Prayer Update March 2013

Psalm 34:8  O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

In just under two months that we have been in Peru we have seen seven specific answers to prayer! Six, we received in the affirmative, one in the “Not right now,” and several others in the “Keep Praying” category.

 

Joshua and Steven strolling the streets of Urubamba

Prayer Request #1: 183 days—Yes!

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We asked you to pray for 183 days to be stamped in our passports upon arrival; the guy behind the counter gave it to us with no questions asked!  He was humbled that we had been praying for him for a month ahead of time.

Prayer Request #2: A safe trip—Yes!

·         We praise the Lord that my (Eric’s) mom could accompany us down to Peru to help us take suitcases and watch the boys.  We got the “red light” going through customs (which meant all 11 suitcases, 4 carry-ons and our personal items had to go through the conveyor belt and x-ray machine, but in the end I think they had mercy on us and didn’t make us take anything out of the suitcases. Aside from that our trip was smooth and Mom was a great help!

Prayer Request #3: Our residency—Not right now, Keep praying!

·         Our status here in the country is still “TOURISTS.”  The law that required a 10,000 member minimum for religious groups has been declared unconstitutional (PRAISE THE LORD!), but what will be done remains to be seen. After having been in Urubamba for almost a month, we returned to Lima to work on getting our visas once again.  We will be heading into the lion’s den in the next few days with a lawyer friend to see if they will grant us residency.  Please keep praying!

Prayer Request #4: How do we get all this stuff up to Urubamba?—No problem!

·         One of our friends in Lima had been storing our belongings from our previous term in Peru (3 yrs. ago), and we had no idea how we would move everything up to the mountains nor how much it would cost.  In the end, we found out that one of the parents of a student I had taught at La Molina Christian Schools (LMCS) had a trucking company and offered to send our things up to Cusco (1 ½ hr. from Urubamba) FOR FREE on the next truck going that way. THEN, another parent from LMCS told us his father had a truck in Cusco and that God had laid it on his heart to get our things up to Urubamba FOR FREE!  Thank you for praying.  We are living in a 3-bedroom apt. 4 blocks from the Christian school where my wife and I are teaching. (We looked at the house next to the seminary director’s house, but the uphill trek between the farms to get to the house especially now in the rainy season was a little much for us with the kids.)

Prayer Request #5: A quick and easy transition to the altitude change—Yes!

Boy, were we huffing and puffing the first week in Urubamba!  Yet in the days that followed, we slowly began getting used to the thinner air. By the way, we did find out why they call this town Urubamba (Land of the spiders).  We have been taking pictures of the spiders we’ve been finding (and squashing) and were going to make a border on this prayer letter of the various types, but decided against it. (Most were Daddy Long Legs anyway…)

One of many little friends who like to "pop in" and visit us

Prayer Request #6: Open doors to share the gospel—Yes!

·         On our first night in Lima, the Lord opened the door for a redemptive conversation and allowed me to meet a young Christian baggage carrier who had been discouraged and away from church for a while because of false doctrine. Thankfully one of the churches I had attended in the past is close to the airport and he knew where it was.  The next seven weeks were also full of open doors as well! From taxi drivers to friends waiting in hospitals, the Lord was so faithful to lead us to searching people. We pray He will bring forth fruit.  The friends who were waiting in the hospital to receive news of their teenager (who had been in a car accident with her mom) were especially attentive to the gospel message.  The teen, Tammy, was one of my former students and one we had seen upon our arrival in Lima.  She passed away recently.  Her mom, who had to undergo surgery, and her father who is close to salvation are both heartbroken over the loss of their only child.  Please join us in praying for God’s comfort and direction for her parents, Eliana and Juan.

Prayer Request #7: God’s leading in educating our kids—Yes! But keep praying!

