Christmas in Peru 2012

Celebrating Christmas in Peru is a different experience not only because of being in a different culture and the different customs they have (I have actually become quite fond of some of them), but basic things like the season doesn't match up with what I have grown up with. I'm sure we have shared with you in the past, but one of the most difficult things to get over is the weather. Christmastime for most of us means cold, snowy, rainy wintertime weather that makes you want to be inside around the fire place with some hot chocolate and your family. Here, in the southern hemisphere, we are wearing shorts, flip flops and have plenty of sun. It's really just the beginning of the summer season. 

As followers of Christ, we enjoy the Christmas season because of the emphasis that is put on the birth of our Savior, Jesus. Still, for most of us, it gets tainted by the commercial feel and all of the material things so that we loose sight of what it's all about. 
Last week at soccer club, we had a wonderful opportunity to plainly share the Gospel and who Jesus is with some of the youth.
After the kids had been playing for a while we took a break and as they rested I brought up the obvious subject of Christmas. Most knew it was about celebrating the birth of Christ. 
"Good," I said. 
Then I added, "But why did he have to come?" 
A smaller but still good amount of them stated, "To save us from our sins." 
"Awesome," I thought. 
But if he had to come to forgive us of our sins, then that means that we are sinners. That opened the door to talk about our own personal sin and how we have sinned against God. I shared that there was not one kid on that bench who was not a sinner and that we ALL need forgiveness from our sins. Because of what Jesus did, we can have this forgiveness. This is really what the celebration is about! Yes, Jesus was born! You could say that was the beginning of the end of sin.
I want to encourage you today as I have been reading in 1 Peter a lot, to live the life of holiness that this world hates with a passion. We are to be separate; set a part; holy. "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.'" (1 Peter 1:15-16). Jesus came so that we could ultimately be holy and stand before our Father with out blemish, without shame, without sin. That is something to really celebrate!
Thank you Jesus!

May His grace and peace be yours in abundance!

Borrowing some encouragement from our brother Peter (1 Peter 1:2)

Getting Ready for SF's First Basic Training in Peru

Wow! What a trip! We want to say thank you for your prayers! There were no shortage miracles on this trip to Africa for our Sports Friends training in Ethiopia. 

We were blessed to be a part of the reunion to celebrate 10 years of Sports Friends Ministry in Ethiopia and to receive training by our international team in order to be equipped for bringing Sports Friends ministry to South America.

The teaching that we received from the international team that came from the U.S., Thailand and Ethiopia encouraged us greatly. Stories from the brothers and sisters in Christ who are serving in sports ministry in other countries around the world were amazing. Among our group of internationals we had representatives from Ethiopia, India, Thailand, Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Ghana, Senegal and we were the lone reps for the new field in South America from Peru.

It is so exciting to see God's church at work through a simple tool like sports.

Answered prayers:

Provision to go to Ethiopia

Traveling mercies, no lost bags, all connections made, no problems what so ever! 

Visas provided for our Nigerian brothers to attend the conference

Visas provided for a couple working at the camp in Ethiopia the day they had to leave the country or face jail time and or heavy fines

No sickness

No serious injuries in 3 weeks of playing games and sports

All logistics, places to stay, food, transportation, totally smooth

Uniting time as a family

Clearer vision of the work God has for us here in Peru

And the list goes on...When all was said and done, we traveled 3 continents, 6 countries and came in contact with 12 different languages.

An Extra Blessing,

Isn't it just like God to always blow us away, beyond all we could ask for or imagine? He provided an extra financial gift, to be used so that while we had our layover in Madrid, we could make our way up to Germany to meet up with a dear family friend in Germany.

For us, being missionaries in the Americas, we never dreamed of being able to visit any part of Europe, especially 4 different countries. On the way, we met up with one of Levi's friends from Madrid. We shared time with French brothers and sisters in Christ in Paris and were even able to see the Coliseum in Rome!

Continued prayer Items:

Parker is doing well. Please pray that God continues to use her and protect her, she continues to work in the classroom, pharmacy/hospital and is now teaching a ballet class for the little girls.

Continued vision sharing with Peruvian pastors and churches

Peru's first Sports Friends Basic Training on February 14-17, 2013

Financial Support has dropped to a $700 monthly deficit.

Planning for Home Assignment in June-September of 2013

God is good!

I want to encourage you to continue praying for the sports ministry and our family here in Peru!

I want to encourage you that we are doing the same for you and your family!

Please contact us with any personal request information you would like to share.

God Bless!

Big Changes!

