Latest Event Updates

Rich Family Prayer Ltr Nov 2020

Posted on Updated on

 

Socks and Monkey Business?

November 1, 2020

Hello from the Andes Mountains of Peru!

   Good news! The strict quarantine here in Peru was lifted on Oct. 1. We are still under some restrictions such as masks, social distancing, and public building occupancy limits. Our valley of around 300,000 people went from having well over 2-300 people reported infected per day and many deaths to now averaging daily around 45 reported infected and only one death or less. Although any death is sad, we are praising the Lord that the numbers are finally going down. Also, direct international flights are scheduled to open today to several countries including the US. They will be limited and with restrictions, but it is light at the end of the tunnel.

   As for our churches, we are still preaching online. The Peruvian government recently announced that only special church services such as baptisms, funerals, and weddings are allowed and with a maximum of only 30% of the building occupancy. But we have heard that the president is talking with evangelical leaders and will possibly allow regular church services by mid-November! We are sure it will be with restrictions, but it is a start. Our church buildings have been shut for eight months. Please pray that we will be able to open the doors of our church soon.

Cajamarca church – Carla and the ladies of our church came together to start a Saturday on-line kids’ class. Some of the kids came by to pick up books and crafts to take home and use during the classes. We hand-delivered several also. We have seen a great response. The kids record their memory verses and answers to questions asked during the live FB broadcast. They then send them in to the leaders. Next week, we will be delivering prizes to those who have been faithful to attend virtually and complete their “homework tasks”.

Guadalupe church – Pastor Juan Carlos has continued to improve and is around 100% now! We were able to briefly visit with them last week in their home on the coast. It was the first time we had seen them in a year because of my knee surgery, then the pandemic.

   On October 18th we celebrated the fourth anniversary services of the Guadalupe church! The services were held online with Pastor Juan Carlos preaching the morning services and me (Don) preaching the evening services. Our Cajamarca church cancelled their online services that day to be able to participate in their sister church’s celebration. We had a great online attendance.

Food Distribution Ministry – We continue to make food deliveries to those we know who are struggling without jobs because of the pandemic. This includes several families from Venezuela who originally moved to Peru to escape the poverty and terrible government that they were under. Sadly, many arrived here not long before the quarantine and job shutdowns. This has caused serious hardships. We recently received more great donations to help with this ministry. It is a continual blessing to those we help, and we love seeing their faces as God blesses them through our ministry.

   More good news! Our Bible Distribution ministry will be back in full distribution mode beginning this week! Enough of the bus lines are open for shipping that we will now be able to receive and fill requests. We have almost 1700 cases of Bibles and Roman’s booklets in our distribution building. Please pray that they will go out quickly. The Word of God does no one any good in storage.

   Christmas is coming quickly. Carla had a great idea to make sock monkeys for the kids in our church this year. Do you remember sock monkeys? She and the ladies will be working hard to complete at least 50 before the holiday arrives. It only took several hours, around seven stores, and one open market to find all the socks, buttons, cloth, etc. needed to make them all. It will be a lot of work. It is estimated to take around five hours for each monkey. So, I guess you could say that there will be a lot of monkey business around here for a while.

   We saved the best for last. We have seen two salvations in our Guadalupe ministry this month! God continues to work and bless our ministry. We want to thank all of you who have a part in praying and/or financially supporting the work that God has placed in our hearts to accomplish.

   May God bless each of you for your continual faithful prayers and support of us here in Peru.

         Don & Carla Rich

 

 

God is still in the “Good News” business!

Posted on

 

God is still in the “Good News” business!

September 1, 2020

   It is hard to have a conversation, listen to the news, or even hear a message preached without hearing something about the international pandemic of the Corona Virus. I will touch on that since people ask us how it is in our area, then I want to focus on the good news… Yes, good news in the midst of all that is going on!

   As expected, we went back into quarantine about two weeks after it was partially lifted. The numbers in our valley continue to rise between 150-200 per day in a population of around 250,000. Peru’s President Martín Vizcarra recently announced that the National State of Emergency has been extended for another month, thru Sept. 30. Children under the age of 14 will no longer be allowed outside for any duration of time, and adults aged 65 and older are to remain inside except when absolutely necessary. No social gatherings of any kind, including in the home with family, are permitted. Our area of Cajamarca is still under an 8:00 pm to 4:00 am curfew from Monday to Saturday and all-day quarantine on Sunday. Social distancing and the use of facemasks will be required for the foreseeable future. A missionary friend of ours posted a chart showing Peru with the highest death rate per capita and the highest total cases per capita in the world at this time. But God is good, and we remain healthy and safe.

