We made it back to Lima this morning, arriving at the guest house at 9am. What a great trip. We had several discipleship sessions with Yulber and a couple with Edgar. We led 3 to Christ, two were co-workers of Yulber and another was the crippled father of one of his students. We also had a meeting with Yulber, Pastor Jose (from Nasca), and Bro. Porfolio Morales from the baptist church. Edgar was out of town and couldn't attend. We all agree the work in Coracora needs resurrecting and everyone at the table is on board. Bro. Jose has been working on getting a Peruvian missionary from Lima to go to Coracora and commit to 2 years. Churches in Nasca and Ica have offered to underwrite the support needed. So far he has not been able to get this together, but He has a renewed commitment to try. There is still an interest to get into the baptist church building, but all agreed that an alternative location must be found. Bro. Porfolio has a cousin who owns 2 locations near the center of town and he believes we can use one of them. It sounds like the Lord is leading us to revive this work. We all agreed that there two urgent needs. First, to find a place to meet for those we have been working with as well as many scattered believers throughout Coracora. Second, we need someone to step up to lead. Edgar, who I know none of you have met, is the the one I, Greg, and the enhancement team have the most cautious optimism to be out in front. Yulber and Edgar have already begun to talk. We all agreed that we believe a larger, strong church can be built in Coracora which will reach a larger number in Coracora, and be a "sending church" for that region. Ladies and gentlemen, I believe great things are about to break out in Coracora. Pray hard! The enhancement team will be in Coracora for 2 more weeks. They will be trying to keep Yulber, Edgar, and bro. Porfolio in contact with each other and get them to begin meetings, as well as monitoring the meeting location issue.
Showing posts with label peru mission trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peru mission trip. Show all posts
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Coracora Team - 4/23 Report
Hey church...great news from Peru. Check out below the final report from the April team. Thanks for praying.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Coracora Team - 4/19 Report
We have met with Edgar and had one very good Bible Lesson review. He seems to be very mature in his faith. He was leaving today via bus to Lima to buy goods for his store. However all bus lines except Lopez are grounded or otherwise not running so he missed his bus today. We are taking that as God giving us another opportunity tomorrow with him and we already have an appointment tomorrow at 11am Peru time!! We also have two more meetings tomorrow with Yulber. The Spanish lessons are working very well and being well received as a tool for their groups.
We have attempted to contact the couple from the Baptist Church, but they are in Nasca returning tomorrow. Hopefully we will get with them then. We made one attempt to see the older pastor of the Baptist Church who we heard is in CoraCora now. No luck yet.
Things are going well with the discipleship.
No meetings planned with the Mayor as we understand he is in hiding after the bridge collapse.
We plan to see the children and Sylvia tomorrow and check to see how things are going there.
More to come from Peru!
Greg Hodge
We have attempted to contact the couple from the Baptist Church, but they are in Nasca returning tomorrow. Hopefully we will get with them then. We made one attempt to see the older pastor of the Baptist Church who we heard is in CoraCora now. No luck yet.
Things are going well with the discipleship.
No meetings planned with the Mayor as we understand he is in hiding after the bridge collapse.
We plan to see the children and Sylvia tomorrow and check to see how things are going there.
More to come from Peru!
Greg Hodge
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Coracora Team - 4/18 Report
I will be copying Pastor Bobby's report from the Google Group that he is part of. The team will be in Coracora today thru this coming Wednesday. Please be in prayer for them. Here's their first report...
We made it to Coracora at 6:30 am. No problems, just long. We met with Yulber for discipleship class at 10. We then met at 1:00 with a man named Edgar who also shows great potential. The Enhancement team introduced us to him. Does anyone remember meeinting him? We ate supper with the team and Yulber. We have another class with Yulber this afternoon at 5pm. We meet with Edgar and his brothers tomorrow at 10am. Romi has invited us to lead a study for her and some of her friends each afternoon at 3pm while we are here. We haven´t found the older couple from the baptist church, but hope to. We are casting a vision with these groups to stay and meet seperately in order to have expotential growth. ´Í will stay in touch.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Pray for the People of Coracora
I just learned that a suspension walking bridge in Coracora fell at a time when there were 40-50 school children and teachers walking on it Monday after school let out. Please pray for the people of Coracora. This Thursday Pastor Bobby (from Poplar Grove BC in Cookeville) and Greg Hodge (member of PGBC) are leaving for Peru. They will arrive in Coracora on Saturday morning. Please pray for them to have the right words to speak to those who have lost family members. Also, the Enhancement Team (college students serving a year in the Andes mountains with the IMB) is currently in Coracora for the month of April, so they are already ministering to people. Please pray that God will use this tragedy to draw people into a saving relationship with himself. Pray for Yulber to jump in a be ready to speak up as well.