A Military Parade one block from our house to celebrate Peruvian Independence

I know it's been a while since I posted anything. So I thought of posting and updating everyone on some of the things that we've been doing like cooking Senegalese food with Peruvian friends, or the SIM International Council meetings that we hosted in Peru this year, where people from all over the world came to catch the vision for mission with a special theme of urban ministry. I thought about posting pictures of Parker working with World Vision in the shanty town to help register children, update their files and write letters to donors.
To share about some of the crime we have faced recently within our mission community in Peru and in the barrio where we work, or to share about the funds that were needed so we can attend Sports Friends training in Ethiopia next week.  What about talking about the spiritual growth (despite normal set-backs) we are so blessed to see in Levi lately?
It would be exciting to share about the vision casting meeting we had, when Tripp Johnston, the founder of Sports Friends came to Peru in July, and the resulting excitement of the leaders that attended. I love to tell of Oscar who is rising up as a leader in Condevilla, being trained and discipled by Dave, to use sports as a platform to share the amazing story of Jesus' love for us, death on the cross for our sins, and glorious resurrection. Or the story this week, of the teen with a huge attitude, finally approaching the sports ministry group only because they pitched in to kindly help him find his lost keys. Or how blessed we are each Sunday to join with our little church of about 70, who worship loud and true in unity.
I could tell you of Jakob, who came to help us this "summer" and ended up just living life with us as we walked through some of the "fun" stuff like grad parties, and "sad" stuff like goodbyes, the "boring" parts like seeing us catch up on paperwork, bills, lesson plans, prep for ministry and meetings, raising kids...more paper work...just like each of you do back in the U.S. Maybe I could share about the pride and joy I feel to know our daughter has decided to serve the Lord in Niger, even as our hearts broke having to kiss her goodbye. I could update you on the state of our finances ($5000 in the red for the fiscal year ending Sept.30th), with only 93% of our committed monthly support coming in.
I could give you an update on Freddy, Oscar, Pablo, Yong, Kevin and some of the other life stories we've shared about in the past. They are each truly amazing! Joyfully I could share that we are finally at the point, where we are now accepting short-term missionaries to work alongside us as Sports-Friends trainers. And about our friend Lindsay, who has answered the call and is in the process of becoming a long-term missionary with SIM so that she can be used by Jesus through sports, touching lives in Lima.
What if I told you that we have seen God's heart for orphans! Because of this, as well as, our love for children and our desire for our family to grow, we started a journey one year ago. We began taking classes for adoption here in Peru. We would then beg you to pray for us as we complete the final steps to become "aptos" or acceptable adoptive parents...so that we can be put on the waiting list...to begin the wait for the precious one who God foreknew would be part of our family.
I would also PRAISE GOD, that without having had to actually write another newsletter about our needs for Ethiopia...God provided! He did so abundantly more than we would've imagined! We will leave for a month of Sports Friends training on Monday, as well as, some time visiting dear friends in Germany on the way back!
Instead, I promise to try to update this blog more frequently, and to write more thoughtfully. So what I really want to say right now is...if any of the former blurbs pique your interest and you'd like to know more...we would love to share with you! In fact, we could talk your ears off about any one of them! So add your email and follow us, to get our next update. For now please keep us in your prayers, as we do with you when you send us your requests. Kiss and hug your family for us too! We send lots of love and many blessings from Lima!

Back to March for a Minute

OK, this is worth it! I forgot to post photos of Levi's retro bowling birthday bonanza... here they are... I am soooo proud!

Awesome!

Marcelo and Claire are Getting Married!

Not sure if we have mentioned it, but we have had the privilege of meeting with a young couple for pre-marital counseling for the past few months. We have had fun on Fridays sharing a meal together, praying and going through a great book of preparation. Claire and Marcelo will be married on the 27th of July, which also happens to be the Perúvian independence weekend. Please pray for us, that we will wisely lead, advise and pray for this couple. Pray for them as they begin a new life in Christ as a married couple. Thanks!

Meet Robbye

Robbye is our newest long-term missionary to join the Perú field.

I have had the blessing of being Robbye's orientation supervisor since she arrived in October. Robbye is from North Carolina, and after she finishes language school, will be in charge of short-term missionaries and our Lima guest house. Please pray for Robbye as she settles into life in Lima and begins taking on some of her new responsibilities.

2nd Partido de Fútbol

Oscar is a potential future Sports Friends leader that Dave has been working with. Here he is preparing the boys for their game.

We wanted to share some photos of the boys that Dave and Oscar have been working with from Condevilla. They had their 2nd soccer game, matched up with and sponsored again by the International Christian School.  Though Dave had to cancel a previous game with the Lima Cricket Club due to lack of parental permission, the boys were excited to get to play this game on a turf field.

It is always difficult to be a good sport, especially after losing a game. The boys lost and then witnessed the humble thanks and blessings as they shook hands with the other team.

Please continue to pray for Condevilla and these troubled youth.

