Friday, July 24, 2009

3 more days

Today I got up and hiked to the top of a hill that looks over the soccerfield, and got (i hope) some really good photos of the mountains. It was amazing.

We helped Gloria make Aji de Gallina today for lunch, and it was delicious.

I was able to share the Gospel with Percy. He didn´t say a lot afterwards about it, but I´ll be praying for him and talking to him more these last couple of days.

I was planning on talking to and studying the Bible with Alfredo Chatte for 2 hours today, but I was 20 minutes late and he had already left his office. I admit it was a let down.

We had a Bible study with Gloria 2 nights ago about Luke 18 the story of the "boastful" pharasee and the humble tax collector´s prayers, and also reviewed sharing the gospel with the story of Creation, the fall, and the life of Christ. She was busy yesterday and tonight, so next time we study we will be finishing up review on sharing the gospel with the story of Nichodemus.

Tonight in about 30 minutes we will go to the doctor´s to teach english, and continue studying the gospel story with the 10 commandments, and the life of Christ.

I am excited that it is almost time to go home, but also know that God still has more in store for the last 3 or 4 days.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Barnabas Team

The Barnabas Team arrived here the evening of the 13th, and just left this morning the 15th. It was a short but encouraging stay from them. Thanks Ryan, Cresten, Mandy, and Ellen for encouragement, the card game "garbage", and dancing to "one way ticket" and "Larude".

Including today, we have 14 more days left in Vilcas Huaman.

We haven´t been able to study the Bible with Virginia for about 3 days. She has been really busy and been going to a field to work during the day. Her sister from Ayacucho is staying at her house and helping her out.

Pray specifically that we will be able to share the gospel more with Gloria, Dr. Filencio Chavez, Percy, and Emma.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

17 Days Left.

I feel like our time here in Vilcas Huaman is going too fast. We only have 17 days left here, and we want to make the most of them.

Yesterday we watched the end of two weddings which were held in the Catholic church. We were invited by Gloria, and got to spend a lot of time with her yesterday. Today she invited us to eat with her (she only runs the restaurant during the week), and go to her house about a mile away. It was a great time getting to know Gloria even better. We saw some of the drawings that her son made on the white walls of their house. (I´d upload the pictures, but I do not have a cable to my camera.) After looking at her house we sat down in her field by the mountain, and she asked us to teach her about the Bible (she had been asking for the past couple of days). We told her the stories of Zaccheus and the temptation of Jesus, but she knew the Bible surprisingly well. She said her dad is a Christian, and she had gone to church until she was 15. She told us about some of the problems with the Catholic church such as praising and worshiping the saints, because only God is to be praised. The conversation was mostly between Miriam and Gloria since Gerica and I cannot convey things as well in spanish. I am excited about the future conversations we will have with Gloria about the Bible and the Gospel.

Pray for Reynaldo as he got in trouble for something and wound up in the policestation one night. He hasn´t been coming to the Bible studies for a long time. Pray also for his relationship with his mother. We´ve been able to study with Virginia every night that she is not busy.

I went to look for Alfredo Chate, but someone said he is on vacation for a month. Pray that we will be able to find his house.

We have been teaching English to Dr. Fidencio chavez we he is at his out every 3-4 days. We talked with him a little about the church, because he asked us why we don´t have a building. He told us about a church or house in Ayacucho that is really big and has lots of activities. He said he is catholic, but likes how the church teaches good things. Pray for our future studies that we will have the opportunity to share with him what the Gospel is, and what the church is about.

We usually aren´t able to find emma to help her out. Pray that we will have opportunities to share the gospel with her.

This last week I have been able to sit and teach english to Percy outside his store. He told Gerica that he is catholic. Pray that we will be able to share the Bible with him also.

I can´t wait to get home, but I know God still has work for us here.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Back in Vilcas Huaman

I had a great time during our break at Nazca. I got feeling better the day after I posted my last blog. It was a great time of rest and hearing the testimonies of all the other summer missionaries.

One thing our team had been lacking was a time to study the Bible together. We have begun to implement this every morning after breakfast. We began reading through 1 peter. Pray that we will continue to read the Bible daily as a group and be encouraged by each other daily.

We studied English with Dr. Chavez for the second time, and we were excited to hear that Gloria wants to come also and has been inviting many other people to study english with us. We talked about the study this morning, and decided that we will be telling them the "creation to Christ" story a few sentences at a time in English over the next few weeks so that anyone who wants to learn english will be able to hear the gospel.

Gerica went to Lima after Nazca to meet up with her Tennessee Baptist Convention person Stacey, and they arrived here in Vilcas yesterday.

Last night we went to study with Virginia but she was at a meeting. We went to Emma´s house today to help her out but she wasn´t there. This happens a lot so we just have to be patient.

Today Gerica and Miriam helped out at Gloria´s and Gloria probably invited more people to our english class tonight with Dr. Chavez. Today at 3, Miriam will teach the girls a Bible story in the Plaza, and today at 3:30, I will be talking with Alfredo Chatte in his office and hopefully will have a chance to practice english and study the creation story.

Lord please give me the words to say because I am inadequate. I pray for good conversation with Alfredo, and hope to hear more about what he believes (I saw a Bible verse on his wall), but he hasn´t been extremely outspoken about Christianity except wanting a Bible in English to read.

Tonight at Virginia´s if Reynaldo shows up, we will review the Bible verses on the relationship between parents and children. Otherwise we will go over the passage in Romans 10 about how can people believe in what they have not heard, and how can they hear unless someone preaches, and how can someone preach unless they are sent. So it will be about them sharing the gospel with other people.

Lord we lift all of these things up to you. Bless them, and may we bring glory to you through them.