| 07 April 2024
Well, Spring has sprung for you all and here it is nice, with still a few showers of rain and many showers of blessing. As always a few disappointments, but they are really God's appointments. He always knows and does the best for us, so in everything we give thanks to Him.
Five new believers were baptized here before we left for the U.S. Most of them were from one of our sister churches in another part of the city. 3 of these are youth, active in their church and evangelism. We are truly thankful for our youth, several of our newlywed couples, who are dedicated to serving the Lord, teaching children in outlying areas of Arequipa, thanks for praying for them, for fruit from their labors and for personal growth in Christ. We pray these will be solid Christian homes and families, examples of our risen Lord and Savior.
This last week I started teaching the O.T. to 29 fifth graders, going through chronologically. What a blessing! Please help us pray for this school year at Ebenezer Christian school next doors to us (plural because the school does indeed occupy the 3 doors next to the church) This is a shower of blessing for us. My constant prayer is for these kids and all in our church and family will remain firm in their saving faith in Christ.
Yes, we had another fast 3 week trip to the U.S. March 13 through April 4. Bob's checkups went basically well. He has to return in July for more scans and control. He has lost a lot of weight which is not good, but he is tolerating the really expensive medicine donated as long as he returns after 3 months. Our daughter Terri has done a real good job of getting both of us in the "system" of Innova health care in northern Virginia. It is difficult but at our age and as we do not have insurance here in Perú it seems like this is as least for a while longer permits us to be here for our dear brethren and for the Lord's work here.
We were blessed by our grandson Joshua's wedding, it was truly beautiful. Maiely is a lovely Brazilian Christian wife and help meet for Josh. After their honeymoon they dived into completing something like 200 pages of application for her U.S. residency.
Unfortunately for me, my knee saga is not going so well. The orthopedic surgeon who saw me there said the dr. here operated with the old method of putting in nails and wires in my fractured right knee and left elbow. This type of surgery was very effective in 4 or 5 surgeries in the other knee and both elbows previously. But now the elbow is healing fine but the knee is not.
One of the nails jabbed into the bone and broke it and now is prohibiting the bone to cisar or get back together as it should. The nail is keeping the space open. Anyway, please help me pray for a miracle in this. Thanks to God I can walk, and do everything I really need to do. It still bothers but it is not infected, so we leave it at that for now. Thanks for praying.
Bob is coming home now from Lari in the Colca canyon where the first Saturday of every month the leaders of the churches in that canyon have a teaching time. Bob really wants to continue with these meetings as long as he can. He also wants to travel to other churches we have seen raised up in southern Perú. Bob always takes with him some of our faithful brothers from here who can help drive if necessary.
So we continue here, still active, for the Lord. These are our "April showers of blessing". Even though we are going into the dry season we still have blessings, and disappointments, but God is in control. Thanks so much for praying for God's work here. 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.
May you all have April showers of blessings, thanks so much, Noél for us
