Well, yesterday was July 4th, but we we're obviously in Peru not the United States! So on the way back through the Andes Mountains from Huancayo to Lima on July 3rd, I asked Dr. Tolbert what we were going to do for the Fourth of July. We immediately thought of trying to stay at the IMB Guest House in Lima so we could buy some hotdogs and hamburgers for a cookout. But the IMB House wasn't available. So we thought we just wouldn't be able to celebrate the Fourth like we normally would in the States.
But since our team went to two separate Churches on Sunday, July 4th, we learned one of the Churches was having a Fourth of July picnic after their services and kindly invited our mission team to attend.
When we arrived, it was awesome! There were red and blue stars hanging from the ceiling, red and white checkered tablecloths for a real picnic feel, and the Church leaders were dressed in various red, white, and blue clothing combinations. But the best part of all was the hamburgers, hotdogs, potatoe salad, baked beans, bags of chips, and soft drinks! It was a freedom feast, indeed!
Of course, this made me think. The Peruvian Independence Day is actually later in July, so we were celebrating freedom as a group of "dislocated" North Americans, but the general population in Peru wasn't celebrating anything at all.
Do you know what Paul says in Philippians 3:20-21? Listen to his words: "Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eargerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body" (NIV).
You see, in Paul's day, Philippi was a colony of Roman. Therefore, even though the city of Philippi was geographically disconnected from the city of Rome itself, the culture, politics, laws, etc. of Rome were the authority in Philippi.
Do you realize that the Church is a "colony of Heaven"? Yes, we're not literally in heaven, yet; we're sojourners in this life. We're aliens on the earth. But we don't live by the rules of this world; we live by the rule of Heaven!
Of course, the world doesn't understand us. We're celebrating our freedom in Christ, but they're not because it's not their "Independence Day" since they've never experienced freedom in Jesus. This is why we must be on mission throughout the world. We're commissioned to make disciples of all nations so they can move their citizenship from their respective countries to Heaven. When this happens, they too can join in the celebration of freedom in Christ in another land!
Monday, July 5, 2010
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Safely Back in Lima - Peru 2010
What a wonderful, breath-taking trip back through the Andes Mountains! The sights were absolutely amazing. It seems that every mountain peak majestically and constantly points to the heavens in praise to the One who formed it with His hands.
Well, tomorrow's plans are a little "up-in-the-air." We're definitely planning to worship at one or two Churches. In other words, the mission team may divide into two groups and each attend a different English-speaking service. (Wow! It'll be cool to be edified with understanding without the need for an interpreter.) Or, we'll all attend one Church together.
I'm definitely planning to attend Flamingo Road which meets on the sixth floor of a movie theater here in Lima. This Church is actually a multi-site Church which means that it began in Florida but has spread to different areas, and now it has an international campus in Lima. It's still one and the same Church. It just meets every week in different places. We'll probably hear a previously recorded message from Father's Day or something a week or two ago, but the music worship will be live. I'm really looking forward to seeing this in action again (I attended it last year on the 2009 Peru Mission Trip).
Then we may go to a restaurant on the coast of the Pacific Ocean and/or the Indian Market. These are the plans that are still a bit uncertain just because of a few variables in the equation with tomorrow being a Sunday, what's open and not open, etc.
Okay, well, I'm actually exhausted! So I'm heading to bed, but I did want to post a blog to let you know we arrived safely in Lima and to thank God for His protection (Psalm 46) and for your prayers!
Blessings...
Well, tomorrow's plans are a little "up-in-the-air." We're definitely planning to worship at one or two Churches. In other words, the mission team may divide into two groups and each attend a different English-speaking service. (Wow! It'll be cool to be edified with understanding without the need for an interpreter.) Or, we'll all attend one Church together.
I'm definitely planning to attend Flamingo Road which meets on the sixth floor of a movie theater here in Lima. This Church is actually a multi-site Church which means that it began in Florida but has spread to different areas, and now it has an international campus in Lima. It's still one and the same Church. It just meets every week in different places. We'll probably hear a previously recorded message from Father's Day or something a week or two ago, but the music worship will be live. I'm really looking forward to seeing this in action again (I attended it last year on the 2009 Peru Mission Trip).
Then we may go to a restaurant on the coast of the Pacific Ocean and/or the Indian Market. These are the plans that are still a bit uncertain just because of a few variables in the equation with tomorrow being a Sunday, what's open and not open, etc.
Okay, well, I'm actually exhausted! So I'm heading to bed, but I did want to post a blog to let you know we arrived safely in Lima and to thank God for His protection (Psalm 46) and for your prayers!
Blessings...
Friday, July 2, 2010
Praise Be to the Lord - Peru 2010
Okay, the Peru 2010 teaching conference is now in the books! And the Lord did some absolutely amazing things today.
We saw about 110 people hit the streets of Huancayo with the Gospel. We were able to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with almost 200 people. And we received reports of over 45 decisions for Christ in the span of about 2 1/2 hours! Praise the Lord!
