CELEBRATE!
Sept 1, 2015
As we send out this letter, we are heading to the US for a 4 ½ month furlough. Our calendar is full and we are looking forward to family time and reporting to many of our supporting churches. As we wrote before, because of the new Peruvian laws passed in the last couple of years, we can no longer come in for a furlough long enough to see all of our supporting churches at one time. Those that we can’t see this time, we will contact first on our next short furlough.
On July 15, Carla and I celebrated being on the field here in Peru for 12 years! We never would have imagined what God had in store for us when we began this journey. There have been so many blessings that have out-weighed any trials that we have faced. We have seen many souls saved and lives changed because of Christ’s love. We have been a part of getting the Word of God out to many countries in South America, helping national pastors and missionaries fulfill the Great Commission in their ministries. We are now involved in training national pastors in the jungles of Peru, many who have little or no training in God’s Word. The great part is that we know that God is not finished yet! There is so much more to do before He comes and we need help doing it. Could God be calling you?
On August 14-16, our church celebrated its TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY! We had a great time with over 160 in the services. We had two pastors visiting from Bolivia and a pastor from Lima, Peru was our main guest speaker. I (Don) also preached. Two souls were saved at the invitation on Sunday! Other decisions were also made during the course of the weekend. We also baptized one new sister-in-Christ after our Sunday morning services.
Praise the Lord, we have seen at least TEN more saved recently! God continues to add to His church! It has been great to see the growth in our church just in the past year. It is also great to know that the majority of the families whom we won to the Lord and with whom we started our church ten years ago are still faithful. God has truly blessed our ministry in ways we never thought possible.
The two pastors who came to our anniversary services from Bolivia traveled for 5 days in buses to visit and pick up over 400 Bibles and 50,000 tracts to take back to their country. They are in need of many more and are praying for God’s provision.
Speaking of the Bible and Tract Ministry – All of the Bibles have been completely distributed in just 4 ½ months! A very small portion of the over nine million tracts remain and will all be gone soon as we continue to receive requests from pastors and missionaries. We have received many emails from pastors, telling us of those who have been saved after receiving tracts. Others tell us of how the people love their new Bibles. The pastors are so thankful for the gift of the Word provided for the people of their churches.
I was recently asked to provide Bibles for a Day of Thanks in the capital city of Lima. Around two hundred Bibles were distributed to the country’s political leaders, including the President of Peru, Ollanta Humala.
In addition to being delivered to churches in seven countries in S. America, the Bibles have also been used in home Bible studies, taken into drug and alcohol rehab facilities, prisons, and Christian schools.
We are praying that the container where the Bibles were once housed will not remain empty for long. We continue to receive requests for the Bibles because of the great need for God’s printed Word. There is even a possibility of a Bolivian distribution point in the future. I will share more about that as it develops.
Carla and I would like to say a special thanks to all of you who have helped us in our ministry. Our church would not be celebrating ten years without the prayers and support that you have provided. You are all a blessing and encouragement to us as missionaries.
* Don’t forget to take a look at the new photos on our website!
Serving Him for you in Peru,
Don & Carla Rich
This entry was posted in Newsletters.