Below is a picture of the bridge, which our team crossed several times, and the article from Reuters.
Peru bridge collapse kills 8, injures 40 children
Mon Apr 13, 2009 7:32pm EDT
LIMA (Reuters) - A suspension bridge packed with school children snapped in Peru on Monday, killing at least 8 and injuring dozens of others who plunged into a deep ravine, the mayor of the Andean mountain town of Coracora said.
"We've suffered a grave accident, a suspension bridge that goes to a high school has fallen, it has broken in two, and we have a large number of students injured and dead," Mayor Walter Antayhua told RPP radio.
Most of the injured were aged 10 and 13, but reports said several teachers were with the children when the bridge collapsed.
The bridge was 130 feet long and stretched above a canyon that is up to 320 feet deep, the mayor said. The town is about 370 miles southeast of Lima, the capital.
"We need a helicopter because there are children who are dying," Alfonso Paredes, a town resident, said from the poorly equipped hospital from where doctors were hoping to evacuate patients to trauma centers.
At least 40 other victims were taken to the hospital, 13 of them with serious injuries.
"The injuries are grave," said Fernando Valencia, a doctor at the hospital.
(Reporting by Marco Aquino and Terry Wade; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Below is a picture of the bridge, which our team crossed several times, and the article from Reuters.
Peru bridge collapse kills 8, injures 40 children
Mon Apr 13, 2009 7:32pm EDT
LIMA (Reuters) - A suspension bridge packed with school children snapped in Peru on Monday, killing at least 8 and injuring dozens of others who plunged into a deep ravine, the mayor of the Andean mountain town of Coracora said.
"We've suffered a grave accident, a suspension bridge that goes to a high school has fallen, it has broken in two, and we have a large number of students injured and dead," Mayor Walter Antayhua told RPP radio.
Most of the injured were aged 10 and 13, but reports said several teachers were with the children when the bridge collapsed.
The bridge was 130 feet long and stretched above a canyon that is up to 320 feet deep, the mayor said. The town is about 370 miles southeast of Lima, the capital.
"We need a helicopter because there are children who are dying," Alfonso Paredes, a town resident, said from the poorly equipped hospital from where doctors were hoping to evacuate patients to trauma centers.
At least 40 other victims were taken to the hospital, 13 of them with serious injuries.
"The injuries are grave," said Fernando Valencia, a doctor at the hospital.
(Reporting by Marco Aquino and Terry Wade; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Back in Lima
Hey folks. It's Thursday morning. We made it back to Lima a couple of hours ago. Wednesday in Coracora was terrific. Yulber had all sorts of questions that we worked through. The guy has an awesome appetite for the Word of God. He asked if we could bring him some commentaries and other books to help him understand better.
I got asked to baptize a baby that had died...the Catholic priest was out of town or something. I told the lady that I couldn't do it but offered to pray with the family. We also ran into a couple who had just come to Coracora and were wondering about a baptist church being there. The lady saw me in the street and said she had a hunch I was a baptist pastor. (Do you think that being one of 3 white people in the town might have given it away???)
I'm going to the Starbucks to write up a report about the trip for the IMB office. I also have to finish my sermon for Sunday morning.
See everybody on Sunday...
Mark
I got asked to baptize a baby that had died...the Catholic priest was out of town or something. I told the lady that I couldn't do it but offered to pray with the family. We also ran into a couple who had just come to Coracora and were wondering about a baptist church being there. The lady saw me in the street and said she had a hunch I was a baptist pastor. (Do you think that being one of 3 white people in the town might have given it away???)
I'm going to the Starbucks to write up a report about the trip for the IMB office. I also have to finish my sermon for Sunday morning.
See everybody on Sunday...
Mark
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Tuesday in Coracora
Thanks for all of your prayers everybody.
