Peru 2009

Last minute changes

2010-02-20T09:53:00.000-05:00

Hi, just for your information. Plans have changed for this weekend. I was due to go to Tarata tomorrow (Sunday) but when I phoned to confirm the Pastor and his wife have suggested I postpone the visit to next week. There’s a carnival on in Tarata tomorrow and they are worried about the number of drunk drivers known to drive on that road on these dates.

The change is mutually beneficial as it means I can travel to Moquegua today to attend a friend’s wedding there. It also gives me an opportunity to say goodbyes to friends there which I otherwise would not have had the opportunity to do.

I will now be travelling to Tarata next Sunday and spending the day there and then travelling back to Tacna to speak at the Rosa de Saron church in the evening.
Blessings,
Alistair

Towards the End

2010-02-18T23:22:00.000-05:00

Hi, just a wee note to keep you up to date.

I had a good trip to Lima. I was able to meet up with missionaries there, visit a seminary and catch up with a few friends including Rino and Santiago who had been the speakers at the Young Adults camp. I managed to see around Lima a bit and also buy too many presents.

I arrived back down to Tacna yesterday and now am preparing for Sunday (21st) when I head up to Tarata for the last time for the foreseeable future. Please pray that I would be a blessing to the believers there as I say my goodbyes. Also pray that I would have a safe journey there and back.

The following Sunday (28th) God willing I will be visiting the Rosa de Saron church to speak and say my goodbyes there too. Please pray God would use me to be a blessing to these believers as I say farewell.

The rest of the next two weeks will be full of packing, visiting people to say goodbye and preparing to leave. Pray that God would also undertake in all of that.

Blessings,
Alistair.

Photos Family Camp 2010

2010-02-03T16:21:00.006-05:00

Hi. Here are some more photos of the family camp for you to see.
This was proably the most competitive game of pictionary I've ever witnessed.
Who can build the tallest balloon tower?
The children who were a little small to compete in the football with their Dads, seemed to get as much fun out of being cheer leaders with plastic bottles filled with stones.

You'll never beat your uncle at 'Fluffy Bunnies'!
Obstacle course was of course demanded and thoroughly enjoyed.

Some men fooling about on the climbing net. In this case he almost broke his neck falling off seconds after I took this photo! Holding on with one wet hand.
The oldest camper was Don Jose at 80years of age, and he participated fully even on all the obstacles.
The only ones who didn't run were the very small children, so on the final day Mision Rescate and the children from their Summer Bible School formed a team and ran the course much to the childrens delight.Some little ones needed just a little help to get across the water tank.

And on they went, getting cheered on by proud parents.
While all this was going on Christine Morrow was taking care of our speaker Pastor Pedro's hydration needs... obviously due to the extreme heat of the afternoon!

Thats all for now folks!

God Bless,

Alistair.

Family Camp 2010

2010-02-03T11:49:00.004-05:00

Hi, the third and last week of camps was the family camps. Again numbers were up on last year. One family of 8 relatives last year returned this year with 15. There were families from Moquegua, Tacna, Ilo, Puno and Arequipa. In fact one family from Tacna came chiefly because their children had enjoyed the two previous camps so much that on returning home had convinced their parents to come to this camp.

There were all the usual activities including again the obstacle course, photograph challenges etc. But as always the family camp had a different atmosphere distinct to the other camps. In some ways more relaxed but yet in other senses the adults where almost more competitive than any young person.

The speakers were Pastor Pedro Cornejo and his wife Chi Chi from Arequipa. They are primarily involved in two ministries. Firstly Pedro is the director of the language institute in Arequipa were the Andrew and Carolyn Roycroft, Simon, Lynn, Shirley and I all attended at different times over the past year. His wife Chi Chi also teaches there a little. They see the institute as more than just a school but as a ministry as they focus on teaching missionaries and often go beyond the classroom in their dedication to the students. For example I know missionaries from other missions who experienced burglaries while in Arequipa and appreciated how the teachers accompanied them both to the Police station and also to the second hand markets to see if they could recuperate any items.

Their other ministry is the Christians in Action church which Pedro pastors. He is a gifted speaker and I was glad they were able to attend the camp. Many campers verbalised how they had benefited from his teaching throughout the week, once again centred on the theme ‘Decisions’.

While Pedro and Chi Chi ministered to the families, at the same time Misión Rescate ran a Summer Bible School for the youngest children.

They seemed to thoroughly enjoy it and learned their memory verses very well.

As I reflect on the three camps I feel we were blessed to have the different speakers we did. Each pair was perfectly suited to the age group they addressed and were all clearly blessed by God in how they ministered. What was also notable about all three pairs of speakers is that they all went beyond the call of duty so to speak. They didn’t just turn up to fill and preaching slot, but got involved in the lives of the campers at individual levels taking time to build relationships with campers they might never see again. It was also encouraging to see campers look for pastoral counsel from all the speakers at various points which evidenced the impact their ministries were having on those in attendance.

This month in many ways is going to be full of preparations for leaving and goodbyes. Please pray that God would give me the right words to share as I visit people for the last time before I go. I also plan to travel up to Lima next Tuesday for a week. I hope to speak to missionaries up there about theological education and other ministries and see what I can learn from their approach to ministry. I also hope to visit friends like the speakers from the young adult’s camp, Rino and Santiago, and say goodbyes there also. Please pray for safety in travel and then as I go around the city which as all large cities can be dangerous.

Please also continue to pray for those at the Luz de Vida church, many of whom attended the various camps. This is something that is on my heart at the moment. They are continuing to struggle with the change of pastor in their church. Pray that God would quickly bring the man of His choosing to them and pray for both the new pastor and the congregation as they form a new relationship between them. Most of those at the church were saved under the ministry of Pastor Freddie, and others cannot remember the time before him. Pray that God would comfort them in this time of upheaval.

God Bless,
Alistair.

Photos of Teenage Camp 2010

2010-02-02T15:25:00.008-05:00

These are some more photos of the teenage camp.

