Dear Supporting Churches and Praying Friends,
God has been so good to us since our last prayer letter that it is hard to sum it all up! When we stop to consider the ways in which God has been working, we come to the realization that He is all-powerful and all-knowing, and we rejoice that He has allowed us to be a part of His kingdom work here in South America. We also realize the power of prayer, and we are reminded to be grateful to you, our prayer partners.
I spoke to you in our last prayer letter of my upcoming trip to Moquegua, about twenty hours from Lima. I was excited to discover that the young men who had trained here with us in January and February had returned to their home area and had already started new churches under the leadership of their home pastor. I was able to preach in each of their churches and some others during my brief time in the area. Another pastor has decided to send two of his young men to us for further training next January as well. We are excited about the part we had in starting these new churches and look forward to working with two more young men soon.
IBI of San Gabriel is growing steadily. We are thrilled to see salvations every Sunday! We have had several new families begin attending, and many are bringing their family members and friends as visitors. We have recently started a men’s singing group, organized ushers, and trained children’s workers. We also had our first men’s meeting this month. Twelve men from San Gabriel joined me and expressed their desire to advance the ministry of our church, learn how to conduct Bible studies, and become soul winners. I am planning now to begin an intensive training of these men and others who will join us. Please pray with me that I can effectively use the time I have with these men to further God’s plan for their lives. We also had a ladies’ meeting this month. My wife taught on our need for prayer in our lives, and then she divided the ladies into prayer partners who will be praying for each other over the next year.
We recently spent a Saturday in the area next to San Gabriel named Vallecito. While only a few blocks from our church, it is an entirely different world. We saw several saved while visiting there and also met a family who invited us to have a Bible study there. We will be starting this soon; please pray that God will work there. We hope to start a church in that area soon as well. We have another area (La Chancheria) where we will be starting a church very soon. A family has offered part of their property to build the church on, and we are making plans to start improving that property. It is fun to see the people of IBI San Gabriel excited about starting new churches!
We also took a brief trip to the States since our last letter. My in-laws celebrated their 50 wedding anniversary, and we were pleased to be able to attend the celebration. While I made a quick trip there and back, my wife and boys were able to spend a couple weeks with the family in Michigan. Thank you to the Beth Haven Baptist Church in Sheridan, Michigan, for helping us to feel at home while we were there. And congratulations once again to my in-laws, Ken and Sandy Rahn! My wife truly has a goodly heritage.
Please continue to pray for us here in Lima, Peru. We are thrilled to represent you all here in South America.
His for souls,
Zach and Karin Foust, Zachary, C.J., and Logan
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
August Prayer Letter from the Kokubun Family
Dear Praying Friends,
Thank you for your faithful prayers! This month we have again seen God do miracles! At the beginning of the month, one of the men of our team, Bro. Zach Foust, went down to Southern Peru to visit the two young men who attended our seminary January-March. Our team gave Alan and Fernando intense training during the time they were here. They returned to their home town excited and ready to start their own Bible studies. While we had been praying for their Bible studies, Bro. Foust notified us upon his arrival that they were no longer studies; instead they both have started churches! Bro. Foust had the opportunity to preach in their churches and train their members how to reach others for Christ!
During Bro. Foust's absence, we were blessed with the opportunity to go soul winning at his church plant with our teenagers. San Gabriel is a district of Lima that is up in the mountains. It's about 45 minutes away from our main church in Chorrillos. The people there are so sweet and very open to the Gospel. The Lord blessed our group in a special way that day, as 19 people bowed their heads to receive Christ.
Thank you for praying for us! Since last month's letter, God has answered several requests specifically, and I'm pleased to share one of those with you! We asked for prayer for Luis, who was starting a new Bible study in San Genaro II. His study has not only grown, but they have grown out of the home in which they were meeting! They have already located a larger building in which they can continue meeting. Seven families faithfully attend his study. Each of those families now attends our main church in Chorrillos. They are currently learning to win souls, usher, and serve in many other capacities. They hope, in the near future, to be able to start a church in their own area! Praise the Lord!
Although we are thrilled with everything that God is doing here, we are constantly reminded of how much more must be accomplished. Every day we see hundreds of people is in this busy city of Lima. Each and every one of them needs a Saviour. Each one has a story, a life, and a family that needs God. Please pray that God will continue to build His church and that many will be reached for His kingdom here in Lima, Peru. Thank you for partnering with us in the ministry. We appreciate you!
In His service,
Daniel and Heather Kokubun
Thank you for your faithful prayers! This month we have again seen God do miracles! At the beginning of the month, one of the men of our team, Bro. Zach Foust, went down to Southern Peru to visit the two young men who attended our seminary January-March. Our team gave Alan and Fernando intense training during the time they were here. They returned to their home town excited and ready to start their own Bible studies. While we had been praying for their Bible studies, Bro. Foust notified us upon his arrival that they were no longer studies; instead they both have started churches! Bro. Foust had the opportunity to preach in their churches and train their members how to reach others for Christ!
During Bro. Foust's absence, we were blessed with the opportunity to go soul winning at his church plant with our teenagers. San Gabriel is a district of Lima that is up in the mountains. It's about 45 minutes away from our main church in Chorrillos. The people there are so sweet and very open to the Gospel. The Lord blessed our group in a special way that day, as 19 people bowed their heads to receive Christ.
Thank you for praying for us! Since last month's letter, God has answered several requests specifically, and I'm pleased to share one of those with you! We asked for prayer for Luis, who was starting a new Bible study in San Genaro II. His study has not only grown, but they have grown out of the home in which they were meeting! They have already located a larger building in which they can continue meeting. Seven families faithfully attend his study. Each of those families now attends our main church in Chorrillos. They are currently learning to win souls, usher, and serve in many other capacities. They hope, in the near future, to be able to start a church in their own area! Praise the Lord!
Although we are thrilled with everything that God is doing here, we are constantly reminded of how much more must be accomplished. Every day we see hundreds of people is in this busy city of Lima. Each and every one of them needs a Saviour. Each one has a story, a life, and a family that needs God. Please pray that God will continue to build His church and that many will be reached for His kingdom here in Lima, Peru. Thank you for partnering with us in the ministry. We appreciate you!
In His service,
Daniel and Heather Kokubun
Thursday, September 12, 2013
August Prayer Letter from the Rader Family
Dear Praying friends,
Here in Peru during July and August God has been doing marvelous things before our eyes. All four churches here in Lima are moving forward with increased attendances, souls saved, and baptisms. One of the biggest blessings with all of our churches is that many more of our people are coming out soul winning with us. Many more of our converts are winning souls than ever before. Another blessing was celebrating our first anniversary Sunday for our church in Chorrillos, Lima. We had 242 in attendance with 34 saved and 7 baptized. A week or so later, our team member, Zach Foust, went to Arequipa to visit 2 men that came to us in January and February for training. Brother Foust found out that both men had started a church. Both churches are running a congregation of 40 or more every Sunday. Our team as a whole has been showered by the blessings of God!
The showers of God’s blessings have been on our family and our work as well. Construction on the church has been moving forward as well as my Spanish. In the last 2 months I have personally led 35 souls to Christ, and my wife has led 12 souls to Christ. Together we host a Saturday soul winning team, Team Villa Marina. Our team, including our children, consists on average of 8 people out soul winning on a weekly basis. The last 2 months our team has had more than 45 souls saved and many visitors in church. We have enjoyed many other blessings. I am now teaching Sunday school in our Junior Church on a weekly basis, we now have a weekly Bible study with our construction workers, and we are enjoying our monthly visits to the midwife.
Thank you all for your prayers during our trip to Ecuador. As many of you know we had to leave the country to renew our visas. God took this curse and turned it into the best family vacation we’ve ever had together. While in Ecuador we saw 5 souls saved and visited a church of like faith.
Another trip that we would like to share with you is my trip to Jauja. My soul winning partner, John, told me that he wanted to go visit his family in Jauja to witness to them. Jauja is an 8 hour bus ride through the mountains from Lima. I told him to seek his pastor’s counsel about this, and so he did. Two days after he left; I joined him to survey the city for Baptist churches for his family and the possibilities of starting churches there. Before I arrived, John had already won 16 of his family members to Christ. We then found 3 Baptist churches there that were excited about the possibility of working with our church planting ministry. We also had a Bible Study on the last day there. John taught a Bible study for the first time and led his aunt to Christ during the study. In total we saw 24 souls saved during our half week trip. Let me tell you something, brother, “GOD IS GOOD!”
We just have a few prayer requests. Please pray for Sarah’s pregnancy to continue well. She is 4 months now. Please pray that the cheaper apartment we found will be ready for us to move in by the end of September. Please pray for the Spiritual growth of our disciples. Thank you all for your tangible help along the way. Also, thank you for your intangible help of love and prayer. We are seeing God do great works. Please pray that He will continue to work through us. God bless you.
Thank you,
Mark, Sarah, Savannah,
Paul, & one more Rader
Here in Peru during July and August God has been doing marvelous things before our eyes. All four churches here in Lima are moving forward with increased attendances, souls saved, and baptisms. One of the biggest blessings with all of our churches is that many more of our people are coming out soul winning with us. Many more of our converts are winning souls than ever before. Another blessing was celebrating our first anniversary Sunday for our church in Chorrillos, Lima. We had 242 in attendance with 34 saved and 7 baptized. A week or so later, our team member, Zach Foust, went to Arequipa to visit 2 men that came to us in January and February for training. Brother Foust found out that both men had started a church. Both churches are running a congregation of 40 or more every Sunday. Our team as a whole has been showered by the blessings of God!
The showers of God’s blessings have been on our family and our work as well. Construction on the church has been moving forward as well as my Spanish. In the last 2 months I have personally led 35 souls to Christ, and my wife has led 12 souls to Christ. Together we host a Saturday soul winning team, Team Villa Marina. Our team, including our children, consists on average of 8 people out soul winning on a weekly basis. The last 2 months our team has had more than 45 souls saved and many visitors in church. We have enjoyed many other blessings. I am now teaching Sunday school in our Junior Church on a weekly basis, we now have a weekly Bible study with our construction workers, and we are enjoying our monthly visits to the midwife.
Thank you all for your prayers during our trip to Ecuador. As many of you know we had to leave the country to renew our visas. God took this curse and turned it into the best family vacation we’ve ever had together. While in Ecuador we saw 5 souls saved and visited a church of like faith.
Another trip that we would like to share with you is my trip to Jauja. My soul winning partner, John, told me that he wanted to go visit his family in Jauja to witness to them. Jauja is an 8 hour bus ride through the mountains from Lima. I told him to seek his pastor’s counsel about this, and so he did. Two days after he left; I joined him to survey the city for Baptist churches for his family and the possibilities of starting churches there. Before I arrived, John had already won 16 of his family members to Christ. We then found 3 Baptist churches there that were excited about the possibility of working with our church planting ministry. We also had a Bible Study on the last day there. John taught a Bible study for the first time and led his aunt to Christ during the study. In total we saw 24 souls saved during our half week trip. Let me tell you something, brother, “GOD IS GOOD!”
We just have a few prayer requests. Please pray for Sarah’s pregnancy to continue well. She is 4 months now. Please pray that the cheaper apartment we found will be ready for us to move in by the end of September. Please pray for the Spiritual growth of our disciples. Thank you all for your tangible help along the way. Also, thank you for your intangible help of love and prayer. We are seeing God do great works. Please pray that He will continue to work through us. God bless you.
Thank you,
Mark, Sarah, Savannah,
Paul, & one more Rader
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
August Prayer Letter from the Martins
Dear Praying Friends,
I opened my eyes, and there they were! Even after all my years in FBC Hammond, I have never been able to adjust to “Spanish time.” Our people are so much better than they were in the beginning. Now most of them arrive before the preaching starts! Two Saturday nights ago was no exception. We seemed to be especially low as I was making announcements. I had just recognized visitors and decided to pray for a special prayer request. Apparently, as I was praying, our entire church came in! I opened my eyes to a full house and several visitors. We had our highest attendance to date, with 58 in church and 11 saved!
God has blessed our San Genaro church with several new families this last month. I am excited for what the future holds. This last Friday was a holiday, Santa Rosa Day. Since most of our people had the day off, we decided to have a big lunch at our church; 31 of our people came and helped us devour 7 pollos con papas and ensalada! We sang some choruses and had a question-and-answer time, and then I took a few minutes to share my vision for the future of our church. Please continue to pray for our young church. God has blessed us with some great people, and I know God has big plans for us.
