January 10, 2003

Dear Pastors and Praying Friends,

      I would like to open this month’s prayer letter wishing you all a happy, healthy, and blessed new year.  We  pray that your churches will continue to grow in the number of souls won to the Lord and in the ministries that go out of them.  These past few months, we have been in many churches and have noticed the number of people on prayer lists for sickness has many times been more than those attending the services.  Our family has also gone through battles with colds, sinus infections, flu, and viruses.  We need to continually lift up those who are sick among us.

      We come into this new year with the excitement and anticipation of planning to be on the field in Peru soon.  As you know, we were praying to be on the field at the end of sixteen months which would have been next month.  This was very aggressive on our part as we feel a strong desire to be in Peru ministering as soon as possible.  God has continually blessed our deputation and we praise Him for His hand on us.  But, it looks as if “our” timing was not “His” timing.  As disappointing as this was, we trust and praise Him for being omniscient and knowing the best time to place us on the field.  We are now praying to be in Peru this summer, by June or July.  We want to be there before Christa’s school starts in August.  Please pray that God will place us there at that time.  Our heart is just to know and do His will.

      We had the privilege of being in our home church on the last Sunday of 2002.  My pastor, Bro. Snyder Turner, asked us to come and asked me to bring the last Sunday morning message of the year.  This was the first Sunday we have been in our home church since my ordination last January.  God has kept our calendar full.  We truly enjoyed being with our church family again for a short while.  We love our home church.

      God gave Carla and Christa a special treat recently.  We were in Virginia and they got to see it snow for about an hour.  They love snow and had been hoping to see some before we go to Peru.  They were like children at Christmas as they watched the flakes falling.  Another memory to store.  By the way, our son, Shawn, turned 20 on New Year’s day.   Happy birthday son!

      Even though we are not in Peru yet, I am trying to place something new on our web site each month.  This month I have added a photo album titled “Views from the Deputation Trail”.  It is an ongoing collection of photos I have taken while we are on the road that display God’s beauty in creation and other interesting sites.  Please take a moment and enjoy it.   www.Rich2Peru.com

      Finally, to all of those who sent us Christmas gifts, we want to say thank you for your thoughtfulness.  It was an encouragement to us and was deeply appreciated.  May God bless each of you who have supported us these past fifteen months in finances and in prayer.

   

Your missionaries to Peru,

                                                                                           Don Rich & family