Dear Praying Friends,
August was an august (“supreme”) month! We presented our work in 8 churches in 4
different states. We were privileged to see 9 souls saved through personal soul winning. This month Sarah would like to share one of her soul-winning testimonies. “A few weeks back during a Vacation Bible School in which we were privileged to help, I met a teen girl, Neff, who was a new Christian and concerned for her friends and family to know Christ. When she found out we were coming back to her area for a Wednesday night service, she texted me and asked if I would come and share God’s plan of salvation with her mom Rosa, who was Spanish-speaking only. For the next several days, Rosa was on my mind and heart and in my prayers. When we arrived in Carbondale, I couldn’t wait to meet her. On Thursday evening Mark and I went out to meet her and share the Gospel. After about 35 minutes of sharing God’s plan of salvation through faith in Christ alone, Rosa prayed, asking Christ to save her. It’s hard to say whose smile was biggest, but I think possibly Neff was the most excited to know her Mom will spend eternity in Heaven with her.”
We enjoyed more blessings this month than we have time or space to share. Thank you
to Pastor Reeves for taking us to Adventure Park and spoiling us for a day. What a joy this month also to see many of our friends from college serving the Lord faithfully. Our van had a head-gasket leak to the point of not being road-worthy anymore. My father-in-law switched vans with us. We did not have to miss one meeting. What a God we serve!
The Lord is moving many things in place for us to leave for Peru shortly. We are now at 57% of our monthly support. We hope to leave for Peru sooner than we had planned, due to the difference in airline ticket prices. It is cheaper to fly out the middle of November than the first week in December. Please pray that God will provide the money we need to purchase our tickets, as the longer we wait, the prices jump higher.
Please pray for our other teammates raising support and for our teammates already
there doing a great work. Thank you so much for your love, prayers, and support. We look forward to bringing much fruit to your account. God bless you as you serve on the home front.
Yours for the souls of Peru,
Mark, Sarah, Savannah, and Paul Rader
Monday, September 24, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
August Prayer Letter from the Hubbards
August-September 2012
Dear Praying Friends,
This week crosses the five-year mark since my first cancer surgery. I can’t help but feel sentimental every year when this date approaches. I’m amazed to see where I am five years removed from one of the most pivotal events in my life. I praise the Lord for the work He has done through my life and my testimony. Truly He deserves all the praise and glory! Nonetheless, the cancer is still a present enemy, and although most of the time I push thoughts of it from my mind, this time of year causes me to remember that my future is solely in HIS hands. That knowledge is the driving passion behind all that I do. I know ultimately it is according to the sovereign will of God that we all breathe each and every breath; however, this season of year makes me so much more aware of it. We are so blessed!
International Baptist Church in Chorrillos, Lima, Peru, is growing at a steady pace. In addition to regular services, we are currently conducting 7 Bible studies to disciple our converts. We have completely outgrown the facility we are renting; however, the Lord has opened a door for a property about two blocks from where we currently meet that would care for all of our needs for some time, as it has a three-story house we could use for Sunday school, room for language school for the team, and place for our ACE school for the team children. It also has a warehouse behind the house that could easily be transformed into an auditorium and nursery. We are moving forward to rent this facility. I hope next month to report that we are settled and remodeling!
I have been using Wednesday night Bible studies to teach the biblical perspective of the fundamentals of the faith. We’ve seen our young converts build their faith as they follow in obedience to begin tithing. Likewise, we held our first Lord’s Supper this past Sunday, which was a tremendously sweet service. Now we’ve been making preparations for our first baptismal service. I’ve taught for the past two Wednesdays all that is involved in baptism, what it symbolizes, and how important that step of obedience is. Lord willing, our baptistery will be finished this week, and we will hold our first baptismal service next week. We have many converts lined up to participate in this important service. Praise the Lord!
We are consistently having about a dozen Peruvians join us for weekly soul winning. Our services are averaging about 70-80 in attendance. We have visitors at every services with souls saved. We are anxious to get into a larger facility so we can begin pushing for a big day. We will begin our second church on October 4 in the San Genaro area. I’m so excited to see what the Lord has for this next area of outreach.
Never underestimate the power of your prayer. Never doubt to give your pledge to missions. Never pass up an opportunity to take a missions trip. The heartbeat of the Saviour is “that ALL men would come to repentance.” Team Peru is committed to putting your investment into eternity. Thank you for partnering with us.
