Hi to you all!

Well, don't know about the May flowers, but we have had April showers here! Mostly in the higher places, but even here in Arequipa till the end of March. Today is the first sunny all day day, (SUNday)! God has been merciful here though, the rains up in the north of Perú have done a lot of damage.

We were blessed with the visit of a young man from Canada who was with us for a week, very interested in God's work in Perú. He now is up in the north, Trujillo and later will be in Chiclayo, helping the believers up there clean up and help the people who have lost much from the flooding, etc.

We also were blessed by a lovely Australian family with us for 3 months. They participated in much of God's work here and we are thankful for these visitors and helpers.

We were also blessed by the baptism of two young men here. We are thankful for these new ones, and we ask prayer for their growth in Christ, Manuel and David. At least one more of our youth here desires baptism soon. We are thankful for all who give their hearts to Christ, and the earlier in life, the better. Please do continue to pray for some of our marriages here. True, at least in one case there is progress, and desire to be stronger yet, God is at work. Satan is at work too and determined to destroy where he can. We need your prayer.

Much of Bob's time is spent in counseling, visiting, encouraging, and teaching. The leaders from several of our churches here in the South of Perú have decided to meet together every 2 months in different locations. Bob plans on going up to Lari, in the Colca canyon, April 13 for the next of these meetings. Please help us pray these leaders will be strengthened in the Lord for His work and encouraged by being together in prayer and sharing. We ask for prayer for more godly leaders to be raised up in all these churches and areas.

School is going quickly, now we are in the first monthly exams, and preparing for the Easter program, Bible dramas and songs, etc. Please help us pray all this will be glorifying to the Lord. So far I am thoroughly enjoying the privilege of teaching God's Word to 3rd and 5th grades, plus English to 5th and 6th. How we thank the Lord for the continued freedom to teach His Word in the school here. Construction is under way of the last phase of the building, and we do pray it can be completed this year. Thanks for praying with us for that.

Another need for the school is for sponsors for some of our students from poorer families or broken homes, so they can continue to study here with us in a Christian school. We are truly thankful for all of you who are helping in this way. Again, it is such a blessing to have the freedom to teach God's Word here.

Thanks for praying for Joe in his predicament over in Eastern Europe. The missionaries he is helping have been very good to him. He got at least one bank card replaced too so is ok and enjoying all his ministries over there.

Thanks, and do enjoy your own "April Showers" of blessing, Noél for us

Hi to you all!

Well, we had mentioned the rains in February, but there were not too many rains till the end of February when there was flooding! Thursday, March 2, we had a downpour here like never before. It almost made it impossible for us to start school tomorrow, March 6. The construction had the dirt spread all over the patio and it was a total mess. Praise the Lord it is finally cleaned up and as for the construction, we are so thankful it is progressing! Please help us pray for the rest of the lacking funds to finish, and we do thank the Lord for what we are able to advance.

So, yes, our 2017 school year should start tomorrow! Bob and I were able to give devotions and challenges from the Scriptures to the teachers during teacher orientation the last week of February. Bob will speak at the inauguration tomorrow, God willing, and we are very thankful for our teachers, please help us pray for them. Here in Perú the govt. is putting in a new curriculum which in some places is anti-God. We are orienting our teachers to NOT teach that part, and they are in agreement with us that we cannot go against God's Word in any way.

Please pray for the state schools, and other private schools, we do not want to see Perú go downhill so much spiritually as has happened in the U.S. and other countries. It is increasingly sad to see how all the modern "science" is taking away faith in the Lord and His Word. The whole reason on my heart to start this Christian school is to always have the freedom and opportunity to teach children and youth God's Word, His values and principles. Please please help us pray this would continue. Thanks so very very much.

Bob has had some profitable trips to the mountain areas, to Espinar and Caylloma recently, to help train local youth and others to reach others for the Lord. 5 were baptized in Caylloma, and we are so thankful for God's work there. From Caylloma, Bob went to Sibayo and visited Albino, the dear 80 year old brother who was miraculousy healed after his peritonitis and pneumonia. He is still gaining strength, but is back up in the mountains and in to God's work again. Amazing, truly. He is so thankful!

Last month we mentioned some marriage problems in our main church here. One of them, thankfully, is healing. Please continue to pray, and for the others, there may be some progress in another relationship, the youngest of them, but still we need to see the Lord heal totally.

Again, thanks so very much for your faithful prayers, and sharing with us. We pray God's richest blessings for you.

p.s. Please pray for our dear Joe! He is on missions trips to various countries in Africa and now, Egypt, Greece and Thessaloniki, also Philippos. However, upon arriving in Athens he discovered he had been robbed. His wallet with all his bankcards and drivers license, plus 2 valuable lenses for his photography. (He is on these trips to video and photograph the various mission works in these countries.) Please pray his situation can be straightened out, he is penniless without the cards, etc. God will take care of him, but thanks for helping us pray!

Many spring time blessings for you, Noél for us

Hi!

