she was saved, I was able to teach this new member how to witness to another. She wanted to know so badly how to share the gospel with another that I felt like she was holding on to every word. She took notes in her little book, and wrote things down as fast as she could.

At the end, I asked her if she had any other questions. "No" She said, "I'm going to go home and study every one of these verses, then come back and talk to you next week."
"Sounds great!" I told her.
"So I can just take everything you taught me, and this tract and go tell my family about Jesus?"
"Of course!" I said.
"I can?" She asked, in disbelief that it could really be that simple.
"Yes!" I eagerly responded.
"Thank you so much. When I see my first soul saved, I will remember you, and come thank you with a heart full of gratitude," She told me with a tear in her eye.

A Sunrise Salvation

8:15 PM


It was 5:00 in the morning, and I was trying to hurry up and get ready for church.  I don't think I've ever laughed so much so early in the morning!  My husband and I were both up, getting ready for church at the same time- and had to be out the door by 5:15am! Somehow, when it's that early in the morning, things can get funny and on this certain morning, my husband and (ok, I admit- mostly I) were laughing hysterically.
"Stop making me laugh!" I told Dan.  "I can hardly fix my hair I'm laughing so hard!"
"That's not my problem." My husband so thoughtfully answered.
I can't say that I was super excited to be getting ready for church that day, but what was soon to follow would be well worth the effort.

I know what you're thinking... Why in the world did you have to get up so early for church?  What were you thinking trying to be out the door by 5:15 in the morning?  Well, this particular Sunday was a voting Sunday. In Peru, everyone is required to vote.  To make that possible, they shut everything down for a whole day.  Yes, literally everything!  It is illegal to have a meeting of more than 4 people on that day between the hours of 8am and 4pm.  So, to make the most of our Sunday, we decided to have a Sunday morning service at 6, and an evening service that evening at our usual time of 6pm.

Who would show up at a service like that?  You might ask.  Well, I did.  And so did 31 other people.  One of those people, just happens to be Reuben, the man I spoke briefly of in my previous blog For Every Battle.  Reuben is Luz's husband.  Dan and I have been having Bible study at their home these past few weeks.  We have been praying for Reuben to get saved for weeks now.

Luz told me that that day she woke up for church, and was getting ready when Reuben asked her where she was going.  "I'll go with you" he told her, and then they were going to vote.  They came to church that morning, and after the service Daniel went to talk to him.  Not wanting to rush things or be pushy, Daniel began to tell Reuben about our church, about the things our church has to offer, and our schedule.  Then he transitioned.  "Reuben," he said, "We are here in Peru because of one thing.  Love.  We love the people here.  Because of that, we want to tell everyone who walks in these doors about our Savior."  At that moment, Reuben was locked in to every word my husband said.  Daniel was able to share the gospel with him, and Reuben got saved! 


Daniel, witnessing to Reuben before he got saved



A huge thank you to many people who have been praying for Reuben's salvation these past few weeks!  We have once again witnessed a miracle of God first hand.  Seeing God answer prayer personally never gets old!  Thanks for your investment in our ministry! To God be the glory! 


Reuben, Luz, myself, and Dan after our Bible Study last night

For Every Battle

3:46 PM

The view from Luz's apartment


For every battle, there is a winning side and a losing side.  There are soldiers who fight and are ready and willing to give their lives for their cause.  There is an enemy who is willing to go to any means to defeat these soldiers.

It has been said that spiritual warfare is more real in countries outside of the USA than inside of it.  I just never knew how real that was before arriving and living in Lima, Peru these past 8 months.  One thing I haven't forgotten since my Preacher quoted it several months ago, "The gates of hell shall not prevail."  That has become a consuming thought for me.  The Devil will never win.  Although it may seem like battle after battle after battle to gain a victory, we will get the victory.  No matter what the outcome, we are promised by God that we are on the winning side.

Many a battle appears as a small, ridiculous thing we must put up with: Traffic, long lines, weird-non logical ways of doing things, fees, etc.  Battles might be problems or differences we never had to deal with in the states.  The battle is becoming more and more real as the days go by.

