It’s a Small World After All
“It’s a small world after all”
March 1, 2018
Hello from stateside USA! We are now in the US on a five-month furlough. We are enjoying visiting many of our supporting churches that we were unable to get to on our last furlough. We just arrived on Feb 2nd, and have already been to a few churches in GA, VA, and WV, including a great missions conference in TN. We are also enjoying being with family, friends, and our home church, when we are not on the road.
Before leaving Peru to begin our furlough, we were busy up to the last minute. We had two visitors from the US. A dear brother, Ken from North Carolina, came back to visit for his sixth time. It is always a pleasure to have him in our home. We also hosted Darren, a young man from Tennessee, who feels called to serve as a missionary to Peru. He is seeking God’s heart as to where in the country He would have him serve. We are praying for God’s will in this man’s life and ministry.
While our visitors were with us, they helped re-upholster the sound absorption boards in our Cajamarca church, and hang a new baptistry curtain. They also helped us with the VBS at our Guadalupe church on the coast, decorating, door knocking, serving, and cleaning. It was a three-day event, and we were blessed with over forty in attendance. Many of the children made decisions for Christ. God knows the hearts of each one. On Sunday, after the morning service, we drove down to the river and baptized Juliana, a young married lady in our church. Upon arriving back in Cajamarca, we also traveled with our guests back into the mountains about an hour from our home, where we saw more ministry opportunity and God’s beautiful creation.
The last week before we left for furlough, we held VBS at our Cajamarca church. It was a great time of teaching, singing, and fellowship, with over one hundred children in attendance. There were at least two decisions for Christ by two 12-year-old young ladies. I haven’t received the report from the other teachers as of this writing.
We have seen at least 5 others saved in our churches since our last prayer letter. God continues to bless and add to His church.
Jungle Ministry – We were able to complete two more doctrinal training books, having them translated into the native Awajun dialect, printed, and delivered just before we flew to the US. These bring us to a total of ten books that will help train pastors in the jungles of Peru, those who for so long have had little to nothing to study in their native dialect.
Bible Ministry – We were able to get more cases of Bibles to a missionary who is going to Uruguay. As we shared in our last prayer letter, we have now been able to get Bibles into all nine Spanish-speaking countries in S. America!
Being a missionary has helped us to understand just how small our world really is. When we started our newest church around three and a half hours away in Guadalupe, one of the first families that was won to the Lord was attending faithfully. We quickly learned that they had plans to move to Cajamarca, where we live. They have now moved and are attending our Cajamarca church. If we had not started the Guadalupe church, only God knows if we would have ever had the opportunity to minister to them.
As we are on furlough, we continue to ask for prayer that God would send us a like-minded family or couple to work with in Peru. We would appreciate your prayers and ask yourself if that might be you!
Thank you for your continued prayers and support,
Don & Carla Rich
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