Dear Pastors and Praying Friends,
Much has happened here in Lima, Peru, since our last prayer letter in March! We are rejoicing in the blessings that God has given and are anticipating even more as He works on the hearts of the Peruvian people. In the area of San Gabriel alone, more than 85 people have come to know Christ as their personal Saviour since our last prayer letter. Two new Bible studies have been started in this church plant as well. Each Bible study that we conduct in someone’s home meets for 11 weeks studying the basic foundational doctrines of the Bible. We are excited because both of these new Bible studies are being directed by Peruvian men who were trained by members of the Peru Team.
When our church in Chorrillos was started, I was privileged to lead a man named Paul Yanez to Christ. He became my soul-winning partner and a good friend. Paul worked with me in the Bible study at the house of Jose Salazar and then helped me start the church in San Gabriel. Now Paul is conducting his own Bible study in the neighborhood. He is doing a fabulous job, and he really has a heart to help the people. Recently at the end of an evening of studying God’s Word, the people at this study asked Paul
to show them how to win souls to Christ. They were anxious to witness at their places of employment and to their relatives but were unsure how to explain the Gospel effectively. Paul was thrilled to instruct them, and we are thrilled that God is using Paul to teach others to testify of God’s grace!
Another man from the church in Chorrillos also started a Bible study in San Gabriel. Bro. Jhonny went up on a Wednesday to go soul winning and to try to find someone in the area who would be willing to have a Bible study in their home. He was riding a combi (“type of a bus”) and accidently went a bit too far and got lost. He got off of the combi in an area called La Chancheria (“the pig place”) and asked a family there how to get back to the area where our church is. They were able to help him, and he then witnessed to this family, who all trusted Christ as Saviour! He then asked if anyone in the area might be interested in having a Bible study in their home and was directed to a small store because the family that owned it might know someone who would want to learn about the Bible. Jhonny entered the store and led the family to Christ, and they agreed to have a Bible study in their home! This family then came to church last Sunday! In all, about 25 people have come to Christ in the area of La Chancheria, and a regular Bible study has been established there. Please pray for these two Bible studies. We are currently looking to start another Bible study with another young man who works with us in San Gabriel.
Please also pray for our church to continue to grow and that we would find a building in which to meet very soon!
His for souls,
Zach and Karin Foust, Zachary, C.J., and Logan
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
March Prayer Letter from the Avila Family
Dear Pastor and Praying Friends,
The flowers are dying of envy!
On March 22, my wife celebrated her 33rd birthday in Lima, Peru. She enjoyed a great haircut and a wonderful meal. I told her she looked very pretty. She smiled and said, “Really, you think so?” “Yes, Honey, I do.”
A few days later, we were coming back from soul winning with the church, and we made an impromptu stop at the flower market near our house. I asked her to pick whichever flowers she wanted, and she gladly agreed. An armful of flowers later, we were headed back home but not before we stopped at my favorite bakery. As I finished paying for my bread, I turn around to see my kiddos and my wife talking to Jose, a nice elderly man who has taken a liking to my family and me since the first time we met. He asked us about our day, and we made small talk for a good 3-5 minutes. He complemented Faby on her flowers and told her they were beautiful but that they were dying of envy (Spanish: Se están muriendo de envidia.) She smiled, I smiled, he smiled, and then we all said good bye. Faby looked at me as we walked back home and said, “What does that mean? ‘They are dying of envy’.?” So I explained to it her. “Honey, he says that you are prettier than the flowers.” I smiled and then said, “See, I told you you’re pretty” :) Oh, my wife, she was given a compliment and didn’t even realize it. Hey, wait a minute! That elderly man was flirting with my wife!
Can you help me?
Lucas is one of the boys who has been with the church almost since day one. I remember the day he walked through the doors of the bus we had rented to house our Junior Church. I remember leading him to the Lord that day. But on this Sunday evening he raised his hand during the invitation. I walked over to him and asked if he knew why he raised his hand. He said, “I don’t know if I’m really saved. Can you help me?” I walked Lucas over to some empty chairs so that we could talk. I could tell he was embarrassed. I started to make small talk with him to put him at ease. I started showing him Scriptures on eternal security, and I started to give him an illustration. I could tell he was “getting it” when he cut me off and started to give me illustrations from my Sunday school class. He would say, “Oh, right! Like when you said in class . . . .” He went on and on for a good five minutes giving
me illustrations he had learned from Sunday school. I sat back in my chair with a smile as he said, “Don’t worry, Bro. Abraham, I am saved. Thank you for helping me remember.” We finished praying, and he walked away. I stood by the now empty chair for a few seconds and thought, He talked longer than I did and gave me more illustrations than I gave him. What did I do? Whatever it is I did, I thank God for giving me a Lucas in my class who listened carefully during the teachings. I pray he continues to pay close attention to the lessons in Sunday school and the sermons from Pastor Hubbard.
