“So it is impossible for God to lie for we know that his promise and his vow will never change! And now we have run into his heart to hide ourselves in his faithfulness. This is where we find his strength and comfort, for he empowers us to seize what has already been established ahead of time—an unshakeable hope!” Hebrews 6:18 TPT
What a beautiful image of running into the heart of God to hide ourselves in his faithfulness. We need this reminder right now as we enter the holiday months in this year of pandemic. It is so easy to get caught up in the things that still are not back to normal. We can focus on all the things we cannot do. Here the restrictions continue to be intense. This is the first year for the holidays that many missionaries are returning to the US with an unknown date of return…Then we also have the wait for Kaleb’s adoption process which continues to be long and drawn out. We could look at the numbers of sick and deaths that continues to rise, and the increase in poverty in an already poor country. We could look at the division between our fellow Americans in this time of the presidential elections among so many other issues that continue to separate people who once lived in harmony despite having different opinions….The list goes on as we continue in this weird year of 2020….
But can we tell you some amazing things about 2020 that we personally have been witness too? Where God is showing us that He IS here with us. And we can trust in his promises….
1. Since the pandemic started and our church closed its doors to a physical service in March, we have had up to 14,000 people watching one of our online Sunday service!!
2. We have had a peak of 17,000 small groups during this season which I more than double what we had at the beginning of the pandemic.
3. In September the church hosted an online 2 day marriage retreat partnered with Chick-fil-A’s Winshape foundation in all of Latin America and then one in Europe a week later. There was so MANY people connected that it literally fried the servers and affected the internet on the first conference.
4. We have never stopped serving the community in this time. Our staff and volunteers go to the church building daily and pack bags of basic needs to serve the various communities that are in the most of need. They also are serving first responders with food and water as needed. Over 150,000 people have been blessed in this time of pandemic. Christmas is coming and now there is a huge campaign to bless 10,000 children.
5. We have started to give distribute wheelchairs at a very small scale again which is a huge need. Clever is happy to be able to get to be a part of this team.
6. Our children’s ministry has exploded in this time. A combination of small groups and live online lessons provides a nice Sunday experience for so many children and families in Lima and even in provinces.
7. Clever and I have provided trainings to the family ministry and youth ministry in how to receive families and their children with special needs into their ministries. This is an ongoing process to help them continue to see how we can be an inclusive church to all.
8. We continue to help find and assist in the coordination of scholarships for people with disabilities from the Laurie Schoendorfer Education Endowment fund. Up to date there are 5 young adults who have been awarded education scholarships in Peru.
9. There is SOOOOOO much more positive things going on where we can see God shining his bright light on all of us!
So…..this verse above, that talks about running into the heart of God to hide ourselves in his faithfulness.. It is SO good because you can see that even though there is SO much hard right now, there also is SO much good happening. The heart of God IS where we find HIS strength and comfort. And it is there where we get this unshakable hope for an unknown future. Our prayer for you all as you enter into the last 2 months of 2020 is to remember that running into the heart of God is the very best place you can be. May you find ways to do that so that you can feel peace and hope even with so much unknown.
Thank you for praying for us. Here are a few personal updates and prayer requests.
1. Praise God the uterine tumor was benign, and Lisa’s recovery is going well. Please pray for complete recovery.
2. Our first adoption court hearing was postponed to Nov 30th. Please be praying that this hearing happens (virtually) and will be a short process to finalize.
3. We celebrate Kaleb’s 4th birthday next week and are so thankful to get to be able to celebrate his life! He is a gift from God to us.
4. Please pray for us as we will be one of only 2 other missionary families who are staying in Peru during the holidays. With the restrictions in place there are so many things we know we won’t be able to do. Please pray for us to find fun ways to celebrate and make new memories. We LOVE mail, even though we are not sure when it will arrive, if anyone would like to send us a Christmas card we would LOVE to receive them!!! Let us know so we can give you our address!!
***As missionaries, we do not receive a paycheck for the church that we serve under here in Peru. We are here, able to continue this good work because of the kindness and generosity of others. We know that you have many options for giving to good causes and we are thankful that you continue to believe in what we are doing here. We also thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement.