Welcome to the Missions Blog!

Our mission teams will be posting events as they are On Mission all around the globe. Join the team by praying - it will strengthen them. Leave 'em a comment - it will encourage them. Join a team in the future - it will change your life.

The archives section tells the stories from our recent trips to Peru, Alaska, Romania and Canada - they will encourage you.
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Sunday, March 25, 2012

God is working...

Peru Team #1 is now home and hopefully getting rested from the experience. God is really at work in the hearts of our friends that live in Cabana. We are all very excited to imagine what is happening with our Peru Team #2 that is in the village this week. Last night the team was going to have a Bible study with Edgar following up with what we had discussed last week. David and Allyson worked hard to find materials that could be translated into Spanish so that they could help answer Edgar's questions.

We continue to pray for David, Eric and Alexis as they seek to make disciples in Cabana. May God give them great wisdom, passion and energy to share God's story of redemption with our friends.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Faces of our missionaries

Our next Peru Team just left this morning. Please be praying for David, Erik & Alexis through Saturday, 3/31.










Our Peru Team currently in country travels home late Friday, early Sat 3/24.  Please be praying for Kevin, Nathan, Larry and Lauren!

A long but good day...

Yesterday began our long trip back home. We spent the first part of the day saying goodbye to our friends and to the place that they call home. It was very encouraging to tell them that there is another team coming to Cabana on Friday. They were also excited to hear about our summer team that will spend three weeks in Peru this July.

It is amazing how much these folks remember about our previous teams. They remember the people - they ask about many by names and share stories. Many times on this trip we heard folks call team members their friends. They wish we were here more...

All of the team members have done wonderful. Everybody handled the trip well. We experimented with a new travel plan on this trip and it has worked wonderfully. If things progress like we think it will then we will gain about 2 days in the village on each trip compared to what we are during currently. That will make a huge difference!

We had some very great Bible studies and times of prayer with our friends. Thanks for all of your prayers - God has been so faithful every step of this journey. Please continue to pray for Manuel, Edgar, Louisa, Irene and Aldo. As we were getting ready to leave yesterday we met a man named David who has recently moved to Cabana from Lima. We are praying that the next team can spend time with him - he seemed to be very open to studying the Bible with them.

We made it to Nazca last night and will finish the travel to Lima today. We should arrive at the hotel around 9PM tonight.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

A great day...

Our team has experienced one of the best days so far in our Peruvian partnership. We "ran" into some friends by "chance" and had two great conversations with men that we believe are seeking God's truth. Aldo was a man that we met last fall. He was leaving early this morning so we spent time with him over breakfast. To hear him say that Pastor Darren's conversation with him on our last trip helped him feel like he is getting closer to God confirms to us that God indeed is at work in the lives of our friends here. Edgar continues to seek the truth about God and continues to ask that someone teach him the Bible. So... tomorrow we will have our first Bible study with Edgar.

It is such a privilege to be here. There are many challenging moments but God always shows Himself to be in control. Thank you for your prayers.

Friday, March 16, 2012

In Cabana!

Our team has arrived safely today. Everyone is doing well. Without question the travel plan we used on this trip has been the best. It is amazing to realize how much we learn from each trip that helps us on the next trip. We learn from the people who have helped us and have gone before us. We are grateful for all of the help we have received over the years. It makes days like today happen.

Our team has already had some good reunions with our friends here. There are always surprises about who is here and who is not. Our friend Manuel will not be here this week. We do, however, already have some Bible study times scheduled. Our van driver, Roberto, is a believer and we found out that he will be the driver for each of our teams.

Thanks for the prayers. It has already made a difference. We would like for you to pray that we have a quick adjustment to the altitude (around 12,000 feet) so that we can get around good tomorrow. We hope to find Edgar soon so we can continue our relationship with him.

We will post more tomorrow - if the internet is working.

The Big Bus was smooth... the little van will be bumpy

We made it to Nazca a little after 10 last night. We will leave at 7AM this morning for Cabana. It usually takes about 7 hours to complete this leg of the trip. This is the difficult part of the trip - we will climb at times above 16,000 feet and then finish at around 12,000. The roads at times are more like back country dirt roads -- the very bumpy type. They are finishing the rainy season and this is the earliest in the year we have been to Peru. We are not sure what conditions the roads will be in but we know that it is going to be cold and rainy every day. Most of the time we will be in temperatures in the 40s with rain. It will get into the 50s during the days - when the sun arrives.

Please be praying for us to be where God wants us to be during the days - we are excited to see our friends and we pray that God helps us to effectively communicate His story to the people of Cabana.

Our internet service in Cabana will not be as consistent as we have had up to this point but we will post something as often as we can. Everyone is doing well on the team. It will be exciting to see how God uses each member for His glory. Have a great day!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Gettting ready for the big bus ride...

Here in Lima only for a moment

Our team had the kind of day yesterday that is desired when you are making the journey from Ocala to Lima - uneventful. It was a normal travel day for a Peru team: early morning ride to the airport, long waits for departing flights, sitting still before take off for over an hour and then arriving an hour late into Lima. We arrived at our hotel around midnight.

This morning we will meet with the International Mission Board missionaries during breakfast. We will meet our interpreter, grab some supplies from the grocery store and then head to the bus station. We will get to Nazca around 9PM and enjoy knowing that we are about halfway to Cabana. Tomorrow morning we will leave early in a van that will take us the rest of the way up the mountains.

Please be praying for us - this is a busy day of pulling together the logistics here in Peru.

Our team is incredible. We had lots of laughs yesterday. Nathan was the lucky guy to get the extra security scans in Orlando and in Lima. Larry has this new jacket with 50 pockets on it so of course he could not find his passport when we got in the TSA security line. No kidding - he had his jacket on the floor looking through every pocket for about 5 minutes only to find that his passport was in its usual place - his shirt pocket! It was a classic moment that we are sure to help him remember over the years. Lauren was laughing the entire way to the hotel yesterday because of the way that the Peruvians drive... wait until she sees it in the daylight! :)

We appreciate your prayers -- it is a privilege to be here to share God's story with the people of Peru.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Peru team leaving Ocala today!

Thanks for joining us on another trip to Cabana, Peru.

We have a team of four that will be joined by an interpreter in Lima. Depending on how our technology works we will add to this blog often during the trip.

We will be joined on the field by a second team next weekend - pray for them as they make final preparations this week.

May God give us His strength and wisdom as we travel so that He will receive glory through the lives impacted in this awesome village.