Newsletters
And the Blessings Just Keep on Coming!
And the Blessings Just Keep on Coming!
May 1, 2019
Well here we go again, trying to fit so much in so little space. As you will see, God continues to bless.
On April 6 we took our youth to a park in the mountains for a day of fellowship and the Word. Then we brought them back to our house where Carla had lunch grilled and prepared. Boy can those guys eat! It was a great day for all.
On Good Friday, our Cajamarca church projected a documentary about the history of Satan. We had a good attendance and there were 2 saved! Between our Cajamarca church and the Guadalupe church we have seen at least eight more saved since our last letter.
On April 23, Carla and I celebrated 37 years of marriage! We praise God for the privilege of serving Him together.
Then, on April 27 we completed a six-week Bible Institute class on the Doctrine of the Church. Twenty-three students received certificates of completion last Sunday morning. They are already asking for another class! These guys enjoy learning more of God’s Word and plan for their lives. My exhortation to them is to not just ‘learn’ but DO!
Our intern Darren has been a big help with several projects that have needed to be completed. He has also helped with the church music, playing the banjo. He and another young man in our church take turns teaching at our youth meetings. Darren has also taught in the kids’ SS class. He feels that God is calling him to this area and will return after his deputation time, which he plans to begin around July of this year.
The last week of March, Carla and I were able to attend a three-day Bible conference in central Florida. While there, we were able to speak with Bro. Dan Hummel of Beacon of Truth printing ministry. They are interested in sending us ministry materials for distribution (more below). With the pastor and missionary contacts that we have now, we will be able to get these distributed and it will be a great blessing for all those who receive them.
We are in the process of constructing a brick storage building in our tiny back yard that will be used as our Bible and tract distribution center. In the past we used a shipping container for storage but the owner of the property where it was located is selling the property and renting would be costly. This building will be a little larger than a shipping container, allowing plenty of room. Why build now? We will be receiving 25,000 Bibles soon. Another 25,000 is planned to be here by next May. Also Beacon of Truth has told us that when we do not have Bibles, they want to keep us supplied with Romans booklets, tracts, and other materials! They also said they wanted to provide the funds for the Bible and tract ministry building! God continues to enlarge our ministry. We will be even busier, if that is possible. As we’ve said many times before… “HELP WANTED”. Could God be calling you to Peru?!
And… a church in the US is sending us around 3200 John/Roman booklets for distribution. Victory Baptist Press said they wanted to cover the cost of having them shipped to their location so they can place them on the container with the shipment of Bibles that we pray will be here by June. As we said, “the blessings just keep on coming”.
Bibles are being completed and boxed at VBP as you read this. There are already enough printed to start some distribution. We have coordinated for 18 cases of Bibles to be sent soon directly to a ministry in Venezuela!
We are in the planning stages for an international Bible conference here in Peru around May of next year. It will be a big undertaking. Please pray as we continue to work towards that goal.
There are more new photo albums on our website www.rich2peru.com. Take a look!
May God richly bless each of you,
Don & Carla Rich
This entry was posted in Newsletters.
No Slowing Down Here!
No Slowing Down Here!
March 1, 2019
The new year is starting off at a fast pace. As you can read below, we have been very busy. But first, Carla and I want to let everyone know that we have a new mailing address. No, we haven’t moved. This is to replace our old P.O. Box (Casilla Postal) address. We have been paying for a P.O. Box for years but have used it very little. We recently cancelled the box and our mail will now just be held at the Post Office (Serpost) until we pick it up. We will check it about every two weeks. We recommend email over regular mail, since it gets expensive and sometimes gets lost (or stolen) before it gets to us. But, if you’d like to send a card, etc, please use the new address.
Our new field mailing address: (make sure to use Donald, not Don as the name)
Donald Rich
Serpost
Jr. Apurimac 626
Cajamarca
Peru, So. America
We made a quick visit to the US in January for some doctor visits. While there, we were able to celebrate my (Don) mother’s 80th birthday. It was a great time spent with family and our church celebrating a great lady. As for the doctor visits, Lord willing I will be having knee replacement surgery at the end of this year (more on that in a future letter).