 On a day such as yesterday, I found myself thinking these thoughts... Welcome to my side of the world for a few minutes.  Ever since our last Bible study had ended, we had been praying that the Lord would direct us to the exact right location to begin another 11 week course.  The idea of the Bible study we are doing is to strengthen believers that have just been saved.  Through the help of our Evangelism Pastor, Junior Martin, my husband and was able to single out a lady named Luz.  Luz is a sweet lady who came to our church about a month and a half ago for the first time.  Since her first day with us, she's come back consistently.  She has two children, Nicole  (9) and Daniel (3).  Nicole recently got saved and baptized, and we have been praying for Luz's husband, Reuben to be saved for weeks now.

Our study was scheduled to begin March 7th.  For several weeks we had been working with two different families, (both had been in our previous Bible studies) who would help us to start this next Bible study.  (Once again, the idea is that these two men will learn how to teach a Bible study, so they can go out and teach their own soon.)  Around mid day on March 7th, one of the wives of these families called to say that their family couldn't come.  They had something come up last minute, and wouldn't be able to make it.  I became disappointed.  Blow #1.

We had scheduled our taxi to pick us up at 6:00 sharp.  Usually, the person who drives this particular taxi is always early to pick us up, but lately had become a little bit "hit and miss."  I called the driver at 4:00 reminding them to please pick us up at 6.  6:00 came... and no taxi.  6:05 came... and no taxi.  At 6:10, my husband said, "Let's start walking."  I grabbed my things and headed out the door with him.  We ended up walking all the way to the front of our neighborhood, and still no taxi.  Our neighborhood is not in town, so in order to get to town, we would either have to make a 15 minute walk through the swamp and jump on a bus, or find another taxi.  It was now 6:25 and we were late and stranded.  Frusration.  Blow #2.

 Did I mention that while we were walking, an unfriendly dog walked up to us?  Wanting to be sure I didn't get bit by (I'm sure a rabbis infested dog- ;) okay, maybe not!) I turned around and watched it, so it wouldn't come up and bite me.  As I did, I accidently smacked my foot into the back of my husband's shoe, stubbing three of my toes.  Ouch! Blow #3

 Once we finally got a taxi in our neighborhood, he dropped us off at the bottom of the hill where we were supposed to be meeting our families, to walk up the mountain together (safety is in numbers, and Peruvians here....)  To our dismay, the 1 remaining family who was supposed to meet us wasn't there.  Note- we were in a busy part of town, not the safest ;), and the sun was setting...(night is not the time to be out!) Fear~  Blow #4

 Thankfully, my husband was able to get a hold of the other family, who had already gone up, but they came back down to guide us safely to the house where we had planned for the study.  Arriving at the house, I walked cautiously inside.  Nothing but stairs of bricks and cement awaited us, and we went up.  We walked right into someone's living room, and continued up more stairs to the third floor, this time the stairs were black metal stairs, again the darkness and dirt was everywhere.  Up at the top, we were greeted by the friendly face of Luz, and the excited smiles of her children Nicole and Daniel.  Trying to forget my battles I'd gone through to get there that day, I put on my best smile and greeted them.  They welcomed us to their front room, the living room/dining room/ kitchen, and there we began to converse.

"I think this is going to be all of us," my husband told me as we were about to start.  The only person, besides the family who came to help us that was there was Luz, and her two children.  "Ok," I told him.  Discouraged and disappointed that none of the others who had been invited came, I tried to smile at Daniel and gave myself the "never despise meager beginnings" talk inside my head. 

 Just as we were about to begin, Miguel, Luz's nephew walked in the door.  He's 17, and brought a big family Bible to the study.  He was excited to come.  Carlos, my husband's helper moved to sit by Miguel to show him where the references were in the Bible.  As my husband began to teach, another lady came in with her little daughter.  Not long after, another lady and her 20 yr. old son walked in the door.  I smiled, now there were 4 new adults in the room and two new little ones running around.