   I would like to share a sad news report that we saw recently. In the capital city of Lima over 100 people were found breaking the law by gathering and drinking in a nightclub. When the police arrived, many panicked and tried to get away, causing chaos. The exit was accidentally closed in the confusion, and people were trampled trying to get out. Thirteen were dead when it was all over. We watched part of one of the funerals on the news. The pall bearers danced to rock music while carrying the casket of the deceased. They also poured beer on the casket in “honor” of the departed. What a sad testimony. Like the rich man in hell, I’m sure the deceased would love to reach out to those left behind, those who continue to disregard their eternal life so they can enjoy their sin for a season.

   Now for some GOOD NEWS! The first that we’d like to share is that the “Good News”, the gospel, reached another soul in our Guadalupe ministry! After one of our church members passed away in July, Pastor Juan Carlos was able to lead his 32-year-old son to the Lord!

   Also in July, Carla and I celebrated 17 years on the mission field here in Peru! It has been great serving with my wonderful wife for all these years and we are excited to see what the future holds in our ministry here. Then in August, our Cajamarca church celebrated its 15-year anniversary with two special services online. I preached the morning service and then Carla and I blew out the candle and cut the ceremonial cake. Pastor José Zamora preached the evening service.

   More good news! Many of you know that our Guadalupe pastor Juan Carlos was infected with the Covid virus. He was literally at the point of death at one time, but God intervened. He is now well on his way to recovery and gaining strength every day! His wife Karen is doing well also after a mild case of the virus. It was hard to be three hours away and unable to help them, but thanks to your prayers and the people of the Guadalupe church pitching in, they were taken care of. And of course, God gets all the glory.

   On a lighter note, we were asked to help an elderly lady who was out of work. She wanted to sell a hog to make some money. We and another missionary family pitched in and bought the hog. We had an old-fashioned hog-killin’ and helped butcher it also. We kept some of it and were able to share some while it was fresh with some of our church families.

   Our Bible and tract ministry is mostly at a standstill since the bus lines have been shut down. I was able to share two cases with a national pastor in our valley who walked to pick them up. We are looking forward to the opportunity to send them all out as soon as we are allowed. Requests come in weekly from all over S. America.

   We continue to make food deliveries to those we know who are without jobs. We thank the Lord for those of you who have sent in donations to help with this ministry. It is a continual blessing to those we help.

May God bless each of you for your continual faithful prayers and support of us here in Peru.

Don & Carla Rich

 

 

Good news in the midst of it all!

Posted on

Good news in the midst of it all!

July 3, 2020

Hello from the Andes Mountains!

   As of July 1, the quarantine has been lifted here in Peru except for a few areas that are still suffering high numbers of Covid infected persons. We are a little surprised at the lift because of the continued rise in numbers in our area. One hospital has “collapsed” from the overload. The regional government and health officials for our area have asked the president of the country to continue the quarantine but it appears to have been denied. The country is still under a “state of emergency”, meaning that no one can be out between 10pm and 4am each day unless they have a work permit. There are still rules in place as we are in phase three of opening up. Restaurants can now have up to 40% capacity while malls can have up to 50%. We have been told that domestic air flights and bus travel will return on July 15. There are still no civic, sports, or religious gatherings allowed. We are expecting the numbers to continue to rise because of relaxing the regulations. We know that the US and other areas are going through the same. We are just taking precautions and praying.

   Staying busy, the Lord has opened the door for me to be the “on-line guest speaker” for our home church a couple of times and I have also preached for our Peruvian churches through the internet. Carla recently taught a kids’ class online for both of our Peruvian churches. As any pastor will tell you, it is not the same as being in the church building with a congregation in the pews, but it is great to be able to continue to preach and teach the Word.

   Now for some great news! God has been using this time to fortify families! We have heard from people in our church who, for the first time ever, have started daily family Bible studies in their homes. This is a direct result of them being confined with extra time on their hands. What a blessing to hear that they are “redeeming the time”. We are having good attendance of our on-line services. PTL, our Cajamarca pastor was able to lead a man to the Lord recently, during the quarantine!

