December Team Back in Lima

Our December team posted the following as a comment to an earlier post. We did not want you to miss it so it is being reposted here:


Team is back in Lima. We conducted 9 services in 4 different towns in 9 days. Many lives were transformed and changed including ours. God answered many prayers. Weather was unseasonably dry and beautiful. We are all safe and well. More details to follow. Looking forward to seeing our brothers and sisters in Christ at UBC.

Praise God,


The Dec Team

Ephesians 3:20-21

Team Arrives in San Pedro de Casta

Mary and Eric arrived in Lima a few days ahead of Brad and Brother Randy. They connected with the ReapSouth team and gathered supplies. Brad and Brother Randy arrived in Lima as scheduled and the team loaded the trucks and headed to San Pedro de Casta. We received word on Sunday that they arrived safely in San Pedro de Casta.

On Sunday a worship service was held with 20 people in attendance. Of that number, 13 were from the village. Praise the Lord! Brother Randy was able to call home on Monday and passed on the news that he had been in contact with those who made professions of faith in August and they are still excited and are meeting for bible studies on Friday. What exciting news! Brother Randy was meeting with some people in the community on Monday night. He remains in Casta while the rest of the team has traveled on to Carampoma.

It is exciting to hear what the Lord is doing in the mountain villages of Peru! Continue praying for the team. Brother Randy and his translator remain in Casta and Eric, Mary, Brad and translator are traveling on to the other villages. Continue to pray for their safety and for the work they are doing in Peru.

Church Planting Team Prepares for December Trip

The December Peru Missions team will begin their journey to Peru on December 3rd with all returning on December 19th. The team members are Bradley Chandler (Team Leader), Randy Bales (Specialty Coordinator), Mary Wilbur (Medical) and Eric Wilbur (Accountant/Media). As always, their plans are to seek God's will for reaching the Huarochiri People of Peru for Christ. Randy will serve primarily in San Pedro de Casta in order to identify possible church leaders, baptize one or two believers who can baptize others, story the purpose of the church to possible church leaders using Acts as the foundation, establish a commitment to begin a house church, disciple when possible and evangelize always. Randy also intends to vist the other villages and conduct two worship services on December 7th and 14th. Bradley, Mary and Eric plan to spend most of their time in and around the villages near Carampoma following up on professions of faith, seeking persons of peace and points of contact, discipling when called and evangelizing when led. The team will have 2 local translators joining them as they visit the Huarochiri people. Please pray for their safe travel throughout the trip. Bradley and Randy depart Houston on December 5th and return on December 16th. Eric and Mary depart San Antonio on December 3rd and return on December 19th. As you pray for their safe travel, also pray that all flight connections are made and they arrive in Lima on time with all their luggage. While in Peru, please pray for their travel safety while on the mountain roads and arranging local housing. Finally, pray that each member allows the Holy Spirit to work through them as they build the eternal Kingdom of God. Each of the team members is thankful to God for what He has done, is doing and will do through this missions effort. As Jesus said in Matthew 28: 19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spririt, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you to do, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Back in Lima

We made it back to the Hotel Santa Cruz in Lima about 8:30 Thursday night. Thank yáll for your prayers. We really felt the Hand of God at work. The people here are hungry for the word and fellowship with other Christians.
Between the 3 teams, we saw 19 people come to know the Lord. That was amazing. Your prayers and ours were truly answered. ( Oh, yea, Denny got his luggage Thursday night) (Yea, clean pants)
Most of the team will be headed back Friday with Michael & Denny following on Saturday.
So many stories, so little time.

Safe Arrival in Lima!

We have received word from the team that they have all arrived safely in Lima. Praise the Lord! There were difficulties in Ft. Lauderdale but they did all make the same plane. The biggest problem right now is that Denny's luggage did not arrive. He is living out of his backpack for now. He says he has clothes but his MREs (meals ready to eat) were in his luggage. Please pray that his luggage will arrive and somehow he will be able to get it while up in mountains.

The team met Arnold and Suzie Austin and their 3 translators in Lima. They were preparing to load up the trucks to head up the mountain. Continue to pray for their safety as they travel.

