2022

Greetings!

A few days ago I showed up to teach a Bible study and I found myself helping 2 ladies corral an

escaped horse first. (I found out later there are pictures!) I didn’t have to help, in fact 15 other women

stood by and watched, but I did it to continue strengthening my relationship with these women.

The whole scenario has caused me to stop and think of the unexpected, unanticipated, or just plain

crazy things that people will do just to minister, serve, or help in some way. I looked back over my journal

of events from the last two months and just smiled – and have chosen to share a few.

I think the biggest, “unexpected,” for me has been teaching English. I keep busy enough with the

Bible classes I teach (including studying, preparing activities, learning Spanish songs, etc.), errands for the

children’s home, and investing time with the kids at the home and the church that I purposely chose, for

now, not to teach English. I get 2-3 requests a week, some from serious students and others not so

serious, but teaching English isn’t really a passion or focus of mine. *(Disclaimer – I don’t believe it is

wrong or a waste of time. It is often a great ministry opportunity and opens many doors.)

But – I have a Bible study for teen girls in Manchay on Saturday mornings from 11:00-12:00. Ashley,

a 16 year-old young lady with cerebral palsy has started coming regularly over the last few months and

because of issues with mobility on the dirt hills with her wheelchair, she has to wait for someone to come

and take her home. Often she is with me until 12:45 and so we have started working on English. Her

pronunciation is amazing and she learns very quickly. We were talking the other week about a possible

future for her in teaching English via Zoom, or interpreting via the internet (which is done frequently now in

medical situations) and she began to cry. To know she has a skill to possibly develop and use to support

herself in the future has made a big difference in her outlook and motivation to continue homeschooling.

Working with Ashley caused me to stop and think through an order of what to teach, or different

topics to teach until she is capable of doing accredited classes. Little did I know, (pssst – secret – God

knew), that partway through October the English teacher at our Christian school would leave unexpectedly

and I would be asked to fill in and teach 11 grades, 25 classes a week, for the last two months of the

school year. (With one days notice and no curriculum.). Sometimes we find ourselves doing unexpected

things.

I have a list of several more; from driving friends to the ER, in an area I’ve never been, in the middle

of the night, to substituting as “family” for a few ladies during Family Day at the women’s rehab center. But

I want to tell you about a few huge blessings that have happened over the last two months as well.

• My visa was renewed for another year.

• A teen in my Bible study told me she wants to teach the Bible one day like I do.

• I got to share the gospel with a mom during parent’s meeting at the school and she accepted Christ as

her Savior.

• Our mask laws, vaccine laws, and travel restrictions were lifted.

• We’ve seen 4 kids from the children’s home placed with families in the last few months.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers, support, and friendship. They mean so much to

me and none of this would be possible without them. Please continue praying as I work to plan my

upcoming furlough next year. I will be working on scheduling as well as trying to find a vehicle to use for a

few months. I also beg your prayers for my energy and wisdom over the next few months as I continue

with my regular ministries and responsibilities but continue to cover the English classes in our Christian

school as well. Thank you so much.

Hello!
Let’s jump right into it! July and August have full of NEW! New ministry opportunities, new friends, new kids, new plans and some new stuff (but also a lot of the “older” as well).

July started off with an opportunity to test my Spanish in a way I hadn’t before. A friend of mine from a camp where we worked years ago came to Peru as part of a medical missions team, and I got the opportunity to interpret for several of the doctors and medics and well as fill in here and there on the evangelism team for the three days they were in Manchay. It was a wonderful chance to gauge my Spanish abilities, and stretch them (and myself) in new ways. It has also been a wonderful reminder of what it is like to not be my own. Years ago I looked at one of our summer interpreters here at the orphanage and told her, “thank you for giving up your voice this summer to be the voice of others.” There were a few times in conversations I found myself wanting to interject something, but had to remember, I wasn’t there to be Pam, but to be the voice of someone else. It’s a small, but powerful illustration of what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus. There are times the flesh of Pam wants to rise up and do something, but I have to remember I was bought with a price and I am not my own. It was a wonderful reminder, but the 3 days were also encouraging in letting me know I am doing well in comprehending and communicating in Spanish (in areas of medicine, directions, and the gospel), but also to see several thousand faces come through and be helped in areas physical and spiritual in such a short time was exhilarating. I was very much encouraged.

