Dear Friends and Family,
It has been an incredible time of traveling and reporting to most of our wonderful friends and partners in ministry. Everyone has been gracious, generous and supportive of the ministry God has blessed us with. We had the privilege of being in many wonderful new churches as well during this time. We are praying that many will be able to directly partner with us and the work we are doing in Peru among the Deaf and hearing.
After one year in the States, we flew back to Peru on November 15th. It’s good to be home. Our kids are overjoyed to be back, and we are settling back into the ministry and preparing for what the Lord has in store for us in the months and years ahead. We have been so blessed to see eight souls saved these weeks we have been back.
James and Ann have settled in for their six-month mission work at Efata. Thank you to those who have responded to our appeal to help them for this short-term mission work prior to them going on full-time deputation to raise their support to return permanently. Please keep Ann in prayer for her health and pregnancy. It has been a tremendous blessing to Efata to have them here.
The work in Peru is going strong. They had 350 people in Efata for Family Day in October. Six souls were saved and 3 baptized during this time.
We do have a few major prayer requests for you to pray about:
First, the local city hall has assessed a large tax on Efata that is retroactive to 2012. They say we owe 144,500 Soles, which equates to approx. $44,000. Of course, we do not have that kind of money and are applying for an exemption. We have already been exempted from the property taxes, but these are service taxes that we used to pay at a rate of $3 a year. The government has changed, and we are not against paying our fair share, but this is a retroactive commercial rate that is going back and covering years that were already payed. It is a long and complicated story. Please pray for the “king’s heart”, that God will turn it in our favor.
Second, please pray for the continued advancement of the work in Chancay. This month we were able to have a wall built around the property and more contacts have been made. Please pray for God to raise up this work.
Third, please pray for our mission in Pucallpa. Missionary Henry Vasquez, who is overseeing that work, will be moving to Lima this month due to his wife’s heart problems. They will work with us in the new Chancay church plant. The ministry in Pucallpa has been very difficult, and we are selling the property that we have there with the intent of buying property further out of town where the population is headed and moving the work there to reach more people. We already have Bible studies in these areas. We have not been able to sell the property and now we need a new national missionary/pastor to take the work over and carry it through its transition. Pray for God’s wisdom and leading in all of this as well.
Thank you once again to every church, family member and friend who has hosted us and cared for us during this special time of reacquainting with our friends and supporters. A special thanks to all the new friends and churches we have met along the way. It is wonderful to know that mission work is still the heartbeat of many as it is still the heartbeat of God!
Joe & Lisa. Children: Joy, John, Joel, Jessica, Jennifer