Yesterday afternoon we had a very interesting meeting with the city officials. Really long story, but the short is that they have a big problem here in Coracora with men abusing women, and the city officials want us to help with this social problem in anyway we can. So this morning they took us to the women´s shelter to meet with the workers who are there. We found that they have about 370 known cases that they´re working with currently, and that´s only of the women who will come forward and speak with them. We told them that we would have to talk among our churches to see how we could help in future trips. Needless to say, I think this could be a huge inroads into the lives of many people.
Last night we spent time working with Yulber again. I tried to cram everything I learned in a semester of Bible Study Methods from seminary into one night. He caught on fairly well. Tonight we are going to have a group meeting with all the believers and Yulber will preach, so this will be good to see.
Tomorrow is our last day. We leave Coracora at 3pm. So, Yulber asked if he could come at 6am for Bible study and then again at lunch...what an awesome desire for God´s Word!!!
Pray for us as we finish our time in Coracora and then take the bus back to Lima. The ride is 3pm Wed to 10am Thurs.
In Jesus...
Mark
Yesterday afternoon we had a very interesting meeting with the city officials. Really long story, but the short is that they have a big problem here in Coracora with men abusing women, and the city officials want us to help with this social problem in anyway we can. So this morning they took us to the women´s shelter to meet with the workers who are there. We found that they have about 370 known cases that they´re working with currently, and that´s only of the women who will come forward and speak with them. We told them that we would have to talk among our churches to see how we could help in future trips. Needless to say, I think this could be a huge inroads into the lives of many people.
Last night we spent time working with Yulber again. I tried to cram everything I learned in a semester of Bible Study Methods from seminary into one night. He caught on fairly well. Tonight we are going to have a group meeting with all the believers and Yulber will preach, so this will be good to see.
Tomorrow is our last day. We leave Coracora at 3pm. So, Yulber asked if he could come at 6am for Bible study and then again at lunch...what an awesome desire for God´s Word!!!
Pray for us as we finish our time in Coracora and then take the bus back to Lima. The ride is 3pm Wed to 10am Thurs.
In Jesus...
Mark
Monday, March 23, 2009
Monday in Coracora
Hey everybody. All is going well. We met with Yulber last night and poured over the Scriptures together with him for about 2 1/2 hours. Will being doing so again tonight.
I got to inside the Catholic church last night during mass...hard to watch.
We´ve spent a good amount of time today talking about strategy with the enhancement team of student missionaries that came into town last night. One of them will be staying with us and going back to Lima on Wednesday with us. We also went back to the orphanage today to give them the dresses for the girls that we brought with us. They loved them.
We´re going in about an hour to meet with the city officials.
Blessings...
Mark
I got to inside the Catholic church last night during mass...hard to watch.
We´ve spent a good amount of time today talking about strategy with the enhancement team of student missionaries that came into town last night. One of them will be staying with us and going back to Lima on Wednesday with us. We also went back to the orphanage today to give them the dresses for the girls that we brought with us. They loved them.
We´re going in about an hour to meet with the city officials.
Blessings...
Mark
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Sunday in Coracora
Hey church...
Our Bible study went well last night. We´re meeting with Yulber later tonight to begin doing some training. That was one of the first questions he asked yesterday, ¨Will you spend time with me everyday studying the Bible?¨ At lunch today he asked me if I would teach him how to preach. He´s also asked a lot of good theological questions. All this to say that he is definitely beyond the basics in his faith.
We spent time today with the kids at the orphanage and this afternoon we met a traveling team of journeymen and semester missionaries. This group is working with REAP South by traveling from village to village here in the mountains and working with the groups that churches have established in different villages.
One special prayer request...tomorrow (monday) afternoon our team will be speaking with the city mayor, the city manager, and one other city official. Yulber set the meeting up before we even got here so we could share the gospel with them. Ask God to give us the right words and gracious demeanors with them. I´m sure they´re probably hoping we can do something for them also, so we´ll see.
Blessings...
Pastor Mark
Our Bible study went well last night. We´re meeting with Yulber later tonight to begin doing some training. That was one of the first questions he asked yesterday, ¨Will you spend time with me everyday studying the Bible?¨ At lunch today he asked me if I would teach him how to preach. He´s also asked a lot of good theological questions. All this to say that he is definitely beyond the basics in his faith.
