Update

Since we arrived back home in December...

• We were part of the church Christmas play, which looked at how Christmas is celebrated around the world.
• We attended the BCWE Our Generation Summit, a missions conference on steroids.
• We visited one of our supporting churches and met the new Pastor.
• We experienced TWO snow storms.
• Rodney performed his first wedding ceremony.
• We have started presenting the ministry to Venezuela in new churches.

We will be traveling to Florida tomorrow through Sunday for a mission's conference.  Please pray for us as we travel.

Going Home

Prayer before we got on the plane

We left Arequipa, Peru on December 6th.  There were about 20 people at the airport to tell us goodbye.  It was as hard to leave these people as it was to leave our family a year ago.   Over the past year we forged many friendships that will last a lifetime.  We are honored to have had the opportunity to work and worship with such a great group of people.

Josie telling Chorri goodbye.

SIERVOLUCION

Iglesia Bautista Omega finished up a series entitled "Siervolución," with a day of service in the streets of Arequipa. We washed cars, shined shoes, passed out snacks, and swept the streets for free today. While serving the community, we shared the Gospel and invited the community to church. Our desire is that Iglesia Bautista Omega is known as a serving church that loves people and loves the Lord!

This video was made by Javier Arce, one of the young people in the church.

Our Trip to Venezuela...The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

The Good

Our trip to Venezuela was a success.  We accomplished everything we set out to do this week.  We walked the city of Merida each day to become familiar with the different areas.  We made contact with several real estate companies so that they can help us find a house when we return to Venezuela next summer.  We found a Baptist bookstore and made contact with a Baptist pastor in Merida.  We learned about the three different Baptist works that are currently in Merida.  There is one Baptist church with about 30 people, one with 7 people, and one with 15 people.  In a city of 390,000 people, there is a need for another Gospel preaching church!  We also were able to get an idea of the cost of living in the city.  From what we learned on this trip, the cost of living is about the same as living in the States, with the exception of the price of gasoline.  Gasoline is very cheap.  Because we had to spend a day in Caracas, we had the opportunity to talk to Peruvian missionary Julio Marquina about Venezuela.  He was able to share what he has learned in his 5 years in Venezuela.  We received a lot of good information about the cultural differences we will experience in Venezuela.  It was blessing to be able to spend some time with him.

The Bad

From the time we left Arequipa, the devil was attacking us.  We flew from Arequipa to Lima on Wednesday morning.  Our flight from Lima to Caracas was supposed to leave at 12:45.  After checking in at the airline counter, we paid our airport taxes of $62 and proceeded to go through immigrations because we were leaving the country.  Our Peru residency cards had expired in October, but we had been told that we could travel with our US passports.  Immigrations told us that we could not leave the country with expired residence cards.  Before we could leave Peru, we had to renew our residency.  Sounds a little strange that a US citizen can not leave Peru with a US passport, but what do you do??  We had to beg & plead with LAN to change our flights from Lima to Caracas to the next day or we would lose the $1379 that we had paid for the tickets.  Miraculously, the manager agreed to change our flights without a charge.  (God did this, because LAN is known for not working with the customer when there is a problem!)  So, the flight had been changed, but our residency still had to be fixed.  We raced to the immigrations office in Lima.  We arrived at 1:05 pm.  The office closed at 1:00 pm.  We begged and pleaded again, but without our paperwork we could do nothing.  We called our contact in Lima, and she agreed to meet us at the immigrations office at 8:30 the next morning.  She worked a miracle for us the next morning, and we rushed to the Lima airport to catch our flight.  After barely making it to the airport on time, we rushed through immigrations again.  Everything was in order, so we were allowed to travel.  Then, our flight was delayed for 2 hours!!  Because of this delay, we missed our bus in Caracas and had to spend the night in Caracas.  I had eaten a few bites of a sandwich in the Lima airport while waiting on our flight.  By the time we arrived in Caracas, I was very sick.  The chicken salad must have been bad!  I spent the night in Caracas running back and forth to the bathroom!  Needless to say, I did not get any rest.  The next evening we caught our bus to Merida.  We were told the bus ride would take 12 hours.  Because of problems with the tires, our trip took 19 hours.  It was not a pleasant trip.  The driver kept the air conditioning on high the whole trip.  We did not have blankets like everyone else on the bus, so we were freezing to death the whole trip... another night of no rest!!  We finally made it to Merida, and we collected our luggage.  Rodney's bag was soaked all the way through.  Remember that the air conditioning was on high the whole trip?  Rodney's bag was under the air conditioner and all the evaporated water landed on his bag.  He had no dry clothes!!  But, we had made it, and we found a cheap, clean motel in downtown Merida.  The hotel agreed to dry his clothes in their dryer!  After all of this, we were faced with the challenge of finding some real estate agents.  In Venezuela, there is very little advertising for this type of work.  It was very difficult to find the agents, but in our search for real estate offices, we found a Baptist bookstore.  After this find, our trip began to turn around for the good, but as I stated earlier, the devil was really fighting us.  I am so thankful for a determined husband.  If it weren't for his dedication, I probably would have just given up.  But, I do have to confess...I did cry!!

