Well, I think I mentioned in my last post that there is a fiesta here in Huyatara this week. Yesterday was a neat day because Leancio and his whole family came into town passing through to go to a city they move to during the rainy season. I unfortunately didn´t get to see them, but Leslie did and she told me that they had a Bible study last night with thier family!!!! I CAN¨T TELL YOU HOW EXCITED THAT MADE ME!!!! PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY!
Also, today we found out the Alan Garcia, the President of Peru was going to be coming to Huyatara today. We were told that he wasn´t going to be here until about 8 tonight but as we were sitting up at our hotel about to do some Bible studying a helicopter came and sure enough it was Presedente Garcia! CRAZY!!! There were all kinds of people here today to see him. Even several people from Quito Arma came!! It was great! Well that was a quick update...it´s time to go eat lunch!
I´ll update again soon!
Natalie
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
IT´S ME!!!!
Hey Gang!! I´m finally back in a village that has quite a bit of civilization...lol. The interesting thing about this village, Huyatara is that this week they are having this HUGE festival and there are lots and lots of people here. One thing that´s kinda rough is that there are TONS of drunk people. You can be praying for protection in case we run into any of them.
My time in Quito Arma was good overall. When I first got there I was definately in culture shock. As my parents have told you I was not quite expecting what this village was like. There were no paved roads, it was all dirt, which I´m fairly used to. The first place offered to us to stay in had dirt floors and mice and was really not a place I wanted to stay in. The next place was a lot nicer so we ended up getting both little houses to stay in. The boys (Drew and Nestor) stayed in the first one, and then us girls (at first Amy, Leslie, and I) stayed in the better one with concrete floors. Thankfully however, the Lord provided some mats for us to sleep on. That made it a lot better, but the mice still ran around sometimes. We had some benches, and a lot of shelves that we were able to use and then we brought a cook stove and gas with us to make breakfast and lunch. We ate dinner in a little tienda (store) in the village. The lady that Cooked for us was named Eliza and was a very good cook. I did begin to get tired of rice and chicken because that´s pretty much all that she cooked for us. Thankfully though we never had anything wierd.
Our ministry in Quito Arma was awesome. The first week we had about 5-8 people at each meeting, however it ended up dwindling down to just Leancio (The principal of the school there) and his family. Needless to say we ended up investing a lot of time in that family. His wife Lucy is also a believer as well as his Mom, Yolanda. Our times with them were very sweet. We met almost nightly with them and then tried to meet with them at least once during the day, the guys with Leancio and Leslie and I with Lucy and Yolanda. The Guys talked about a lot of important issues with Leancio including quiet times, spiritual warfare, accountablilty, and many others. Leslie and I went over the books of Ester and Ruth with Yolonda and Lucy. They were great times. We also met some times with another school teacher named Ada. Please be praying for her that she will be interested in reading the Bible we gave her and going to study the Bible with Leancio and his family. There is also another man that we met named Cleto and he was really interested in the Bible and we gave him one also. Pray that he will be interested in reading and studying also. The Lord allowed us to meet this woman named Emily and her husband Erasmo and thier son Samuel while we were there. They are not from Quito Arma but were there because of Emily have a year contract as a nurse there. They are strong believers and really want to infulence people for the Lord. Please pray that in the short time they have left (until July 10) they will be able to make a big difference.
I cannot tell you how many things I realize that I take for granted every day in the States. I mean really, having a toilet you can sit on (and put toilet paper in), taking a scaldling hot shower if you want, eating different kinds of food all the time, having constant internet and phone access, and even having constant electricity. God is so good to us! I´m so thankful that he has provided for me in such a way. But anyway, how wonderful it feels to feel girly again. I took a "hot" shower today for the first time in about 3 weeks...it´s crazy how amazing it feels to be actually clean. And sleeping in a bed! WOW! What a difference that makes!
Next week we are headed to Nasca and get to have a time of debriefing and fellowship and being clean and eating!!! I´m really excited to get to hear about what the Lord is doing and see all the people that I bonded with the first week I was here!! I love my team mates and all but seeing other people is such a blessing!!
