| 07 September 2024
September is here, spring is coming here as autumn is going your way.
So very much has been happening here. We have had weddings and baptisms and lots of counseling new believers. The Lord is at work.
There are some problems though. Last month I mentioned that Bob is receiving different meds. for his cancer. Sadly Bob had a very bad reaction to the new medicine so he had to quit taking it. He takes the others to help with other needs. Thanks for praying for our health.
August 4 was a very bad afternoon for me. On the way down our stairs to go to a meeting with Bob, somehow I banged my left arm on the stair railing. No, I did not fall, (thank You, Lord). The x-ray showed NO fractures, (thank You again, Lord). BUT, the Dr. said my muscle mass on that arm and shoulder is very harmed, and it still gives me a lot of pain. Again, we are very thankful it was my left arm, not the right. I can do everything I have to, but I still get sharp waves of pain, all through the day, whether or not I use it. Please help us pray this will get healed soon.
We really are blessed that Bob has no pains, even though his cancer is still there. He still teaches the Word in various churches here, in and around the city of Arequipa and in the mountains. Other brothers from the main church here go to the Majes Valley, the coastal town of Camaná. and other places. We are really thankfu for our brothers and sisters in Christ here.
Thanks for all you who are praying for us and sharing as the Lord leads and provides. It is for His work. Bob is now on his way to the first Saturday meeting in the Colca canyon, leadership training for the various churches in the canyon. He is driving, but has some brothers with him who can help him if needed. It has been really cold, below 0 centigrade nights in our Andes mountains, but slowly warmth is coming and of course we have good sun in the daytime.
The missionary we support in Uruguay is with us for a few days, for meetings in different parts of Perú and elsewhere. Gustavo arrived this morning and after lunch here accompanied Bob to the canyon. Thanks for helping us pray for Gustavo and his family. The family is staying in Uruguay while Gustavo is away on these meetings, we understand it will be a couple of months that he will be gone. Please do pray for his dear wife, Danitza, and their 3 children. We are very thankful for the technology that permits families to see each other and talk every day on these little phones. Amazing, really.
We never even had a telephone for our first 18 years here. Bob would be gone up to 2 or 3 weeks sometimes, and I stayed with our 3 little ones, first in Mollendo and then here in Arequipa. When our Joseph was born in 1983 we still did not have a phone, but later that year the neighborhood together paid for the phone cable and soon we all had one. God was, and is, always with us. It is truly awesome to look back and see how the Lord led and protected us.
God is blessing Ebenezer Christian school and we are truly thankful we still are allowed to teach God's Word. This year I continue teaching the O.T. to the fifth grade, (29 students). How I wish to teach the N.T. to this same class, as they will be in 6th grade next year, but our future is unknown. But what a blessing to see younger and older kids and adults in this generation remain faithful to our Lord. Yes, some are rebellious and addicted to the bad stuff on the internet and in this corrupted world. Sexual violence, corruption, and lack of values are way too prevalent in today's world. How we need the Lord!
Again, thanks so very much for all you pray and share. 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 our Lord bless you richly, Gratefully, Noél for us