God is blessing in all of our churches as well. Our church plants in San Gabriel and Surco are growing steadily. Two of our Bible studies are also rapidly nearing the process of being converted into churches. Please pray for both these areas, Chanchería and San Genaro II. Both of these studies have enormous potential. Of course, our biggest need is men. Please pray that God will help us to have men ready to help start these churches in the coming months.
Our main church continues to thrive. We have been averaging well over 100 in both of our Sunday services. Many new families have begun attending, and our Saturday soul-winning meeting is growing as well. It has been very exciting to see our people learn to win souls. God blesses soul winning! Through soul winning and public services, we were able to see 143 people accept Christ as Saviour this last month.
As I stated earlier, our greatest need is always men, men with the desire and the knowledge to help us do what God has put us here to do. Every day we are reminded of the great need here, opportunities that are before us, and yet the limits that we have because of manpower. Recently,one of our men, Jhon, took a trip to Jauja, a city five hours away. He went for the purpose of witnessing to his family. In three days he was able to lead 24 of his friends and family to Christ! The sad part is that there is no good Baptist church to which we can send them. We could start a church there tomorrow . . . but we don’t have a man ready whom we could send.
The same could be said for Ayacucho. Many of you have read much about our faithful church lady Cecilia. At the beginning of this month, she went to Ayacucho, a large city eight hours away. She went to witness to the family of her stepfather. She was there for just over a week and won 51 people to Christ. She e-mailed me a list of the names and phone numbers of all 51 people so we could start a church there. I would love to . . . and we could tomorrow . . . if there were someone we could send.
Thank you for your prayers and faithful support. God has blessed our ministry here in amazing ways. This would not be possible without each of you. Please continue to pray. Our ministry is still very young, and God is opening many doors for us. Pray that we will be able to find, win, and train the people who can help us reach Perú for Christ.
Your ambassadors to Perú,
Junior and Jessica Martin
Romans 9:3
I opened my eyes, and there they were! Even after all my years in FBC Hammond, I have never been able to adjust to “Spanish time.” Our people are so much better than they were in the beginning. Now most of them arrive before the preaching starts! Two Saturday nights ago was no exception. We seemed to be especially low as I was making announcements. I had just recognized visitors and decided to pray for a special prayer request. Apparently, as I was praying, our entire church came in! I opened my eyes to a full house and several visitors. We had our highest attendance to date, with 58 in church and 11 saved!
God has blessed our San Genaro church with several new families this last month. I am excited for what the future holds. This last Friday was a holiday, Santa Rosa Day. Since most of our people had the day off, we decided to have a big lunch at our church; 31 of our people came and helped us devour 7 pollos con papas and ensalada! We sang some choruses and had a question-and-answer time, and then I took a few minutes to share my vision for the future of our church. Please continue to pray for our young church. God has blessed us with some great people, and I know God has big plans for us.
God is blessing in all of our churches as well. Our church plants in San Gabriel and Surco are growing steadily. Two of our Bible studies are also rapidly nearing the process of being converted into churches. Please pray for both these areas, Chanchería and San Genaro II. Both of these studies have enormous potential. Of course, our biggest need is men. Please pray that God will help us to have men ready to help start these churches in the coming months.
Our main church continues to thrive. We have been averaging well over 100 in both of our Sunday services. Many new families have begun attending, and our Saturday soul-winning meeting is growing as well. It has been very exciting to see our people learn to win souls. God blesses soul winning! Through soul winning and public services, we were able to see 143 people accept Christ as Saviour this last month.
As I stated earlier, our greatest need is always men, men with the desire and the knowledge to help us do what God has put us here to do. Every day we are reminded of the great need here, opportunities that are before us, and yet the limits that we have because of manpower. Recently,one of our men, Jhon, took a trip to Jauja, a city five hours away. He went for the purpose of witnessing to his family. In three days he was able to lead 24 of his friends and family to Christ! The sad part is that there is no good Baptist church to which we can send them. We could start a church there tomorrow . . . but we don’t have a man ready whom we could send.
The same could be said for Ayacucho. Many of you have read much about our faithful church lady Cecilia. At the beginning of this month, she went to Ayacucho, a large city eight hours away. She went to witness to the family of her stepfather. She was there for just over a week and won 51 people to Christ. She e-mailed me a list of the names and phone numbers of all 51 people so we could start a church there. I would love to . . . and we could tomorrow . . . if there were someone we could send.
Thank you for your prayers and faithful support. God has blessed our ministry here in amazing ways. This would not be possible without each of you. Please continue to pray. Our ministry is still very young, and God is opening many doors for us. Pray that we will be able to find, win, and train the people who can help us reach Perú for Christ.
Your ambassadors to Perú,
Junior and Jessica Martin
Romans 9:3
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
July Prayer Letter from the Avila Family
Dear Pastor and Praying Friends,
One more person closer!
My family and I have been very fortunate to help out in a new church plant that Team Peru has started. We have been able to help on the weekend with the soul-winning program. Being that the new church is in one of Lima’s nicest districts, I knew it would be a different experience. However, I didn’t think my children would notice.
There we were walking down the beautiful park path handing out tracts, soul winning, and making small talk with the residents. I could see Marco a few yards ahead of me. I continued walking when suddenly I see Marco stop and turn to look at me. That look he gave me almost broke my heart. It seemed as though all the wind had been knocked out of him; his big smile was gone. “What’s wrong?” I asked from afar. I could read his lips: “Dad, I don’t want to do this anymore,” was his whispered plea. I quickly worked my way to him. He stated that the people here were “meaner” and that they ignored him. I got on my knee and told him that the majority of the local residents aren’t mean that they only act that way because they think they have everything they need. I told him not to give up, that there is someone in this area who was waiting for a “Marco” to stop him and introduce him to God. I told him that he was getting closer to that person every time he got rejected. He smiled, and I could tell his “battery” was recharged a little. He continued his walk. He turned to look at me after he was rejected once more and mouthed, “One more person closer.” That’s my boy!
How do I make that sound cool and productive?
We were fortune to host a visiting Bolivian missionary and five of his men a few weeks ago. He was able to join us for one of our team meetings, and we were able to glean from each other. Then this question was asked to the men of Team Peru: “So what do you do for Team Peru?” There I sat thinking of an answer as they went around the table one by one. My mind had flashbacks of the most recent projects I ran for Bro. Hubbard and Team Peru. Boy, how do I make that sound cool and productive? was my
thought. Uh-ho, it’s my turn. “Well, I run the Children’s Program, and I take care of the team finances and legal processes,”
was my response. I sat there repeating those words to myself as the Bolivian men asked me more questions. To be honest, I
do feel productive, and I do feel what I do is “cool.” However, more than that, I count it a blessing to be able to work
shoulder to shoulder with the great men of Team Peru and labor in the shadows of Team Peru’s great leadership. Now how
do I say that without sounding like I want a pay raise? :)
I’d like to thank you for your continued prayers and support. We really couldn’t do what we do without you. Please know that you are also being prayed for by our family. We love and appreciate you very much.
Praises:
- One more church has taken us on for support: Open Door Baptist Church, Mesquite, Texas, Pastor Francisco J. Mendoza.
Prayer Requests:
- Safety for our family, our team leader Dan Hubbard, and the other families of Team Peru
- Additional monthly financial support
New Contact Information:
Abraham Avila (To avoid problems with our courier, correspondence must state my name and not “Avila family.”)
Caminos del Inca 2780, Block-C (Street name and house number)
Departamento 504 (Apartment number)
Urb. Prolongación Benavides (Residential zone)
Surco, Lima 15039 Perú (District, city, zip code, country)
219-378-8617
Thank you once again for your prayers and support.
Your co-laborers to Peru,
Abraham, Fabiola, Marco, Leilani, & Joaquin Avila
One more person closer!
My family and I have been very fortunate to help out in a new church plant that Team Peru has started. We have been able to help on the weekend with the soul-winning program. Being that the new church is in one of Lima’s nicest districts, I knew it would be a different experience. However, I didn’t think my children would notice.
There we were walking down the beautiful park path handing out tracts, soul winning, and making small talk with the residents. I could see Marco a few yards ahead of me. I continued walking when suddenly I see Marco stop and turn to look at me. That look he gave me almost broke my heart. It seemed as though all the wind had been knocked out of him; his big smile was gone. “What’s wrong?” I asked from afar. I could read his lips: “Dad, I don’t want to do this anymore,” was his whispered plea. I quickly worked my way to him. He stated that the people here were “meaner” and that they ignored him. I got on my knee and told him that the majority of the local residents aren’t mean that they only act that way because they think they have everything they need. I told him not to give up, that there is someone in this area who was waiting for a “Marco” to stop him and introduce him to God. I told him that he was getting closer to that person every time he got rejected. He smiled, and I could tell his “battery” was recharged a little. He continued his walk. He turned to look at me after he was rejected once more and mouthed, “One more person closer.” That’s my boy!
How do I make that sound cool and productive?
We were fortune to host a visiting Bolivian missionary and five of his men a few weeks ago. He was able to join us for one of our team meetings, and we were able to glean from each other. Then this question was asked to the men of Team Peru: “So what do you do for Team Peru?” There I sat thinking of an answer as they went around the table one by one. My mind had flashbacks of the most recent projects I ran for Bro. Hubbard and Team Peru. Boy, how do I make that sound cool and productive? was my
thought. Uh-ho, it’s my turn. “Well, I run the Children’s Program, and I take care of the team finances and legal processes,”
was my response. I sat there repeating those words to myself as the Bolivian men asked me more questions. To be honest, I
do feel productive, and I do feel what I do is “cool.” However, more than that, I count it a blessing to be able to work
shoulder to shoulder with the great men of Team Peru and labor in the shadows of Team Peru’s great leadership. Now how
do I say that without sounding like I want a pay raise? :)
I’d like to thank you for your continued prayers and support. We really couldn’t do what we do without you. Please know that you are also being prayed for by our family. We love and appreciate you very much.
Praises:
- One more church has taken us on for support: Open Door Baptist Church, Mesquite, Texas, Pastor Francisco J. Mendoza.
Prayer Requests:
- Safety for our family, our team leader Dan Hubbard, and the other families of Team Peru
- Additional monthly financial support
New Contact Information:
Abraham Avila (To avoid problems with our courier, correspondence must state my name and not “Avila family.”)
Caminos del Inca 2780, Block-C (Street name and house number)
Departamento 504 (Apartment number)
Urb. Prolongación Benavides (Residential zone)
Surco, Lima 15039 Perú (District, city, zip code, country)
219-378-8617
Thank you once again for your prayers and support.
Your co-laborers to Peru,
Abraham, Fabiola, Marco, Leilani, & Joaquin Avila
Monday, August 5, 2013
July Prayer Letter from the Martin Family
Dear Praying Friends,
July is my favorite month of the year! As you already know, both my wife and I celebrated birthdays this last month. Thank you to the many of you who made our days special through e-mails, cards, Facebook messages, and other ways. This year my birthday fell on a Tuesday, the same night as our church service in San Genaro. At the end of the service, I called on one of our men to dismiss the service in prayer. As he came to the pulpit, he announced that they had a surprise for me—a birthday party! Several of our church ladies and my wife had conspired and planned a very special night for me. We had a blast, and it was a great blessing. God has truly knit our hearts to some very special people.
July 7 was an incredibly special day. As you already know, this was the Sunday we celebrated the one-year anniversary of our church in Villa Marina. It was an amazing and emotional day! Our church people brought a ton of visitors and encouraged many people to attend who had not come for a long time. We had our 2 highest attendances ever—245 Sunday morning and 201 Sunday night! In addition to this, 34 people trusted Christ as their Saviour in these 2 services. I am so thankful for the year God has given us here in Chorrillos.
God has also continued to bless our other 3 church plants. God is doing a great work in our church in San Genaro. Please pray that we find a new building very soon. Many people struggle finding our location, and we are currently renting a second facility for our children due to a lack of space. It is a great problem to have after only three months. Please help us pray so that we can take our church to the next level.
