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What a Busy Way to End the Year!

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What a Busy Way to End the Year!

January 3, 2015

Carla and I wish each of you a happy, prosperous, and blessed New Year! The last two months of 2014 were packed with ministry activities and blessings. We will try to share as much as possible in this letter.

At the end of November, we had a men’s prayer breakfast in our home. We had a great time and they left wanting more of this type of fellowship. One guest had just been saved the night before in the house of one of our church families.

We also had a Kids’ Day Out at a nearby park with 31 attending. We had a devotional, plenty of competitive games, a playground to enjoy, then ice cream at a local store! Some of these kids are from farms outside of town and don’t know how to get on or off of an escalator. It was a funny site just watching them.

We had a youth music service in mid-November, using our talented young people, developing them for God’s service.

In December, we showed the God is Not Dead video in our church with 50 in attendance. Many hearts were touched and souls challenged with this presentation.

Christmas time was busy. First, a ladies’ Christmas party where they wrapped gifts for SS kids, along with enjoying games, food and fellowship. Carla worked hard for several weeks to prepare for this night. The turnout made it well worth it. Then, we enjoyed Navidad al Calvario (Christmas at Calvary). It was a wonderful day at our church with singing and preaching. We had seven youth and adults saved plus several decisions made by young children. Gifts were given to all of the kids. Our chocolatada (party w/hot chocolate and fruit cake) was attended with around 180 kids and adults. What a great time!

Carla and I were invited to the Christmas party of a home for abandoned girls here in Cajamarca. I played guitar and led the Christmas music. Carla helped serve the meal to the many girls who live there. We watched their eyes light up as our friends Sean and Crissy handed out gifts to each one. It was a great evening.

Tract Ministry update: We continue to send tracts from one end of Peru, at the Ecuador border, to the other end, near Chile. We have already distributed over one-third of all of the tracts we received in the container, with orders coming in almost daily. Please continue to pray for each person who will receive these tracts, that many souls may be saved.

Bible project complete! In just TEN months, God used His people to supply ALL of the funds for this great need! As always, He has done “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think”. The printing is complete and the binding and boxing has already begun. Delivery should be the end of February or first of March! What an awesome God!

Since the funds were sent directly to Victory Baptist Press, Carla and I will never know everyone who gave to this project. We would sincerely like to thank each of you who gave sacrificially so that God’s Word could be placed in the hands of thousands who, without you, would still be without hope.

Jungle ministry update: In our last letter, I shared the needs that we saw in the Peruvian jungle. After returning from the trip, I showed a PowerPoint presentation to our church here in Cajamarca and explained the needs, encouraging our church to get involved in missions. It was great to see how hearts were touched. That Wednesday night, a church member approached me and gave me the money to purchase the property for the church building! For two weeks, we took up a special offering to help cover the other needs. We added that to some special gifts that have been sent in by some of our supporters. We have now purchased the property and the tin for the roofs of the three churches! I am planning on returning to the jungle to see the work after it has been completed, and to encourage the pastors. I am also working with one Peruvian pastor who oversees others in his area. He has translated doctrinal teaching into the Awajun dialect but has no funds to print it. I am going to work with him on formatting and getting them printed. Then, we will plan conferences to share this teaching and material with the mostly untrained national pastors. Check out our updated website with new photos of this and other activities!

May God bless you all for your faithfulness in prayers and support of God’s ministry in a foreign land.

Serving Him for you in Peru,

Don & Carla Rich

Ministry Opportunities Abound! Help Still Wanted!

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Ministry Opportunities Abound! Help still wanted!

November 4, 2014

   On October 5th, our morning church services were cancelled, along with all other public gatherings, because of a voting law. When it was over, we found out that the regional president (kind-of-like a governor) was re-elected. Some interesting facts: He is the same person who caused all of the protests over the gold mine… caused us to be locked in our home for two weeks, then flee the city at the first opportunity because of the rioting…it has been rumored that he paid millions to have out-of-towners come in to help protest, block roads, burn tires, etc. But, the kicker/most interesting fact about him is that he has been in jail since June for misuse of government funds and theft of millions of dollars that he was in charge of. These funds were to be used to build several hospitals in the poorest areas of the country. He is also in jail, awaiting trial, for his part in kidnapping and torturing. It is still undecided as to how it will be handled since he has not been convicted yet. Please pray for God’s hand in this situation.