We spent time today with the kids at the orphanage and this afternoon we met a traveling team of journeymen and semester missionaries. This group is working with REAP South by traveling from village to village here in the mountains and working with the groups that churches have established in different villages.
One special prayer request...tomorrow (monday) afternoon our team will be speaking with the city mayor, the city manager, and one other city official. Yulber set the meeting up before we even got here so we could share the gospel with them. Ask God to give us the right words and gracious demeanors with them. I´m sure they´re probably hoping we can do something for them also, so we´ll see.
Blessings...
Pastor Mark
Saturday, March 21, 2009
We´re in Coracora
We arrrived about 7am this morning. When we got off the bus, Yulber was standing there waiting on us to get off. This afternoon we´re going to try and round up all the people we´ve met with before and then get them together with Yulber at 7pm tonight for Bible study and conversation.
Thanks for praying for us church.
Thanks for praying for us church.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Peru Info Meeting
Just wanted to give a quick shout out to everybody from the TBC annual meeting to remind you about the Peru info meeting.
It's this Sunday evening (11/16) immediately following the evening worship service.
If you're even the least bit interested in possibly going with FBC to Peru in 2009 then come to this meeting.
Mark
It's this Sunday evening (11/16) immediately following the evening worship service.
If you're even the least bit interested in possibly going with FBC to Peru in 2009 then come to this meeting.
Mark
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
I´m Learning Lots
Our Bible study last night was fantastic. We had our regular people and about 6 teenagers from the orphanage and a house parent showed up also. I got to share the gospel with all of them and give them a little thing to take home with them so they could remember the gospel.
Here were our basic two goals that we wanted to accomplish while we were here. First, to find a place for the Bible study to continue after we are gone. We have been meeting in a little lobby outside our hotel room. The group can´t meet there if we´re not staying in the hotel. We´re close to finding a place but haven´t yet. Second goal, to find a person who will lead the Bible studies after we are gone. We have found this person. His name is Andres. Bobby and I are paying for him to go to an IMB sponsored and led training in a town somewhat nearby at the end of November. I´ll tell you more about him when I return.
This morning we met a man named Isaias. He heard we were here and Andres brought him to us. I learned that he was a part of a Baptist church that tried to get started aseveral years ago, but this church folded because they could never find a pastor. And that is the number 1 challenge that we will face. Finding a Peruvian pastor who will come to Coracora or training a person to become the pastor. I will speak more about this when I get back.
God bless and thank you for your prayers...
Mark
Here were our basic two goals that we wanted to accomplish while we were here. First, to find a place for the Bible study to continue after we are gone. We have been meeting in a little lobby outside our hotel room. The group can´t meet there if we´re not staying in the hotel. We´re close to finding a place but haven´t yet. Second goal, to find a person who will lead the Bible studies after we are gone. We have found this person. His name is Andres. Bobby and I are paying for him to go to an IMB sponsored and led training in a town somewhat nearby at the end of November. I´ll tell you more about him when I return.
This morning we met a man named Isaias. He heard we were here and Andres brought him to us. I learned that he was a part of a Baptist church that tried to get started aseveral years ago, but this church folded because they could never find a pastor. And that is the number 1 challenge that we will face. Finding a Peruvian pastor who will come to Coracora or training a person to become the pastor. I will speak more about this when I get back.
God bless and thank you for your prayers...
Mark
Monday, September 22, 2008
Monday Morning Update
Hey church...
Bobby and I have really enjoyed our time so far. We had a lady last night at our Bible study who was very close to receiving Christ. Her name is Islena. We didn´t want to pressure her so we told her we would follow up later this week. Hopefully she´ll come back to Bible study tonight.
As Bobby and I talked together this morning, we both agreed that the absolutely critical part that will make this thing go is to have a man who is willing to lead while we are gone. If this is to become a church eventually then someone will have to step up and be the pastor. This is our main prayer focus now. There´s a lot of details that I will tell you when I return that would take forever to write.
We´re going to visit the orphanage here in a few minutes. Blessings church...
Mark
Bobby and I have really enjoyed our time so far. We had a lady last night at our Bible study who was very close to receiving Christ. Her name is Islena. We didn´t want to pressure her so we told her we would follow up later this week. Hopefully she´ll come back to Bible study tonight.