The Cousins Came to Serve

Annie with the triplets

This April, Dave's brother Rob and his family came down for a mission trip/visit. Rob, Tracy, Tyler, Ryan and Annie were a great encouragement to us and it was fun for the cousins to catch up and spend time together. I think we'd all agree that we also loved spending time with the children from the children's home, El Refugio. It was nice to re-connect with Doris, the Swiss missionary that runs the ministry and to meet some of the new faces. The 5 year-old triplet girls, Blanca, Dulce and Celeste, won everybody's hearts the first day. Since the cousins visit, we have been invited to participate in a ministry night each Monday, helping to lead in a time of worship and praise at El Refugio. It has been such a blessing to spend time with the children, please pray that we will be able to add this amazing opportunity into our busy schedule.

Playing pato, pato, ganzo & pool play video

Kids lining up for shoes

We also joined forces with Samaritan's Feet to wash feet and provide new, donated shoes and socks to children in one of the many shanty towns in Perú. The smiles on the kids' faces were an awesome reminder of one of the reasons why we are here...to be Christ's hands and feet.

Parker to Galmi, Niger AFRICA

The Hausa people of Galmi, Niger are considered some of the least reached people of the world when it comes to the number of believers and access to information about who Christ is.
But God.
Our daughter Parker was on schedule to leave and spend a GAP year in Switzerland before beginning university the following fall. She was planning to live with two sweet Swiss friends that had been in Perú working with us last year as short-term missionaries. Her plan was to study French this year (her senior year) in an intensive French language institute so she could then transition to taking French as a second language (well...third) when she got to Switzerland. She would work as an au pair, travel and spend time with her friends.
But God.
While Parker was studying French, she began reading a book her grandma had given her about being challenged in your faith to think outside of the box, outside of herself. You see, at age four, after holding Parker off for a year, we finally prayed with her as she accepted Jesus as her Savior. We knew she didn't understand everything perfectly, but that God wanted her as His own was evident even then.
At age 14, Parker spent a full year transitioning to life back in the U.S. without one true friend.
But God.
God met Parker in her loneliness, He didn't make it easier, but He poured out His love on her for a year. He showed her what it was like to truly follow Him, including all of the sweet joys and also through pain. He grew her faith, determination and desire to serve Him with her life. So as Parker was reading that book from grandma, God spoke to her. Through the pages, God showed Parker that He had more in store for her than a fun year in Switzerland. He once again showed her His heart for His people...especially those who haven't ever heard His name.
So sweet Parker approached her parents to ask us to pray for her...to pray over all the French speaking countries in Africa, for the country God would send her to work in for her GAP year. Wow! Despite being proud of this noble decision, this was Africa she was talking about...the 8th poorest country in the world...on the other side of the globe...where bad things can happen.
But God.
God tells us in Romans 8:12-17, "¹²Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.¹³ For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." 
We trust that Parker going exactly where He has called her to be, is the safest place for her. So God, through an always amazing series of events, made it evident that Niger was the country she would go to work in. She will be sent by SIM as a one-year short-termer and will be working at a hospital compound as a teacher's aid in the mornings, helping a doctor's family midday, and working as needed in the hospital and pharmacy in the afternoons.
Guess what? The official language in Niger is French, though the common local tribal language shares the same name with the local people, the Hausa.
Despite the many hardships the Hausa face in their daily lives, Galmi Hospital has been a beacon of hope in the middle of two barren deserts (Sahara & Sahel) in the very heart of Africa. People know that only when they arrive at Galmi Hospital will they will be cared for body and soul. In fact a common saying throughout Niger is "Sai Galmi" or "Only Galmi".
To read more about the Hausa, check out the Joshua Projects website at: www.joshuaproject.net/people-profile.php?peo3=12070&rog3=NG
Better yet, read a letter from a friend's dad who wrote this in 2010, but is a visiting doctor working there right now: www.prayerbiker.com/index.php/blogs/blogger/DIANE/

Parker just started her very first blog at: peru2niger.blogspot.com check it out and add your email to receive weekly updates, or let us know if you are interested in receiving her newsletter. She (and we) covet your prayers for her on this life-changing journey.

The picture below is of the hospital compound. 

I Heart Our Team

If we haven't told you before...we LOVE being a part of SIM in Perú! We love the diversity of our fellow missionaries, the diversity of ministries and of denominations represented! This group shot includes most of our crazy team while at our yearly Spiritual Life Conference. Our Perú team (in this photo) alone includes Americans, Australians, Brits, Canadians, Germans, Koreans, New Zealanders, Peruvians, Scots, South Africans and Swiss missionaries. Our ministries include homework clubs, sports ministry, men's discipleship training, sewing micro-business ventures, seminary teachers, theological education by extension, production of Sunday school curriculum, camping ministry, dental and medical clinics, Bible translation, a Christian radio station in the Quechua language, pastor training, counseling and prison ministry to name a few. We sometimes have misunderstandings, but the richness in culture, experience and the shared love of Christ and His people has been a blessing to our family.