Our Tract Ministry is keeping us very busy. We have already sent out many boxes, filled with hundreds of thousands of Gospel tracts. We receive more requests almost daily. The boxes have been sent from one end of the country to the other and many places in-between. I recently called one pastor to ask if he needed any tracts. He said that the night before, he and his church were praying about their need for tracts! God had us in the right place at the right time, with the right phone call! They were thrilled! Please pray for each person who will receive these tracts, that God will be glorified.

Our own church had a tract stamping night to stamp our church name on those we will personally use. Around 16,000 tracts were stamped in just one hour after church. Thirty-nine of our church people helped get the job done and enjoyed cake and hot chocolate afterwards.

We were very proud of our church as they overflowed a box we called the “Caja del Amor” (box of love) with personal hygiene and other items for a home for crippled/disabled children in our little town. This year we are stressing “ministry beyond the church walls” and the church is responding. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the home, but I can tell you that their faces lit up when the residents and workers at the home saw the blessing they had received.

I recently had the privilege of preaching for a family banquet at a church in a nearby city, and then preach for the married couples’ dinner at our own church here in Los Baños del Inca. We had 14 couples present and had a great time.

On Oct. 18, I took our Peruvian pastor with me on a trip to the jungle. We were able to deliver 30,000 tracts for distribution to six jungle pastors. We surveyed three jungle churches with thatch roofs that only last a short time. We will be helping them get tin for their roofs. We will also be purchasing a parcel of jungle property where a new church has started, so they can build their church building. The land will cost around $70 for 1/10 acre. We are also praying as to how we can help a partially burnt village where around 30-40 families lost their shack homes and the market goods they sold from their homes. While in this village, I presented the Gospel to a small group and one man made a decision for Christ. Our Peruvian pastor and I were treated to some good jungle meals which included boiled yucca, boiled banana rolled into a ball, sardine sized fish,… oh, and grub worms (Suri). It is an insult to turn down what they offer so, yes we ate it. It tasted like a grilled meat. I was also given a live duck as appreciation for visiting one village. Missionary life is full of surprises! * Take a look at the photos on our website of this and other recent events. www.rich2peru.com

As always, there is more to tell and no space to tell it. Briefly: Youth sleep-over: one saved! Missions night at church with PowerPoint of the jungle trip and preaching on missions. Tracts passed out at two cemeteries during “Day of the Dead” celebration. Since our last prayer letter, we have seen at least eleven souls won to the Lord through our ministry!

Bible project update! After only 10 months, there is only $2,261 needed to finish this project and ship it to Peru! It is all but done! Would you like to help put it over the top? Help us “get the Word out”!

May God bless you all for your faithfulness in prayers and support of this ministry.

Serving Him for you in Peru,
Don & Carla Rich

Giving God ALL the Praise!

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Giving God ALL the Praise!

September 5, 2014

On July 15, Carla and I celebrated eleven years on the field as missionaries! God has been so good to us and our ministry. We have seen many souls saved, baptized, and following our Lord. We have watched as broken families have been brought together with the love of God. We have seen alcoholics receive a new, sober life in Christ. We have watched God’s hand as He built our church building without any debt. And these are just a few of the miracles that we have seen! OUR GOD IS REAL! It would take an enormous book just to begin telling of His blessings, but I am going to try to squeeze in a few more recent ones in this letter.

On July 17, the container of 9,250,000 tracts arrived from Fellowship Tract League. We have already started distributing them and those who have heard about them are excited. I had one pastor call me recently and say “I heard you have more blessings to share!” I was glad to provide him up with a few cases of tracts. While talking to a pastor friend, he made a comment that I hadn’t considered. The amount of tracts that we have received is enough to get one into the hand of each person in just under one-third of the country’s 30 plus million souls! Wow! What an opportunity!

August 15-17, our church celebrated the nine year anniversary of our congregation. We had a visiting Peruvian pastor who did a good job preaching on missions. We had over 200 in attendance in our services and two men were saved! One of them was a family member of someone in our church who was visiting… from Italy! Reaching the “world” from the mountains of Peru! That is the spirit of missions!