We are thankful to the Lord for His provisions as they have experienced difficulties in getting to Peru. Pray for the work that will be accomplished through this team. We are looking forward to an exciting report when they get down from the mountain villages.

Lift off!

W e received word this afternoon that the team has boarded their flight to Peru. They are on their way! Two team members had difficulty getting on the flight, but two other passengers gave up their seats and our team was able to share the same flight. Praise the Lord!

Remember to thank the Lord for His travel provisions in this circumstance. Please continue to pray for each team member as they embark on this exciting mission to the Huarochiri region. We know there are divine appointments awaiting each member in each village. We can't wait to hear what the God has in store!

Initial Evangelism Team Prepares to Go

The Initial Evangelism Team will be leaving for Peru on August 8 through August 16th. The team members are Denny Fisher, Yancey Walker, Michael Constante, Sylvia Martinez, Cathy Hankins, Hortensia Tellez and Terry Brown.

Their plans are for Michael, Terry and Cathy to serve in Laraos and Carampoma. Yancey and Hortensia will be serving in San Pedro de Iris and Huanza. Denny and Sylvia will be serving in San Pedro de Casta and Huachupampa. They will have 3 local translators joining them in the 3 locations.

Pray for their safe travel. Michael will be leaving San Antonio on the 8th and the rest of the team will be leaving on the 9th. Pray for their flight connections and that all arrive in Lima with luggage as scheduled. Pray for their travel safety while on the mountain roads and arranging local housing.

We are so excited about what God has done in Peru this summer through John and Olga’s time. We thank God for what He will do through this mission team.

Safely Home

John and Olga have arrived in San Antonio!

They did get the issue of the truck resolved before leaving Lima. They did pay for some damage but not as much as the rental company was originally insisting they pay.

They thank everyone for their prayers and are looking forward to sharing with us what God did while they were in Peru.

Prayer Request from John & Olga

The Salazars are safe and sound in Lima . They are currently enjoying lunch in a nice restaurant in the city. They are scheduled to fly out tonight at midnight.

They have asked us to pray about a situation they are working to get resolved: When they went to Budget to return their vehicle this morning, the company told them there has been major damage to the vehicle and the Salazars are responsible for paying for it. John & Olga have met up with Bro. Tate, who works for the IMB, and he is helping them. He told them that he has not rented vehicles from Budget in many years because of such incidences. He is going to give them information about going through the local Toyota dealership. He is also going to see that they get a second opinion from an independent mechanic. Pray that this situation is resolved quickly and peacefully, and that a good relationship can be established with a reputable company who can provide our future teams with vehicles.

They send their love and well wishes and look forward to getting home tomorrow.

Update from Peru

"Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." Eph3:20-21

John called the church today with the following updates:

On Monday night John taught ESL to some University professors. They had to stop the session because the lights went out.

On Tuesday night they led a Bible study and had 20 in attendance, including children.

Tonight John will again teach ESL to the University professors. He asks for prayer that he will be effective. He believes one of the professors made a profession of faith last night.

On Friday night they will lead another Bible Study.

On Saturday John and Olga will participate in the wedding ceremony of Oscar and Carmen. Oscar is the hotel manager. The Salazar’s led Oscar and Carmen to the Lord last week. In the process of talking with them about their commitment to Christ Oscar and Carmen made the decision to officially marry. John and Olga are excited and he shared about their plans to get a wedding cake and rings for the ceremony.

On July 29 the Salazar’s will travel to another village and share their testimony before returning to Lima to make their way back to the US.

Thus far there have been 5 known professions of faith, including Oscar and Carmen. They have discovered other believers, more than they anticipated. They ask for our continued prayers as they lead the Bible study and witness each day.

Their health has been good but going up and down the mountains has been a little rough on Olga. John said it is very cold there. They send a “howdy” to everyone and look forward to being home soon.