Well I better let this be all for now! I hope that this finds you well and I would love to recieve e-mails from you all!´ I probably won´t be able to respond to all of them, but it´s always nice to hear encouragement!! I love you guys and thanks for your constant support!!
Natalie
My time in Quito Arma was good overall. When I first got there I was definately in culture shock. As my parents have told you I was not quite expecting what this village was like. There were no paved roads, it was all dirt, which I´m fairly used to. The first place offered to us to stay in had dirt floors and mice and was really not a place I wanted to stay in. The next place was a lot nicer so we ended up getting both little houses to stay in. The boys (Drew and Nestor) stayed in the first one, and then us girls (at first Amy, Leslie, and I) stayed in the better one with concrete floors. Thankfully however, the Lord provided some mats for us to sleep on. That made it a lot better, but the mice still ran around sometimes. We had some benches, and a lot of shelves that we were able to use and then we brought a cook stove and gas with us to make breakfast and lunch. We ate dinner in a little tienda (store) in the village. The lady that Cooked for us was named Eliza and was a very good cook. I did begin to get tired of rice and chicken because that´s pretty much all that she cooked for us. Thankfully though we never had anything wierd.
Our ministry in Quito Arma was awesome. The first week we had about 5-8 people at each meeting, however it ended up dwindling down to just Leancio (The principal of the school there) and his family. Needless to say we ended up investing a lot of time in that family. His wife Lucy is also a believer as well as his Mom, Yolanda. Our times with them were very sweet. We met almost nightly with them and then tried to meet with them at least once during the day, the guys with Leancio and Leslie and I with Lucy and Yolanda. The Guys talked about a lot of important issues with Leancio including quiet times, spiritual warfare, accountablilty, and many others. Leslie and I went over the books of Ester and Ruth with Yolonda and Lucy. They were great times. We also met some times with another school teacher named Ada. Please be praying for her that she will be interested in reading the Bible we gave her and going to study the Bible with Leancio and his family. There is also another man that we met named Cleto and he was really interested in the Bible and we gave him one also. Pray that he will be interested in reading and studying also. The Lord allowed us to meet this woman named Emily and her husband Erasmo and thier son Samuel while we were there. They are not from Quito Arma but were there because of Emily have a year contract as a nurse there. They are strong believers and really want to infulence people for the Lord. Please pray that in the short time they have left (until July 10) they will be able to make a big difference.
I cannot tell you how many things I realize that I take for granted every day in the States. I mean really, having a toilet you can sit on (and put toilet paper in), taking a scaldling hot shower if you want, eating different kinds of food all the time, having constant internet and phone access, and even having constant electricity. God is so good to us! I´m so thankful that he has provided for me in such a way. But anyway, how wonderful it feels to feel girly again. I took a "hot" shower today for the first time in about 3 weeks...it´s crazy how amazing it feels to be actually clean. And sleeping in a bed! WOW! What a difference that makes!
Next week we are headed to Nasca and get to have a time of debriefing and fellowship and being clean and eating!!! I´m really excited to get to hear about what the Lord is doing and see all the people that I bonded with the first week I was here!! I love my team mates and all but seeing other people is such a blessing!!
Well I better let this be all for now! I hope that this finds you well and I would love to recieve e-mails from you all!´ I probably won´t be able to respond to all of them, but it´s always nice to hear encouragement!! I love you guys and thanks for your constant support!!
Natalie
Monday, June 23, 2008
"Showers" of Blessing
Hey Prayer Warriors,
The team will be leaving Quito Armo on Wed. to head to another town called Huaytara for 3 days. Hopefully, there will be some showers and beds awaiting them.
They will be leaving Huaytara on Sat. June 28 to head to a city called Nasca where they will have their Mid-Summer debrief with the other teams from around the country. After about 4 days of showers, rest, sharing "war stories," showers, prayer, fun, showers and who knows what else, they will head back to the reigon they have been working in.
The first week of that will be spent in Huaytara. From there they will be going to a village called Tombo.
I am not really sure what their objectives will be in these two locations, but it is likely that when Natalie is in Huaytara and/or Nasca she will be able to update the blog herself so she can fill us in on more of the specifics. She may also be able to access her e-mail but we are learning that nothing (except that God is on the throne) is a sure thing.
