Written by Noél Rich | 04 September 2013

Dear praying friends,

After some awful wind and dust storms, and some cold spells, finally it is getting warmer here! Our weather has been really different this year, the dust storms are the worst, but we have not blown away yet.

How we thank God for your prayers! Truly, we need them now. We have made some mistakes, we have a big need but we have a bigger God. Thank you for praying for His will to be done, and peace and love be restored.

Bob has had some fruitful trips, to Espinar for some meetings, and to the communities in Puno. He has been able to encourage the believers and teach God's Word. Also, he has continued his Bible study on the basics of the faith to the new group in Central, the Majes Valley.

This past weekend I went with him, as Friday was a holiday from school. The believers there are hungry to grow in Christ and do meet together for teaching. Bob goes there on the Fridays he has free from other obligations. Later this month Bob will go way up high to Culypampa for some meetings and teaching. Right now this area is covered with snow and ice, and many of the alpacas and llamas have died for lack of food, their grass is snow covered and the extreme cold gives them pneumonia.

The dust and wind storms here were snow storms up in the altitude. Most of Peru's southern highland has these conditions and is declared in emergency now. To add to our brothers' problems in Culypampa, invaders are trying to take over their land, causing trouble. Thanks for praying for our brethren in the highlands.

Thanks for praying for the school too. We are in monthly exams. I still have a few to go, but most of mine are done and graded. The rowdy classes are a challenge and sometimes discouraging, but I am truly thankful for the ones who do listen and want to learn. Please help us pray for the teachers, students and parents. So many are from broken homes. We long for the school to be truly Christian, not just in name. Near the end of this month is the school's tenth anniversary. Please pray that the Lord will be glorified in all the presentations.

God's richest blessings for you, Noél for us.

Written by Noél Rich | 02 August 2013

Hi to you all!

August is here. Must say the weather is some nicer though still cold at nights. Thanks for praying for us here. There are many adjustments for us now, and it is especially difficult for me, so thanks for praying.

Last month I had some encouraging moments, meeting separately with two former students I had taught years ago in the big school out past the airport, Pionero. Each of them remembered how I taught them God's Word. One of them especially is serving the Lord now. Both had good memories and both said it meant a lot in their lives, so I thank God for this, and do desire to continue to sow His Word as seed in young hearts as long as I can. Maybe it won't be too many years more in the classroom though, I did turn 70 last month, and in some ways feel it!

Bob is in some mountain towns and ranches this weekend for meetings. Please pray he will be an encouragement to the believers and others in these areas. It seems in the province of Espinar anyway there is a lot more interest and desire for the Lord and to build up His church these days. Bob has gone to the Majes Valley too, and some of the believers are doing well, others are a bit careless in Spiritual things there. We do thank God again for the vehicle, it surely works well!

Some of our adolescents are experiencing some difficult times. I teach them Saturday afternoons. They want to walk with the Lord but have temptations and problems. Thanks for praying for them and their families.

Please also remember in prayer our dear brother just moved here from Puno, now living in the apt. where we were above the church. He has been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and is in a lot of pain. His wife is taking care of him and their daughter and two granddaughters are living in the second floor apt. there. Karla is the one who had an op. for aneurism before. She has to go to Lima again for treatment, so health is an issue with their family now.

Many blessings for you, Noél for us.

Written by Noél Rich | 12 July 2013

Hi to you all!

Happy 4th to all you fellow U.S. citizens, there or abroad! Well, while you are enjoying summer, picnics, etc. - here we are freezing! Yes, we are having the coldest winter in several years. Brr. And we are moved - into a beautiful small new apartment, next door from the church, kind of in the middle of the school, well, it is on the top of the small garage - patio of the primary building, on the street side.

The construction you helped with for the primary school is right in back of us, like the kids literally are outside our bedroom window, and they come for play in the little garden - yard right by our front steps. Kind of noisy it is around recess times, which are many as they take turns by classes coming out to play, etc. and we are growing! A lot of students, both elementary and high school. The h.s. building is on the other side of this. The church is kind of right below us and beside us too. We are kind of in the middle. We are truly thankful to all of you for your help and prayer for us.

This little apt. has one disadvantage, it is very cold. The sun does not get into the rooms like it does in the apt. above and behind the church where we were for 22 years. So it is kind of hard for me (Noél) especially. Please help me pray for warmth! Bob is really warm and that helps. When he goes to the valley which he does most Friday evenings, till Saturday aft., it is cold for me. Thanks for helping pray for this - winter should pass in a couple months, but it will always be quite cool inside here.

God is working in the Majes valley, in the new little group in a town called Central, which is kind of central for the valley. There are several really interested families wanting to follow the Lord. Today Bob went a day early to visit in La Joya, where the daughter of a dear elderly believer from here with her husband wants to reconcile with the Lord. The elderly lady is Gregoria, and this daughter, Rosa. Please pray for the family. Another daughter, Cecilia, lives here in Arequipa and attends the church here with us. We are thankful for these contacts, thanks for praying for them with us.