The Ugly

New Social Order...painted on the wall by the government

On our trip to Venezuela in 2006, I was stunned at how beautiful and modern the country was.  On this trip, I was stunned at how much the country had changed in four years.  Yes, the countryside is still beautiful, but inside the city of Caracas, it is very ugly.  The crisp, modern, clean look that Caracas had in 2006 is gone.  Everywhere you look, there is graffiti and trash.  The city is dark and dirty.  There are buildings everywhere that have been taken over by gangs.  The government even takes part in painting the city with graffiti.  There are political statements spray painted on every empty space.  

In conclusion, Venezuela is a country in need of the Gospel.  Merida is a city in need of the Gospel.  Satan is going to do everything he can to keep the Gospel from being preached here.  We are going to do everything we can to make sure that the Gospel is proclaimed loud and clear for all who will listen.  Will you please commit to praying for this country and for us as we endeavor to share the Gospel with the people of Venezuela?

Miscellaneous Pictures: Franco & Yolanda Barriga Wedding

Josie posing at home before the wedding.

Katie before the wedding.

Katie before the wedding.

Katie with her good friend, Paul...also Yolanda's baby brother.

Franco kissing his bride.

Yolanda's brother, Javier, & Mari singing at the reception.

Yolanda with Gabi, after she caught the bouquet.

Paul, Ani, & Javier

Javier, Katie, & Paul

Acting goofy...as always...

Porkchop, mashed potatoes, and vegetable salad...YUM

Brother's Javier & Paul Arce
Two of Katie's closest friends!

Ani & Javier

Just hanging around after the reception.

Katie with another close friend,  Ani

A Wedding in Peru

We had the privilege of attending the wedding ceremonies of a young couple here in Arequipa.  Yolanda Arce married Franco Barriga on Friday, October 29th, and on Saturday, October 30th.  Why, you may ask, did they marry on 2 different days?  In Peru, any couple, wishing to marry, must be married by a government official.  This is called the civil ceremony.  On Friday, a group of Yolanda &  Franco's family and friends accompanied them to the local district municipal office for their civil ceremony.

The requirement of a civil ceremony may seem a little odd to you, but according to veteran missionary to Peru, Chris Gardner,  it was originally instituted for the people who wanted to marry outside of the Catholic church.  Before the civil ceremony was instituted, a couple was only legally married if they were married in the Catholic church.   Now there are several days each year in which couples join together in large groups and the government official will perform the civil ceremony for many in the local park.  Those who wish for a more private ceremony may pay to have their civil ceremony performed in the office of the local government official.

Because Yolanda & Franco are Christians, they wanted to also have a Christian ceremony.  On Saturday, they were married in a Christian ceremony at Iglesia Bautista Omega or Omega Baptist Church.  It was a beautiful ceremony.  Katie was a bridesmaid or "dama" in Spanish.  We were very honored to be included at this special time in their lives.

