April 2024 Newsletter
Joshua Vanrenterghem
And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!…”
Luke 24:4-6
Dear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,
Getting stuck in the mountains, sharing Jesus at schools, and purchasing a new church property are just some of the many events of this month! But the greatest of all of them was, without a doubt, Resurrection Sunday. I got to take extra time to look back at the miracle that changed the world forever; the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The very center of our faith and the reason for my life.
For holy week, Calvary Trujillo had a bunch of outreach events planned up. We visited 3 different local schools to share with students about Jesus through skits, raps, crafts, and more. At a school in Huanchaco I got the opportunity to share the gospel with a class of grade school students, at the end almost half of them prayed confession in Jesus! Unfortunately after about Tuesday I was sick for the rest of the week, but the church also hosted a festival at Huanchaco with games and a choreographed drama of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
In the last half of April, Calvary Bible Institute Peru began missions week! Each semester we have missions trips to different places around South America. One team went to Piura with a man who is praying and planning on planting a church there soon. Another team went to assist locally at Trujillo and the Venezuelan church plant in the neighborhood of Buenas Aires. Another small team flew to Rio de Janiero, Brazil, helping a ministry in the favela City of God (one of the most dangerous places in South America). Finally, the last team, which I was on, visited Calvary Moyobamba, a city in the Amazon jungle, to support the new church plant there.
The Process of Planting a Jungle Church
The missions trip to Moyobamba was a special trip to me for many reasons. To begin with, this is the third mission trip I have been to Moyobamba now. To give you a picture of everything God has done there, I want to go back over those trips.
First Trip
A great friend I met in Mexico in 2022, Andrew Weakland, who was also an intern a Calvary Bible Institute Peru, felt called to plant a church in Moyobamba, so in in April of 2023 we took a ‘vision trip’. During that trip we spent most of the time in prayer for the city.
Second Trip
The second trip was in October of 2023. This trip was the church planting trip. During this trip we combined the entire Calvary Bible Institute Trujillo with a mission team from Calvary Bible Institute Kauai, transforming the group into almost 60 people! We rented out the largest event space in the city and did a huge outreach bbq dinner with worship, Christian rap, a children’s skit, and a gospel message, with an invite to the new church plant.
Third Trip
Finally, this month I got to return once again to Moyobamba, but now after Calvary Moyobamba has had a full year and a half of being a church. Our schedule was packed with evangelism, reaching out to a technical school, ministering at the jail, and construction projects at the church. One of my favorite times was getting to share a teaching and my testimony to a group of about 15 guys in the jail. The pavilion I was in had a pastor who had been there for 23 years. I quickly realized the group I was sharing with were all believers and met regularly in the prison. I had to do some quick thinking and switch my message from mostly evangelical to more applicable for the brothers. After I gave a final exhortation, the pastor got up and began to cry as he explain how he was praying for the Lord to bring a word, and began to explain God’s faithfulness to provide for each of them in the jails when many don’t have any family or friends to help or visit. The prisons are very difficult. They cram beds for 36 men in rooms the same size as a regular dinning room, with one open toilet and sink. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience.
Finally, after a greatly blessed mission trip, at about 2am on the bus drive back to Trujillo we got stuck in the middle of the Andes Mountains. A small village in the mountains were protesting by blocking the main road going through the village. The bus service told it was going to take 3 days before we would be able to continue, and because the bus was stuck and there was no place to turn around, we couldn’t go back the 9 hours to Moyobamba, where we just came from. Later that morning we decided to take all of our baggage off, walk 30 minutes to the other side of the village, and try to find taxis that will take us to the closest large city of Chiclayo (about 5 hours away). By God’s grace, we made it alright to Trujillo after an almost 30 hour trip.
Calling All Partners
It is my honor to connect you, my sisters and brothers in America, to all God is doing on the mission field, and show you the fruit of your work through me! If you would like get more involved in this work, there are different ways you can partner with with me as I seek to fulfill my call to rescue and care for children in trafficking, and bring the gospel to the ends of the earth.
One way you can support is through joining my Signal group. This is where I send prayer requests and more frequent updates on my life in the mission field of Peru! You can join this group by responding to this email.
Another way is to partner financially. If you feel lead to become a financial partner, you can give through the link found at the bottom of this news letter! It is by your generosity that I am provided for on the field and available to give my all in this new work.
Thank you all so much for your wonderful partnership and love, I am eternally grateful for your support!
Praise Reports
- Praise the Lord for His victory over death, hell, and the grave, so that we can enjoy a hope and future with God.
- For the many people around Peru who have heard the gospel through the outreaches and events
- God’s faithful provision and protection on our mission trips
- Blessing and help we were able to be for the church in Moyobamba
- Growth of the Ministry, and purchase of new church property for Calvary Trujillo
Prayer Requests
- God’s wisdom for all the needs and preparations of the children home
- Provision and speedy building for the new church and CBI building at the Calvary Trujillo property
- That I would keep learn how to be a better support and assistant to pastor Cory
- Blessing over all the student who are graduating in May
- That I would grow in grace and truth more and more
