| 03 March 2024
Yes, March is here. A lot is happening. Bob went with some brothers from here to the mountain area of Sibayo for the monthly leaders training for the churches in the Colcla canyon. These meetings are the first Saturday of each month and have been a real encouragement for the churches up there. We are thankful that Bob can keep traveling, driving, teaching, counseling, visiting and doing other ministries. He has lost some weight but with a strong vitamin substance he is regaining some. The Lord is giving us strength to serve Him.
School starts next week, we are praying for the teachers and the students to truly come to know our Lord. We are thankful for the freedom we still have to teach God's Word here in our Ebenezer Christian school. Thanks to all of you who pray and help with fees for students whose folks cannot afford fees. We do keep them as low as possible. As the Lord leads, I hope to teach the OT this year to just the fifth grade, 2 hours a week.
We need to go to the U.S. again this month for Bob's cancer checkups and also for our grandson's wedding March 16.Our tickets are for March 13 leaving here till April 4 arriving back here to Arequipa, Perú. My knee cap and elbow are getting better, but there is a complication in the knee. First, some surgical thread remained in the stitches, causing an infection. So I had to take antibiotics for over a month, by vein, then we tried orally but it destroyed my stomach, and finally for the last 2 weeks by injection, well, it is over now.
But during the op. a nerve was severely damaged. It makes the area red and sore and very sensitve to contact. The dr. says it will take a long time for the nerve to heal. Also a nail with its wire came loose and causes some pain. Patience is needed.
We continue to thank the Lord for our youth and many of our newly weds who are evangelizing children in different areas around Arequipa. Many of these children really are learning God's Word, and desire to follow the Lord. We pray for their parents and families to come and listen, some do, others don't. Our co-workers Jeffrey and Angela are leading a group in Angela's property in Uchumayo.
Jeff and Angela also have to go to the U.S. to finish getting Angela's citizenship and several of the youth are taking care of keeping these kids coming during their absence. Another group is led by the French missionary and her husband in the area of Apipa. They are expecting their first baby and again, the youth are taking care of keeping that work going. And other believers from our churches here have other outreaches. We had a combined meeting here for encouraging and praying for these several outreaches in children's ministries. It was really an encouragement. Please do pray for these precious lives and souls, in school and in these outreaches.
Please also pray for 14 year old Fabricio. He is the son of a believer here. His mother is an alcoholic and has caused much grief for the father, Orlando, and younger brother David. Fabricio is hospitalized in the psychiatric ward. He was not talking, nor reacting, and had high fevers and racing heartbeats. The stress plus the abuse and other factors, some unknown, are very real. Fabricio was first in his class last year, but somehow the the problems got to him. David is ok so far.- he too was leading in school and is now going into 7th grade.
Also we pray for our older sister, Florencia. Her son had a terrible accident and also is in a coma, not expected to live. Unfortunately Miguel never wanted to hear about the Lord. Florencia is a widow and was converted after Miguel was an adult and living bad. Florencia also lost 2 of her daughters, one of them was a believer but the other one not. So please pray for God to comfort Florencia. These cases are sad, but we must admit that when the Lord works and folk are saved, Satan sure tries to hinder it. But God will win the victory.
Thanks so very much for praying for God's work here, and sharing as He leads and provides.We trust you will have a blessed and meaningful Easter season. Jesus is alive, what a wonderful truth! Our support address:
Christian Missions in Many Lands, Inc.
P.O. Box 13,
Spring Lake, NJ, 07762 - 0013 with a note: for Bob Rich, Perú.
Thanks so very much, Easter blessings, Noél for us