School keeps me busy. I do love to teach the children God's Word, and most of them are receptive. There are several from broken or confused homes though. One little 4th grader was being really disrespectful and had to leave the class. When I talked to him after it I asked him why he didn't want to listen to the words of Jesus. He just said his dad told him Jesus doesn't exist and so he didn't know if he believed or not. The parents were fighting, but I guess they are together now. The mom is a believer but the dad, not at all. This is confusing for Marcial. Thanks for praying for this little guy and others with difficult home situations. We can see society falling apart as the families disintegrate. We need GOD!

Again, thanks so very very much for your prayers and support. God is really good to us. Many blessings, Noél for us

Written by Noél Rich | 02 June 2013

Hi y'all!

Well, yes, it is June and we still are not moved!! Several bags have gone over, and some furniture, but the painting is still not completed, (should be this week) and one room still needs a door, window, lights installed, etc. And the truth is: I don't have time to move!! Like right now I am writing a letter and not working at it! Our support was low this month but the Lord is supplying.

Here we are having the coldest winter on record in ten years! We had a freak rain in mid May, and the mountains around the city still have their snow. Very pretty. It is really cold nights especially now, and my fingertips and toes are splitting up again. Super ouch.

Well, God is wonderful, and we do desire to serve Him as long as we can here. At the school we had a good Mother's Day program, which honored Christ. We are thankful for the opportunity to continue to take God's Word to these students, homes, and teachers.

Bob has had a couple sessions with the teachers, and also spoke to the parents of the elementary school last week. One family came to our main church here as a result of that meeting, and we hope they will continue. Thanks so much for praying and helping with this ministry. We have more students this year and are splitting the first year of "secondary" school, 7th grade, to two groups.

Bob also has had some good trips this past month. He is starting to encourage a meeting in the center of the Majes Valley, town called "Centrál". There are believers there who have been visiting other towns for meetings, but that has been sporadic, and they wanted their own church. Bob goes every two weeks there for Friday evenings and visits Saturday mornings. Please help us pray for this effort too.

Another young gal who graduated from the school wants to be baptized. Her folks are believers from Chuquibamba and Cotahuasi, though they are separated. Her older brother is working in Brasil now but he is a good believer. Our people do have their problems, though God is at work in many lives. Bob continues full schedule preparing, teaching, and discipling while in the city here.

Thanks so very much again for praying and sharing with us in God's work here. You are very special to us and we pray God's richest blessings for you too.

Written by Noél Rich | 03 May 2013

Hi y'all!

Yes, May is here already and maybe gone too soon! April sure flew by fast! God is working here and we are so thankful. Bob has had some profitable trips, some special meetings in different churches and places, we have had guests who have blessed us, and more.

The Romanian brothers who visited us were a huge blessing and challenge to the churches and brothers where they were able to minister. Our dear people here do really need to let the Lord work in their lives, we all do, really, in being a fully consecrated church, 100% dedicated to the Lord. Just getting a lot of people together isn't the goal, the goal is that we be like Christ and see the world through His eyes. We pray for God to work in all our believers this way. There is so much mediocrity and half heartedness it seems. This leads to sin and excuses for it.

Which brings us to the sad part of April. We have had to discipline another believer from here. This is always sad, but sadder as he is from a Christian home and family from birth. We sure pray the Lord will get a hold of him and bring true repentance and change.

On a brighter side, God is working in the youth here, and some more of them are wanting to serve the Lord. Our elder in the main church here, Fortunato, works with the older youth and has seen fruit. A couple of the older youth help me with the adolescents, and though few show up for that, sometimes more come and we are seeing God work in their lives.

Seems like these are difficult days for youth. So much of this technology, great in many ways but temptations and just plain badness in other ways. The breakdown of so many homes affect our students at school too. Too many from broken homes, and thrown around from relative to relative, lack of direction and purpose, and lack of God in their lives. Help us pray for the school, how we long to see the students and teachers truly know Christ, and His hope for them. As a bumper sticker said once: Know God, know hope, No God, no hope. True, seriously.

We are preparing for the Mother's Day program at school, please help me pray that this will glorify the Lord and challenge Moms to teach their children of Him, early, not only in words but in works too. In lives. We are also in testing time which is tons of work. But in that too, we pray for the Lord to be glorified.

Thanks so very much for all your prayer for us and God's work here. God is working in the home Bible studies Bob has, and in his teaching of God's Word. Thanks for sharing with us too. We are working on getting the tiny apt. ready for us to move into, hopefully yet this month of May. We do lack some to finish it, seems like everything is really expensive, the dollar is low, etc. But God has His time.

Trust you Moms will have a good day May 12, (and every day, really) and MAY the Lord really bless you all!