Street Preaching

Efrain Tello is a young preacher that we have gotten to know really well during our time here in Arequipa.  He is Katie's Sunday school teacher, and he works with the young people at our church here.  Rodney asked him to spend the afternoons with us.  His job is to help us practice our Spanish and to correct our Spanish.  A couple of weeks ago, Rodney & Efrain were talking about his plans for working in the ministry.  Efrain expressed a desire to work in Evangelism.  Rodney encouraged him to start an Evangelistic outreach right here in Arequipa.  After talking about different areas of outreach, they decided to begin a street preaching ministry, and Rodney built a platform for Efrain to stand on while he preaches.

Efrain encouraging the people to come forward to listen.

On Wednesday afternoon, nine people including Rodney, Katie, Josie & I, went to the district of Zamacola.  This location is a hub where many of the farm workers meet to get paid each afternoon.  It is also a hub for the bus lines.   When we arrived, Efrain set up his platform asked the people to come forward for an event.  He began by playing a game, and then he proceeded to give the Gospel while painting a picture.

Alvaro sharing his testimony.

The people listened intently, and after the gospel was given, a young new Christian, Alvaro, shared his testimony with the crowd.  Again the people listened intently.  It is amazing to see so many people focused and listening to the Gospel on the street.  After the presentation of the Gospel and the testimony, we began to circulate through the crowd passing out tracts and New Testaments.  Many times in the States, while passing out tracts, it is hard to get people to take the tracts.  Here, people will walk up to you and ask for a tract and immediately start reading it.

Young lady reading the tract she had just received!

They beg you for Bibles.  We gave out all of the Bibles that we had, and sadly we had to tell those who didn't receive one that we had no more.  This has burdened my heart for providing Bibles to the people of the city we are going to work in.   I am not sure if we can get Bibles in Merida, Venezuela or if we can ship Bibles in to the country, so please pray with me about this burden.

Our Year in Arequipa, Peru

Feliz Cumpleaños Katie!!!

Yesterday we celebrated Katie's 14th birthday.  She had lunch at her favorite restaurant, Turkos, and spent the afternoon riding horses with some of her closest friends.  Later in the evening, we had huge fiesta.  More than 50 people came to our house to celebrate her birthday.  We sang a few songs, played a few games, ate popcorn, pizza, cookies & cheesitos.  And of course we had cake, and following the Peruvian tradition, Katie had the cake shoved in her face.  This just means that she is really loved!!

Several people stood and offered words of encouragement to Katie, and one of our good friends, Efrain, prayed for Katie.  It was a great evening.  We are honored to have made so many good friends during this year we have lived in Arequipa.  We are really going to miss them!!

The King's Heart Is In The Hand of the Lord

We have been working in a government funded Catholic children's home over the past year.  Almost every Saturday, a group from Iglesia Bautista Omega visits the children's home.  The afternoon is spent playing soccer, volleyball, tag, and many other outdoor games.  The kids are loved on and have developed a relationship with those people that visit regularly.  Every Sunday that we are given permission, we bring a group of the older children from the home to Sunday School and the morning service.

This past Saturday, as always, a few folks from Iglesia Bautista Omega went to the children's home for the afternoon.  The group asked for permission to pick up the kids on Sunday morning for Sunday School.  The director told our group that he was going to take the kids to the Catholic church on Sunday.  We never push the issue because it is a miracle that we are allowed to visit the kids every Saturday.  We just accepted his wishes and made plans to come back the next Saturday.

On Sunday morning, we were surprised to see 10 of the children from the children's home in Sunday School.  We were told that as the director prepared to take the children to the Catholic church, the children begged him to take them to Omega.  The Lord was working in the director's heart that morning!!  Pray with us that we might see the director of this Catholic children's home accept Christ as his Savior.  With our God, nothing is impossible!

