Leading To Die

Fifty-nine years ago Jim Elliot and his four missionary brethren were speared to death on the Curaray River in Ecuador. Great blog post was posted this morning about it. His courageous view on giving his very blood for the kingdom of Christ through the evangelism of a vicious people group was demonstrated there. He wrote about his willingness, and he courageously received it. Great example for us. And to follow his example was that of his wife courageously going back and reaching the same people that killed her husband. Life springs forth from death. Eternal life springs forth from temporary death.

Last week I saw a great example of a church that exhibited the same willingness to give its life and die for the future life of others. This church was in an area of our town that had transitioned from a middle class, Caucasian neighborhood to a predominately impoverished African American and Hispanic area. Rather that taking a typical "white flight" and moving to the suburbs, they truly desired to reach their neighborhood, and continued to evangelize and attempt to make disciples, but with little success. So after much loss and much prayer, they decided to die. They weren't giving up, quitting, or being forced out; they were choosing to relinquish their resources in view of a higher calling, greater purpose, and the leading of God.

They decided that God was leading them to disperse as their current gathering, and put all their assets and resources toward a new congregation that will be able to reach the neighborhood. With great foresight and kingdom commitment, they decided to pass the baton to another group that could continue baptizing and discipling in that location. They wanted to give a jumpstart to a group that could advance against the gates of hell and the darkness in that community.

So I sat in the service last week, and mourned with them as they thought about the last forty-two years, and how there would be no worship gathering that night. I rejoiced with them for the 135 people that had been baptized there in that amount of time, and the $250,000 given through their small congregation. I saw the tears in their eyes, and I saw the courage as well, as they wanted "thy will be done," and "make disciples of all peoples," to come to pass in their community. I saw a pastor courageously stepping out into unknown territory, and by the will and Spirit of God, leading his flock to die for a greater flock that would come and graze in that pasture. They were looking forward to a church more like the community, that could reach the community.

I was proud of them, and I trust that they will be proud when the new congregation is up and winning people to Christ.

Brainerd's visit to Susquehanna in May 1745

He (David Brainerd) is grateful to be able to stand after 2-3 days of being virtually bedridden because of his illnesses (early stages of tuberculosis). In fact he counted it a joy that he could sit up for half a day and meditate on one verse of Scripture (Psalm 17:15). We count it an inconvenience when our allergies bother us. We call in sick to work when we get a cold, and don't ever even think about having to stay in an Indian hut for a week so our bowels will stop gushing blood enough to ride a horse a couple hundred more miles to preach a few more times. Here is what Jonathan Edwards wrote about his visit to Susquehanna to preach. It was so inspiring as I read it this morning, I thought about how fragile and weak we are in our day.

The next day he set out on his journey to Susquehannah, with his interpreter. He endured great hardships and fatigues in his way thither through a hideous wilderness; where, after having lodged one night in the open woods, he was overtaken with a northeasterly storm, in which he was almost ready to perish. Having no manner of shelter, and not being able to make a fire in so great a rain, he could have no comfort if he stopped; therefore he determined to go forward in hopes of meeting with some shelter, without which he thought it impossible to live the night through; but their horses — happening to have eaten poison [for want of other food] at a place where they lodged the night before were so sick that they could neither ride nor lead them, but were obliged to drive them and travel on foot; until, through the mercy of God, just at dusk, they came to a bark hut, where they lodged that night.

After he came to Susquehannah, he traveled about a hundred miles on the river, and visited many towns and settlements of the Indians; saw some of seven or eight distinct tribes; and preached to different nations, by different interpreters. He was sometimes much discouraged, and sunk in his spirits, through the opposition that appeared in the Indians to Christianity. At other times, he was encouraged by the disposition that some of these people manifested to hear, and willingness to be instructed. He here met with some that had formerly been his hearers at Kaunaumeek and had removed hither, who saw and heard him again with great joy.

He spent a fortnight among the Indians on this river, and passed through considerable labors and hardships, frequently lodging on the ground, and sometimes in the open air. At length he fell extremely ill, as he was riding in the wilderness, being seized with an ague, followed with a burning fever, and extreme pains in his head and bowels, attended with a great evacuation of blood. He thought he would perish in the wilderness. But at last coming to an Indian trader’s hut, he got leave to stay there; and though without physic or food proper for him, it pleased God, after about a week’s distress, to relieve him so far that he was able to ride.

He returned homewards from Juneauta, an island far down the river, where was a considerable number of Indians who appeared more free from prejudices against Christianity than most of the other Indians. He arrived at the Forks of Delaware on Thursday, May 30, after having ridden in this journey about three hundred and forty miles. He came home in a very weak state and under dejection of mind, which was a great hindrance to him in religious exercises. However on the Sabbath, after having preached to the Indians, he preached to the white people, with some success, from Isaiah 53:10, “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him.” Some were awakened by his preaching. The next day, he was much exercised for want of spiritual life and fervency.

Lord, I pray that you get us a missionary heart like his. And I pray that you get us the determination to for fulfill our ministry with the same passion as him.

Act 17:16 "Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols"

Many of you know that I read the Diary of David Brainerd sometimes as a devotional because of the heart that he had for Christ. I was taken aback this morning again of several things in this entry. 1) You can see his sense of his own unworthiness (which is common in his entries). 2) You can see his heart for his people to be saved. 3) You can see his love for Christ in that he cannot bear to see Him ignored or blasphemed. 4) You can get a glimpse of the prayer life of passionate pleas coupled with an amazing experience of being with Christ in that prayer.

Saturday, July 21. This morning, was greatly oppressed with guilt and shame, from a sense of inward vileness and pollution. About nine, withdrew to the woods for prayer; but had not much comfort; I appeared to myself the vilest, meanest creature upon earth, and could scarcely live with myself; so mean and vile I appeared, that I thought I should never be able to hold up my face in heaven, if God of his infinite grace should bring me thither.