Just after our anniversary week, we had visitors from one of our supporting churches. We enjoyed having Rodney and Alisha as our guests. While they were here, we visited a location where they “call the cows by name” and they come to their own stalls with their names on them. As we were leaving, a man called out my name and asked if I remembered him. It was Pablo, the first person I won to the Lord after arriving in Cajamarca nine years ago! He is a tour guide and works every weekend. He remembered my name and said he wants very badly to visit our church. Just another great reminder of how God has worked in our time here.

Our guests were a great help when we took the Mobile Unit to a farming community called Polloc (po yolk) where a new work has been started by a national pastor. We had around eighty in attendance and had at least seven decisions for Christ that night! Afterwards, we passed out John and Romans booklets to all in attendance.

Carla and I want to thank all of you for your prayers for Carla while she underwent shoulder and elbow surgery in July. She came through it fine and has about two more weeks of physical therapy.

We are going through a time of mixed emotions after watching our friends, the Rice family, leave Peru on September 2 on their way back to the states for furlough before moving to minister in Italy. We have known them since our first year in Peru and they have become like family as we have lived and worked alongside each other for the past eight years. But, even in our sadness to see them leave, we praise the Lord that they are following His will for their lives. Before they left, we celebrated their fifteen year-old twins’ birthday by hosting a Quinceanera (Latin 15 yr birthday party for girls) in our church. It was a beautiful event. This family could never be replaced in our hearts but we are praying that God would send another family to work with us in our area. There is so much work to do, including the Bible Institute, Christian School, Mobile Unit, and Bible and tract distribution. Are you the ones that God is calling?

Bible Distribution: God continues to amaze us! Over $48,000 has now been raised for the Bible campaign. We are confident that the remaining $10,000 will come in soon, as God’s people help spread God’s Word. Printing starts tomorrow, Sept. 6! You can still see the video that introduced this campaign at: http://rich2peru.com/content/south-american-bible-project-video/

Please send all Bible Project support to:

Victory Baptist Press
c/o Peru Project
PO Box 766
Milton, FL 32572

Since our last prayer letter, we have seen at least ten souls won to the Lord through our ministry and three baptized! The three were a father, mother, and daughter. It was great to watch this family be obedient to our Lord.

We want to say thanks again to all of you who stand behind us in prayer and support so that we can continue to fulfill the calling that God has placed on our lives. Please go to our website (www.rich2peru.com) and see the new pictures that show what your investment in this ministry is doing for God’s kingdom. May God bless each of you.

Serving Him for You in Peru,

Don & Carla Rich

Great News and Peru Happenings!

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July 6, 2014

Last month, we told you about the millions of tracts that are being sent to us from Fellowship Tract League so that we can distribute them to the missionaries and national pastors who need them. When the loading was complete, they shipped a total of 9,250,000 Gospel tracts. The container arrived in Lima on June 29 and we have a company who is taking care of the paperwork so that customs can release it. Once they do, we have a truck ready to haul the container the 14-15 hour drive to our town in the mountains. We will then have to hire a crane wrecker to set the container from the truck to the ground. Once that is done, we can start distribution!

On June 7, we presented another video on a square in Cajamarca using the Mobile Unit. We had forty-five present and TEN made decisions for Christ! We are planning another presentation very soon in a rural farming community where a national pastor is holding Bible studies and wants to start a church.

On June 9, the Rice family, consisting of six kids and two adults (8, if you are counting) moved into our home with us. They will be staying with us until they are ready to return to the states to prepare for their move to Italy to minister as missionaries. It is fun having them in our home and it will be hard to see them go, but when God called, they listened. If you know of a church that is looking to support a good missionary in Italy and would like to have them visit, please let us know and we will have them get in touch to set up a meeting. I know they want to get to their new mission field as soon as possible.

Two great friends, Ken and Worth, from one of our supporting churches, came to visit us recently. They have been here a couple of times and are planning on coming back next year with a group. While here this time, they helped us install a drop-ceiling in the Bible Institute auditorium which is approximately 60 x 30ft. It was a lot of work but it looks great. This helped tremendously with the echo problem and lighting, and will make it a very comfortable place to teach. See for yourself on our website- www.rich2peru.com

Update on the Bible project: Around $40,000 has now been raised in less than six months. The paper has been ordered and received. The printing plates are about ready and printing will start soon. This is nothing short of a miracle! Around $16,000 is still needed to purchase the binding (covers), have them embossed, and pay for shipping. Please consider what you can do to help us get these Bibles here in Peru. If you would like to see the video that was made to introduce this campaign, please go to: http://rich2peru.com/content/south-american-bible-project-video/ . Please send all support to: Victory Baptist Press c/o Peru Project PO Box 766 Milton, FL 32572 .