Again we had the treasure hunt, though this time a little different as they had to find slips of green paper. In the process the campsite was almost torn apart. This is one of the teams on the last day before leaving. The teams seemed to bond very well and new friendships made.
The obstacle course was again a hit, though they didn't get as unruly as the young adults.

Getting as wet, or wetting others, as much as possible again seemed to be the dominant theme in the course. But this was generally appreciated given the hot weather.
Felipe, the speaker, did not help out at the shop but did revel in helping soak anyone and everyone.The bonfire night was also a special time spent together.
Again some excuse was found to then warrant another rendering of the 'baile de la tasa' or the 'dance of the cup'.Also notable as the weeks went by was how the leaders and counsellors got ever more exhausted. Some took advantage of any chance they got to catch a few 'winks'.

The counsellors weren’t the only ones sleeping. So were the three guard dogs. The only thing they seemed interested in watching was the door to the kitchen!

God Bless,

Alistair.

Teenager Camp 2010

2010-02-02T15:14:00.004-05:00

The teenager camp kicked off on the same day as the young adult’s camp ended. There was a similar attendance of around the 50 mark and the camp followed a similar itinerary to the previous camp, but with certain modifications to keep things interesting.
For the preservation of our noses the ‘smelliest thing’ was scrapped. We also had the inclusion of an Oscars night where each of the three teams had to video tape a film including certain phrases which we then presented on the Wednesday night, along with a ‘bloopers’ reel and the Oscars presentation with numerous categories. As with everything in both camps, a lot of effort was put into every activity by the campers and much positive feedback was received.

The speakers for this camp were the youth pastor from the Alliance church in Tacna and his wife. Felipe is an Argentinean and his wife Esther Peruvian.

They were also accompanied by their two young children who won everyone’s hearts. She is a professional psychologist and they have developed a ministry working with teenagers and young adults. Again the main theme was ‘Decisions’ but this time focusing on the life of David. Felipe preached very well from the life of David and related it to the lives of the teenagers. Esther ran a number of workshops with various activities and group work touching on the themes highlighted in the sermons. By the end of the camp they had managed to build relationships with numerous campers.
These are the best male and female campers of the year, Jonatan and Maria-Belen.One of the other great encouragements was that a few of the campers from the young adult’s camp accepted the invitation to stay on as part of the counsellor team for the teenage camp and flourished in the role. Two of them were young men I have been getting to know at the Luz de Vida church and one was only recently baptised. It was great to see them make personal sacrifices to be able to stay and then see them throw themselves wholeheartedly into the task.
One of them has his own business selling sports gear and had spoke about how he nearly didn’t attend the first camp for fear that the business would suffer yet how he had seen God undertake and provide even in his absence. Having briefly returned to Tacna to check on things he felt that having experienced God’s faithfulness to him in this way during the first week, he felt convicted to follow God’s leading and return to help at the second camp and again experienced God’s faithfulness to his business in his absence. You may think these are little things, and for someone else it would have been a less significant sacrifice, but knowing the circumstances of this young man this was a large step of faith and development in his personal walk with the Lord. I feel privileged to have been able to get to know many of the young people from the churches in Tacna over the last months and then see the impact that God was able to have on them through both camps.

Please continue to pray for the many young people that were touched by the camps ministry, especially as they return home. Many campers, leaders and speakers repeatedly spoke about how a camp forms a safe space in which one can blossom spiritually, so to speak, but it is when one leaves the camp that the battle really begins and where the true impact on your spiritual life will be seen. I remember reading a book years ago during nursing (on occasions literally during nursing studies I have to admit; I probably should have been listening to the lectures) which was titled ‘Where’s Jesus when the party’s over?’ I can’t remember much about the content but the title kept coming to my mind time and again during the past weeks reminding me that camps are a spiritual party of sorts but are not the spiritual reality we must encounter day by day. Please pray for those who attended all three camps as they return to very different circumstances, that God would continue to work in their lives.

God Bless,
Alistair.

Photos of Young Adults Camp 2010

2010-02-02T10:38:00.005-05:00

Hi I just thought I would include a few more photos to give you a better insight into what went on at this camp. Comments relate to the photo directly above them.

One of the group activities was to make a superhero out of various materials and then give a commentary on them. Well you never heard such waffle, but very funny.

Including counsellors in the teams and having Mision Rescate organise the tasks meant that the groups got extremely competitive. This is Raul (chief counsellor) running back to the auditorium having found the hidden disc.

This is his team after having won the treasure hunt for the disc.

The high spirit of competition meant the scoreboard was constantly being monitored and critiqued by all, and meant Mision Rescate were constantly being almost harassed about the scoring. This is the winning team on the last evening sporting the t-shirts they had just won, all with Christian logos.The obstacle course was as always a highlight for all. This is a team trying to walk on two planks. Good for team co-ordination.
Traversing the net covered with water and flour.Crossing the 'typoid tank' which was particularly stagnant this year.
Each year there is a male and a female camper of the year. This is Richard who won male camper on the last day. He thoroughly enjoyed himself.This is one of the teams having finished the course. I only wish I had got the before picture aswell.Well not to be outdone, on the second day of obstacle courses, after the campers had all ran, the Mision Rescate (along with a few volunteers to make up numbers) ran against the team of counsellors. This is where things really went mad and the boot polish, shaving foam etc were all liberally coated on anyone and everyone.
This is the counsellor team after.

This is Maria del Carmen one of the Mision Rescate members who had been covering campers in flour. Some of the campers then took the opportunity to get their own back.
Some also got their own back on Raul, another Mision Rescate team member, who had been hosing everyone.
Well not to worry, he who laughs last laughs the longest, as Maria del Carmen and Raul caught up with at least one of the culprits.

Well those are some of the things that also went on during this camp. No doubt you'll agree much fun was had.

God Bless,

Alistair.

