Greetings Fellow Sojourners and Prayer Warriors!
Our prayer is that this finds you embarking on grand adventures and creating splendid memories in this brand new year. We are so excited to hear all that God has begun and continues to work in and through you this year our Lord 2015.
What an exciting adventure we have been on these past 14 years as we have journeyed through many hills and valleys! It was such a joy to be given the opportunity to minister and be ministered to in the small community of Philomath, Oregon. During our time here in Oregon, we have had the privilege of getting to know so many wonderful persons, each and every one teaching us something new and creating memories to last a lifetime! One of the greatest joys of being here has been the opportunity to raise and educate our children in a small intimate setting with Christ centered curriculum. Now God in His dynamic, ever renewing and rejuvenating branches of life has forged for us a fresh trail, inviting and instructing us to journey to new lands just as He did when we were sent to Oregon by faith in 2001.
Infinite blessings and glorious things have happened here in Oregon that it is with a bittersweet heart that we press through the forest of the unknown and forge ahead to the next destination that the Lord has set before us. We have lived by the mantra that we must wake each morning seeking what the Lord has for us in this new day being prepared to serve God whenever and wherever He leads, always ready to walk in the footsteps of Christ and always prepared to get up and go! And so it goes that as we have given our word, His Word has given us charge and we are now being asked to sojourn to a foreign field that is need of workers.
“And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’s passover.” Exodus 12:11
This new chapter in our adventure takes us from the lush greens and mountainous landscapes of the Pacific Northwest to the arid deserts and culturally rich plains of Peru. Dear friends, as we head into this new and unknown territory of South America, we are asking for your prayers. Peru will be a new experience for us demographically and culturally, yet a familiar one in our faith. Doors are opening for the oppressed people in the far reaches of this Nation to learn to read and write and it is with excitement that we are going to be on the ground floor of opening schools in many areas of the country to give children and adults alike the opportunity for literacy. We will be working many long hours starting schools, training teachers and working with students as well as doing work in orphanages throughout the country, specifically ministering to young ladies who have suffered at the hands of sexual abusers. We are not only asking that you, our dear friends and prayer warriors, keep us in your prayers, but also pray fervently for those that God would have us minister to with the message of Salvation.
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:13-15
How many God will place in our path in our Peruvian path, we know not, yet we will excitedly embrace every soul, learning about their individual culture and gifts as we share the love of Christ and our humble gifts with them. We are embarking on this journey as a leap of faith and with that leap come many uncertainties such as finances, language barriers and cultural differences, so we ask that you keep those specific items in prayer.
Glorious new pages in this chapter begin when we touch down in Lima, Peru on February 15, 2015 and begin teacher training for the new school year the following day. Upon arrival we will be sharing an apartment with friends that are making this journey with us and we will have a small stipend at a current school in the city while we begin the process of opening new schools in the highland areas. Our stipend will cover a portion of our living and ministry expenses, however it will leave us short on our monthly needs of $2000.
Our greatest need is prayer! While money is important, it is a distant second to our need for your prayer support. Since prayer is so important to the success of this mission, we would like to know if we could count on you in that area. Please pray for the people of Peru to embrace education, be empowered by the Gospel message and encouraged by the hope of Christ. We invite you to keep up with our adventures on our blog and will delight in corresponding with you through email.
Do let us know how we too can be in prayer for you and your continuing journeys.
