You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance Psalm 65:11 NLT
As we were preparing for Christmas this year, enjoying all the little things that make the holidays special, I began to reflect on where we all were last year, and how different our life and circumstances looked. There was so much uncertainty, and waiting. With a diagnosis of what looked metastatic, and having to travel alone to the US for a second opinion because we were still waiting for all the documents to process after Kaleb’s adoption, things were definatly not feeling merry and bright. One of the things that helped us through it all was God’s words telling us to TRUST HIM. So we did. On our hands and knees, we trusted HIM. And wow, all we can say is PRAISE GOD! We are so thankful for the work that God did this year both in our lives personally and in our area of service in Peru.
When I think of 2022 I think of the verse “You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance”. Psalm 65:11 NLT Even the HARD PATHWAYS overflow with ABUNDANCE….WOW…..My heart overflows with gratitude when I think of ALL the ways this verse is true and right for us. Last year at this very moment, had you told me this would be the end result of our 2022, I would not have believed it. This year was one of the hardest in our lives, but also one of the fullest, most abundant years in all of our lives. And the bountiful harvest? We have had SO MUCH!!!!! Many of you have followed our story. But we want to take time to highlight the big things because we really can’t believe all of this happened in 2022.
Would you join us in thanking God for the following?
1. For doing a miracle in my body. Turning the tumor into some rare BENIGN tumor. For the safe removal and the recovery process.
2. For freeing me of many fears that I had been struggling with all of my life.
3. For moving the mountain of paperwork and logistics to get Clever & Kaleb to the USA before my surgery.
4. For provision for ALL our needs.
5. For Kaleb becoming a US citizen
6. For the opportunity to connect with family and friends for an extended amount of time in the US. (don’t worry, if we didn’t make it to you, we are coming in July 2023 to connect specifically with you!)
7. For the opportunity that Kaleb and Clever had to experience life in the US.
8. For our return to Peru and reconnecting with friends and family and finding a great new place to live.
9. For Kaleb attending and graduating from Kindergarten at a Christian bilingual school in Peru.
10. For our return to FULL time IN PERSON service and an explosion of fruit from all the work that was done during the pandemic. (more details below)
Here are some amazing stats for the church Camino de Vida in the year 2022
*March 2022 Re-opened our Surco campus after 2 years of just online services.
*April 2022 Re-opened our Lince campus after 2 years of just online services. And re-opened all in person youth services.
*Maintaining both ONLINE and IN PERSON services.
*August 2022 KIDS Sunday school services returned to in person services AND online option.
*Over 5200 people received Jesus as their Savior in both online and in person services this year.
*We blessed over 20,000 kids with a present for Christmas this year.
*We gave over 500 people the gift of mobility with a free wheelchair.
*We welcomed back/received 3 short term mission teams this year after a 2 year hiatus.
*An online recording studio, a playground for the children before/after services, and an updated stage inside the auditorium were added.
SERVICE UPDATE
Wheelchairs
Clever, Lisa and Kaleb continue to serve in the area of the wheelchair distributions. This includes finding those who need a wheelchair, doing the proper vetting to see if they qualify, and then being part of the team who distributes them. Most of the distributions have been in Lima this year with plans in 2023 to travel out of Lima because the need is great throughout Peru. Kaleb participates with the wheelchair distributions every Saturday. He has become quite apt at building the chairs and helping to connect with the kids who come to receive their wheelchair. In November we received our first container of wheelchairs since before the Pandemic. We ask for prayer for the events in China (where the factory that manufactures the chair) to not impact further containers to arrive all around the world.
Disability
This area has grown this year from a seed to a flower to fruit…..We are overjoyed with the growth and the response from all sides to grow this area. Our desire is to help change the culture of the church to be more inclusive to people of all ages with all types of disabilities. We have spent this entire year training up volunteers, leaders, and building up a service area in each ministry that serves people with disabilites. At the beginning of December, we were able to provide a “THANK YOU” lunch for all the volunteers who serve others with disabilites in the church. It was a time to show our appreciation, but also motivate them for the work that is to come in 2023. Here are some updates and some beautiful stories that have personally impacted us.