   Even though the quarantine has been lifted, there are many who continue to suffer from being unable to work and provide for their families. We continue to deliver food to help with their need. Also, another unique door has opened to us. Before the quarantine, many Venezuelans migrated to Peru because of the terrible political climate and problems in their country. Many worked in the streets here washing car windshields, selling bottled water or candy, and doing any odd jobs they could find. When the quarantine was proclaimed, many were immediately out of work and had nowhere to go for help since they are not citizens. We have found several families sitting along the street with home-made white flags to let people know that they are in need. Carla and I drive the streets and drop off bags of food for them. Along with the food, we are giving them New Testaments, tracts, and little evangelistic booklets for their children to read and color. We have also had some people knock on our door asking for food, which we are happy to provide. God has blessed as some of our faithful supporters have sent funds to help us purchase these essentials. The need continues. If the Lord puts it on your heart to help with our FOOD PANTRY ministry, please send your gift to our support agency at Central Missionary Clearinghouse and let us know so we can plan accordingly.

   Even more great news! Just yesterday we were able to receive our shipment that has been in storage for around two months. Victory Baptist Press in Florida and Beacon of Truth Baptist Ministries in S. Carolina joined together to send us almost 8000 Bibles and just under a half million Romans booklets for our distribution ministry. The container arrived in Peru right after the quarantine started and was then trucked to a storage facility here in Cajamarca. The trucking company finally received approval to make the delivery. We had a great group of twenty-five church members, plus two other friends who showed up to help unload. It took a little over two and a half hours before we had it all placed in the distribution storage building here on-site. We are hoping to be able to start distribution soon as they open the bus stations for shipping within Peru. We continue to get requests weekly.

Thank you all for your faithfulness to this ministry. May God richly bless each of you,

Don & Carla Rich

 

Quarantine? What a different world and time we live in!

Posted on Updated on

 

Quarantine? What a different world and time we live in!
May 1, 2020

   Sunday evening March 15, one week after arriving back in Peru, we were told that the next day the entire country of Peru would be in a mandatory quarantine for 15 days. The quarantine has now been in effect for 6 weeks and will continue at least until May 10. No one is allowed to leave their home except for essentials between daylight to 6pm each day and nothing on Sunday. Sparse public transportation is provided which seems counterproductive to us since that puts several people together in a small space at one time. Non-essential businesses have been shut down. The streets are like a ghost town. People cannot work. I found out that as missionaries we could be approved for a special permit that allows us to move about in our own vehicle to help others. Since many if not most Peruvians live from week to week, when they can’t work it puts them at risk of not being able to provide food for their families or pay bills. We praise the Lord that we are able to help several families in our church and neighborhood as they need it. We are hoping to expand this needed ministry. If the Lord puts it on your heart to help us get food and essentials to hard hit families, please send your help to our support agency at CMC and let us know so we can plan accordingly.

   Just before the quarantine started in Peru in March, Victory Baptist Press shipped us 7546 Bibles and 478,800 Romans booklets for evangelization. The booklets were supplied by Beacon of Truth Baptist Ministries in S. Carolina. The shipment made it fine to and through customs. It was then shipped by truck to Cajamarca, but they can’t be delivered to us because of the quarantine. We are looking forward to receiving them as soon as the lock-down is over.

   Since we are in the Andes Mountains, far from the capital of Lima (14 hrs by car), the quarantine for the most part has isolated us away from the spread of the virus. Although it has arrived in our area, it has been very limited so far. Most of the cases here have been brought from smaller villages to our local hospitals for treatment.

   As many of you are doing in the US, our national pastors have been presenting church services online. Our intern Darren, Carla, and I have also done live services from our home for the church and special services for the youth.

   While homebound, I have taken the time to use the material from the book that I wrote in English (announced in our last prayer letter) and made it available in a Spanish version. This will allow any Spanish-speaking pastor, missionary, or layman to have the same information available to study. It has been emailed to many pastors and is available to download in pdf format on our website also. Sadly, because of the quarantine we had to cancel the Bible conference that we had scheduled in May so we hope this will be a blessing instead.

