September-November 2021 Newsletter

September-November 2021 Newsletter
A portion of the kids who came for our spring pizza party!

Hello Everyone!

A few months ago I was watching a church service online and heard a testimony from a veteran missionary about something he had learned after many years on the field.  I found myself in awe of that missionary for his willingness to be so publicly transparent.  The next day while reading John 3 and a few other passages, God reminded me that when we allow others to see who we really are, then HE can get the glory for the fruit.  He’s such a faithful God, continually reminding me that it is not my personal name that matters but His.

The last several months have been FULL of lessons, learning, small and great victories, friends and answers to very specific prayers.

Visa –  Thank you to all who prayed or encouraged me regarding the annual extension of my visa.   The process ended up going fairly smoothly and everything was approved.  I ask for prayers in advance of next year’s renewal (not just an extension, but a much more involved process) because with the changes the current president has made it may require a trip to the US for some new legal documents and paperwork.  Please pray as I work through those decisions.

Car – Cars have always been a “stressful” issue for me as they often tend to break down in the most inconvenient (and costly) ways and at the worst times.   I began to notice an issue with my car here so we had a mechanic come and look at it.  (Yes, he came to the Home, one blessing of MANY!). As I went to hear the diagnosis I saw my entire engine out of the car, open all over the ground and my heart sunk.  But God.  What would have cost thousands of dollars to fix in the US only cost me about $400 AND the car was ready to drive literally 2 minutes before I needed it for a special event in Manchay.  I did get a flat tire the next morning, but that was also a very easy fix, with wonderful help from the guys who work here at the orphanage, and only $5!

Manchay – Attendance at both the ladies’ Bible study and the kids’ Bible club in Manchay continues to steadily increase.  We had a celebration for the first day spring (big here in Peru), a month late, but wonderful just the same.  The women have been studying through the characteristics of a godly woman, and ended up doing a princess night including electing a queen, a woman actively demonstrating those characteristics.   The kids and I had a pizza party, where they they once again demonstrated their selflessness and caring for their families and I got to spoil them and love on them in a way that they rarely experience… more pizza than they could eat.  Several new kids came that night and have consistently attended since, some having accepted Christ as Savior in the weeks following.  

Please be praying as I consider a few more ways to minister to these kids and their families including devotional materials and other possibilities.   Most of these kids will not receive any gifts for Christmas and their families will struggle to come up with the money for basic school supplies in March.  Two years ago I ran a program in our Bible club where the kids earned points by attending, showing up on time, memorizing verses, participating, etc. and they used those points to “buy” school supplies.  Many felt so proud to be able to help their families in that way and were careful to choose only the more practical, needed items over some of the fun additions.  Funds permitting, I would love to be able to do that again this upcoming summer (end of December through first of March).

More – There is so much more to tell, and so little space.  My fridge has been acting up for a few months but God keeps it going.  I had been praying about a specific lesson series for my Sunday AM class but was very unsure, and the week prior to the new series God used a 6-year old in the class to reassure me – during the activity time he asked questions for 10 minutes non-stop regarding that exact topic.  God gave me the opportunity to begin learning Peruvian Sign Language from a visiting missions team and then a way to continue studying after they leave.  I was provided with some much needed space that I will be able to use for ministry storage, piano lessons, discipleship, and as a gathering place for small groups of people, etc.  I’m looking forward to slowly but surely put it all together.   I’ve begun teaching a Sunday night kids class at the church again and the intelligent questions the kids ask every week keep me on my toes and continually studying.

Thank you all so much for your prayers, support, and encouragement.  I LOVE getting to see the small and great things God does all around me – and He uses you all to do them.  Thank You.

July-August 2021 Newsletter

Hello Everyone!
A few days ago, someone I had just met asked me what all I do here in Peru. I realized a day or so

later that for the first time in over a year the answer didn’t involve two parts consisting of pre-covid ministry and during covid. While I am not currently doing everything I did before covid struck, in the last few months the restrictions here have loosened up enough that I am once again doing many of the things that I was before as well as some new things.

At the beginning of July my joy was indescribable because we were finally able to return to Manchay (an area about 20 minutes away) to begin our women’s and children’s Bible studies again. The groups started out small as several of the families had moved away to find work, or to live with family due to economic issues, or because of loss (I have a couple kids who left because they lost both parents to covid) but we have had a good number of new ladies and children coming over the last several weeks. I currently am working with about 20-25 kids each week while Pastor David Taza and his daughters are working with a group of 12-16 ladies.

Because of the number of children in Peru vs. the number of schools and even the number of teachers, quite often in the public schools, elementary classes meet in the morning and secondary classes meet in the afternoon, getting out at about 6pm. That is the way the big public school that most of my kids in Manchay went to functioned, so the Bible club was mostly kids under 13, and then I had 2 or 3 kids who would show up for the last few minutes on their way home from school to get a lesson and word search that they could do at home.

School is still virtual this year, and most schools can’t do classes live but send assignments via messaging apps. (It’s hard to do anything live when there are 7 kids in a family sharing one cell phone for school, or a few families sharing the same phone.) But, because school is virtual, I find I now have a group of 6 girls between the ages of 13 and 15 coming each week and another 5 who come when they can. Please be praying as I am preparing to do something extra with them at another time of the week when I can give them some more individualized attention as well as lessons appropriate for their age and maturity. I am hoping to get something established that can continue when the girls return to school in person next year since they most likely will not be able to keep coming to the Thursday night classes at that time.

Along with the Bible club in Manchay, I am still teaching the 10 and under kids on Sunday mornings at the orphanage since the occupancy limits for the church are still at 50% or under depending on the week. We just finished a series on the wonders that God showed Israel through Moses and Joshua and are now looking at some of the things that Jesus did and taught as well as what the disciples and apostles did through the book of Acts. We just started the Sunday night children’s class at the church again last week and so I had a small but fun group there. Kids who were 4 last time I taught them are now 6 and understanding so much more. I am also teaching small Bible studies with 1 or 2 people several times a week on topics such as apologetics, Proverbs, and God’s will. I am so thankful that God continues to supply the knowledge and understanding I need so that I can help others as well.

I continue to teach music to several of the kids at the orphanage as well as spending time with them during breaks and after school teaching them things like how to play Skip Bo, or marbles or how to throw a frisbee. Sometimes it is those small things we have done for so long that we forget that need to be taught. The kids bring me such joy. I am so thankful that I get to be with them.

Please be praying regarding my visa. The new president that took office at the end of July has enacted several new laws that have made the process of extending with immigration/visa issues is still trying to wade through the new information and now is very backed up in trying to help missionaries with their paperwork. My paperwork for extension must be submitted before October 18th. I know that sounds like a way off, but here the process can take weeks and the lawyer is very far behind, so it is a matter of great prayer right now.

Thank you all so much for your support and your prayers. They are such an encouragement to me and I do not take them for granted. Thank you.