For His glory,
Dan
Dear Praying Friends,
This week crosses the five-year mark since my first cancer surgery. I can’t help but feel sentimental every year when this date approaches. I’m amazed to see where I am five years removed from one of the most pivotal events in my life. I praise the Lord for the work He has done through my life and my testimony. Truly He deserves all the praise and glory! Nonetheless, the cancer is still a present enemy, and although most of the time I push thoughts of it from my mind, this time of year causes me to remember that my future is solely in HIS hands. That knowledge is the driving passion behind all that I do. I know ultimately it is according to the sovereign will of God that we all breathe each and every breath; however, this season of year makes me so much more aware of it. We are so blessed!
International Baptist Church in Chorrillos, Lima, Peru, is growing at a steady pace. In addition to regular services, we are currently conducting 7 Bible studies to disciple our converts. We have completely outgrown the facility we are renting; however, the Lord has opened a door for a property about two blocks from where we currently meet that would care for all of our needs for some time, as it has a three-story house we could use for Sunday school, room for language school for the team, and place for our ACE school for the team children. It also has a warehouse behind the house that could easily be transformed into an auditorium and nursery. We are moving forward to rent this facility. I hope next month to report that we are settled and remodeling!
I have been using Wednesday night Bible studies to teach the biblical perspective of the fundamentals of the faith. We’ve seen our young converts build their faith as they follow in obedience to begin tithing. Likewise, we held our first Lord’s Supper this past Sunday, which was a tremendously sweet service. Now we’ve been making preparations for our first baptismal service. I’ve taught for the past two Wednesdays all that is involved in baptism, what it symbolizes, and how important that step of obedience is. Lord willing, our baptistery will be finished this week, and we will hold our first baptismal service next week. We have many converts lined up to participate in this important service. Praise the Lord!
We are consistently having about a dozen Peruvians join us for weekly soul winning. Our services are averaging about 70-80 in attendance. We have visitors at every services with souls saved. We are anxious to get into a larger facility so we can begin pushing for a big day. We will begin our second church on October 4 in the San Genaro area. I’m so excited to see what the Lord has for this next area of outreach.
Never underestimate the power of your prayer. Never doubt to give your pledge to missions. Never pass up an opportunity to take a missions trip. The heartbeat of the Saviour is “that ALL men would come to repentance.” Team Peru is committed to putting your investment into eternity. Thank you for partnering with us.
For His glory,
Dan
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
August Prayer Letter from the Martins
September 6, 2012
Dear Praying Friends,
Time is a funny thing. During deputation, time seemed to creep by ever so slowly. However, since our arriving in Peru, the days fly by! It seems like just last week, it was July and I was writing our last prayer letter. Now here we are in September, approaching three months on the field! What a three months they have been! There is nothing better than being busy about my Father’s business.
Busy is truly an understatement. God has surpassed our every dream and imagination of what could be done in such a short time. Since we started IBI (Iglesia Bautista Internacional), over 156 different people have walked through the doors of our young church. We have had over 70 each Sunday, with a high day of 88! I can truly say God has built this church. We have not promoted, made a big push, or held an evangelistic campaign. Through simply soul winning and establishing relationships with the people God has brought across our path, God has flooded our church with people who are excited and eager to learn.
I believe I have said this before, but God likes to open doors for us when we least expect it, just to remind us we are in the right place doing the right thing. As you have probably figured out by now, we have already outgrown our storefront building. We have been praying and searching for some time for a permanent location that would allow us to grow and begin really “building” the church. We thought we knew what property that would be, but God would not give us peace on it. Then this last Saturday, a new location came up for rent! I am sure this is just a coincidence! The property includes a three-story house with a very large warehouse in the back of the property. It is within our budget and only three blocks from our current location! God is so good! We met with the owner on Monday, and barring any paperwork and moving issues, we will move in and take possession sometime in October! Please continue to pray that God will care for all the details and grant us wisdom.
Although our numeric growth may be limited, the spiritual growth of our people is not. In order to execute our vision of planting thousands of churches in Peru, we must begin growing the core people whom God has already sent to us. This has been our primary focus. To date, we have started six Bible studies in the homes of our church people. Each study is personal and unique and serves as discipleship, as well as a question-and-answer time. These are such sweet and encouraging meetings and probably my favorite times of the week.
