Happy New Year! Yes, 2020 is here and may we truly have perfect sight in God's eyes! May our vision be His in seeing the world as He sees it, needing to seek God and live for Him.

Wow! So much has happened in December! God helped the youth from the main Arequipa church in several outreach projects, Christmas bag distribution (helping me with Gospel presentation with this in the state boys home and then in a children's home), then helping our coworkers Jeff and Angela with the outreach in the neighborhood where they have a lot and are working with the neighbors, hoping to start a church there. Then they did the outreach in the town about an hour's drive outside of Arequipa. Several of the believers here brought clothes, food items, goodies and some toys to help in this. God is using our youth and the believers for the most part are more united and blessed to see the Lord at work in lives here.

Along that line, some new ones have been baptized, and some more are wanting to be baptized real soon here and in these places mentioned above. Thanks for helping to pray for these new believers and seekers - for building God's kingdom.

Bob has had a few trips recently as well. First to the Majes valley where believers from 3 or 4 churches in and above the valley came together for a joint meeting, where 3 had been baptized before. These new believers are growing and these joint meetings are a blessing and an encouragement for them. Then, I got to go with him for a whole 2 days at the beach. Christmas tradition! Really nice, a needed relax. This was after the school's year closing Christmas program, which also was a blessing.

The day after getting back from the beach, Bob went with a dear brother to some special meetings in a Quechua community in the highlands above Espinar, Chullopata. They had some difficulties up there as the road does not reach the community so they left the car about a kilometer below and hiked up. Then they had to go back down and up carrying the Bibles and books, tiring in the altitude. Also, while we were at the beach, Bob kicked the sand really hard and ended up with a fissure in the side of his big toe. All the walking up in the mountains really made it swell up and hurt. So after arriving back he had to cancel the trip planned to Juliaca and the Quechua community of Occoro. Bob's foot is healing but it needs rest and elevation.

Another reason for canceling that trip is that a dear brother from one of the neighborhood churches passed away early Dec. 31 - we had visited him and family the day before, then when we heard he had passed into the Lord's presence, we went to the funeral last night before the big watchnight service here. The burial is this afternoon. We are sorry for the family, but they are resting in the Lord, knowing their husband, father, brother is with HIM and free of suffering. Thanks for praying for the Carpio family.

Last night we had a beautiful service, receiving the new year in prayer. Several brought food, so that lasted to way after midnight, but the service itself was really good. Several testimonies of God's grace and working in lives, the youth presentation of highlights of their year of service and fun, new believers, etc. Bob gave a moving testimony of how the Lord has worked in his health - healing of the prostate cancer, and his true desire to keep working for the Lord here, for as long as He permits!

So, may your 2020 be filled with perfect vision, for Christ, and His blessings and leading for each of you. Thanks so very much for praying for us and sharing with us so we can keep on keeping on for God. Our support address is:

Christian Missions in Many Lands, Inc.
P.O. Box 13,
Spring Lake, NJ, 07762-0013 (with a note: for Bob Rich, Peru)

Thanks so very much! Blessings for all year and more, Noel for us

Hi to you dear ones,

And we hope you did indeed have a blessed Thanksgiving, and now will have a joyful Christmas season as well, remembering the true "reason for the season" as they say. Our precious Savior and Lord left His glory to come and give Himself for us, how thankful we are, and forever will be.

November went so very fast! We are blessed to have our granddaughter, Raquel, Paul's daughter, here with us for almost a month. We were able to travel with her to the Majes Valley for a united meeting of the churches in the valley and from Chuquibamba as well. 3 were baptized in the river there, a young guy from one of the towns in the valley, Diego, another lady from another valley town, Brita, and a lady from one of the mountain towns near Chuquibamba, Raquel.

Also we are in the time of visiting the children's home we help, our youth group did a really nice program for the almost 60 children and youth there plus distributing their Christmas bags which Raquel helped us put together. The youth and also Bob had a good Gospel presentation, we trust it was glorifying to the Lord. This is a Christian home and the directors are precious believers who really do all they can to share Christ with each of the children and youth there.

This next Saturday we have the distribution of the Christmas bags to the state boys home. The youth from the church here put these together and also will have a program to present Christ there too. This is a yearly opportunity to share with these guys, many are street kids, most have had a really sad life. And the youth are doing another outreach to a neighborhood near a town about an hour's drive from Arequipa. So they are working there too sharing Christ with the children and some Moms there as well. Thanks so much for praying for these outreaches. And for our growing youth group which Pepe is leading well. We are very thankful the Lord is raising up some leaders for His work here, please keep praying for more!