News from San Pedro de Casta

John and Olga arrived in San Pedro de Casta last Monday and secured housing at the hostel there. This is the location that the previous teams had stayed at. The manager and his wife were helpful to John and Olga getting set up. John and Olga began to establish a relationship with them and John was able to witness to both husband and wife. Both of them prayed to receive Christ as their Savior! Praise the Lord! What a mighty God we serve!

Also, last week there was a young woman that was experiencing complications with her pregnancy and needed to be transported to the hospital. The doctor there did not have anyone to drive the ambulance. So John became the ambulance driver last week. The doctor is one of the believers in the village and he was very happy that John was able to help in this situation.

This Tuesday evening John and Olga will be holding a bible study there in San Pedro de Casta. The manager and his wife, along with the doctor and some of the other believers will be in attendance. This is one of the first bible studies that our groups have been able to hold and the first one for the villagers in a very long time. Please be in prayer for John and Olga as they prepare for this bible study.

Isn't it exciting to see the work that is being done there in Peru?

Safe Arrival

We have received word that John and Olga arrived safely in Lima, Peru. They are taking some down time to unwind and get ready to head up the mountain. They plan to leave Monday the 14th to travel to San Pedro de Castra. Continue praying for their safety as they travel on the mountain roads. God is so good!

Summer Mission Team - John and Olga Salazar

John and Olga Salazar are our first summer team headed for Peru. They will be leaving on Wednesday July 8, 2008 and will arrive in Lima late that evening. They will return to San Antonio the first week of August. Tonight they are spending the evening having dinner with their family and finishing up their last minute packing.

The current plan is for them to spend a few days acclimating to the country and gathering the supplies that they will need while on the mountain. They hope to leave for San Pedro de Casta on the 14th. They plan to base in San Pedro de Casta and to spend as much time as possible in the different villages. The emphasis of their trip is evangelism. They hope to build relationships with the people, to begin home bible studies and to establish a point of contact in each village for future teams.

Here are specific ways that you can pray for them:

1. That they are able to build relationships
2. That seeds will be planted
3. Safe travel and timely connections
4. Ability to find adequate housing while they are in the field
5. In country travel arrangements – hotels in Lima, rental trucks, and finding the right supplies
6. Pray for their children as they are away

Message from the Prayer Team

The Peru Prayer Team would like to thank each of you for your prayers during our trip. We faced many obstacles but God is in control. While on the trip God gave us the following verse –

“You must not fear them, for the LORD your God himself fights for you.” (Deut. 3:22)

Just as the Lord knew the obstacles that Joshua and Israelites would face when conquering the Promised Land, He knew the obstacles we would face on this trip. We knew that no matter what the obstacle the Lord could overcome it for us. There were obstacles but there were so many joys. Meeting people in the mountain who love the Lord, the children who came running to share a song, being able to walk the streets of the villages and pray for those that we met and the villagers who came to our rescue when the truck got stuck were just a few.

We feel blessed that God gave us the privilege of representing UBC on this trip and we thank the church for allowing us to represent them. We know that the task ahead is great but we are looking forward to seeing what God is going to accomplish with the teams that will be going this summer. Each of us can’t wait until we can go again!

Houston Arrival - Part 2; Finally Home

Walter and Donna are safely home at last. They got on the 8:15 a.m. plane out of Miami and their luggage was waiting on them in Houston. They picked up the truck, headed for home, and got in around 3:00 p.m.. They are grateful for all the prayers.

This was a difficult trip but we praise the Lord for all that He accomplished.

Pray for a great night's sleep and renewed strength for tomorrow's adventures for each of our team members. I know we all will look forward to hearing the stories in the days ahead.

Getting Out?

Walter and Donna were not able to get out of Miami last night. They did get some rest - without luggage - and are praying to make it out this morning around 8:15 a.m. Luckily, their Peruvian training of wearing the same clothes has come in handy today.

Pray they will make it out of Miami, that their truck will still be in Houston, that their luggage will be easily retrieved and that they can make the drive home with no problems. Finally, pray for rest for them tonight as Walter prepares to go back to school tomorrow.

Praise God for His continued provision for and protection of our Peru Team.