When we returned from our short trip, we picked up Darren Townsend at the airport. He is visiting as our first intern and will be with us until mid-June. He visited us last year for a short time. He feels called to serve as a missionary in Peru. He is visiting different ministries to let God speak about where He would have him serve. We are glad to have him with us for this time and pray that we can be a blessing to him. He will be involved in all aspects of our ministry, including working with the youth, Bible distribution, teaching, preaching, and the Bible Institute. He plays banjo and is fitting right in with us and our church people.
We have had VBS in both of our churches in the past two months. The Guadalupe church VBS was in January. We had a good group of kids and confirmed at least 8 professions of faith. The VBS for our Cajamarca church was held in the first week of February. We had over one hundred kids and at least 12 professions of faith, including 2 adults. The van stayed busy bussing the kids back and forth. At one time we had 43 kids and adults, and 2 babies in the 15-passenger van. It was just a “little” crowded. PTL, we have also had 3 others saved in our services recently!
On the weekend after Valentine’s Day we had a special service entitled the “Sacrifice of Praise”. This had been on my heart for a while. I was able to locate a Baptist singing group in Peru and invited them to be our guests during this special weekend. The group is from Lima and is called Los Heraldos del Rey de Reyes (The Heralds of the King of Kings). We had a Saturday night singing with food and fellowship afterwards. We also had two other local churches who brought their choirs. Carla and I sang a duet, and a couple of our youth also sang a special. I brought a short message at the end of the night. The group stayed and worshipped with us on Sunday also. They were such a blessing to all of us and ministered with a great spirit. Wow, what a weekend!
We were able to get the Mobile Unit Ministry out in February. We took it to the coastal city of Trujillo in an area called Milagros. We showed a Christian movie in a park near a local Baptist church. We had over 110 in attendance!
I also preached for a week at our Guadalupe church to allow pastor Juan Carlos and his family to have a vacation. As I said, we have been busy!
In my “spare time” I placed four new photo albums on our website www.rich2peru.com. Take a look!
May God richly bless each of you,
Don & Carla Rich
This entry was posted in Newsletters.
And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord…
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord…”
How many times do we hear or say, “time flies”? It doesn’t matter how hard we try to harness, save, or manipulate it, time is one thing we can’t control. It is already 2019! Happy New Year! Last year went by very quickly for us as we stayed busy, and we don’t expect this year to go any slower. So… let’s get as much done for our Savior as humanly possible (with His help) with the time that we have!
Carla and I observed Thanksgiving with some missionary friends who invited us to Lima for this special holiday. We enjoyed great fellowship with them and another two families. We played games, attended their church services on Wednesday, and of course enjoyed some great food prepared by the ladies. It was a great time to remember all that we are thankful for, including our ministries. 1 Tim 1:12 says “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;”
Carla and I had the privilege of having another missionary couple stay with us for several weeks while they were working on the paperwork to adopt a baby from our area. The baby boy was delivered on October 13thby a midwife and was brought to our home that same day. He and the adoptive parents stayed with us while the tedious governmental paperwork progressed. Their ministry is on the coast, and in this country, you cannot travel with an infant who does not have his paperwork. It is a sad but necessary law that helps prevent the black market of babies. Please keep this family in your prayers as they continue the process of adoption.
We had a great time at Christmas celebrating with our Guadalupe church. We had a sweet service and ended it with the traditional fruit bread and chocolate, along with some other sweets that members brought.
We praise the Lord that we have seen three more saved in our ministries since our last prayer letter. God continues to work in the hearts of souls.
