CT News November 2022

November 2022

Dear praying family!

Please see our pictures containing plenty more news for you to read HERE! 

November exposed us to fascinating, stamina testing, daring and faith building experiences.

Firstly, a handful of churches in a segment of the mountains nearing 3,000 ft in the Andes had been recently struggling with awful charismatic influence. As it is common and expected in this region, upon the cyclic arrival of a church celebration, official invitations are circulated so that other churches would come and benefit from the teaching sessions. The organizers select a special guest to do the plenary speaking, typically in a lapse of 3 days. One of these special guests ended up prophesying the death of a church member that never occurred. This, to say the least, left many profoundly disturbed and confused. That was the background preceding our arrival. We didn’t mince the severity of our calling to instruct, challenge and comfort the believers. Please pray that the lessons we shared from God’s Word will lead them to be more discerning and selective of those they invite to speak and the invitations they decide to honor.

We were certainly grateful to arrive and do our teaching. The first leg from the coast to the edge of the majestic Andes was nothing unusual, getting sandwiched like sardines in a minivan is expected and a common way to travel. The second leg of the trip, and already in high altitude, was under the mercy of the local believers. They sent what looked like a “baby mini cooper” (don’t know what that is? You’ve got to see our pictures!) to carry us through the curvy, steep and guardrail-free roads. I had invited two brothers to accompany me on the journey but as it turned out, one providentially pulled out in the nick of time. Our sore feelings for not having a dear disciple come along turned into joy later when we realized that there was no way the three of us could’ve fit in the “baby mini cooper” -- Our great God is always watching over us! On our way out after teaching, we left in style: I rode a beautiful horse that allowed me to see the penetrating beauty of the mountains and feel the majesty of our God’s creation.

Meanwhile, in the local assembly, November was Missions Emphasis month and once again the women did a wonderful job mobilizing everyone. Their top goal was to make one and all aware of the work each commended national worker does in his/her respective region. Each week there was a special event that included some sort of fund-raising (yard sales, dessert festival) leading up to a special offering the last Sunday in November. Unlike other years, there seems to be a momentum echoed by other churches outside our borders that want to replicate what’s being done here so as to have a more active presence meeting the needs of these servants. Pray that this might be the beginning of something larger for the sake of the Lord’s work here in Peru!

Our second mountain trip took us further away. And for reasons I am about to describe, we were longing for the ride in the “baby mini cooper” from the prior trip over the metal beasts they sent to get us.

But first, it is noteworthy to recap our connection with a couple of believers that made our visit possible. Over a decade ago, while we were still assisting the prison ministry in town, a young lady made a confession of faith in the Lord Jesus. After her release she deepened her love for the Lord and grew wonderfully in all areas so that Sarah and I found in her a trustworthy person to look after our children when we would go out. Currently she serves with a group of believers in Llacuabamba, a mining town high up that exploits gold. Also, John and Evelyn reside in this town. They became close to us while still students, invited us to be at their wedding, left the coast and now have two children. They are deeply involved at their church that requested we come and teach bible doctrine to their fellowship.  

Please indulge me to narrate to you the grueling journey to their mountain town. It takes about 14 hours that includes 6 straight hours of what literally feels like riding the lunar surface. Not that I was on the moon but having your body, and particularly your head, tossed and turned left and right, back and forth, and up and down, reminded me of the craters up there! On the way up, and for the first 6 hours, you have paved road. The driver was a youngster and I was rather suspicious of his skills, sanity, and experience behind the wheel. I was gladly wrong on all counts ... I think. He sure knew the road well and was extremely aggressive overtaking oncoming traffic. That was the scary part. My biggest question was: how can he last 12+ hours driving under high alert? I was sure praying. Soon I learned the secret: these drivers carry dried coca leaves that they chew the entire way. That seems to numb them and gives them almost superhuman strength. It was unbelievable. Not only was this driver awake the whole time, he was also extremely awake and in full command of his senses. The cold temp was another challenge after the mid mark on our journey, yet he was with shorts and a hoodie and drove the entire way with his window down. On the way back I felt the rigorous trip even more because we initiated our trek on the lunar surface, the first six hours of the trip. Yet our driver, a different fellow, and older one, was equally capable and savvy. At 3 am he stopped in a little shop... which I was surprised it was open. Here he collected more leaves. I went to check it out and found 5 more drivers like him doing the same.

 

If you are wondering about the attempts to share the Gospel with the driver, that was an objective. After all, we had an amazing time sharing the Word for three days during our lessons on Bible doctrine. But let me say this, doing it while sitting down, standing up or even while laying down, is nothing compared to doing it riding a pickup on the “lunar surface.” I knew this was going to be a heroic effort and I was not going to chew some coca leaves to complete it. Bottom line, our conversation was extremely short and then I had to hold my head and stomach at the same time and for the next 6 hours.

 

Prayer

-       Some of you remember baby Joshua, son of our colaborers Jared and Claudia, he is having recurring bouts with urinary tract infections. There was a slight chance that things might clear after he was born. That’s not so. He is currently in Lima waiting for a much-needed operation once his infection clears.

-        Sarah and I are asking the Lord for wisdom as we prepare (through premarital counseling) one of the three couples in the assembly for their wedding day early next year.

-       Pray for all the speaking responsibilities that seem to come unexpectedly in December because of Christmas and ministries closing for the year.

-       Our Abigail is making her first solo international trip (Dec. 16^th) to spend Christmas break with us here in Peru. Pray for safe passage and refreshing time as CT family.

-       Peru is officially going through a 5^th wave of the coronavirus. Several in our assembly have gotten infected, our attendance has gone down, and we await (with dread) official guidelines for coping with it.

 

Thankful for your loving prayers!

 

Pablo & Sarah CT