The school year is almost over and we are getting ready for finals and practice for the closing ceremony. May all this bring honor to our Lord. As for the needs of the school, please help us pray for dedicated Christian teachers for next year. And for the freedom to keep on teaching God's Word in the school. This is a privilege and freedom many other countries do not have. There is opposition even here to this but God has permitted us to continue. Please pray for our directors in all they have to do for the required paper work for the govt. here. A real headache, but they keep their eyes on the goal - of being able to continue for God.

Thank you so very much for praying for us here and standing with us in the Lord's work. May God bless each of you. Our support address is:

Christian Missions in Many Lands, Inc.
P.O. Box 13
Spring Lake, NJ, 07762-0013 with a note: for Bob Rich, Perú

Wishing you a very joyful Christmas, Love and thanks, Noél for us

Hi to you dear ones.

Yes, November is a month to remember to give thanks - which we should do always, but as Thanksgiving comes closer we are especially thankful for God's goodness and amazing love for us. Hope you all have a good Thanksgiving season.

Last month we had the privilege of again attending a missionary retreat up north in the lovely city of Trujillo. It was a good time of refreshing and fellowshipping with colleagues from different areas of ministry and of Perú. Then to start out November, here we have had a weekend of special meetings for several of our churches in and around Arequipa, with a visiting brother from Lambayeque, also in the north of Perú. These meetings have encouraged our brothers and we also enjoyed seeing some we have not seen in years, and are glad they and their families are going on for the Lord.

The high schoolers from our Christian school, Ebenezer, had their retreat in a nearby center - seems they did enjoy it and we pray the messages they heard will truly bring a commitment in their lives for Christ. Thanks for praying for the school, in its final bimester - school year ends near the end of December. And please pray for continuing freedom to teach God's Word, and the influence this is having on our students, teachers, and families. Please help us pray for dedicated Christian teachers for next year.

This morning we had a baptism here in our main Arequipa church. A very needy, suffering family truly desires to serve the Lord. The father and mother and teenage daughter received their baptism. The daughter, Patricia, has leukemia. She has had several chemotherapies and months of hospitalization, The only hope for her now is a bone marrow transplant which has to be done in Lima. Her Dad is the donor, but they have to wait for the space for it. If it does not happen soon, she will have to have more chemotherapy. She is jaundiced, but stable at the moment, and she came truly desiring to give her life to the Lord.

The only other daughter in this family, Vanesa, is already at least 20 and she has severe downs syndrome. She also has developed leukemia and also has had initial chemotherapy, but is not able to take much of this. She is hospitalized and truly not expected to live long. They give her blood but it only lasts a day or two, then the hemoglobin goes way down and she suffers. The mother practically has to live in the hospital with her, and Patricia has to be in an uncle's home and they cannot be together as defenses are so low. The Dad works in Ilo, a town on the coast south of here and only comes for a day and a half each week, to see his girls and his wife - well, today, another uncle cared for Vanesa in the hospital so Mom and Dad and sister Patricia could come and be baptized. Please help us pray for this family, Pedro and Maria Elena Arapa and daughters Vanesa and Patricia. Please help us pray for Patricia especially. We are thankful for her Spiritual salvation, but do pray for her physical salvation as well. Then for the Lord's timing for Vanesa.

We are thankful for the youth here in our main church, they are going on outreaches to teach children, witness to their families and others, and help where they can. We pray all of them will continue faithful to the Lord. Also some more are asking for baptism soon. Thanks so much for helping us pray. Thanks to all who share with us as God leads. Our support address is:

Christian Missions in Many Lands, Inc.
P.O. Box 13,
Spring Lake, NJ, 07762-0013 with a note: for Bob Rich, Peru

Many Thanksgiving blessings for you all, Noél for us

Hi to you all!

Yes, I started out October just like that! Fell over! It was on a street that is all torn up cause they are working on it, (and looks like it will be several more months till they get it done). We are really thankful I didn't break anything, the worst is a wound, gash, on my arm, which is healing. I miss the other kind of fall you have up there in October, guess it is almost over though. Anyway, we are truly thankful we are still here serving the Lord.

Thanks for all your prayers for us! Bob is truly well, his cancer cells have gone down so much, psa now 2.8 and ecograph of the prostate shows it is also smaller, shrinking, which is good. He still has to take pills but they are available here - expensive, but God has provided for that. We have decided for now not to do radiation, as the progress is so good without it, and that yes, would be very expensive. Thanks again for praying!

Bob had a good trip to the high mountain area of Culypampa for meetings and encouraging the believers there. Now he is on another trip to the mountains, Callalli, for a leaders' meeting today and tomorrow. Then he plans to go over to the "alteplano" to Juliaca and a Quechua community near there. So he really is not slowed down much. He says he is somewhat more tired, but we will let that be also atributed to being almost 75.