·         In the 2-year old Christian school “Heroes of the Faith,” Casandra is currently the lead teacher of 15 children ages 3-6, one of whom is our oldest son, Joshua.  She teaches in Spanish, and has an assistant who has taken charge of the 3-4 year olds.  She supplements the Spanish teaching (of which Joshua understands little to none) with the curriculum we brought from the States.  Joshua has been having a very hard time adjusting to hearing Spanish all the time. Since the assistant teacher in Joshua’s class does not speak English, she cannot give him the individual help he needs. The result has been an increase in misbehavior.  We continue to discipline him for outright rebellion yet try to be understanding of his plight.  Steven on the other hand is being cared for in the nursery during the school day and seems to be adjusting well to hearing Spanish spoken and responding to commands. As for the prayer request, we will keep Joshua in the Christian school for now and continue to seek God’s face as to how to best educate our sons.

 

A parade of Quechua speakers promoting education for all

Prayer Request #8: With so much need, where do we serve?—No Worries! Keep praying.

·         We have been praying about where specifically to attend church and invest our time.  The Lord has led us to New Life Baptist Church (whose property the Christian school is using).  Here we have already made contacts with several brethren who go out once a week to preach in church plants on the outskirts of Urubamba.  Several of these are in Quechua.  So we seek a Quechua teacher and ask the Lord to lead us. 

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THERE ARE SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE HERE! At New Life, I will be teaching a teen Sun. school class and my wife and I will be serving in AWANA with the teens as well.

·         I am currently teaching English and Bible (4 hr./wk) at Heroes of the Faith C.S. in elementary.

·         One of the opportunities I am MOST excited about is a discipleship class with one of the teachers at school.  He is a three year old Christian who is excited to serve God. He has a strong background in education, but desires to integrate his spiritual life with his teaching career.  We have been meeting for three weeks now, and I am so thankful to be training another ME. =)

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          The seminary officially began its school year on March 11.  I spoke at the opening ceremony and am in the process of preparing for the classes I will teach in July and August.  We have around 30 students this semester, one of whom is a friend from our previous church in Lima.

So as you can see, we are off and running. As I have mentioned, serving God can turn into a ritual very easily if one is not careful to guard THE HEART.  Please intercede for us to keep our heart in the right place and serve in love.  We love you guys and thank our Father so much for your prayers and partnership in His work!

Update January 2013

The time has come!

We are leaving for Peru!  In a few days we will board a plane with about 10 suitcases for an 8 hour flight to Lima, Peru, where we will begin visa paperwork, pack up our household belongings that have been in storage, take another flight to Cuzco, and then take a two hour trip to our new hometown of Urubamba.

For three years we have been praying for this day to arrive and it finally has!  We still have not reached our full support level; but, due to some pressing needs on the field, the door was opened for us to leave early this year.  We have prayed about it, and through God's leading we sought and received godly counsel from our sending church and mission board.  We will be leaving on January 28th with their blessing, and ask for your prayers for several important requests.

1. Pray for the religious visa situation in Peru.  New laws have gone into effect causing problems and delays all around.  Pray that we would receive an 180 day tourist visa upon our arrival in Peru in order to begin our residency paperwork.  Also, for God to move the heart of the king (president!) to change the current visa laws in our favor.
2. Pray for our 8 hour trip to Lima with the boys and Eric's mother, 10 suitcases, and about that many carry-ons!
3. Pray for the packing up and relocation of our household items that have been stored in Lima for the past three years.
4.  Pray for our family to adjust quickly to the higher altitude of mountain life in Urubamba.
5. Pray for the lost of Peru to be receptive to the message of the Gospel and that they would allow Christ to change their lives!

Ministry opportunities that Lord willing await us...
Eric-
1. Teaching/translating seminary classes
2. Teaching a few high school courses in Heroes of the Faith Christian School
Casandra-
3. Helping lead the 3-5 year old Kindergarten program at the same school
4. Homeschooling the boys
Everyone-
5. Becoming involved in the local church plant
6. Reaching out into the surrounding villages as the Lord leads

More than ever we need your prayers as we venture forth to fulfill God's calling on our lives!  Thank you for your faithful support as we have been traveling on deputation, and for your future support as we reach the field.

If you are interested in joining our support team and helping us reach our goal, click here.

As we cannot possibly say goodbye to everyone in person we have made a short video for you and/or your church to enjoy! 

 Thank you for your prayers!


