They Made it!

Graceworks has made it safe and sound here in Peru! I got me some good Louisiana hugs!!! It was so amazing to see friends from home! Me and the kids went to the hotel this morning to see them. It was wonderful to see old friends and make some new ones.
They are on their way to the airport right now in order to catch the plane to go to Juliaca and then they will be traveling by van to Orurillo. Please pray for their safety and health.
His
Susie

Guess who is coming????

We have been anxiously awaiting their arrival. We have been patiently counting the days. We are jumping up and down and so ready for them to get here. GUESS who is coming???

No, it isn't Santa Claus, it's GRACEWORKS! Some of you reading this will know exactly who that means and some of you will be asking what's a graceworks??? Well, Graceworks is a church from our old stomping grounds right outside of Baton Rouge in Prairieville, Louisiana. We have many precious friends that attend Graceworks. In fact, the pastor, Bill Pruitt and the mission coordinator, Mike Krumholt, some of our long time friends, will be coming to Peru on this trip with three other of their members.

This trip will be their first to Peru, it is called a vision trip. Arnold will be leading them to an area called Orurillo in the southern part of Peru. They will be very high up in the mountains and will be spending some time with the Quechua people in several different villages to see if their Church's involvement here in Peru is what the Lord would have them do.

Please be in prayer for their safety and health as they come see what God is up to in Peru.

Check out their website at : web.mac.com/billandsonya/iWeb/Graceworks

Blowing you a kiss , did you catch it??

As I sit here with tear filled eyes, I can not help but be amazed at the greatness of our God. Today around 3:30pm, we recieved news that Arnold's grandmother, Madelyn Eugenia Partrich had passed away to be with Her Lord, her husband, parents, many sisters and a great grandbaby named after her. I guess I am being a little jealous, because I must say, that she was just as much my grandmother as anyone else could claim.
When we left Baton Rouge to come to be missionaries, we were very aware that it was not only a possibility, but a probability that we would never see Maw Maw until we met her in heaven. Even though we had prepared ourselves as much as possible, our hearts are saddened by never hearing her sweet voice again and never getting a hug.
Over the past few weeks, after we would talk with Maw Maw on the phone, Arnold's mother would say how the conversation just turned Maw Maw's mood around, how it just perked her up. One of the very last times that we spoke with her was a true gift from God. She was very talkative and her and Arnold had a great time walking down memory lane. The most precious gift was as she called him her "loverboy" one last time. (a name that she had called him since his childhood) Then as we were saying our goodbyes, not knowing that it would be the last, we told her as we had so many times before "We are blowing you a kiss Maw Maw, did you catch it" and she responded "yes, and I am sending you one too". The Lord just truly takes my breath away as I think of what a precious memory he gave us.
Please pray for all of us as we deal with such a loss. Our family here in Peru will not be able to travel to attend any services, so please pray that our hearts will be comforted knowing that one day we will all join her in heaven.
We are blowing you a kiss Maw Maw, did you catch it?

It's great to be 38!

Well, thank you to all of you for your birthday greetings, wishes and prayers. Let me tell you, if I knew how fun it was to be 38, I would have done it years ago!
I was woke up with breakfast in bed by the kids and Arnold. They had me gifts, cards, hugs and lots of kisses!
Arnold and the kids had made me an Italian Cream Cake. It was from a recipe that my step mom has used for years and let me say, it was yummmmy! Arnold made one for our team meeting and Patrick decorated one for our family party! It was sooo good. I wish you could have had a piece!
I had so many prayers answered this birthday. For a few years now, I had prayed for good friends in my new country. Throughout these years, the Lord has constantly been faithful to bring me new friends. During my birthday, I was reminded at how many of my friends that I have now are Peruvian. I received so many emails, calls and visits by my new friends.
About 9am, my doorbell rang, and it was my friend Marisol, she arrived with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I began to cry. This young woman spent at least a whole days salary on my birthday. I was so humbled.
Later that evening, our friends Orlando and Bridgette Pena arrived at my house with tamales that they had made for me. They were sooooo tasty! They promise that they will teach me how. They began by grinding the corn! What a labor of love!
My friend and supervisor Kathy gave me a big bag of US goodies. I was tickled pink. She gave me a bunch of things that we can not get here. My goodie bag had a bag of real brown sugar, a bag of chocolate chips, a BIG box of Bisquick and a king size hershey bar with Almonds! YUMMY!
Well, once again, thank all of you so much for loving me, supporting and encouraging me, for praying for me and for being my friend. God has truly blessed me and I look forward to the next 38 years! See what bloomed on my birthday in my backyard!