We also had the privilege this last month to host Pastor Xavier Lopez from La Paz, Bolivia, and five of his church men. We were able to show them all of our churches and Bible studies, as well as teach them our pattern for church multiplication. It was a great encouragement to spend some time with another like-minded pastor with a passion to start churches in all of Bolivia. Please pray for this ministry that is doing and is going to do great things for God.
Many of you remember the two college-aged men, Alan and Fernando, who spent several weeks with us in January and February. Upon returning to their hometown of Moquegua, they used what they learned to start two Bible studies in two different parts of their city. Recently one of our team men, Zach Foust, went to visit these two works, to teach, preach, and give them some items to help convert these Bible studies into churches. Little did we know that the Iglesia Bautista Puerta Abierta de San Antonio and Chen Chen were already churches (pictured below)! Please pray for these two young pastors and their church plants!
In closing, I have one story I must share with you. For about eight months, there is a bakery I’ve been frequenting that is across the street from our original church property. The sister of the owner, Jackelin, is an employee there. Every time I went there, we would always talk, and I would always invite her to church. She lives in San Genaro, so when we started our church there, I began inviting her to attend there. She always promised but never came. Two weeks ago, just before the start of our Tuesday night service, guess who walked in—Jackelin! She attended the service that night and afterwards received Christ as her Saviour! This was an incredible blessing for us. Please pray for her as she continues to come to church and grow in Christ.
Jackelin is one of the 251 people you helped us to reach with the Gospel in the month of July. Thank you so much for your investment in us through your prayers, encouragement, and giving. Please continue to pray for us and the ministry here, as I am sure that August will not disappoint!
Your ambassadors to Perú,
Junior and Jessica Martin
Romans 9:3
July is my favorite month of the year! As you already know, both my wife and I celebrated birthdays this last month. Thank you to the many of you who made our days special through e-mails, cards, Facebook messages, and other ways. This year my birthday fell on a Tuesday, the same night as our church service in San Genaro. At the end of the service, I called on one of our men to dismiss the service in prayer. As he came to the pulpit, he announced that they had a surprise for me—a birthday party! Several of our church ladies and my wife had conspired and planned a very special night for me. We had a blast, and it was a great blessing. God has truly knit our hearts to some very special people.
July 7 was an incredibly special day. As you already know, this was the Sunday we celebrated the one-year anniversary of our church in Villa Marina. It was an amazing and emotional day! Our church people brought a ton of visitors and encouraged many people to attend who had not come for a long time. We had our 2 highest attendances ever—245 Sunday morning and 201 Sunday night! In addition to this, 34 people trusted Christ as their Saviour in these 2 services. I am so thankful for the year God has given us here in Chorrillos.
God has also continued to bless our other 3 church plants. God is doing a great work in our church in San Genaro. Please pray that we find a new building very soon. Many people struggle finding our location, and we are currently renting a second facility for our children due to a lack of space. It is a great problem to have after only three months. Please help us pray so that we can take our church to the next level.
We also had the privilege this last month to host Pastor Xavier Lopez from La Paz, Bolivia, and five of his church men. We were able to show them all of our churches and Bible studies, as well as teach them our pattern for church multiplication. It was a great encouragement to spend some time with another like-minded pastor with a passion to start churches in all of Bolivia. Please pray for this ministry that is doing and is going to do great things for God.
Many of you remember the two college-aged men, Alan and Fernando, who spent several weeks with us in January and February. Upon returning to their hometown of Moquegua, they used what they learned to start two Bible studies in two different parts of their city. Recently one of our team men, Zach Foust, went to visit these two works, to teach, preach, and give them some items to help convert these Bible studies into churches. Little did we know that the Iglesia Bautista Puerta Abierta de San Antonio and Chen Chen were already churches (pictured below)! Please pray for these two young pastors and their church plants!
In closing, I have one story I must share with you. For about eight months, there is a bakery I’ve been frequenting that is across the street from our original church property. The sister of the owner, Jackelin, is an employee there. Every time I went there, we would always talk, and I would always invite her to church. She lives in San Genaro, so when we started our church there, I began inviting her to attend there. She always promised but never came. Two weeks ago, just before the start of our Tuesday night service, guess who walked in—Jackelin! She attended the service that night and afterwards received Christ as her Saviour! This was an incredible blessing for us. Please pray for her as she continues to come to church and grow in Christ.
Jackelin is one of the 251 people you helped us to reach with the Gospel in the month of July. Thank you so much for your investment in us through your prayers, encouragement, and giving. Please continue to pray for us and the ministry here, as I am sure that August will not disappoint!
Your ambassadors to Perú,
Junior and Jessica Martin
Romans 9:3
Friday, August 2, 2013
July Prayer Letter from the Kokubun Family
Dear Praying Friends,
We planned for 200. Having 200 people on our first-year anniversary would be incredible! Having a regular attendance of around 120 on Sunday mornings, we figured that planning for 200 would be plenty. All the plans and preparations were made for our special one-year anniversary and the big meal that followed. The morning came, and we were ready! We had a big choir singing
“About the Cross,” and a children's choir from our church plant in San Genaro came to surprise Preacher. What a wonderful day and service we shared. God exceeded our expectations by allowing us to have our biggest service ever that morning. We had 242 people come to celebrate our day with us, and 34 got saved! We also had over 200 in our evening service, and numerous
members of our church plant in San Gabriel came and were baptized. We praise God for the growth He has given our church this past year, not just numerical growth but also spiritual growth in each individual life.
Last month I wrote to you about Bryan and Kevin's family. While I thought we had reached their entire family, this past week one more older daughter, who was their father's child, came to church. She was sweetly saved this past Sunday! Thank you for your faithful prayers for our ministry here. What we do here would not be possible without you. If you would like to pray specifically with us, here are a few thoughts:
• Please pray for Luis, who has just recently started his own Bible study with his family in a section almost on top of the mountain of San Genaro. Pray for their study to grow and that many would be reached through their outreach.
• Pray for the growth of our believers, that they would grow in their personal faith and gain a passion for personal soul winning.
• Pray for our pastor and team. The Devil does not like what is going on here and would love to destroy anything we are able to do as a team. Pray for God's guidance as we continue following His plan.
• Please pray for our young people. Pray that God would guide them in all purity and that they would seek His heart.
• Please pray for two of the young ladies with whom we have recently been blessed. One is 15, the other 17. They will both be giving birth to children next month. Pray for wisdom as we lead these young ladies.
On a personal note, we were blessed this month to have a visit from two of my wife's siblings. It was a blessing for her to get to soak in some family time and show her siblings our life here. One day, while showing her siblings downtown and allowing them to shop for souvenirs, I had the privilege of meeting Olga. She was very curious about what had brought us to Peru, and I had the chance to share with her the reason we are here. She sweetly accepted Christ as her Saviour and thanked us gratefully for sharing Christ's free gift with her.
In His service,
Daniel and Heather Kokubun
We planned for 200. Having 200 people on our first-year anniversary would be incredible! Having a regular attendance of around 120 on Sunday mornings, we figured that planning for 200 would be plenty. All the plans and preparations were made for our special one-year anniversary and the big meal that followed. The morning came, and we were ready! We had a big choir singing
“About the Cross,” and a children's choir from our church plant in San Genaro came to surprise Preacher. What a wonderful day and service we shared. God exceeded our expectations by allowing us to have our biggest service ever that morning. We had 242 people come to celebrate our day with us, and 34 got saved! We also had over 200 in our evening service, and numerous
members of our church plant in San Gabriel came and were baptized. We praise God for the growth He has given our church this past year, not just numerical growth but also spiritual growth in each individual life.
Last month I wrote to you about Bryan and Kevin's family. While I thought we had reached their entire family, this past week one more older daughter, who was their father's child, came to church. She was sweetly saved this past Sunday! Thank you for your faithful prayers for our ministry here. What we do here would not be possible without you. If you would like to pray specifically with us, here are a few thoughts:
• Please pray for Luis, who has just recently started his own Bible study with his family in a section almost on top of the mountain of San Genaro. Pray for their study to grow and that many would be reached through their outreach.
• Pray for the growth of our believers, that they would grow in their personal faith and gain a passion for personal soul winning.
• Pray for our pastor and team. The Devil does not like what is going on here and would love to destroy anything we are able to do as a team. Pray for God's guidance as we continue following His plan.
• Please pray for our young people. Pray that God would guide them in all purity and that they would seek His heart.
• Please pray for two of the young ladies with whom we have recently been blessed. One is 15, the other 17. They will both be giving birth to children next month. Pray for wisdom as we lead these young ladies.
On a personal note, we were blessed this month to have a visit from two of my wife's siblings. It was a blessing for her to get to soak in some family time and show her siblings our life here. One day, while showing her siblings downtown and allowing them to shop for souvenirs, I had the privilege of meeting Olga. She was very curious about what had brought us to Peru, and I had the chance to share with her the reason we are here. She sweetly accepted Christ as her Saviour and thanked us gratefully for sharing Christ's free gift with her.
In His service,
Daniel and Heather Kokubun
June/July Prayer Letter from the Hubbard Family
Dear Praying Friends,
The past six weeks passed as a whirlwind! In the beginning of June, I spent twelve days in the States helping with FBMI’s Missionary Candidate School, meeting with Pastor Wilkerson, and having my annual cancer checkup at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. It was a very productive twelve days. I received the best report I’ve had since my cancer diagnosis, as none of the tumors experienced any growth in the last year! Praise the Lord! It seems that the treatment they gave me shortly before leaving for Peru worked. They gave me another treatment for this year.
Upon my return to the field, we began to plan for the one-year anniversary of our main church in Villa Marina. I am thrilled to report that the anniversary service was incredibly blessed by God. We had 242 attend Sunday morning and 201 Sunday night. Both of those attendances broke any previous records we have had. There were 30 saved in the services that day alone! The
Spirit of God was evident, and it was exciting to see our facility nearly maxed to capacity!
The four other church plants of our team are steadily growing. We could write volumes to record the testimonies of these precious people. The evening service of our anniversary was sweet, as we had representation from each of the church plants. We had a time of testimony of the blessings of God. What a joy it was to hear individual after individual testify of their love for Christ and the change He has made in their lives. The words of Christ echoed in my heart, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” (John 12:32) God alone deserves the praise and glory for the miracles we’ve seen this past year, likewise,gratitude to each of you who sacrificially give and faithfully pray for our team and our ministry.
We began our fourth week of modular Bible seminary that same week. I never tire of the zeal I see in the members of our church. They want to learn all that they can. They are so excited to be a part of all that is happening in south Lima.
We also had the privilege to host Missionary Xavier Lopez and five men from his church in Bolivia. They came to see first-hand the blessings of God upon our ministry. I believe the five days we spent together will reap eternal rewards, as Bro. Lopez is excited about church planting in Bolivia. We enjoyed sweet fellowship.
We are looking forward to this next month, as we have launched two new Bible studies that have the potential to be churches before long. My family and I will be leaving Peru for ten days in August because of the children’s visa issues. My wife and I have our residency; however, Peru changed the laws while we were working on the children’s residency, and they ended up overstaying their visas. It is not a major problem; we just need to pay a fine and take the children out of the country so that we can begin again under the new laws. Please be in prayer that all will go well with this trip.
We are so grateful for your support of our family and this ministry. We are happy to be your ambassadors to Peru. Thank you!
For His glory,
Dan Hubbard
The past six weeks passed as a whirlwind! In the beginning of June, I spent twelve days in the States helping with FBMI’s Missionary Candidate School, meeting with Pastor Wilkerson, and having my annual cancer checkup at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. It was a very productive twelve days. I received the best report I’ve had since my cancer diagnosis, as none of the tumors experienced any growth in the last year! Praise the Lord! It seems that the treatment they gave me shortly before leaving for Peru worked. They gave me another treatment for this year.
Upon my return to the field, we began to plan for the one-year anniversary of our main church in Villa Marina. I am thrilled to report that the anniversary service was incredibly blessed by God. We had 242 attend Sunday morning and 201 Sunday night. Both of those attendances broke any previous records we have had. There were 30 saved in the services that day alone! The
Spirit of God was evident, and it was exciting to see our facility nearly maxed to capacity!
