Month: December 2011

We want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  It’s amazing that 2011 is already coming to an end and that we will soon be in 2012!  This month we had our last scheduled meeting of the year at the First Baptist Church of Independence, Ky.  Thank you Pastor Brown and church for a wonderful time! We are blessed to report that the Faith Missionary Baptist Church (Benton, Ky.) has taken us on for monthly support! Thank you for partnering with us.  We also would like to thank the Grace Missionary Baptist Church (Wyandote, Mi.) for their love offering to help us with our trip back to Peru!  Thank you all so much! If you would like to help us defer about $5,000.00 of expenses to get back to Peru you can simply send a check to our sending church, marked “Peru tickets”.

THE YEAR IN REVIEW

As we reflect back on 2011 we see how gracious God has been to us.  It has been a year filled with family, friendship, and faith. This year we have spent a lot of time in hospitals. We arrived on Dec. 16^th, and immediately went to the hospital to check on Rebecca’s dad who had just had open heart surgery and later a heart attack and stroke.  Many of you prayed for him and we are happy to report that after a year of recovery he is walking, talking, and doing everything on his own! On each side of our family our grandma’s were diagnosed with cancer and had to have treatments. Other friends and family have had operations. We have also lost loved ones. To finish the year off, almost as it started, I broke my wrist and had to have an operation to repair it on Dec. 3^rd!  We praise the Lord that He has given His grace through all these sicknesses, procedures, and diagnoses, and that we were able to be here and help. God is good!

We had a lot of “firsts” this year traveling with Natali and Neomi. They had never been to the U.S. so you can imagine what an exciting year it has been for them and for us watching them!  Now that they are seasoned veterans and have extensively traveled throughout the country they can easily point out to you a Wal-Mart, Bob Evans, Cracker Barrel, and a few different hotel chains.  We had never been on furlough before this year, and I’m not so sure we will take another one (just kidding!). It has been a year filled with challenges and trials but God has used it all to strengthen us and grow our faith in Him.  We traveled 17,336.10 miles this year, and we had 52 scheduled meetings! We praise the Lord that not once did we have car troubles during our meetings and not once did we miss a meeting, not even for sickness! The Lord allowed us to visit with all our supporting churches and to be with 23 new churches! Thank you to each and every church! Thank you for your generosity and hospitality to our family. Thank you for another year of partnership in the ministry!

As we look ahead to this New Year we are excited to see what the Lord will do in 2012!  We are eager to return to Peru and to the work that God has called us to. Pray for us as we embark on a new year with new plans and goals for a new work. Pray for God to use our family for His glory like He never has before. Pray for our hearts to be broken for the city of Cusco and for the people of Peru. Pray that we will be bold witnesses for our Savior. Pray for souls to be saved and lives to be forever transformed. Pray that God’s power, justice, mercy and love would be shown to a lost and dying world!

Today marks one year that our family has been in the United States! Where has the year gone? It seems like only yesterday when we landed on the snowy tarmac with 2 excited little girls. This year has brought a lot of challenges and some trials, but God has been so faithful to us through it all. Yesterday also marked one year ago that Becca’s dad had his heart surgery and subsequent heart attack and stroke. One year ago we landed in Dayton and immediately went to the hospital to see my father-in-law. We praise the Lord for what a year it as been! My father-in-law is now walking, talking, driving, and doing everything on his own! We have traveled some 17,000 miles and been in 52 meetings this year. We have cried a lot this year, but we have also laughed and been so filled with joy. God has been so good to us and our family!

This post will be short since I am writing with 1 hand (broken wrist). On Sunday night we had our last scheduled meeting of this year of furlough. Praise the Lord for the opportunity to be with First Baptist Church of Independence, Kentucky! That makes 52 scheduled meetings that we were in this past year. We praise the Lord for all the new churches and people we were able to meet throughout this year, as well as, all the thousands of miles He kept us safe and car problem free! What a blessing this year has been! Now we are switching gears and preparing for our return to Peru.