   With the borders shut down, the Peruvian and American governments began to set up emergency repatriation flights to get Americans back to the US. These flights were only approved through Apr. 21 with no promise that there would be any other opportunities. Years ago, I had been asked to be an area Warden for the embassy, which means that in case of emergency I would be a contact point and liaison between the embassy and Americans in our area. When it looked like the Peruvian borders were going to be closed possibly until as late as 2021, we contacted the US Embassy and started looking for ways to get Darren back to the US. We found out that there were at least two other Americans in Cajamarca who wanted to get back. We were finally able to get the three from our area to an airport five hours from here where they flew to Lima, then on to Miami. From there each had to find a flight to their homes.

   We understand that this pandemic is a burden on everyone, including our supporting churches and the families in each one. We have already received notice of support being dropped by at least one of our supporting churches due to the effects of this crisis. We know God is in control and are praying for all of you during this time. Our daily prayer is for God to show us what our ministry should look like as we move forward. We don’t want to miss any opportunities to minister in a time like this.

   As many continue to suffer for lack of jobs, causing lack of money for food and essentials, the possibilities for robbery and kidnapping become greater and missionaries (gringos) can be high targets. We remain cautious daily, trust God for protection, and appreciate your prayers during these trying times.

   Thank you all for your continued faithful prayers for us and our ministry,

     Don & Carla Rich

 

Back Home in Peru!

Posted on

Back Home in Peru!

March 12, 2020

   This prayer letter is going out a little later than usual. We have just arrived back in Cajamarca this past Saturday morning. We had hoped to be back before then but in February I was told that I needed a procedure to “manipulate” my knee to break loose both old and new scar tissue that had formed. This would allow me to have more flexibility. Then, more physical therapy was needed before they would release me to travel by plane. It will still be a while before I am back to “normal”. Thank you all for your faithful prayers as I continue to heal.

   It was great to spend quality time with family and be involved in our home church while we were in the US. It was a sweet time of reconnecting. Carla and I taught in SS, helped with special projects, sang in the choir, and also sang special music. I was blessed with the opportunity to preach at our home church, give updates, and preach at three of our supporting churches. We were blessed during our last week stateside to be able to attend our church’s Jubilee services with great preaching and special music. What a great way to be refreshed as we headed back to our place of service in S. America.

   God blessed us with a vehicle that was loaned to us by another missionary for our time in the US. One day Carla and I were traveling on the interstate and she was taking a nap. I noticed a car in front of us run over a piece of a tarp. The tarp flew into the air and then went under our vehicle. It did not come out, so I knew I needed to pull over and remove it. Just then I heard a loud rumble. Our right rear tire had literally blown out. Smoke started coming from the tire as pieces flew into the air. In the heavy traffic we were able to move over and get onto the shoulder quickly. Of course, Carla woke up when the tire blew but knew nothing of the tarp. As I exited the vehicle I said, “at least I will have something to lay on”. She was surprised when I went to the front of the van, reached under, and pulled out the tarp that had hung underneath. It didn’t take long and we were back on the road. PTL, I had healed enough to be able to change the tire. I believe that God allowed this incident so that He could get the glory and so we could experience His protection and provision.

   God’s timing is always perfect. The same day we arrived back in Peru our intern Darren also arrived to spend three months working with us. He will be a big help during his time here and we are looking forward to getting a lot accomplished.

   While we were away, both of our churches did a great job presenting VBS in February. They had a good attendance at both our Cajamarca and Guadalupe churches. In total there were 36 professions of faith. We have also had five others saved and one baptized! We are proud of the work that is being accomplished through the pastors and workers in our Peruvian churches.

   I’d like to announce that after studying the Spanish Bible versions for many years, I felt led to put my findings together in a book. It was written in English in an effort to help English-speaking pastors, missionaries, and lay people, understand the differences and make an educated decision on which version should be used in their Spanish ministries. These books are available in the US at no cost. If you would like one or more to share with missionaries and pastors, please go to our website “Contact Us” page (rich2peru.com) and send us your name, address, and the quantity that you would like. The file is also available as a free pdf download. My prayer is that this information will be a useful tool in understanding the topic and that God would get the glory.

   It will be another busy year for us. Please pray that the corona virus problem will not affect our plans for the International Bible Conference in May. We are excited and looking forward to a good conference.

Thank you all for your continued faithful prayers for us and our ministry,

Don & Carla Rich

Spanish Bible Versions What you need to know… IN PLAIN ENGLISH

Posted on Updated on

   After studying the Spanish Bible versions for many years I felt led to put my findings together in English in an effort to help English-speaking pastors, missionaries, and lay people understand the differences and make an educated decision on which version should be used in their Spanish ministries. These books are available in the US at no cost individually or in quantity. If you would like one or more to share with missionaries and pastors, please send your name, address, and the quantity that you would like to Don Rich. The file is also available as a pdf download. May God bless each of you for your love of God’s pure Word.