The four other church plants of our team are steadily growing. We could write volumes to record the testimonies of these precious people. The evening service of our anniversary was sweet, as we had representation from each of the church plants. We had a time of testimony of the blessings of God. What a joy it was to hear individual after individual testify of their love for Christ and the change He has made in their lives. The words of Christ echoed in my heart, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” (John 12:32) God alone deserves the praise and glory for the miracles we’ve seen this past year, likewise,gratitude to each of you who sacrificially give and faithfully pray for our team and our ministry.
We began our fourth week of modular Bible seminary that same week. I never tire of the zeal I see in the members of our church. They want to learn all that they can. They are so excited to be a part of all that is happening in south Lima.
We also had the privilege to host Missionary Xavier Lopez and five men from his church in Bolivia. They came to see first-hand the blessings of God upon our ministry. I believe the five days we spent together will reap eternal rewards, as Bro. Lopez is excited about church planting in Bolivia. We enjoyed sweet fellowship.
We are looking forward to this next month, as we have launched two new Bible studies that have the potential to be churches before long. My family and I will be leaving Peru for ten days in August because of the children’s visa issues. My wife and I have our residency; however, Peru changed the laws while we were working on the children’s residency, and they ended up overstaying their visas. It is not a major problem; we just need to pay a fine and take the children out of the country so that we can begin again under the new laws. Please be in prayer that all will go well with this trip.
We are so grateful for your support of our family and this ministry. We are happy to be your ambassadors to Peru. Thank you!
For His glory,
Dan Hubbard
Thursday, July 25, 2013
June Prayer Letter from the Foust Family
Dear Praying Friends and Supporting Churches,
It often comes as a surprise that it is time again to write another prayer letter! We are actually a week late because it seems to us that time is flying. It is indeed a blessing to be involved in the Lord’s work. We love being busy serving the King of kings.
June was a very exciting month at the church plant in San Gabriel. We are so excited to report that we moved to our new building. We have been there for four weeks and have watched our attendance grow each week. We are extremely blessed to now have space to grow and a nice room for the children and babies. Last Sunday there were 18 children in class! These are largely children whose parents attend church with them, of course.
We are so excited to see whole families attending church together! We are praying that these dads, moms, and kids would continue to grow in the Lord and that our church would have a strong foundation of families built on Christ.We have started a Sunday evening service in San Gabriel. This has been a big blessing for many of our people who must work on Sunday mornings and afternoons. This service has also grown some each week. Last Sunday evening, July 8, we finished our evening service at 5:30 and then took a group of 22 people to IBI Chorrillos to help celebrate the 1st anniversary of our church there! What a blessing to see more than 200 people attend this service. Bro. Hubbard preached an excellent message reminding us to be thankful for the blessings of the year. When he asked for people to give a testimony of what God had done for them in the past year, person after person raised their hand and testified as to God’s saving grace in their lives, families put back together, and hope restored. At the end of the service, I was able to baptized 5 of our dear people from San Gabriel. What an awesome God we serve! We are thrilled to have had a part in this year of blessings!
Please, please continue to pray for Team Peru. We need your prayers, because we need God’s blessing more than ever before. We now have four churches in different parts of Lima; each of these churches and pastors need prayer support. We need prayer for those training for the ministry and those training to help as laymen in the church. We need prayer for our Bible institute. We need prayer for the families of the missionaries here as we continue to adjust to living in a third-world country and experience bouts of culture shock. We are so thankful for the prayer warriors we have supporting us; you encourage our hearts. Thank you.
One additional prayer request: I will be traveling to Moquegua by plane this month to preach for an anniversary service for a friend. While there I will be taking a look at two new churches started by Bro. Alan and Bro. Fernando, two young men who trained with us for a few months recently. These young men are doing a tremendous job. Please pray that I will be a blessing to these churches and that I will have safety in travel.
His for souls,
Zach and Karin Foust, Zachary, C.J., and Logan
It often comes as a surprise that it is time again to write another prayer letter! We are actually a week late because it seems to us that time is flying. It is indeed a blessing to be involved in the Lord’s work. We love being busy serving the King of kings.
June was a very exciting month at the church plant in San Gabriel. We are so excited to report that we moved to our new building. We have been there for four weeks and have watched our attendance grow each week. We are extremely blessed to now have space to grow and a nice room for the children and babies. Last Sunday there were 18 children in class! These are largely children whose parents attend church with them, of course.
We are so excited to see whole families attending church together! We are praying that these dads, moms, and kids would continue to grow in the Lord and that our church would have a strong foundation of families built on Christ.We have started a Sunday evening service in San Gabriel. This has been a big blessing for many of our people who must work on Sunday mornings and afternoons. This service has also grown some each week. Last Sunday evening, July 8, we finished our evening service at 5:30 and then took a group of 22 people to IBI Chorrillos to help celebrate the 1st anniversary of our church there! What a blessing to see more than 200 people attend this service. Bro. Hubbard preached an excellent message reminding us to be thankful for the blessings of the year. When he asked for people to give a testimony of what God had done for them in the past year, person after person raised their hand and testified as to God’s saving grace in their lives, families put back together, and hope restored. At the end of the service, I was able to baptized 5 of our dear people from San Gabriel. What an awesome God we serve! We are thrilled to have had a part in this year of blessings!
Please, please continue to pray for Team Peru. We need your prayers, because we need God’s blessing more than ever before. We now have four churches in different parts of Lima; each of these churches and pastors need prayer support. We need prayer for those training for the ministry and those training to help as laymen in the church. We need prayer for our Bible institute. We need prayer for the families of the missionaries here as we continue to adjust to living in a third-world country and experience bouts of culture shock. We are so thankful for the prayer warriors we have supporting us; you encourage our hearts. Thank you.
One additional prayer request: I will be traveling to Moquegua by plane this month to preach for an anniversary service for a friend. While there I will be taking a look at two new churches started by Bro. Alan and Bro. Fernando, two young men who trained with us for a few months recently. These young men are doing a tremendous job. Please pray that I will be a blessing to these churches and that I will have safety in travel.
His for souls,
Zach and Karin Foust, Zachary, C.J., and Logan
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
June Prayer Letter from the Rader Family
Dear Praying Friends,
Greetings from cool and cloudy Peru! That’s right. We are now in our winter season, but our ministry is fired-up and hotter than ever. All four churches and various Bible studies here are growing, and excitement is high. Every Sunday evening service we hear the reports from the pastors and workers of all the churches of how many came, how many were saved, and other blessings. It’s a HIGHLIGHT!
I am still in part-time language school with the construction moving full speed ahead. My wife is involved in nursery and special music. I am involved in Junior Church and special music. Bro. Abraham Avila does an outstanding job with the Junior Church. As my Spanish grows, he gives me more responsibilities. I am leading a few games, witnessing to visitors, and helping with crowd control.
Speaking of visitors, my wife and I both now have had visitors come on a regular basis, and many have been saved. One of our regular Peruvian members brought a friend two months ago named John. John was saved and baptized the same Sunday. A few weeks later, he started working with me on construction at the church. Since then he has come soul winning with me every week. In spite of my growing Spanish, I still read a lot of my written Gospel presentation, which I had translated. That first week we went soul winning together, I was a little discouraged for John’s sake. I read my Gospel presentation many times, but no one that day would quite let me finish. I did not know it at the time, but God was doing something marvelous in John’s heart. I gave my written presentation to John and asked him to study it. The next week John led his first soul to Christ. The following week he led his second soul. Two weeks later he led his third soul. He now helps with our invitations. Amen! Amen!
My wife has started training a young lady named Leslie to win souls. She is just as eager to learn as John. She went out soul winning for the first time with my wife; and later that same week, she and her mom,while out together, led their first 2 souls to Christ. Amen! Amen! Please pray for John and Leslie.
In our last letter, we mentioned our struggle concerning our permanent-residency status. It turns out that we do need to leave the country and re-enter. The cheapest arrangement we found is a trip to Ecuador in August. Please pray for the details to go as smoothly as possible. Another prayer request we have is also an announcement of one of life’s biggest blessings: please pray for the safe arrival of our third child into this world. That’s right—we’re expecting!
Many days here have been rich with blessings. May we always remember our friends back home who are helping to make it all possible. I wish you all could experience the life of a missionary, but I know we all have our part to play. Please pray that God will continue working here. We love you. Thank you for your love, your support, and your prayers. God bless you.
His for souls,
Mark, Sarah, Savannah,
Paul, & One More Rader
Greetings from cool and cloudy Peru! That’s right. We are now in our winter season, but our ministry is fired-up and hotter than ever. All four churches and various Bible studies here are growing, and excitement is high. Every Sunday evening service we hear the reports from the pastors and workers of all the churches of how many came, how many were saved, and other blessings. It’s a HIGHLIGHT!
I am still in part-time language school with the construction moving full speed ahead. My wife is involved in nursery and special music. I am involved in Junior Church and special music. Bro. Abraham Avila does an outstanding job with the Junior Church. As my Spanish grows, he gives me more responsibilities. I am leading a few games, witnessing to visitors, and helping with crowd control.
Speaking of visitors, my wife and I both now have had visitors come on a regular basis, and many have been saved. One of our regular Peruvian members brought a friend two months ago named John. John was saved and baptized the same Sunday. A few weeks later, he started working with me on construction at the church. Since then he has come soul winning with me every week. In spite of my growing Spanish, I still read a lot of my written Gospel presentation, which I had translated. That first week we went soul winning together, I was a little discouraged for John’s sake. I read my Gospel presentation many times, but no one that day would quite let me finish. I did not know it at the time, but God was doing something marvelous in John’s heart. I gave my written presentation to John and asked him to study it. The next week John led his first soul to Christ. The following week he led his second soul. Two weeks later he led his third soul. He now helps with our invitations. Amen! Amen!
My wife has started training a young lady named Leslie to win souls. She is just as eager to learn as John. She went out soul winning for the first time with my wife; and later that same week, she and her mom,while out together, led their first 2 souls to Christ. Amen! Amen! Please pray for John and Leslie.
In our last letter, we mentioned our struggle concerning our permanent-residency status. It turns out that we do need to leave the country and re-enter. The cheapest arrangement we found is a trip to Ecuador in August. Please pray for the details to go as smoothly as possible. Another prayer request we have is also an announcement of one of life’s biggest blessings: please pray for the safe arrival of our third child into this world. That’s right—we’re expecting!
Many days here have been rich with blessings. May we always remember our friends back home who are helping to make it all possible. I wish you all could experience the life of a missionary, but I know we all have our part to play. Please pray that God will continue working here. We love you. Thank you for your love, your support, and your prayers. God bless you.
His for souls,
Mark, Sarah, Savannah,
Paul, & One More Rader
Thursday, July 11, 2013
June Prayer Letter from the Kokubun Family
Dear Praying Friends,
One of the biggest joys of working in a growing ministry is getting to see our teenagers involved in the ministry themselves. The fact that we have already started three other churches means there are a lot of areas for our teenagers to serve. Many of them help with the other church plants, and some work in more than one! The young people teach children's classes, sing
specials, go soul winning, work in the nurseries, take down names and decisions in the services, serve as ushers, and clean the facilities. On Saturdays during our soul-winning time, along with visiting around our home-church area, we have also visited at all of the new church-plant locations. One weekend we went to San Gabriel, and our group was able to see 26 people saved. Another weekend we went to San Genaro and saw 14 people receive Christ! It's amazing to see the young people get
excited about reaching others for Christ.
Several months ago we had Bryan and Kevin join us for a teen activity. Soon we realized that they weren't coming for anything, and we began to hear stories of their mom, stories of how she was unreasonable and warnings to just leave her alone. In an attempt to win Bryan and Kevin back, I went one day and spoke to her. Contrary to what I had heard, she was kind and explained that her boys could attend but that she was waiting for someone to come to explain to her what our church was all about. I had a lengthy conversation with her that day, and that following weekend her boys came back to our church and were baptized. Several weeks later, she wanted to come to church. Her brother is a faithful member at our and encouraged her to come. She came, was saved, and the very next week got baptized!
By this time we had also heard stories of their dad, an alcoholic. The boys started requesting prayer for him, and not long
after that, he came and was saved. He even came back to church that night! He has continued coming faithfully, along with his wife and two sons, to each service we have. We thank God for this family! But, the story does not end there. Several
weeks ago, we had two more boys begin to attend our youth classes, and they just happened to be the nephews of Bryan and
Kevin. Both of them were also saved and actually spend the weekends with their grandparents (Bryan and Kevin's mom and dad.) Yesterday at church Bryan and Kevin's older brother and his wife came to church. They both received Christ's free salvation.
