Greetings from Peru dear friends,

I am happy to report that my time so far in Peru has been an incredible blessing, especially this past week – thanks to God (and thanks for your prayers)!  God is so good!  He is faithful in every way to fufill His end of the covenant (we just have to make sure we are keeping our end of the bargain).  This Saturday night our whole team (all 25 of us) came together to have our big event here in the city of Piura in one of the main plazas in the center of town - with rap music, dancing, dramas, and of course BenHur as one of the main attractions.  There must have been several thousands in the audience, but it all went really well; and Ben really rocked the house with his fantastic guitarre playing!  (hard rock).

I learned 20 minutes before the event that I WAS THE ONE delivering the message.  The pastor was also kind of enough to remind me that everything else was just show, and the success of the whole evening really just depended on the delivery of the final message.  Imagine how I felt, with no time to prepare, that the success of the major event of our outreach in a major metropolitan city in Peru in front of a huge audience, all was resting on my shoulders!  But God is faithful!  The message went well, thanks to God.  And Carlos only got stuck a couple of times on translation.  I could not really see the people´s faces from the stage, but my friends in the audience said the people were really listening intently to the story of Jesus & Nicodemus and the door to the Kingdom of God.  And it was absolutely one of the most beautiful days of my life when the time came for the people to respond, to see them one by one come walking out from the crowd and boldly walking up the steps of the stage in front of thousands of people to make a decision to give their lives to God and recieve Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  The image of that evening - of greeting these dear ones as they came up the steps with the audience auplauding behind them, will be one that will stay with me for a long time.

And I have also been very blessed to continue to make new friends here in Peru.  Some are babes in the faith like my dear new brother in Christ, Alex.  Alex was my first ¨convert¨ here in Peru, and has become a good friend as well.  He is definetely the coolest Peruvian I have met, but unfortunately the church that we are working with has yet to really warm up to him.  They are a very conservative bunch and seem to be intimidated by his appearance – long hair, tatoes of flames on his arms and back.  But I am happy to report that he is progressing well in the faith, with a continued thirst for the things of God.  And every time he comes to a meeting/event, he brings along few of his friends, brothers, girlfriend, etc. (all of which have responded well to the message of Christ).

Truthfully, it has taken me a while and much effort to try and understand the Peruvian people.  Peru is such a different place from Chile, it really has been an interesting experience being here. It truly is a third world country, so different from the world I am used to – dirt roads, 3-wheel motor taxis, small stores, very hot climate/no air conditioning, different food, different social norms and customs, and all in a foreign language!  And for a long time I still felt like an outsider looking in.  But it really  has been a blessing to experience God’s love for the people here, and to the extent that I can speak the language it allows me to get closer to the dear ones God is trying to reach.  This challenge although difficult at times, has been a rewarding experience - really stretching me.  And God really has been blessing us and opening up many doors.  I had a wonderful time the other day explaining the gospel to a group of young people – all in spanish without a translator.  And just about every one wanted to pray to receive the Lord!  They also were eager to write down their names and addresses for future visits.  Words simply cannot express how much of a blessing this is!

I cringe a little when I think of what it will be like when I return to the US and plung back into the world of consumerism and busy-ness.  One of the greatest cultural adjustments for me here has been the shock of realizing just how little some peole have in life.  We have meet many christians who belong to the professional working class, but for many of the dear people that we have been meeting with, they have practically no possessions at all.  Just today Gabi, Cyntia, Ricardo, and I had a wonderful meeting in the home of some dear saints in the outskirts of the city.  Their living room floor was stones (a step up from the previous family which had dirt for the living room floor), the ceiling was metal panals filled with holes and cracks, and the chicken pen was directly next to the kitchen.  But the fellowship we had with these precious saints of God was so rich!, their faith like pure gold!  I truly have been learning what true riches are on this trip.

And this continues to be the greatest blessing - the relationships that are being formed with the dear people of Piura, Peru.  To talk to them in the streets, to be surrounded by smiling children asking what the USA is like and how tall the buildings are, to challenge a group of young people with the gospel of Christ, to be invited into the homes of those who opened the door to us, and form relationships that know no time. 

Pray about where God wants to take you.  His plans for us are numerous and wonderful.  The only requisite is a willing heart and a life of faith.  Let Him take you on the adventure He has for you!

Love you guys (those few of you who are still reading these messages)!  And look forward to seeing you again soon! 
Many Blessings!
Your brother in Christ,
-Alex