Hitting the Ground Running
Hitting the Ground Running
September 1, 2021
Hello from Cajamarca! We arrived back in Peru on August 5th after our short but blessed furlough. It is always a joy to visit our supporting churches, enjoy time with family, and catch up with friends. We were also blessed to be able to be a part of the home school graduation service of our dear friends’ daughter Charity while we were in the US.
Another great blessing that we enjoyed was seeing two souls saved. While we were at one of our supporting churches they had two Mexican nationals, a father and daughter, who visited but did not speak English. It was not a coincidence that they came on the very day we were there. After preaching the service I was blessed to talk to them. They both bowed their heads and accepted Christ as their Savior that day! Praise the Lord for His timing and for the obedience of Guadalupe and his daughter Citlaly! The new pastor at the church said that according to church records they were the 2nd and 3rd souls to be saved there in many years. May God bless and allow this to be just a start to a fruitful ministry.
Also, while in the US we saw the Bibles that Victory Baptist Press are printing to be sent to us here in Peru in a couple of months. What a blessing to see their facility filled with the different portions of the Word that will soon be whole Bibles that will be placed in the hands of so many in S. America!
Upon arriving in Peru, we began delivering cases of the Romans booklets as pastors and missionaries placed their orders. We still have several cases left and will be doing our best to get them out quickly. No seed does any good if it is left in the barn. We also need the room for the coming Bibles in a couple of months.
Pastor José of our Cajamarca church told us that three teens were saved just one day before our return! What a blessing to return home to.
On August 14th our Cajamarca church celebrated its 16-year anniversary! Because of the Covid restrictions we were not able to invite other churches to celebrate with us, but we had a good group of members and their friends and family. We rejoiced with two baptisms that day. I was privileged to preach the service. We had several sing special music and children reciting scripture from memory. The ladies of the church prepared some delicious plates of grilled chicken, potatoes, and salad. But the best part was that one young man accepted Christ!
Our Cajamarca church has re-opened all regular services and children’s church with Sunday School coming soon. We are pleased that the majority of our church members have returned to the services.
Our Guadalupe church has struggled because of the pandemic. Our national pastor is working hard to get the services back up and running but the people are resistant and sadly unfaithful. He has so far opened one Sunday service. The other two services are still online with varied attendance. Please pray for this work.
We have had some visitors since we returned. To start, we had a couple from a church we know in a coastal city who came to Cajamarca to celebrate their 30 yr wedding anniversary. Upon arrival they found there were no vacancies at the local hotels (no room at the inn). Our national pastor called and asked if we could help. We were able to give them a place to stay while they toured the area for three days and attended church with us on Sunday. Then a missionary friend from Trujillo (on the coast) brought his family of eight to visit. He preached a good message for our church on Sunday. It was good to have the fellowship as we talked, played games, and showed them around our area.
Other updates: We have recently been advised that the 3rd wave of Covid has entered our area. Also, the socialist candidate won the presidential election, and his cabinet choices were approved. The financial and political uncertainty has caused their money to depreciate, and prices have gone up on many items. We appreciate your prayers as the people and economy struggle through these situations.
There are new photos on our website, www.rich2peru.com. Please take a look! May God bless each of you for your faithful support and prayers for our ministry.
Don & Carla Rich
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