Praise God for this "whole household" that has come to the saving knowledge of Christ! God truly does miracles!
My wife and I have settled quickly into our new apartment. It's now painted with American colors (AKA neutrals—no hot pink walls for us!) and feels like home. We love being closer to the people God has called us to serve. It's good to know that our teenagers and people can walk to our home if they ever need anything.
Thank you for your prayers and giving. We indeed are most richly blessed.
Serving Him,
Daniel and Heather Kokubun
One of the biggest joys of working in a growing ministry is getting to see our teenagers involved in the ministry themselves. The fact that we have already started three other churches means there are a lot of areas for our teenagers to serve. Many of them help with the other church plants, and some work in more than one! The young people teach children's classes, sing
specials, go soul winning, work in the nurseries, take down names and decisions in the services, serve as ushers, and clean the facilities. On Saturdays during our soul-winning time, along with visiting around our home-church area, we have also visited at all of the new church-plant locations. One weekend we went to San Gabriel, and our group was able to see 26 people saved. Another weekend we went to San Genaro and saw 14 people receive Christ! It's amazing to see the young people get
excited about reaching others for Christ.
Several months ago we had Bryan and Kevin join us for a teen activity. Soon we realized that they weren't coming for anything, and we began to hear stories of their mom, stories of how she was unreasonable and warnings to just leave her alone. In an attempt to win Bryan and Kevin back, I went one day and spoke to her. Contrary to what I had heard, she was kind and explained that her boys could attend but that she was waiting for someone to come to explain to her what our church was all about. I had a lengthy conversation with her that day, and that following weekend her boys came back to our church and were baptized. Several weeks later, she wanted to come to church. Her brother is a faithful member at our and encouraged her to come. She came, was saved, and the very next week got baptized!
By this time we had also heard stories of their dad, an alcoholic. The boys started requesting prayer for him, and not long
after that, he came and was saved. He even came back to church that night! He has continued coming faithfully, along with his wife and two sons, to each service we have. We thank God for this family! But, the story does not end there. Several
weeks ago, we had two more boys begin to attend our youth classes, and they just happened to be the nephews of Bryan and
Kevin. Both of them were also saved and actually spend the weekends with their grandparents (Bryan and Kevin's mom and dad.) Yesterday at church Bryan and Kevin's older brother and his wife came to church. They both received Christ's free salvation.
Praise God for this "whole household" that has come to the saving knowledge of Christ! God truly does miracles!
My wife and I have settled quickly into our new apartment. It's now painted with American colors (AKA neutrals—no hot pink walls for us!) and feels like home. We love being closer to the people God has called us to serve. It's good to know that our teenagers and people can walk to our home if they ever need anything.
Thank you for your prayers and giving. We indeed are most richly blessed.
Serving Him,
Daniel and Heather Kokubun
June Prayer Letter from the Martin Family
Dear Praying Friends,
There is something very special about the name Pastor. With all the joy and excitement of starting a church, very quickly comes the reality of the name Pastor. Pastor is more than making visits and soul winning. Pastor is more than writing sermons and preaching. Pastor is usually always said by hurting people, people who need prayer, people who need counsel, people who need to be loved. That is the greatest part of being Pastor.
In the short life of IBI San Genaro, I have made two hospital visits and preached one funeral. For the last three Saturday nights, I have been preaching on trials and temptations to help our people realize how God is working in their lives . . . and He is! It is amazing to watch and be a part of this. God has blessed our young church.
Recently Arnol, a young man in our church, was released from the hospital after being stabbed seven times and spending seven days in a coma. I went to visit him with Jhonny Farfán, one of the men who helps me. While visiting him Jhonny was able to lead 5 of his family members to Christ! We took him home that day to meet many more of his family members and neighbors. God opened an amazing door for us, and in the next week, Jhonny should be starting a Bible study in this home. God is always working.
Last week I was also able to start a new Bible study in the home of one of our church men. José León has brought many people to church and has somewhat of “Christian” background. He has a heart to serve and a strong desire to grow. He was so excited when I offered the Bible study to him. I arrived on the first night and taught on eternal security. By the end of the night, 21 people came to hear the teaching. Please pray for this study and for this family. I believe God has something very special in the future for the León-Masgo family.
Of course, things are still booming at our main church in Villa Marina. It is hard to believe this Sunday we will be celebrating our one-year anniversary as a church. God has blessed us in a great way. We are still averaging over 100 in all of our Sunday services, and all three of our satellite churches are seeing growth. In the month of June, all of our ministries saw a total of 222 people come to know Christ.
One more story I have to share. One of the families we recently reached in San Genaro has three children. After our Saturday night service, they asked if they could come down and attend the children’s church in Villa Marina. “Of course,” I said. So, for the last three Sundays, I have been picking them up and taking them home each Sunday morning. Last week we were heading to their house after church, and Alexandra was talking to my wife. “Were you here in Peru last year?” she asked. “Yes!” said my wife. “We have been here exactly one year.” “You don’t remember us, do you!?” she said. Very surprised, my wife said, “What do you mean?” She began to tell us a story about when she and her two cousins followed a white lady around the market. She received a tract from our church and was told one day there would be a church in her neighborhood. She got her picture taken with the “white lady” and went home and wished that one day the “greingos” would have a church she could go to with her famiy. Immediately with amazement, my wife remembered! It was us. When our San Genaro church was only a dream, we met Alexandra and her cousins, never knowing our paths would cross again. Later that afternoon we found the picture taken in September—eight months before our church started! Now Alexandra, Piero, Esther, Benjamin, Ysabel, Sandra, Cristina, and Gresia are all on their way to Heaven. What an amazing God we serve!
July is going to be a great month. My birthday was today and our church’s anniversary is the end of this week. I am tempted to let you know all the blessings I have experienced already, but you will have to wait till next month! I know you love suspense (or you are already reading everything on Facebook). Besides there will be many more blessings to share.
Thank you to everyone who makes what we do possible. Your influence is making an incredible difference here in Lima and is felt in our personal lives every day. Thank you for your faithful giving and praying. Each of you are a great blessing to my wife and me. God bless you, and I cannot wait to tell you about July!
Your ambassadors to Perú,
Junior and Jessica Martin
Romans 9:3
There is something very special about the name Pastor. With all the joy and excitement of starting a church, very quickly comes the reality of the name Pastor. Pastor is more than making visits and soul winning. Pastor is more than writing sermons and preaching. Pastor is usually always said by hurting people, people who need prayer, people who need counsel, people who need to be loved. That is the greatest part of being Pastor.
In the short life of IBI San Genaro, I have made two hospital visits and preached one funeral. For the last three Saturday nights, I have been preaching on trials and temptations to help our people realize how God is working in their lives . . . and He is! It is amazing to watch and be a part of this. God has blessed our young church.
Recently Arnol, a young man in our church, was released from the hospital after being stabbed seven times and spending seven days in a coma. I went to visit him with Jhonny Farfán, one of the men who helps me. While visiting him Jhonny was able to lead 5 of his family members to Christ! We took him home that day to meet many more of his family members and neighbors. God opened an amazing door for us, and in the next week, Jhonny should be starting a Bible study in this home. God is always working.
Last week I was also able to start a new Bible study in the home of one of our church men. José León has brought many people to church and has somewhat of “Christian” background. He has a heart to serve and a strong desire to grow. He was so excited when I offered the Bible study to him. I arrived on the first night and taught on eternal security. By the end of the night, 21 people came to hear the teaching. Please pray for this study and for this family. I believe God has something very special in the future for the León-Masgo family.
Of course, things are still booming at our main church in Villa Marina. It is hard to believe this Sunday we will be celebrating our one-year anniversary as a church. God has blessed us in a great way. We are still averaging over 100 in all of our Sunday services, and all three of our satellite churches are seeing growth. In the month of June, all of our ministries saw a total of 222 people come to know Christ.
One more story I have to share. One of the families we recently reached in San Genaro has three children. After our Saturday night service, they asked if they could come down and attend the children’s church in Villa Marina. “Of course,” I said. So, for the last three Sundays, I have been picking them up and taking them home each Sunday morning. Last week we were heading to their house after church, and Alexandra was talking to my wife. “Were you here in Peru last year?” she asked. “Yes!” said my wife. “We have been here exactly one year.” “You don’t remember us, do you!?” she said. Very surprised, my wife said, “What do you mean?” She began to tell us a story about when she and her two cousins followed a white lady around the market. She received a tract from our church and was told one day there would be a church in her neighborhood. She got her picture taken with the “white lady” and went home and wished that one day the “greingos” would have a church she could go to with her famiy. Immediately with amazement, my wife remembered! It was us. When our San Genaro church was only a dream, we met Alexandra and her cousins, never knowing our paths would cross again. Later that afternoon we found the picture taken in September—eight months before our church started! Now Alexandra, Piero, Esther, Benjamin, Ysabel, Sandra, Cristina, and Gresia are all on their way to Heaven. What an amazing God we serve!
July is going to be a great month. My birthday was today and our church’s anniversary is the end of this week. I am tempted to let you know all the blessings I have experienced already, but you will have to wait till next month! I know you love suspense (or you are already reading everything on Facebook). Besides there will be many more blessings to share.
Thank you to everyone who makes what we do possible. Your influence is making an incredible difference here in Lima and is felt in our personal lives every day. Thank you for your faithful giving and praying. Each of you are a great blessing to my wife and me. God bless you, and I cannot wait to tell you about July!
Your ambassadors to Perú,
Junior and Jessica Martin
Romans 9:3
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
May Prayer Letter from the Avila Family
April/May 2013
Dear Pastor and Praying Friends,
Something special for your birthday! On May 28, I celebrated my 33rd my birthday in Lima, Peru. I had an important meeting that morning that I couldn’t miss. However, that afternoon I received a bombardment of hugs and kisses mixed with a “Happy birthday to you . . .” as I walked through my decorated apartment door. It was very heartwarming. There I stood with my book bag on my shoulder and team business on my mind surrounded by loving family. My mind drifted away to one thought, How did I get so blessed? I spent the remainder of the afternoon being lazy with my kiddos. Talk about fun!
I was sweetly and sincerely asked a question as I lay on the living room floor with my kiddos: “Daddy, when are we going to the store?” “What do you mean, Joaquin?” “Yeah, Dad, aren’t we going to buy you your toy?” What? “No, Lani, Daddy doesn’t need any toys.” “C’mon, Dad, I have money left over from my birthday. Let’s go!” “Thank you, Marco, but I think you should save your money.” “It’s okay, Dad. I want you to have it. You should have something special for your birthday.” “Oh, but I do, guys; I have my family with me.”
My family and I had been walking back home from a Bible study when we were stopped by our apartment complex security guard Peter. “You have a beautiful family!” “Thank you.” “No, for real, your kids are very respectable and obedient” “Really?!? Ummm, I mean thank you.” “You don’t understand. Not one child here has ever shaken my hand. Your children always greet me with a handshake. I also love how you don’t have to yell or chase them down when it’s time for them to stop playing at the park. All you do is call them and make a hand gesture.” “Thank you, thank you very much. Peter, can I tell you what has made a difference in our family?” Needless to say, I was able to witness to Peter on that brisk Peruvian evening. Praise the Lord!
I’d like to thank you for your continued prayers and support. We really couldn’t do what we do without you. Please know that you are also being prayed for by our family. We love and appreciate you very much.
Praises:
- One more church has taken us on for support: Open Door Baptist Church, Mesquite, Texas (Pastor Francisco J. Mendoza)
Prayer Requests:
- Safety for our family, our team leader Dan Hubbard, and the other families of Team Peru
- Additional monthly financial support
New Contact Information:
Abraham Avila (To avoid problems with our courier, correspondence must state my name and not “Avila family.”)
Caminos del Inca 2780, Block-C (Street name and house number)
Departamento #504 (Apartment number)
Urb. Prolongación Benavides (Residential zone)
Surco, Lima 15039 Perú (District, city, zip code, country)
219-378-8617
Thank you once again for your prayers and support.