Young Adults Camp 2010

2010-02-02T10:16:00.007-05:00

Hi, sorry for not updating the blog for so long. I have been at camps or ‘Campamentos de Verano 2010’ ‘Summer Camps 2010’, and because of one thing and another I never got round to posting anything. The most I was able to do was half write a post, that never got finished, which became the basis for this current post. I will write a separate post about each camp which will hopefully make it easier to tell you what all went on.

The first camp was the 18+ camp, essentially a young adult’s camp, which went well. There was a good attendance with about 50+ campers, 9 camp counsellors, 6 Misión Rescate team members, 4 worship leaders, 2 speakers and 1 photographer/camp nurse... (no partridges or pear trees, but there were 2 ‘guard geese’ on site but that’s another story; would have been more use in a pot but never mind).
Two main changes to previous camps was firstly having two separate camps for the 12-17 age groups and then the 18+ age group which in the past all attended the same camp. Although there was some questions and trepidation about this change most believe it turned out to be a positive and beneficial change as I will evidence below. What is more, baring that in mind previous camps were joined, that made a 50+ turn out very good. It was also very manageable which is great.

The other change was to have a team of counsellors separate to the Misión Recate team, who last year formed the crux of the counsellor team. This meant that the team of 9 counsellors was able to focus on dealing with the campers most directly, participating with their teams in the various activities etc.

Misión Recate was primarily in charge of organising and running the activities and discipline, which included all sorts of interesting and embarrassing tasks for those arriving late at meetings, chiefly the ‘Baile de la Tasa’ or the ‘dance of the cup’ (pictured above). This organisation has ensured a more efficient running of things in many ways.

We had two speakers at this camp which happen to be the two speakers who attended the two camps last year separately: Pastor Rino Bareta and Santiago Quispe. They have an interest in drama and presented a few sketches and other group activities with the campers. Rino is also an excellent speaker and preached on the life of Joseph. The theme for all three camps was ‘Decisions’ and the passages and messages he shared on this theme were very appropriate and relevant for these young adults.

In their spare time they seemed to enjoy helping out at the camp shop ‘selling’ the available merchandise in a very animated fashion (at least in Santiago's case, Rino not so much).

During the camp we had days to the beach, games, sport, quizzes, obstacles courses etc. Misión Rescate also set tasks for the teams. I don’t have time to write about them all, but one challenge included the presentation of various objects like the ugliest thing, the smelliest thing, etc.
The teams took these challenges really seriously and have put tremendous effort into them. The speakers and I were asked to judge this challenge and the items presented included a dead pelican, moths and a dead bird gutted with all entrails on display.

For example the finalists for the ‘smelliest thing’ were dead Sea Lion guts (pictured below to the left accompanied by a dead rotting crab) and sewage in a bottle; the team declined to say where they had obtained it and I didn’t push them on it.

Suffice to say Rino had to go and spray aftershave on his nose to cover the sickening aroma it left him with. All in all I think the inclusion of the counsellors has made the teams very competitive.

Feedback during, and since the camps, has been very positive. I overheard a girl talking to her friend on the phone, while I was driving her up to the health centre in Ite, trying to convince the friend to come to camp, all be it late, and as a result four of her friends arrived for the last two days. She commented that Misión Rescate had given them so many tasks to do, and where keeping them so busy, that they hadn’t time to take a break.

As a funny/slightly embarrassing aside the same girl when we were at the health centre was explaining to the doctor about the redness and problem she was having with her eyes, mild conjunctivitis. She proceeded to inform the doctor that she reckoned she had got the eye infected because they had got into a pool of stagnant water (the infamous typhoid tank from last year’s camps- see blog posts for last January) in order to fulfil a challenge. At this point the doctor and nurse looked at me with expressions as much to say what planet are you from putting young people up to this kind of nonsense! In truth the challenge wasn’t to get into the pool, but to take a photo of their team creatively fulfilling the term ‘wet’. They decided on this interpretation. What’s more I had nothing to do with it.

Well I could go on talking about the camp but think I should bring this post to a close with one story which probably was the highlight for me. There was a couple who attended from the Luz de Vida church, the church I have been assisting with the youth group, in Tacna. On the final evening we had the customary bonfire at which the campers and leaders were invited to share anything on their hearts. Firstly the young man got up and shared how the camp had impacted on him, how he very nearly didn’t come, and how glad he was that he did. The young lady then got up and although she hadn’t previously planned to share, ended up very frankly and openly sharing about the difficulties they had faced over the last years as a couple. She spoke about how she ended up pregnant at 16 to the young man, how the pastor and church shunned her, the difficulties they faced as the baby was born very prematurely at 5 months 1 week weighing 920 grams, how they were told the baby would never survive. Yet she gave testimony to how God undertook, and even though many other babies in the neonatal unit died, facing lesser odds, God brought their baby through and is now a healthy 5 year old boy. In fact their child celebrated its birthday on the Thursday of the camp and they had come to camp with every intention to return home on the Wednesday but having been benefited so much took the decision to stay on and make the sacrifice so as to fully benefit from the camp.
She then told of how she had, in order to be able to return to the church, stand up and publically apologise to the members about her pregnancy and how they had slowly been involving themselves more and more into the church. They are now both baptised and are soon to be married.

One of the sketches the speakers had presented on a previous evening was about a girl who was tempted to go out with an unsaved boy. Then how having chosen to go out ended up pregnant and faced the choice of whether or not to abort. This young lady spoke about how the themes raised in the sketch had identified with many of the choices she had personally had to take. The way in which she was able to give personal testimony spoke powerfully to those present.

Of all the many reasons why it was good to separate the two age groups this was probably in my opinion the most important. Many of the leaders mentioned afterwards that they didn’t think there would have been the freedom to speak as candidly about this and other issues if there had been 12 year olds present. Whilst undoubtedly the topics are still relevant to the younger age group, they need to be treated and shared in a distinctive way.

There are so many other things I could write about but this will have to do for now.
God Bless,
Alistair.

(I have not mentioned the names or included pictures of the couple I have spoken about for reasons of confidentiality, but I did get their permission to write about their testimony).