Also, Dr. Tolbert brought a challenging and encouraging message to everyone who attended the conference for one final session with the men and women together. We learned how to stand firm in the victory of our Lord Jesus. It was a wonderful time to reflect and rejoice in Christ´s finished work on our behalf.
And to top everything off, we were finished at the Church for about 10:00 PM. That´s nearly two hours earlier than I thought we would finish. So we´re heading to bed because we have to be in the hotel lobby at 8:30 AM and on the vans at 9:00 AM to begin our journey back through the Andes Mountains, and hopefully, we´ll miss rush hour traffic in Lima!
Again, we appreciate all your wonderful prayer support, and it´s great to know that you´ll be interceding for us as we travel most of the day tomorrow.
If I could, I would like for you to continue to pray for some of our missionaries in Peru: Jim Gilstrap (a retired school teacher from the States) and David and Cameron Olson.
You know, we´re absolutely exhausted, and we´ll be heading home soon to get some rest. But these dear servants of God have a group of about 100 World Changers coming in tomorrow to begin their mission trip here! Can you imagine how much prayer support they need constantly from us?
Please join me in lifting them up the Lord long after these blog posts on our mission trip to Peru are completed, but they remain on the field day after day serving the Lord Christ. I think all of these people should have their faces plastered on Wheaties boxes! But the reality is that their reward is coming one day when they stand before Christ and hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." A cereal box will disappear, but this commendation from Christ will echo throughout eternity.
To God be the glory!
We saw about 110 people hit the streets of Huancayo with the Gospel. We were able to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with almost 200 people. And we received reports of over 45 decisions for Christ in the span of about 2 1/2 hours! Praise the Lord!
Also, Dr. Tolbert brought a challenging and encouraging message to everyone who attended the conference for one final session with the men and women together. We learned how to stand firm in the victory of our Lord Jesus. It was a wonderful time to reflect and rejoice in Christ´s finished work on our behalf.
And to top everything off, we were finished at the Church for about 10:00 PM. That´s nearly two hours earlier than I thought we would finish. So we´re heading to bed because we have to be in the hotel lobby at 8:30 AM and on the vans at 9:00 AM to begin our journey back through the Andes Mountains, and hopefully, we´ll miss rush hour traffic in Lima!
Again, we appreciate all your wonderful prayer support, and it´s great to know that you´ll be interceding for us as we travel most of the day tomorrow.
If I could, I would like for you to continue to pray for some of our missionaries in Peru: Jim Gilstrap (a retired school teacher from the States) and David and Cameron Olson.
You know, we´re absolutely exhausted, and we´ll be heading home soon to get some rest. But these dear servants of God have a group of about 100 World Changers coming in tomorrow to begin their mission trip here! Can you imagine how much prayer support they need constantly from us?
Please join me in lifting them up the Lord long after these blog posts on our mission trip to Peru are completed, but they remain on the field day after day serving the Lord Christ. I think all of these people should have their faces plastered on Wheaties boxes! But the reality is that their reward is coming one day when they stand before Christ and hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." A cereal box will disappear, but this commendation from Christ will echo throughout eternity.
To God be the glory!
To Be Content or Not to Be Content?
(For those of you who´ve been following the blog since I´ve been in Peru, I need to give you a little explanation for this post. As my wife and I are reading through the Bible, I´m posting blogs from my readings. Recently, the Summer months have been so busy that these posts have been sporadic at best. But the following blog is another installment from my Scripture reading this morning in Numbers.)
I´m sure we´re all familiar with Paul´s words in Philippians 4:13, "I am able to do all things through (Christ) who strengthens me" (HCSB). Now, there´s a general principle here that Jesus gives us the strength we need for any and all challenges in life (see John 16:33). After all, Jesus says in John 15:5b that we can do nothing without Him, and Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:3 that God´s divine power gives us everything we need for life and godliness. Yet, the specific context for Philippians 4:13 is the issue of contentment. In fact, Philippians 4:12 says, "I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content - whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need" (HCSB, emphasis added).
Wow! I don´t know about you, but this truth hits me right between my proverbial eyes! Simply put: I struggle with being content. Sometimes I make this struggle sound real "spiritual", and I chalk it up to the fact that I´m an extremist by nature. In other words, I don´t operate with any middle gears in life - it´s always all or nothing! Other times, I try to make this struggle sound real "benign". For instance, I´ll tell myself that my strengths are similtaneously my weaknesses, and so along with my passion to always be on the move in life, I naturally struggle with discontentment. But it´s no big deal. It´s certainly not a sin, right?
But the reality is that my struggle with being discontent is really just another glaring example of one of my infinite number of flaws embedded in my sin nature. And this vile flaw is so embedded within me that I can even be discontent with some of the ways God leads me in life. This is precisely what brings me to my reading in the book of Numbers this morning.
However, before I tell you how God spoke to me today through His Word, I must tell you one other thing. One of the last things I did before I crawled into bed last night was to pray this simple prayer, Lord, teach me about contentment. Show me how to be content with where You´re leading me.