We've been Census-tized

Yesterday was the big Census day for the nation of Peru. We were all ordered to stay in our homes from 8am - 6pm. (It was illegal to be out of your home) Well, it was a very eerie quiet all day long. Our two census takers Frank and Juan rang our doorbell a little before noon. They asked each of our family members questions about ourselves, age, religion, etc. We actually had a really nice visit with them. We found out that Frank is studing to be a dentist and Juan a chef. (Juan promised to come back and make seafood soup for me! YUMMY!) We all had sodas and cookies during our interview. (OK, I know, we all had coke) During the interview, we asked how many homes that they had been to and they told us that we were number 10 out of 90!!!! They still had 80 more homes to go to. I don't see how they could have made it. Anyway, as they were leaving, they had to place a sticker on our door to show that we had been counted. We are to leave it there until someone else comes by to double check.
We ended the day by barbequing and our friend Cindy finally made it over. Our other journeyman friend Brad showed up to so we had a census party. We were sad because last night, we opened up and ate our very last Bushes Baked Beans that we had crated. It was a sad, sad day!

I've been counted!!!

Susie

Desire

It is amazing how many times a day I say the phrase "I want". I want a nap. I want a drink. I want to talk to you. Want, want, want. There are many things that we as humans desire. Some are healthy desires and some are not. I have found that many of the desires that we have as Americans are similar to those of Peruvians. We desire to have more, to do more, to travel more, to make more money. Most of us also have desires for our children. That they have a good education, grow up to be good citizens, and that they will be healthy. But when it comes to the desires of the world and the desires of a Christian, that is where the real difference lies. As a Christian, I desire to spend time with my Lord, I desire to learn more about his word, I desire to share the good news of salvation with others, I desire that my children develop a full relationship with the Lord and I desire that through my life, that my Father in Heaven is glorified. I share these and other desires with many Christians throughout the globe.

Yesterday as I sat and spoke with my friend Marisol, she shared with me her deep desire to see her household come to know Christ. Let me paint this picture for you. Marisol is a young woman, 38 years old. She has 3 children, Giomar (18), Freddy(12) and Yardia (10). Soon after the birth of her daughter Yardia, her husband left her for another woman. Marisol was left to care for her 3 children having no financial help from anyone. She was left to try to do whatever it takes to feed her children. She said that she went through a period of time that she was so desperate that she would go from door to door asking if she could wash clothes for money. On one occasion, she had no other choice but to contact her husband and beg for a little money for food, his response was "there is a lot of dirt outside, let them eat that" and then he hung up. (I don't know about you, but this brings tears to my eyes knowing that a father could care so little for his children and be so cruel). After her husband left, she was forced to move back into her family home. (This is not unusual here, many people live with their parents with their husbands and children.) So together as a family, her and her extended family (10 adults not counting children) brought up all their children together in one home, trying to support each other as they could. But each expected to pull their own weight.

A few years ago, Marisol was introduced to someone who was so kind, who was so loving and literally provided for her every need. The great thing was, he loved her kids even more than she did. She was overwhelmed and fell in love. She fell in love with Christ. All she knew was, He was all she needed, and He was all that her children needed.

As a family of 4, they began to attend church. They had little instruction into how to read the Bible or what it meant, but each day they spent time reading the Bible and praying. The oldest Giomar was immediately filled with a passion for the Word, he wanted to know more, he wanted to do more. He began working in his church with the children's ministry. This young man has a deep desire to devote his life to the spreading of the gospel through evangelization and missions.