Please pray for travel safety. The mountain roads are incredibly treacherous and the native drivers are pretty daring and not only put themselves in dangerous situations but also endanger anyone who happens to be on the same road. It is a blessing and a curse that as parents, we know so much about these conditions!
The team from Gyer Springs First Baptist Church will be leaving around July 4 th to spend a week or so working with Natalie's team. I am hoping to get to send a little care package to her by them.
I guess that's about it for now. Please continue to pray that God will be honored in everything that happens.
Blessings,
Jeanie
The team will be leaving Quito Armo on Wed. to head to another town called Huaytara for 3 days. Hopefully, there will be some showers and beds awaiting them.
They will be leaving Huaytara on Sat. June 28 to head to a city called Nasca where they will have their Mid-Summer debrief with the other teams from around the country. After about 4 days of showers, rest, sharing "war stories," showers, prayer, fun, showers and who knows what else, they will head back to the reigon they have been working in.
The first week of that will be spent in Huaytara. From there they will be going to a village called Tombo.
I am not really sure what their objectives will be in these two locations, but it is likely that when Natalie is in Huaytara and/or Nasca she will be able to update the blog herself so she can fill us in on more of the specifics. She may also be able to access her e-mail but we are learning that nothing (except that God is on the throne) is a sure thing.
Please pray for travel safety. The mountain roads are incredibly treacherous and the native drivers are pretty daring and not only put themselves in dangerous situations but also endanger anyone who happens to be on the same road. It is a blessing and a curse that as parents, we know so much about these conditions!
The team from Gyer Springs First Baptist Church will be leaving around July 4 th to spend a week or so working with Natalie's team. I am hoping to get to send a little care package to her by them.
I guess that's about it for now. Please continue to pray that God will be honored in everything that happens.
Blessings,
Jeanie
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Keep Praying
Sorry it has taken me so long to get out another update. The Internet availability is not what we have hoped for. We have, however, gotten to talk with her on the phone a couple of times since the last post. She is still pretty homesick at least sometimes. During the day, things are kind of quiet because all of the adults are working and all of the kids are in school. That seems to be the hardest time.
Here are some items for prayer:
1. Pray for Leoncio, the school principle. The goal that the team has for their time in Quinto Arma is to plant a house church. They feel that Leoncio may be the man that God has anointed to be the leader of the church and have challenged him to consider that. He has been very interested in studying the Bible with them and seems to be feeling this is God's calling for him.
2. Leoncio has already been encountering some spiritual warfare. He tried to talk to his uncle about the Lord and the idea of the church and his uncle told him that he thought the team was trying to take advantage of him and meant no good. The same night, Leoncio had a dream that the team was not genuine and did some harmful things. However, the team feels like after spending some time with him talking, praying and teaching him about spiritual warfare, that he is on board again.
3. Pray for Leoncio's wife. The girls are studying the book of Esther with her. They want to help her learn about being a woman of God, a wife and a pastor's wife.
4. Pray for Nestor. He is their translator and he is not a believer. The kids are concerned that because he doesn't agree with them about things, that he may be putting his own "twist" on some of his translations. He especially has had a problem with the idea of wives being submissive. That's not too surprising since lots of believers have problems with that! :) Pray that Nestor will be saved and be able to see with spiritual eyes. However, pray that whether or not he responds to Christ's invitation, he will translate accurately.
5. Please continue to pray for health and safety of the team members and that God will speak through them and glorify himself.
6. Pray that many villagers will come to know the Savior of their souls.
7. Pray for the meeting of all of the mission teams that will happen in about a week and a half. They will be going to a city (not sure where) for a time of debrief, training, etc. They will then return to their assignments for the second half of the trip.
8. Gyer Springs First Baptist Church of Little Rock is the church that has adopted the people group Natalie and her team are working with. Their church has been sending teams to this area for several years. They will be sending a team up there in a few weeks, so please pray that the students and the folks from GSFBC will work well together and accomplish God's purposes there.
Thank you so much for your prayers, love and support for Natalie. You are a blessing!!!