Then again, the weekend is probably my favorite, favorite time! Four weeks ago, I began teaching soul winning in our visitation meeting on Saturday mornings. This has been an exciting time, teaching and training our new converts how to share the Gospel with family, friends, and everyone they meet. Since this started, we have had over 30 people go out each Saturday passing out tracts and sharing the Gospel!
I always feel as if I am cramming so much into a small letter, but there is so much going on! Another highlight of this last month was our first monthly men’s meeting and prayer breakfast. For the first time, we sat down with the core men of our church, shared a Bible study, and cast our vision for Peru before them. If you could have seen their faces as they heard how an entire country could be reached through them! Seventeen men whose heart God has touched—the men who will turn Peru upside down with the Gospel!
Of course, all of this is only possible because of your prayers and support. I hope you understand the difference you are making in a country you may have never been to. Two Saturdays ago I was up in San Genaro, a neighborhood way up in the hills, making a visit. The addresses there are nearly impossible to find, and a vehicle can only make it so far up the hill. After walking three blocks up a steep hill, I was ready to turn around and go back down. Just then, a lady came out of her house. I introduced myself and told her the house I was trying to find. She pointed me in the right direction, which, of course, was back where we came from. After catching my breath, because I’m out of shape, I began to share the Gospel with Yeny. Several minutes later, she trusted Christ! As I began to leave, she made this statement to me: “I know that you think you were lost, but God makes no mistakes. I am so blessed that He brought you to my house.” Amen! A total of 105 people were saved this past month through our church services and personal soul winning. Thank you for making this possible.
In closing, there are several things you could pray about: our new building, our first baptismal service coming up this month, new Bible studies to be started, and for God to continue to bond the hearts of our men to us and to Himself. I believe God has put us in the prime location at the prime time to reach Peru for Jesus Christ. I cannot wait to see what the future holds!
Your ambassadors to Peru,
Junior and Jessica Martin
Romans 9:3
Dear Praying Friends,
Time is a funny thing. During deputation, time seemed to creep by ever so slowly. However, since our arriving in Peru, the days fly by! It seems like just last week, it was July and I was writing our last prayer letter. Now here we are in September, approaching three months on the field! What a three months they have been! There is nothing better than being busy about my Father’s business.
Busy is truly an understatement. God has surpassed our every dream and imagination of what could be done in such a short time. Since we started IBI (Iglesia Bautista Internacional), over 156 different people have walked through the doors of our young church. We have had over 70 each Sunday, with a high day of 88! I can truly say God has built this church. We have not promoted, made a big push, or held an evangelistic campaign. Through simply soul winning and establishing relationships with the people God has brought across our path, God has flooded our church with people who are excited and eager to learn.
I believe I have said this before, but God likes to open doors for us when we least expect it, just to remind us we are in the right place doing the right thing. As you have probably figured out by now, we have already outgrown our storefront building. We have been praying and searching for some time for a permanent location that would allow us to grow and begin really “building” the church. We thought we knew what property that would be, but God would not give us peace on it. Then this last Saturday, a new location came up for rent! I am sure this is just a coincidence! The property includes a three-story house with a very large warehouse in the back of the property. It is within our budget and only three blocks from our current location! God is so good! We met with the owner on Monday, and barring any paperwork and moving issues, we will move in and take possession sometime in October! Please continue to pray that God will care for all the details and grant us wisdom.
Although our numeric growth may be limited, the spiritual growth of our people is not. In order to execute our vision of planting thousands of churches in Peru, we must begin growing the core people whom God has already sent to us. This has been our primary focus. To date, we have started six Bible studies in the homes of our church people. Each study is personal and unique and serves as discipleship, as well as a question-and-answer time. These are such sweet and encouraging meetings and probably my favorite times of the week.
Then again, the weekend is probably my favorite, favorite time! Four weeks ago, I began teaching soul winning in our visitation meeting on Saturday mornings. This has been an exciting time, teaching and training our new converts how to share the Gospel with family, friends, and everyone they meet. Since this started, we have had over 30 people go out each Saturday passing out tracts and sharing the Gospel!
I always feel as if I am cramming so much into a small letter, but there is so much going on! Another highlight of this last month was our first monthly men’s meeting and prayer breakfast. For the first time, we sat down with the core men of our church, shared a Bible study, and cast our vision for Peru before them. If you could have seen their faces as they heard how an entire country could be reached through them! Seventeen men whose heart God has touched—the men who will turn Peru upside down with the Gospel!