Towards night my burden respecting my work among the Indians began to increase much; and was aggravated by hearing sundry things that looked very discouraging, in particular that they intended to meet together the next day for an idolatrous feast and dance. Then I began to be in anguish; I thought I must in conscience go and endeavor to break them up; and knew not how to attempt such a thing. However, I withdrew for prayer, hoping for strength from above. And in prayer I was exceedingly enlarged, and my soul was as much drawn out as ever I remember it to have been in my life, or near. I was in such anguish, and pleaded with so much earnestness and importunity, that when I rose from my knees I felt extremely weak and overcome; I could scarcely walk straight, my joints were loosed, the sweat ran down my face and body, and nature seemed as if it would dissolve. So far as I could judge, I was wholly free from selfish ends in my fervent supplications for the poor Indians. I knew they were met together to worship devils, and not God; and this made me cry earnestly, that God would now appear and help me in my attempts to break up this idolatrous meeting.

My soul pleaded long; and I thought God would hear and would go with me to vindicate his own cause: I seemed to confide in God for his presence and assistance. And thus I spent the evening, praying incessantly for divine assistance, and that I might not be self-dependent, but still have my whole dependence upon God. What I passed through was remarkable, and indeed inexpressible. All things here below vanished; and there appeared to be nothing of any considerable importance to me but holiness of heart and life and the conversion of the heathen to God. All my cares, fears and desires, which might be said to be of a worldly nature, disappeared; and were, in my esteem, of little more importance than a puff of wind. I exceedingly longed that God would "get to himself a name among the heathen": And I appealed to him with the greatest freedom, that he knew I "preferred him above my chief joy." Indeed, I had no notion of joy from this world: I cared not where or how I lived, or what hardships I went through; so that I could but "gain souls to Christ." I continued in this frame all the evening and night. While I was asleep, I dreamed of these things; and when I waked (as I frequently did) the first thing I thought of was this great work of pleading for God against Satan.

There is a video that I took in Jauja, Peru this week entitled "Partying in Jauja." You can view it on my Facebook page, and I will try to upload it here later. Sadly, I was amazed, curious, but not provoked...

Father, transform and intensify my longings for You, and for my people and for the nations to see you as their chief joy. Let me experience You in my intercessions with this kind of passion, and let it be contagious. Let me dream about You, find my satisfaction in you, even at night after I have exhausted myself in labors for you during the day. Make me willing to endure all things for the sake of your people, that Christ may be formed in them and honored among them. In His name, Amen

Prayer for Peru Trip

Sorry that I have been so slack on getting this post out for prayer for our upcoming trip to Peru. But regardless of my irresponsibility, we desperately need your prayer support.

Four of us (John Farrar, John Hughes, Ron Lawhon, and myself) will be leaving Sat morning to drive to Orlando to catch a plan to Lima. After our customary two days of travel to get to Jauja, we will preach on Sunday night, then spend three days working in Molinos and Julcan.

Our main emphasis will be to check on how our baby church plants are doing, how they are being cared for, and their future plans. We want to help Oscar determine how to move forward, and how to develop leaders. We are still in that phase of our work there where we are transitioning from evangelism and modeling to helping them make disciples and watching them work. We will be doing a community movie or two, and making some visits to homes, but our primary focus is to strengthen the church and Oscar.

So pray for:

• Advancement of the gospel
• Spiritual strength of our team
• Movie nights and home visits
• 3 church plants - 2 in Molinos, 1 in Julcan
• Oscar, and the other Peruvians that come to help us
  
• Normal logistical concerns - travel, airplane times, baggage, etc.
• Health for each of us, no sickness, no seizures. Two of us have never been to this area before
  
• Our busy schedule, short trip, 7 days

Thanks for your prayers! We will keep you updated through this blog, Facebook, and email. If you are interested in getting email updates, you can send me your email address. Also, you can join the Facebook group "Praying for the Central Andes of Peru."

May the Lamb receive the reward of His suffering,

Jason

March 2011 Peru Summary

Well, I have waited too long to write down the awesome things that God did while on our last mission trip to Peru. But hopefully, at least some of you have received updates through our peru@newriverbaptist.org prayer distribution list (in you want to be on that list just email me), or through the group on Facebook "Praying for the Central Andes of Peru." But if you didn't, I wanted to give you a brief summary.

We had a great trip! The providence of God in providing, saving, and meeting all the right people at the right time was spectacular! We saw a couple of dozen people come to Christ simply sharing the gospel "in the way." And several of them were men, heads of their households (another thing we have been praying for). A house was provided for Oscar at no charge, so we cleaned it up. Meeting places were secured the first day out, which is something that we have been trying to secure (unsuccessfully). Evidence was clear that these past two years of labor there was producing some lasting fruit.

We were very encouraged at the work that Oscar is doing, the relationships he is building, and the care and concern for the people that he is showing. Oscar has been our man on the ground there since December. He is working on our church plants there, and now has three church meetings on Sundays in Julcan and Molinos. We are so excited for him. His residence now is complete with a dirt floor in the bedroom, an outdoor kitchen, a squatty potty, and six beehives...but it's free.

We were able to get into the schools again to share the gospel with the kids. And this really paid off, as many of the kids brought their parents to the meeting. We had a great meeting with the city council, and the doors of ministry there are still open wide. Our travel and accommodations were virtually without incident. And only one of our group got really sick before we got home. And we had several days without rain in a rainy season that has been heavier than normal!

All in all, God was so faithful, we are so grateful for His work and your prayer, and we are already looking forward to going back again in the summer. If you are interested let me know!

