April - May 2002 Prayer Letter
Dear Friends,
Nehemiah 2:18“Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.”
It has been a wonderful and hectic last month or so. We have been back in Peru since April 11th and have been go...go...going ever since. We are working on all fronts; construction, church, school, home for children, national pastors, land situation and on it goes. Well, let me give you an update on these.
Construction - We have completed the renovation of the boy's dormitory and a blessing it is to see. We continue to work on the Girls dorm, visitor's apartments and the carpentry and technical shop for the school. We have much to do to finish these projects. Please pray for some much needed funds to finish buying bricks, tile, paint, furniture and fixtures, and to pay the workers.
Church - We have had the honor to baptize two men, one hearing and one deaf and will be baptizing another deaf man Sunday. Lisa has started a lady's Bible study that is being well attended. I will be starting a men’s study very soon. We have seen some deaf saved on visitation and some have come to visit the church. Pray God will continue to help us reach these deaf folks in Peru.
School - This year we have 60 students in the school. Many of them are first time students who have no language understanding whatsoever. It is a joy and a challenge to work with these young children. 20 students live on campus during the week here in the dorms. The school is quite a challenge as we do not have enough qualified teachers for the deaf that are good solid Christians. We will not put lost teachers or teachers that are not of like faith in our school. Please pray God will send us some faithful Missionaries and/or Peruvians who can help teach our deaf children.
Home for Deaf Children - We have the most children we have ever had that live here full time. We have seven boys and seven girls. Some live so far away that they cannot go home; others do not have a home to go to. Please pray that we will be able to make a difference in these young lives and that God will provide funds for these children and helpers to care for them. Most importantly pray that we can reach them for the Lord!
National Pastors - We continue to work with the national deaf pastors here in Peru. There are many needs in this area. Most of them have lost their support and are having a difficult time. Some are not doing well in their ministries and need prayer and training. We are looking forward to our September Bible Conference and our Deaf Pastor's School in March. Pray for God’s provisions and wisdom in this very needy area, both spiritually and financially.
Land Situation - For those of you who may not be aware of the situation; briefly stated, the Efata school, church and home ministries (as well as our home) sits on a piece of property that has reverted back to government control. Currently no title has been issued. This is a long story and we have been working on this situation for a couple of years now. We are still in the process of working on obtaining a clear title for the ministry. We are making progress but it is slow. We are currently working both with the Peruvian mission organization that was responsible for the land donation 31 years ago and the government on this issue. Please pray that we will be able to work this out soon.
Family - The family is doing well and readjusting to being back in Peru. The older children are taking piano lessons and James and Jared are taking guitar lessons. Lisa is extremely busy. We look forward to some long-term permanent help. We currently have thee young adults here for the summer as short-term missionaries. We are praying for God’s will in their lives.
Once again thank you for your care and support for this vital work amongst the deaf of Peru. Thanks to the Lord for strengthening us for "this good work"!
In Christ's Service - In Peru
Joe & Lisa
Joseph, Julianne, James, Jared, Judson, Joy