Bible Distribution: As we came to the end of the last container of Bibles, I held on to some cases for our own ministry. But, when anyone asks for Bibles, I have a hard time holding on to them when I know that they are needed. I have now given all but two of those boxes away. I have more pastors writing me often, wanting to know when we will have more. What a blessing it will be to once again be shipping and personally delivering the new load when it arrives. This ministry has opened several doors with invitations to teach nationals in the jungle, preach at conferences, and visit jungle villages where the need of Bibles is great. So much to do, so little time.

We have seen at least seventeen decisions for Christ since our last prayer letter! It is always a blessing to bring more members into His family. Only God knows the impact that we have for Christ’s kingdom when we win a soul for Him.

I must be honest and say that I fight frustration at times as I think of the tremendous ministry opportunity we have and the building ready to be used for the Christian School, yet we have not had one qualified person call us stating they want to serve God in this way. We know you are out there. Stop fighting God and say yes! There are lost souls at risk.

Please keep Carla in your prayers. We have been to Lima twice to see a specialist for her elbow. She has a torn tendon and the doctor is trying immobilizing it in a sling for a few weeks before deciding if she will need surgery. We will be returning to Lima on July 16 for her next appointment.

I’ve made you wait this long for the “great news“. I guess it is time to fill you in. Carla and I will be grandparents to a new addition in a few months! Our daughter, Christa, has informed us that she is due in February of next year. We can’t wait to hold this new gift to our family.

Serving Him for You in Peru,

Don & Carla Rich

Coast Enlarging, Doors Opening, HELP WANTED

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May 6, 2014

1 Chronicles 4:10 “…enlarge my coasts…” A few years back, the prayer of Jabez was treated as a Christian fad, a way for people to capitalize by selling merchandise like books, plaques, etc. You don’t hear much about it anymore, kinda like the WWJD bracelets. But the prayer of Jabez is so much more than a fad and God truly answers this simple prayer.

I thought seriously about sending this prayer letter entitled… ‘Help Wanted’ and the body of the letter would simply say… NOW! I decided that it would probably sound vague and abrupt so I will go into a little more detail.

When we started our ministry over nine years ago here in Cajamarca, we were the only Independent Baptist missionaries in this area. Over the years, two others moved to our valley to minister. One moved here in 2008 and started a work but left after four years. Now the other missionary and his family, whom have worked in our area for around eight years and have been like family to us, have felt that God is leading them to leave Peru and serve God in Italy. We wish Shane, Kathy and all of the Rice family children the best in their move and new ministry. Their absence will leave a big void. We have partnered together many times for ministry on several levels… leadership training, mobile ministry, Bible ministry, church fellowships, baptisms, etc. Not only will there be a void in ministry, but also in our personal fellowship with like-minded missionaries.

God has been and is opening up so many doors for our ministry. This, added to the already busy ministry that we have, and losing another Independent Baptist missionary family, is prompting the tone of this letter. We know that God has a family somewhere that is wondering where He would have them to serve. Do you have a heart to serve God in a foreign country? Has God been dealing with you about this very subject? Do you think you could work with a couple of GA folks serving here in Peru? We’d like to invite you to come visit, “test the waters”, and let God speak to your heart.

We are still in need of a missionary Christian School director. I saw a quote recently… “Kids are the best missionaries there are”. If we can train them in God’s Word and send them home to their parents with this knowledge, who knows what God will do? We also need an English teacher. One family could fill both these areas.

Last month I spoke of “another great blessing” that we’d like to share with you now. Fellowship Tract League in Ohio contacted us to say that, at the end of May, they will be shipping a container of 10 1/2 million Gospel tracts for us to distribute! Our coast is enlarging once again! We chose to hold off on announcing this to avoid confusion with the Bible Project and the campaign to raise the funds for the new shipment of 25,000 Bibles. We can only imagine how many lives will be touched with these tracts and the Bibles once they are distributed.