A Busy Year Ahead!

Posted on

A Busy Year Ahead!

January 1, 2020

   As you read in our last letter, we are stateside for my knee-replacement surgery. The surgery went as planned on Dec. 2 and I am now in physical therapy working on regaining mobility. We appreciate everyone’s prayers. They were definitely heard as there was a serious complication caused by the spinal block they administered to me. After waking in the recovery room, they gave me some crackers and something to drink. As I ate, I told the doctors that I began to feel some abdominal pain. That pain quickly moved up into my chest. Carla said that at that point I turned very pale and passed out. She looked at the monitor which showed a flat line for my heart rate and a dangerously low blood pressure reading. Family was ushered out of the area as they worked with me to bring my stats back up to normal. Once I was stabilized and began to feel better, I was discharged to go home. We were all amazed that it was an out-patient procedure, but I was in and out in the same day. Thanks again for your prayers as I heal and work through physical therapy.

   While here in the US, Carla and I have been working on plans for the International Bible Conference we will be hosting in May of this year at our Cajamarca church in Peru. There is a lot of planning and coordinating that will have to be completed. Please pray that everything will fall into place and that the Lord will bless the conference.

   We are still planning, Lord willing, to be back in Peru by mid-February. The first week in March, Darren, the intern that spent several months with us last year, is planning on returning to spend three months with us this year. It will be a blessing to us and to our ministry to have him there.

   Once we are back in Peru, we should be receiving a container of a partial shipment of Bibles and many Roman’s booklets for evangelism. We plan to use these primarily to distribute to those national pastors and missionaries who attend the Bible conference in May. Whatever is left over will be shipped to others who are asking for Bibles for their ministries.

   Our Cajamarca church will be celebrating its fifteen-year anniversary in August so we will be busy planning for that event also. We are looking forward to this milestone.

   We have had some individuals say that they are planning on visiting us in Peru this year. Two of which are our home church’s pastor and a long-time member. We look forward to receiving these visitors and allowing them to see first-hand what God is doing.

   We mentioned in our last letter about some other possible doors opening up in training national pastors. Only time will tell. What we do know is that we should be very busy again this year.

   We are hearing from the national pastors in our churches in Cajamarca and Guadalupe that the work is still going well. It is a blessing to be able to leave for a while and know the work continues.

   We have received many emails from pastors and missionaries thanking us for the Bibles they have received for their ministries. I’d like to conclude this letter with a recap of one such letter. A national pastor wrote that he and his church were praying one night that God would help them find a good price on some much-needed Bibles for their church. Many of the members did not have a Bible. The next morning, he started to leave his house to go look for prices in bookstores. Before leaving, he received a call from a pastor telling him about our ministry. He quickly contacted us, and we sent him the Bibles they needed. The pastor wrote, thanking us for our ministry and praised the Lord for the timely provision of His Word. It is letters like this that make it all worthwhile.

Thank you for your faithfulness in supporting the ministry here in Peru,

Don & Carla Rich

 

Posted on Updated on

100,000 !!!

November 1, 2019

   This letter finds Carla and I stateside for a couple of months. Back in 1987, while working as a deputy sheriff in Georgia, my knee was shattered while apprehending an armed robbery suspect. It was repaired with screws and bone grafts, but I was told that I would eventually need a replacement knee. It appears that time has come and since it was covered under workers’ comp it will have to be done in the US. We are enjoying family, getting a little hunting in, taking care of dental and doctor appointments and preparing for the surgery which is scheduled for Dec. 2 in Atlanta. We would appreciate all of your prayers that all goes well. Our plans are to be back in Peru by February after completing physical therapy. We have a busy year coming up in our ministry.

   Our church plant in Guadalupe recently celebrated its third anniversary. We had an overflow crowd of over 90 in that small space. We were privileged to baptize two during the celebration. National Pastor Juan Carlos and his wife are doing a great job in this church. Immediately after the service, Carla and I traveled another two hours to our friends’ church in Trujillo where I performed the baby dedication service for their son who also turned one on that day.

