Prayer and Support Needed...

Hey all! Well I have never made this type of blog entry…but I guess the old saying is true “never say never!” It is a real joy to be able to serve on the mission field here in Pucallpa, Peru. Knowing the Lord has ordained me to be here and be involved in the specific ministries I am involved in…is beyond what some might call a “blessing!”

The past year I have been able to work with the men in our church and see them grow mightily in the Lord. Most churches here in Peru have mostly women and a few men in the church, let alone men who are training to be leaders. This training for leadership is taking place at Mil Palmeras…and crazy as it may seem, the Lord is using me in this regard.

I spent 2009 working with men in our church directly in groups…via an Old Testament study I did with them. We covered Genesis through II Kings 11 and will pick back up soon with II Kings through Malachi. I also was involved in getting the social ministries/missions ball rolling for Mil Palmeras. It has been a great year!!

But…staying here involves support. The support channel is a long one and at times can be confusing and complicated. I purchased a truck in Dec of 2008 and the purchase of the truck was over looked in getting credited to my account with SAM. And now, the error has been caught and is now being credited (or debited – however you look at it). This comes at a time when I no longer have in my account enough to cover the cost of my truck…which means I am going in the “RED” by about $2,000.

The quick answer is really getting more monthly support. My monthly goal is $2,900 (with a %50 increase in health insurance starting in January of 2010.) More monthly support will help pull me out of the “red” and get me back to where I need to be.

The not so quick answer, is upon council and prayer…is to return to the US to raise more support. This involves leaving the ministry, house, truck, and forfeiting my resident visa (if over six months).

If you have read this far…God Bless you!! Haa haa – Pray for me and these next two or three trying months…a lot will be known soon…

If you are interested in supporting my ministry or know someone who is send checks to:

South America Mission, Inc.
1021 Maxwell Mill Road, Suite B
Fort Mill, SC 29708

(Make checks payable to South America Mission)

Thank you!...please keep praying!

Marshall

Christmas thoughts from Peru

Today is Christmas 2009 and outside it is 90 degrees! Now, I grew up in Michigan and Florida during my childhood. I remember my Christmas years in Michigan were snowy and cold. From snow forts, to sledding, to snow ball fights and even snowmobiles! Then we moved to Florida and things got a bit warmer, but yes, even in Florida it snowed in Dec of 1989 in North Port, Florida! Nothing really stuck to the ground, but I remember being outside and it flurrying...technically that is snow!!

I remember growing up and Christmas really being about me. My mom (not to her fault) would shower me with gifts...lots of gifts...and those have led to fond memories I carry with me today and even look forward to doing the same to my own children someday. I also liked the planning and shopping for friends and family and the anticipation of them opening up the gift(s) I had planned and even schemed to pull things off sometimes.

I remember Christmas dinners that my mom would work so hard at putting together after all the presents were opened...she would disappear into the kitchen for an all afternoon venture in prepping Christmas dinner...and 9 times out of 10 it was prime rib...you can't argue with that!!

Now today, spending my 3rd Christmas alone and my 2nd in Peru as a single person...it gives some good time for introspect. Last year, I will have to admit that waking up to an empty house (cuz the roomies had Christmas plans) was not a lot of fun. This year though, waking up today to an empty house...is not that bad. Those memories of the cold, snow, shopping, planning, presents, travels, and the joys of being around family for Christmas morning do not compare to the knowledge of WHY we are really celebrating this holiday. It is about the birth of Jesus. Christ did come in the form a babe to this earth as was set forth by God in a promise in Genesis 3:15 and for thousands of years God kept that promise and four hundred years after the last prophet spoke...Christ was born...God in the flesh. I am in awe as I think about this today...

How long will this Gospel message be so freely received in the world? Christmas is celebrated by people all over the world...yet some celebrate facing trouble and attacks. This week alone I read about trouble for Christians in Pakistan and Iraq...not to mention the tension in the US with regards to "religious" symbols during the holiday season. As a matter of fact...this morning CNN.com had a front page article that read "Was Jesus born into Wealth?"

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/12/25/RichJesus/index.html

If you read the article is a presentation of the "Prosperity Gospel vs. The Traditional Gospel" Why in the world address that now, on Christmas morning. I feel the world is getting less and less tolerant of Christians and feel in my gut that hard times are coming for believers.

Christmas is not about cold weather, it is not about shopping and unwrapping gifts and everything materialistic we, as fallen people, have turned it into. But in reality, Christmas is about honoring a date on our calendar where God after thousands of years kept a promise he made in Genesis 3:15

"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." (ESV)

And Isaiah 9:6-7 says:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Don't get me wrong...cold weather, shopping, and unwrapping gifts this morning would have been splended! BUT...there is something bigger to this day. We celebrate and rejoice that God kept his promise and Jesus was born...our savior.