Life as a missionary isn’t always the excitement of winning souls, baptisms, handing out God’s Word, teaching classes, traveling across a third-world country to deliver Bibles. Life is just that, life. We pay our bills, clean the auto, have to change the oil, and cut the grass (however little that might be). There is also the maintenance involved, such as changing water pipes on toilets and sinks, etc. One of the items that we have been putting off for a while was painting and refinishing the woodwork on the building where we live. Peeling, cracks, finish is gone, leaving exposed wood. One reason it was put off is because of how busy we have been. Included in that is that when any work is done, we have to be here to oversee it. I could tell stories of crooked walls, angled footings, bricks improperly lain, etc. Let’s just say, it can be a challenge. Much time in the past couple of months has been focused on the building maintenance. We have come a long way, but still have some more projects to complete.
With the new year already here, we are looking forward to what God has for us. We have several plans, including another Bible Institute class, a special men’s study, and we should be receiving another shipment of Bibles around March. We are planning a night of fellowship and music, inviting other churches to participate. We also hope to get the Mobile Ministry active again. All of this will keep us very busy. We have an intern coming in February to learn more about the mission field. He will be with us until June. We are looking forward to working with this young man and seeing how and where God leads him. We will be mentioning him more later this year.
We’d like to take a moment and ask a special prayer request for our ministry. It is not a new request, but one that we are still waiting to see fulfilled. For a while Carla and I have been praying for God to call a like-minded couple or family to work with us here in Peru. God knows the need. Thank you in advance for your prayers.
May God bless each of you for your heart for missions,
Don & Carla Rich
This entry was posted in Newsletters.
Life… Continued
Life… Continued
November 1, 2018
God keeps us busy here and sometimes there is not enough space to share all that is going on. Our last letter was one example. I wanted to share about our men’s ministry but ran out of space before I ran out of words. Our men’s Bible study is where we discuss topics that are important to the men, young or old, of our church. It is a good time to mentor the young future leaders who will one day be the pastors and leaders of the congregation. We have one or two young men who are praying about being in the ministry in some way. The last Friday in August, we held the men’s meeting in our home. We had a good group of 13 men to hear the Word and enjoy some great fellowship and good food prepared by Carla. They always like her cooking. The next month, we had the meeting in another member’s home. It is always a joy to share time encouraging the men of our church and visit in each other’s homes. We are looking forward to the next meeting this Friday night.
At the end of September, Carla hosted a monthly Women’s meeting in our home. There were at least fifteen in attendance. The ladies always enjoy their fellowship. Truth be known, they enjoy it so much that it has become a running joke among the men in our church. The ladies have meetings to plan meetings. Then they have a meeting to confirm the plans. Then they finally have the planned meeting. Once it is over, they meet to start the process all over again. It seems that there is always food involved. The leftovers are nice, if there are any. Those ladies can eat!
Speaking of ladies’ meetings, our ladies have started a special ten-week study called “Wisdom for Mothers” which is being well attended. Karin, one of the ladies in our church is doing a great job teaching it. They are already discussing future studies.
The first week of September there was a combined day of celebration for the anniversary of our city Los Baños del Inca and the Fiesta de Huanchaco, a religious festival. They also celebrate the sugar cane harvest during this time and the town is full of sugar cane vendors. Our church went to the streets and handed out a few thousand tracts to the many vendors, tourists, visitors, and locals.
On October 14th, we celebrated the two-year anniversary of our Guadalupe church on the coast. We had several visitors including several from a church in a city about a half hour away. On the Saturday before the services, we baptized a teenage young man who was recently saved in our church. He is getting involved in the church and has been bringing visitors. One of the visitors that he brought also accepted Christ. It is great to watch a young Christian grow.
This past week, Carla and I took our Cajamarca pastor and his wife to a seminary on the coast where we had been invited to their anniversary services. It was a night of music presented by different Baptist churches in their area. We have been looking for some good Christian talent to invite to our church for a special night of praise and worship.
The rainy season has started in our area, so everything is beginning to “green-up” around us. The rains will usually last until next April. We are going into what we call winter, although the temps don’t change much throughout the year.