To be continued . . .
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.
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
The flowers are dying of envy!
On March 22, my wife celebrated her 33rd birthday in Lima, Peru. She enjoyed a great haircut and a wonderful meal. I told her she looked very pretty. She smiled and said, “Really, you think so?” “Yes, Honey, I do.”
A few days later, we were coming back from soul winning with the church, and we made an impromptu stop at the flower market near our house. I asked her to pick whichever flowers she wanted, and she gladly agreed. An armful of flowers later, we were headed back home but not before we stopped at my favorite bakery. As I finished paying for my bread, I turn around to see my kiddos and my wife talking to Jose, a nice elderly man who has taken a liking to my family and me since the first time we met. He asked us about our day, and we made small talk for a good 3-5 minutes. He complemented Faby on her flowers and told her they were beautiful but that they were dying of envy (Spanish: Se están muriendo de envidia.) She smiled, I smiled, he smiled, and then we all said good bye. Faby looked at me as we walked back home and said, “What does that mean? ‘They are dying of envy’.?” So I explained to it her. “Honey, he says that you are prettier than the flowers.” I smiled and then said, “See, I told you you’re pretty” :) Oh, my wife, she was given a compliment and didn’t even realize it. Hey, wait a minute! That elderly man was flirting with my wife!
Can you help me?
Lucas is one of the boys who has been with the church almost since day one. I remember the day he walked through the doors of the bus we had rented to house our Junior Church. I remember leading him to the Lord that day. But on this Sunday evening he raised his hand during the invitation. I walked over to him and asked if he knew why he raised his hand. He said, “I don’t know if I’m really saved. Can you help me?” I walked Lucas over to some empty chairs so that we could talk. I could tell he was embarrassed. I started to make small talk with him to put him at ease. I started showing him Scriptures on eternal security, and I started to give him an illustration. I could tell he was “getting it” when he cut me off and started to give me illustrations from my Sunday school class. He would say, “Oh, right! Like when you said in class . . . .” He went on and on for a good five minutes giving
me illustrations he had learned from Sunday school. I sat back in my chair with a smile as he said, “Don’t worry, Bro. Abraham, I am saved. Thank you for helping me remember.” We finished praying, and he walked away. I stood by the now empty chair for a few seconds and thought, He talked longer than I did and gave me more illustrations than I gave him. What did I do? Whatever it is I did, I thank God for giving me a Lucas in my class who listened carefully during the teachings. I pray he continues to pay close attention to the lessons in Sunday school and the sermons from Pastor Hubbard.
To be continued . . .
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.
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
Thursday, April 11, 2013
March Prayer Letter from the Martin Family
Dear Praying Friends,
For three days and three nights, His body lay in a tomb. After suffering rejection, pain, and the agony of the cross, He went to Hell to settle our debt. His perfect blood having been shed and the price having been paid, after three long days, triumphantly He arose on that Easter morning! “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” I am so thankful for Resurrection Sunday! Our hope, our salvation, our reason for being is all because He arose! Amen!
Our first Easter Sunday here in Peru was a great one indeed. The entire week was another “holy week,” with many people going on vacation and many stores closing their doors. However, the church house was definitely full. For the first time in their lives, the 100-plus people who flooded into our church realized the true importance and the awesome miracle wrapped up in the resurrection. We can rejoice! Because of the resurrection, people were saved, the altar was full, and lives are being changed.
It has been such a blessing to see our church grow. Due to summer vacations, we have had many people coming and going; but now that school has reconvened, our attendance is steadily increasing. In addition to this, we have gained many new families, especially this last month. I have been especially excited to have new families from San Genaro in our services every week. We are making progress on the construction on the church property, we have had people baptized each week, and the future is looking bright!
Speaking of San Genaro, God is opening many doors for us. Our Bible study is continuing to do well. I also have three more families interested in having their own Bible study. We are continuing to pray for God to open a door for us to start a church in this very needy area. Just this week God may be doing that. I have a few leads on rentals for the church, and I believe we will be able to start this church before the end of April.