Marisol and her children are still living with Marisol's parents. Marisol has a full-time job that pays just enough to get by. Every day she is so thankful for the provisions from the Lord. She said she is always reminded of what He brought her out of. Living with her parents has been good for Marisol and her children, but recently, it has become a place of persecution. It is not a physical persecution but none the less, persecution. Her family has begun making fun of Marisol and her children for being Christians, for not partaking in the Patron Saints festivals, for not drinking alcohol, for not partying like she used to. Many of you may know this persecution because of living with an unbelieving spouse or relative but could you imagine it multiplied by 10??!!!!

Marisol and her children desire so much for their family to know Christ as their savior, not just as an idol to follow in a procession. They desire them to know Christ personally as a Father, as one who will always provide, always love, and never leave or forsake them.

Before she left my house yesterday, I asked her to write down the names of her family because I told her that I would post their names on my wall and I committed to praying for them. Will you join me in praying for the household of Marisol? For their eyes to be opened, their hearts to be fertile and their lives to be changed. May their desires for the things of this world be dampened as they begin to desire the things of the Most High. Here are the names of the adults:

Luisa (mother of Marisol) Julio (father of Marisol) Roxana (Sister of Marisol) Raul (Brother of Marisol) Freddy (Brother of Marisol) Cesar (Brother of Marisol), Jose (Brother of Marisol) Ines (Sister in law of Marisol) Zorayda (Sister in law of Marisol)

Please pray for Giomar. He is a young man on fire for the Lord. He knows that he desires to do something big for the Lord, and he needs guidance. As I told one of my missionary friends here in Lima about Giomar, he told me it sounded like he was a great candidate for the seminary program we have here in Lima. I am excited to tell him about it. Please pray that the Lord gives Giomar a clear vision of what he needs to do. Pray that his fire for the Lord never dampens as he seeks the will of the Father. Please also pray for this possible seminary opportunity. Pray that if this is the will of the Lord that he can meet the requirements and the financial obligations necessary to pursue this amazing opportunity.

Also, pray for Marisol, a Christian mother who has the same desires for her children that you and I do. May the Lord continue to make Himself amazingly evident in her life as she lives a life of devotion to Him.

His
Susie

Serious about a Census

I guess I have never even thought too much about countries and their census tactics. I guess I just kind of assumed that they were all done just like in the US. But, I guess I am wrong.

We received word in the last few days that Peru will conduct a national census this Sunday, October 21st. The whole Nation of Peru has been informed that we are not to leave our homes between the hours of 8:00am and 6:00pm. There will be no stores open, no churches, no taxis or public transportation, it is illegal to be outside during these times unless you have been given special permission by the Peruvian government. They even say that it is illegal to drink alcohol on this Sunday! Serious stuff huh?

So, I guess Peru goes about Census taking in a different very deliberate way. I guess they have a point about having everyone stay still long enough to be counted. Kinda like that kids game, red light, green light! It is a pretty smart idea because in just the 3 or 4 minutes that it has taken me to type this email, I am sure that the population on this street has changed drastically as I hear the cars whiz by.

So, we will be having church at the house Sunday! That will be a great time for the family! Plus I think our friend Cindy will come by and have church with us! Please pray for our church in Los Torres, may they see that even though church is canceled by men on Sunday, that it is still precious and it is still the Lord's day. Please also pray for our Peruvian brothers and sisters in Christ as they shine their light in the darkness amongst hardened hearts and weary souls. May they each see the urgency to share the good news without fear or condemnation. May this Sunday be a day when some of our new believers (or old believers) take the time to share the good news of life in Christ Jesus with their family. What a great opportunity! They truly will have a captive audience. May the Lord be glorified!

His
Susie

Dirty Laundry

Hey guys, it has been a while since I have blogged. Sorry about that. I could bore you with all the things that have kept me busy (or just occupied) but I will spare you the torture. All is well here in Peru and life seems to be flying by. I guess no matter where you are, there is a point that you realize that no matter how much you do, there is always going to be something else to do.

Today we attended our small church up in the mountains that has recently been adopted by one of the Baptist churches here. They have begun a children's program and the main worship has moved into a larger building. That was such a blessing! It was so nice to have room for everyone today.

Being in a new building, I was not surprised to see new faces as I walked through the neighborhood, even though you could see the old building from where we were. People just seem to live on top of each other.