Of course, all of this is only possible because of your prayers and support. I hope you understand the difference you are making in a country you may have never been to. Two Saturdays ago I was up in San Genaro, a neighborhood way up in the hills, making a visit. The addresses there are nearly impossible to find, and a vehicle can only make it so far up the hill. After walking three blocks up a steep hill, I was ready to turn around and go back down. Just then, a lady came out of her house. I introduced myself and told her the house I was trying to find. She pointed me in the right direction, which, of course, was back where we came from. After catching my breath, because I’m out of shape, I began to share the Gospel with Yeny. Several minutes later, she trusted Christ! As I began to leave, she made this statement to me: “I know that you think you were lost, but God makes no mistakes. I am so blessed that He brought you to my house.” Amen! A total of 105 people were saved this past month through our church services and personal soul winning. Thank you for making this possible.
In closing, there are several things you could pray about: our new building, our first baptismal service coming up this month, new Bible studies to be started, and for God to continue to bond the hearts of our men to us and to Himself. I believe God has put us in the prime location at the prime time to reach Peru for Jesus Christ. I cannot wait to see what the future holds!
Your ambassadors to Peru,
Junior and Jessica Martin
Romans 9:3
Monday, September 10, 2012
August Prayer Letter from the Kokubuns
Dear Friends,
The expression "Time flies when you’re having fun!" is such a reality in my life. There is nothing more satisfying than investing in other people. I feel as if I could write a book of all that has transpired since we arrived.
As of this writing, we are averaging in the 70s and 80s in our services. We just observed the Lord's Supper last Sunday night with 70 in attendance. It was one of the most powerful services we have had at Iglesia Bautista Internacional. Sitting at the piano, I could see dozens of brand-new Christians taking the elements for the very first time! God's presence was very evident as tears flowed down many young believers’ faces as they were overwhelmed with the truth of their salvation.
One of my favorite times of the whole week has become Saturday evenings. Saturdays are quickly becoming my favorite day because it is filled with teenage soul winning, music practice, activities, and a prayer meeting. There is nothing like hearing young people pray! After our weekly soccer game, all of our young people meet at the church to pray for the next day. This past Saturday, Carlos (the father of one of our youth girls) closed out our prayer meeting. When I looked up after he had prayed, he had tears in his eyes and a smile on his face.
This week we are starting a Bible study at my house with Carlos and his family. This will be the first time I will teach in Spanish! Pray for me. These baby Christians are so hungry for the things of God. I enjoy answering all their questions. Carlos told me the other day that he has already seen a change in his family since they have started attending our church.
Our little church on the corner is already filled to capacity. We have been praying and searching God's heart for another property. God has recently dropped a property in our laps that has a lot of potential. Please continue praying for IBI as we move on to another stage in our ministry. We are currently training the new believers through Bible studies in different homes.
There is no doubt in my mind that your prayers and support are making an eternal impact in South America. Each day gets more exciting. We can't wait for what God has for us in the future. My wife and I pray for you and love you very much.
Serving Him,
Daniel & Heather Kokubun
The expression "Time flies when you’re having fun!" is such a reality in my life. There is nothing more satisfying than investing in other people. I feel as if I could write a book of all that has transpired since we arrived.
As of this writing, we are averaging in the 70s and 80s in our services. We just observed the Lord's Supper last Sunday night with 70 in attendance. It was one of the most powerful services we have had at Iglesia Bautista Internacional. Sitting at the piano, I could see dozens of brand-new Christians taking the elements for the very first time! God's presence was very evident as tears flowed down many young believers’ faces as they were overwhelmed with the truth of their salvation.
One of my favorite times of the whole week has become Saturday evenings. Saturdays are quickly becoming my favorite day because it is filled with teenage soul winning, music practice, activities, and a prayer meeting. There is nothing like hearing young people pray! After our weekly soccer game, all of our young people meet at the church to pray for the next day. This past Saturday, Carlos (the father of one of our youth girls) closed out our prayer meeting. When I looked up after he had prayed, he had tears in his eyes and a smile on his face.
This week we are starting a Bible study at my house with Carlos and his family. This will be the first time I will teach in Spanish! Pray for me. These baby Christians are so hungry for the things of God. I enjoy answering all their questions. Carlos told me the other day that he has already seen a change in his family since they have started attending our church.