Yes, someone must have prayed for rain for us. Thanks. We got it, flood style. January it rained almost all month, with floods, rivers and drainage ditches overflowing and landslides destroying lives and properties. As the rain from the mountains filled with dirt and rocks, these came flooding in blocking the pipes to our main water system, so the water was cut off from the houses for almost a week. Some districts still do not have running water, we are blessed to have a tank, and now to have the service restored. Right now it is not raining but the forecast is for February to have intense rains again, that is why I say "FebruRAINY" Thanks for praying for survival thru all this too!

Last month, January 9, marked our being as missionaries here in Perú for 50 years. We later celebrated 51 years of marriage. The brethren here had celebrations for us for both of these, well, we praise the Lord for keeping us here and thanks so much to all of you who so faithfully pray and share with us.

Bob and I went to the Majes valley a couple of weeks ago, and visited the newly baptized sisters there, plus the other believers. The work in the valley is slow but God does bring fruit, they do need prayer. Now Bob is in Juliaca, and will go to Occoro to meet with the believers who were baptized there late last year. The work there is growing and the believers are very sincere. They are also building a meeting place with solid materials, as the old one was just adobe and the weather is hard on it. Thanks for praying for all these believers.

Here - today was the closing ceremony for our vacation program at the school. God is sending us new students and they and their parents seem happy about it, so even though some students leave us, several new ones are coming in. Please help us pray the Lord will send us dedicated Christian teachers. Some of our Christian teachers are leaving us too, and we pray for more, of God's choice. Thanks to all who are sharing to sponsor some of the needy children to get to come to Christian school - may we always honor the Lord in everything we do. We praise the Lord that finally the license from the Civil Defense was granted. Now we are starting to demolish and rebuild the last of the old rooms in the back of the new widened patio. The Lord is supplying the funds, but we still lack some. Thanks for praying for this for us too. Again, we know the most important building is in lives, for Christ.

Bob and national elders and workers had another united meeting January 26, in our Cono Norte church. These are a blessing and encouragement to leaders from here and various other places - guess they plan on every 2 months to have these meetings. Prayer is needed for our national workers.

An urgent and sad prayer request is for some of our believers here in our main church. Our enemy is attacking our homes. At least 3 marriages are having real problems. One of them is a couple who we had hoped would be in leadership here. Several have counselled them and it seems the Lord is helping them reconcile, but there are many issues yet to be resolved. They have their two daughters in school here and today the younger one had a principal part in the closing of the vacation program.

Both parents were here together for this and it seemed that they are talking things over. Both were at prayer meeting here last night and the same thing was going on, so we are thankful, hopeful and prayerful. However - sadly, the other two homes are in deep trouble. In one case, the wife actually went to the police and accused her husband of forcing her and the children to change religion. The police told him he had no right to teach his children about God. Nancy was baptized along with her husband a couple years ago but has completely gone against God and church.

Her husband Jeronimo has been faithful here and sometimes the oldest two children come with him, but the younger girls never. In the other case, the young husband has left home and wants time to consider going back. This young couple have precious 3 yr. little boy. In all these cases, the children suffer the most. Please please pray for us in this. it is wrong to deny that even though we are enjoying God's blessings, there are problems.

Again, thanks so much for standing with us here. Many blessings for each of you, Noél for us

Hi to you all, and Happy New year!

Here's hoping this year, 2017, will be good for all of us, good to grow closer to God. We are very thankful for all of His love and blessings bestowed on us in the past, and that we can trust Him for every day of the future. The world is getting farther away from Him and we need to stay closer. We had a very profitable New Year's eve meeting, prayer, testimonies, music, and fellowship. We had a mini- meal, but received the new year in prayer, hearing tons of fireworks going off all around us. This is the custom here, both receiving Christmas and New Years at midnight. We hope your Christmas was also meaningful, and Christ full, and we trust all this year will be as well.

Also we were blessed by 3 days by the ocean, shared with our new colleague, Jeff Anderson. Now we are blessed by having another family from Australia join us here until late March. They are Mike and Kerry Fischer. They need to learn Spanish, so will be in classes for a few weeks this month. God is working here and there is much to do, we pray the Lord will continue to raise up leaders and those involved in His work here. Thanks for praying with us for our current Peruvian national workers too. Daniel Sayco, who works for the Lord in the Espinar area and into Santo Tomas, has had some family conflicts recently with his oldest son. Please pray for this situation; Daniel really wants to continue his active and valuable service for the Lord.

On his last trip to the Majes Valley, 3 young girls were baptized. They are daughters of believers there and this is a real encouragement to us and to the work in that valley. These families do seem to really want to serve the Lord. Thanks for praying for them.