Peru Prayer Sheet

As some of you know, we leave for Peru this week, so here's how you can pray!

Prayer Guide for Peru Team March 2011

Team: Pastor Jason Jones, Pastor Mike Gibbs, Geoff Clement, Ed Farrar, John Farrar, Bethany Gibbs, Jessica Spicer, Margaret Treadway

Thursday, March 10
Praise Him for all who work together to make this trip possible. Pray for stilled hearts for the team and for their families as the team members pack and prepare to leave, and that we will be faithful to remember them each day. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusts in Thee.” Isaiah 26:3

Friday, March 11
The team travels from Tifton to Orlando in the New River Church van. Praise God for the willingness and obedience of these nine to make the journey. Pray for their eyes to be open to opportunities along the way. Psalm 67:13, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face to shine upon us, that Your way may be known on earth, Your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You!”

Saturday, March 12
The team flies from Orlando to Lima. Praise God for how He has gifted His church body for ministry. Pray that we will “put on the full armor of God” according to Eph 6:10, 19; the battle is the Lord’s, and so is the victory! Pray that we will submit to God’s agenda for each day — that we will “practice His presence” and “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Sunday, March 13
The team travels from Lima to Jauja. Praise God for Pastor Moises, Miguel, Oscar, Gabriel, Sergio, Preyer, Anyeshla, Alia, Nehemias, . . . and others involved in God’s good work in this land. Pray for physical grace for the team as they go from sea level, over a tall mountain range, and then settling at 10‐11,000 feet for the week. Pray that God will bless our interactions with His church in Jauja, out of which God is raising up church planters for Acolla, Julcan and Molinos. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Monday, March 14
This is our first big ministry day in Julcan and Molinos. Praise God for His Holy Word and the privilege of sharing His truth with others. Pray that the team will find favor is the eyes of local leaders. Pray that we will “let the word of Christ dwell in (us) richly” (Colossians 3:16). “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:15b

Tuesday, March 15
This is our second big ministry day in Julcan and Molinos. Praise God for open doors in these towns, for good relationships with the mayors and school administrators. Pray for physical and spiritual safety. Pray for wisdom as we “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) in the plazas and in the countryside. “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:31

Wednesday, March 16
This is our third big ministry day in Julcan and Molinos. Praise God for His grace and mercy in our lives. Pray for a daily awareness of God’s enabling presence: Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27) “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11

Thursday, March 17
This is our fourth big ministry day in Julcan and Molinos. Praise God for the many ways we in His church encourage one another. Pray for God to “direct their path”. Pray that we will see every encounter as God’s divine appointment. Pray that God will gather His people in a church meeting in both Julcan and Molinos today. “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25

Friday, March 18
The team travels from Julcan to the children’s home and on to Lima. Praise God that “He who lives to be my King once died to be my Savior”! Pray for lasting effects among all who have been touched by the efforts of this team. Remind us, Father, of Your passion for the nations; may it be our passion as well! Pray for our brief time with Mike Kennedy and his staff at the children’s home, that we will be an encouragement to them and to the orphans they are caring for. “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9

Saturday, March 19
The team flies from Lima to Panama and to Orlando, then drives home to Tifton. Praise God for His watch care and daily provisions. Pray for traveling mercies for this very long day of travel. “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2

Sunday, March 20
Continue sharing with our church homes and family and friends “what great things God has done” in and through us! Praise God for home and family. Pray for God to continue to gather His people for weekly meetings, that He will raise up 10 men in each town (Julcan and Molinos) to lead in these churches, and that these churches will grow and foster the vision to plant more churches in the Yacus and Yanamarca valleys for His glory! “I will praise You forever for what You have done; in Your name I will hope, for Your name is good. I will praise You in the presence of Your saints.” Psalm 52:9

Thanks for praying!

You can also join the group on Facebook to get regular updates while we are gone, http://www.facebook.com/Myportionforever#!/group.php?gid=53329206451

His ways are not always our ways

My hope and intention was to go back to Peru this fall and spend some face time with my disciplers there. I wanted to encourage them, disciple them, train them, and strategize with them, and felt (and still feel) like this is a necessary and helpful thing.

But all the pastors and others that said they were going have all with one accord began to make excuse. I had one that told me he would go, but not to make plans just for him. Really bummed.

And somewhat confused. Doesn't God want me to continue carry the gospel to the ends of the earth? Didn't our team decide that we need to make about 3-4 trips a year there in order to equip the saints there and evangelize the area? So why prevent me from going on a trip that I had plans to go on?

Pro 16:9 A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. As with many other occasions in my life where things don't go as I planned, I can add this to the list. With the baby here now, and knowing my need to stay here and help Erika and minister to the family, I can see some of the reasons God might direct my path not to go. And maybe I need to be reminded that I/we are not necessary for God to work in this areas, or maybe the Peruvians need to be reminded that God is enough, or maybe harm would come to us, or maybe financially it is not the best decision now. I don't know, but I trust Him, maybe that is all He wants: to teach me afresh to trust in Him. Knowing myself all too well, I am always in need of that reminder.

May the Lord build His church in Julcan and Molinos in the Yacus Valley of Central Peru!

Coach stuck in the locker room

"I am the leader of this group...did anyone see which way the team went?" Scary portrait of leadership (picture, left), huh? Point man...team leader...the one in charge...organizer...chief in charge...and the one who forgot his passport! These are the hats that I have worn on our last four trips to Peru. This time I still have the "coach" hat on, but I will be stuck in the locker room!

Did this in Maine once, organized a 22 person team to Mississippi, but since my second daughter Kaitlann was gonna be born while they were gone, I had to stay behind. Hate it. My heart went with that team then, and it will go with this team now. It's my Christ they are proclaiming, and it's my flock that is going, and I would love to be there with them.

