So we are up in Cajamarca and I got to say it is beautiful.  The sky is so crisp and the mountains are amazing.  It has been a challenging week nevertheless.  We have been adjusting to the altitude and trying to get settled into our apartment.  Classes have started and the work load is much more than I anticipated, but I am so blessed to be able to just spend time in Gods word growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ.

The first class the pastor opened up by saying that "we couldn't have come here on our own that the Lord brought us here"  How true is that.  What an encouraging thought that even though difficult times are ahead and things will be coming at us from every angle, by the Lords grace He has called us here and brought us.  All the trials that we are already facing and will continue to face is to build character and to conform us to the image of Christ.  The Lord loves an unfair fight.  When all seems against you that is when the odds are right for the Lord to show His glory.  How I long for His glory.  To see the Lord work.

The Lord has surrounded us by amazing men and women of God.  Though we miss our families and our home fellowship, the Lord is bringing alongside of us wonderful friends.  He is so faithful.  I am learning so much of the faithfulness of God.  I am experiencing it first hand.  Even when we are not faithful He is.

First week in Peru

We arrived safe and sound with all our baggage praise the Lord.  We had a couple of hiccups, but that is to be expected.  This week has been very busy.  We have been going here and there still finishing up are residency request.  We thought that it was all done, but it was just the first stage.  The Lord though has brought us favor, at Interpool earlier this week, we were granted are carnet's that we will pick up on monday and then we will start the process for our kids.  Yesterday we walked down to the cliffs and just hung out it was a very relaxing day.  We fellowshipped with the pastor, his wife and their son who is down here visiting them.  This morning we arose early and went to church.  Though I did not get much of the teaching, it was great to worship with other believers who were there for the same reason we were which is to sing praises to the Lord and hear from His word.  The kids had a good time as well even though they couldn't communicate.  Next week we will continue like I mentioned with the residency process and then on friday we will be serving at a wedding.  Even in this short week, we have seen the Lord be faithful to us.  It has been quite an adventure so far and we are looking forward to getting settled into our apartment in Cajamarca on the 21st.

In Flight in the morning

So we are heading down to Lima in the morning.  We have been extremely encouraged and blessed this week by all our friends and family.  It has been probably one of the hardest weeks of our lives yet it is also one of the greatest.  We have seen so much love from the body of Christ.  We will miss our families more than words can say, but we are doing what the Lord has called and that is where the peace is.  No matter how hard it is, when Jesus calls we need to answer.  Whatever it may be step out and do it.  He will give us the strength, if He has called, He gives the ability.  He has a calling on each one of His children and our responsibility is to obey.  Let me also say this He hasn't called everyone to go into a foreign mission field.  There is plenty of work right where you are at, but if He does say go then go.  He might be calling you to have your neighbor over for dinner so you can share the love of Christ, or that co-worker who is always down about this or that.  It may be the hardest thing you have ever done, but Christ will give you strength because in your weakness He is made strong.  Please be praying for our flight and our time in Lima.  We will be spending 11 or 12 days there before heading up 9000 feet into the Andes.

Down to the wire!

The Lord is so faithful!!!!!  We got our visas on monday.   With only 8 days left, any other hurdles would have been very hard to get over.  When going into Peru they require you to have a plane ticket back home, but we had bought one way tickets because we started the process on our visas and had hoped they would be approved before we departed.  Worse case scenario would have been we would have to buy a ticket back home once we arrived, but that would have really put a wrench into our finances.  So by faith we purchased one way tickets and the Lord showed us grace and allowed us to get our visas just in time.  Thanks for all who were praying and our friend Mesod who worked diligently on all our paper work.

On a separate note, we had a meeting last night with our care team.  It was such a blessed time of fellowship.  We are blessed with a great team who will be holding up our hands while we are away.  It is an encouraging thing to have so many behind us.  We also got to meet with a Life Group which is basically a home fellowship from our church that meets during the week.  The Lord had put us on their hearts and they invited us to share and fellowship with them.  We had a great time in His word, worship then they prayed for us.  They also will be a huge part in our ministry.  We love their hearts and their desire to come along side of us and support us.

Time is going very quickly for us.  We have 12 more days here state side.  As we are trying to get all are things in order and our last minute check list done, the Lord continues to show us His love and confirmation that He is calling us.  Yesterday we went up to the Peruvian consulate to finish up with are visas and we had a little hiccup.  We left without them, but we will go back up there on monday so please pray that there will be no more delays and that we would leave with them in hand.  We have already been approved by the government in Lima we just have a couple more minor things to take care of.

While we didn't get the visas, God was still there up holding us and though it was frustrating, it wasn't anything compared to what some face for following Christ.  Hebrews 13:3 says "Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body" though we were not mistreated in anyway, it made me think of those around the world who are simply because they name the name of Jesus.  Throughout our day lets just take the time to remember are brothers and sisters who are suffering for the sake of the gospel and intercede of their behalf.  


God Bless 

A true faith in Jesus Christ will not suffer us to be idle. No, it is an active, lively, restless principle; it fills the heart, so that it cannot be easy till it is doing something for Jesus Christ.

—George Whitefield

We leave on August 9th!!!!!!

We are leaving for Peru on August 9th.  We could not be more excited to go and see what the Lord has in store for us.  The Lord is so faithful and is continuing to confirm to us that we are following His lead.

Psalms 37:4 says "Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart."

When you read that, sometimes we take it like God will give us all that we want, all that our heart desires.  Jesus said in John 14  "whatever you ask in My name I will do" Then in John 15 Jesus said  "you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you".  See the more we have fellowship with Jesus and the more we abide in Him, as John 15 states, we will begin to have the same desires as Christ.  We will be conforming to the image of Christ, so we will be asking and desiring the things that Christ would be.  When we present our request before God they will be more inline with what Christ would be seeking.
When we "delight" ourselves with Jesus, He will "give" you your desires.  I take it like Jesus Himself with place in your heart, your desires, what you long for, what you yearn for.  Delight yourselves today in Him, open His word and let Him speak to you today.  He is so faithful.