A Special Visit

This past week, we had a special visit here in Peru from some special people.  Galen, Sam, Dora, Paul, Eva, Maria, Helen, and Duane.  Each brought a unique perspective on life along with them, and a unique ability to interact with our friends here in Peru.

Galen brought his experience as a team leader and MB Mission coordinator.  He preached, led, shared, and encouraged.  Here he is with Pastor George in Trujillo.

Helen shared her experience as a pastor's wife, led a great workshop on marriage, and kept an on-going log of pictures with her iPad!  Here she is at the top of the hill, next to the Miramar church and after a 2.5 hr journey to get there!

Sam provided long-term pastoral insights and encouragement to many pastors along our journey, and was an overall blessing to the group with his consistent comments from the Word.  Here he is with Julia and her husband, who asked for prayer.

Eva was a joyful person!  She was always ready to share, and encourage church leaders.  Here she is with Isabel, one of our rural leaders

 Paul (Eva's husband) was a trouper, sharing joy with everyone despite some knee challenges.  He never complained, and I know they were hurting.  Here he is receiving a Peruvian flag from Pastors Antonio and Fernando in Sullana, after bringing the Word that evening.

Maria was a quiet but prayerful support to the team.  She was an encourager, and despite getting my cold, kept going!  Here she is sharing with a woman at a park in Chiclayo, as we prayed through that city for a possible future church plant.

Duane was the only one without the Spanish language on this trip, but that didn't stop him!  By the end, he had learned several phrases and had some grammatical basics down so he could at least gather the gist of most conversations!  A long time friend, he was a particular encouragement to me, and a joy to watch as God worked through him.  Here he is praying for Marcos, a leader in El Indio, and studying the Word during our devotional times in the Plaza de Armas in Piura.

Dora (Sam's wife) was a encourager and motivator!  She helped keep us on track and on schedule, and provided leadership whenever Galen or I got tired of doing so!  She was an encouragement to the team, to the people we visited, and shared her faith with every van driver we traveled with.  Here she is with Ivan in Trujillo, as he shared the history of this wonderful city.

Thank you all for coming to Peru.  You were a blessing to us as a family, me personally, to the people and leaders in our churches here, and to our ministry.  We were encouraged, blessed, challenged, and so much more.  May God richly bless each and every one of you for your sacrifice of time to join us on this journey, if only for a little while.  We look forward to your next visit!

Lowell