We just had our school anniversary program. I did a program on Samson with the 2nd graders. They did well, and we trust it all was for the Lord's glory. We are thankful for still being able to teach and share God's Word here. It is more difficult each year, but we surely have more freedom here than in so many countries. My prayer and vision is that this generation will indeed come to know our Lord. Please help us pray for this.

The Lord is working here in Arequipa too, church is growing and others are involved in reaching out to areas around the city that have no evangelical church. Our youth are going each Sunday afternoon now to an annex of Yarabamba, (Belaunde) to have children's meetings, and some parents come as well. Our missionaries to the Asheninka tribe started this work, then Jeff and Angela continued it and saw it grow. Now they are going to other areas to evangelize, hoping to see churches planted there, and the youth from here are taking over the work in Belaunde. Though it is not easy, we are seeing other leaders raised up to continue God's work, please keep praying for this, and that these will remain strong in the faith with ability to communicate God's message efficiently.

Truly we thank you for standing with us in prayer, and for sharing as the Lord leads you. Our support address is:

Christian Missions in Many Lands, Inc.
P.O. Box 13,
Spring Lake, NJ, 07762-0013 with a note for Bob Rich, Peru

Many "fall" blessings (without the other kind of fall), Noél for us

Hi dear ones!

Yes, spring is coming here, now with some warmer temps. but a lot of wind which brings dust. But we cannot complain, as so many are suffering from hurricane winds and rain.

This past month has been really really busy! We have ministry in 5 weddings within a month's time! 3 of them have happened and two more are planned for this month. We also had ministry in a funeral - a dear older brother, who had the first church in Tiabaya in his house passed away. He was in his 90's. Plus tests in school, and other visits, meetings, counseling, etc. Thanks so much for praying for us and sharing with us as God leads you.

Another unexpected thing came up: Bob was diagnosed with prostate cancer. We ended up initially going to 4 doctors. We had only planned on one, but each of the first 3 somehow could not do for Bob what all 4 said needed to be done. Finally the 4th did a minor surgery, prescribed several special cancer pills, more studies, and to make it somewhat shorter, Bob's "psa" level went from this awful high 74 way down to 5.8, almost normal. And the best is that the complete bone scan shows no spreading of the cancer - which means he may not need radiation, but that will be determined later this month. Even if radiation is necessary we can get that done here at not too much cost.

We do not have insurance here in Peru. We have Medicare in the U.S. but we really do not want to move to the U.S. yet. So, we are truly grateful. We thank the Lord for His healing and provision. Truth is Bob feels great. He never felt bad in all this. I think the pills are affecting his stomach some, but guess they are necessary at least for the 3 months prescribed. We will see after that. Anyway, he is really thankful and now is off on a trip, between weddings, to the valley areas, with our national worker Teodoro. Bob is really glad to get out to the areas that need visiting and encouraging. So, again, thanks so very much for praying for the Lord's work here.

Also we were blessed by a visiting choir who presented beautiful concerts in several of the schools where I taught before, and of course our Ebenezer school next door. The ones who brought this group distributed Bible story books to the elementary school children in these schools. This was combined with the concerts in two of the schools, as last year the Bible story books were distributed in the other schools.

I was especially blessed when we went to the farthest schools where I first taught God's Word from 1993 thru 2003. At least 3 teachers came up to me and said they remembered me teaching them the Bible, some of them are now teaching God's Word there in the school! One especially thanked me for teaching her the basics of the faith. What a blessing truly to know our labor is not in vain for the Lord.

Sometimes especially these days it is such a challenge as the children today are a lot less controlled, only a few are disciplined correctly. I praise the Lord for the opportunity and the still open doors. We know God's Word will not return void, but sometimes it is difficult. Please help us pray these children will somehow retain the Lord's message for them. We pray they will truly come to know Christ and His salvation.

50 years ago today I had a baby boy. He grew up to be a missionary to the Kuna tribe in Panamá. After only a couple years there in the jungle some guerillas from Colombia came over and kidnapped Mark and his two coworkers from the tribe in Pucuro. After at least 3 years the men were killed. Our Mark and the other 2, Dave and Rick, are with the Lord and that is far better.

Our dear Mark is missed here, but we are thankful he gave his life to reach needy souls for Christ. A half century has passed, but eternity has just begun. We are thankful his daughters are now married to fine Christian men. We were blessed with the visit of Mark's oldest daughter, Tamra, a MD, last month. Time here goes on, please forgive the reminiscing.

Thanks again so very much for praying for us and standing with us. May God bless and keep you now and always. Our support address is:

Christian Missions in Many Lands, Inc.
P.O. Box 13
Spring Lake, NJ, 07762 - 0013 with a note: for Bob Rich, Perú.

Many blessings, Noél for us

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Teodoro Huayta's Testimony

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