Jovenes

In Huacshapata things are moving right along; we continue teaching Ninfa and her son Uriel in their home and plan to reach out to some new contacts.  We’ve stopped by a few homes only to find that they’ve stepped out or are busy with company.  What brings great joy besides teaching Ninfa & Uriel, is working with the teens.  We typically have about 9 in the Saturday morning class and are currently preparing for a youth service for next weekend (the 24th). We have some fun things planned for this outreach event
for the youth in H-town.

Quick Lil Update from Huacshapata

I've tried to upload a video for 2 days now that has been an effort without success. So here is the quick, short version of what's going on in Huacshapata.  Besides contact follow-up from the medical clinics, Wendy and I continue to disciple Ninfa and her son Uriel.  They always have good questions and are open to finding the truth, though there aren't signs of deep acceptance, the surface level signs are encouraging.  Other than that, we spend our Saturdays teaching teenagers about the Bible - they are stepping up a level from learning about grammar & conjugating as part of their Bible lessons to having to pay more attention to lessons and think a little more critically.  We sing, play games, have a lesson and then they fill out worksheets to ensure they are learning the material.  It's actually like school.  Wendy also assigned them the optional task of journaling through the scriptures which is aiding them in a devotional time.  There are prospects of a trip to Tacna with these teens, as well as teens from our other districts in January.  I think this will solidify their understanding of the great network and support of believers from other places beyond their tiny communities.  This is exciting.  Please pray for the contacts that we have to follow through on the meeting times - that we can actually make headway.  Many set a time and then are home, they have no phone number so we can't contact them ahead of time and it takes an hour and a half to get out to them.  Pray for the advancement of the church in this area.

HUACSHAPATA

Much has happened since the past entry, such as:

We had a meeting with the pastors and super intendent to change up the emphasis in Paucarpata.  Instead of working in central Paucarpata with contacts from impact events, we'll be teaming up with Pastora Susana to further build up the church in Huacshapata where she and her deceased husband, the late pastor of the Umacollo church, were working for almost 4 years.





As a result, during the last momentum project which consisted of medical clinics and construction, we not only started working with Pastora in Huacshapata and have a greater base of contacts but we also have a new church for the area! 





We continue to meet with Pedro and Margarit, sometimes over family dinner, sometimes at the Umacollo church, as well as with Jorge & Cecilia in their home for discipleship.  Cecilia and her daughter Leslie where at last Sunday's 4pm service.  Wendy and I will be meeting with people in their homes on Wednesdays in Huacshpata & Paucarpata at large.  And on Saturday's we will work with the teenagers during the already active "Comedor" time, in which the kids go for further education that is tied to Bible lessons, but filling in the gaps of what they're not learning in school or at home and afterwards they eat lunch together.

Please pray for the ministry taking place in Paurcarapata, that we may integrate our previous contacts at the new site in Huacshapata. Praise God for all that is happening - it's been neat to be a part of.

You Make Beautiful Things

While other things are happening in Paucarpata I really just want to share a little more in the continuing storie of Pedro and Margarit with you.  While we're waiting to make a few changes in the work that we do in this district, a place that has not bore a whole lot of fruit, we are please to see the energy and life bubbling out of this family.  All along I've written about Dalia and her family - the faithfulness of a 17 year old girl and how that made us available to her family in a time of need.  Her family, sometimes just the parents, sometimes all five, are attending the church 2-3 times a week.  They have a brightness to their faces and are committed to take small steps forward to giving their lives to God.

They're such an encouragement in a district that has been a slow burn for us.  This Tuesday they're going to cook dinner for our family and bring it to our house.  And so we've passed dismal days and now in a different phase of building community and sharing life, we get to laugh together and break bread.  This is a blessed life.  I'd like to share some of the lyrics to a favorite song; I feel like much of the ministry we do literally fits the surrounding desert.  And yet hope is springing up all around :)

Beautiful Things
~Gungor
All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

Dios de milagros !!!!!!!!!

Progress in Paucarpata

A Different Kind of Holy Week

Kudos to God

This week we spent some time out in Ciudad Blanca which is just barely outside of Paucarpata.  A lady from Puerto Maldanado recently moved here and we received a call from other 40/40s that she was headed our way. How exciting.  We have a cell group not to far from where she lives.  Then Angelica and her daughter Jessica joined us on Wednesday night at Jorge and Cecilia's for her first time after the impact event held at a local park.  It was actually the first time we had someone else at the house; Gilda (the lady from PM) and another lady from the event hope to join us soon. 