Speaking of the Bible Project, God is blessing. In just over three months, over half of the funds needed for this project have been received! If you haven’t already, please consider what you can do to help us get these Bibles to Peru. If you would like to see the video that was made to introduce this campaign, please go to http://rich2peru.com/content/?page_id=110 . Please send all support to: Victory Baptist Press c/o Peru Project PO Box 766 Milton, FL 32572

As I write this, our daughter Christa, her husband Stephen and our two grandchildren are visiting. Christa was able to take part in the Mother-Daughter Tea that my wife Carla and friend Kathy put together. It was beautiful and had one hundred ladies present. Stephen taught at our youth meeting last Saturday. Then he preached on Sunday morning at our church and 2 people received assurance of their salvation. That evening, he preached for our missionary friend’s church, Iglesia Bautista Ancla. The next day we delivered some items to a home for disabled children in our city. Last night, we took the Mobile Unit and showed a video on a city square for Shane Rice’s church. Praise the Lord FIVE made decisions for Christ, including two police officers!

Did I mention being busy? Since our last prayer letter, we have also had a youth sleepover, held a baptism for eight souls from the Rice family’s church, I preached for their church’s 7th anniversary, we had two missionary friends, two national pastors and another friend from Lima visit for several days, had two movie nights in our church, passed out thousands of tracts in a “Good Friday” evangelistic day, and had seven more saved, just to name a few of the happenings here in our ministry. No more room to write! Matthew 9:37-38 …harvest… plenteous… laborers… few.

Serving Him for You in Peru,

Don & Carla Rich

Saved, Saved, Saved!

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March 6, 2014

On January 6-10, we had our VBS and saw 9 saved! Our high attendance total for this event was 109. Our church members did a great job and all the kids had a great time learning about our Savior and His Word.

What a week we had February 4-9! We were at a pastors’ conference in the jungle for three days teaching, preaching, and delivering the last 1750 of our Bibles to 53 national pastors. We found that most pastors from this large tribe, called the Awajun, had only a New Testament and did not even own a Bible. After preaching the first day, five PASTORS received Christ as their Savior! That night, after showing a Christian film for them, another PASTOR was saved! It was incredible! Doors are opening for us here in the jungle and we will have to pray as to how to proceed. The trip had other interesting aspects: We almost ran over an iguana, we had bats flying around us as we showed the film outside, and we saw large monkeys swinging through the trees as we traveled to another area of the jungle to preach and teach for another national pastor. We were requested by some missionary friends to show a Christian film in a park on Friday. We saw three more saved that night! God is good!… Always!

Several of our adults cooked for and served dinner to 25 young people at our Youth Banquet that was held on Valentine’s weekend. The youth also sang, watched a touching video and heard a message from our youth pastor. We had three saved that night! It was a great way to show just how much we love and appreciate the youth of our church.

On February 22, Yonar, a mototaxi (taxi built from a motorcycle) driver turned left from the right lane (a common occurrence) and hit our van. We got an estimate on the repair cost which would be 600 Peruvian Soles, around $235. This 19 year old man could not afford such a cost and asked if he could pay me in payments. I had him come by our house to talk a couple of days later. I explained to him about ‘mercy and grace’. I talked to him about God’s grace as I walked him down the Romans’ Road. When I finished, he asked if he could receive Christ right then. He bowed his head and humbly prayed for Christ to save him. I then asked him to come to church with me on Sunday. Not only did he come to church but he brought his cousin Juan Carlos with him! As I was explaining grace to Juan Carlos, Yonar was so surprised as I told him that I was going to forgive him his debt, just like Christ forgave us. Add to all of these, three others who have been saved since our last letter and three more baptized! God’s amazing grace! How sweet the sound!

We recently had a wedding in our church, the first in our completed building. It was great timing as we have just built eight new pews. After years of using our original six pews and many plastic chairs, it is a beautiful sight to see wooden pews. You can see pictures of this and more new albums on our website, including additions to our baptism album.

Our Bible distribution point in Chile was able to get Bibles into Paraguay recently. That makes at least seven countries inside of South America that the Bible distribution ministry has reached! We are “getting the Word out”!