All of our Bible studies are continuing to grow. Currently we have eight active Bible studies. We also already have four of our church men teaching in these Bible studies. One of these men, Jhonny Farfán, has one Bible study and is looking to start a new one in San Gabriel. Last week while soul winning and looking for a home for this Bible study, he led 24 people to Christ! That is what it is all about.
Watching our people grow has to be one of the greatest blessings of our ministry. To see them become more involved, grow in their commitment, and begin to share their faith is a source of constant joy. As I stated in our last letter, we had our first week of college this past month. Of course, we started off teaching on the Great Commission and personal evangelism. They ate it up! We had a total of 16 people come to our institute. Watching them “practice” soul winning and seeing their desire to learn is so exciting.
On one final note, I was blessed to have my parents and sister here with us for a week. We had a lot of fun and were able to do a lot of sightseeing. One day we went to do some shopping in the Incan Markets in Miraflores. One of the shops was owned by a lady named Luz. We spent a long time in her shop looking for something to send back to some special people in the states. This gave me a great opportunity to explain to Luz our purpose for being here. As I did, I began to share the Gospel with her. Tears filled her eyes as she listened and asked questions. After several minutes, Luz bowed her head and trusted Christ as her Saviour! God is so good to use us.
Of course, minus the resurrection, your prayers, and support, none of this would be possible. Jessica and I are honored to be your representatives in Lima. It is a privilege to add souls to your account. This month 164 people accepted the gift of salvation through soul winning and our church services. Thank you for allowing us to have the greatest job in all the world!
Your ambassadors to Perú,
Junior and Jessica Martin
For three days and three nights, His body lay in a tomb. After suffering rejection, pain, and the agony of the cross, He went to Hell to settle our debt. His perfect blood having been shed and the price having been paid, after three long days, triumphantly He arose on that Easter morning! “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” I am so thankful for Resurrection Sunday! Our hope, our salvation, our reason for being is all because He arose! Amen!
Our first Easter Sunday here in Peru was a great one indeed. The entire week was another “holy week,” with many people going on vacation and many stores closing their doors. However, the church house was definitely full. For the first time in their lives, the 100-plus people who flooded into our church realized the true importance and the awesome miracle wrapped up in the resurrection. We can rejoice! Because of the resurrection, people were saved, the altar was full, and lives are being changed.
It has been such a blessing to see our church grow. Due to summer vacations, we have had many people coming and going; but now that school has reconvened, our attendance is steadily increasing. In addition to this, we have gained many new families, especially this last month. I have been especially excited to have new families from San Genaro in our services every week. We are making progress on the construction on the church property, we have had people baptized each week, and the future is looking bright!
Speaking of San Genaro, God is opening many doors for us. Our Bible study is continuing to do well. I also have three more families interested in having their own Bible study. We are continuing to pray for God to open a door for us to start a church in this very needy area. Just this week God may be doing that. I have a few leads on rentals for the church, and I believe we will be able to start this church before the end of April.
All of our Bible studies are continuing to grow. Currently we have eight active Bible studies. We also already have four of our church men teaching in these Bible studies. One of these men, Jhonny Farfán, has one Bible study and is looking to start a new one in San Gabriel. Last week while soul winning and looking for a home for this Bible study, he led 24 people to Christ! That is what it is all about.
Watching our people grow has to be one of the greatest blessings of our ministry. To see them become more involved, grow in their commitment, and begin to share their faith is a source of constant joy. As I stated in our last letter, we had our first week of college this past month. Of course, we started off teaching on the Great Commission and personal evangelism. They ate it up! We had a total of 16 people come to our institute. Watching them “practice” soul winning and seeing their desire to learn is so exciting.
On one final note, I was blessed to have my parents and sister here with us for a week. We had a lot of fun and were able to do a lot of sightseeing. One day we went to do some shopping in the Incan Markets in Miraflores. One of the shops was owned by a lady named Luz. We spent a long time in her shop looking for something to send back to some special people in the states. This gave me a great opportunity to explain to Luz our purpose for being here. As I did, I began to share the Gospel with her. Tears filled her eyes as she listened and asked questions. After several minutes, Luz bowed her head and trusted Christ as her Saviour! God is so good to use us.