Click on the picture below to watch the video:

Year in Review

Well the clock is ticking down, and in a few minutes people everywhere will be shouting, "Happy New Year!"  2012 will be gone and 2013 will be here, fresh, ready and waiting to be filled with plans, hopes, and dreams.

This year has been very challenging for us...

We have traveled about 35,000 miles visiting churches up and down the East coast, over to Michigan and up to Wisconsin and back again.  We thank God that we had no accidents, no break downs, and very few repairs. 

We were thrilled to be expecting our third child, only to lose the baby at 18 weeks because it stopped growing at 6 weeks size.  We thank God that He provided for all of our needs during the difficult month that followed.  Without Him, we could not have continued on.

We have visited many churches and met too many people to count.  Sometimes we met so many that we would have to literally dump all information out of our brains in order to make room for the next round of meetings!  We thank God that so many of you have left lasting impressions on our minds and in our hearts because of your love for God and dedication to Him.

We have so much to be thankful for, and as we head into 2013 we continue to ask for your prayers on our behalf.  We thank God for the team of prayer warriors He has brought around us who help hold up our hands as we serve.

A new year often brings new hopes, new plans, and new dreams.  May you seek the Lord in all that you hope, plan, and do!

Please pray for us and the many decisions we have to make this year.

MAY JESUS MAKE YOU CLEAN IN 2013!

Be blessed!

Our Thankful Tree

We wanted to teach the boys to think about being thankful this year and after seeing several variations of a thankfulness tree on Pinterest we decided to make our own!

Joshua really enjoyed writing his own leaf (practicing his letter M)!

Eric used his teacher skills to design the trunk.  Steven colored the heart for us, and the boys added their own version of "thankfulness" which was closer to "I really like..."  

We still remember those early days and our first Thanksgiving as a family in Peru!

Daddy displaying the bird proudly back in 2008!

What I found inside my first turkey almost turned me into a vegetarian!

And we are thankful for our two little blessings, and pray that in the years to come they will join us in giving God thanks for all He has done for us!

Deputation Delights - Even the mall is a mission field

Yesterday I took the boys to the mall in order to give Eric some "quiet time," because our house is never truly quiet unless the Dynamic Duo is sound asleep, and usually by then we are worn out as well.  So it has been our habit to take turns rescuing each other's sanity by taking the boys somewhere, anywhere to release the pent up energy that comes from deputation travels and life as a growing boy in general.

Cheesin' it up at the International Banquet.  Go team Peru!

Stuck in the car!

So, yesterday, since I was feeling more sane and Daddy was striving diligently to contact churches, study, and tune out the cars, trains, book-on-tape, singing, and races around the living room, we loaded up the car and with a bag of marshmallows and two cups of apple juice to keep us full of energy we headed off on our "field trip" to buy winter hats and gloves for the snow that awaits us in a few weeks up North.

Praising God that we were in and out of Old Navy in 10 minutes with no crying, no lost trains, and no emergency trips to the restroom, we gleefully raced down the hallway to the enclosed playground.  After a quick pep-talk, the boys eagerly threw themselves into the act of burning off their energy.

Showing off their hats

Returning to the play room!

A few minutes later another Mom brought her son in and sat down on the opposite side of the play area. He played quietly here and there until Steven decided that he wanted to play with the same toy and pushed him out of the way.  Horrified, of course, I corrected him and sent him on his way and then asked how old her son was.  It turned out that they were both born on the same day and she came over and we started chatting.

When asked if we lived nearby I commented that my parents live in the area and then followed the Holy Spirit's prompting to mention that we were missionaries in Peru and were visiting churches in the area.  She mentioned how she'd always wanted to see the Inca ruins and that got the conversation going.  I asked if she attended church here but she was only in town for a doctor's appointment. 

As we talked I looked through my purse for a gospel tract, a prayer card with our email on it to stay in contact, anything!  And came up empty.  What a disappointment!  After a few more instances of my son pushing hers around it was time for us to go. 

As I walked out to the car, I felt the Holy Spirit saying Go back and give her a tract.  I was tempted to excuse it since I didn't have any on me, but as soon as I opened the sliding door of the van, the only thing on the floor was a tract from my parents church that I had picked up a few weeks ago.  Even though Joshua was already in his car seat, I gathered them back up and wheeled the stroller around to go back into the mall.