Here are some items for prayer:
1. Pray for Leoncio, the school principle. The goal that the team has for their time in Quinto Arma is to plant a house church. They feel that Leoncio may be the man that God has anointed to be the leader of the church and have challenged him to consider that. He has been very interested in studying the Bible with them and seems to be feeling this is God's calling for him.
2. Leoncio has already been encountering some spiritual warfare. He tried to talk to his uncle about the Lord and the idea of the church and his uncle told him that he thought the team was trying to take advantage of him and meant no good. The same night, Leoncio had a dream that the team was not genuine and did some harmful things. However, the team feels like after spending some time with him talking, praying and teaching him about spiritual warfare, that he is on board again.
3. Pray for Leoncio's wife. The girls are studying the book of Esther with her. They want to help her learn about being a woman of God, a wife and a pastor's wife.
4. Pray for Nestor. He is their translator and he is not a believer. The kids are concerned that because he doesn't agree with them about things, that he may be putting his own "twist" on some of his translations. He especially has had a problem with the idea of wives being submissive. That's not too surprising since lots of believers have problems with that! :) Pray that Nestor will be saved and be able to see with spiritual eyes. However, pray that whether or not he responds to Christ's invitation, he will translate accurately.
5. Please continue to pray for health and safety of the team members and that God will speak through them and glorify himself.
6. Pray that many villagers will come to know the Savior of their souls.
7. Pray for the meeting of all of the mission teams that will happen in about a week and a half. They will be going to a city (not sure where) for a time of debrief, training, etc. They will then return to their assignments for the second half of the trip.
8. Gyer Springs First Baptist Church of Little Rock is the church that has adopted the people group Natalie and her team are working with. Their church has been sending teams to this area for several years. They will be sending a team up there in a few weeks, so please pray that the students and the folks from GSFBC will work well together and accomplish God's purposes there.
Thank you so much for your prayers, love and support for Natalie. You are a blessing!!!
Friday, June 6, 2008
On the Gound- Literally
Dear friends, this is Jeanie. Wayne, or I will be updating the blog for a while because the village they are in has an old, very limited computer. We will be as accurate and thorough as we can but since this is second hand there might be a few missed details.
We finally got to talk to her on the phone today. The only phone in the village is a satellite phone. We can only call (she cannot call out) a couple of times a week because the phone serves all 200 people in the village.
She can receive e-mail, however, at nataloo87@hotmail.com. Right now that is a better way to get a message to her than posting on her blog. If you have time to send her an e-mail, I know she would really love to hear from you.
She would really appreciate concentrated prayer right now. In our last few communications with her she has shared that this has been a much harder experience than she anticipated. Of course, one of the reasons is that it is just a hard thing to leave your family, friends, country and familiar surroundings and comforts and go to a remote part of a foreign country for two months to share the gospel and live with people you have never met before. HELLO?! That's one reason we aren't all there! :)
Also, they (and we) can easily forget that there is a very real and powerful enemy that is doing all in his power to discourage and defeat these brave, faithful young adults from sharing the hope of Christ and the love of God with this remote village.
One of the difficulties is that she, and we, were expecting this village to be pretty much like the ones we worked with when we went to Peru with our Markham Street Bapt Church group for several years. It is much more primitive than most of those villages. Lots of dirt, no bathrooms, no showers, limited electricity and outside communication possibilities.
We expected they would be sleeping in beds, at least most of the time, but instead are sleeping on concrete floors. She did tell us today that they had been given some thin mats but they didn't help a lot. (One good thing, however, is that though it has been uncomfortable, at least her back has not bothered her much. That is a major reason for praise since she has had periodic back problems since childhood.)
She has also had stomach problems. On her worst day so far she threw up 4 or 5 times. (Not fun when there are not any bathrooms.) Most days, however, she has mainly felt nauseous and not been able to eat much. Please pray that she overcomes this so she can stay healthy.
Another tough thing that happened this week is that one of the girls on her team, Amy, has a heart condition that flared up and she ended up having to go home. She and Natalie have much in common and Natalie will really miss her, not to mention her concern for Amy's health.
Though they will surely miss Amy, their team seems to be gelling and she really likes all of them. The team leader, Leslie, has been in this area numerous times so that is a good thing. I think the communication problems with the translator that she mentioned in a previous blog entry have improved She has also really enjoyed her interactions with the villagers.