We have seen at least four souls saved in our ministry since our last letter. God continues to bless, and we thank you for your part in His work in Peru. We have posted three more photo albums on our website, www.rich2peru.com. Take a look when you have a moment and see a little of what God has been up to.
Thank you for your heart for missions,
Don & Carla Rich
This entry was posted in Newsletters.
Anniversaries Abound!
Anniversaries Abound!
September 1, 2018
We’d like to begin with an update to our last prayer letter. Carla was able to receive her test results right before we left the US. We praise the Lord for a great report, with no problems found! Thank you for your continued prayers.
We returned from furlough with a great reception from our church folk. We hit the ground running, planning the anniversary services for our Cajamarca church, visiting our Guadalupe church on the coast, getting ready to receive a group and another individual visiting at separate times, and just settling back into life on the mission field.
On July 15, Carla and I celebrated our 15-year anniversary as missionaries in Peru. We traveled to our Guadalupe church that weekend, which was such a good reminder of just how God has blessed our ministry throughout the years. There was such a sweet spirit with a good group in the services. Afterwards, we had cake and tamales. The menu may sound strange, but it was delicious!
On July 20th, Pastor José Zamora, celebrated his 10th year as pastor of our Cajamarca church. The church purchased him a new pair of dress shoes and we enjoyed cake in his honor to celebrate this milestone and his faithfulness to God’s Word and God’s work.
August 10-12th, we celebrated the 13th anniversary of our Cajamarca church! Pastor Kenny Griffin, from one of our supporting churches in S.C. preached on Friday night. We had a visiting Peruvian pastor, Ruben Sangama, preach on Saturday evening and the first message on Sunday. Then I (Don) preached the second of two messages on Sunday morning. We had special music from church members, visiting choirs, our American visitors, and our own church choir. We also baptized one young lady on Sunday morning. After the service, there was plenty of food and fellowship.
We had a great time hosting a group from one of our supporting churches. We were able to minister in two locations in the mountains around us. We supplied much needed medical equipment to a clinic, and warm clothes to a school in a very poor area. As mentioned above, the group was a great help in our anniversary services, singing, playing instruments, giving testimonies, and preaching.
As I write, we are enjoying a visit from a man from N. Carolina who heard about our ministry from another missionary friend of ours. He brought with him some solar-powered Bible study units, which were a great blessing as we distributed them to mountain pastors and others for personal study. We were able to show Bro. Mike some of the need and opportunities for ministry in our area. Bro. Mike is searching for God’s will as to how he can better be involved in missions.
Since our last prayer letter, we have seen 5 more souls saved at our churches. Four of those were led to the Lord by new church members in our Guadalupe church! It is great to watch these souls grow and multiply.
Bible Ministry – Because of some repairs needed on the printing press and other financial delays such as rising costs, it appears that we may not receive more Bibles from Victory Baptist Press until sometime in the first quarter of next year. I continue to receive requests weekly for Bibles. Please pray that God will provide the funds that VBP needs to get these Bibles printed and on their way.
Carla and I want to thank each of you who faithfully pray for us and support us financially. You will never know how humbling it is to know that you are behind us. May God continue to bless each of you in a way that only He can.
Thank you for your heart for missions,
Don & Carla Rich
This entry was posted in Newsletters.
15 Years of Ministry!
15 Years of Ministry!
July 2, 2018
Well, the time has come to say goodbye to friends and family once again. It is something that is repeated many times for missionaries. The process starts many months before we land in the USA for a furlough. We make hundreds (literally) of phone calls and send many emails, set up meetings which take us from one state to many others to visit our supporting churches, mark our calendar, set up someone to watch after our dogs and take care of the house and autos while we are gone, purchase our plane tickets, set up a rental vehicle, pack and weigh our bags, etc, etc. Then, after five (this time) rapidly passing months, we find ourselves trying to pack everything back into four suitcases and two carry-ons for the flight back to Peru. In this short time, we have driven across fifteen states, adding up over 18,000 miles, from northeast Virginia to New Mexico, from Florida to Missouri. We have enjoyed the blessings of being with family and friends. But it all comes to an end as we prepare to return to Peru this Friday, July 6.