Of course, minus the resurrection, your prayers, and support, none of this would be possible. Jessica and I are honored to be your representatives in Lima. It is a privilege to add souls to your account. This month 164 people accepted the gift of salvation through soul winning and our church services. Thank you for allowing us to have the greatest job in all the world!
Your ambassadors to Perú,
Junior and Jessica Martin
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
March Prayer Letter from the Kokubuns
Dear Pastors and Friends in Christ,
March has been an exciting month for us here in Peru. While the laws seem to sometimes hinder what God wants to do, we have seen that God has an even bigger plan then we can imagine.
We started our third Bible study about a month ago in the home of a lady named Luz. One of our primary concerns about starting a study in her home was that her husband Reuben was not yet saved. However, he gave his wife permission to have our Bible study in their home, and so we began.
One Sunday morning we had our morning church service at 6:00. Crazy? You might think so; but nevertheless, that particular Sunday was voting Sunday, and the city shuts everything down because the people have to vote. Legally, we could not hold a public service between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Luz told my wife that she woke up for church that day and was getting ready when Reuben asked her where she was going. "I'll go with you," he told her, "and then we'll go vote." They came to church that morning, and after the service I walked over and talked to Rueben. Not wanting to rush things or be pushy, I began to tell Reuben about our church, about the things our church has to offer, and our schedule. Then I transitioned. "Reuben, we are here in Peru because of one thing—love. We love the
people here. Because of that, we want to tell everyone who walks in these doors about our Saviour." At that moment, Reuben was locked into every word I said. I was able to share the Gospel with him, and Reuben got saved!
Please pray for this precious family. We have also seen 4 other relatives of theirs get saved through this Bible study. Pray that many others will also come to know Christ.
This past month we began our Bible seminary in order to train more intensely our disciples to be future pastors. We are adopting the modular style for our Bible seminary, much like that which other teams from First Baptist Church in Hammond, Indiana, have used successfully. We will have intense teaching and training one week a month and then use the other three weeks for the students to use what they have learned. This allows laymen and others to keep their jobs and still train for the ministry.
Our first class was on personal evangelism and discipleship. I had the privilege of preaching for chapel the second night. It was the first time I have officially preached in Spanish. God blessed, and we were touched by His grace. I love the eagerness of our students to learn the things of God.
Thank you for your faithfulness to bring us before the throne of God. Because of your prayers, people just like Reuben now have their lives changed for eternity.
Your fellow laborers for Him,
Daniel and Heather Kokubun
March has been an exciting month for us here in Peru. While the laws seem to sometimes hinder what God wants to do, we have seen that God has an even bigger plan then we can imagine.
We started our third Bible study about a month ago in the home of a lady named Luz. One of our primary concerns about starting a study in her home was that her husband Reuben was not yet saved. However, he gave his wife permission to have our Bible study in their home, and so we began.
One Sunday morning we had our morning church service at 6:00. Crazy? You might think so; but nevertheless, that particular Sunday was voting Sunday, and the city shuts everything down because the people have to vote. Legally, we could not hold a public service between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Luz told my wife that she woke up for church that day and was getting ready when Reuben asked her where she was going. "I'll go with you," he told her, "and then we'll go vote." They came to church that morning, and after the service I walked over and talked to Rueben. Not wanting to rush things or be pushy, I began to tell Reuben about our church, about the things our church has to offer, and our schedule. Then I transitioned. "Reuben, we are here in Peru because of one thing—love. We love the
people here. Because of that, we want to tell everyone who walks in these doors about our Saviour." At that moment, Reuben was locked into every word I said. I was able to share the Gospel with him, and Reuben got saved!
Please pray for this precious family. We have also seen 4 other relatives of theirs get saved through this Bible study. Pray that many others will also come to know Christ.
This past month we began our Bible seminary in order to train more intensely our disciples to be future pastors. We are adopting the modular style for our Bible seminary, much like that which other teams from First Baptist Church in Hammond, Indiana, have used successfully. We will have intense teaching and training one week a month and then use the other three weeks for the students to use what they have learned. This allows laymen and others to keep their jobs and still train for the ministry.
Our first class was on personal evangelism and discipleship. I had the privilege of preaching for chapel the second night. It was the first time I have officially preached in Spanish. God blessed, and we were touched by His grace. I love the eagerness of our students to learn the things of God.
Thank you for your faithfulness to bring us before the throne of God. Because of your prayers, people just like Reuben now have their lives changed for eternity.
Your fellow laborers for Him,
Daniel and Heather Kokubun
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