Christmas & New Years

2010-01-03T23:40:00.006-05:00

Hi, just writing to let you know what I’ve been up to the last couple of weeks.

Firstly I went over to Ilo to spend Christmas with the Morrow family and the three Irish ‘Misión Rescate’ team members. We had a good time of fun and fellowship. On the Wednesday night we all attended a Christmas dinner at La Pampa church in Ilo and it was really tasty. We actually had turkey which surprised me as I reckoned we would have had some other less Christmassy dish. Anyway although it was tasty it proved a bit difficult to cut with plastic disposable knives and forks, but I made a valiant attempt.

Thursday was spent getting a few last minute things sorted. In the afternoon a few of us took a drive out to the old camp site where summer camps previously were held. It was a good time to reminisce. That evening a few of us went to a fun fair round the corner from the Morrows house. I probably couldn’t have imagined a less Christmassy place to be on Christmas Eve, but it was good fun. It’s so different to be in the kind of warmth that has you doing things that at home you associate with summer.

Christmas day was spent at the Morrow home and everyone opened their presents etc and much fun had by all. Then we had a great turkey dinner. During the afternoon I was able to phone home on Skype and get the update on all the ‘goings on’ there. Also over Christmas period I was able to phone other friends and family and catch up on their latest news and that was really good.

On Boxing Day we all headed over to Tacna to have a missionary family get together at the Brews. Again another lovely turkey dinner was shared and a great time of fellowship and I then stayed in Tacna.
On New Year’s Eve I opted to stay in and celebrate New Year in Ireland via Skype with my parents, then finish and print my sermon and youth talk for the weekend before climbing onto the roof to watch the fireworks at midnight. There were fireworks across the skyline of the city in all directions and was lovely to watch. Eventually though the smoke from them and the numerous bonfires got quite dense so I called it a night. On New Year’s Day a friend and I headed to the beach to meet up with friends there. Although we bumped into many people we knew, we didn’t manage to find those we were initially looking for.

Nevertheless we were able to meet up with some of the guys I play football with, and the young people from their churches, and spent the afternoon with them. Judging by the number of people at the beach, this was a very popular choice.

Some I think overdosed on the sunblock; I reckon when you look more like a mime you can be sure you have applied more than sufficient cream. I on the other hand probably should have used more than I did.

On Saturday I was a bit ill on it, not sure if it was the raw fish dish, Ceviche, I ate at the beach or too much sun, but thankfully by the evening I was well enough to go to the ‘Luz de Vida’ youth group. It never ceases to amaze me how many new faces I see attending there, if only their attendance would be more regular. There are 15 or so faithful and then anything up to 20 (or possibly more) who attend sporadically. It was a good time spent together and a lot of encouragement was made for the youth to sign up for camps because I truly believe they would all benefit from them.

Pray also for them at the moment as their Pastor has accepted a call to ‘Pan de Vida’, one of the other churches affiliated to the mission here in Tacna and has taken up pastoral responsibilities there since the first of January. Pray for him as he juggles pastoral responsibilities in both churches for the near future. Pray as the congregation in ‘Luz de Vida’ include many young people who are only beginning to take some tentative steps into any sort of leadership responsibility, and those adults who do attend are either saved a short time or still unconverted. Pray for God to guide them as they now begin to consider possible candidates for the pastorate and that God would provide the right man to lead the church.

Today, Sunday, I made another trip to Tarata to visit the church there. This time Reuben, the director of the radio station, accompanied me which was much appreciated. I had a lovely time with the believers there, though numbers were down as many had travelled elsewhere for the New Year. This however, worked also in our favour as some of the Pastors children, now all adults working in other cities in Peru, had travelled home for the New Year. This meant I was able to catch up with a childhood friend, his sister who I haven’t seen in 20 years, and his eldest brother also. We also managed to fit in a visit to the village of Ticaco to visit Gregoria once more, and as always she was delighted by the visit. Despite being almost blind and quite deaf she amazed us with her lucidity. She enjoys being kept up to date by Berta about the major happenings in the different villages in the Tarata valley, just like any Granny. We again shared from Gods Word and Reuben prayed with her. We then had a prolonged departure as she almost systematically interrogated each one as we left for any details we hadn’t already mentioned; details shared with anyone in the surrounding vicinity! Pray for her as she continues to trust in her saviour and witness to any of her relatives who care to visit.

I’m now back in Tacna getting caught up with things like this blog and making plans for camps which start later this week. I am planning to attend as first aider so I’m making a list of things I need to buy in the next few days and other things I need to do before going to camps. Please pray that God would undertake in all these final preparations. Pray also for the camps themselves:

That many campers would attend, and that God would prepare their hearts to receive his Word.

That God would guide the speakers in their preparations and then also as they share with the campers.

That God would enable the leaders and helpers to be used by Him to witness and minister to the different groups of campers.

And finally as first aider I ask you the please pray for safety and good health for everyone, as I would like nothing more than to be unemployed in this respect during camps.

The first week of camps, starting Saturday the 9th, is for young adults 18+years, the second week for teenagers 12-17 years, and the third week of camps is for families.

If I get a chance I will write something to keep you up to date as camps unfold.
Happy New Year,
Alistair.

Streets & Statues

2009-12-22T12:19:00.008-05:00

Hi I decided to write the following as a separate post, simply because the previous was getting too long, and this is really about a different topic.

This is Christmas time, in case you hadn’t realised, and given the heat here I easily could forget. It’s really difficult in some ways to feel Christmassy when you’re sweating and especially when you hear of all the snow back home. Though a friend of mine reminded me the other day that Jesus was actually born in a climate somewhat similar to the desert I am presently living in. It strikes home how little much of the hype about Christmas actually has to do with the reality of Christ’s birth. Anyway during this time we remember Christ and specifically his birth. But as I think of this I remember something I was confronted with last week in Arequipa which has been on my mind ever since. I mentioned previously visiting the ‘Santa Catalina’ (St Catherine of Siena) monastery. It is famous for apparently being the only monastery in the world to be a citadel, essentially a city within the city of Arequipa, with a number of streets named after Spanish cities.