On July 15th, Carla and I will be celebrating FIFTEEN YEARS on the mission field! Where did the time go?! We left the US, not knowing the blessings and trials that would be in our future, but God has been faithful through it all and opened many doors for ministry. As we continue, we thank you for standing with us in prayer and support. It can’t be said enough… “It wouldn’t be possible without all of you”.
Looking forward… We will be celebrating the 13th anniversary of our Cajamarca church on August 14. We also have a church group coming in August and an individual visiting us later in the same month. We will be busy making ministry plans for the next year as God opens doors. There is always plenty to do on the mission field.
Carla and I would like to thank those who have been praying for her. Many have asked about her, written, or called, and we know that many others were praying that we didn’t hear from personally. After scheduling and re-sheduling, she was finally able to have the surgical procedure on Friday, June 29. All went well, and she is doing fine. Now we wait on the diagnostic results, which could take a week or so. Your continued prayers are appreciated.
When the family hurts, we all hurt. Manuel, a music teacher and member of our Guadalupe church, has suffered for a while with bad headaches. The doctors recently diagnosed him with a brain tumor. Unfortunately, it was too late to do anything. He quickly got worse. I just received word while typing this that he is now in the presence of the Lord. Please pray for his young wife, Juliana, his family, and our church family during this time. We praise the Lord that we have the promise of seeing this dear brother again one day.
Pastor José of our Cajamarca church recently reported that they saw another soul saved and baptized two. Pastor Juan Carlos of our Guadalupe church also told us of two saved last week during visitation.
Our 2018 Furlough Presentation can now be viewed by clicking on a tab at the top of our website, rich2peru.com. If you were unable to see it while we were in the US, please take a moment and see how God is moving in Peru. There are a couple of updates to the video: We have now completed all ten of the Awajún doctrinal training books and they have been delivered to many pastors in the jungles of Peru. Also, as many of you already know, our pastor, Bro. Snyder Turner retired from the pastorate in April of this year.
Please continue to pray with us that God would send us a like-minded family or couple to work with in Peru. Could it be you?!
Thank you for your faithful prayers and support,
Don & Carla Rich
This entry was posted in Newsletters.
Vacation? Not quite!
Vacation? Not quite!
May 1, 2018
Hello from the highways and byways of the good ole USA! In case you haven’t heard, furlough is “not” a vacation. We have been busy while visiting many of our supporting churches. Carla has taught or spoken at ladies’ meetings, children’s Sunday School classes, children’s church, and even cooked up some great gravy for breakfast at a recent mission conference we were attending. She also helps keep me alert while driving the many furlough miles. I have been privileged to preach and give an update on our ministry, teach Sunday School, go on visitation, etc. We have covered many miles and have already been in at least ten states. As I write this, we are preparing to leave tomorrow for two weeks, traveling from GA to VA, TN, TX, NM and plan to be back in GA for Mother’s Day.
We enjoy the times that we have in our home town, visiting with family and friends, and spoiling our grandchildren. It is not often, so we take advantage of every moment.
While out on the road, we enjoy the fellowship of our supporting churches. We have had the opportunity to see old friends and make new ones. We have stayed in hotels, prophets’ chambers, and in the homes of several sweet families. We also enjoy meeting other missionaries at mission conferences. One night after a service, we found ourselves in the church parking lot until eleven o’clock, talking with another missionary family. It is fun to swap stories and encourage others.
One of the friends we have been able to visit is one who has been to Peru several times. We met Bro. Charles many years ago while we were still in Lima taking language classes. After arriving in the US for this furlough, we learned that he had lost a leg and suffered many other injuries in a bad car accident earlier this year. We were blessed to visit with him and find him with an amazingly encouraging spirit. He still has a long road ahead in recovery but is very positive about it all. He is a blessing to all he meets.