Well, God heard that prayer and answered quickly and clearly just hours later! Here´s how...
In Numbers 20-21, the people of Israel are wandering in the wilderness and grumbling and complaining as usual. Doesn´t sound like they´re very content, huh? Of course, they´re not in the Promised Land because they refused to trust God´s power to defeat their enemies when they scouted out the land (see Numbers 13-14).
So listen how they refer to God´s leading in their lives. In Numbers 20:5, the Israelites complain to Moses with these words, "Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It´s not a place of grain, figs, vines, and pomegranates, and there is no water to drink" (HCSB)!
Excuse me, but what did they just call the place where God was leading them? An "evil place". Now, some of you Bible scholars reading this blog might take issue with me and protest, "Wait a minute, Pete. They were in the wilderness not the Promised Land." I agree, and it´s my point exactly. They weren´t content to take the Promised Land because there were gaints in the land; they weren´t content in the wilderness because there were no buffet lines (okay, I paraphrased that just a little, but you get the point); and they weren´t content in Egypt for obvious slavery/manual-labor reasons! Do you see a pattern emerging here? They were simply not content. But let me show you this point from one other verse.
In Numbers 21:5 - the very next chapter - the Israelites take their discontentment to a whole new level. In the previous example, they had a problem with Moses (see Numbers 20:3a), but in this text they have a problem with God and Moses (see Numbers 21:5a).
(By the way, just a little word of encouragement here for pastors or leaders: When we´re leading God´s people to follow His will as outlined in His Word and they speak words of complaint and criticism, try not to take their comments personnally. The real issue is not with you; it´s with Christ who is the Chief Shepherd and Bishop of our souls - He is the Head of the Body.)
Okay, back to Numbers 21. Here´s how the Israelites voiced their discontentment in Numbers 21:5b, "Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food" (HCSB)!
Just think of a couple of points in light of this second complaint from the Israelites. First, who´s really to blame for the fact that they´re dying in the wilderness? It´s their fault. They refused to believe God. They listened to the ten scouts who brought a negative report out of fear instead of Joshua and Caleb who brought a positive report out of faith. Isn´t it interesting how quickly we forget our faults and blame others for why we feel discontent in life?
Second, the Israelites said they had no bread, but you´ll recall God was giving them manna from heaven (see Numbers 11). So, we can see here how discontentment has a horrible way of blurring reality. The reality was that God was giving them bread from heaven; they just didn´t want God´s bread. Now you know what I´m about to say, right? Another form of discontentment!
I think it´s clear: We all struggle with discontentment. We can even struggle with seeing God´s leadership and direction in our lives as good. Our attitude of discontentment can even lead us to speak evil of God´s direction in our lives because we think things are too hard.
But before I finish this blog, I want to leave you with a positive word of application from another book of the Bible. In Judges 11, we begin reading about the life of Jephthah. He´s an interesting character. Judges 11:1-3 gives us a thumbnail sketch of his background and a powerful word which can speak to us about the area of discontentment.
First, Jephthah´s bio. 1) He was a great warrior. 2) His mother was a prostitute. 3) His half-brothers rejected and disowned him. 4) He ran from home in shame and pain. 5) A band of rough characters joined together with him.
Does it sound to you like Jephthah is in a good place? I would think that most of us, if we were honest, would not want to be in Jephthah´s sandals for anything in the world! We would really be discontent in Jephthah´s position in life.
Second, a word of encouragement about discontentment. Did you notice what the name of the place was that Jephthah settled in when he ran from home? It was the land of Tob. Now, you might be thinking: Okay... And your point is? Well, do you know what the Hebrew word for "good" is? You guessed it: Tob.
The point is simply this: When God is leadning us, we must understand that all of His ways are good because He is good. Even when life is hard and painful and we are very discontent with our circumstances, we must know that God´s direction is good. The Psalmist really puts this truth into words for us in Psalm 119:67-68, "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word. You are good, and You do what is good; teach me Your statutes" (HCSB).
Do we really belive this? Do we really believe that ALL of God´s ways are good even when we find ourselves in very difficult places although we´re seeking to obey and follow Him? I think every time we live with an attitude of discontentment, we betray the fact that in these moments we´re not exercising faith in the complete goodness of God - in the truth that He is good and all that He does is good.
Now, here´s a practical parting point. Whenever we´re tempted to be discontent, let this temptation trigger the truth in your life. This is what I mean. You might consider memorizing Psalm 119:67-68 or Philippians 4:12-13, for example. And ask the Holy Spirit to fire these verses in your memory when you´re tempted to live with discontentment. Remember: "I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you" (HCSB). This is how Jesus defeated all of Satan´s temptations - He quoted Scripture without exception every time He was tempted (see Matthew 4:1ff).
We can walk in victory over discontentment when we ask God to help us see our pain in light of His purpose. God eventually led Jephthah back to Israel to lead them in victory over their oppressors because the Lord used his difficulties to train him to be the mighty warrior Judges 11:1 describes him to be.
