First Service of 2010

Omega Baptist Church started the New Year by beginning a Sunday School program. There were 57 people in attendance for the first Sunday School classes. There are classes for 2-3 year olds, kids, teens, young adults, couples, and adults. It was an exciting day. There were over 80 people in attendance for the first service of 2010. God is really blessing the church. There are visitors for most services. The location of the church is across the street from La Catolica, a Catholic college. We hope to reach the college students and their families. Pray for the Lord to continue sending visitors.

Christmas Day 2009

Christmas morning we got up and the girls opened their presents. They both received bikes, guitars, and bean bags. They also received some games. We play a lot card and board games down here! After the gifts were opened, we made phone calls to our families to wish them a Merry Christmas.

Later in the afternoon, all of the missionaries got together for a meal and gift exchange with the kids. The adults played the white elephant game. We had an awesome time of fellowship considering we were not home for Christmas. The Lord is so good to us!

Christmas Eve 2009

Our first Christmas on the field has been different but good. Though we were missing our family & friends back home, we enjoyed Christmas with our new friends here.

We spent Christmas Eve at the home of Jeremy & Rebekah Hall with a bunch of other folks...American & Peruvian. It is customary to stay up until midnight and begin celebrating Christmas with fireworks and a meal. We began shooting fireworks at about 5 PM and had our meal at 10:30. At midnight we shot some more fireworks and then jumped in the VW bus to ride to a lookout where you can see the whole city. There were fireworks going off all over the city. It was fun!href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5e-faKS32GQRc6LJ-x0Z_44hX2MZkbViJWhOXM8WmoB1W2GfkzmiC5AoQqxF3aStazp6TshH8pMkdyJ-NCsp62Fr6Gu3zDWtaAb6mbTv5ErhVPGfjLZgk8pSkrQHWvVKmJ_QdAo_Hx_M/s1600-h/DSC00740.JPG">

Our New Ride

Rodney has had the "dream" of buying a VolksWagon bus on the mission field for a long time. He wants to have a whole fleet of them for bus routes one day.

We decided to purchase a vehicle that the whole family could ride in. The moto is only good for two, and we've had a couple of minor accidents on the moto; so, we decided to sell the moto! We first found a VW Beetle in perfect condition that we were going to buy. When we went back to buy it, the owner told us that someone put a deposit down on it. We then got a phone call the next day saying that the purchaser changed his mind. Rodney went to buy it again, and the title and papers were not in order. On the way home, Rodney got a call about a VW bus. God is so good. The bus was in good condition and was in our price range! We purchased it the next day.

Peniel Baptist Church, Ilo, Peru

Rodney & I had the opportunity to travel to Ilo, Peru the weekend before Christmas. Peniel Baptist Church is one of the churches that was planted through the work of Austin Gardner. The church had a weekend Christmas campaign, and the pastor asked Missionary Robert Stover to preach the services. There were two people saved during the campaign.

The church youth group put on a Christmas drama, and we were able to experience a Peruvian Christmas custom...chocolatada. It is customary to have hot chocolate and paneton (something like fruit cake). It is kind of hard to drink hot chocolate when it is 85 degrees outside!

After the service one night, everyone played volleyball in the street right outside the church door. They churches here love to play volleyball & soccer.

On Saturday, we spent the afternoon at the beach. Ilo is a coastal city in Peru. It was a very relaxing afternoon. The beach was beautiful. I love the character that the big rocks give the beach.

Thanksgiving in Peru

Thanksgiving was very different for us this year. We did not have a big Thanksgiving meal at home. On Thursday during the day, we had turkey sandwiches (from the practice turkey I made on Sunday)and played Phase 10 all day. It was fun just spending time together as a family.

On Thursday night, we had our regular church service with a time of testimonies and a Thanksgiving meal that followed. Chris & Andria Gardner arrived back in Arequipa early Thursday morning, so Chris asked Jeremy Hall to preach the service for him. Jeremy and his wife, Bekah, are fellow language school students. They have been in Peru for about 8 months. This was the first complete sermon that Jeremy has preached in Spanish. He did an excellent job. His message was on being thankful for God's provision, presence, and pardon. He used the passage in 1st Chronicles about the Arc of the Covenant and its contents.

The Thanksgiving meal that followed was a mix of traditional American Thanksgiving dishes and Peruvian dishes. It was really good, and the Peruvians seemed to really enjoy themselves. All in all, it was a good Thanksgiving, but we did miss our family & friends back home. We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Devotions in Spanish

Rodney & I both gave 5 minute devotions in Spanish this month. On Thursdays, we have an hour of class in which we quote our Bible verses, sing in Spanish, and read a chapter of Psalms in Spanish. And then, one student gives a 5 minute devotion in Spanish. It is very good practice.

Rodney talked about how Jesus is God because He touched the sun while on the cross. I talked about who God is and having the right attitude toward Him.

It will be about a month before we have to give devotions again. There are 10 students right now, but 4 students were here for only short terms. They will be leaving in a couple of weeks. Once they are gone, our turn will roll around a lot faster.

Misc. Pictures

Dia de Los Muertos...Day of the Dead

This is a Catholic holiday celebrated on November 1st & 2nd this year. On this day, family members go to the gravesite of loved ones to pay respect. In many cases, the living family members leave gifts for the loved ones. We had the opportunity to go to a large public cemetery to see this part of the latin culture. There were hundreds of people in attendance. We saw some families gathered at the grave site grieving. Some families were having parties, full meals. Some families save all year to bring the deceased love one his/her favorite food or drink, to hire bands to play music, or to have priests come to the gravesite to give mass. It was a very interesting experience.