Our little church on the corner is already filled to capacity. We have been praying and searching God's heart for another property. God has recently dropped a property in our laps that has a lot of potential. Please continue praying for IBI as we move on to another stage in our ministry. We are currently training the new believers through Bible studies in different homes.
There is no doubt in my mind that your prayers and support are making an eternal impact in South America. Each day gets more exciting. We can't wait for what God has for us in the future. My wife and I pray for you and love you very much.
Serving Him,
Daniel & Heather Kokubun
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
September Prayer Letter from the Miskovics
Dear Friends,
Our first month in Peru has been a very exciting time. We have been going non-stop since we arrived. We are settling into our apartment, and we are getting acclimated to our new way of living in Peru. There are many things that are quite different. Friday is the grocery day for our team ladies, and the market has been quite an experience. It’s not like the States. There is fresh meat being cut and hung out in the open for sale. The merchants are getting used to us as we are getting used to them.
We started language school two weeks ago and are being taught by a Peruvian, Bro. Johnny. It is intense! However, Marsha sang with two of our team ladies in Spanish on Sunday. They did a great job! We can’t wait until we have mastered the soul-winning plan in Spanish. We are working on that now.
A week ago a young man was walking by the church, and I invited him in. His name was David. He came in and seemed to enjoy it. He gloriously got saved that morning. The people who are trusting Christ as their Saviour are already soul-conscious. They are telling their friends and family about Jesus. Some aren’t sure how to give the Gospel, but they are bringing a lot of people to church. Many are coming to Saturday morning soul winning for training.
Our team is involved in five in-home Bible studies during the week. Bro. Zach Foust and I will be starting one this coming Saturday afternoon at Bro. Pablo’s house. This has been a great way of discipling the new converts.
God is doing great things here. In August, 97 people were saved in the church services. There have also been others saved at the Bible studies and during personal soul winning. We are planning a baptismal service soon, because many want to be baptized. We are in the process of having a baptistery made.
We are aggressively looking for property so that we can have a larger place to meet. Right now we are having services in a 25 by 35-foot room, and we are packing it out. Please pray for us to find the right place to meet.
We have several prayer requests. Please join us in praying for property, for souls to be saved, for more in-home Bible studies to be started, for our support to come in, and for the power of God on our team. We appreciate every one of you and are praying for you too. Thank you for all of your financial and prayer support. We couldn’t do this without YOU.
Serving Christ in Peru,
The Miskovics
Our first month in Peru has been a very exciting time. We have been going non-stop since we arrived. We are settling into our apartment, and we are getting acclimated to our new way of living in Peru. There are many things that are quite different. Friday is the grocery day for our team ladies, and the market has been quite an experience. It’s not like the States. There is fresh meat being cut and hung out in the open for sale. The merchants are getting used to us as we are getting used to them.
We started language school two weeks ago and are being taught by a Peruvian, Bro. Johnny. It is intense! However, Marsha sang with two of our team ladies in Spanish on Sunday. They did a great job! We can’t wait until we have mastered the soul-winning plan in Spanish. We are working on that now.
A week ago a young man was walking by the church, and I invited him in. His name was David. He came in and seemed to enjoy it. He gloriously got saved that morning. The people who are trusting Christ as their Saviour are already soul-conscious. They are telling their friends and family about Jesus. Some aren’t sure how to give the Gospel, but they are bringing a lot of people to church. Many are coming to Saturday morning soul winning for training.
Our team is involved in five in-home Bible studies during the week. Bro. Zach Foust and I will be starting one this coming Saturday afternoon at Bro. Pablo’s house. This has been a great way of discipling the new converts.
God is doing great things here. In August, 97 people were saved in the church services. There have also been others saved at the Bible studies and during personal soul winning. We are planning a baptismal service soon, because many want to be baptized. We are in the process of having a baptistery made.
We are aggressively looking for property so that we can have a larger place to meet. Right now we are having services in a 25 by 35-foot room, and we are packing it out. Please pray for us to find the right place to meet.
We have several prayer requests. Please join us in praying for property, for souls to be saved, for more in-home Bible studies to be started, for our support to come in, and for the power of God on our team. We appreciate every one of you and are praying for you too. Thank you for all of your financial and prayer support. We couldn’t do this without YOU.
Serving Christ in Peru,
The Miskovics
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