This time it is my son, Knox, who is holding up Dad from my third priority in life-God's fame among the nations (following my passion for Christ, and my love and service to my family). And it is my joy to stay with them for this awesome event in my family's life.

But enough about me, wanted to ask you to pray for our team. They leave a week from Saturday (6/19) to do a medical mission trip to our area in Peru. And we need your prayers!

The team needs your prayer because 1) I am not going. It is not because I am all that necessary (God doesn't need me). But it is more because this is the first trip that I have not been on. And the leadership of our team is not looking forward to doing it all on their own. They will do fine. I have the utmost confidence in them! Pray that their confidence in Christ will be bolstered as well as their confidence in their own abilities. Do pray for the logistical part of the trip, travel and medicine, as there are always loose ends to tie up even before they start. Especially pray for all the medicines to clear customs without incident.

Pray diligently because 2) these trips into the darkness always invite spiritual warfare and attack. Pray for these seven team members (Don, Les, Margaret, Charlotte, Lynne, Doug, and Pam) that God will strengthen them and defend them. Pray that their eyes will be fixed upon Christ. They are from Maine and Georgia, and do not know each other at all, so pray for the team development and cohesiveness.

Pray for 3) the advance of the kingdom and the church in Julcan and Molinos! Pray for the two small groups of believers in these villages. Pray for our work among them. Pray for our Peruvian partners and their labor and preparation for our visit. Pray for ten men to be saved, baptized publicly, and lead their families to Christ. Pray for all the other Peruvians (drivers, merchants, children, etc.) that our team will encounter there, that God will provide an opportunity to share the gospel.

Thank you for your unceasing labor of love in prayer for us and the gospel!

November Mission Trip to Peru

Just got done ordering plane tickets for our Peru mission team that is going down there in June--what a hassle! I think this is the first time that I have ordered tickets any later that about months out. MISTAKE. Cost us some time and some money. Actually, we are stewards of both, on loan to us from God, for use in His kingdom.

Therefore, I am determined not to make that mistake again. So I am doing a couple of things in order that I might order tickets much earlier.

So let me tell you about our next mission trip. This November we are going on a trip that has two objectives: 1) check on our churches, 2) take pastors and other staff along and introduce them to Peru. It is obvious why we are going down to check on our churches, but why take pastors? Well, one of our overall objectives in addition to planting churches, is getting others to help us in the work there. We envision a revival of church planting in these areas with no churches. We would love to see our whole region of Junin covered up with church plants. But we know we can't do it all.

All of you are welcome to go with us (pastors or not), but this is a good trip for pastors because we are not doing any big projects. They are the big project, and I plan on spending lots of time with them. And there are village after village after village, thousands of people perishing without Christ in the Central Andes of Peru. We are all called to engage the world so that every tribe and tongue and people and nation will be there in glory with us.


The dates are Nov 6-13, 2010. I have a couple of pastors who are thinking about going, and several of my church members too. If you are thinking about it, pray hard. I really want to have firm commitments by Aug 1st, so I can get the good ticket prices and flight times. Or if you have a pastor that needs or wants to get started in an international work, our contacts with the IMB and locally in Jauja will make it easy for you if God is leading you there.

Come with us, bring your pastor, or just pay his way to go. Please feel free to contact me with questions that you may have. Hope to see you in Peru this fall!

Peru Review

As many of you know, we had a great trip to Peru this past week, and I wanted to update you on a couple of the highlights

Other than me forgetting my passport on the day that we left, and writing "Go Vols" on the back of one of the missionaries' truck who is a rabid Ole Miss fan, most of the highlights that I share are more serious. I will include a couple of video posts later when I get them done.

It was really great to begin to see some of the people of the village on multiple trips now. And the amazing part is that they have begun to recognize us. The mayors and the school principals are really beginning to trust us, and continue to open the doors wide for our ministry there. One of the schools actually challenged us to a game of baseball when we come back in the summer! They had a big send off for our team before we left.

We also ran into a regional government official that saw one of our evangelistic movies, and wanted to know if they could have a copy to show all over the region to encourage family values! They also wanted to know if we could go and show it in other villages in our area that they are working with. So we are praying for other churches and pastors to adopt these other areas, and the government will invite and promote our agenda in those towns. What an opportunity for the gospel!

It was so good to see "the church" there in Julcan and Molinos. They were all excited about possibly beginning to gather on a regular basis. We did have a difficult time getting them all to come to the discipleship meetings, but some did come. We did not get to baptize any this week, but we will in God's time. And it was good to see some of them "walking in the truth."

We had great time (and were very grateful to Tim for) training our local pastors/helpers there. Miguel, Preyer, Sergio, and Gabriel met with Tim each day for a couple of hours learning about the role and calling of the shepherd of this group of believers. And it seems that Gabriel will be taking the lead role in Julcan and Molinos.

The movies in both villages went well too. We had hundreds that heard the gospel for the first time this week. May the Lord bring forth fruit in their lives! We had over 20 that requested more follow up about having a relationship with Christ!

Baseball camps went great too! We had these Peruvians playing baseball after four days of instruction. The children loved it, and it really gave us an opportunity to build relationships and share the gospel.

Lots of laughs, relationships formed, and spiritual growth took place among our team. And this had to be one of the best, most talented, hardest-working (I about killed them), and gracious teams that I have ever been with.

More to come, but begin to pray afresh for the follow up from our Peruvians; for Gabriel in particular; for the team and the trip that will take place in June; for pastors to go with us in November and gain a heart for the area; and for baptisms to eventually take place!

Thanks for your faithfulness!