Houston Arrival - Part 1

Brad, Jackie, Gloria & Linda have safely arrived in Houston, TX! Gloria and Linda are in the process of renting a car and trying to find one piece of missing luggage. They, along with the Chandlers, hope to be back in SATX very soon.

Meanwhile, in Miami, Walter & Donna are still waiting on a flight to Houston. Pray they make it out tonight or first thing tomorrow morning.

Updated Prayer Request

We are happy to report that God has answered our prayers and Walter has been allowed back into the US! His passport, however, was canceled so he will have to re-apply for a new passport. Walter and Donna are presently on stand-by at Miami International. They hope to get on a flight to Houston later tonight but may not make it out until tomorrow. Walter obviously will not be back at school tomorrow. Pray for Walter and Donna to find rest and comfort while waiting. Pray for Walter to be ready to return to school on Wednesday.

As best we know, Brad, Jackie, Gloria & Linda made it out of Miami and should be landing in Houston later this afternoon. Pray for them as they arrive, retrieve their luggage and determine their next course of action.

Praise God that our team has made it back to the States and has had a very eventful trip. I know we all wait anxiously to hear the first-hand reports!

URGENT Prayer Request

We just received information that our Peru Prayer Walking Team is facing a few more difficulties. Please pray right now for the following situations.

• Walter has been detained by Immigration in Miami after his passport came up reportedly "stolen." Donna is alone in Miami International and awaiting more information.
  
• Brad & Jackie are on the plane and preparing for departure.
• Linda & Gloria are still being processed through security and hope to make the flight that departs in about 30 minutes.
• The group has been split up again but hope to rendezvous in Houston later this afternoon/evening.

Pray for Walter's passport issue to be resolved so he and Donna can catch another flight to Houston.

Easter Sunday

We got up early to worship with the missionaries at their church. The church is a satellite campus of Flamingo Road Church based out of Florida. They have two services, one in spanish and the other in english. We went to the english service but we entered late after we spoke with the UBC congregation via telephone.

The rest of the day will be spent in debriefing the Reapsouth team on our trip and updating the blog as much as possible here at starbucks.

We will be leaving very early monday morning for our flight back. Please pray that our return trip will be more efficient since most of our team must be back at work on Tuesday.

Ciao, Hasta Luego.

Good Friday in Lima

Good Friday in Lima is a big Holiday. Most places are closed and an otherwise extremely busy city is reduced to very light traffic and oddly deserted streets. We took advantage of this day to get rest and reflect on our journey, And fill out some Reapsouth paperwork.

This is the day that we had originally scheduled to return to Lima, and there was plenty to do to wind down the trip. We struggled to fill the rental trucks with fuel and get them washed since there are no do it yourself carwashes. The rental company will pick up the trucks first thing in the morning so we need to hurry and get these trucks cleaned.

San Pedro Day 2

The sun came out just as expected and the vistas around the town are breathtaking. Walter, Donna Brad, Ana made preparations to visit Huachupampa. Huachupampa is a town that the vision team identified as a potentially difficult town to get into. Our goal was to seek out the Mayor and School official to introduce ourselves.

Jackie, Linda and Gloria were to stay behind and continue visiting and praying for the people of San Pedro.

The team headed for Huachupampa encountered trouble with the roads and had to abort the trip up. In fact the road conditions were worsening as more rain began to fall. There were several vehicles, some larger than our trucks, that were having a lot of trouble navigating the muddy roads.

As the rains began to fall again by the afternoon we decided as a team that we should act wisely and depart for Lima because the roads were only going to get worse. We all had a difficult time with this decision, but in the end we determined that it was the best decision to make.

We arrived back in Lima just before nightfall.

San Pedro De Casta

Left Carampoma for the town of San Pedro de Casta. The sky was clear and bright as we passed some extraordinarily beautiful scenery. The scene quickly changed as we reached the the summit where San Pedro is located. The town was under heavy fog, much like laraos but this was cooler and there were rain showers that fell. The town was busy making preparations for the Easter celebrations. The town square was bustling with activity.

