San Jose
454
Urb. San
Carlos
Huancayo
Peru
011-51-64-23-76-69
March 31, 2004
"Why do you look for the living among
the dead? He is not here he has risen!" Luke 24:6
NIV
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Greetings in the name of our precious Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ. We praise the Lord Jesus for having so
wonderfully blessed us and for having sent his Holy Spirit to guide and teach
us, especially during difficult times. We hope and pray that He has been
blessing you wonderfully during this new year and that your life has been filled
with His grace and mercy. Thank you for your continued prayers for us
and support of the ministry here in Peru. We definitely see the
results of you praying for us. You are special people called by
our Lord Jesus Christ to minister to His children. Thank you for your
faithfulness to His calling. Thank you for your love for Him, for us, and
for His children.
The first few days of this month were spent in
Lima renewing Mary Beth's passport and working on government red tape for the
medical mission teams that will come this year. Since Mary Alice and
Arthur were returning from Trujillo to Lima after helping the Reeves family
to move and get settled in, the children traveled from Huancayo to meet them in
Lima. This trip was a real blessing as the children were out of
school for summer break and the family was able to travel together for a
change. From Lima the whole family traveled the 7 hours back to
Huancayo and then 8 hours down the valley to Ayacucho. In Ayacucho we made
preparations and did training to host a medical mission planned for
September. Mary Alice taught a workshop on children's ministries, and
another Kid's Club was set in motion. We particiapted in the
three year aniversary celebration of the church. Benjamin and Mary Beth
even participated in the praise band. Unfortunately the work necessary
to bring medicines and medical supplies into Peru is becoming more onerous each
year, and due to this the team that was going to serve in Ayacucho canceled
their trip.
Arthur and Mary Alice meeting with Obed and Cindy Alvarez, and
Carolyn Smith to prepare for medical teams.
The Lord Jesus is continuing to bless the
children's ministry here in Peru. Last year we had an average of 735
children and 40 adults meeting each weekend for the Kid's Clubs. We had
Kid's Clubs meeting in Chilca, Huancayo, El Tambo, San Jeronimo and Ahuac which
are all within 30 miles of our home. We also had a Kid's Clubs
meeting in San Martin de Pangoa in the low jungle area. During the
last two months we have trained workers and opened two other Kid's Clubs in Tres
Esquinas and Pilcomayo, both which are in the Huancayo area. We also
trained two persons from the Yanesha community in the area called Shringamazu in
the low jungle so that they could begin a ministry with the children of their
tribal community. We now have another small work in Chilca and
are training young people from the Alliance Church and Iglesia Centro
de Misiones to start children's ministries. Mary Alice has also been
preparing to teach children's workers in Shringamazu and Puerto
Bermudez in April, when we travel to plan for the medical mission in this
area. We were also working with the District Youth Organization (AJUMEC) to
promote and start a new Kid's Club in the high jungle area of San Ramon and La
Merced, but due to the lack of cooperation from the church there we will be
postponing this activity. The work with the Shoeshine boys is continuing
to grow.
Benjamin and Mary Beth leading praise and worship with
Rocio.
Arthur spent time designing and drawing plans for
a church building that will be constructed in Puente Paucartambo in the low
jungle this year. He also worked to prepare bugets for this project and
the completion of a project in Satipo. Mary Alice and Arthur also traveled
to Tarma to meet a team from Mt. Bethel lead by our dear brother in Christ, Ivar
Quindsland. This group was helping with construction at
the church in Tarma.
Practicing with puppets in workshop in Ayacucho
Please be in prayer with us for the continued
advancement of the Kid's Club ministry and our efforts to find and train
additional workers for this ministry. Pray also for the discipleship
and leadership training and the youth cell ministry, and that God would continue
to impart His vision in these young people. Please ask God to expand our
time and provide additional financial resources for the
ministries. Please continue to pray for our new relationship with Mision-AMEN and our relationship with the Methodist Church. Most
importantly we would like to ask you to covenant with us and the youth
leadership team to be in regular prayer and fasting for the ministry
to the lost and dying youth of Huancayo. Pray that we would be
protected from attacks and that the enemy's power over these young people would
be broken. Pray, also, for the preparations for the medical mission teams
that will be coming this year.
Again we want to thank you for all your
support and prayers. Please continue to pray for the churches here in
Peru. Please pray for the tension in the churches, and for the church
leaders. Please pray for the leaders in the Methodist Church: Bishop
Marco Ochoa, and District Superintendents Jose Bustamante and David
Figueroa. Also be in prayer for Obed Alvarez, the head of Mision-AMEN, as
well as their other leaders and missionaries. Please pray for our
safety as we travel, and that we will boldly speak God's Word wherever we
go.
We pray that God is drawing you closer and closer
to Him every day. God bless you. We love you.
Yours
in Christ,
Arthur,
Mary Alice, Benjamin, Joshua, and Mary Beth Ivey
The
Mission Society Missionaries to Peru
The Mission
Society
P.O. Box
922637
Norcross, Georgia 30010-2637