Your co-laborers to Peru,
Abraham, Fabiola, Marco, Leilani, & Joaquin Avila
Dear Pastor and Praying Friends,
Something special for your birthday! On May 28, I celebrated my 33rd my birthday in Lima, Peru. I had an important meeting that morning that I couldn’t miss. However, that afternoon I received a bombardment of hugs and kisses mixed with a “Happy birthday to you . . .” as I walked through my decorated apartment door. It was very heartwarming. There I stood with my book bag on my shoulder and team business on my mind surrounded by loving family. My mind drifted away to one thought, How did I get so blessed? I spent the remainder of the afternoon being lazy with my kiddos. Talk about fun!
I was sweetly and sincerely asked a question as I lay on the living room floor with my kiddos: “Daddy, when are we going to the store?” “What do you mean, Joaquin?” “Yeah, Dad, aren’t we going to buy you your toy?” What? “No, Lani, Daddy doesn’t need any toys.” “C’mon, Dad, I have money left over from my birthday. Let’s go!” “Thank you, Marco, but I think you should save your money.” “It’s okay, Dad. I want you to have it. You should have something special for your birthday.” “Oh, but I do, guys; I have my family with me.”
My family and I had been walking back home from a Bible study when we were stopped by our apartment complex security guard Peter. “You have a beautiful family!” “Thank you.” “No, for real, your kids are very respectable and obedient” “Really?!? Ummm, I mean thank you.” “You don’t understand. Not one child here has ever shaken my hand. Your children always greet me with a handshake. I also love how you don’t have to yell or chase them down when it’s time for them to stop playing at the park. All you do is call them and make a hand gesture.” “Thank you, thank you very much. Peter, can I tell you what has made a difference in our family?” Needless to say, I was able to witness to Peter on that brisk Peruvian evening. Praise the Lord!
I’d like to thank you for your continued prayers and support. We really couldn’t do what we do without you. Please know that you are also being prayed for by our family. We love and appreciate you very much.
Praises:
- One more church has taken us on for support: Open Door Baptist Church, Mesquite, Texas (Pastor Francisco J. Mendoza)
Prayer Requests:
- Safety for our family, our team leader Dan Hubbard, and the other families of Team Peru
- Additional monthly financial support
New Contact Information:
Abraham Avila (To avoid problems with our courier, correspondence must state my name and not “Avila family.”)
Caminos del Inca 2780, Block-C (Street name and house number)
Departamento #504 (Apartment number)
Urb. Prolongación Benavides (Residential zone)
Surco, Lima 15039 Perú (District, city, zip code, country)
219-378-8617
Thank you once again for your prayers and support.
Your co-laborers to Peru,
Abraham, Fabiola, Marco, Leilani, & Joaquin Avila
Monday, June 10, 2013
May Prayer Letter from the Martin Family
Dear Praying Friends,
Wow, does time fly by! In less than two weeks, we will have been here in Perú for one year. This has been the most amazing year of our lives. It is amazing to look back at all that God has done for us over these last 11 months. This is a special time for us and we have a lot to be thankful for.
Today, was also a very special day for us personally. Tonight, we had our normal mid-week service at our San Genaro church plant. This service marked the one month anniversary of our church. I am so thrilled for the work that God has begun to do on our hill. God has blessed us with an amazing team that has jumped in and done a fantastic job. I do not know what has been the biggest blessing…the way that God is growing our church or the way that God is working in the lives of our workers. I truly believe the latter.
However, God is blessing IBI San Genaro in an amazing way. We have been averaging 40 in our Saturday night service and 20 in our mid-week service. To date, God has allowed us to see 22 people saved in our church services. God is so good to us! As an added blessing, I also was able to baptize one of our first converts at our Villa Marina church.
Three weeks ago, two of our ladies Ana and Alexandra, started our children’s program on Saturday night. This area is overflowing with children and gives us a great opportunity to reach not only these kids, but also their families. The last two weeks these ladies have had over 20 kids in their class and many saved! It is such a blessing to witness both the growth of this ministry and of these ladies.
Running full-speed ahead, on May 19, our fourth church started in the neighboring district of Surco. This was a huge answer to prayer. Ezequiel Martinez has been doing a great job with our group from Surco and now with the church. On their first Sunday, they had 28 in attendance, with two saved. Please continue to pray for this growing work.
Of course, God is still blessing our main church in Villa Marina. With all of the changes being implemented, our people have remained faithful and our numbers have been stable. We are looking to start new Bible studies in the upcoming weeks and are now preparing for our fourth week of Bible Institute that will be starting next week. Mark Rader, along with many of our church men, has continued the work of building and improving our current property in order for us to have a beautiful, first-class church.
Please continue to pray for our ministry, especially now as we are intensifying the training of our church people to fill in the voids created by the starting of these churches. God has blessed us with some amazing families with enormous potential. I am excited to see what the future holds for them.
With our eyes on the future, I do not want to forget about the present. God allowed us to see a total of 179 people saved in the month of May! This is an incredible blessing but we still have a lot of work to do. Thank you to each and everyone of you who make all we do possible through your prayers and support. Thank you for being part of our team. God bless you all!
Your ambassadors to Perú,
Junior and Jessica Martin
Romans 9:3
Wow, does time fly by! In less than two weeks, we will have been here in Perú for one year. This has been the most amazing year of our lives. It is amazing to look back at all that God has done for us over these last 11 months. This is a special time for us and we have a lot to be thankful for.
Today, was also a very special day for us personally. Tonight, we had our normal mid-week service at our San Genaro church plant. This service marked the one month anniversary of our church. I am so thrilled for the work that God has begun to do on our hill. God has blessed us with an amazing team that has jumped in and done a fantastic job. I do not know what has been the biggest blessing…the way that God is growing our church or the way that God is working in the lives of our workers. I truly believe the latter.
However, God is blessing IBI San Genaro in an amazing way. We have been averaging 40 in our Saturday night service and 20 in our mid-week service. To date, God has allowed us to see 22 people saved in our church services. God is so good to us! As an added blessing, I also was able to baptize one of our first converts at our Villa Marina church.
Three weeks ago, two of our ladies Ana and Alexandra, started our children’s program on Saturday night. This area is overflowing with children and gives us a great opportunity to reach not only these kids, but also their families. The last two weeks these ladies have had over 20 kids in their class and many saved! It is such a blessing to witness both the growth of this ministry and of these ladies.
Running full-speed ahead, on May 19, our fourth church started in the neighboring district of Surco. This was a huge answer to prayer. Ezequiel Martinez has been doing a great job with our group from Surco and now with the church. On their first Sunday, they had 28 in attendance, with two saved. Please continue to pray for this growing work.
Of course, God is still blessing our main church in Villa Marina. With all of the changes being implemented, our people have remained faithful and our numbers have been stable. We are looking to start new Bible studies in the upcoming weeks and are now preparing for our fourth week of Bible Institute that will be starting next week. Mark Rader, along with many of our church men, has continued the work of building and improving our current property in order for us to have a beautiful, first-class church.
Please continue to pray for our ministry, especially now as we are intensifying the training of our church people to fill in the voids created by the starting of these churches. God has blessed us with some amazing families with enormous potential. I am excited to see what the future holds for them.
With our eyes on the future, I do not want to forget about the present. God allowed us to see a total of 179 people saved in the month of May! This is an incredible blessing but we still have a lot of work to do. Thank you to each and everyone of you who make all we do possible through your prayers and support. Thank you for being part of our team. God bless you all!
Your ambassadors to Perú,
Junior and Jessica Martin
Romans 9:3
Thursday, June 6, 2013
May Prayer Letter from the Kokubun Family
Dear Friends,
Since the name of the game Dodge Ball in English isn't thrilling enough, someone decided to spice it up in Spanish and call it "Kill people." The young people love it here and one Friday night this month we had 30 teenagers to show up in the park to play. The kids not only had a good time, but they got to taste "Mexican nachos" for the first time. My wife made all the fixings, and after several hours of play, we invited many of the new kids to the church to eat with us.
After a time of fellowship, I divided up several of my teenage young men and we witnessed to the visitors who had been attracted by our game of "Kill people." That night, seven young men bowed their heads and received Christ as their personal Savior. One of our faithful teenage boys, Josel, (Who I wrote about in our last letter) got to lead his first two souls to Christ that day. Our teenagers got pumped that night, and between Friday night and Saturday, our group was able to see 24 people get saved! It's amazing what God is doing here.
We're excited to announce that church number four began several weeks ago in a district nearby named Surco! Bro. Ezekiel Martinez is pastoring there, and for their first service they had 28 in attendance with two people saved. We have a solid group of people from our church who come from Surco each week, so there is a good core of people who are attending this church and helping Bro. Martinez!
Our church in Chorrillos is continuing to grow! Construction is constantly underway. We now have an all purpose room we are able to use for our children on Sunday mornings, and a nursery upstairs. Previously, we have been renting locations at places nearby. It's a blessing to have both of these new rooms on site with our church. Because Lima is such a night city, Sunday
evenings are usually when our biggest crowd shows up. It's exciting to see our building fill up with people! Last Sunday night, we had 4 visitors. The Peruvians we have trained to soul win are now turning around and training other Peruvians to soul win. So when it came time for invitation, we had them separated in groups of three: the visitor, soul winner, and trainee. What a blessing it is to see growth in the lives of these new Peruvian believers.
We just recently finished our third in home Bible study. We are excited to begin our fourth in just a couple of weeks. On a personal note, we have been very busy packing up boxes and preparing for a move! God recently opened up the door for us to move into the city. The most exciting part of this move is that it will allow us to be closer to the people; the people we came here to reach.
Thank you for your continued prayers concerning our ministry. We could not do what we do without each of you.
Serving Him,
Daniel and Heather
Since the name of the game Dodge Ball in English isn't thrilling enough, someone decided to spice it up in Spanish and call it "Kill people." The young people love it here and one Friday night this month we had 30 teenagers to show up in the park to play. The kids not only had a good time, but they got to taste "Mexican nachos" for the first time. My wife made all the fixings, and after several hours of play, we invited many of the new kids to the church to eat with us.
After a time of fellowship, I divided up several of my teenage young men and we witnessed to the visitors who had been attracted by our game of "Kill people." That night, seven young men bowed their heads and received Christ as their personal Savior. One of our faithful teenage boys, Josel, (Who I wrote about in our last letter) got to lead his first two souls to Christ that day. Our teenagers got pumped that night, and between Friday night and Saturday, our group was able to see 24 people get saved! It's amazing what God is doing here.
We're excited to announce that church number four began several weeks ago in a district nearby named Surco! Bro. Ezekiel Martinez is pastoring there, and for their first service they had 28 in attendance with two people saved. We have a solid group of people from our church who come from Surco each week, so there is a good core of people who are attending this church and helping Bro. Martinez!
Our church in Chorrillos is continuing to grow! Construction is constantly underway. We now have an all purpose room we are able to use for our children on Sunday mornings, and a nursery upstairs. Previously, we have been renting locations at places nearby. It's a blessing to have both of these new rooms on site with our church. Because Lima is such a night city, Sunday
evenings are usually when our biggest crowd shows up. It's exciting to see our building fill up with people! Last Sunday night, we had 4 visitors. The Peruvians we have trained to soul win are now turning around and training other Peruvians to soul win. So when it came time for invitation, we had them separated in groups of three: the visitor, soul winner, and trainee. What a blessing it is to see growth in the lives of these new Peruvian believers.
We just recently finished our third in home Bible study. We are excited to begin our fourth in just a couple of weeks. On a personal note, we have been very busy packing up boxes and preparing for a move! God recently opened up the door for us to move into the city. The most exciting part of this move is that it will allow us to be closer to the people; the people we came here to reach.
Thank you for your continued prayers concerning our ministry. We could not do what we do without each of you.
Serving Him,
Daniel and Heather
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
May Prayer Letter from the Foust Family
May 28, 2013
Dear Praying Friends and Supporting Churches,
It certainly has been a busy time here in Lima, Peru! What a blessing it is to be allowed the privilege of serving the King of kings here in South America! As our ministry grows here, we experience the increased workload and responsibilities of caring for a great number of people, mostly new Christians. We thank God for these responsibilities and ask that you continue to pray for that we would walk worthy of our calling and that we would care for these precious ones as Christ would do.