Trip to Lima

Rodney & I traveled to Lima two weeks ago. We picked up our Carnets, and we started the process to get Carnets for Katie & Josie. Carnets are basically cards that show we are residents of Peru and not just tourists. With Carnets, we can buy cheaper airline tickets for travel between Lima & Arequipa. We also will not have to leave the country every ninety days to have our passports stamped.

We left on Friday, November 6th and returned on Tuesday, November 10th. While we were there, we did a little Christmas shopping. It was a nice trip. We were able to walk along the Pacific Ocean coastline.

Notice the cross lit up in the background.

These are soccer or "futbol" fields on the beach.

First Service in New Location

Omega Baptist Church had its first service in its new location on Thursday night, October 22nd. There were 78 people in attendance. There were several visitors. As I sat in the service, I could feel the excitement of the Peruvians. The santuary is on the second floor, and it has a wall of windows down one side and behind the pulpit area. Through the windows, there is a beautiful view of the mountains in Arequipa. At the foot of the mountains you can see thousands of homes. As the service progressed, I couldn't help but think I am so blessed to be here. Thank you Lord for allowing me to serve You.

God's Timing is Perfect

God certainly knows what he is doing. When He called us to the mission field, we thought we would sell everything, go to Bible college, and then go to the field. We thought maybe 3 1/2 half years would be all it would take. How wrong we were! He called us in the year 2000. It took us 9 years to make it to the field. Many times we have asked ourselves why it took so long. Now on the field, we can see why He wanted us here at this time and not sooner.

While in language school, we have the opportunity to be part of a new church plant here in Peru. That in itself is an amazing opportunity for us to learn how a church is started on the mission field. But...we feel the Lord has called us to the city of Merida in Venezuela. Merida is a college/university city withat least four major universities. The church plant here in Peru is in the area of Umacolla. Guess what is in Umacolla...La Catolica, the second largest university in Peru. God brought us to Peru at just the right time to teach us not only how to plant a new church in South America but how to plant one in a university city.

God has us here "for such a time as this." I urge you to think about why God might have you where you are. His timing is always perfect.

Pastors School XI

Here is a picture of Austin Gardner preaching at Pastors School XI. There were over 10 churches in represented with over 500 people in attendance each night. There was a choir and orchestra of over 80 people from the different churches. It was an amazing meeting.

Rodney's Moto

Rodney purchased a motor scooter for he and I to ride back and forth to language school. He also rides it when only one or two of us have the need to go into town. This is a picture of Rodney & Josie on the way into town to exchange money. The girls fight over whose turn it is to ride.

El Senor de Los Milagros

These are pictures of a Latin American Catholic celebration of "El Senor de Los Milagros" or "The Lord of Miracles". This celebration goes on throughout the whole month of October. This parade came through our subdivision one night. The people in our subdivision decorated their front doors and garages with balloons, streamers, candles, statues, etc. While parading through our subdivision, the people were chanting some kind of prayer. Even Katie & Josie could feel an eerie presence during the parade. It is so sad to see so many blinded by the traditions of the Catholic church.

Josie's Puppy...Maxie

After patiently waiting for a puppy, Josie finally got to bring Maxie home. Maxie is a precious 7 week old cocker spaniel. She is tiny, but she has a big bark. She likes to bite and bark at Katie's puppy, Roxy, who is about 3 times her size. It is a pretty funny sight.

 

 

Mini Delivery Trucks

 

Happy 13th Birthday Katie

Katie is finally a teenager. She hit the big "13" on Thursday, October 15th. We celebrated with some of our friends down here in Peru. We went to a local restaurant, "Cappricios", for dinner and dessert. Katie had chocolate fondue with apples, strawberries, bananas, and pound cake. She loves chocolate. Here are a couple pictures of the celebration.

First Week of Language School

We completed our first week of language school on Saturday, October 3rd. This week we learned to say the books of the Old Testament (Libros Del Antiguo Testamento) in Spanish, and we can now quote Romans 3:10, 3:23, 5:8, and 6:23 in Spanish. In addition to memorization skills, we learned basic greetings and responses to basic questions such as: What is your name? How are you? Where do you live? Where is the...? We had our first test on Saturday, and Rodney & I both made 100!

Next week, we will not be in language classes because the Seminary is hosting Pastor's and Leader's school. There will be missionary pastors, national pastors, and many national church leaders in attendance. They will be in class Tuesday through Friday 9 AM - 1 PM. Rodney will attend these classes too. Each evening, there will be a service at 7:00 for everyone. Brother Austin Gardner will be preaching these services.

We also have required reading for language school. We are on the first book. Once we finish each book, we must write a report about how we can apply what we learned to our ministry. (These books are in English.) Since there are no language classes this week, I am going to try to finish my first book and report. I also would like to get a head start on learning the books of the New Testament and our next required Bible verses.

Afternoon Service in the Local Park

After the morning service last Sunday, we had lunch, games, and a sermon in the local park. We played soccer & blanket volleyball with water balloons. When I say we, I mean we. In one of the pictures you can see Rodney playing goalie for one of the soccer games, and in some of the other pictures you can see me playing goalie. Katie & Josie were amazed that I would even get out on the court. They made sure someone took lots of pictures. It was all for fun. I've had to learn to laugh at myself. That is a good lesson for everyone to learn. Don't take yourself too seriously!

Katie & Josie played water balloon toss against two boys and won! We had hamburgers, chicken burgers, and all kinds of desserts. After lunch and games, Brother David Gardner preached a message.

It was a good day!