The study finished up well, and then we divided up to talk to each one of the new people that came.  I got to talk to Rosa, and I'll never forget her answer when I asked if she wanted to accept Jesus as her Savior.  "Claro." She told me, which means, "Sure", or "of course" in Spanish.  At the exact same time that I began praying with Rosa, I heard Anna, Carlos' wife across the room praying with Maribel.  She also wanted to receive Christ as her Savior.  It was a very sweet moment.

Anna (left) and Maribel (right) 
Meanwhile, across the room, Daniel and Carlos had sat down at the table with Miguel and Rosa's son to share the gospel with them.  Although Carlos had said he wasn't quite ready to share the Gospel on his own, Daniel shared with me later that Carlos kept finishing his sentences because he was so excited to get to share the Gospel with these two young men.


All four of the visitors received Christ as their Savior.  It was in the sweet moments of victory that I began to think back through my day.  Yes, there had been battles.  But now I knew why there had been battles.  Because Satan knew the potential we would have that night to lead 4 more people to Christ, and to start a Bible Study that would change more Peruvians.  For every battle, there will be a victory; and today's battles were more than worth the victory that followed. To God be the glory.  

 My prayer has changed over these past few months.  It used to be, "God, please take away our problems.  Take away the fight and struggles we face daily."  Now my prayer is, "God, please help me to be the soldier I need to be to fight like you would have me, so You can get the victory."
"For every battle, there is a victory!"
Rosa is on my left, and Luz on my right. 

Multiplication Begins

6:23 PM

"Multiplication is better than addition..."  I can't say how many times I heard that phrase on deputation.  Many of our team members pretty much memorized our team video because we played it in so many churches.  If you were one of those who was privileged to see our video when we were traveling in the States, then you know that Team Peru's goal is church planting.  Not only would we like to see a handful of churches planted here in Peru, but we'd like to see 10,000 churches planted.  Impossible? You might ask, but no- nothing's impossible with God.  

Over these past two weeks, we've gotten to watch the beginnings of our dreams come into fruition.  While some of us haved stayed at the main church in Chorrillos, (This is the new building I posted a picture of in our blog, "The Expansion") Others have now gone to an area up in the mountains here called "San Gabriel" and turned their Bible Study into a church.  The Foust family has done a great job heading up this church.  For now, Mr. Foust has become their Pastor and the plan is to eventually hand it over to a Peruvian Pastor as soon as we find God's man for that place.  Many of our church members have also had a part in starting this new church.  Many of our Bible Study attendees have gone and seen souls saved themselves. Just last week, Ana got to see 3 people saved!  She was on cloud nine!  It's great to see people who God has allowed our team to reach, go out and reach their fellow Peruvian for Christ.

Ana is in the creme shirt next to her husband Carlos in the purple shirt. 



The first Sunday in San Gabriel, our teenagers went and sang for the service!  That day, there were 38 people in attendance, and 6 people that got saved.  The past two weeks the church in San Gabriel has continued to stay around 38 strong, and is continuing to grow. 




Thank you so much for your prayers for our team.  Please continue lifting us up in prayer.  For every great victory we have, there are also about a dozen battles we fight.  There are lots of changes all of us are going through in order to get the work here done.   Truly, the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few!


The Expansion

4:54 PM



Anticipation was in the air, everyone rushed about hurriedly to be sure everything was just perfect for our first service at the new property.  The PA system needed to be set up, Hymnals placed in each seat, the baptistery set up, changing rooms prepared, ushers trained.  Today was the day!  After having several weeks and months of overflowing our old property, it was exciting to have a huge building to fill.  But would we fill it?  Would it seem huge and the people few in number?  
Our hearts were not disappointed that day as 138 people filled our new church building.  Many of our faithful church members brought a visitor or friend.  It didn't seem too big at all.  Actually, in my mind I wondered how long we would be able to fit in this new property before we would have to move again!  (I think it will be a while tho!) 