IBI of Chorrillos has continued to grow week by week. We have now reached the stage where the Peruvian people are training more Peruvian people how to win souls to Christ. This is very exciting to watch, as it strengthens the faith of both and encourages us all to reach more for Him! Additionally, the institute has been going well. This past month we taught a class on “Teaching,” and many in the church are now showing interest in teaching Sunday school and Bible studies.
Our church in San Gabriel continues to grow. We are especially encouraged to see that the people have an appetite for winning souls. Some are now helping in the invitation time and witnessing to family, friends, and coworkers! Additionally, we are now ready to sign the contract to rent a very nice building only a block away from the house in which we now meet! We will have plenty of space to grow in our new place, and the children and nursery will have a separate room. We are praising the Lord for this great opportunity. The landlords met with us recently, and while we were viewing the building, some of our teens who were soul winning nearby came up to check out the new place. They began to sing a special that they have been practicing, “I Will Serve Thee.” Their song touched the hearts of the couple, and they came to the service that evening,
where they both trusted Christ!
Our family continues to do well. We feel the effects of homesickness at times, but we rejoice that God has allowed us to be a part of this great undertaking. The boys are doing very well. Their Spanish is coming along; they all communicate with friends here with little trouble. Logan was excited to lead his first 2 souls to Christ this month! We are happy to be serving the Lord here with our family!
Please continue to pray for us. We need your prayers each day.
His for souls,
Zach and Karin Foust, Zachary, C.J., and Logan
Dear Praying Friends and Supporting Churches,
It certainly has been a busy time here in Lima, Peru! What a blessing it is to be allowed the privilege of serving the King of kings here in South America! As our ministry grows here, we experience the increased workload and responsibilities of caring for a great number of people, mostly new Christians. We thank God for these responsibilities and ask that you continue to pray for that we would walk worthy of our calling and that we would care for these precious ones as Christ would do.
IBI of Chorrillos has continued to grow week by week. We have now reached the stage where the Peruvian people are training more Peruvian people how to win souls to Christ. This is very exciting to watch, as it strengthens the faith of both and encourages us all to reach more for Him! Additionally, the institute has been going well. This past month we taught a class on “Teaching,” and many in the church are now showing interest in teaching Sunday school and Bible studies.
Our church in San Gabriel continues to grow. We are especially encouraged to see that the people have an appetite for winning souls. Some are now helping in the invitation time and witnessing to family, friends, and coworkers! Additionally, we are now ready to sign the contract to rent a very nice building only a block away from the house in which we now meet! We will have plenty of space to grow in our new place, and the children and nursery will have a separate room. We are praising the Lord for this great opportunity. The landlords met with us recently, and while we were viewing the building, some of our teens who were soul winning nearby came up to check out the new place. They began to sing a special that they have been practicing, “I Will Serve Thee.” Their song touched the hearts of the couple, and they came to the service that evening,
where they both trusted Christ!
Our family continues to do well. We feel the effects of homesickness at times, but we rejoice that God has allowed us to be a part of this great undertaking. The boys are doing very well. Their Spanish is coming along; they all communicate with friends here with little trouble. Logan was excited to lead his first 2 souls to Christ this month! We are happy to be serving the Lord here with our family!
Please continue to pray for us. We need your prayers each day.
His for souls,
Zach and Karin Foust, Zachary, C.J., and Logan
Friday, May 31, 2013
May Prayer Letter from the Hubbard Family
Dear Praying Friends,
New life and new growth have been all about us these past two months. We are thrilled to report that my wife safely delivered our fifth child on Thursday, April 11, 2013, here in Peru! We named him Luke Daniel Hubbard. The name Luke means “giver of light.” It is our prayer that he will be reared for just that purpose. He is truly a blessing, and the family is acclimating quickly to him. He has a house full of people who love him dearly.
Likewise, we’ve seen new life in many converts who have been won to Christ in the last several months. I thrill to see “the light turn on” in the eyes of one as he understands the truth of the Gospel. I recently began a new eleven-week Bible study in yet another home of some of our converts. I’ve been able to lead many of their family and friends to the Lord since its beginning.
Our growth continues to be steady and sure in the church. We are consistently seeing souls added to the church. More people are getting involved in the Bible-study programs, the monthly Bible seminary, weekly soul winning, and other avenues of service. God has graciously answered our prayers in providing a building for both the churches of San Genaro and Surco! These are churches we requested prayer for in our last several letters. So the work continues to grow and build! Praise the Lord!
We recently got word that the two young Bible-college students who spent their summer learning from us and helping start one of our churches have begun two Bible studies in Southern Peru that will soon be independent churches! Their pastor learned of our ministry and asked if he could send two of his workers to learn about discipling and church planting. We are rejoicing, as we are beginning to see the vision unfold. They are set to begin these new works and many others!
We are excited as we look toward the future. We will be putting much work into the establishing of our next two churches, as well as continuing our investment of time and effort in our first two churches. Please be in prayer for our team, our family, and the work here in Peru. We are well aware that with the establishing of each new church, the enemy is that much more displeased. We covet your prayers.
I marvel as I look back on the ten-plus months we’ve been here in Peru . . . and all that GOD has done; and yet, as I drive
into the mountains and see the vast expanse of Lima alone, I am made aware that there is still so much to do. Thank you
for seeing our vision, investing in that vision, and remaining faithful to your commitment of prayer and giving. Truly we
are experiencing a miracle, and it is ALL fruit to your account.
For His glory,
Dan Hubbard
New life and new growth have been all about us these past two months. We are thrilled to report that my wife safely delivered our fifth child on Thursday, April 11, 2013, here in Peru! We named him Luke Daniel Hubbard. The name Luke means “giver of light.” It is our prayer that he will be reared for just that purpose. He is truly a blessing, and the family is acclimating quickly to him. He has a house full of people who love him dearly.
Likewise, we’ve seen new life in many converts who have been won to Christ in the last several months. I thrill to see “the light turn on” in the eyes of one as he understands the truth of the Gospel. I recently began a new eleven-week Bible study in yet another home of some of our converts. I’ve been able to lead many of their family and friends to the Lord since its beginning.
Our growth continues to be steady and sure in the church. We are consistently seeing souls added to the church. More people are getting involved in the Bible-study programs, the monthly Bible seminary, weekly soul winning, and other avenues of service. God has graciously answered our prayers in providing a building for both the churches of San Genaro and Surco! These are churches we requested prayer for in our last several letters. So the work continues to grow and build! Praise the Lord!
We recently got word that the two young Bible-college students who spent their summer learning from us and helping start one of our churches have begun two Bible studies in Southern Peru that will soon be independent churches! Their pastor learned of our ministry and asked if he could send two of his workers to learn about discipling and church planting. We are rejoicing, as we are beginning to see the vision unfold. They are set to begin these new works and many others!
We are excited as we look toward the future. We will be putting much work into the establishing of our next two churches, as well as continuing our investment of time and effort in our first two churches. Please be in prayer for our team, our family, and the work here in Peru. We are well aware that with the establishing of each new church, the enemy is that much more displeased. We covet your prayers.
I marvel as I look back on the ten-plus months we’ve been here in Peru . . . and all that GOD has done; and yet, as I drive
into the mountains and see the vast expanse of Lima alone, I am made aware that there is still so much to do. Thank you
for seeing our vision, investing in that vision, and remaining faithful to your commitment of prayer and giving. Truly we
are experiencing a miracle, and it is ALL fruit to your account.
For His glory,
Dan Hubbard
Sunday, May 19, 2013
April Prayer Letter from the Kokubuns
Dear Praying Friends,
One of the goals of our team is making disciples. Since day one, we have been working to not only lead many to Christ but also to train them to go and do likewise. In less than a year, we have seen God do some amazing work in the hearts of some of our members. One such family is whom I would like to tell you about today.
Mayerlomi began coming to church with her daughter several months after we had started our little church on the corner. She had been attending a different church for quite some time, but when she came to Iglesia Internacional, she saw something different. Soon Camila, Mayerlomi's daughter, received Christ and decided to get baptized. That day many of their family members came to church to see her get baptized. This included Mayerlomi's husband Luis and their two sons, Luis and Josel. At the time of the invitation, Luis, Luis Jr, and Josel all received a clear explanation of the Gospel. On the same day, all three of them got saved. God began doing a miracle in their family. They began faithfully attending our services and getting involved. Several weeks later my wife and I invited their family over for Sunday dinner. During sweet fellowship we asked them how they would feel about hosting a Bible study in their home. Two weeks later, after they had put a fresh coat of paint on their living room, we began a Bible study in their home.
This sweet family now has a major role in our church. Luis, the father, works for our church doing construction during the week. Each of them knows how to win souls and now help during our invitation time at church. They have also witnessed to many of their family members and brought them to church. Just last week Luis' sister got baptized. Their boys, Luis and Josel, are very involved in our youth group. They show up at each service and activity eager to get involved and learn. Their dispositions have changed too. When they first came, their faces were very hard. Now you can't get them to stop smiling!
After we finished doing the 11-week Bible study in their' home, they began coming with us to our next Bible study, where Luis has been learning how to lead his own Bible study. He has been growing in His walk with God and has spoken with me several times about becoming a pastor and serving God with his life.
This month one of our team members, Junior Martin, will be starting a church in an area of town called San Genaro. Luis is stepping up to the plate and assisting in this church. Please pray for him and his family as they become involved in this new church plant. Thank you for your prayers! God is doing great things in our midst!
Your co-laborers for Christ,
Daniel and Heather Kokubun
One of the goals of our team is making disciples. Since day one, we have been working to not only lead many to Christ but also to train them to go and do likewise. In less than a year, we have seen God do some amazing work in the hearts of some of our members. One such family is whom I would like to tell you about today.
Mayerlomi began coming to church with her daughter several months after we had started our little church on the corner. She had been attending a different church for quite some time, but when she came to Iglesia Internacional, she saw something different. Soon Camila, Mayerlomi's daughter, received Christ and decided to get baptized. That day many of their family members came to church to see her get baptized. This included Mayerlomi's husband Luis and their two sons, Luis and Josel. At the time of the invitation, Luis, Luis Jr, and Josel all received a clear explanation of the Gospel. On the same day, all three of them got saved. God began doing a miracle in their family. They began faithfully attending our services and getting involved. Several weeks later my wife and I invited their family over for Sunday dinner. During sweet fellowship we asked them how they would feel about hosting a Bible study in their home. Two weeks later, after they had put a fresh coat of paint on their living room, we began a Bible study in their home.
This sweet family now has a major role in our church. Luis, the father, works for our church doing construction during the week. Each of them knows how to win souls and now help during our invitation time at church. They have also witnessed to many of their family members and brought them to church. Just last week Luis' sister got baptized. Their boys, Luis and Josel, are very involved in our youth group. They show up at each service and activity eager to get involved and learn. Their dispositions have changed too. When they first came, their faces were very hard. Now you can't get them to stop smiling!
After we finished doing the 11-week Bible study in their' home, they began coming with us to our next Bible study, where Luis has been learning how to lead his own Bible study. He has been growing in His walk with God and has spoken with me several times about becoming a pastor and serving God with his life.
This month one of our team members, Junior Martin, will be starting a church in an area of town called San Genaro. Luis is stepping up to the plate and assisting in this church. Please pray for him and his family as they become involved in this new church plant. Thank you for your prayers! God is doing great things in our midst!
Your co-laborers for Christ,
Daniel and Heather Kokubun
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
April Prayer Letter from the Martin Family
Dear Praying Friends,
“It is May 10, and I haven’t written the prayer letter yet!!!” This outburst just occurred a second ago here in our living room. Okay, maybe I was a bit over-dramatic. Maybe I have said something similar to this to my wife over the last ten days. It’s been a little hectic, but busy is good. God has given us a lot of blessings to share. “. . . wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?” (Luke 2:49)
April was an incredibly busy month, especially leading into the first of May. I know I should technically wait till next month, but of course the biggest news is the planting of our third church. For many months, many of you have seen my heart for the area of San Genaro and have joined me in prayer for the opportunity to start a church in this area. On April 11 this dream became a reality, as God led us to an ideal building, and we signed the contract on April 15. This is a huge answer to prayer. Since securing the building, God has given me a great team of eleven of our church people to help me in this new work. It has been a great encouragement to me to work side by side with these men, women, and teenagers and watch them grow and serve.
