June newsletter

Dear Friends,

Wow! It has been a busy three months! I’ll try not to tell all the details, because that would make this newsletter the size of a novel, but I’ll give a quick synopsis of what has been going on since my last letter in March.
At the end of March Martin and I were priviledged to be able to be a part of handing out Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes in Huaricolca. It was so neat to see all those excited kids; there were about 300 of them! Their faces shone as they opened up the boxes and examined the treats inside. Moms and grandmothers were just as excited as the kids!

April was a busy month. We were able to meet several times with our lawyer in Lima and we signed many of the papers related to the NGO we are forming. We also had a meeting with the director of the government department that concerns itself with the welfare of women and children. There is a missionary from Newfoundland, Sherry, who also lives in Tarma, and we have decided to help her start a project that is similar to ours in the city of Tarma. She will be caring for kids who spend a lot of their time begging in the streets, providing a place for them to do homework, to play, and to learn about God’s love for them. We are excited about working together with her. We celebrated Easter with an American missionary family, and enjoyed some North American style food, at the traditional Peruvian time for eating lunch! (Around 2pm) In April I also made a quick trip home to Canada for my grandfather’s funeral. What a blessing to be able to be with my family at that time, even if only for a few days.
At the beginning of May we had a visit from my pastor from Peterborough and some of his friends. Our friends Jason (from Canada) and Rocio (from Peru) got married, and we kicked off our Sunday school program in Huaricolca. Thanks to the GEMS girls in Chatham who raised money for us, we were able to buy treat bags for the kids and fill them with pencils and erasers and candies. We sang lots of songs and played some games, and we had about 25 kids come. Sunday school has continued every other week in Huaricolca while we have been in Canada, but we are planning to make it a weekly occasion once we return.
Also in May Martin and I were pajes (part of the wedding party) in our friends’ wedding in Tarma. It was a new experience for both of us, as weddings in the mountains are very traditional and highly coreographed! Our friend Pastor Omar had a visitor from the U.S. who lead a leadership conference for all the leaders in the community in Tarma, and I had the honour and challenge of translating for him in the mornings for the conference, and in the evenings at church. It was very tiring, but God was faithful and kept my brain from shutting down!
Thank you for praying about Martin’s visa. In April we received the news that he had been accepted, and in May we came home to prepare for the wedding. Things were a bit stressful and Martin had a bit culture shock, but we survived and in June the wedding was beautiful, even though the weather was a bit strange!

And finally, the best news yet... we just found out that land has been donated for the centre! There was a complicated mix-up regarding land for the church that our friend Pastor Guillermo is starting to build in Huaricolca, and the end result is that the town provided land for him, and for the centre as well! Praise God! We are looking forward to returning to Peru in July to begin building the centre and being Christ’s hands and feet right there in Huaricolca.

Thank you for continuing to support this project and may God bless you richly!


Please pray!
· For buildings materials and labourers

· For the quick finalization of our NGO

· For favour with community officials

· For a van to drive kids around

· That God would bless the efforts we make with these children and their families