As Navidad 2015 draws near, we want to personally express our gratitude to those who have walked with us in prayer. We have been living and ministering in Peru since 2006. God has been faithful to us these past nine years and you all have been his face, his hands, his heart… reflecting in a tangible way His goodness and grace to us.
A BRIEF PERSONAL UPDATE
Given our ages and the mileage on our odometers, we’re reasonably well physically speaking. Robert’s heart is still in sinus rhythm and we’re grateful for a full year with no recurrences of A-fib. We manage to exercise fairly regularly.
Perhaps you will recall that we assumed pastoral leadership of our church plant, Casa de Fe, the first Sunday in 2014. We have persevered, and even though progress has been both slow and challenging, it pleases us to report that the church and its ministry are growing and deepening.
Victor, a man in his 70s who captains a commercial fishing boat has asked to be baptized. We’ve been counseling individuals and couples. Becky continues to train women using the Butterfly Workshop materials. In February, Casa de Fe, along with Pastor Nestor’s and Pastor Rodolfo’s congregations, will be hosting four World Race teams and will also host a four-day visit of perhaps 50 parents of the World Race participants during the third and final week of the project. We will be collaborating with Betty Means on this “Parent Visioning Trip.” We hope to leverage this ministry partnership with the WR to further God’s work in the three churches and the communities they serve.
This past Sunday, following four Sundays with Advent being the focus of the sermons, we celebrated Christmas as a congregation. There was carol singing, a brief message, and a Christmas play with children as the actors. Following the drama we enjoyed a meal together and the classic Peruvian “Cocolatada” for desert (Panetón—a sweet bread with candied fruit—and hot chocolate). The church was
full of families with lots of lively kids who made plenty of noise and a big enough mess to prove they’d been here.
We’re looking forward to Christmas morning with Ricky, Kelsey and our grandkids. Peruvians almost universally celebrate Navidad on Christmas Eve, so Christmas Day is relatively subdued and quiet. We miss New England Christmases but we hear this year temperatures in the northeast will be almost as warm as they are down here in South America.
We hope amidst the demands of this season you can find some space where there is peace and tranquility and that you will be able to personally reflect on the astounding good news that lies at the heart of Christmas. May God give you a clear sense of His precious presence and abiding care.
Merry Christmas,
Robert & Becky with Adventures in Missions, Peru