During the praise and worship time, I couldn't help notice a young woman within 50 feet of the building that we were having church in, she was outside washing her families clothes. As I am sure you can imagine, these people do not have washing machines or even a Laundromat to send there clothes to so she was scrubbing them with a brush, soap and water.

As hard as I tried, my eyes and thoughts kept wandering to this woman. Who is she, what has she been through in her life, what is she facing just today? Is she a mother, a wife, a sister? Who is she washing clothes for? Is it for her, her family or is it her job? As I watched this woman, I would see her glance into the church. I would try to catch her eye to smile, but she never saw me. I would wonder then, why didn't she choose to come to church today? Does she hear this song? Does she know what it means? Does she even know about Jesus? Has she ever even heard His name? Millions of questions flooded my mind. The more I thought about this young woman, the more I wanted to know.

Then I began to think....you know, I realized that many times in my life, I have been just like that woman. I can get so busy with the things I am doing, especially the things that I deem as working FOR the Lord, that when I look at it, it is if I were that woman, busying myself, enjoying the praise and worship from a distance, glancing inside every once in a while to see what is going on, but not participating fully in the fellowship. Not just the fellowship with the church but the fellowship with the Father. Does this make my works that have seemed to occupy so much of my time worth anything without a deliberate desire to be in constant fellowship of the Father???…nope, they are just like those dirty clothes that the woman keeps washing with that dirty water…it will never work.

As the service concluded, and I went outside, I had to go and meet this young woman. Her name is Diana and she has 3 small boys. After we talked for a while, she expressed how much she enjoyed the music while she was washing clothes and she also asked if I would be back, I could assure her that I would be back and that I hoped that she would be able to come next time.

Please pray for Diana. The Lord has set this new church essentially in her front yard. Pray that she doesn’t see this from a spectators point of view but that as she hears these precious praise verses claiming the goodness and mercy of our precious Lord and Savior and as she sees lives changed in her community by His forgiving grace, that she too, would realize that one of the most important things that we could work on in any day, is our fellowship with the Father.

His

Susie

What's cooking?

...good looking

Our journeymen on the REAPSouth team are serving a minimum of two years with us. They decided last week that it was time to get all dressed up. The guys wore suits and the girls, formals.

They went out to eat and saw a movie together.

I can honestly say that I have not worn my suit since being in Peru and only twice in Costa Rica because I was the Student Body president and had to lead two events that required dress-up.

Here's Brad. Doesn't he look sharp!

What do you love (life simple pleasures)

A group joined together from Kentucky and Alabama this week to spread the gospel, start churches, and encourage existing believers in Bella Union, a mountain village in Southern Peru.

They unexpectedly blessed my family coming and going. Coming in, the church in Alabama was asked to bring any left over Sunday School material to our kids who crave English study material. What they brought was a series of lessons that are incredible, surely to mature the spiritual walk of my kids for months to come.

On the way out, someone in the group left a jar of olives for our family with our team leader. Little did they know, but I am the world's biggest olive lover! I am so appreciative to these guys for this little surprise.

Let me tell you a story about olives:

When I was little, we would visit my dad's parents. I always loved going there. They lived out of town and many aspects of the country life drew me in to loving the trip out. I could always count on one thing. Maw Maw always had olives in her fridge. What I didn't know until I grew up was that before our family arrived, Maw Maw would take all but about 10 olives out of the jar and put them away while I was there. I guess at some point she caught on to my passion for olive eating!

Peru has many olive growing areas. I am guessing one of those may be in Bella Union where this mission group went last week. I am so thankful for life's little pleasures that God cares about in our lives. We can turn to him for anything, be it the big picture life guidance or the smallest of the day-to-day details. He cares. He listens. He answers.

Happy Birthday (again)

Alisha was the proud recipient of a box that came from one of our precious prayer warriors Earl Lindanger from Shreveport, LA.

He had called a week before, worried that the gift sent the first of August might not ever get here. One week later and guess what arrived?

Alisha has a healthy supply of little debbie cakes. Her favorite is the zebra cake. She hasn't had any since Mrs. Harvine Joiner sent a box of Christmas tree shaped ones to her last year.

She is happy as can be. Look at that stack!