Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”
Luke 24:46-47
Felicidades! Thank you for opening our newsletter! We’ll catch you up on some things from the past two months, and include prayer requests and pictures below, as always!
WE WRITE TO YOU FROM OUR NEW HOME IN TRUJILLO, PERÚ!
By the grace of God, we flew in this past weekend and are staying at our pastor’s house for a month to get acquainted with the city and the ministries here at Calvary Trujillo and CBI Perú. Soon we will move to a shared house with our own rented quarters.
Thank you all for encouraging us, praying for us, and supporting us through our time in the States these past few months! A lot of things needed to happen for us to get where we are currently.
Big praise reports: our flights were very affordable, our daughter Amalia’s passport came in time, and our sister-in-law Andrea got to fly with us and help make traveling with a baby and all our bags go smoothly.
The month of May was full of new partnerships, and fun with family and friends in Southern California. So many great memories as we enjoyed our “lasts” of many things in America for a while. We were also blessed to attend the internship class with Calvary Chapel Saving Grace in our time in SoCal. There we hung out with future/current missionaries, prepare and teach 15 minute messages from the Bible, and participate as students in a class through the Book of Acts. The internship really helped us stay focused during our time in America.
We also got to share at the church we grew up in, MVCF, in San Diego and host a dessert gathering to share more specific details about the work we’re endeavoring to do in Perú! Thank you to those who came and asked such great questions! MVCF also joined in a special way by praying over us and sending us out the Sunday before we left. This church really played a huge part in both mine and Racquell’s childhood and youth group ages, so continuing that connection now is a huge privilege for us.
We also had an opportunity to meet new friends and share at Calvary Chapel Escondido, in California. The Lord has been giving us with great connections and amazing people who have encouraged us and spurred us on. Thank you, friends, new and old!
We’re especially excited to be in Trujillo now, because a team from Calvary Chapel Lihue (Hawaii) will be visiting in just a few days! It will be great to reconnect with them in Perú…kind of like two worlds colliding for our family! We’re praying it is a sweet time and that God uses this trip mightily in the lives of those coming, and the lives that they impact while they’re with us in Perú. We’ll work alongside them a lot in the next couple weeks, with construction projects at the CBI campus and in local outreaches.
“Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem”” (Luke 24:46-47 NKJV). Friends, the saving message of Jesus hasn’t changed, and His commission yet remains for the Church to obey. As the work began in Jerusalem and spread through the earth these past two millennia, Jesus is continuing His work of saving souls TODAY, using the Church as His ambassador.
Racquell and I are praying that Jesus uses our lives mightily for His name here in South America. That many disciples are made and Bible teaching churches are planted throughout the world. People need to hear the gospel.
In months past we’ve updated our newsletters with our financial status…and we want to share that thanks to many of your generous ongoing monthly support and one time donations, we can afford to live in Trujillo with our basic needs covered! We will continue to update you with specific needs as they come.
We know that those who give are taking a step of faith along with us. Thank you for your generosity and faith in God in this area. We hope to be a blessing to people in Trujillo and beyond, on your behalf. Really, we’re an extension of the Body of Christ reaching from all over the globe, to continue the church planting and disciple making movement in South America.
Prayer Requests for our family:
- For our BODIES, MINDS, AND SPIRITS:
- We need to press on and continue with love by the Holy Spirit.
- STARTING WELL in our new home and with the ministries here in South America
Praise Reports:
- We’ve been FOCUSED.
- God is giving us great friendships and partnerships.
- We’ve been BOLD in sharing the gospel.
- WE MADE IT TO PERU!
Ways to get involved:
- Pray for us. We will need ongoing prayerful support as we settle into our new home country.
- Join our Care Team. It’s a group of people that meets once a month in Kauai to pray for us specifically.
- Tell a friend or family member. Help share the vision that the Lord has given us with people or churches you know. It takes an army of people to send a missionary out! If you know anyone who is interested in partnering with missionaries who are church planting, we’d love to connect with them!
- Become a financial partner. God has been providing immensely for us to take this big step of faith, and you can help us to be a blessing to more people.
To check out the ministry we are serving with, please click the link:
By the grace of Jesus and for His glory,
The Stratton Family