One of the best things about the trip so far is that they have had a good response from a man (I think he is the principle of the school, but I am not positive.) who had accepted Christ last year. On their first or second day in this village they invited the man and his wife to come and study the Bible with them and bring a couple of friends.
Not only did he and his wife come, but they brought several others with them. I think that they have had 8-10 for several nights this week. Those who have attended have been very interested and have asked many questions. The team really senses God moving in this village right now. Their plan at this point is to stay there for another week or so and then to move on to another village.
Sorry this has been so long, but then, those of you who know me I'm sure are not surprised. :) Maybe Wayne will do the next update and it will be a little more to the point! Thank you so much for partnering with Natalie in this mission. Your prayers and support have, and do, mean so much to her and to us! She hopes to be able to upload some pictures and be able to update the blog herself when they move to the next village. Until then we will update when we have news to share.
Blessings on each of you,
Jeanie
PS Please pray that Amy will get home and get the care she needs with out any problems.
We finally got to talk to her on the phone today. The only phone in the village is a satellite phone. We can only call (she cannot call out) a couple of times a week because the phone serves all 200 people in the village.
She can receive e-mail, however, at nataloo87@hotmail.com. Right now that is a better way to get a message to her than posting on her blog. If you have time to send her an e-mail, I know she would really love to hear from you.
She would really appreciate concentrated prayer right now. In our last few communications with her she has shared that this has been a much harder experience than she anticipated. Of course, one of the reasons is that it is just a hard thing to leave your family, friends, country and familiar surroundings and comforts and go to a remote part of a foreign country for two months to share the gospel and live with people you have never met before. HELLO?! That's one reason we aren't all there! :)
Also, they (and we) can easily forget that there is a very real and powerful enemy that is doing all in his power to discourage and defeat these brave, faithful young adults from sharing the hope of Christ and the love of God with this remote village.
One of the difficulties is that she, and we, were expecting this village to be pretty much like the ones we worked with when we went to Peru with our Markham Street Bapt Church group for several years. It is much more primitive than most of those villages. Lots of dirt, no bathrooms, no showers, limited electricity and outside communication possibilities.
We expected they would be sleeping in beds, at least most of the time, but instead are sleeping on concrete floors. She did tell us today that they had been given some thin mats but they didn't help a lot. (One good thing, however, is that though it has been uncomfortable, at least her back has not bothered her much. That is a major reason for praise since she has had periodic back problems since childhood.)
She has also had stomach problems. On her worst day so far she threw up 4 or 5 times. (Not fun when there are not any bathrooms.) Most days, however, she has mainly felt nauseous and not been able to eat much. Please pray that she overcomes this so she can stay healthy.
Another tough thing that happened this week is that one of the girls on her team, Amy, has a heart condition that flared up and she ended up having to go home. She and Natalie have much in common and Natalie will really miss her, not to mention her concern for Amy's health.
Though they will surely miss Amy, their team seems to be gelling and she really likes all of them. The team leader, Leslie, has been in this area numerous times so that is a good thing. I think the communication problems with the translator that she mentioned in a previous blog entry have improved She has also really enjoyed her interactions with the villagers.
One of the best things about the trip so far is that they have had a good response from a man (I think he is the principle of the school, but I am not positive.) who had accepted Christ last year. On their first or second day in this village they invited the man and his wife to come and study the Bible with them and bring a couple of friends.
Not only did he and his wife come, but they brought several others with them. I think that they have had 8-10 for several nights this week. Those who have attended have been very interested and have asked many questions. The team really senses God moving in this village right now. Their plan at this point is to stay there for another week or so and then to move on to another village.
Sorry this has been so long, but then, those of you who know me I'm sure are not surprised. :) Maybe Wayne will do the next update and it will be a little more to the point! Thank you so much for partnering with Natalie in this mission. Your prayers and support have, and do, mean so much to her and to us! She hopes to be able to upload some pictures and be able to update the blog herself when they move to the next village. Until then we will update when we have news to share.
