Dear Friends and Family,
FINALLY, HOME in Peru!! We rejoice that we have been able to return. It has been a long season of “medical maintenance” as God has helped us to heal from heart procedures, cataract surgery, and shoulder surgery, each with their attendant physical therapies. I am reminded of how David felt when he said in Psalm 122:1, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.” For me and our family, it was truly good to return to the House of the Lord at Efata in Lima, Peru.
I waited to write this letter because I wanted to report our return, so it is a bit delayed for the September–October update.
Ministry News
In September, I had the blessing of traveling for a month assisting H.E.L.P. Ministries and interpreting for two Spanish-speaking national pastors: Victor Ocampo, one of our national pastors, and Fernando Flores from Bolivia. In one church, I had the honor of leading to the Lord a Haitian national who only spoke Haitian Creole and Spanish.
Efata held several outreach and teaching activities in October, including Family Day, a Ladies’ Conference, and a Children’s Ministry Outreach activity designed as a Biblical alternative to Halloween.
On November 7th, we were able to fly home to Peru. What a joy to be with our church family again! We love our people and are honored that God has allowed us to serve with them in Peru. We never planned to have a 10-month medical furlough, but God had other plans.
From November 10th through the 14th, we held our annual Bible Conference at Efata. We were blessed to have my home/sending pastor, Pastor Bob Ossewaarde from Emmanuel Baptist Church in Fort Myers, FL, come and preach for our hearing congregation. We also had one of my dear missionary friends in Peru, Markos Lindsey, preach for the Deaf.
Each night the services were blessed and spiritually impacting. It was clear that the Holy Spirit was guiding in the preaching and the fellowship. It was also wonderful to spend some special time with my pastor and with Michael McCray, a young man who accompanied him.
Our school for the Deaf is going strong. It was a joy to see new and young students growing and learning. We do not have a school just to educate—we have a school to lay the foundation of language and understanding, so that we can effectively witness and see the Deaf saved.
Please pray for one of our Deaf students, Benjamín, who perforated his liver in a bicycle accident this past Saturday. His condition is very critical.
Family News
After interpreting during the September ministry trip, I had surgery on my left shoulder. The surgery went well, and I am now in physical therapy. It has been “fun”! I am slowly gaining more range of motion and strength. I have one month left, so I had to return to the States on November 14th with my pastor, and I will continue therapy here until I fly back to Peru on December 24th.
Please continue to pray for Jessica, who still struggles with occasional swelling on the side of her face, dizziness, and severe headaches. Since the doctors in the States gave no real answers, we returned to Peru and are continuing to seek a solution. She has many good days but some difficult ones as well.
All the kids are so happy to be home and have settled in quickly. It has been wonderful to see Joseph and his family with the grandkids. Our grandson JJ, who is nine years old, played the piano for a special song sung by his two aunts and his mom on the last night of the conference.
Thank you once again for all your prayers and support during these past months. Knowing you are behind us is a great encouragement.
Blessings,
Joe & Lisa
Joel, Jessica, Jennifer