Listen, in the world, we will have trouble, but Christ calls us to take heart because He has overcome the world (see John 16:33). We pretty much started with this verse in this blog, and it´s a good point to come back to as we close.
Simply put: Since God is always in control, we can always be content! (I know some of you are thinking: Why didn´t he just say THAT? Come on: It´s not as fun! :-)
I´m sure we´re all familiar with Paul´s words in Philippians 4:13, "I am able to do all things through (Christ) who strengthens me" (HCSB). Now, there´s a general principle here that Jesus gives us the strength we need for any and all challenges in life (see John 16:33). After all, Jesus says in John 15:5b that we can do nothing without Him, and Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:3 that God´s divine power gives us everything we need for life and godliness. Yet, the specific context for Philippians 4:13 is the issue of contentment. In fact, Philippians 4:12 says, "I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content - whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need" (HCSB, emphasis added).
Wow! I don´t know about you, but this truth hits me right between my proverbial eyes! Simply put: I struggle with being content. Sometimes I make this struggle sound real "spiritual", and I chalk it up to the fact that I´m an extremist by nature. In other words, I don´t operate with any middle gears in life - it´s always all or nothing! Other times, I try to make this struggle sound real "benign". For instance, I´ll tell myself that my strengths are similtaneously my weaknesses, and so along with my passion to always be on the move in life, I naturally struggle with discontentment. But it´s no big deal. It´s certainly not a sin, right?
But the reality is that my struggle with being discontent is really just another glaring example of one of my infinite number of flaws embedded in my sin nature. And this vile flaw is so embedded within me that I can even be discontent with some of the ways God leads me in life. This is precisely what brings me to my reading in the book of Numbers this morning.
However, before I tell you how God spoke to me today through His Word, I must tell you one other thing. One of the last things I did before I crawled into bed last night was to pray this simple prayer, Lord, teach me about contentment. Show me how to be content with where You´re leading me.
Well, God heard that prayer and answered quickly and clearly just hours later! Here´s how...
In Numbers 20-21, the people of Israel are wandering in the wilderness and grumbling and complaining as usual. Doesn´t sound like they´re very content, huh? Of course, they´re not in the Promised Land because they refused to trust God´s power to defeat their enemies when they scouted out the land (see Numbers 13-14).
So listen how they refer to God´s leading in their lives. In Numbers 20:5, the Israelites complain to Moses with these words, "Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It´s not a place of grain, figs, vines, and pomegranates, and there is no water to drink" (HCSB)!
Excuse me, but what did they just call the place where God was leading them? An "evil place". Now, some of you Bible scholars reading this blog might take issue with me and protest, "Wait a minute, Pete. They were in the wilderness not the Promised Land." I agree, and it´s my point exactly. They weren´t content to take the Promised Land because there were gaints in the land; they weren´t content in the wilderness because there were no buffet lines (okay, I paraphrased that just a little, but you get the point); and they weren´t content in Egypt for obvious slavery/manual-labor reasons! Do you see a pattern emerging here? They were simply not content. But let me show you this point from one other verse.
In Numbers 21:5 - the very next chapter - the Israelites take their discontentment to a whole new level. In the previous example, they had a problem with Moses (see Numbers 20:3a), but in this text they have a problem with God and Moses (see Numbers 21:5a).
(By the way, just a little word of encouragement here for pastors or leaders: When we´re leading God´s people to follow His will as outlined in His Word and they speak words of complaint and criticism, try not to take their comments personnally. The real issue is not with you; it´s with Christ who is the Chief Shepherd and Bishop of our souls - He is the Head of the Body.)
Okay, back to Numbers 21. Here´s how the Israelites voiced their discontentment in Numbers 21:5b, "Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food" (HCSB)!
Just think of a couple of points in light of this second complaint from the Israelites. First, who´s really to blame for the fact that they´re dying in the wilderness? It´s their fault. They refused to believe God. They listened to the ten scouts who brought a negative report out of fear instead of Joshua and Caleb who brought a positive report out of faith. Isn´t it interesting how quickly we forget our faults and blame others for why we feel discontent in life?
Second, the Israelites said they had no bread, but you´ll recall God was giving them manna from heaven (see Numbers 11). So, we can see here how discontentment has a horrible way of blurring reality. The reality was that God was giving them bread from heaven; they just didn´t want God´s bread. Now you know what I´m about to say, right? Another form of discontentment!
I think it´s clear: We all struggle with discontentment. We can even struggle with seeing God´s leadership and direction in our lives as good. Our attitude of discontentment can even lead us to speak evil of God´s direction in our lives because we think things are too hard.
But before I finish this blog, I want to leave you with a positive word of application from another book of the Bible. In Judges 11, we begin reading about the life of Jephthah. He´s an interesting character. Judges 11:1-3 gives us a thumbnail sketch of his background and a powerful word which can speak to us about the area of discontentment.