Our first service
We had a great response to the invitation that day!  We were blessed to have 24 visitors, 13 people saved and 5 baptized.  
Witnessing after our service.  Good thing we found some shade! 



Thanks for your prayers for Iglesia Bautista Internacional!  We're thrilled with what God is doing here in this place.  We know none of it would be possible without the faithful prayers of God's people!  We can't wait to see what God will do in the future!  Thanks for enjoying the journey with us. 

My Girls

10:19 AM


Our First Sunday at Pinos was a great success!!  So exciting in fact, that I am going to dedicate my whole next blog to it.  But first, I must share about two precious girls who we've been able to see God change these past two months.  For those of you who read The Chef, (my previous post) you already know Camila, and her story.  Above is a picture of her being baptized at our church on our first Sunday at our new church location.  She had told me on Saturday that she couldn't come to church because she had another class, but that she could come after 12 to be baptized.  I was shocked when she walked in to Sunday School that morning at 10:20 (really, 20 minutes late is pretty good on a Peruvian clock... they have this thing about being late here. :)) I was thrilled, because that week was my first time to teach the girls.  I enjoyed teaching them about God's love, and about how special they are to Him! 

We have about 5 girls who have become our "core" girls.  Most the time they all come for Saturdays, and then Sundays for services.  Sunday School is sometimes missed though, so you can imagine my happiness when all 5 of them showed up on the day I would get to teach them.  We had a very special time that day!  After Sunday school, we walked over for the morning service.  We had a great service and afterwards, Camila and Carmela got baptized.
Carmela getting baptized
Camila getting baptized
It was a glorious moment!  I stood at the back clapping and cheering for the both of them.  Just at that moment, one of the men from our team came over.  He and his family have just recently come to Peru to work with our team.  He looked at me and asked in English,  "Are those your girls?"
"Yes," I said, as I thought about it a moment... "Those are my girls."
Now I know it's a whole team effort to get these young ladies involved in church and having a whole team is a beautiful thing.  I don't pretend for a moment that these girls are only in church because of me.  I know it's because of the influence of many that they have come to know Christ.   But the moment he asked me, it hit me in a funny way as I thought about it.  Yup, those are my teenagers that just got baptized.  How exciting is that?  I smiled with happiness as I congratulated both of them afterwards.  The first step to following Christ is an important one.  It is my prayer and hope that in the future these girls will always have a church full of people that love them, that they will know that God loves them, and that they will remember that someone who loves them very much will always think of them fondly as "My Girls."


Carmela's on the left, and Camila on the right


Popular Posts

  • Where are the dreamers?
    I sat in my chair, sipping my coffee and reading this amazing book, the Book of life, the Word of God.    And as I did, I came acros...
  • Amazing Love
    "Where are you from?" he asked. "Los Estados Unidos," I replied. (The Unites States) "How long have you been ...
  • One Broken Heart
    We halt and holler “anything but this!    Anything but this mire, this fire.”  Everything within wants to fight as we face the fierce. We p...
  • What Can I Do?
    What can I do? What can I do for God?  I'm not good enough... I'm a sinner... I fail all the time... God could never use me... Tr...
  • Trust His Heart
    I flipped out the light switch in my kitchen and walked into the living room.  Out of sheer habit, I walked over to the french doub...
  • Mouse Attack
        What's the only possible thing that's worse than being sick in bed with the flu?  Having a MOUSE in your bedroom!  I'...
  • Four Souls Forever Saved
    One Saturday morning, we were in the middle of our outreach meeting.  My husband got up from his seat and walked outside.  In the middle...
  • Cecilia's Story
    Preacher and Mrs. Christy, their baby Joshua, and Cecilia On one of our first Saturdays here, my preacher's wife, Mrs. Christy ...
  • I am Loved!
    Several weeks ago in our many travels, my husband dropped me off at Bojangles to grab our lunch, while he filled the car with gas.  It wa...
  • The Chef
    Yesterday, I got to go out visiting with my husband.  While I was excited to get to go visit all the new visitors that came to our church ...

Like us on Facebook

Flickr Images