Daily Prayer Guide for March Peru Trip

Prayer Guide for Peru Team (March 2010)

Pastor Jason Jones, Pastor Mike Gibbs, Geoff Clement, Jason Doggett, John Farrar, Aaron Gibbs, Brittany Gibbs, Tim Harris, Liz Hughes, Chuck Pickens, Robby & Griffin Rowe, Jessica Spicer, Margaret Treadway, Rebekah West, Kayla Stone

Thursday, March 11
Praise God for the willingness and obedience of these servants to make the journey.
Pray for stilled hearts for the team and their families as they pack and prepare to leave, and that
they will be faithful to remember them each day.
“...for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with
groanings too deep for words.” Romans 8:26

Friday, March 12
Praise Him for all who work together to make the trip possible.
Pray that their eyes will be open to opportunities along the way. This is travel day from Tifton to Orlando.
“Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusts in Thee.”
Isaiah 26:3

Saturday, March 13
Praise God for opportunities to be a witness and encouragement to the van drivers and translators.
Pray for safety and for good health and physical stamina for the long travel day by plane from Orlando through Panama City to Lima, and if the luggage keeps up with them, as they travel by van from Lima to Jauja. Pray that they will adjust well to the changes in altitude.
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:15b

Sunday, March 14
Praise God for interpreters and for those who hear His word preached. Pray for Pastor Jason and for Pastor Mike as they preach at Jauja (Baptist church where Pastor Moises serves) and for open hearts and minds to receive God’s message. Also pray for afternoon visits to Julcan and Molinos.
“How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” Romans 10:14-15a

Monday, March 15
Praise God for open doors as they interact with the children during the baseball camps, that they will minister God’s love and truth to the children as they teach them the game.
Pray that the team will find favor in the eyes of local leaders.
“And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and do confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands.” Psalm 90:17

Tuesday, March 16
Praise God for His Holy Word and the privilege of passing out Bibles and tracts that tell of Him. Also pray that God gives “ears to hear” His word through the DVDs they will show at night.
“So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace. The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:11-12

Wednesday, March 17
Praise God for our church planters/disciplers — Pastor Moises, Miguel, Sergio, Preyer, Anyeshla, Alia, Gabriel, Nehemas, and others. Pray for God to raise up churches for His glory in each of the 3 district capitals of the Yacus Valley (Julcan, Masma, and Molinos).
“And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest’” Matthew 9:36-38

Thursday, March 18
Praise God for guiding their steps each day. Pray for the team as they prayerwalk the villages.
“The steps of a man are established by the Lord and He delights in his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.” Psalm 37:23-24

Friday, March 19
Praise Him for the beauty of a life turned over to Him.
Pray for lasting effects among all who have been touched by the efforts of this team. Remind them, Father, of Your passion for the nations; may it be our passion as well.
“For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth’”. Acts 13:47

Saturday, March 20
Praise God for physical and spiritual safety.
Pray again for eyes to be open to opportunities on the return trip. Leave Lima. Arrive in Orlando, and then home to our families.
“I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.” Psalm 52:9

Their Personal Requests For Daily Focused Prayers:
1. Open the eyes of their hearts that they may see, every day, God sovereignly at work so that they may
join Him in His glorious plan for the nations.

2. That they may find hungry hearts seeking the Savior.

3. That the Gospel of peace will lead them to people of peace.

4. A daily awareness of God with them.

5. God’s anointing of the evangelistic tract “God’s Bridge to Eternal Life” and the “Hope” video

6. Pray that they will “put on the full armor of God” according to Eph 6:10‐19; the battle is the Lord’s, and so is the victory and all the glory!

Prayer for our March Peru Trip 2

One of our leaders for this trip, Geoff Clement, put together this prayer guide for all those that would partner with us to pray for us and our trip. He is also putting together a daily prayer guide for the trip as well. Might post that one too! Thanks for reading, and many thanks for praying for us!

Pray especially for:

• Peru in general: almost 2 million of the 30 million people of Peru have no adequate access to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ — Plead earnestly for the people of Peru!

• The 3 mayors and other leaders, for God’s continued favor

• Our church planters: Pastor Moises, Miguel, Sergio, Preyer, Anyeshla, Alia, Gabriel, Nehemas, . . .

• 10 godly men in each town (Julcan, Masma, and Molinos) as the foundation for faithful churches

• God’s Spirit’s work to raise up disciples of Jesus Christ throughout the Yacus and Yanamarca Valleys

• Pastor Jason Jones, Pastor Mike Gibbs, Geoff Clement, Jason Doggett, John Farrar, Aaron Gibbs, Brittany Gibbs, Tim Harris, Liz Hughes, Chuck Pickens, Robby & Griffin Rowe, Jessica Spicer, Margaret Treadway, Rebekah West

1. Pray for unity (15 missionaries from 6 churches), humility, servanthood, and teamwork.
2. Pray for logistical transportation needs, especially for two very long stretches of travel to and from Jauja and as we travel from Jauja to the pueblos.
3. Pray for good health, especially as we adjust to the high elevation.
4. Pray that we will lean heavily on God for rest, daily bread, and refreshment.
5. Pray that we will let God’s Word “dwell in us richly”.
6. Pray that we will “pray without ceasing” and be sensitive to His Spirit.
7. Pray for wisdom as we “speak the truth in love” in the plazas and in the countryside.
8. Pray that we will interact well with the children as we teach baseball skills, using sports as a platform for ministry.
9. Pray for God to open hearts to His glorious gospel, that people would understand that salvation is all of God — by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for God’s glory alone!
10. Pray that we will submit to God’s agenda for each day — that we will “abide in Him” moment by moment and see every encounter as God’s divine appointment.
11. Pray that we will learn as much Spanish as we can.
12. Pray that financial support will come in for each team member ($1,200 per person) — We trust God to provide for us through His people!
13. Pray that we will “put on the full armor of God” according to Eph 6:10-19; the battle is the Lord’s, and so is the victory!