As Bobby and I talked together this morning, we both agreed that the absolutely critical part that will make this thing go is to have a man who is willing to lead while we are gone. If this is to become a church eventually then someone will have to step up and be the pastor. This is our main prayer focus now. There´s a lot of details that I will tell you when I return that would take forever to write.
We´re going to visit the orphanage here in a few minutes. Blessings church...
Mark
Sunday, September 21, 2008
God Is Working
Hey First Baptist...
We´ve had a good day and a half so far in Coracora. God has literally been bringing people to us who are wanting to study the Bible and be part of a church.
I led Bible study last night using the story method I had been doing on Wednesday nights at FBC over the past month. It went really well and we had some awesome interaction with the people who came. This morning at 10am we met again and talked about baptism and what exactly a church is.
We met a lady this morning while we were eating breakfast. Her name is Janet. She sat down to eat and overheard our conversation (she speaks a little english). She just moved to Coracora one week ago and had been looking for a Bible teaching church. Guess what? She couldn´t find one because there isn´t one here, so she came to our Bible study and she´ll be back again when we meet tonight.
Keep praying hard because God hears your prayers and he works as we ask him. I love you all church and I prayed for you as you met together for worship this morning. Do you know what a priviledge that you have???
Blessings...
We´ve had a good day and a half so far in Coracora. God has literally been bringing people to us who are wanting to study the Bible and be part of a church.
I led Bible study last night using the story method I had been doing on Wednesday nights at FBC over the past month. It went really well and we had some awesome interaction with the people who came. This morning at 10am we met again and talked about baptism and what exactly a church is.
We met a lady this morning while we were eating breakfast. Her name is Janet. She sat down to eat and overheard our conversation (she speaks a little english). She just moved to Coracora one week ago and had been looking for a Bible teaching church. Guess what? She couldn´t find one because there isn´t one here, so she came to our Bible study and she´ll be back again when we meet tonight.
Keep praying hard because God hears your prayers and he works as we ask him. I love you all church and I prayed for you as you met together for worship this morning. Do you know what a priviledge that you have???
Blessings...
Saturday, September 20, 2008
We´re in Coracora
We made it in the middle of the night last night, found our hotel, and got a few hours of sleep. I got up and read some Scriptures this morning. I read Psalm 96 about the worship of God and the call of missions. Check it out.
We have already reestablished contact with a man named Dante that a previous group made a relationship with. God literally brought him right to our lap first thing this morning. So we´ll be doing a Bible Study tonight with him and with another person we met to work in the restaurant beside our hotel.
I looked out over the town from my hotel window (good view) this morning and took some photos and videos. It is so heartbreaking to me that this place has no, zero, zip evangelical Bible preaching churches. They don´t have access to the gospel. I thought about Jesus as he looked over the crowd and felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Lost.
¨Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.¨ Psalm 96:3, 4
I´ll check in later.
We have already reestablished contact with a man named Dante that a previous group made a relationship with. God literally brought him right to our lap first thing this morning. So we´ll be doing a Bible Study tonight with him and with another person we met to work in the restaurant beside our hotel.
I looked out over the town from my hotel window (good view) this morning and took some photos and videos. It is so heartbreaking to me that this place has no, zero, zip evangelical Bible preaching churches. They don´t have access to the gospel. I thought about Jesus as he looked over the crowd and felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Lost.
¨Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.¨ Psalm 96:3, 4
I´ll check in later.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Arrival in Lima
Mark called me at 7:30 am and said they arrived safely in Lima last night around midnight. They were an hour and 1/2 late leaving Miami because of mechanical problems but it was smooth sailing the rest of the way! It's a good thing God gave him and Bobby strong, healthy backs because the taxi driver taking them from the airport to the IMB housing hit a pothole and ripped the tire apart. So, Mark and Bobby were changing a tire on the side of the Pacific coast at 12:30 this morning!! Thank you God for their safety!!
He could not get any internet access but he said he hopefully could find some in Cora Cora. They were on their way to the bus station this morning for the 18 hr. trek of the trip! (Let's pray they don't lose any tires on the bus!!!)
He could not get any internet access but he said he hopefully could find some in Cora Cora. They were on their way to the bus station this morning for the 18 hr. trek of the trip! (Let's pray they don't lose any tires on the bus!!!)
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