   Just before our trip to the US, the ladies in our Cajamarca church had a ladies’ meeting and special dinner. They all love Carla’s cooking (who doesn’t?). Since she enjoys cooking and hosting, she prepared ribs, sweet potato soufflé, and salad for the group. Needless to say, there was none left.

   As we mentioned in our last letter, in the first part of September I traveled with two friends of our ministry, Ken and Worth, who have helped raise quite a bit of funds for the Bible ministry. We drove to the river port city of Yurimaguas and dropped off 151 cases containing 2114 Bibles. From the port, they were shipped up-river to Iquitos, the jungle capital of Peru. From there, these Bibles will be dispersed to many works back in the deep jungle where many have never had a Bible. After placing them on a barge, we flew to Iquitos where we were able to meet with several pastors who were very glad to meet those who were providing the Bibles for their ministries. We were careful that God received the praise. We are just His footmen.

   While we were walking in town next to the Amazon River, a young man approached me and said “Hola pastor” (hello pastor). He told me how as a street kid he remembered me stopping to talk with him and some other kids about Jesus. That was 15 years ago! He is now married with children of his own and they love the Lord! Only God! It seems that some doors may be opening in that part of Peru to return and teach some of the pastors. We will be looking into that when we return next year.

   On the drive back to Cajamarca, I had received an invitation to teach a group of 25 pastors who gathered to meet us in the coastal city of Sullana. I spoke to them for about two and a half hours on the purity of God’s Word. Many of them have received Bibles from our ministry. I have since been able to teach the same class to six other pastors in our home. It is great to see them open to the truth about the different Bible versions, where they come from, and how to choose the purest Bible available for their ministries.

   Once we arrived back in Cajamarca, we were very busy filling many requests for Bibles. On October 19th we completed the distribution of this shipment of 25,000 Bibles. Not only did we get them all distributed in just two and a half months, but this also marked a milestone in the Bible ministry. As of now God has blessed us to be able to distribute 100,000 Bibles throughout all nine Spanish speaking countries in South America! And the requests continue to come in! God gets the glory!

   And that’s not all! Since our last letter, we have seen at least 8 more souls saved in our churches! Ain’t God good?!

* We have placed seven new photo albums on our website (rich2peru.com). Take a look and enjoy God’s handiwork!

Thank you for your faithfulness in praying for us,

Don & Carla Rich

 

From Months to Just Weeks!

Posted on Updated on

 

From Months to Just Weeks!

September 1, 2019

   For those of you who may be having a hard time reading this letter, it is probably because I have to use a smaller font to fit all that God has been doing into such a small space. For example:

   In mid-July, Carla helped our Cajamarca church host a two-day women’s conference with good attendance from four local churches. Also, on July 15th Carla and I celebrated sixteen years in Peru. God has been so good to us, allowing us to serve Him here and in other parts of S. America. To Him be “all” the glory for what has been accomplished in those years.

   Another blessing in July was when brother Mike Johnson from N. Carolina came to visit. In the short time he was here, we were able to follow up with some people that we had given solar Bibles and other materials to on his last visit. We also met and provided more materials to other mountain pastors and witnessed to several individuals in our journeys. We were so pleased to see 2 saved as a result of our efforts!

   More changes in the annual resident visa renewal process in Peru caused us to have to make an unexpected trip to Lima to sign some legal paperwork. It is frustrating when this happens but through the years, we have learned to just accept the changes and move on.

   We started off the month of August with the 14th anniversary services of our Cajamarca church. Missionary Stacy Dassow came from Lima and preached three great messages that weekend. Not long afterwards, Carla and I traveled to our Guadalupe church to lead the services while our pastor and his family took a needed vacation.

   On August 4th, the container from Victory Baptist Press arrived from the US with over 25,000 Bibles and 2000 John & Romans booklets. Many from our church and another local church helped unload over 1800 cases into the newly constructed distribution center. What a blessing it is to have this new facility right here in our own back yard! We have been busy personally delivering many, shipping a large quantity out on bus lines, and coordinating shipments to other S. American countries. Just recently we sent Bibles into Bolivia. Fourteen hundred Bibles were sent to Chile to be distributed there and into Argentina. Within days of sending this letter, I will be heading out with visitors Ken Benge and Worth Johnson to deliver 151 cases of Bibles to Iquitos, the jungle capital of Peru. After placing them on a river barge, we will be flying to Iquitos to meet with several pastors who are awaiting the arrival of the Bibles for their ministries. More on that in our next letter.