Were able to meet with Herlinda, she is a Christian lady that is working with a small local group of believers to begin starting a new church. Herlinda had given away her bible so we gave her two new bibles: one for herself and another to give away. Herlinda’s prayer requests right now are for her health and Family.

We continued our walk for a while and coninued to meet some of the town people and prayed over the children’s playground.

The weather was very cold and rainy so we returned to the hotel for the evening, we decided that Thursday would be a much better as the weather usually breaks in the morning. The plan is that we would send a team up to the town of Huachupampa and leave another team in San Pedro to keep talking with people and possibly set up a bible meeting with Herlinda and Pastor Luis.

Prayer walk in Carampoma

Did some prayer walking in carampoma in the morning and visited Laraos in the afternoon. We found that the people of carampoma are hungry to learn more about Christ and we were able to identify a man who calls himself Abram (not a typical quechua name, probably renamed himself) and identifies himself as an evangelical Christian not catholic. He was in the fields all day so we did not have the opportunity to meet with him, an excellent possible contact for future visits.

We also met Dino, who is a government official in Carampoma. Dino is the communication officer and came up to our hostel rooms in the evening to ask if we would be here Friday so we could tell about Jesus on the radio. Although we will already be back in Lima by Friday we did give him some evange-cube cards and the instructions to use them. He indicated that this would really help him reach more people. His language is a clear indication that he will be a great tool to be used of God in Carampoma.

Laraos is a town that is a little higher up on the mountain, and when we arrived there it was coated in very thick fog and mist. We spoke with several city ladies that were busy cleaning mud and debris from the city gutters in preparation for Semana Santa (Holy Week) activities. We prayed with them and let them know that we were here to see them and not to visit the usual tourist sites.

We also met an electrician from Lima who has been placed in charge of installing electricity to the church in Laraos. He allowed us into the church to see the religious tradition of the people. He also took much time away from his work to show us around the town and eventually introduced us to Sixto who is the City Secretary. Sixto showed us the city Museum and told us about the festivals that occur in June. He is also excited about our future groups coming.

Tomorrow we will make our trip to San Pedro de Casta.

Arrival in Peru

Finally the entire team has arrived in Peru and we have picked up the rental trucks. We met with the Reapsouth team as we packed the trucks for our drive into the town of Carampoma. Anxieties and expectations were high as well as the altitude. Due to all of the shenanigans by American Airlines we will have to cut our time in the villages but God is definitely going to be moving in the Highlands of Lima this week.

Reapsouth has teamed us up with a college student from Idaho named Kyle. Kyle has been working with the Huarochiri people for a couple of weeks and will be an invaluable asset to our journey this week.

We also had Ana and Orlando two young Peruvians who were excellent in helping us navigate the language barrier. “no hablo castellan” was a phrase spoken often by our group.

Arrival...FINALLY!

PRAISE THE LORD!! All of our Peru Team members have safely arrived in Peru and retrieved all of their luggage! Donna emailed to say they are "tried" - which may or may not be translated "tired" - and will be sleeping until Noon. I understand Walter and Brad had a fast lesson in Lima driving from the airport to the hotel!

Pray for our team to get the rest they need this morning then to be renewed by God's Spirit for the incredible journey ahead. Thank the Lord again for answering our prayers and providing for our team thus far.

Congratulations guys on your safe arrival!

More Answered Prayers

Walter, Donna, Linda & Gloria are on the plane and waiting for take off from Miami. They are scheduled to land in Lima about 4 a.m. Monday morning. Brad and Jackie called. They landed safely in Lima.

Pray our team will be back together - with luggage - on Monday and rested for the next stage of their adventure. Perhaps they can all feast on Guinea Pig for lunch.

An Eventful Day

It's been an eventful day for our Prayer Walking Team. Though everyone had hoped to be on the same flight and landing in Lima around 9 p.m. tonight, our team has found themselves split up again. From the latest accounts, Brad & Jackie were able to get out this afternoon and are hopefully arriving in Peru tonight. Meanwhile, the remaining four members have been meeting various folks at Miami International. Several have commented on the great spirits they seem to have in light of their travels. I think the team is doing walking warm-ups in the airport; no doubt, they are praying!