Serenity In The Middle of the Desert

On Monday, Rodney & I took a group of young people to the town of Yura for a day trip.  In Yura, you can hike to a fairly tall waterfall.  We were told that the "hike" would take about 2 hours one way, but that the path was fairly flat.

Well, our "guide" took the wrong path, and we were climbing huge mountains and jumping rock to rock over huge crevices.  After walking, and walking, and walking through the desert, we finally made it to the waterfall.

It was the coldest water I have felt in a long time. The hard work was well worth it.  The sun shining down through the spray of the waterfall was beautiful.  Only our God could create something so beautiful and serene in the middle of the desert.

Rock Climbing

Josie & I after making it to the top of one of the "hills"

This is only 6 of the 13 that came with us that day.
Mariangela, Javier, Paul, Gabby, Erika, & Katie
We are privileged to work with such a great group of young people.

Graduation Day

We did it!!  We finished language school on Saturday, September 25th, almost exactly one year from the day we started.  And, yes, we do know that although we have finished the program, we are far from being fluent Spanish speakers.  We must continue to practice, practice, practice.  We know what they say..."Practice makes perfect!!"  But...it sure does feel good to have finished our classes!!

Yesterday, our teachers asked us to come to class one more time.  They gave us a graduation party.  Each of the Spanish teachers and other students spoke a few words about their desire for us as we take the next step in our ministry.  It was a really special time.

I am going to miss the classes and the fellowship!

Opportunities for Service

Although we are in Peru to learn Spanish and not plant a church, we have many opportunities to serve in the ministry. Just recently, at Iglesia Bautista Omega, I had the opportunity to give the devotion (in Spanish) at a baby shower for missionary in training Stephanie Velke. And, in the past month, Rodney has taught the Sunday School lesson for the teens and young adults twice.

So, the lesson to learn from this post is: In the words of a good friend of ours, Pastor Casey Bradford..."Grow where you are planted." Yes, we are called to Venezuela, and we can't wait to get there, but the Lord planted us in Arequipa, Peru to learn Spanish. But...while we are planted here, though this is not our final destination, we can learn much more than just Spanish. We can grow in our knowledge of the Lord and in our service for the Lord!

Thank you Lord for the opportunity to serve You here in Arequipa, Peru. It has been an awesome year that I would not trade for anything.

Revelación 2010...Final Numbers

The Lord blessed Revelación 2010. In three weekends, 2,257 people walked through the drama and after the final scene received the precious Gospel. There were 374 people who raised their hands after the presentation of the Gospel. These people who made professions of faith then entered the counseling room where they received one on one counseling from a local pastor or seminary student. What an honor it was to work in this great event! We look forward to seeing Revelación grow each year under the direction of Missionary Jeremy Hall.

Revelacion 2010

For the past two weekends, we have worked in the drama Revelacion.  The drama starts with the group watching a video of the song "I Wish I Had Been Ready."  From this scene, each group goes to a scene with a Preacher preaching on the Rapture, the trumpet blows, and the Preacher disappears.  The group then enters the Crash scene, which is a dramatization of what it may be like on the street after the Rapture takes place.  We have crashed cars, burning cars, hurt people running around screaming, etc.  Next, the group watches a short video in which the media talks about the disappearances of people all around the world.  From this scene, the group enters the scene of the Four Horsemen of Revelation.  The group then moves to a press conference scene where the President of Peru is trying to answer questions and explain what the Government thinks has happened.  Next, the group walks through a scene of homeless people who are not able to buy or sell because they don't have the mark.  Then the group enters the U.N. (Uno Nacion) scene where people are offered the chance to accept the mark so that they can receive medical treatment, food, etc.  In the next two scenes, the group walks through a medical center and a cafe and see that the people who do not have the mark are being turned away.  The next scene is called the Black Box.  It is a scene in which the group is taken into a military compound and a person who does not have the mark is shot.  Next, the group moves to a civil war scene in which the military are hunting for the people who have not accepted the mark.  And the final scene is the Great White Throne Judgement.  In this scene, God searches the group and calls the name of a person and tells the angel (Katie) to search the book.  The person (a planted actor) then begins to beg God for mercy gives God reasons for why his name should be in the book.  The angel nods that the persons name is not in the book, and God tells the person to depart from Him.  Two demons walk up from Hell and drag the person into the Lake of Fire.  After this scene, the group is then taken to an area in which the guide gives the plan of salvation.  Those people who raise their hand to accept Christ are then taken to the counseling area for a one on one counseling session.

