Hello Everyone!
Furlough:
For years I have been interested in missions. I read biographies and autobiographies, learned what I could about different parts of the world and read a lot of different prayer or news letters from missionaries past and present. Still, as much as I have read and researched, I struggle in giving just a straight forward report – I like stories more than numbers. But, I’m going to try and see what kind of story the numbers of furlough creates:
16,060 Miles flown 24 Different beds
8,879 Miles driven 20 Different churches/meetings
94 Days in the U.S. 2 Major injuries
If I look at the numbers (and share them with you) only a very small portion of the story is told… the whirlwind that was furlough. The blessings, the joys, the love, the relationships, the serious conversations and the fun ones – none of that is seen in the numbers, and that is more important. Yes, my furlough (March 7 – June 7) was a whirlwind of travel and busyness, but it was also jam packed with time with friends and family, meeting new people, chances to minister, counsel and teach, the opportunity to pray with like-minded people, and the chance to communicate the opportunities in ministry that God has privileged me with. So the last three months of furlough were wonderful. Thank you all for making my trip wonderful and taking such good care of me.
Return:
On June 8th I arrived back in Peru and began the process of jumping back into some of the ministries I was working in before my furlough, turning some of those ministries over to the people who ran them while I was away, and starting in new areas.
I have returned to New Life Baptist Church in Cieneguilla to teach their children’s ministry classes on Sunday and Wednesday evenings, and have started helping more with the youth/teens as well. Upon returning I took about half an hour one day to visit New Life Christian School and received excited greetings from many of the students and teachers there. (I had substituted for the English teacher for 2 months in the prior school year.). Several of the students have asked if I will come back and teach, and while I told them I did not have plans to, they did get excited when I mentioned I would be talking with the school director about spending time at the school to teach some chapels again and other workshops. While we haven’t set any firm dates, I am excited to get back involved in the lives of the students in the school in some way.
Two weeks ago I got to head back into Manchay, see the kids from the Bible study there, and start working with them again. While I was gone there was a 17 year old young man from the church who has expressed an interest in going into missions, and he began to work with the kids some, and has asked to stay on, help me, and learn as we go forward. I was thrilled to see my kids again and to hear about how things have been going the last 3 months, but I am also thrilled that God has provided help, and someone who not only wants to help, but learn how to do it on his own.
Unfortunately I haven’t had the chance to see my teen girls yet as their school schedule changed this year, dismissing at 6:30pm instead of 6:00pm. However, we have spoken via WhatsApp messaging and in the next week will begin Saturday Bible study again. The current struggle is half want to meet in the morning and half in the afternoon (some have tutoring in the morning, the others the afternoon), so we are trying to figure out the best way to make sure everyone has the chance to be involved as much as possible. Please be praying as we try to work through this.
I am so excited to let you know that there is now a kid’s club (and requests for a few others) in Rio Seco. It is an area I have been burdened for, for 3 years now and each time I was a week or two away from getting something started some obstacle got in the way. One of the biggest obstacles is that I was alone in being available to work in a ministry there. But during the flooding several months ago about 5 people from a church a few hours away joined up with about 3 from ours to begin a kids club. The people involved from both churches has increased and the number of people in Rio Seco asking us to come near their homes to do a club has increased as well. In August the other church will turn the ministry completely over to us and head to a new area. I am so excited to be a part of this ministry in Rio Seco. Please be praying that God gives us a smooth transition in the coming months.