Prayer for our March Peru Trip I

Psalm 67:1-3 “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face to shine upon us, that Your way may be known on earth, Your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You!”

Sorry, it has been so long since I have written a blog post. I have had several ideas of what to write about, but most of them seem to be unhelpful to the body of Christ, and would probably get me in a lot of trouble. And besides, I read a lot of blogs, and many that have lots of text but not lots of important or helpful info. In fact, if a blog is consistently fluff, I usually delete the feed...I digress.

As I was thinking about our March Peru trip the other morning my mind was racing about all the things that we are going to be doing in a week's time there, and I was feeling a little overwhelmed. And you may feel overwhelmed at all the prayer needs that I am about to give you. In fact, as I think about it, I may break this blog up in two parts.

I'll just put the prayer needs that came to my mind the other morning, if I can remember them. Then in a couple of days, I will post Geoff's compilation of prayer needs. But know this: I AM DESPERATE FOR THE HAND OF GOD TO BE UPON US, AND I FEEL THE WEIGHT OF THIS TRIP. AND WE MUST HAVE SOME PRAYER WARRIORS INTERCEDING FOR US!

1. This is a huge trip regarding the planting of the church there in Julcan and Molinos-two villages that have no existing churches. There will be a lot of evangelizing going on in these two villages with those whose hearts have been prepped on our last two trips. Secondly there will be a lot of discipleship with those believers that are be beginning of our core group there. Hopefully we will baptize these individuals who are ready to fully follow Christ before we leave (this is a huge step for them, because it symbolizes the official break between them and the Catholic Church). And thirdly, we will be training our two young pastors there, as they prepare to take the weekly reigns of these two churches. Neither of these young men have any "pastoral" experience, but have been involved in ministry in their home church in Jauja. This will be a big jump for them, but they have been making trips out to our villages regularly discipling the believers there.
2. In addition to this great task, we will also be doing a baseball camp for the children in these two villages in the mornings as a way of helping them. And we have never done a baseball camp before. We might be teaching some English classes for those that would like to learn. And with all this, it is going to be a very busy week. And we will need much stamina to weather a week like this at the altitude. And it seems like we always go a little two hard the first couple of days.
3. Logistically, this trip is going to be very difficult to say the least for a couple of reasons. First, this is the largest team (16) that we have ever taken by ourselves to Peru. We will be renting three mini-vans for travel and trying to keep up with all of them as we ascend the Andes (15,000 ft up over 8 hrs). And we will also have three van drivers, two translators, and a missionary with us. And secondly, we (I) have scheduled us a really difficult day of travel on Friday and Saturday. We are leaving Tifton on Friday night, driving to Orlando, and staying in a hotel near the airport. Our plane leaves at 6 am (so at the airport at 4 am), then we switch planes in Panama City, Panama (never been to Panama before), pray that our baggage makes the connection, and arrive in Lima at about 1:30 pm. Then we are gonna pick up our vans, translators, etc. and begin an 8 hour trek over to Jauja. So if we leave Lima by 3 pm, at best we arrive in Jauja at 11 pm. So we will be going hard from 3:30 am till about midnight. Then I have to get up and preach on Sunday morning. This might appear foolish to some (and maybe it is), but it is a risk that is necessary to take for this short time and the ministry that we must accomplish there. As some of you know, I have a seizure disorder (just another Satanic distraction) that can be triggered by lack of sleep and/or stress. So I need you to really pray for deliverance for me on the first to days. Our return travel is difficult, but not that difficult. So pray for me as I lead, administrate, and preach the gospel, but pray for my health to stand firm, as it is hard on team to have a leader down.

I am so grateful that many of you have supported our work there in the past few years, but this trip may be the most needful of prayer. Please recruit an army of prayer warriors and saints to intercede for us. Please don't allow this request to sit on a table or be forgotten as so many are.

Somebody please make sure and tell Bob and Pat English and Fred and Harriet Osgood! Thanks

Thanks for your faithfulness, may the Lord bless you accordingly!

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering

It's that time of year again...yes, Christmas, but more eternally important for the nations, it's Lottie Moon Christmas Offering time! Why is that so important you may ask? I will tell you

There are over 16,000 people groups in the world today (ethno-linguistic groups of people). Over 6000 of them are considered unreached, meaning that there is no indigenous believing group of Christians that can evangelize their area without outside help, less than 2% Christian. That comes to about 2 billion people who do not have good access to the gospel. And many of those people groups are unengaged, meaning that they have no evangelical missionaries among them. Only 3 % of the world's missionary force of about 100,000 is among the unreached. Watch this, then again.




And as Southern Baptist our Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (LMCO) supports the largest missionary force in the world, because this offering goes strictly to missionary salary and outreach costs. And for the first time in decades our International Mission Board (IMB) has had to cut missionary appointments because of shortfalls in funds. We have more missionaries to go than funds to send them. And millions perish daily without access to the gospel. And so we have an opportunity to sacrifice and invest in eternity rather than stuff.

And it blesses me when my congregation comes to me and says it would be nice if we could give to the LMCO all year. Because they feel the burden to give, but they also feel the pinch of our current economic crisis. Well, you can! In fact, anyone reading this blog can at anytime. And I am encouraging you for the sake of the nations to do so. It breaks my heart to hear grumbling about the increasing of our church goal from $10K to $12K, especially when it should be $15K. I want you to hear it from the missionaries mouth's as well as from a couple of pastors.