   Last week we loaded a total of 401 cases (5614 Bibles) in one day! These were going to locations all across Peru to many different churches. Within the next week we will have distributed over half of the 25,000 Bibles in record time. The fastest that all the Bibles have gone out in the past was four and a half ‘months’. This time they are moving so quickly that we will reach and pass the halfway point in just four and a half WEEKS! Knowing that we are planning the Bible conference for next May, Victory Baptist Press is already planning on sending us more Bibles, along with 2 other ministries who plan to send us other evangelistic materials next year. Have I ever mentioned that we are praying for help?

   In mid-August, I taught a 2-hour class on the purity of the Word of God, the reasons for the differences in the Bible versions, and why we use the revision of the Bible that we have chosen. I also met with a missionary and a pastor personally and went over the material with them. The pastor called me a couple of days later and asked for Bibles for his entire congregation to replace the version they had been using. God is moving in the Bible ministry!

* We have placed four new photos albums on our website (rich2peru.com). These provide a peek at just some of what God is doing here in Peru. Take a look!

May God bless each of you who pray for us,

Don & Carla Rich

 

 

Still Busy and Growing!

Posted on

Still Busy and Growing!

July 1, 2019

   In May we had a youth day trip to a mountain zoo with hiking to a nearby waterfall and a picnic afterwards. Except for them making a wrong turn on one of the trails and becoming lost for a few minutes, everything went well. It was a great time of fellowship for them all and the Word of God was preached to them during their hike.

   For two weeks in May we remodeled Carla’s kitchen. It had been needing a facelift and some repair for quite a while (sanding, painting, varnishing, adjusting doors and drawers, replacing a counter top and sink, etc) Our intern Darren had a background in carpentry and construction and he was a big help in getting this job done. Oh, and Carla is very happy with the results. Mama is happy! That’s always a good thing.

   As many of you have probably heard, we awoke to an 8.0 earthquake around 2:40 a.m. on May 26. The epicenter was in the northeastern jungle of Peru, but it was the strongest earthquake and longest lasting in many years. It woke us up with the bed shaking and we felt it for at least a minute and a half. Dishes were rattling, alarms were going off, dogs were barking, and we could hear our neighbors in the streets. We had no damage, and no one hurt in our area, but we saw on local news that there was at least one death, several injured, and homes and businesses destroyed near the center.

   It just so happened that the quake occurred one day before we had planned a trip to the jungle. This was our intern Darren’s first trip to that area. We traveled to distribute John & Romans booklets to a ministry there. We also gave them a box of girls’ dresses that a dear friend in the states made by hand. The dresses are to go to the poor young ladies in that area. We were also able to hand out hundreds of tracts to people as we traveled through the jungle. Praise God for His promise that His Word will not return void!

   Also, at the end of May our Cajamarca church had a testimony service. Ten members gave testimonies, along with a visiting Peruvian missionary pastor. We had a long service and still had others who wanted to testify of God’s goodness in their lives. Pastor José will be giving more opportunities for testimonies in the coming services.

   On June 11 our intern, Darren Townsend, left Peru. We were all sad to see him go. The Saturday before, we had a youth gathering at our home to say goodbye. He is returning to the US to finish his studies then begin his deputation to come to Peru as a missionary. Please pray for him as he begins this process. Also, please pray that God would supply him with the perfect help-meet to serve by his side.

   Our Bible distribution center building is now complete and the shipment of the container of Bibles left Victory Baptist Press on Wednesday, June 26. They are scheduled to be at the port in Lima on July 25. From there, it will take about a week to get them released from customs and truck them up to us in Cajamarca.

   We have seen one more saved in our works since our last prayer letter. God is still in the soul saving business!

   God continues to enlarge our coast. The Conversion Center, a tract printing ministry out of Maryland, contacted us at the end of June and wants to send us tracts to distribute. This makes three different ministries that will be supplying us with tracts, Bibles, and other evangelistic materials. I hate to sound redundant but… HELP WANTED! Surely God is calling a missionary to come alongside of us and help with this growing ministry.

   The Bible Conference we mentioned in our last letter is now set for May 20-22, 2020 at our church here in Cajamarca. We are excited as we are already hearing from several who plan to attend. It will take lots of work and planning, but it will be worth it when all of the pastors are here in a great time of fellowship around the Word.

May God richly bless you all,

Don & Carla Rich