It even had its own cemetry which is no longer used, behind the doors in the distance in this picture.

There still exist a small number of nuns in a little section of the citadel, but the rest has been opened up as a tourist attraction. They live behind these doors.

It is a beautiful place to visit, with old Spanish architecture built mostly out of a white volcanic rock. Anyway what struck me was one statue in particular, out of the many in different locations around the monastery. It was an statue of Christ crafted a in the 16th or 17th century; I can’t remember the exact date the guide said it was made.

What did strike me were some of the details she shared about it. She explained that the hair on its head is real human hair, that the teeth in its mouth are real teeth-the milk teeth of one or many children, and the finger nails are real human nails taken from the cadavers of deceased people. I was intrigued by the black finger tips which are not the result of the finger nails, but were painted that way to represent the flesh dying as Christ died. The guide also pointed out that if I stooped down and looked in the mouth I would be able to see a small mirror placed in the roof of the mouth to give the appearance of saliva and increase the life-likeness of the statue.
I have seen many statues and icons of Christ, the Virgin Mary and various saints, but I have to admit that this one really repulsed me on a number of counts.

First the use of human body parts to increase the realistic appearance of the statue (though this is not unique to this statue). Secondly the fascination with Jesus’ death and not a balanced view of his life including: his birth, ministry and resurrection- reminding me of the importance of celebrating the true reason for Christmas. Thirdly the efforts and lengths to which some people have gone, and still go to, to create statues which end up essentially as idols; creations of man which do not represent the truth about God. I realise there is a difference between idols of other gods and the supposed statues of Christ, yet these still fail to present a truely balanced representation of Jesus.

It made me think how men seem to have had an urge, since the earliest civilisations, to create images of their gods, or to be their gods, and how this urge historically infiltrated the church and resulted in the many representations of Christ and other Christian personages which get paraded though streets and up mountains in various parts of the world. I’ve heard many people say that in every major heresy, throughout the history of the church, there is always an element of truth. And I have to admit that there is an element of truth behind even this effigy; Christ did die and I would not wish to deny that, for if I did I would no longer be a Christian. But how do we get from a Biblical truth to a manmade creation, admittedly of great effort and expense, which people bowed before and has now become a item on display for tourists. I don’t know if I feel more sad, annoyed or repulsed... or perhaps a mixture of them all.

It is beyond the scope of this blog to say much more about whether statues and icons of Christ are in fact idols or legitimate representations of instances of His incarnation. I think it’s evident that I believe that in one way or another they have become more than what they were intended to be, and therefore would not favour them. I realise however, there are those who would disagree. So therefore let me propose what I consider to be a more suitable, and crucially Biblically mandated, alternative.
In the gospel of Luke chapter 22 Jesus has been celebrating the Last Supper and note that in verse 19 He commands the disciples, and therefore us His followers, to “do this in remembrance of me” (also 1 Corinthians 11:25). I have often wondered why Christ chose to be remembered in this manner. Obviously we can remember Him in any given moment in any given place, but in terms of ritual and worship why did he instruct us to remember him in this manner? Well there are many reasons but the following are a few which relate to this discussion. Firstly He chose to be remembered symbolically and not pictorially- in the sense of a picture or physical image of Him which a statue essentially is. Why? I think it’s because it allows us to get a balanced representation. When something is represented as a picture, like a statue, the physical appearance dominates our mind and our understanding. And in many cases this is good, as they say a picture says a thousand words. But in this case it says a thousand words the most of which are those the sculptor wants to say and have portrayed.
When something is portrayed symbolically the symbols themselves no longer dominate our minds (in the same way that a picture does) but rather the meaning we ascribe to the symbol. And what meaning do we ascribe to the symbol? Well we know that the Lord’s Supper should never be separated from the sharing or preaching of the Bible or the Word of God, therefore it is what the Bible says that gives meaning to the symbols. In one sense what the Bible as a whole teaches about Christ can be symbolised, but specifically what Jesus himself declared the bread and the wine to represent: His body and His blood. In other words by joining the sharing of the Word of God we allow God to speak symbolically through the elements what He would have us understand; and in celebrating the Lord’s Supper we do not remember solely his death but his life and crucially his resurrection. In a picture we see only one point in time, but when we remember symbolically we can simultaneously remember various points in time and achieve the balanced view or understanding I believe we were intended to have.

If I have lost you already I apologise, but in short what I am trying to say is that we do not need to make statues, pictures and icons to remember our Lord. They may have some limited use, for example in Bible picture books for children or nativity scenes. But when we come to a highly elaborate statue with human hair, teeth and finger nails we undoubtedly do more harm than good. Rather than this, we should seek to remember Christ in his own appointed way: through the Bible, our hearts and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

This Christmas I hope we will all remember the whole truth about the life of Christ and especially that he no longer hangs dying on a cross, but lives interceding for us as our all sufficient Saviour.
Merry Christmas,
Alistair.

Graduation & Christmas

2009-12-21T22:05:00.006-05:00

Hi, since the last post I had my 30th birthday which passed without too much fuss but thank you to those who send cards and birthday greetings, I really appreciated it. I visited ‘Rosa de Saron’ on Sunday evening (13th) and had a lovely time with the believers there, and John Brew (one of the veteran missionaries and principal of the seminary in Tacna in case you don’t know who he is) was able to accompany me which was an added blessing and encouragement to the believers there. Hopefully he will be able to continue visiting the church there once I leave so remember him prayer concerning that.

On the Monday night (14th) the seminary had its graduation which turned out to be a lovely service. The pastor from the Ilo church, Mario Carhuaricra, was the invited speaker and preached very well and directly to those graduating and seeking to enter the ministry.

A few graduated with certificates, others with diplomas and others graduated from the ladies program.

