"Stories from Tacna" (Peru - October 21, 2003)

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS THUS FAR. GOD IS DOING SOME AMAZING THINGS. ON SUNDAY OUR 6 TEAMS OF NORTH AMERICANS MET WITH THEIR HOST CHURCHES AND PROVIDED TRAINING FOR MANY PERUVIAN LEADERS IN EVANGELISM AND DISCIPLESHIP. SOME OF THE TEAMS WENT OUT ON SUNDAY AND PRACTICED BY GOING HOUSE TO HOUSE SHARING THE GOSPEL.
THEN ON MONDAY, THE TEAMS WENT OUT IN FORCE AND GOD MOVED IN INCREDIBLE WAYS. HERE ARE A FEW STORIES . . .

PAT POWELL AND RUSSELL RUO SHARED FOR OVER AN HOUR WITH ONE MAN THAT HAD MANY PROBLEMS. 2 YEARS AGO THE MAN HAD RECEIVED A VISION FROM GOD THAT HE SHOULD GO TO CHURCH BECAUSE GOD HAD A MESSAGE FOR HIM. HE NEVER WENT. THEN YESTERDAY GOD DECIDED TO TAKE THE MESSAGE TO HIM! AFTER MUCH PRAYER AND SHARING THE YOUNG MAN ACCEPTED CHRIST INTO HIS HEART AND WAS FOREVER CHANGED.

FRANK BRAND AND CHERYL GREDLEIN HAVE HAD MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE BOTH IN PUBLIC PLACES THROUGH STREET PREACHING AND TESTIMONIES AND HOUSE TO HOUSE. YESTERDAY THEY ENCOUNTERED SOME MORMONS AND ONE OF THEM RECEIVED CHRIST AND THEN CAME TO THE EVENING DISCIPLESHIP LESSON EAGER TO LEARN.

TODD S. AND KATHY AND LAUREN HULSEY HAVE SEEN AN AMAZING WORK OF GOD AS THEY EQUIPPED A CHURCH AND SENT THEM OUT. LAUREN, WHO IS 10 YEARS OLD, SHARED THE GOSPEL IN A PUBLIC PLAZA WITH 50 ADULTS SURROUNDING HER! UNLESS WE BECOME AS LITTLE CHILDREN . . .

LEE NELSON AND TRISH CONWAY HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH A CHURCH THAT IS FOCUSED ON REACHING TEENS. YESTERDAY THEY SENT TEAMS OF TEENS OUT INTO THE STREETS. LEE SAID THAT ONE MAN THEY SHARED WITH HAD AN IMMEDIATE CHANGE OF COUNTENANCE WHEN THE WORD OF GOD WAS READ TO HIM. HE THEN RECEIVED CHRIST WITH GLADNESS.

ALAN HOLSTON AND MARY ANN DONAVANT ARE HELPING TO START 3 NEW CHURCHES WITH THEIR HOST CHURCH. THEY ARE WORKING IN VERY POOR AREAS. YESTERDAY AS THEY SHARED WITH A POOR WOMAN THAT LIVED IN A GRASS HUT, SHE LEFT HER COOKING TO LISTEN. AFTER SHE RECEIVED CHRIST SHE WENT BACK INTO HER HOUSE TO FIND THAT A DOG HAD EATEN THE UNATTENDED FOOD. SHE CAME OUT CRYING AND THE PASTOR PROVIDED MONEY TO BUY THE NEW BELIEVER SOME FOOD. SHE RECEIVED BOTH THE BREAD OF LIFE AND THE BREAD OF THIS LIFE.
DON AND KIM PEDERSON AND MAY G. SHARED WITH AN ENGLISH SPEAKING MAN YESTERDAY THAT WAS VERY RECEPTIVE. WHEN THE MAN READ EPHESIANS 2 VERSES 8 AND 9 HE LOOKED SHOCKED THAT HIS GOOD WORKS COULD NOT EARN HIM HEAVEN. AFTER STUDYING MANY RELIGIONS, THE MAN FINALLY CAME TO FAITH IN CHRIST . . . AND CAME OUT TODAY TO WORK WITH THEM EVANGELIZING OTHERS! DON EVEN GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO PREACH ON THE LOCAL RADIO STATION!

AS I TRAVELED WITH OUR NATIONAL DIRECTOR FROM CHURCH TO CHURCH YESTERDAY, WE MET UP WITH A PASTOR FROM ECUADOR THAT WE SPENT THE DAY DISCIPLING IN MISSIONS COMMITMENT. THE PASTOR LEFT LAST NIGHT ASSURING US THAT HE WILL RETURN TO ECUADOR AND CAST A VISION FOR HIS PEOPLE TO GO OUT INTO ALL THE WORLD.

IN ALL, WE HAVE SEEN MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE MAKE PROFESSIONS OF FAITH IN JUST 2 DAYS! TODAY WE ARE FOCUSING ON GOING BACK TO THOSE HOMES AND DISCIPLING THE NEW BELIEVERS.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR US AS WE CAST A VISION FOR MAKING DISCIPLES. PRAY ALSO FOR TRISH AS SHE HAS NOT BEEN FEELING WELL. PRAY FOR THE CHURCHES TO BE UNIFIED IN THIS EFFORT AND THAT NEW CHURCHES WOULD BE BIRTHED TO THE GLORY OF GOD.

NOW TO HIM WHO IS ABLE TO DO EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANT ABOVE ALL THAT WE COULD HOPE OR ASK FOR . . . TO HIM BE GLORY IN THE CHURCH AND IN CHRIST JESUS!