First, Jephthah´s bio. 1) He was a great warrior. 2) His mother was a prostitute. 3) His half-brothers rejected and disowned him. 4) He ran from home in shame and pain. 5) A band of rough characters joined together with him.
Does it sound to you like Jephthah is in a good place? I would think that most of us, if we were honest, would not want to be in Jephthah´s sandals for anything in the world! We would really be discontent in Jephthah´s position in life.
Second, a word of encouragement about discontentment. Did you notice what the name of the place was that Jephthah settled in when he ran from home? It was the land of Tob. Now, you might be thinking: Okay... And your point is? Well, do you know what the Hebrew word for "good" is? You guessed it: Tob.
The point is simply this: When God is leadning us, we must understand that all of His ways are good because He is good. Even when life is hard and painful and we are very discontent with our circumstances, we must know that God´s direction is good. The Psalmist really puts this truth into words for us in Psalm 119:67-68, "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word. You are good, and You do what is good; teach me Your statutes" (HCSB).
Do we really belive this? Do we really believe that ALL of God´s ways are good even when we find ourselves in very difficult places although we´re seeking to obey and follow Him? I think every time we live with an attitude of discontentment, we betray the fact that in these moments we´re not exercising faith in the complete goodness of God - in the truth that He is good and all that He does is good.
Now, here´s a practical parting point. Whenever we´re tempted to be discontent, let this temptation trigger the truth in your life. This is what I mean. You might consider memorizing Psalm 119:67-68 or Philippians 4:12-13, for example. And ask the Holy Spirit to fire these verses in your memory when you´re tempted to live with discontentment. Remember: "I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you" (HCSB). This is how Jesus defeated all of Satan´s temptations - He quoted Scripture without exception every time He was tempted (see Matthew 4:1ff).
We can walk in victory over discontentment when we ask God to help us see our pain in light of His purpose. God eventually led Jephthah back to Israel to lead them in victory over their oppressors because the Lord used his difficulties to train him to be the mighty warrior Judges 11:1 describes him to be.
Listen, in the world, we will have trouble, but Christ calls us to take heart because He has overcome the world (see John 16:33). We pretty much started with this verse in this blog, and it´s a good point to come back to as we close.
Simply put: Since God is always in control, we can always be content! (I know some of you are thinking: Why didn´t he just say THAT? Come on: It´s not as fun! :-)
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Tracking Along - Peru 2010
Well, as you can tell, I still don´t have a stable wi-fi connection for my laptop. This means I can´t post pictures or videos, and this really breaks my heart because I can´t send my personal video message to my wife and sons! I know that they know I love them and miss them so much, but I still wanted to tell them "myself".
Nevertheless, let me give you an update from the field today and some prayer needs for tomorrow. The mission team members who went to the school today reported a wonderful day of ministry to the children. Also, the host pastor, Dr. Tolbert, and I all had the honor of delivering our teaching sessions today at the conference. It´s truly amazing how these dear servants of God sit literally for hours everyday at the confence attentively, taking notes, and then asking for copies of the PowerPoint presentations so they can take them home with them! How humbling to have the privilege to serve the Lord Christ and His people in this way.
Well, please pray for us tomorrow in several ways. First, some of our team members will be going to one more school at 10:30 AM - a deaf school. Wow! So here´s the channels the Gospel will travel through to get to the kids. A team member will share in English, someone who knows English and Spanish will have to understand the message, and then they will have to sign it to the Peruvian children. Interesting, huh? This is what I think: There´s just no stopping the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Second, please intercede for Dr. Tolbert and I as we meet with one or more pastors tomorrow at 11:00 AM. We´re prayerfully looking into the possibility of having a conference in another city in Peru that´s about 40 kilometers from Huancayo. Obviously, we want to seek the Lord and carefully saturate every possible opportunity in prayer. So please ask God to give wisdom, insight, and a clear sensitivity to the Spirit´s leading in this way.
Third, please pray for the people at the conference as we divide into outreach teams and share the Gospel on the streets of Huancayo tomorrow. The Lord has worked in awesome ways in the past as He has brought to past a harvest of souls every year. But this is a new year! We´re trusting God to work in a great way tomorrow. Please pray for the Spirit´s ministry of conviction to be present and that we would witness Him draw many to the Father through salvation in Christ.
Fourth, please pray for the final session of the conference tomorrow night. After we have the opportunity to share the Gospel, report on the great things God did, and enjoy our last Peruvian meal with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we´ll hear a final session from Dr. Tolbert on our victory in Jesus Christ.
And this brings me to a fifth prayer item, we need Christ´s stength everyday, and tomorrow is certainly no exception. After we wrap-up the final session, we´ll have to pick-up tables and chairs, move pews, sweep, and pack. Of course, we won´t begin this until about 9:30 PM. So it´ll be a late night followed by an early morning because we wake up on Saturday and travel back through the Andes Mountains for Lima. Can you believe it? This trip seems to have flown by this year!
