New Numbers

Now that Susie is a resident of Peru, we have signed up for new phones, land and cell. The first number is a NEW US phone number. It is a Baton Rouge number. Just like our previous number, you can call it anytime you like and it will not cost you anymore than it would calling a Baton Rouge number. Don't be a stranger!

Austin USA Phone +(225) 308-6889
Austin Peru Landline +(1)422-7442
Arnold Peru Cell + 955-663-794
Arnold Peru (RPM-radio) #0112533
Susie Peru Cell + 953-548-946
Susie Peru (RPM-radio) #0053738
Ben Cell Peru +975-301-707
Ben Peru (RPM-radio) *0048094
Patrick Peru Cell +957-431-779

Winds of Change

Wasn’t there a song that said the only thing that stays the same is change? Sounds like a country one! Change is the story of our lives. We are in the midst of a time of change. For starters, the president of the IMB has retired and a new one will soon be appointed. Please remember our future leadership in your prayers.

No matter if you’re working for a world class engineering firm like I used to work for or the largest missionary sending agency, one thing is sure: when changes take place at the top, they happen all the way down. For the Americas, the changes preceded the leadership change due to the economic downturn back in the USA. Being good stewards of what God has provided, the IMB sought the best way to position missionaries in the most needed places around the world. The leadership for our affinity (the Americas) is Terry Lassiter. He has the job of determining if the missionaries serving in the Western Hemisphere and wherever latinos find themselves in the world are best positioned to impact a lost and dying world. Already we have seen people reassigned from their original place of service to new ones. Our dear friends the Grady family is one asked to pray about working with a different people group here in Peru. They accepted and have moved from southern to northern Peru and have already started to engage a new people group. Please pray for Terry Lassiter that he that has Godly wisdom to know how to best place missionaries under his charge.

Finally, change has and will continue to reach our team that for more than a decade has been committed to partnering churches in the USA with unreached micro-people groups and people group segments in South America. Last month I asked you to pray for us as partnerships increase and our team size decreases. This month I would like to add that we have a very important meeting coming up on November 4 and 5. The meeting will discuss how mobilization teams from all around the Americas, that have strategies much like that of REAPSouth, will look in the future. One major consideration hits at the very heart of our strategy: will the connection of USA church partner with an unreached people group segment or micro people group continue or will we work to connect them instead with churches in Latin America, training them to send missionaries out among their own. All this is yet to be clear for us. Our leadership realizes that the time is coming in the not too distant future for Latin Americas to not have missionaries sent TO them, but to have missionaries sent FROM them. Please pray for us as we enter into this two day conference on November 4-5 and discuss how mobilization teams like ours will be a part of equipping national missionaries to go out from the churches of Latin America.

Have Visa, Will travel

Susie's religious residency card is being delivered today! Praise God and thank you for praying for this need. Keep praying that my comes before my 90 days tourist visa expires at the end of November.

Visa Issue: Please Pray

Because we were gone for more than six months from Peru, we lost our religious residency. Obtaining it back has historically been easy, taking about a month. Right now there is a new director in charge of issuing residencies who has not been ruling favorably for evangelical missionaries, having even rejected some. Our paperwork is on the director’s desk. Susie’s has been there for almost two months, double the time it usually takes. Our first prayer request is that we are not rejected for religious residency.

We have a complicating issue in that we have a crate that arrived in Peru two weeks ago. We expected Susie to have obtained residency long before the crate arrived. The issue is that customs does not have to release the crate to us without Susie having her residency. What makes matters worse is that customs only has to hold the crate for 30 days before deciding that we never get it! Things can be replaced, but we shipped a ton of pictures from Susie’s youth, including photos of her mother before she passed away. We had a glimmer of hope yesterday. We may have the chance of getting the crate released to us with approved paperwork from immigration stating that we are in process to get our residency. Pray that immigration gives this approval and that customs releases the crate to us before the deadline.

Thanks for your constant support. We count on your prayers!

Ramblings about Peruvian Popcorn

Peru has much better popcorn (for making at home) than in the United States. I forgot how much I love it. The kernels are smaller, but that's not it, because I like the larger kernels in the states. I think the difference is that we use sunflower seed oil here, instead of canola. It gives it a great flavor.

With that said, the movie popcorn is NOT as good as in the USA. It's not the popcorn, it's the butter, of which they don't have any. It's probably healthier for you than in the USA, but it is very dry. The salt they have for you to shake on it doesn't even stick to it, it's so dry. I buy it anyway because it is cheap. It doesn't cost you an arm and a leg to go see a flick here. On Tuesdays, a movie for two, refillable popcorn, and two large cokes will not set you back more than $15.

Betcha didn't know that!

Short-Handed, but not with shortened hands

I am still amazed at how our team has shrunk in the few months I was gone from Peru. As you all know, the IMB went through some tough times the last few years. Part of being good stewards of what we have been given, is determining where to send new personnel. Another part of it has been not replacing existing personnel. Both aspects have affected our team and how we plant churches in South America. We are to say the least, short-handed.

This morning I was studying in Numbers, and today I came across chapter 11. The children of Israel were ready for some meat and thinking back to the good 'ol days in Egypt. Moses speaks to God, in a moment of little faith, wondering how they were going to get out of this one. Would they slaughter the flocks? Would all the fish of the sea be gathered? How did the Lord respond? He told Moses:

And the LORD said to Moses, “Is the LORD's hand shortened? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.”
(Numbers 11:23 ESV)

It made me think, what was it exactly that I was waiting to come true. The answer was our original Bible quote in our newsletters from the first two years:

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
(Galatians 6:9 ESV)

So that's it. That's God's word for today: "Stop complaining. Stop worrying. I am your everything. Just do what I called you to do and in MY TIMING, the harvest will come." He never promised the laborers would be plentiful, in fact, he warned the opposite would be the case when the harvest was ready. So we plant, we water, we wait on the Lord.

La Pamplona

You may remember the name Pamplona from our first year in Peru. We were part of a church plant in an upper area of this part of Lima. The church is called Iglesia Bautista Torre Fuerte or Strong Tower Baptist Church. It is a church plant that is now sponsored by a local established congregation.

La Pamplona is a very large area with a tens of thousands living there. Many Quechua have descend from their villages and towns to seek out a better life in Lima. Our teammates the McLambs (the gringos in picture below)have been working with a church in the US called Union Grove Baptist Church in NC to see a second church plant among the transplants living in La Pamplona. The good news is that a small group is getting together weekly to study God's word. The sad news is that the McLambs have accepted a position in Mexico and will return to a new field of service after going on their stateside assignment. We will mis them greatly.

As for La Pamplona and the new work there, Union Grove will continue to come several times annually and our family is stepping in to assist them as the McLambs have been doing. Please pray for the group that is getting together. Last week a lady named Leo accepted Christ. Pray that this group becomes a solid body of Christians and that leadership arises from within for a healthy, Peruvian church plant.