There have also been changes while we’ve been on furlough. On Easter Sunday, our pastor of twenty-four years retired from the pastorate so that he could dedicate more time to his position as the director of the Calvary Children’s Home, which was started by his father back in 1966. Pastor Snyder Turner has been a blessing and encouragement to so many, including myself and my family. He has been a mentor and friend who has helped me tremendously in my ministry. Please join us in praying for him as he and Sis. Marsha start this next step in their ministry journey. Pastor Snyder will now also be available to preach at other churches. If you would like for a true man of God to come preach at your church, contact me and I will be glad to get you in touch with him.
With the retirement of our former pastor, our associate pastor, Rev. Justin Hayles, is now serving as interim of our home church. He has been doing a great job and we are looking forward to seeing how God will work through him in the coming months.
We are in contact with our Peruvian church pastors and are hearing good things as they are evangelizing their respective areas and continuing to see souls saved. There have been at least four souls who have been saved in our churches since our last prayer letter.
I was recently contacted by Victory Baptist Press and told that the next shipment of Bibles to us in Peru will probably be toward the end of this year. When we receive and distribute that container of Bibles, it will bring us to a total of 100,000 Bibles distributed in S. America. Please consider helping Victory Baptist Press/Bibles for South America. I continue to receive requests for Bibles weekly. The need is still great, and judging from the signs around us, our time is short. Help us get the “Word” out.
* We would appreciate your prayers for Carla. She is scheduled for an out-patient surgical procedure on June 4.
May God bless each of you for your prayers for us as we continue to travel.
Don & Carla Rich
This entry was posted in Newsletters.
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
This entry was posted in Newsletters.
Only What is Done for Christ Will Last
“Only What is Done for Christ will Last”
January 1, 2018
Wow, I just typed the date for the first time in 2018! It is hard to believe that we are entering a new year. Time is going by so fast and there is still so much to do for our Lord. I am reminded of the quote by C.T. Studd, British missionary to China in the 19th century…“Only one life twill soon be past. Only what is done for Christ will last.”
Carla and I invited some Peruvian families from our church to help us celebrate Thanksgiving in our home. We had twenty persons in total. Carla cooked the turkey and all the fixin’s. She also baked some special deserts that were enjoyed by all. Everyone had a great time, and no one left hungry.
In December, we hosted a Youth Christmas Party in our home for the young folks of our Cajamarca church. We had teaching from God’s Word, food, and games. Twenty-eight youth, including several visitors attended. We were blessed to have six saved that evening. This makes a total of at least ten saved since our last prayer letter.
Jacky, a member of our Cajamarca church was married on December 21. The beautiful wedding ceremony was performed in our sanctuary. Carla volunteered to bake and decorate the wedding cake. She has always enjoyed baking, but this was her first attempt at a wedding cake. It turned out great! She always amazes me.
The next day, a long-time member of our church lost her son. Fernando David, ten years old, had suffered from severe cerebral palsy since birth. He recently was injured in a fall. Complications caused him to get pneumonia, after which he went to be with our Savior. Please be in prayer for Martina and her family. Her husband and oldest son are not believers. She has another son and daughter who are members of our church.
Carla and I spent Christmas at our Guadalupe church on the coast. We had great attendance in the Sunday morning service, then celebrated afterwards with hot chocolate, fruit bread, and gifts for the kids. It was a little odd to celebrate Christmas in 80+ degree weather, but we ‘suffered through it’. That evening, we enjoyed a Christmas meal with national pastor Juan Carlos and his family. They had been given a hen turkey from a church member. It was very fresh. I had to gut it and remove the feet and head. Being a hunter, I felt right at home, just like field dressing a deer… until I found an un-laid egg inside. That will be a fun Christmas memory to share.