Thanks for praying for the ongoing school construction too; on this vacation we hope to get a good ways into the final phase. There is so much legal paper work involved in this, please help us pray for the final permission from the Civil Defense. They have been so very problematic in granting us this. It should happen in the next week or two. We need it to continue. Then please help us pray for the right teachers for next year. We will have a vacation program starting next week, Jan. 9, so we pray this will be glorifying to the Lord as well, and that all the required paperwork can be turned in to the regional direction soon. We truly desire to see fruit for the Lord from the school. It is His. Thanks to all who share with us, sponsoring needy children (and we do pray for a few more sponsors for this year), and sharing in the building too.

Thanks for praying for Albino, the old man I mentioned in the last letter. He is healing, slowly but surely, and it is a miracle. His son Hipolito has been faithful in church and wants to follow the Lord now, this is an answer to prayer, please keep praying.

Finally, please help us pray for the needed rains - this afternoon, Jan. 1, our first shower came - not too much, but it helps!

Thanks for praying, and sharing! May you each have a very prosperous 2017 living for Christ.

New Year's blessings, Noel for us

Hi to you all!

Wow! December is going by so fast! Such a busy time, we do want every moment to count for the Lord. So, where to start? Bob had a good trip to the Majes Valley and I think they are finally meeting together as a little church, this is encouraging. Some of the young teen girls want to be baptized - they need some counsel and teaching - to be sure they are ready, but it is an indication that the Lord is working, they are daughters of believers.

As you know, we live somewhat near the Colca canyon, where Bob Riggenbach started many churches. There is a volcano there that is blowing up. It is Sabancaya, and has been in eruption for some years, but this year it has become especially active, dumping ashes which destroy the crops in the whole area. The people who live up there are suffering, respiratory problems, animals sick, and their crops destroyed. Please help us pray for them and the whole situation.

The volcano has calmed down some just recently, and we hope will go back to "sleep". We even get the fine ash dust all over our patio, garage, window sills, Bob's car, etc. It is a bother, but not at all what the folks up in the canyon are suffering. As to our weather though, it is usually warm and getting ready to rain in December here. But we have had cold spells, high chilly winds, and absolutely NO rain. Please help us pray for these conditions here too, as our water will be rationed and crops around here ruined too, very limited harvests.

God is at work here though. A dear brother, evangelist who has served faithfully in and above the canyon, Espinar, and his town of Sibayo was brought to Arequipa with severe appendicitis. The hospital here was on strike, and all they did was send him back up to Sibayo with some injections and pills. He got lots worse and his daughters brought him back again, but the hospital workers again did not attend him, just were going to observe and study the case.

His daughters took him to a private clinic which is very expensive for them but at least they operated on him at 11 p.m. when he got in there on emergency. However the appendix had already burst so he was put on tons of IV's, drains, etc. and it got complicated with pneumonia. Albino is 80 years old, so this is very dangerous. He was draining dark fluid through his nostrils, on high oxygen, and was hallucinating, and the doctors finally said he was not going to get better, and should just go home - to die.

Well, we did pray, were ready for whatever God wanted, and truly, miraculously, the next day he was sooo much better, could drink some water, etc. He still can't eat, but he is totally lucid, on very low oxygen, and joined us in singing in Quechua, some of the songs he composed. Albino plays the harp and has composed several songs for the Quechua hymnbook we use in our mountain churches. He continues to recuperate, and the churches here are giving some offerings to help pay for his continued stay in this clinic. Please help us pray - for God to finish this good work He has started, and for the provision for it all. His son has professed to return to the Lord's ways if indeed his Dad gets well. Albino's family are really praying for this miracle, and God is answering. Amazing.

This month with the youth from church we have done some Christmas bag distribution in the state boy's home, with the opportunity of sharing the Gospel with these boys, we pray for fruit in their lives, they are a needy bunch. We plan on doing the same thing in the Children's Home we help this Friday, Lord willing. So much goes on this time of year. We are in final exams in school, and preparing for the closing ceremony Dec. 23. Please help us pray for a good end of this school year, and for the vacation program planned for January. Please help us pray for more sponsors for needy children to continue in the Christian school.

And please help us pray for Peru and its education curriculum. The govt. is renewing this and including what they call "equality of gender". That is - if anyone decides to be homosexual they have to be not only tolerated, but accepted and encouraged in this lifestyle. This includes "redefinition of the family". That is, some children can have 2 moms, or 2 dads, not necessarily Mom, Dad, and children. All this to be taught in the schools. It is already imposed in the govt. institutions, where abandoned or needy children are cared for.

The dear Christian directors of the home we help is fighting this but would be put in jail if he refuses to accept this. He can teach God's Word to the children, and pray for the Lord to work. We have total freedom to do the same in our Christian school and certainly this is the whole purpose. We have seen these very things destroy the education system in the U.S. We are so thankful we have freedom here so far, please help us pray this will continue in spite of the humanistic world view coming into being here in Peru.

Thanks so very very much for all you have prayed for us and shared with us this past year. We wish you all a very very merry Christmas, filled with the true meaning of Christ's coming to save us. What a reason to rejoice -- God our Savior has come!

Christmas Joys for you, Noel for us

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