Throughout the summer I had a few different churches communicate with me in regards to VBS offerings, and I cannot tell you how timely and encouraging that has been as well. One church raised enough money to purchase nice Bibles (study or devotional Bibles as opposed to dollar store style gift Bibles) for my teens in Manchay as well as the older kids in several ministries I work with. Throughout June, July and August, the kids have been memorizing Bible verses and doing devotional pages to show they will use and care for the Bibles, and have been learning a lot. Six of the teens and three kids have earned their Bibles and another ten are set to get theirs in the next two weeks. I have started receiving texts from some of the kids throughout the week with questions regarding what the verses mean, or how a particular person fits into the historical timeline of the Bible – questions I haven’t prompted. It tells me they are exploring the Bible for themselves and willing to reach out for answers.


Another two churches sent me some money to use in any way that was needed, and I cannot express the blessing that those funds have been as well. I began noticing some issues with my car and ended up spending approximately $1520 to replace my tires, windshield, brakes and the majority of my door handles. (They were literally falling off in people’s hands!). While it isn’t always the easiest thing to promote to kids in a VBS, these funds have literally made it possible to travel to a new Bible study that got started a few weeks ago, and made it possible to get in and out of my car without having to climb in from the backseat (because of the inability to open some doors)!

In August I received a message from Mike Kennedy letting me know there was a women’s rehab center wanting someone to come teach a Bible study. The study has been going for three weeks now and has been a huge blessing. A friend of mine I used to disciple is coming with me each week, and we travel about 30 minutes into the middle of nowhere to meet with 20 ladies ranging from 14-50 who struggle with substance abuse or eating disorders. We spend about an hour and a half with them each week, playing games, singing, studying the Bible, and then enjoying a snack. We have so far been studying what it means to give glory to God, to be made in His image, and why we need a Savior. Several have been very responsive to the gospel, others a bit unsure. Please be praying as this ministry is continuing to form that we can be a blessing to the ladies there and above all that they would come to a saving understanding of the gospel.

Approximately every two years I head back to the US to report to 1/2 of my supporting churches. This upcoming March – May I will be back in the US, so please be praying as I try to schedule meetings with churches, places to stay, and figure out transportation. I am looking forward to being able to catch up with so many of you in person! Thank you again for your communication, support, and prayers. They are all so very needed and a big encouragement.

Pam Drout

January – February 2022

Hello Everyone!
An incredibly full summer is coming to an end here in Peru, another school year is beginning, and I praise God that I can say it looks like kids here in Peru will be back in school in person, or semi-in person depending on the space and decision of the administration of each school.

Towards the end of December, we celebrated Christmas at the kid’s Bible club in Manchay, as well as here at New Life Children’s Home. At New Life Children’s Home I was able to fill a stocking with small gifts and goodies for each kid, sharing with them some of the family traditions from my childhood that they don’t have here. In Manchay, we were able to do a chicken dinner with the kids (as well as the ladies’ Bible study), and I was able to give them each a small Christmas gift and introduce them to candy canes. Some of my kids come from families where they cannot afford Christmas or birthday gifts. I have known many adults here who will talk about sometime as an adult being the first time they ever received a gift. I cherish the opportunity to show my kids the joy of receiving a gift and the fact that the gift does not come with conditions because it then gives them more understanding as I talk with them about the gift of God we have in salvation.


Throughout January and February I did a summer Bible-quizzing program with the kids at NLCH each Friday. Two of our older teen guys were made team captains and have been responsible for helping the younger kids and the kids that can’t read learn about the Bible stories from the Life of Christ for quizzing. These young men really stepped into their leadership roles this summer, spending time with the kids on their teams, encouraging them, and figuring out the best ways to help each individual learn and participate. This coming Friday (March 4th) we will have our final quizzing event and then an ice cream party to end the summer. Currently, the kids have been quizzing so well that I have no idea which team will have the most cumulative points for the summer. 