Blessings on each of you,
Jeanie
PS Please pray that Amy will get home and get the care she needs with out any problems.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Latest E-mail from Natalie
Hey Mom and Dad! I hope this e-mail finds you well! I love you guys so much and miss you soo much also!! We arrived yesterday in our village for a few weeks called Quito Arma. This town is much more rough than any of the villages we've been too in the past, except Pillipampa.
Last night we had our first meeting with about 8-11 people. Some of whom were believers, and some of whom were not. We studied Mat. 9:35-38. It was really good. Many of the people had questions when we were done with the Study and we had many opportunities to share the Gospel with them.
When I first got here yesterday, I wasn't really sure what to think. I was a little shocked! But I think that it will get better and that it will be a good growing experience for me. We are staying in this old house off of the plaza that is nice and cozy except we are sleeping on the floor and we get to live with mice...at least kind of.
Today we sent Dave Hughey from Geyer Springs First Baptist Church home until he brings a team back in July. I have to admit that it was hard for me to see him drive off. Just having that security of him being around was wonderful. Now, its up to us to really stick together and bond as a team.
After breakfast this morning we went prayer walking. That was awesome to see more of the village and people. We got to see the gorgeous mountains that God has placed around us. I really feel that The Lord is going to take care of me and help me grow and use us in a great way here in Quito Arma.
Tonight we have another meeting at 5:00. Please pray that the people who were there last night will bring friends like we asked them to. Also pray that we will be able to teach effectively to help the people grow. Leslie, our team leader is going to be doing most of the teaching tonight, pray for her, that God would speak through her
I guess I never told you who all was on my team, Leslie Bass is the leader, she's from Little Rock, but goes to Union University; next is Amy Long from Alabama, who goes go Covenant College on Look Out Mountain in Tennessee; and then there is Drew Jackson from Mississippi; and last but not least there's Nestor, our translator from Lima. Please pray for our communication with Nestor, its very difficult sometimes to get across what we are trying to say.
Unfortunately, right now I'm feeling a little nauseous. Please pray that will get better. I'm really sorry that my thoughts are so scattered. I'm just having a hard time processing everything. If you have some time I would really appreciate it if you could update my blog for me. This computer wont let me. Thank you so much!
I love you guys and couldn't ever express to you how much I love you and how much your constant prayers mean to me!!!
Love, Natalie
Last night we had our first meeting with about 8-11 people. Some of whom were believers, and some of whom were not. We studied Mat. 9:35-38. It was really good. Many of the people had questions when we were done with the Study and we had many opportunities to share the Gospel with them.
When I first got here yesterday, I wasn't really sure what to think. I was a little shocked! But I think that it will get better and that it will be a good growing experience for me. We are staying in this old house off of the plaza that is nice and cozy except we are sleeping on the floor and we get to live with mice...at least kind of.
Today we sent Dave Hughey from Geyer Springs First Baptist Church home until he brings a team back in July. I have to admit that it was hard for me to see him drive off. Just having that security of him being around was wonderful. Now, its up to us to really stick together and bond as a team.
After breakfast this morning we went prayer walking. That was awesome to see more of the village and people. We got to see the gorgeous mountains that God has placed around us. I really feel that The Lord is going to take care of me and help me grow and use us in a great way here in Quito Arma.
Tonight we have another meeting at 5:00. Please pray that the people who were there last night will bring friends like we asked them to. Also pray that we will be able to teach effectively to help the people grow. Leslie, our team leader is going to be doing most of the teaching tonight, pray for her, that God would speak through her
I guess I never told you who all was on my team, Leslie Bass is the leader, she's from Little Rock, but goes to Union University; next is Amy Long from Alabama, who goes go Covenant College on Look Out Mountain in Tennessee; and then there is Drew Jackson from Mississippi; and last but not least there's Nestor, our translator from Lima. Please pray for our communication with Nestor, its very difficult sometimes to get across what we are trying to say.
Unfortunately, right now I'm feeling a little nauseous. Please pray that will get better. I'm really sorry that my thoughts are so scattered. I'm just having a hard time processing everything. If you have some time I would really appreciate it if you could update my blog for me. This computer wont let me. Thank you so much!
I love you guys and couldn't ever express to you how much I love you and how much your constant prayers mean to me!!!
Love, Natalie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