Now, sixth, please pray for our "So-longs" tomorrow. That´s right. As Believers, we don´t need to say "Good bye" to one another because we´ll meet again in Heaven someday. But it´s still difficult to leave our new friends and partners in the Gospel. New friends and partners like missionaries David and Cameron and our translators J. B. and Javier. Also, familiar friends like Tatiana and Suzie and Missionary Rolando. When we go through this moving departure, you get a better sense of what it must have been like for the apostle Paul as he labored with other Believers in the Gospel and then departed for other cities with more work to do. We need God´s grace to sustain us as we keep our eyes on Jesus because He promised that as we go and make disciples of all nations, He would never leave us nor forsake us (Matthew 28:18-20).
Thanks again for all your continued intercession, and may God bless you abundantly for your faithful prayer support. You´ve truly been our extended mission team, and we appreciate your partnership in the Gospel!
Nevertheless, let me give you an update from the field today and some prayer needs for tomorrow. The mission team members who went to the school today reported a wonderful day of ministry to the children. Also, the host pastor, Dr. Tolbert, and I all had the honor of delivering our teaching sessions today at the conference. It´s truly amazing how these dear servants of God sit literally for hours everyday at the confence attentively, taking notes, and then asking for copies of the PowerPoint presentations so they can take them home with them! How humbling to have the privilege to serve the Lord Christ and His people in this way.
Well, please pray for us tomorrow in several ways. First, some of our team members will be going to one more school at 10:30 AM - a deaf school. Wow! So here´s the channels the Gospel will travel through to get to the kids. A team member will share in English, someone who knows English and Spanish will have to understand the message, and then they will have to sign it to the Peruvian children. Interesting, huh? This is what I think: There´s just no stopping the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Second, please intercede for Dr. Tolbert and I as we meet with one or more pastors tomorrow at 11:00 AM. We´re prayerfully looking into the possibility of having a conference in another city in Peru that´s about 40 kilometers from Huancayo. Obviously, we want to seek the Lord and carefully saturate every possible opportunity in prayer. So please ask God to give wisdom, insight, and a clear sensitivity to the Spirit´s leading in this way.
Third, please pray for the people at the conference as we divide into outreach teams and share the Gospel on the streets of Huancayo tomorrow. The Lord has worked in awesome ways in the past as He has brought to past a harvest of souls every year. But this is a new year! We´re trusting God to work in a great way tomorrow. Please pray for the Spirit´s ministry of conviction to be present and that we would witness Him draw many to the Father through salvation in Christ.
Fourth, please pray for the final session of the conference tomorrow night. After we have the opportunity to share the Gospel, report on the great things God did, and enjoy our last Peruvian meal with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we´ll hear a final session from Dr. Tolbert on our victory in Jesus Christ.
And this brings me to a fifth prayer item, we need Christ´s stength everyday, and tomorrow is certainly no exception. After we wrap-up the final session, we´ll have to pick-up tables and chairs, move pews, sweep, and pack. Of course, we won´t begin this until about 9:30 PM. So it´ll be a late night followed by an early morning because we wake up on Saturday and travel back through the Andes Mountains for Lima. Can you believe it? This trip seems to have flown by this year!
Now, sixth, please pray for our "So-longs" tomorrow. That´s right. As Believers, we don´t need to say "Good bye" to one another because we´ll meet again in Heaven someday. But it´s still difficult to leave our new friends and partners in the Gospel. New friends and partners like missionaries David and Cameron and our translators J. B. and Javier. Also, familiar friends like Tatiana and Suzie and Missionary Rolando. When we go through this moving departure, you get a better sense of what it must have been like for the apostle Paul as he labored with other Believers in the Gospel and then departed for other cities with more work to do. We need God´s grace to sustain us as we keep our eyes on Jesus because He promised that as we go and make disciples of all nations, He would never leave us nor forsake us (Matthew 28:18-20).
Thanks again for all your continued intercession, and may God bless you abundantly for your faithful prayer support. You´ve truly been our extended mission team, and we appreciate your partnership in the Gospel!
Flexibility Is Key - Peru 2010
Hello everyone! If you´ve been following the blogs on the Peru mission trip, you´ll notice I´m a little late on some posts since yesterday. This is because wi-fi has been very unstable at the hotel in Huancayo. So I decided to take the posts I´ve been writing and put them on the blog, but they will not have pictures or videos because I´m actually doing these posts from the hotel computer. The major draw-back is that I can´t connect my iPhone to this computer to access and download my pictures and videos.
But I want to thank you so much for your patience and prayers. Whenever I can get wi-fi and put my pictures and videos with their respective blogs, I will because I know that a picture is worth a thousand words!
By the way, pray for some of the mission team members who are currently sharing the Gospel at another school today (Thursday, July 1st). I´ve been commissoned to stay back at the hotel because a few of the other team members are feeling a little under the weather. Nothing major at all - we just live in bodies of clay! But while our outward man is perishing, our inward man is being renewed.
Blessings...
But I want to thank you so much for your patience and prayers. Whenever I can get wi-fi and put my pictures and videos with their respective blogs, I will because I know that a picture is worth a thousand words!
