March 14, 2005

God is moving and so are we!

Dear Pastors, Praying Friends, and Family,

 I have so much to write about this month that I may have to send two prayer letters!  I’ll just try to keep it brief and to the point.

 At the end of January, Carla’s sister Nina and her husband Wayne came to visit us for two months.  They have been a blessing and it has been a pleasure having them here.  Please pray for their safety as they fly back to the states at the end of this month.

 On January 30, I preached my first sermon in Spanish in an actual church service at our church here in Cieneguilla and then preached again the same week 14 hours away at a national pastor’s church in the mountains.  What a great feeling to be back in the pulpit preaching God’s Word.  I was told that it was received well by both congregations.

 * After surveying several areas of possible ministry, we want to praise God for moving in our hearts and making it clear of where we will be moving to start our first works in Peru.  It is a town in the Andes Mountains named Cajamarca (pronounced Ka-ha-mar-ka) located about a fourteen hour drive north from the capital city of Lima.  Cajamarca is a city of over 131,000 souls.  There are no independent Baptist missionaries working there.  We will be helping an existing national pastor while we start a new work in the neighboring pueblo of Los Baños del Inca where there are no Baptist churches.  We are excited and planning to move to Cajamarca on April 15.  Please pray that all will go smoothly.  You can see the pictures of our survey trip on our website!

 On Feb. 18, I sent an email update and prayer request to all those who receive our email.  I would like to thank you for your prayers and give you an update on how God answered them at this time.

 * Praise the Lord, we have been told that we WILL BE GIVEN a piece of property in the area where we want to start a church! All that remains is the paperwork.  There is a picture of the property on our web site.  I will keep you posted on the progress.
* I have just returned from a trip to Cajamarca where God blessed us in finding a home to move into next month.
* I had shoulder surgery here in Peru on Feb. 23 to correct a problem with a tendon that was out of place.  The surgery went fine and I am healing well.  Thank you for your prayers.

On March 2, New Life Children’s Home received its first 4 children!  There was one boy and three girls between the ages of 5-8 years old.  By the time you read this, more children will probably have been received.  Children’s sponsors are still needed so that more abandoned children may be brought in from off the streets.  If you are interested in sponsoring a child and helping change a young child’s life, please contact Bro. Mike Kennedy by email at kennedys@perumissions.com.

Moving to a new area means a new mailing address here in Peru.  Please send any future mailing to us at: Casilla Postal #90, Cajamarca, Peru, South America. 

Our move to Cajamarca is being made with gladness in our hearts for starting the next step in our missionary journey, but with sadness also at saying goodbye to Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva, our first Peruvian home church, and the wonderful missionary couple who helped us so much in our transition to becoming missionaries in Peru.  We want to thank Bro. Mike and Sis. Chelene Kennedy for all their prayers, assistance, and fellowship.  They have truly been a blessing to us and we pray that God will continue to bless them and their ministry in Peru. 

May God bless each one of you for your prayers as we make our move to Cajamarca, Peru to follow God’s plan for our lives.

                                                                                           Don Rich & family

Don’t forget to visit our web site:  www.Rich2Peru.com        NEW PHOTOS and INFORMATION ABOUT CAJAMARCA!