Greetings from Cusco. We hope that all is well where you are. We are all doing fine, looking forward to what
God will do next. This Saturday, I set out on another jungle trip. This time, I will be flying down and back on a charter
flight with a couple of English speakers who will be accompanying the team, so I’ll only be gone for about a week. Once
again, we’ll be heading into the Park and after we leave, the rest of the team will be continuing on to visit a couple
of more villages on the way down river to Puerto Maldonado for the return to Cusco. Also on this trip will be a doctor from
Spain who teaches tropical medicine in Brazil, and a dentist from Cusco. Construction on the house is coming along. Although
it is costing more than was originally forcasted (being foreigners, everyone thinks we are filthy rich and wants to get his
share…), we are moving along and should be able to move in early next year. The house is small by U.S. standards, but
large by peruvian standards and rumors have run crazy about what it is going to be used for. Truth is, although the original
plan is home and office, it will also double as the beginning of El Arca (The Ark) which is going to be our home for
abandoned and abused children – especially those of the campo (rural areas). Each time the enemy has tried to
come in like a flood, the Lord has raised up a banner and defeated the attacks and attempts to discourage us. God has been
protecting the workers, too. The only near injury we had was when one of the master builders fell from the attic level of
the house. He hit a beam between the second and first floors and when he hit the ground floor, an adobe brick (about 25-30
pounds of hardened mud and straw) that had fallen with him, hit him on the head. Other than a minor headache to remind him
to be more careful, there was no physical damage done. Praise God with us!
Speaking of El Arca, a while back we petitioned the alcalde of the district of Poroy for a land donation. After
an initially encouraging response, he just sort of sat on the request and let it die. We figured it was God and believed He
had something better in mind. Then a couple of weeks ago, a brother who has some really nice land near Curamba approached
us. For some time now, it has been on his heart to donate the land. He has tried in the past to donate it to a couple of religious
organizations who never really responded. It is possible that the Lord has saved it for us. There are a couple of blood relatives
who culturally, although they have no legal right to the land, need to be consulted before he can officially turn the land
over to us.
We had a couple of groups come to visit and help during October. Along with visiting some of the works in the villages
and in Poroy, they helped in the construction of the house by lifting adobes to the roof and digging ditches. One brave brother
even took up his position on the roof (that is, on the adobe wall and poles spanning the ceiling of the second floor) and
received the adobes the others were sending up to him via a pulley. For that matter, seeing as how adobes sometimes break,
the brothers down below were pretty brave too! One of the groups, after attending church in Poroy, caught the vision to help
with our building expansion plans for the building there. They asked for an estimate of what it would cost to expand the building
to the limits of our current property and literally overnight, came up with the finances to complete the work. The funding
comes none too soon as we have baptized about 11 new believers in the past month, with a few more who have committed their
lives to the Lord, but have not yet had the opportunity to get baptized. We’ll send some pictures along as soon as we
can get them out of the camera.
In the past we have mentioned the need for a Christian school in the campo. There is only one in Cusco and it is difficult
for campesino parents to send their children there. Public education leaves much to be desired and private schools are highly
idolatrous. Our desire is to provide quality education for the children of the church in the beginning and others as we grow.
To this end, we have been in contact with ACE (Advanced Christian Education ) in Lima. Those of you into home schooling in
the States would have heard of them. This next year, our oldest daughter Sarah and Aidee (the recently widowed young lady
staying with us) will travel to Lima to take the training necessary to open a Christian kindergarten and school (grades 1-12).
Aidee has long dreamed of being a teacher, but has not had the finances to attend the five years of university necessary.
Her whole family is excited and her mother has committed to come up from Puno and take care of her son Christian while she
is receiving her training.
Over the past couple of months, two sisters from our work in Tica Huerta came down with Appendicitis (at different times).
They had all of the signs and symptoms, so we prayed for them. God healed them both and neither had to have the expensive
surgery that is way beyond their means. One of them was even admitted to the hospital and prepared for emergency surgery.
Instead of being wheeled down the corridor to surgery the next morning, she walked away healed by the mighty God we serve!
Finally, we received an invitation from our home church in Houston to share at their missions conference in February of
2004. After prayer and consideration, we felt that we should accept the invitation, even though the timing may not necessarily
seem right to us. God knows what is best. So, somewhere around mid-January, I will be returning to the States to visit our
supporters and to seek to meet new "friends of the ministry". Laura and the children will be staying home this trip, holding
down the fort and trying to finish the house while I’m gone. I would like to come and visit as many of you as possible,
so if you would like for me to come and share about what’s going on here, please contact me as soon as possible at "quechua_call@hotmail.com".
I would like to get as much of my trip planned out before leaving, so that I can plan my trips most efficiently and determine
my length of stay. God is moving here, setting a lot of groundwork: physical, emotional and spiritual. If you know of any
churches or individuals who would be interested in hearing about and possibly getting behind the work here, please let me
know. We can send a packet of information about the ministry to anyone interested.
Please praise God with us:
For the safety of the workers on the house and that He held off the rains until we could get the roof on!
The physical and spiritual growth the church in Poroy.
The possible land donation for the children’s home.
Healing of the two sisters from Tica Huerta – and others.
Continued provision.
Please pray with us:
Finances to finish house
Continued safety for workers
Expansion of church building – addition of souls.
New believers
Trip to the Jungle
Health
Safety of Laura and the children during the trip
Trip to the U.S. – finances to go, travel plans and new contacts
For each other
Thank you for your continued prayer and financial support. Please make your tax deductible checks or money orders out to:
May God bless you all, Bud, Laura, Sarah, Corban, Hannah, Kevin, Caleb, Rachel, Gabi, Joshua, Alex, Joseph,
Rebekah, Charity
