| 01 May 2023
Yes! May our Lord Jesus Christ be praised. And now that the rains have gone, morning is "gilding" the skies. Sunrises and sunsets are pretty. God is everywhere.
Today, May 1, is Labor Day here, a holiday. It is also the main day for the famous Virgin of Chapi, a very idolatrous festival, especially in the area of Chapi, near Arequipa. This image is the patron saint of Arequipa, and there are sanctuaries for the image in 3 or 4 places in and around the city. People go on foot - some even barefoot, for miles to visit these sanctuaries and ask this virgin for miracles. It is sad that so many are still blinded to the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ being the only mediator between us and God and the only way of salvation.
Being Labor Day there are some protest marches, though politically we are in a tense calm, with 4 ex presidents in jail and many authorities processed for corruption. In spite of increased violence, robberies and even murder, we are thankful we still have the freedom to teach and share God's word openly. Many do sincerely desire to know Christ. Our youth and others are seeing results in their outreaches in areas in and around Arequipa, not only in children but also some parents and other adults.
There are results in the youth too, many of the couples I mentioned in earlier letters are now getting married, so we have had and will have a few more weddings in the coming weeks and months. These weddings are glorifying the Lord. We truly thank Him for these young couples desiring to continue serving God. Hopefully they will indeed form godly Christian homes and be examples of Christ's church in the future. The Lord is building His church.
Many of you are praying for Bob's health. God is answering: Bob feels really fine, still strong and working hard. Next weekend he will go with some believers from here for special meetings (they call it a "convention") in the mountain town of Sibayo. This is above the Colca canyon and they invite believers from all of the churches in the canyon. These "conventions" are an encouragement to the believers in the whole area and those from here too. It is only about 4 hours away from Arequipa and the roads are much better than before.
The altitude is about 12000 feet, but Bob takes the altitude really well. Bob continues to teach here in Arequipa, visiting churches besides our main one where we live. Believers are constantly calling and coming for counsel and to buy Bibles and other literature. There are some problems in the new churches in Camaná on the coast so we ask for prayer. Thanks so very much for praying for us, especially that we may continue in the Lord's work here. Our times are in God's hands.
School is also going well, and we are truly thankful we can now have in person school and even some programs with parents present. The Easter program was glorifying to the Lord and a blessing. Now Mother's Day is coming, and we trust the program for the moms will also glorify Christ and be an encouragement to them to teach their children to love God. Satan wants to destroy our homes, and sadly there are many broken homes here. Please help us pray for godly and united homes - this is one of the purposes of our Christian school. So, happy Mother's Day for all of you Moms!
Thanks so much for your prayers and sharing with us. 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, "May Jesus Christ be praised!" Gratefully, Noél for us