Our container now sits empty of the 23,000 Bibles that once filled it. In January, we mailed out DVD’s to all of our supporting churches concerning the Bible campaign. We hope that you received yours and will pray about showing it in your church, if you haven’t already. We also sent an email with a link attached so that many others could see it. The response has been great and of the $56,000 needed, around $20,000 has been raised in just a little over a month! We and Victory Baptist Press are very encouraged and are praying that the entire amount will come in quickly so that we can get the Bibles into the hands of those who so desperately need them. If you haven’t seen the video, you can view it here. Please make sure that all donations are sent to Victory Baptist Press with a note that it is for the Peru Project.

We have another great blessing that we will be sharing with you soon. For now, you’ll just have to wait to hear how God continues to “enlarge our coast”. Thanks to you all for your faithful prayers and financial support.

Serving Him for You in Peru,

Don & Carla Rich

What a Busy & Blessed Year!

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WHAT A BUSY & BLESSED YEAR!

January 5, 2014

Carla and I pray that all of you had a great Christmas and are entering this New Year with plans to serve God with all of your heart. There is no limit to what God can accomplish through us if we will just be open and obedient.

It is hard to believe that we returned from our furlough in April. In the seven months since returning God has kept us very busy. Driving to deliver Bibles to two countries and twice to the jungles of Peru was a blessing as we witnessed the pastors’ joy as they received them.

In November we drove over 5400 miles round trip to Santiago, Chile to deliver 1372 Bibles and 440 New Testaments to fellow missionary Mike Mullins. Bro. Mike has agreed to distribute the Bibles for us in that country to the pastors and missionaries who need them. While there I preached at their work, Antioch Baptist Church. Our first two days in Chile were spent driving through the world’s most arid desert. At one hotel we were greeted by a young lady named “Genesis” who is a Christian, speaks English and lived in Texas for many years. It is definitely a small world.

As we returned to Peru we stayed one night in Arequipa. This is the first town I visited over 13 years ago when I came on our church missions trip with our kids, Shawn and Christa. Carla couldn’t make the journey because of her work. That was the trip where God spoke to my heart to return as a missionary and it has changed our lives forever. It was a great feeling, standing in the same spot where it all began, remembering the souls we saw saved. We also stayed at the Children’s home where our group helped pour concrete for the first floor roof. They put us up on the 3rd floor in a prophet’s chamber in the same building this time. A lot of great memories.

In December we drove another 1900 miles round trip to Ecuador. There we delivered 1008 Bibles and 616 New Testaments to a total of eighteen pastors, missionaries and works. What a welcome sight to see diesel fuel for $1.02 per gallon! We are used to it being $5.65. We delivered the Bibles in three cities from the south to as far north as the capital city of Quito where we crossed the equator. It’s true, the water does drain in the opposite direction!

On one of our jungle trips, which I shared in our last letter, we sent Bibles up on a truck because of bad roads. The pastor who received them has now been able to deliver them all to village churches along the river. He said that grown men were crying as they received the first Bible they had ever held. He also said that there is such a need that they could easily use 4000 more. We will be sending out a letter later this month concerning the great need for more Bibles here in S. America and how you can help.

We had great services and fellowship for both Christmas and New Year in our church. For Christmas we had a chocolatada (celebrated with fruit bread and hot chocolate). We had 118 in attendance. Carla’s Sunday School class had a “Happy Birthday Jesus” party which was full of kids. Each of them received a special Christmas gift to take home.

We continue to work with the group in Bambamarca who asked us to start a church there. It is not easy as the area is three and a half hours through the mountains. We are praying that God will provide us with a national pastor for this work.

Great news! After seven months, both Carla and I have our resident visas. It has been a long and expensive process to get them back. We lost our residency because of a new law activated while we were on furlough. If we are out of the country for more than six months in any twelve month period we have to start all over in the visa process. For this reason our future furloughs will be shorter. We will have to visit half of our supporting churches on one visit and half later.

We have seen at least three more saved recently. God continues to bless the church and our other ministries here in Los Baños del Inca. We have many plans for this year but no room here to share them. You’ll just have to wait!

May God richly bless each of you in 2014! You are all a constant encouragement to Carla and me as missionaries.
Please check out the new pictures on our website, rich2peru.com.

Serving Him for you in Peru,

Don & Carla Rich