Volunteer Thank You Lunch
KIDS (children’s Sunday school)
*We have a team of volunteers who adapts the regular Sunday school curriculum every week to meet the kids where they are so that they can learn about who Jesus is and his love for them.
We offer an adapted Sunday school curriculum for both of our 2 in person locations (5 different services) and our ONLINE service (2 different services).
*We finally have our own entrance into the room where we serve our kiddos who are not yet able to integrate into their classroom full time.
*We have successfully integrated 7 kiddos into their regular aged classroom with support as needed
*8 children with disabilities were able to participate with their peers on stage for a Christmas performance the final Sunday before Christmas. This was super special since many of these kids have never been able to participate in something like this before. One mom was so surprised to see her son participate tears streamed down her face with joy.
Get Up (youth services)
*The transition from online to in person services was made in March 2022
* There are about 12 teens identified with needing our support during the services.
*One of the best moments in GetUp was seeing Jonathon invite his friends from school to church and then each weeks see a different friend raise his/her hand to receive Jesus into their heart.
Central (college aged-young adults)
* In Central there are 4 young adults with disabilites who are attending 1 on 1 or small groups online. While challenges such as distance from the church, living out of Lima, or social anxiety have caused it to be difficult for this age group to attend in person, we are thrilled with the growth each person has made over this past year.
*2 of the volunteers have been able to meet with 2 of the young adults outside of their small group online time for a face to face meet. Below you can see a picture of Daphne with her friend Keika and Efrain with his friend Andres. Both in their first in person meet.
Punto (young professionals)
*We were able to close the year celebrating with the first in person service attendance of our beloved Ximena. Her family has been waiting for the day when she would make the decision to transition from online to in person services. It was a celebration for all who were a part. It was a joy and a pleasure to have her surrounded by a community of people who received her well and without discrimination!!! We are excited to receive Ximena and other peers in her age range in 2023 in the church.
*One more impactful thing we want to share is that the young professional ministry chose to serve a school with kids with moderate to severe disabilites for their year end service opportunity. There were 150 young professional volunteers from our church who came together to serve 50 children. They played games with the kids, shared the message of Jesus’ birth through a simple bible skit, and even shared a personal message with their parents to encourage them. We hope to continue to serve in this way both in and outside the church in the next year. Please see some pictures of both Ximena and the outreach.
Families small group with curriculum
*We were finally able to launch our first small group with curriculum for parents with kids with disabilites. We had over 20 families registered and 4 couples who led the families (who also are parents with kids with disabilites). The results were wonderful and the desire for these families to continue to grow and remain in community is evident. Next year we plan to add 2 more series so that we will have a full year of curriculum to help support these families.
*One personal testimony from one of the leaders shared that many of the parents who entered her group are just in the beginning of their journey navigating disability with their child who has just recently diagnosed. Many are grateful for a safe place where each can share their stories, concerns, fears, etc with others who are like minded with an eternal perspective. This group and curriculum is giving hope to those who have been feeling lost in the sea of this new journey.
ONE FINAL PRAYER REQUEST
Maybe you don’t know, but Peru has been in a state of political unrest. I will not go into details as you can find sources online for details, but we have been put back into a state of emergency until mid January due to this. There have been riots, destruction and death. Please pray for peace, protection, safety, and overall wisdom.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Sorry this is so ummm abundant (lengthy) but there is so much to PRAISE GOD for in this year. We don’t know what this next year will hold for us as a family, and in our service area,- we have many plans and dreams of new things for 2023 and know that whatever will come of them will be from God. But we ask you to join us in prayer for growth. For more people to feel welcomed into the church. For more volunteers to serve. And overall for the culture to change to include all.
Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace, so that you will have more than enough of everything-every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do. 2 Corinthians 9:8 TPT
Thank you for believing in us. For staying with us during one of the most difficult years. For praying for us and supporting us in the most special ways. We are beyond grateful. We are blessed by each one of you who are part of our support team and we could not continue to do what we are doing without you.
If you haven’t already and would consider giving a year end gift, we would greatly appreciate it. The end of the year gifts help us out on the months when the financial support income is low. As you know as missionaries, we do not have any other income other than what we receive. We are thankful for your generosity even in hard times when all expenses everywhere in the world is soaring.
Thank you all for this amazing year. We know that 2023 will be even better, reaching more lives for Jesus.