Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

     Greetings in the name of our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  We praise the Lord God for having sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who has wonderfully blessed us, and for having sent his Holy Spirit to guide and teach us. We hope and pray that He has been blessing you wonderfully during this year and that your life has been filled with His grace and mercy.  We want to give you a special thanks for your continued prayers for us and support of the ministry in Peru.  We definitely see the results of your prayers 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.

 

     March has been an encouraging month for us.  We have been loved, blessed, and encouraged by may of you in the churches we have visited.  The children and Mary Alice have adjusted to the home school, and the children's English is improving rapidly.  We have all adjusted somewhat to being back, but still miss our friends and Christian family in Peru.  Our support raising to return is progressing,and we have had the chance to talk with some potential missionary candidates about working with us in Peru.  We still have work to do with the home office to prepare for the future work of the Mission Society in Peru.  Please be in prayer for our continued adjustment back into North American culture, for our support raising, and for the recruiting of additional missionaries. 

 

     We have been sharing about the ministry in Peru with our individual and church partners, and will continue to do so throughout our time here.  During March we shared at two cell groups and with a women's circle group.  We also shared at Sugar Hill United Methodist Church, Roswell United Methodist Church, and Mountain View Community Church.  We enjoyed a meal and time of sharing  with three families that have been supporting the work in Peru.  We were really blessed to have Benjamin, our 16 year old, share his testimony and some of his experiences with the youth group at Sugar Hill and in some of the cell group meetings.  In April we will continue to try to visit with our individual partners and will be sharing at the following churches:  Cornerstone United Methodist Church, Red Bank United Methodist Church, Covenant United Methodist Church, Berkmar United Methodist Church, and Mayo United Methodist Church, as well as, several other groups in Paintsville, Kentucky.  Please be in prayer for our travels and these events. 

 

  

Samuel Castillo sharing with the Shoeshine Boys.

(Samuel is on the right with the blue white and orange cap)

  

 

     We received a wonderful report from our brother in Christ, Samuel Castillo.  Samuel has been working with us in the ministry to the Shoeshine Boys in the central park in Huancayo. We also worked with him to plan a Kid's Club and new church in Cajas Chico.  Samuel wrote us and said, " The work just gets better each time.  The Shoeshine boys are behaving better and better.  They now put their trash in the trash cans and are keeping themselves neater and cleaner.  They now have a uniform to wear.  They are punctual and much more attentive to the Bible teachings."  Samuel also reported on the group at Cajas Chico and indicated, " The members at Cajas Chico have begun to give tithes and offerings even though we have not asked them for money.  There are now four strong groups that meet weekly, and they have started a weekly praise service together.  They are also planning to open a new Kid's Club about three blocks from their meeting place."  What wonderful news.  We praise the Lord for the continued fruit that the ministry is producing.  Please be in prayer for Samuel and these ministries.   

 

 

 

 

     Please be in prayer with us as we continue to transition to life in the states.  Especially pray for our children, Benjamin, Joshua, and Mary Beth, as they have left behind special friends again, and have to adapt to a new culture in the U.S.  Please pray that our time in the U.S. will be productive, and that we have opportunities to raise the additional support we need to return to the work in Peru, and that we can find additional persons called to be part of the missionary team in Peru.  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.  Please pray for the leaders in the churches in Peru; for their spiritual protection and growth in the Lord Jesus.  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