So far, we have had approximately 1000 people walk through the drama.  We have seen approximately 165 people make professions of faith.  It has been an amazing two weekends.  We look forward to seeing more souls saved this next  and final weekend.  Please pray with us for this event.

Practicing the Great White Throne Judgement scene
Katie is the angel that searches the book for each persons name.

Putting the junk cars in place for the Crash scene

Ringing the bell for each person that accepted Christ

Practicing the Hell scene

The End Is In Sight...

Rodney & I took our very last Spanish test on Tuesday!!!  We are now entering book 5 which is the last book in the program.  This book is 15 lessons of review and practice and 10 short stories that we have to read and write a short report on.  We should finish this book in approximately 3 weeks.  We will be taking a couple of weeks off when our friends, Kenny & Faith Ridling, come to visit; so, we will be finishing up with language school around the middle of September.

What a wild and crazy year it has been, but I wouldn't trade the time spent learning Spanish here in Arequipa for anything.  I praise the Lord for this awesome opportunity!!

New Ministry Video About Venezuela

Revelacion...The First Drama of Its Kind in Arequipa

We are currently working with Missionary Jeremy Hall in the planning of a huge evangelistic event...Revelacion. This will be a walk through drama depicting the events that will take place after the Rapture. It will involve over 150 actors and scenes such as chaos in the street, people missing in churches, people not able to buy necessities without the mark of the beast, and the Great White Throne Judgement. It is going to be a lot of work. Please pray that we get everything planned and ready. This will be the first drama of its kind to be performed in Arequipa. We are planning for 150 visitors each night. We hope to have at least 900 people pass through over the three weekends.

The Indigenous Church, by Melvin L. Hodges, is an excellent resource for one who is in the ministry of missions.

First of all, as a church planting missionary, I was reminded that the local church is the focus, and all other ministries such as schools, seminaries, orphanages, and hospitals are secondary ministries.

Secondly, the church must teach and encourage the converts to share the Gospel with family, friends, and co-workers. The converts must reproduce themselves. If the converts are reproducing themselves, when the missionary leaves, the church will continue to grow.

In addition, discipleship is one of the most important tasks of the church. While discipling the converts, we not only have the opportunity to teach them how to grow spiritually, but we also have the opportunity to teach them responsibility. The converts must be taught to work in the church. The convert must not be taught dependence on the missionary but to shoulder responsibility in the church.

Also, a church must be able financially support itself and its ministries. It must not depend on foreign funds to meet the expenses of the work. To achieve this characteristic of self supporting, the missionary must be careful to not rent a building or start a program that the church could never afford on its own. As a missionary in the unstable country of Venezuela, it will be important to keep this question in mind; “If I am forced to leave Venezuela, will the withdrawal of my funds be a mortal blow to my church, or will my church be able to survive?”

Finally, while reading this book, I have learned the importance of not centering the work too completely in the missionary, the missionary’s money, or the missionary’s abilities. “A modern missionary is not intended to be a permanent factor in the life of an alien people. His work is to make Christ the permanent factor...”

Calvary Baptist Church Youth Group, Hiawasee, GA

We hosted four teenage girls from Calvary Baptist Church of Hiawasee, GA last week. Pictured are Nancy (holding Brayden Hall, son of missionary Jeremy Hall), Bailey, Dakota, Katie, Quincy, and Josie. The girls were a pleasure to host. Katie & Josie enjoyed having some more girls in the house. It is such a blessing to see young people who have a desire to serve the Lord. We pray that the Lord continues to burden these young ladies hearts for the lost souls all over this world.