On Tuesday I travelled up to Arequipa for a few days to meet up with a few people, but sadly most of those I knew were away either on deputation or, as in the case of the Misión Rescate team, away to the jungle. The lengths people will go to to avoid having to see you! It was a pleasant visit none the less and I still managed to see some folk I knew, like those at the language institute, and also visit a few places I hadn’t previously got round to visiting like the ‘Santa Catalina’ monastery; more about that later.

I then returned to Tacna on Friday in time to attend a few Christmas activities this past weekend. The first was a Christmas event in the ‘Luz de Vida’ church, hosted by the ‘Network of Christian Young People of Tacna’ which I have mentioned in previous posts, who had organised to invite in lots of children from the locality, put on a special program, give out presents and also hot chocolate with Paneton (a kind of sweet bread/cake with dried fruit, raisins, currants etc, in it). It is customary in Peru to have hot chocolate and Paneton at Christmas.

Apparently it was only arranged a couple of days previous and involved a lot of last minute running around for the pastor and his wife, but not knowing what to expect, they were delighted that soo many children turned up. Someone mentioned 200 but I don’t know how accurate that figure is, but I do know the church was packed to the door with children and many mothers as well. The program included a lot of children’s songs, some games, a clown, a pink panther, a chicken (don’t ask me what these three have to do with Christmas) and also the pastor was able to present a gospel message over all the noise.

This is the pastor Freddie and his wife Epi struggling to silence the children before bringing the epilogue.At the end the young people handed out the chocolate and Paneton, and later the presents.

It was almost impossible to control the number of children that turned up but the pastor and his wife were very encouraged afterwards at the contacts that had been made, and the prospect of being able to follow up on all these parents and children who had attended the church for the first time.

After a quick dash back to my apartment I was back to the same church to speak at the young people’s group. We had a profitable discussion about issues related to their lives and the society we all live in and I thank God for being able to continually develop relationships with them. The youth leader wasn’t able to attend for unexplained reasons, but it was encouraging to see a few of the young people take the initiative and lead the meeting and worship themselves. For a long time they have been very dependent on the youth leader but she has slowly tried to get them to take on responsibility, especially the male members, and now slowly they are showing signs of maturity. Pray for her as she works almost singlehandedly, with only the Pastor and his wife for support, to disciple this group of young people.

The three young men in this picture led the meeting; below is a photo of them leading.

This is the group that attended on Saturday. Many who normally attend were missing. If they all came at the same time there would be a large group of about 20-30 young people.

Thanks to God a few of them were recently baptised and are now taking these steps of independence.

On Sunday (yesterday) I travelled to Ilo to spend some time with the Morrow family and the Misión Rescate team members and then attend the Christmas service at the Ite church were we all enjoyed a lovely service. I returned to Tacna last night to catch up on unfinished business including this, and hope to return to Ilo later in the week to spend Christmas day there. Then on Boxing Day the whole mission family gathers at the Brews home here in Tacna to celebrate together. Pray as always for safety in travel, but pray especially that these times of fellowship would be refreshing to the missionary family here and that we would know God’s presence as we remember Christ’s birth and the bond that unites us in Him.
Merry Christmas,
Alistair

Red pens & Rojo music

2009-12-11T11:27:00.008-05:00

Hi in the last post I wrote about the trip to Tarata which, thanks to God, went very well. I have already arranged another visit at the beginning of January.

The rest of that week went fairly straight forward. Classes as normal, trying to make sure the material got covered as we approached the end of term. Essays were handed in and considerable time was spent correcting them. It was actually quite enjoyable to read some, others very difficult to know what was being talked about (certainly not much about 1 Peter) and then some unashamedly bold attempts at plagiarism. One essay for my Saturday class was an excellent article downloaded entirely from the internet from title to bibliography, a front page with name attached and then submitted. The tip off was the fact that a student who contributes little in class then handed in an essay with a title so specific it was worthy of a doctoral thesis.
Others were good attempts but again it was easy to identify which parts where copied verbatim from commentaries. For example in one essay for 1 Peter, on three separate occasions, the student apparently asked me, in brackets, to refer to comments on specific verses for example in Daniel and 2 Corinthians, obviously copied form a complete Bible commentary. That said they were good attempts and encouraging overall.

Last Sunday John Brew, Chris (who accompanies me to Tarata) and I headed to Moquegua to attend the San Antonio church anniversary at which John was preaching. It was a lovely service and I was asked to pray for the newly appointed or re-elected memebers of the eldership and diaconate.

After a church lunch we headed back to Tacna in time to say goodbyes to the Roycroft’s and attend the Luz de Vida church anniversary at which John was also preaching.

This week has had a number of highlights (not least of which has been marking some more assignments handed in late). Firstly Monday night saw the end of my course on 1 Peter and I was encouraged to have positive feedback as to the course.

In the photo are the majority of those who attended. Some sadly chose to skip the last night.
On Tuesday I attended a summer camps planning meeting and it looks like they will be really good though very tiring.

The highlight of highlights was definitely being able to attend a concert on Wednesday night. The ‘network of young Christians of Tacna’ I mentioned in a previous post has made efforts to bring well known Christian bands and singers to Tacna, no mean feat given that in the grand scheme of things Tacna is fairly remote. This time it was a Mexican band called ‘Rojo’ or ‘Red’ in English- presumably a reference or inference to Christ’s shed blood. One of the other lecturers, Silas Ramos, encouraged me to attend even though I didn’t know who they were. Interestingly they played at the ‘Concha Acústica’ or Band shell/amphitheatre facing the house I lived in for a few years here in Tacna during my childhood. I those days I remember having to listen to all sorts of rubbish play there whilst never actually having entered the grounds.

Well I had a really great time firstly because I met a lot of people, especially young people, who I knew from the seminary, camps and various churches. Secondly because the band was excellent, not just in their performance but in what they shared. They sang a number of worship songs I recognised from the churches here but also at certain intervals the lead singer/guitarist, Emmanuel Espinosa, took time to share a little about his testimony, some of the difficulties faced in his youth like his parents both dying in a short space of time from each other.