By the way, pray for some of the mission team members who are currently sharing the Gospel at another school today (Thursday, July 1st). I´ve been commissoned to stay back at the hotel because a few of the other team members are feeling a little under the weather. Nothing major at all - we just live in bodies of clay! But while our outward man is perishing, our inward man is being renewed.
Blessings...
Let the Children Come to Me - Peru 2010
Today (Wednesday, June 30th) was an amazing gift from God. Some of the mission team members and I were able to share the Gospel with High School students and younger students. It was awesome!
As the day began, Blanca, Corey, Marci, and Rob shared with High School students about moral purity. Here’s a picture of Rob and Marci talking through our interpreter. Marci showed the students two pieces of construction paper – pink and blue – which she cut out in the shape of a heart and glued together. As she talked with them about how we give a little piece of our heart away every time we become physically involved with another person, she began to tear the two pieces of construction paper apart. Of course, she couldn’t tear them apart completely – the paper ripped horribly. Some pieces of pink paper stayed attached to the blue sheet, and some pieces of blue paper stayed attached to the pink sheet. The point was crystal clear and powerful: When we have sex before marriage, we give a piece of our heart away, and our heart is torn and damaged.
Next, I was able to follow these testimonies with the Gospel message. And when it came time for a decision, I didn’t make it easy on the students. I asked all the girls who made decisions to stand up and walk to the back to talk with Blanca and Marci, and I asked all the guys who made decisions to stand up and walk to the back to talk with me and the guys. Not everyone responded but most did.
Then when the younger students came out, we had a little different way of speaking to them. We began with a song. Take a listen to this video clip, and I think you’ll recognize the tune without any problem.
Ah, good ole “Father Abraham”. Of course, God´s Word is true. He´s still using Abraham to bless all families of the earth as we share with them the message of salvation in Jesus Christ alone (Genesis 12:1ff)! Remember: The very first verse of the New Testament tells us Jesus is the son of David and the son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1).
And these kids were so great. They sat on concrete outside and listened to the Gospel attentively. And when we asked them to respond in the same way the High School students did, it was an amazing sight to see. For example, just take a look at how Blanca is surrounded my young girls who are ready to hear more about Christ!
Of course, we all had a delightful surprise right before we left the school. A teacher with two little Peruvian girls walked up to us to give us gifts they made. Here’s some of the team with these precious children. They made us little foam neck ties with beautiful red stripes glued to them. I didn’t have the heart to tell them I don’t wear ties much at all, but I would “wear” these because these kids were so sweet and thoughtful to make them for us - I know, I´m a hopeless push-over!
Now, before I wrap-up this blog, I have to leave you with just a couple of things. The first is a brief video of our very multi-talented translator. Here he’s doing a cool trick with a Peruvian toy that looks like a yo-yo and top combination. Take a look and enjoy…
Second, as we were getting into the vans, I saw this Peruvian woman cradling a little baby wrapped in a blanket. The woman was making the sweetest faces and sounds, trying to make the infant laugh or smile.
This sight just reminded me of something. All people are people. Sure, we may dress differently, speak different languages, have different traditions and customs, etc. But every person needs to be loved, and there’s no greater love than God’s love for the whole world who gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, so we might have eternal life in Him alone (John 3:16; John 14:6).
Let’s share this message through our words and our works beginning at home and throughout all nations until the whole world at least has the opportunity to know the one, true God and Jesus Christ He has sent because this is eternal life (Matthew 28:18-20; John 17:3). This was Jesus´ prayer, and may it be our passion!
(Pictures and videos mentioned in this blog will hopefully follow soon!)
As the day began, Blanca, Corey, Marci, and Rob shared with High School students about moral purity. Here’s a picture of Rob and Marci talking through our interpreter. Marci showed the students two pieces of construction paper – pink and blue – which she cut out in the shape of a heart and glued together. As she talked with them about how we give a little piece of our heart away every time we become physically involved with another person, she began to tear the two pieces of construction paper apart. Of course, she couldn’t tear them apart completely – the paper ripped horribly. Some pieces of pink paper stayed attached to the blue sheet, and some pieces of blue paper stayed attached to the pink sheet. The point was crystal clear and powerful: When we have sex before marriage, we give a piece of our heart away, and our heart is torn and damaged.
Next, I was able to follow these testimonies with the Gospel message. And when it came time for a decision, I didn’t make it easy on the students. I asked all the girls who made decisions to stand up and walk to the back to talk with Blanca and Marci, and I asked all the guys who made decisions to stand up and walk to the back to talk with me and the guys. Not everyone responded but most did.
Then when the younger students came out, we had a little different way of speaking to them. We began with a song. Take a listen to this video clip, and I think you’ll recognize the tune without any problem.
Ah, good ole “Father Abraham”. Of course, God´s Word is true. He´s still using Abraham to bless all families of the earth as we share with them the message of salvation in Jesus Christ alone (Genesis 12:1ff)! Remember: The very first verse of the New Testament tells us Jesus is the son of David and the son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1).