Dear Praying friends and family, This year seems to have just flown by so quickly….well, at least the last six months! Thanksgiving has come and gone and now everyone is preparing for Christmas! David and I had several days of feasting and fellowship leading up to Thanksgiving Day with missionaries in Zambia. We traveled back to our home in Malawi on Thanksgiving Day. Looking over this past year, we have so many things of which we are thankful to have been a part of. Let me name a few:

-Trip to Turkey to discuss work among our “cousins”. (Feb)

-Completion of two more 4040’s (First term missionary on field orientation program) without major incident! (April-May and Oct.-Nov.)

-Two separate but wonderful AMTM’s (mission meeting) with our missionaries in the Zambezi Cluster (March and July)

-Prayer retreats with our missionaries in the Zambezi Cluster- Focus on Fervent and Persistent prayer

-A wonderful vacation/trip to Namibia… got to see and experience a whole new part of Africa for the first time!

-Much needed and successful disc replacement surgery for David

-An unexpected medical trip to the USA for Janet which also provided the opportunity to visit some with our kids and David’s parents!

-Personal home visits with some of our missionaries in the Zambezi Cluster

-Love and support/affirmation from so many of our friends and family

-Sense of being settled in our home in Malawi.

I am thankful that we who are God’s children are greatly loved and that our Father wants us to bring not only our praises but also our petitions before him. So, I would like to share a few things for you to please pray with us about in the days to come.

-IMB Connecting has drastically cut back on work budgets for the coming year; medical and retirement benefits for your missionaries are being cut; cost of living; number of personnel being appointed career and Journeymen allotted and the list can go on. We know that our Father is greater than IMB and is able to provide abundantly for all of our needs. He knows the needs of the Zambezi Cluster even more than we, so is able to provide. Please pray for Missionaries to be able to live and work in this mindset and not become disillusioned with the changes that are taking within our organization.

-We pray that you, our supporters would continue to pray for all of us and the work that we are involved in. We also pray that you continue to give as you have so generously done in the past to the Lottie Moon Christmas offerings and also for that which is given to the cooperative program to support your missionaries on the field and their ministries. We have been told that last year the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering goal fell short by a huge amount this year which also has contributed to the financial squeeze. Please pray about what you are willing to give towards the support of your missionaries. In the past, your missionaries here in the Zambezi Cluster (and most other clusters) have given thousands of dollars to the Lottie Moon Christmas offerings. We see this as a privilege to partner with our brothers and sisters in the USA who are doing the same thing!

We ask that you try to help in several ways:

1) Encourage your church to increase its monthly giving to the Cooperative Program. (The IMB receives a portion of its income from the Cooperative Program.)

2) Encourage your church to do something unheard of – double your goal for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering from last year! You might be amazed how much people will give when they know how great the need is.

3) Do all you can to inform your church members of this great need. As the time for Jesus’ return draws closer and closer, do we want to be the team that has dropped the ball! We have a God given goal! But we must each do our part to help reach that goal!

4) Give more than you have ever given before to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Even if it is only $7 more! Make your gift to Jesus the largest gift you give this year!

-David and I have had to cut our personal budget to over 50% in order to keep our missionaries from having to dig into their own work budgets. Please pray for us as we need to know how to best use the allotted funds that we still do have to visit those individuals who need it the most.

-Nathaniel will be graduating this December from Liberty University with a degree in Aeronautical Science with an emphasis on Missions. (He will walk in May, 2010). Please pray that he find a job. We are very proud of him and just ask that you continue to pray for him as he starts this new chapter in his life.

-Anna has made some great friends and continues to work towards her degree in Athletic Training. Please pray for Anna as she moves into an apartment this month and continues her studies at Liberty University. Please pray for both Nathaniel and Anna as they will be spending Christmas break in Lynchburg, VA away from immediate family- their first Christmas alone! (it may be harder for mom and dad than for them!)

May you all have a blessed Christmas season and continue to be a beacon of light where ever you are! We love you and so appreciate your prayers and support to our family for so many years!

With Love, Janet

Pray as you think about what you are to give, and lead the way to give sacrificially, so that the nations that have never heard can hear, and so that we can send the missionaries that we have waiting to go! "Go, send, or disobey! For this is not an invitation to an easy life." Take up your cross and follow Jesus! At least pray that New River reaches its goal of $12K, then makes it to $15K for the glory of Christ!

Mission Accomplished! Part 2

One of the other things that we felt like we accomplished while in Peru in November was that we distributed a lot of copies of the bible. We had given out lots of New Testaments while we were there in August. And while following up with many of these who received bibles in August, Miguel found that they couldn't do all their bible study because they didn't have the Old Testament. So we decided that we should fix that. So here are several shots of people receiving these blue Spanish bibles that we gave out in Nov. You can not go wrong distributing the Word of God, for it never comes back void, but always accomplishes what it is sent to do. One of these shots is with the mayor of Julcan, and we believe that God is truly working in his life, and are praying that he comes to Christ, and makes a bold step of a public profession soon.

Just by the way, I put all our pictures (well, the best of them) to a song, and put them in a video, and put it up on YouTube. You can see that here.

Another goal that was reached while there was that we spent some time training our Peruvian church planting team with a methodology for truly making disciples. We sat down in the town square for an hour or two working with them about how to begin discipleship triads, just like we are doing at New River BC, A Place Called Hope, & Fair Haven PBC. (If you are curious about what we are talking about, check out my blogs on Greg Ogden's Discipleship Essentials, and how well it is going at our churches here, here, here, and especially here) We are hoping that among the leadership, and among the congregations once they actually get started, disciples will be intentionally made.

While we were there, we made some great friendships with our Peruvian workers, and got to meet and spend a lot of time with several great IMB personnel who are very instrumental in our work there in the Central Andes. These are just some of the side benefits of being on mission with God to reach unreached people.