The sad part was that when I got back to the play area the lady and her son had left.  I felt deflated and disappointed that the opportunity to share more had been cut short, but then I remembered that I had done what I felt God wanted me to do, despite having already been out at the car, despite having hungry boys wanting their lunch, despite having already talked to her about God.  Why would God have me go back there if He knew she'd be gone?  Maybe He just wanted to know that I was willing.

One thing I do know, the act of "being ready to give an answer" requires the same forethought that packing for our "field trips" does.  I hardly ever forget to check my bag for diapers, wipes, drinks, and snacks.  That would be unthinkable!  Now, I need to add gospel tracts to that list.  We travel so much, and meet so many people, that we can never be too prepared.

Praying for another chance to share Christ very soon!

Keep up with me over at my blog - Ministry Mommy

Yeah, he'd already had his bath and decided have two!

Deputation Delights - A New Pardine Record!

Now for those of you who still remember the days of a needle scratching vinyl to play your favorite song, this post is not about a new recording of us singing our gospel favorites, but is it about a reoccurring theme in our life on the road...apologizing for the actions of our children.

During this road trip (which, by the way, has only lasted two days so far) our sons set a new record for "How long will it take before we cause a catastrophe?"

In all fairness, Steven was the first one to a score a point this round, but since it was out of his control, we let it slide.  The car was packed beautifully (translate: we could see out of the back window!) and after driving 4 1/2 hours we pulled into the Best Western parking lot.  Steven had been serenading us with "Oh, a big truck!  Oh, a big car!  Oh, a big light!" for at least an hour and we were ready for bed!  He woke up coughing in the night, had some tea, and settled back in to sleep.  In the morning we were dressed for church on time and leisurely strolled down to breakfast where the boys sat nicely.  Steven was still coughing and as we neared the end of breakfast he coughed even harder and eventually threw up on the table.  First apology of the trip - "I'm sorry, our son has emptied his stomach on your table.  We did an initial cleanup for you, but you might want to disinfect it before the next guest comes down.  Have a nice day!"  Bustling out the door we headed to church...

Upon arrival, Eric went to locate the table to set up our display while I entertained the boys in the beautiful foyer (translate - Dangerous zone filled with delightful things for little boys to get in trouble in.).  Joshua bounced onto the couch and hugged the cushions, then bounced off to examine the plant on the table.   The table top was a glass circle...can you see where this is going?  He leaned on the table and I reprimanded him that it would not be wise to do so.  I turned away to tend to Steven and when I turned back, Joshua was once again leaning on the table.  As I opened my mouth and began, "Don't do that, the table will..." CRACK!  The table split in two and one half toppled to the floor with the disheveled plant.  Joshua looked up horrified, but the damage was already done.  Who knew 40 lbs. of pressure could split glass?

After disaster struck...good as new!

Second apology of the trip - "Um...thanks for inviting us to your church.  I'm really sorry, I know we just stepped through the door, bu our son just destroyed your lobby.  Do you have a vacuum nearby?"  Thankfully, the Youth Pastor was prepared with a spare top and by the time the people started to arrive no one was the wiser.

Needless to say, I spent the rest of the day steering a wide path around all tables!  In spite of it all we remained unflustered and sought God's help to share our heart for Peru.  We had a wonderful time at the church and the boys even sat in on the evening service...but that's another story for another day!

VBS blessings

 We are so thankful that during our crazy weeks of VBS this summer, there were others praying for us at their own churches.  The kids at Ringwood Baptist and at our sending church, Madison Avenue Baptist, brought in their money for the penny offering and blessed us with an outstanding love offering!

freedigitalphotos.net

  There was more than enough money to meet our need for new suitcases as we travel.  A few of the old ones were barely hanging on with broken hinges and holes!  The phrase "Just put some Duct tape on it" could commonly be heard around our house.  The rest of the money will be used for our other "Outfit and Passage" needs when we are ready to leave for Peru.

 Here are some pics of the boys enjoying the suitcases as only boys can!