Arthur

Greetings to you all 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. We hope and pray that He has been blessing you wonderfully and that your life has been filled with His grace. Thank you for your continued prayers for us. 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.

Our family arrived safely in Huancayo, Peru on September 8, 2001. Miraculously all of our luggage arrived, also. We could really tell you were praying for us. Tom Williams and Dick Gabriel, two wonderful brothers in Jesus Christ took time off from their schedule to help us move to Peru. We had to carry all of our belongings with us, so we left Atlanta on September 5, 2001 with 16 bags. This was two bags more than our allowance, but because Dick and Tom were traveling on special passes, they were allowed to sit in first class and were thus permitted to check one extra bag each without being charged. As a result we were not charged anything for all of our luggage. When we got to Lima, we were able to get everything through customs without any problem. The customs' officials only wanted to look in one bag, and it was Mary Alice's clothes. The only thing funny about it was that the bag was in Tom's possession. The customs agent just gave a funny look and with Tom's explanation that it belonged to Mary Alice, we were on our way.

Kid's Club in Huancayo.
We spent two days in Lima arranging for e-mail access, getting the next step in our visa process under way, and meeting with the Bishop. We also found a vehicle that we will be purchasing next month. While we were there we met a Wycliff missionary who was going to Huancayo for a few days, so we sent three of our crates with him. We put five more crates on a bus company as freight to ship them to Huancayo, and carried the remaining baggage with us on the bus. All of our baggage arrived at our home in Huancayo within an hour of our arrival

We left Lima on Saturday morning September 8 for Huancayo. It was a beautiful eight hour bus ride through the Andes mountains. The highest point in our journey was at Lake Tiglio which is at an elevation of approximately 16,000 feet above sea level. God made the Andes Mountains incredibly beautiful.

Mary Beth helping with Kid's Club First Kid's Club in Ahauc

We are nearly settled into our new home, and really feel that we are suppose to be here, because it really seems like home, even more like home than the U.S. Our primary goal right now, with God's help and provision, is to learn about the people and their culture, build relationships, and identify possible ministry opportunities. Already God has been opening doors for us. Last year Ansel and Jennifer Rogers, Mission Society missionaries, began a weekly children's outreach called Kid's Club for the children living in a poor area of Huancayo near our home. The children sing, have a Bible lesson, and have a snack. Some of the mothers are part of a women's group that have been studying the Bible, also. Seven of them prayed to receive Christ last Saturday. Several of these ladies are interested in learning English, which could be a ministry opportunity. Last Sunday we helped to start a second Kid's Club in a small town called Ahauc. We had over 50 children and are excited about the possibilities there.

Our children are attending a local private school. All of the teaching is in Spanish, except for the English class. Unfortunately it is not a Christian environment, however, our children see this as another opportunity to witness for Christ. It has been a big adjustment for the children, and we think they are doing a wonderful job. Their Spanish is improving rapidly and they are making friends. In fact, everyone wants to be their friends because they are the only Americans in the school.

We have been praying for you and the United States, especially for the terrible tragedy that has happened there. It was hard to believe this was happening in the place we had left less than a week before. We know that no matter what happens, God is in control, and we have to continue to place our trust in Him. God proved this to us by miraculously getting Tom and Dick home from Peru safely in the middle of all of the confusion.

Again we want to thank you for all your support and prayers. Please continue to pray for our adjustment to the new culture and that we will boldly speak God's Word wherever we go. Pray that God will raise up Godly leaders for the church here. Pray for our protection as events surrounding the attacks on our country continue to unfold. We pray that God is drawing you closer and closer to Him every day.