Later he spoke about the importance of decisions, both in practical things in our Christian lives with regard to sanctification but then also about who we serve and why; leading to a clear sharing of the gospel.

Later again he introduced his wife who is presently the lead vocalist and then his three boys who had accompanied them. The oldest, no more than 9 probably, had been darting about the stage during the songs moving microphones etc.

He shared then about the importance of family, of parenting and spoke short but directly about Christian principals with regard to parenting and family life.

All in all I got so much more from this concert than simply the music and would highly recommend anyone who understands Spanish to avail of their music and attend a concert if you have the chance.

One of the bands ex-vocalists, Edit Sanchez, who is now performing on her own, sang first. I can’t presently remember what you call the band or singer that performs before the main band, but she was excellent too. In fact I was able to meet her as I was buying a couple of the bands CD’s. I managed to take her picture (in the centre with the stripy jumper) with some of the friends I came with to the concert.
It’s my birthday this weekend so I considered this a very enjoyable birthday outing, and apparently there is another Christian band coming soon (though that might be too late for me) who are even better and if I’m still about here I will try to attend.

This coming weekend I will probably attend the youth at Luz de Vida although it’s not my turn to speak, and then on Sunday I am due to preach, God willing, at the Rosa de Saron church in the evening. Don’t know yet where I will be in the morning. Please pray that God would use me there.

Next Monday then sees the closing ceremony/graduation at the seminary so that should be an enjoyable occasion and then on Tuesday I am heading to Arequipa for a few days. I hope to meet up with some friends, including the Misión Rescate team, as this will likely be my last visit before I head back to Ireland. Pray for safety in travel and that it would prove to be a beneficial visit.

God Bless,
Alistair.

Tarata & Ticaco

2009-12-01T22:22:00.007-05:00

Hi, I just thought I would write a little about my weekend because the rest of this week looks as though it might get a bit crazy and I may not get round to this if I don’t do it now.

On Sunday three of us set off up to Tarata. Chris, one of the members of last year’s ‘Misión Recate’ team, and I headed for the Baptist church. Chris has accompanied me on all three visits and I have appreciated his company, not just in terms of the drive but someone to be with you in case something goes wrong. (The AA apparently doesn’t cover the Tacna-Tarata road). In this regard I am thankful to all who give so generously to Baptist Missions so that the Mission can provide reliable vehicles. The other member of our party was Rueben (the radio station technician) who was going to another evangelical church he had been invited to. They were having a baptismal service and he had been asked to preach at it. Upon arrival he realised they also intended him to perform the baptisms. He hadn’t brought a change of clothes but apparently they were able to find suitable attire from somewhere for him to baptise four people in a pool in a nearby river.

Anyway Chris and I went to the Baptist church as planned and shared a lovely time with the believers there. At the end of the service we were treated by the small Sunday school class who sang a favourite hymn of my parents ‘Montes y Valles’. I don’t know the name in English but will add it in when I remember or am reminded.

Over lunch we worked out that the work in Tarata has existed for 66 years. The Pastor was saved at 18 and is now 84 years old. The Pastor and his wife are thankful to God for His faithfulness over all these years and also for the support of both missionaries and visitors from Ireland who have come as far as Tarata to be an encouragement and get involved, when possible, in the work there. They shared numerous stories of how God had blessed them over the years, too many to share here.

In the afternoon we headed for Ticaco, a town near Tarata, and after bumping along a dirt track we were thankfully finally able to visit an elderly lady named Gregoria, the object of our past failed attempt. She is a lady who attended the church in Tarata even when the road was not as accessible as it is now. According to Pastor Orestes, unlike many others, although she was illiterate she had a good grasp of basic doctrine and shared the gospel message clearly with many in her town. Many who have been on past Baptist Mission teams that have visited Tarata have probably also gone the extra mile and had the privilege of visiting this lady.

She now lives in this house with her brother who is much younger than her. He shepherds goats but is not always there or able to provide the support necessary when he is.

She is now very old and frail, almost blinded with cataracts and so deaf that I think all the neighbours were privy to the conversation we had with her. She was surprisingly lucid and remembered many who had visited her in the past even if not by name.

She suffers from arthritis which causes her a lot of discomfort and pain, especially her in elbows she said.

Her living conditions are very basic, and apparently recently she set her kitchen on fire trying to cook. St the minute a niece brings her food most days so she doesn’t attempt cooking. I read to her the 23 Psalm the same passage I shared with her 5 years ago when I accompanied the 2004 mission team who visited Ticaco with Derek Baxter. We prayed and then Berta the Pastors wife led us in a hymn that Gregoria knew by heart.

It was such an honour to be able to share something of God’s Word with someone so isolated.
It was also a pleasure to be able to leave a few gifts of food to encourage her and perhaps even help boost her health.

She was complaining about having developed a cold, so we left her eating one of the mandarins we had brought from Tacna.

The visit really touched our hearts and Chris especially expressed how his heart had gone out to her. As we left we wished we could do so much more but that is when you have to trust that we have a God who knows all about it and will provide, even for Gregoria, in ways and means we cannot even begin to properly understand, as He has done up to now. Please pray for Berta as Gregoria is only one of many elderly people in the towns surrounding Tarata that she visits almost weekly. Pray that she would know God’s strength as she seeks to share God’s Word with many of these elderly people, some who are believers and others who are still seeking but willing to listen.
Pray also for others in difficult circumstances, some similar to Gregoria and others with distinct problems, whom other missionaries and BM workers seek to minister to. In a sense Gregoria is only one example but others could be written about. Please continue to pray for the work of Baptist Missions here in Peru in all the various areas and facets of ministry.

Pray for me as I start marking essays (the students did hand some in eventually) and as the term draws towards a close. Please also visit as I continue to seek future ministry possibilities here in Peru and especially the Lords guidance in this. Finally I would ask you to pray for Gregoria that she would know God’s comfort in her life there in Ticaco and also that the Lord would bless Pastor Orestes and Berta as they serve Him faithfully in the Tarata valley.