Since school let out in December, I have been running a summer program with the kids in the Bible club in Manchay as well. The kids have poured themselves into learning verses, completing at- home lesson sheets, and participating in everything we do on Thursdays. While I don’t like doing reward- based programs all the time, this is one way I can help the families with some very real needs and show the kids the value of hard work. Coming up on Thursday (March 3rd) the kids will be able to trade in the points they have been earning all summer for much needed school supplies, and then we will do a lesson from John 6.

Over the last few months, I have seen God do some really cool things in the lives of these kids. Two brothers sat down with me and talked with me about a choice they had to make. The municipality offers workshops for kids in their community throughout the summer, and there was a soccer workshop for these boys at the same time as our Bible study. They started out the summer by choosing to go to the workshop. They had one week off in which they came to Bible club. I don’t even remember the lesson I taught that week, but I found out from their sister that because of the lesson they chose to withdraw from soccer and continued coming to Bible club each week thereafter. There is another young man who is six years old and has special needs. He can’t really comprehend any question he is asked, unable to even respond to, “what did you do today,” with a true answer. (He tell you what he is going to do when he goes home.) This young man though can repeat anything someone tells him, and has been able to memorize several verses from the Bible word perfect, and can repeat them just as perfectly weeks later. I’m not sure what God is going to do in his life, but I can’t wait to see.

Last week I had the opportunity to help out the church of a friend here by teaching in their VBS. This is the third chance over the last five years that I’ve had to participate with their teens and adults in serving the kids of their community and I love it. This year the theme was “An Extraordinary Universe,” and we had lessons on being a new creature, obeying God with our decisions, God’s blessings and God’s promises. On the last day we had several kids and a few of the teens who raised a hand acknowledging they weren’t saved, and wanted to talk with someone. Workers spent time talking with each kid, and I know a few accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. Some of the youth workers are also following up with the teens who acknowledged they had questions and wanted to talk with someone. I know one of the girls specifically we have been praying for, for a few years.

Please also be praying for two young ladies (ages 12 and 13) that I work with. I know these young ladies are not saved, but I can clearly see God is working on them as their behavior and response to His word has been changing over the last two months. One of these young ladies asked me to explain the gospel to her a few years ago, and asked me if she could get saved. I said of course. She then admitted to someone else (who in turn told me) that it had all been a joke, and sincerely her behavior during class showed it was a joke to her. She would talk all the time during class or in church, not bothering to listen. I began to notice a couple months ago that she started listening closely, and was shushing the kids around her during the lesson so she could listen. Just a few days ago she raised her hand during an invitation, admitting that she wasn’t a Christian, but she still isn’t quite ready to say that she wants to be one. The other young lady is newer to the ministries here, only been coming for about 3 months. Over the last three weeks, any time someone (myself or anyone else) begins to talk about sin or salvation, her head goes down on a the table. Usually the look on her face before it happens isn’t one of disgust or boredom but of discomfort. I haven’t been able to figure out yet if she’s just tired of listening, or God is working on her heart, but I’m praying so much for her. Please be praying with me.

Those are only a few of the things that have been happening around here through summer break. It is such a blessing to see God continue to work in the lives of people here. I was studying the definition and etymology of the word “blessing” recently, learning that it was a gift, words, or actions demonstrating an alliance of peace, or a good relationship between two parties. Basically a friendship. You all continue to bless me through your prayers, your contact and responses to my letters and social media posts, through your and through your support. God blesses me just by being God, but also by continuing to let me serve Him, and allowing me to see the small ways in which He is continually working. 


Thank you so much for your support. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for those who have taken the time to contact me and keep up with me. It is all such an encouragement. Please keep praying as we approach another school year, and as God gives me other opportunities to care for those in need around me by showing His love, and His care (physically and spiritually) and most of all by sharing the gospel with them. I can’t wait to see what He does next!

Pam Drout