God certainly answers our prayers and continues to provide for our team. We spoke with the four Miami confined members tonight and prayed specifically for them to be able to make a midnight flight. This flight would send them to Bolivia then on to Lima. Just moments ago, our pastor received information from the team that they had received 4 confirmed boarding passes to depart Miami and fly directly to Lima! Praise the Lord for this miracle. We hope to hear from the team again before they depart Miami.

Here are some other prayer points for you to remember over the next few hours:

* pray for Brad and Jackie who should be arriving in Lima tonight around 9 p.m. (CST); pray they make their contacts and get into a hotel easily

* pray for the midnight flight to occur without any other major setbacks; pray that the remaining team members will be able to rest during this flight

* pray for all the luggage to find its way to each of our missionaries; because of all the flight issues, only God knows where each piece is at this point!

* pray for renewed energy and excitement for the team as they all arrive in Lima and begin preparing for their journey by truck

Thanks for your prayers for Walter, Donna, Brad, Jackie, Gloria & Linda. Praise God for their continued sacrifice and for His undeniable intervention and provision. We don't know when or if the team will have access to this blog, but feel free to post your comments and notes of encouragement. Above all else, continue praying for their adventures!

Travel Begin Stateside

Please be in prayer for our Prayerwalking Team. All have been delayed in Miami this evening. Four from the group arrived in Miami first and were scheduled to be in Peru by this time tonight. The other two team members were to arrive in Peru tomorrow morning. Airplane troubles delayed the first group. The second group has met up with them now and all are awaiting vouchers for a hotel for the evening.

Pray specifically that the team can get rest tonight and that the contact details with the Peru connections will go smoothly tomorrow. Pray also that the team is able to get out tomorrow and arrive safely in Peru. The team sounded tired but still excited about the work God has for them in Peru. Pray that even through these circumstances, our team will be able to be shining witnesses for Christ.

Praise God for preparing the way for them and providing for their needs during their travels.

Departing for Peru.

The Prayer walking team has gathered one last time on Tuesday night to go over last minute packing lists and come up with a plan for our first day in Peru. The excitement and anxiety have been building as most of the team departs San Antonio for Houston Friday. Walter, Donna, Gloria and Linda leave for Peru early saturday while Jackie and I get one last night in the comfort of our own home (we depart Saturday evening).

Everyone is feeling healthy and looking forward to the things that God has in store for us on this trip and future trips.

Specific Prayer needs at this time are:
-Uneventful flights
-safe arrival and rendezvous of teams members on Sunday morning
-safe travel (by road) into the village of Carampoma on Sunday Evening
-continued health of team and families that are back at home

We will post to this blog as often as possible, although we are unsure how many internet connections we will find in rural Peru.


Here is a map of where we will be in Peru and some helpful locations for future teams.


View Larger Map

Prayer Walk Trip in March.

The next step in reaching this region of Peru for Christ is to pray. We are announcing that on March 15th a team of six will be traveling to Peru for the sole purpose of prayer.

We are going on a prayer walking Journey which has a primary purpose of intercessory prayer "on location" in Peru. We don't have to go all the way to Peru to prayer-walk; prayer-walking can be done at church, in our community, on our block or anywhere. In "An Orientation Guide: Part One" by Dan R. Crawford, a missionary couple gave some insight into the purpose of prayer-walking. They said:

We would like to see a spiritual harvest but we are seeing none. We would like to say that we are busy watering seed that has been planted, but neither are we doing that. We'd like to tell you that we are faithfully planting seed for a future harvest, but this has not yet been our ministry. We wish we could share with you that we spend our time breaking up the soil for the planting of seeds. Not so. Quite honestly ours is a ministry of rock moving."

Our job as prayer-walkers is to help in the rock moving. Indeed this trip will allow us the priveledge of walking and praying among the rocks. So please take the time to pray for the prayer walking team as we prepare both physically (for the walking) and spiritually (for the praying).