Marshall

Huanuco Round # 2

Hi all....We have just returned from our second trip to Huanuco, Peru where were assisting a small church with various projects and such. Our church - Mil Palmeras - was just there about a month ago as a 20 member team from Oct 29-Nov 1st. The projects we set out to do did not get finished. We had a small accident while in Huanuco during this trip. We had a 9 yr old boy run out in the street and got hit by a motorcycle (not going to fast - luckily). He had to be taken to the hospital for bumps and bruises, but turned out to be ok. Well, because this happened...we all decided to leave at the same time and get back to Pucallpa - hence leaving some projects unfinished. One of these projects was putting up a fence to separate the church (area) from the pool (as this location is to be a small YMCA type set up.

Soooo, Alwin and I last monday (Nov 16) headed back to Huanuco - across what is now an almost beautiful road as they are paving it completely for the first time ever - to complete our fence project. We put in three very long days - 12-14 hrs a day drilling, cutting, nailing and oh by the way.....slapping these white flies that are called "mata blanca" or "white death." Luckily we had some repellent but at times it did not help. We were able to finish and head home last friday...two very tired guys!

Our church is looking to invest in this small church in Huanuco, Peru.....where idol worship is very evident. Please pray for the salvation of those in Huanuco.

Above: The fence in progress

Above: Alwin, who traveled with me to Huanuco and the mastermind of the fence

Above: Left to right...Pastor Esaud of Huanuco, Alwin, and Doomer from Huanuco

Above: Ya know....there is nothing like nailing cheap nails into really really really hard wood

Above: The final product. The goal was to keep the little kids away from the pool because the church meets basically "poolside."


Please pray for Huanuco!

Marshall

First Mission Trip for Mil Palmeras - Oct 2009

Last week 10/29/2009 - 21 people departed from Pucallpa, Peru for the 8hr journey to the city of Huanuco, Peru. Pucallpa is in the jungle and is hot and everything is green with lots of trees. Huanuco on the other hand is at 6,100 ft in elevation and kinda in the mountains, is cool, and most things are brown with very few trees.

The road to Huanuco is only paved in parts and right now they are working on paving the entire road (for the first time ever). The journey takes about 6 to 8 hrs. We came in three trucks and the rest of the team went by bus.


Picture above: The road to Huanuco in the high jungle between Aguytia and Tingo Maria

The reason we went to Huanuco:
My pastor said something a while back...he said, "There is a problem with the Gospel in Peru...you see it came, but it never has left." Sooo, we are in the process of beginning to take the Gospel to other parts of Peru as well as in the future planning an international mission trip.

In Huanuco:
We helped a small church with evangelism (a drama we did in a school and in a public market), small projects (painted walls and built platforms for the praise band and pastor), and teaching as Julio and myself both spoke.


Above: Paco carrying a bucket of paint aside a well scrapped wall ready for painting in the church.


Above: Alwin is the master carpenter. Here is in the process of creating three stages/platforms for the church to use. He and I will also be returning to Huanuco November 9th to finish some work there.


Above: Fabiola is scraping paint off glass on the door.


Above: Pastor Julio( in gray) and pastor Esaud of Huanuco (in red) are talking about side as the team is working on the outside all of the church.


Below is the drama our team did - it was to the song "Everything" by Lifehouse. If you have not seen the skit - there is a link on youtube where a church team in the US has done it really well go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVJqRLU3J0I&feature=related


Above: Man is between God and the the world and the world pulls hard.


Above: Satan is behind all that is evil


Above: God is bigger than the evil one and rescues his children.

In Huanuco there are many many idols that are worshiped and the people are in SUCH darkness. While we were there over the Halloween weekend - there was a festival to "Senor de los Burgos. The idol looked a lot like Jesus, and even though it appeared they were worshiping Jesus...they were not.

Below is a pic of "el senor de los burgos"

For our group - this was an amazing first trip. Everything that could happen both good and bad did. And God worked it all out for good (Gen 50:20). We saw people working together, work getting done, encourgement being given, love being shared, frustration, bad attitudes, thefts (our new sign was stolen and recovered), and the son of our carpenter who was on the trip was hit by a motorcycle and taken to the hospital - he is ok. (Two other events happened in Pucallpa around the same time this accident happened - one of the men on our team - his son fell off the roof and hurt himself and another one of our pastors who was in Pucallpa was crossing the street with his three children (his wife was with us in Huanaco) and the three were nearly hit by a moto-taxi here in Pucallpa. Then, then night...we had a man to man talk...and things were getting heated...and at the end...we all met in the middle and praised God for what he was doing by bringing the Gospel to Huanuco and the enemy ("senor de los burgos") did not like that very much!

It was a great trip...a wonderful experience for our guys! Alwin (the father of the boy who was hit) and I are returning this coming Monday, Nov 9th to complete the work we were not able to finish.

Below: A group picture in front of the newly painted wall outside the church/house of Pastor Esaud (the sign was stolen later that day).

Below: Our group at a resturant south of Huanuco before returning to Pucallpa that evening.

We also look to send one pastor for a week every month to encourage this church and what it is trying to do in Huanuco, Peru.

Thank you for praying,

Marshall