Called to Pastor

Dear Family and Friends,

We can’t thank you enough for all your love, prayer and support.  It has been an amazing privilege to be able to serve here in Banos Del Inca, Peru. God is doing some amazing things in this part of Northern, Peru. Here is the latest of what has been going on in the ministry fronts and our home life.

 

  • Belen Orphanage: A medical and dental team from Baltimore, Maryland came and worked alongside us. We were able to take this team to the Belen Girl’s Orphanage. This was an incredible opportunity for us to know the girls on a more personal level. Natalia broke into tears when she asked one of the girls about her life because of some of the issues she was having. At the age of 7 this young girl was sexually abused by her uncle and this happened for many years. She was able to finally escape from this family member and that is how she ended up at the orphanage. This is only one story of one of the young girls, hearing story after story you will find that many have gone through the same type of situation.

 

  • Women’s Ministry: The ladies have been studying the book of Esther for the past few months. It is very exciting to share with you all that one of the young ladies, who we see as a future leader for the Church, has started to help Natalia with some of the teaching. It is very rewarding to see those who are maturing in the Faith, step out in Faith and start to use their spiritual gifts that God has given to them.

 

  • Awana: Oh my goodness, we are thrilled with these kids! They are learning so much about Jesus, memorizing Bible verses. The best part is that these 20 kids are consistent and committed! These kids are so sweet they just melt our hearts! We couldn’t be more grateful for this Awana program in our Church. We have so much fun playing the games, singing the music and watching all the kids learning from the Bible!

 

  • Church news: This past month, I was officially named as the pastor of the church. It has been extremely challenging and we have had to deal with a lot of spiritual attacks. We are blessed though because it’s an honor and a privilege to be a witness of men and women coming to know Jesus Christ and have their lives transformed!

 

  • Worship: Natalia continues serving on the worship team. For the next 3 months she will be leading worship while our worship pastor is away in Germany, serving with refugees. Please keep her in your prayers for strength and wisdom in the area of worship.

 

  • Medical Mission Team: We worked along with a great group of ophthalmologists from John Hopkins. They performed 12 cataract surgeries. These operations took place in the local hospital and we were able to build good relationships with the doctors there. After having worked with the ophthalmologist from John Hopkins for a week the ophthalmology director of this hospital made a decision to follow Christ. There were 2 patients that particularly touched our hearts. One lady that loved Jesus, told us that she wants to be able to see so that she can read her Bible again. This brought tears to our eyes. It’s Interesting because she was one of the more difficult cases that the doctors had to handle. For a moment we thought she wasn’t going to be able to see at all! We were praying for her during the surgery and after it. The very next day her cornea wasn’t good, we thought she would need to go back to surgery to fix it, but we kept praying.  Then on the second day after her operation her eyes worked perfect! It was a miracle! Even the doctor started jumping and yelling, “it’s a miracle!” All of the patients that were being operated on were legally blind but now they can see! It was a privilege to be part of this team. They are even willing to come back next year and perform more operations.
  • Home Life:
    • Alejandro: Started regular school! This was an answer to prayer because he was very lonely and sad. We found a small Christian school that is only 10 minutes away from our house! He loves it and has already made some friends.
    • Emily: Is getting so big! She loves going to church with her favorite dress and loves giving sweet greetings to everybody that comes into the church! She is a future usher!
    • Natalia: Her liver is recovering slowly. It’s hard to have a special diet. She just recently got her permanent green card and had to travel on a short notice to the states to keep everything in line with her residency. I was so happy to have her back!

 

 

I am feeling more and more comfortable preaching. It’s very challenging but it has been a good challenge. I feel that the people are very responsive and are really starting to grow more in their faith.

God is Good!