Bible Ministry – In November, we were able to ship several cases of Bibles into Venezuela! God blessed, and we were informed that the Bibles arrived on schedule and in great condition! We are so glad to report that in December, we sent a handful of Bibles to a new missionary who was making a survey trip to Uruguay. He plans to be on the field after June of this year. We will be sending more when he has “boots on the ground”. With these deliveries, we have now been blessed to get Bibles into all nine Spanish-speaking countries in S. America! We continually receive requests for more from national pastors and missionaries. We are praying to receive another container of Bibles later this year to continue distribution. If you’d like to help, please send support to the printing ministry of “Bibles for South America” at PO Box 766, Milton, FL 32572. You can contact them at 850-384-4402 or email the director at jfellure@biblesforsouthamerica.com .
As we enter this new year, we are excited to have two guests coming this month. Then, in February, Carla and I will be headed to the US for a five-month furlough to visit many of our supporting churches. Carla and I are praying that this will be the year that God supplies a couple or family to work with us here in Peru.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support,
Don & Carla Rich
This entry was posted in Newsletters.
Committing to the Faithful
Committing to the Faithful! 2 Timothy 2:2
It has been another couple of busy months here in northern Peru, both in the mountains and in our work on the coast.
On October 15th, we celebrated the one-year anniversary of our work on the coast in Guadalupe. We took the opportunity on that weekend to help a small church in a neighboring city called San José de Moro. We were able to provide reading glasses to those who needed them. We then projected the movie “War Room” with our Mobile Unit in the street in front of the church. We had around fifty-five in attendance. The plan of salvation was presented, then I introduced the pastor of the local church. The pastor was encouraged as it helped attract attention to their church and ministry. The movie also taught a great biblical lesson to those in attendance.
Our Guadalupe church is beginning to see some growth in faithfulness, with several new visitors also. This past weekend, we celebrated Pastor Appreciation Day with a good group attending and some great fellowship. At the same time, our Cajamarca church was celebrating with the pastor there. Carla had baked some cupcakes that were decorated to look like little sheep to celebrate this event. Not baaaaahhhhhhd! They were enjoyed by all.
Both of our churches had soul winning/visitation days recently. There was a total of four saved during those efforts; three in Cajamarca and one in Guadalupe. In total, we have seen at least eleven saved recently between the two churches with ages ranging from 11 to 71 years old!
Bible Institute – Carla and I are so pleased to share with you that our first module of the Bible Institute has now been completed. We had great attendance in each of the seven two-hour classes as we delved into the Doctrine of Salvation. Each of the classes was filled with plenty of note taking, several good questions, and a great interest in God’s Word. We will be giving certificates of completion to twenty students who successfully completed the class, scoring well on each of their tests, were punctual, and were faithful in attendance. The certificate ceremony will be held next Sunday during our morning services. (We’ll post pictures on the website as soon as they are available.) The students are already asking for more classes! What a blessing to have people wanting to learn more about our God and His Word.
Bible Ministry– As we told you in our last letter, we now have a request to get Bibles into VENEZUELA. After having to work out some details, we will be shipping them next week. Please pray that these Bibles will arrive quickly and will reach the hands of those who need them. There is so much corruption and violence in that country. They, like so many others, urgently need the Gospel.
Jungle Ministry – We have told you about the six doctrinal training books that we had translated into the native Awajun dialect and printed for pastors in the jungles of Peru. We are still working on the last two books and hope to have them printed before the end of the year. Having done all this work on computer, we now have a digital file of the information should anyone else want to print it for training purposes. We made it available by email and have now distributed it to several national pastors and missionaries. The only prerequisite for receiving it is that it never be sold, only shared. Its purpose is to train those who for so long have had little to nothing in their dialect to study.
Furlough – Our plans are coming together well, with very few meetings open on our calendar. We have tried several times to reach each of the supporting churches that we weren’t able to see on our last short furlough. We are still waiting to hear back from a few of them. We look forward to seeing family and friends, and sharing what God has been doing here in Peru over the past several years. If your church would like for us to come, please contact us through email (donrichperu@gmail.com) or call us at 678-921-5116.
* “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few” Is God calling you?
Thank you for your continued prayers and support,
Don & Carla Rich
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