As we were leaving Jorge and Cecilia's and out waiting for a bus, Sonia snuck up on us.  We hadn't seen her for over 2 weeks and there she was at 8pm on a Thursday night still 10-15 minutes from her house.  Well, talk about timing: 1) We've never run into her there. 2) She told us about her financial problems that exist and we could encourage her by telling her that God is looking out for her, we don't have money to give but we are here for her, praying for her and trusting God for miracles 3) She told us about her sister who is 4 months pregnant and in the hospital for losing a lot of blood. Did I mention His timing is perfect?  So we went the next day to the hospital to visit her and pray with her.  We found out she needed more blood and today at 6:30 in the morning we headed out with Henrietta to give blood.  They only needed one donor and Henrietta has a perfect match of O positive.  Though mine would do because she's a universal match.  However, I found out that B negative, which is mine, is very rare here in Peru, so the nurse told me not to give mine right now in case someone specifically needs it. 

Margarita (Maria) and Pedro Condori have quite a rocky story for there 20 years of marriage, but there they are together in the hospital as she suffers recooperates from her blood loss.  He shared that it was cool to see us act immediately on their need and not just come around to teach them lessons.  And it was only in God's timing that we were there to do anything anyway.  Kudos to God.

Celebration Service

What a great evening! Wendy and I, will the help and support of our church family, support family, and members of the office held our very first combined service for our 3 church plant areas. The objective was to celebrate with them in their new way of living, help them to know all the folks in their district and give certificates to the seventeen people who completed a series of lessons about Christian basics. Wendy prepared two slideshows, one that dated back to Love Extreme – which initiated our ministry, and one that contains photos and videos from our impacts and cell groups. It was really cool to see all that has occurred over the past year. We had band for worship for the first time in a long time at the church, a saxophone special, a drama, and I preached for the first time in my life…in Spanish. I've spoken in front of hundreds of people, shared my testimony several times, given devotionals to small groups, but this was the first time that I preached and it was probably in front of 50 people or so. After the service we had sandwiches and snacks, watched one of the slideshows and mingled. It was such a great night. Here are photos from the service. Thanks to everyone who helped out!

Divine Appointments

Sunday I headed out to Paucarpata with Beth, because Wendy had fell down a step and injured her foot - nothing to serious, but nonetheless a bit much to walk on a lot.  So, Beth and I met with Dalia and SONIA!  Finally after much "wasted" time with Sonia, with her life situation she has made a decision to set aside time to learn more about God.  She has a desire that others know as well, that all may have a better life and make better decisions.  We talked about love, one of the fruits of the spirit, and began to help especially Sonia understand what real love looks like and how it is expressed as God would have it according to the Bible. 

Then she had a couple of guy friends she wanted to invite, but they were not interested in coming, so she called them up so that we could meet them on the way to the combi to head out to Hunter.  Beth and I hiked up the hill with Sonia in the rain to meet the guys. I began to explain to them what we're all about and invite them the following week to Sonia's family's place.  When I gave each of them my and Wendy's card they were like "oh, you work in Jose Bustamante y Rivero, oh, you work in Hunter." It just so happens that of the three guys, each one of them livea in one of our three districts!  Beth said, "oh look, you have your three pastors for each district."  Anyway, thanks be to God for the changes and developments that are happening in Paucarpata.  We have much to look forward at Dalia and Sonia's place, as well as, the continued time with Jorge and Cecilia whom are looking foward to the impact event we'll do close to their house.  They're willing to host more people in their home as more become interested after the event.  Please be praying for the event this Saturday morning in Paucarpata, in addition to all the people mentioned in this entry.  Thanks :)

Poco a Poco

Things are changing a bit in Paucarpata.  When we went to the market last Thursday, Miriam wasn't there; so we followed her 9 year old, chatty-kathy of a niece to another section of the market.  There we sat and listened to story after story and then began to make plans to teach her at the market the following week,  In the process of talking about her friends that can join her, we started to talkto her mom about meeting with her family.  So, we made plans to go out to her parent's house, which is where a cell group with Miriam and Sonia used to take place.  When we got to Dalia's house later that day, Dalia told us that she needed to change days for discipleship and it just so happens that Wednesdays work perfect for her.  We're hoping to get more of the family together, little by little (poco a poco).

We will be teaching Miriam at the market and a group of children as well.  We have yet to meet with Cecilia and Jorge this month, but are trusting that good things are yet to come.  We had spoke with them about having other believers join them in their house, which will be a great location to start a church because their dining room is much bigger than most houses I have been to. 

Every week as we are leaving the market, we walk a street that usually has a couple of prostitutes.  My heart has been burning to say something to them; I've been at a loss for how to start, so I contacted Lonna Vopat who has experience working with women in red light districts.  She gave me great advice and I am praying for this week's encounter.  Isaiah 61:1 won't let me go: "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness the prisoners."  This is uncharted territory for Wendy and I, but we know that God wants to liberate these women from such an oppressive lifestyle.

In February we have an impact event in Paucarpata, we have a park in mind that is close to Dalia's house.  Please join us in prayer for the discipleship that is already established and what is opening up, for the event, and for uncharted territory led by the Holy Spirit.  Pray that we effectively communicate the love and grace of God every day, in word and deed.