In Nasca and doing great

Our team just arrived into Nasca today after a day of saying goodbye and then driving the hardest part of the trip through the mountains. We are all very tired but at the same time excited because of the work God is doing in our adopted village. It has been exciting to see the relationships deepen and the awareness of our purpose building in the community.

Yesterday the village celebrated Peru's independence day. They have a parade where each neighborhood of the village marches before the community leaders. At the end of the parade they asked us to march, too. What was greater than that honor was to hear them announce us as being missionaries. That means we are more than visitors or tourists but they recognize that we are here for a specific reason.

Please pray for the summer missionaries as they begin their re-entry process. It will be difficult for them to adjust but they are wonderful young people with a great passion to share the gospel.

Thank you for your prayers and even for your patience as we have not been able to blog as much as we had anticipated due to the village internet not working during our visit. As we would say on the trip... welcome to Peru!

We will continue our travel tomorrow into Peru and then to a camp so that the summer missionaries can debrief with the missionary leadership.

Updates from Peru

The team has been unable to blog because of the clouds but today the rainy weather has started to let up. It's still cold!

One boy named Anthony accepted Christ last night. The team has witnessed to him each previous trip - truly a precious young one. A few others have said that they have accepted Christ but the team is still working with them to make sure that they understand the decision. God is moving in their hearts. Please pray for two that are very close - Jackie and Wilder (pronounced Will-daire).

Today is Peru's independence day. The team was invited to march in the parade. Kevin just called after the parade was finished and said that the team was introduced in the parade as United States missionaries, not as tourists. This is a huge step in acceptance by the community.

God has been so good to the team as they interact with people and the walls are starting to come down. There is so much work to be done but for the team to be able to see the progress on this trip has been a great blessing.

Please pray for the team's interaction with the people today as this is their last full day in the villages. The team begins the journey to Lima on Wednesday.

Update from Cabana

The team has arrived in Cabana but it is very cold and rainy. Kevin is not able to blog right now - maybe due to the weather...

Great news: Last night, a lady that Shane, David and the girls had been witnessing to accepted Christ! Yay!

Please pray that the team keeps warm - I think it might be a little colder than expected - and for this new sister in Christ!

Traveling in Peru

Kevin called Jeanna this morning to say that the team is doing great. At the time, they had about 3 to 4 hours left to travel over very rough terrain to reach the villages. The weather is very cold and ready to rain. Please keep praying for the team. Hopefully Kevin will be able to blog soon.

Whew... we made it all the way

to the Orlando airport, through check-in and customs and to the gate. Here is a picture of John and Denise Hess. She affectionately goes by the official name of Pamela on this trip. :)

It is a real privilege for me (Kevin) to join them on this trip as we go to pick up the summer missionaries which happens to include their son, Shane. I am anticipating some great moments of watching them interact together over the next week.

We will arrive (hopefully) in Lima tonight around 10PM (central time zone) and will then leave in the morning for the villages.

We are grateful to have gotten through the check-in process and for our great last lunch at Chickfila. That sweet tea is always good...

Please pray for us and the folks in Cabana - we are praying that the hard work put in by the summer missionary team will come to a harvest in the next few days. Please pray specifically for Wilder and Jackie - that they will come to know the love of Jesus.

I will try to post again while we are in Lima. Thanks again for your prayers and for joining with us on this incredible journey.

Peru Mission Trip

The Peru team is on their way! We had a great time of prayer with them before they left. There were many kiddos that joined that circle of prayer - you could feel God smiling as their heads bowed and their small hands joined the adults.

We are looking forward to seeing what God has in store for this team. Please keep them in your prayers.

Peru Mission Trip

Our team is making final arrangements to leave and join our summer missionaries that have spent the summer building relationships with people in our adopted village of Cabana. It has been great to follow their story over the past two months. Please be praying for our team of 3 as we travel to Lima today. We will then have a translator join the team before beginning our 16 hour drive to Cabana. We should arrive in Cabana sometime on Sunday. We will do our best to post updates throughout the trip. Thanks for joining us on this journey! Your prayers make an incredible difference.

Canada Mission Team is Ready!

Tomorrow - bright, early and well before most of us are awake - the Canada Mission Team will depart Ocala headed to Mississauga, Ontario for five days. The team will serve alongside Brett & Kathryn Porter and David & Ruth Hudson as they reach out to the community through their church - The Sanctuary. Stay tuned to this blog to see how God moves over the coming days to reach the children and community of Mississauga.