And these kids were so great. They sat on concrete outside and listened to the Gospel attentively. And when we asked them to respond in the same way the High School students did, it was an amazing sight to see. For example, just take a look at how Blanca is surrounded my young girls who are ready to hear more about Christ!
Of course, we all had a delightful surprise right before we left the school. A teacher with two little Peruvian girls walked up to us to give us gifts they made. Here’s some of the team with these precious children. They made us little foam neck ties with beautiful red stripes glued to them. I didn’t have the heart to tell them I don’t wear ties much at all, but I would “wear” these because these kids were so sweet and thoughtful to make them for us - I know, I´m a hopeless push-over!
Now, before I wrap-up this blog, I have to leave you with just a couple of things. The first is a brief video of our very multi-talented translator. Here he’s doing a cool trick with a Peruvian toy that looks like a yo-yo and top combination. Take a look and enjoy…
Second, as we were getting into the vans, I saw this Peruvian woman cradling a little baby wrapped in a blanket. The woman was making the sweetest faces and sounds, trying to make the infant laugh or smile.
This sight just reminded me of something. All people are people. Sure, we may dress differently, speak different languages, have different traditions and customs, etc. But every person needs to be loved, and there’s no greater love than God’s love for the whole world who gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, so we might have eternal life in Him alone (John 3:16; John 14:6).
Let’s share this message through our words and our works beginning at home and throughout all nations until the whole world at least has the opportunity to know the one, true God and Jesus Christ He has sent because this is eternal life (Matthew 28:18-20; John 17:3). This was Jesus´ prayer, and may it be our passion!
(Pictures and videos mentioned in this blog will hopefully follow soon!)
Missing My Bae and My Boys - Peru 2010
On June 21st , just a few days before I left for Peru, I got an “upgraded” cell phone. I got what everybody’s been telling me I just had to have – an iPhone.
Well, in many ways, it has been pretty awesome! In fact, all the pictures and videos on my blogs while I’ve been in Peru were taken with my iPhone. Pretty cool, huh?
But…there’s also one huge, gigantic down-side of cosmic proportions - I can’t call my wife! Woe is me! I have no service at all. I can get a fairly decent wi-fi connection most of the time at the hotel in Huancayo. This is how I’ve been able to blog every day. But even this isn’t 100% stable as you´ve noticed if you´ve been tracking with me on the blogs.
So one of the mission team members, Bro. Bobby, let me use his cell phone today to call my Sweetie! Ah, it was so awesome to hear her voice. Wendy, I really miss you. I can’t live without you. My life, simply put, just isn’t the same without you, and I can’t wait to see you again.
I miss my Boys so much, too! Joseph and Josh, I talked about both of you guys today in my presentation at the school, at the conference, and at the Church I was speaking in tonight. Can you tell that you guys are on my heart and mind? I know you’re both taking good care of Mom, and I appreciate it. I’m so proud of the young men that you are. Remember: I’m praying for God to use you in an awesome way for His glory.
I know a lot of people are keeping up with us on the blogs, but I wanted to take the liberty to post a peronal video to my Bae and my Boys! Words are never adequate to say all that I feel, but they´ll just have to do until we´re all together again soon if the Lord wills and I live. So here´s the clip, and the bottom-line is that I love and miss ya´ll so much that my heart´s about ready to explode!
(Video already produced and coming soon to a blog near you - just as soon as I can get a wi-fi connection for my laptop!)
Well, in many ways, it has been pretty awesome! In fact, all the pictures and videos on my blogs while I’ve been in Peru were taken with my iPhone. Pretty cool, huh?
But…there’s also one huge, gigantic down-side of cosmic proportions - I can’t call my wife! Woe is me! I have no service at all. I can get a fairly decent wi-fi connection most of the time at the hotel in Huancayo. This is how I’ve been able to blog every day. But even this isn’t 100% stable as you´ve noticed if you´ve been tracking with me on the blogs.
So one of the mission team members, Bro. Bobby, let me use his cell phone today to call my Sweetie! Ah, it was so awesome to hear her voice. Wendy, I really miss you. I can’t live without you. My life, simply put, just isn’t the same without you, and I can’t wait to see you again.
I miss my Boys so much, too! Joseph and Josh, I talked about both of you guys today in my presentation at the school, at the conference, and at the Church I was speaking in tonight. Can you tell that you guys are on my heart and mind? I know you’re both taking good care of Mom, and I appreciate it. I’m so proud of the young men that you are. Remember: I’m praying for God to use you in an awesome way for His glory.
I know a lot of people are keeping up with us on the blogs, but I wanted to take the liberty to post a peronal video to my Bae and my Boys! Words are never adequate to say all that I feel, but they´ll just have to do until we´re all together again soon if the Lord wills and I live. So here´s the clip, and the bottom-line is that I love and miss ya´ll so much that my heart´s about ready to explode!
(Video already produced and coming soon to a blog near you - just as soon as I can get a wi-fi connection for my laptop!)
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