So, we already mentioned going back in March and probably late June. Several of you have inquired about going with us--and you are welcome to come; in fact we need your help. Here is what you need to know about arrangements for our next two trips. For the March trip our dates will be 13-20, 2010 and the cost will be between $1300-$1500, depending on the plane ticket costs. We need people who know baseball to come in March to help us put on a camp during the day. We need people who can teach English while we are there (as training for our Peruvians and a mode of outreach.) We also need those of you who can help us teach and baptize while we are there, for our prayer is that we begin the church in March. And we also need those of you who can help us do all these things! We don't need your money in until we leave in March, but we need to know by about Christmas if you are going for sure, so we can order tickets.
If you have any questions, feel free to email or call me, and I will do my best to answer them. If you need further info just call. We haven't had anyone have any trouble raising the funds to go. Where God guides, He provides! If you need to gain direction about going, just look here, and you will know that there are thousands of Peruvians in the Yacus and Yanamarca Valleys that are in need of a gospel witness and a self-sustaining, self-replicating church. And you could be one of those who bring it there.

Also doing a medical mission (maybe) in late June, prepare for that if that is where your gifts or your heart lie. Thanks for reading, keep praying for us and for the Yacus Valley!

Mission Accomplished! Part 1

We had a really great trip to Jauja, Peru this time. God truly showed Himself mighty on our behalf! And we felt like we accomplished much of what we intended to do. I know, it's been a little while since I've written, so what was that?

First, I think we paved the way for Craig to lead a trip down there by himself in the future. That was high on the list. We also were able to get many things in order for a couple of return trips in 2010 from New River. We talked with the mayors of Julcan and Molinos specifically about our plans to return in March and do a baseball camp, and return also in July (maybe) and do a medical trip. Both towns are prepared to rearrange the school calender to allow the kids to participate with us on our trips there. We also got several other ideas that might be helpful for future trips, like English camps.

It was also very encouraging to talk with several individuals whom I believe have become believers after our trip there in August. Many were really excited about the possibility of beginning a church there, and committed to help us. This is Leslie (to the left), very much transformed from August, and poised to help with the church in Julcan. We also met several people who were not yet born-again believers, but that were very interested in what was going on with us, and wanted to be involved.


We also got to spend a lot of time with Miguel, Sergio, Preyer, Alia, and Anyeshla, and Nehemias, which is our church planting team in Jauja. We did some training, but much vision casting about where all this is heading. And they seem to be very much committed to the advance of the gospel in the Yacus Valley. We are awaiting the first reports of follow up since our trip there a couple of weeks ago.

We really put a lot of emphasis on our March trip and the work that we will do there in addition to the baseball camp. We will be trying to teach some English classes, especially to those that we are working with in Jauja. I will also be teaching each night in March, with an emphasis on the birth of the church there. My hope is to baptize Peruvians in March in Julcan, and maybe in Molinos! Please pray to that end!

More to come, part 2 tomorrow...

Leaving for Peru on Sat

In just a couple more days I head out for Peru again. As I explained in a previous post, we are even more committed now than ever to planting churches in the Yacus Valley, and are going to be going back there more regularly. I am taking our Associational Missionary, Craig Nalls, with me on this trip, hopefully in preparation for future trips. And several of you pastors who read this blog, should prepare to go with us in March or July of 2010.

But I want to fill you in on my agenda while I am there next week so that you can pray.

1. As I alluded to, one of my goals on the next several trips is to train others who may take trips down to Peru. So I want to carve out a place for Peru in Craig's heart. That will be my goal for all of you leaders who go with me over the next few trips.
2. The first of my main two goals for going back so soon is to check on our prospects. Miguel has been meeting with a group in Julcan and a group in Molinos. I need to discern whether or not these are true believers, or just seekers. We need to get the church meeting together regularly. I am going to spend some time with them strengthening them in the faith, and casting the vision for a church in Julcan, and Molinos, and Masma, that will help foster the church planting movement that we want to see there.
3. Secondly, I want to spend a lot of time with Miguel and Sergio, our disciple-makers. I want to inflame their passion for Christ and the advancement of His Kingdom there. I want to cast the vision of their crucial role in the planting of churches, and the reaching of the Yacus and Yanamarca Valleys. I want to train them in disciple-making, and leadership development, and church planting strategy; as well as the reality of what constitutes a church, and what it looks like there.
4. Also, I want to meet with the mayors of the towns and work with them about our upcoming trips in March and July. I want to try to discern the needs that we can meet, and figure out all the logistics for coming there again. We want to maintain a good relationship with them.
5. Finally, we are going to get to meet our partner pastor Scott Dollar of A Place Called Hope Church in Lethbridge, Alberta, CAN. He is going to be there this week as well. I have only met him on the phone and through email and Facebook. And although the parameters of our partnership have changed somewhat in the last year or so, together we are still committed to ensuring that churches get planted in the Yacus and Yanamarca Valleys, because our home base while in country is the same town of Jauja. He will be working mostly in Acolla and the area to the north of Jauja, and we will be laboring in Julcan and the area east of Jauja. But we will be helping each other where we can while in country on future mission trips.

So pray:

• for the hand of God upon us and our work, we are desperate for Him
• for our eyes to be open, and hearts to be sensitive to what God is doing there
• for His church to be already there, or first established
• for us to stand firm in His strength against the attacks of the enemy
  
• for safe travel and good health, we leave Sat 14th, return on Fri 20th
  
• for our families at home
  
• for favor in the eyes of the mayors
• for success in vision-casting and training, and God to fire up our disciplers
• for growth in Christ for our groups of believers
• for proper planning for the future
• for lost to be reached for Christ
• and most importantly for God to be glorified in all things

Thanks for your faithfulness to read and pray! Through your help in the trenches of prayer, the muscles of omnipotence will move, and Christ will establish His church as an outpost in the vast darkness that blinds so many in the Peruvian Andes!