May 4 was the date we set for the launching of our church. For several reasons we chose to make our church plant a different type of pattern. Our main service is on Saturday night, and our midweek service is on Tuesday night. This gives the people we reach the opportunity to attend services in our main church, as well as allows Jessica and me to maintain our involvement in Villa Marina.
May 4 came, and what a day it was. That morning we went up the hill with our team and all of the teenagers of our church and blanketed the marketplace with tracts, inviting people to our service. Church time came, and God blessed in an amazing way. We had 38 in our first service, with 4 people saved! To God be the glory! There are too many blessings to count from that first service. We had several visitors attend, as well as some families I have been working on for a while. Please continue to pray for the future growth of our young church. We have a bright future and whole lot of work to do.
God opened another door for us in April that we have been praying about for a long time. Our fourth church plant will be in the neighboring district of Surco where we already have a base of people coming to our church. This church will be under the direction of Ezequiel Martinez. Zeke currently has a Bible study here averaging over 20 each week. The exact same week I signed on our San Genaro property, God gave Zeke a great local for his church. Please pray for this work and for the Martinez family, as they will have their first church service on May 19.
In addition to all the newness, God has continued to bless our main church in Villa Marina. Our attendance has steadily increased over the last month as we have averaged 132 in our Sunday services, with our highest Sunday night attendance of 150. With all of our Bible studies and our San Gabriel church plant, we are averaging over 240 different people attending at least one of our services each week! God is amazing! Thank you for making all this possible. In the month of April, God allowed us to see a total of 182 souls saved through our ministry here. Thank you for the privilege of adding fruit to your account.
There is one story that I must tell. Since December, I have done a great deal of print and design work with a lady named Flor, who owns a print business here in Chorrillos. I have developed a great relationship with her and her employees, and she has done a great job for us. One day I walked in to get some work done, and, like always, she asked me how I was doing. Jokingly I said, “Busy, tired, but always good.” She laughed and said, “You know, you always say that. No matter what, you are always good and always happy.” I quickly realized God was giving me an opportunity that I had prayed for. I began to explain to Flor what makes the difference in my life. After several minutes in her shop, Flor bowed her head and asked Jesus into her heart. Afterwards she took one of our tracts out of her desk and said, “I have printed thousands of these tracts and read them more than ten times and never understood what the verses meant. Thank you for explaining it to me.” Since that day, every time I walk into her shop and ask her how she is doing, she answers, “Always and forever good!”
Thank you for the difference you are making here in Lima. Thank you for allowing us to represent you here in Peru.
Your ambassadors to Perú,
Junior and Jessica Martin
Romans 9:3
“It is May 10, and I haven’t written the prayer letter yet!!!” This outburst just occurred a second ago here in our living room. Okay, maybe I was a bit over-dramatic. Maybe I have said something similar to this to my wife over the last ten days. It’s been a little hectic, but busy is good. God has given us a lot of blessings to share. “. . . wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?” (Luke 2:49)
April was an incredibly busy month, especially leading into the first of May. I know I should technically wait till next month, but of course the biggest news is the planting of our third church. For many months, many of you have seen my heart for the area of San Genaro and have joined me in prayer for the opportunity to start a church in this area. On April 11 this dream became a reality, as God led us to an ideal building, and we signed the contract on April 15. This is a huge answer to prayer. Since securing the building, God has given me a great team of eleven of our church people to help me in this new work. It has been a great encouragement to me to work side by side with these men, women, and teenagers and watch them grow and serve.
May 4 was the date we set for the launching of our church. For several reasons we chose to make our church plant a different type of pattern. Our main service is on Saturday night, and our midweek service is on Tuesday night. This gives the people we reach the opportunity to attend services in our main church, as well as allows Jessica and me to maintain our involvement in Villa Marina.
May 4 came, and what a day it was. That morning we went up the hill with our team and all of the teenagers of our church and blanketed the marketplace with tracts, inviting people to our service. Church time came, and God blessed in an amazing way. We had 38 in our first service, with 4 people saved! To God be the glory! There are too many blessings to count from that first service. We had several visitors attend, as well as some families I have been working on for a while. Please continue to pray for the future growth of our young church. We have a bright future and whole lot of work to do.
God opened another door for us in April that we have been praying about for a long time. Our fourth church plant will be in the neighboring district of Surco where we already have a base of people coming to our church. This church will be under the direction of Ezequiel Martinez. Zeke currently has a Bible study here averaging over 20 each week. The exact same week I signed on our San Genaro property, God gave Zeke a great local for his church. Please pray for this work and for the Martinez family, as they will have their first church service on May 19.
In addition to all the newness, God has continued to bless our main church in Villa Marina. Our attendance has steadily increased over the last month as we have averaged 132 in our Sunday services, with our highest Sunday night attendance of 150. With all of our Bible studies and our San Gabriel church plant, we are averaging over 240 different people attending at least one of our services each week! God is amazing! Thank you for making all this possible. In the month of April, God allowed us to see a total of 182 souls saved through our ministry here. Thank you for the privilege of adding fruit to your account.
There is one story that I must tell. Since December, I have done a great deal of print and design work with a lady named Flor, who owns a print business here in Chorrillos. I have developed a great relationship with her and her employees, and she has done a great job for us. One day I walked in to get some work done, and, like always, she asked me how I was doing. Jokingly I said, “Busy, tired, but always good.” She laughed and said, “You know, you always say that. No matter what, you are always good and always happy.” I quickly realized God was giving me an opportunity that I had prayed for. I began to explain to Flor what makes the difference in my life. After several minutes in her shop, Flor bowed her head and asked Jesus into her heart. Afterwards she took one of our tracts out of her desk and said, “I have printed thousands of these tracts and read them more than ten times and never understood what the verses meant. Thank you for explaining it to me.” Since that day, every time I walk into her shop and ask her how she is doing, she answers, “Always and forever good!”
Thank you for the difference you are making here in Lima. Thank you for allowing us to represent you here in Peru.
Your ambassadors to Perú,
Junior and Jessica Martin
Romans 9:3
Monday, May 6, 2013
March/ April Prayer Letter from the Rader Family
Dear praying friends,
March and April have been by far our busiest months. One of our new responsibilities we spoke of in our last letter was taking over the construction on our new church property. Many projects are still but what we have built that is in use at this point are two new bathrooms (built from the ground up), a new junior church, a new nursery, and an all purpose room. Many other restoration projects were done to the property as well. I thank God for a loving, supporting wife that has endured her husband being away from home for many 16 + hour work days. The Lord has enabled us greatly to accomplish this work. Since arriving in Peru, I have learned welding, drywall, wood and steel framing, electrical, plumbing, foundation work, masonry, and more. I had to learn this not as an employee, but as the on-site foreman. Most of our workers are our church members. We have had a few work days with more than 30 church members arriving throughout the day to work. We had work for all of them, and all of them worked hard. These are incredible people here that love their God and love their church.Many of our work days have ended in a spontaneous Bible study prompted by a Bible question. I could barely convey my point, but they are patient listeners hungry for the Word of God.
In spite of the fact that the construction work has consumed most of my time, and the time I wished to devote to learning the language, my soul winning here has improved. One day while my wife was leading two children to the Lord, a teenage boy came around the corner. He listened politely to the presentation of the Gospel but he did not think he could be saved because he was a thief. After reading James 2:10, I John 1:7, and speaking of the thief on the cross, he changed his mind and was sweetly
saved. Another man, named Silver, with a mangled arm listened patiently as I took a long time to present the Gospel. Silver now has a new arm waiting in Glory. Praise God! Sarah, of course, is on a roll with soul winning. Both of us have had visitors to church and Sarah had a convert get baptized.
The construction responsibilities have been our pleasure to fulfill. In so doing we have enabled our teammates to concentrate their efforts to move forward with both churches, now soon to be 4 churches. Our team has just secured properties in Surco and San Genaro. These 2 churches will start in just a few weeks. Concerning our existing churches, attendances are up, souls saved are up, and baptisms are up. Amen!
Please keep all of our team uplifted in prayer. We are asking prayer specifically for our permanent residency cards. Since our arrival here, the government of Peru has made the process of obtaining these more time consuming. Due to the limits of our temporary visas, it looks as if we may have to leave the country and re-enter. Of course, whatever the Lord allows is perfect, and our trust is in Him. We welcome your prayers concerning this matter.
We have had phone difficulties since we arrived. For now, our dependable form of communication is email. Our emails, rader.teamperu@gmail.com and markrader@fbmi.org, are checked every day. If you call our number (219)588-0003 we will not be able to answer, but the voicemail will be emailed to us. Also, our field address is on the 2nd page of this letter.
We can’t thank you enough for your help and encouragement. We had a great time celebrating Paul’s first birthday and Sarah’s first “age-classified” birthday. Please continue to pray for us. We live in sight of the evidence of your prayers. Thank you for your love, support, and prayers. God bless you.
In Christ,
Mark, Sarah, Savannah, & Paul Rader
Our field address:
Mark & Sarah Rader
Calle Don Francisco 448 Depto 401
Urbanizacion Santa Rosa
Rosa de Surco, Santiago de Surco
Lima, 33 Peru
Our stateside address:
Mark & Sarah Rader
7812 Birch Drive
Hammond, IN 46324
March and April have been by far our busiest months. One of our new responsibilities we spoke of in our last letter was taking over the construction on our new church property. Many projects are still but what we have built that is in use at this point are two new bathrooms (built from the ground up), a new junior church, a new nursery, and an all purpose room. Many other restoration projects were done to the property as well. I thank God for a loving, supporting wife that has endured her husband being away from home for many 16 + hour work days. The Lord has enabled us greatly to accomplish this work. Since arriving in Peru, I have learned welding, drywall, wood and steel framing, electrical, plumbing, foundation work, masonry, and more. I had to learn this not as an employee, but as the on-site foreman. Most of our workers are our church members. We have had a few work days with more than 30 church members arriving throughout the day to work. We had work for all of them, and all of them worked hard. These are incredible people here that love their God and love their church.Many of our work days have ended in a spontaneous Bible study prompted by a Bible question. I could barely convey my point, but they are patient listeners hungry for the Word of God.
In spite of the fact that the construction work has consumed most of my time, and the time I wished to devote to learning the language, my soul winning here has improved. One day while my wife was leading two children to the Lord, a teenage boy came around the corner. He listened politely to the presentation of the Gospel but he did not think he could be saved because he was a thief. After reading James 2:10, I John 1:7, and speaking of the thief on the cross, he changed his mind and was sweetly
saved. Another man, named Silver, with a mangled arm listened patiently as I took a long time to present the Gospel. Silver now has a new arm waiting in Glory. Praise God! Sarah, of course, is on a roll with soul winning. Both of us have had visitors to church and Sarah had a convert get baptized.
The construction responsibilities have been our pleasure to fulfill. In so doing we have enabled our teammates to concentrate their efforts to move forward with both churches, now soon to be 4 churches. Our team has just secured properties in Surco and San Genaro. These 2 churches will start in just a few weeks. Concerning our existing churches, attendances are up, souls saved are up, and baptisms are up. Amen!
Please keep all of our team uplifted in prayer. We are asking prayer specifically for our permanent residency cards. Since our arrival here, the government of Peru has made the process of obtaining these more time consuming. Due to the limits of our temporary visas, it looks as if we may have to leave the country and re-enter. Of course, whatever the Lord allows is perfect, and our trust is in Him. We welcome your prayers concerning this matter.
We have had phone difficulties since we arrived. For now, our dependable form of communication is email. Our emails, rader.teamperu@gmail.com and markrader@fbmi.org, are checked every day. If you call our number (219)588-0003 we will not be able to answer, but the voicemail will be emailed to us. Also, our field address is on the 2nd page of this letter.
We can’t thank you enough for your help and encouragement. We had a great time celebrating Paul’s first birthday and Sarah’s first “age-classified” birthday. Please continue to pray for us. We live in sight of the evidence of your prayers. Thank you for your love, support, and prayers. God bless you.
In Christ,
Mark, Sarah, Savannah, & Paul Rader
Our field address:
Mark & Sarah Rader
Calle Don Francisco 448 Depto 401
Urbanizacion Santa Rosa
Rosa de Surco, Santiago de Surco
Lima, 33 Peru
Our stateside address:
Mark & Sarah Rader
7812 Birch Drive
Hammond, IN 46324
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