One year in Perú!

One year and some change living here in Perú full time. We would like to thank you ALL so much for your prayers and support both leading up to our move, and throughout our time overseas so far. The fact that you are even reading this newsletter means so much to us. Like most great things in life, our first year on the foreign mission field has been a rollercoaster with a lot of: fun things, difficult things, learning experiences, sweet successes, humbling disappointments, huge opportunities, and many, many divine appointments. 

Over this year we’ve had a lot of big changes. Reading the Bible and praying in Spanish used to be the most difficult for me (Shilo), now they’re still challenging, but not as much. We’ve also moved three times, from staying with Cory, Danielle, and their kids (our pastor and great friends), to sharing a whole house with two other couples (and a big dog) we had never met, to now being afforded the huge blessing of living in our place (for the first time since we were newly weds in 2020). Amalia has also grown so much — she is talking and walking. Prayers appreciated as we seek to be examples to her, and learn to discipline and train her up in the way she should go.

We also were accepted for our visa status to be changed from tourist to religious, which allows us to to stay here on a four-year basis at a time. 

One of our main responsibilities here on the Bible college campus is hosting visiting teams and pastors who come to preach or teach classes. This last year we had teams come that helped build two large dormitories for the school. Another team came and painted the whole church campus and helped us put on a huge outreach in Trujillo’s biggest public park. We’ve had a great time hosting short term missions teams here, and it’s been a learning process.

We’ve had the privilege of hosting CBI Peru’s Summer Missions Internship this summer! It was catered towards English speakers in the college age range wanting do something with purpose for their summer break. We taught through the Book of Acts, read “Radical” by David Platt, a few amazing missionary biographies, and did hands on training here, on the foreign mission field. 

We had an amazing time serving with these three young gals. We served with our home-base Calvary Trujillo, also Calvary Buenos Aires (neighborhood of Trujillo), and of course Calvary Moyobamba. The idea was to give them training and outlets to practice what they were learning (work with church plants, share the gospel of Jesus and their testimonies, and be generous with their time to serve others, in spite of cultural differences). 

During the internship the Lord spoke to these girls and mighty ways. One of them specifically through the book of Acts class her heart was being stirred for the nations. She was confident that the Lord was calling her to missions and knew that coming here for 6 weeks was another step. As she prayed about what was next the Lord kept making it clearer that she was to come back and serve as a student/intern this fall semester in Peru. In choosing this she’s giving up comforts and opportunities but she has been so encouraged to pursue the Lord whole heartedly. To see the growth and the heart of service in each of these girls has been a great joy for us. We’re so blessed and excited for what the Lord has in store for each of them.

Racquell and I just kept on thinking to ourselves, “Wow, what an opportunity.” What an opportunity! These Americans are here to sit at the feet of Jesus, to experience foreign missions…and they are only here for 6 weeks. It was on a trip to Peru 7 years ago that God really started to show me (Shilo) what missions is. Then Racquell and I participated in Calvary School of Missions a few years ago where we further developed a biblical view for foreign missions. I knew that God would want to change these new interns’ lives and work in mighty ways. He did.

Our fall semester is starting at CBI Perú, and soon we’ll have pastors and their wives coming to visit and teach “block” classes that run a week or two weeks, through different Books of the Bible, or different themes and topics to train our students. We’re excited to host them, and especially for God to use these classes to help shape the students’ biblical worldview as well as train and equip them for their future service in South America and beyond. 

What’s next for our family? Whatever Jesus wants. We just need to obey Him. We plan to continue living in Trujillo until God clearly calls us away and to another place, if He wills that. So we are putting our roots down, trying to make friendships and pour into discipleship times. We are currently car-shopping, potentially a truck or an SUV that would fit our family, with the potential to be used to move church items or pick up guests, and mobilize students and friends here around town.

We’ve got one more year until we graduate from CBI Peru’s Church Planting Class, and we’re excited to study the Word of God, teach short sermons every week, and take notes from talks by pastors who serve all over the world, that we might be better equipped to serve God in the future. So whether long term be here in Trujillo and helping to keep home-base strong (at CBI and the church), or leading/being part of a church planting team to some far away place, or doing something else…we are surrendered to Jesus and wanting to live everyday as if it were our last, for God’s glory and our good.

One year in Perú so far. Years are cool. But we want to make every day count. Moses, a man who had lived 120 years and had basically three 40 year blocks in his life, prayed to God, “So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• HEALTHY churches in Trujillo, Buenos Aires neighborhood, and Moyobamba
• HUMILITY to work with our young team
• WISDOM to train up Amalia in the way she should go
• BALANCING time well with family, friends, and the ministries’ responsibilities

By the grace of Jesus and for His glory,

The Stratton Family