God Bless,
Alistair.

Cards in the Park

2009-11-26T12:37:00.009-05:00

Hi. Last week end went well. I shared at the ‘Luz de Vida’ young people’s meeting and then also preached there on Sunday night. Both meetings went well and I feel I am continuing to develop relationships particularly with the young people there. Please continue to pray that I would be used of God in all the churches I visit.

Although this blog is mostly dedicated to keeping you up to date with what I am involved in, a few weeks ago I included a post about ‘Day of the Dead’. I received very positive feedback and felt I have been asked to share other posts of a similar vein from time to time. As I live here in Peru I have been making a concerted effort to broaden my understanding of various aspects of life, but particularly with regard to religion. Well, I thought I would share about something I learnt a little about this week.

On Monday morning Andrew Roycroft and I went out to get some things done in town and we were walking down a major avenue in the centre of Tacna. We unsuspectingly came across a number of fortune tellers who seemed to be plying their trade along the length of a certain section of this avenue in a little park that divides the two carriageways.

We were intrigued by a few things we saw in particular so I returned that afternoon to see if I could get a few photos. By the time I returned it was a little cloudy but there were plenty of people about, children playing on the grass and people lying about chatting eating ice-cream. In the middle of this the fortune tellers continued to attend their clientele.

The first man I asked to photograph was very obliging. He was the man we had seen earlier. What had intrigued us were not the tarot cards or coca leaves but the crucifix.

As I watched for a few moments I noted that his routine at the beginning of dealing the cards is to place them on the crucifix and in a sense have the crucifix ‘kiss’ the deck before he begins to deal.

As I walked down the avenue I took a photograph of this lady who was very eager for me to do so. She reads coca leaves and has a few superstitious items pinned to the coloured cloth under the leaves. You can’t quite see it in the photo but she showed me a little rubber sandal pinned there.

The next fortune teller also was keen that I should photograph him in the middle of attending a client. Note again a smaller crucifix strategically placed on the cards.

I was able to get into a conversation with this gentleman who was one of the last fortune tellers I passed. He insisted I wait until a client came before I took his picture.

While waiting we chatted about his profession. He told me a little about himself, namely that his Grandfather and Father were fortune tellers before him and that he learned the trade from them. He was sad however, because his children were not interested in carrying on from him but have tried to pursue other more mainstream professions. This nonetheless does not mean there is a lessening interest in people wishing to have their fortunes told.

I asked him who normally comes and he said that people of every age, gender and social class will come and seek to have questions answered. I asked for some examples of people who had visited him that day. He said that in fact there had been a lot of young adults that day. They had been looking for advice whether to travel or not. Travel can sometimes be dangerous here, and given that fear and uncertainty about the future is one of the primary motives for going to a fortune teller, then I presume this is why people seek some form of reassurance about upcoming journeys.
Others were seeking advice about job opportunities, whether to change, or about accepting or seeking promotion. He also said that very often young people will come with ‘romantic questions’ as he put it. They will come asking if a person they have ‘their eye on’ is a good match, or will bring a profitable or happy future. He said that often couples will come together before getting married seeking to see if their relationship will have good or bad future.

All in all I found it interesting, though in the same instance saddening, to see how the syncretistic nature of religion here in Peru has meant that crucifixes have been mixed in with tarot cards and coca leaves. It was worrying that people could be duped into thinking that this practice was in anyway related to Christianity. Though I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising given that many people like to blend or adapt various ‘religious’ traditions or superstitions to suit their own needs or fill their own void.
It also struck me that this was practiced in the middle of a busy street. This is not the stereotypical image of a fortune teller in a room down a dark alley. This is in a very public place with ease of access to all. The children playing nearby growing up with the impression that this is just as normal and harmless as the key cutters on one side of the street and the hardware shops on the other who also just seek to ‘practice’ their trades. What is more this is not isolated to Tacna. In Ilo there are also fortune tellers at a certain point on very public promenade along the seafront.

Lastly it alarmed me that so many of those looking to have their fortunes told were people about my own age. These were not elderly people stuck in an old animistic mentality. Whilst most of the fortune tellers appeared to be of an Andean background, those seeking their advice appeared to be people who I would never have guessed as people who would believe in ‘luck’ and fortune. I cannot pretend to understand the individual motivations for those seeking to have their fortunes told, but what I can say is that from what I observed, this ‘trade’ does not seem to be dying out. Rather superstition and animism seems to continue to grip the Peruvian mindset even among the educated younger generations.

Please continue to pray for the advancement of Christ’s kingdom here in Peru.

This Sunday I hope to visit the Tarata church once again. Please pray for safety in travel and also as we seek to visit an elderly lady in Ticaco (a nearby town) during the afternoon. Pray that this would be an encouragement to her.
God Bless,
Alistair.

Baking & Bolivia

2009-11-18T22:37:00.008-05:00

Hi, just a brief post to keep up to date.

Last week I dedicated to finishing up preparations for the 1 Peter classes which I managed. On Saturday night I had the pleasure of speaking at the ‘Rosa de Saron’ young people’s group. I was surprised how many attended.A few got away before I could round them up for this photo. Pastor Basilio is standing to the right of the picture. It was a good opportunity to speak a little more with some of the young people who I have only shaken hands with so far on Sunday night services.

On Sunday I was scheduled to preach at ‘Pan de Vida’ church but was asked to change from the morning service to the evening to accommodate the Pastor from ‘San Antonio’ church in Moquegua who was exchanging pulpits that morning. This allowed him to get a bus back to Moquegua that afternoon and not have to stay overnight. What I discovered (it had previously been mentioned to me by the Pastor at ‘Pan de Vida’) was that the congregation almost changes between morning and evening. For some reason the two services are attended by almost completely distinct groups of people. Well it was good to meet these people too but as the sermon was a second part of a series I was tempted to, and had I had it with me, I would have shared the first sermon once again.

Anyway, this week has been focused on finishing all preparations for the second class, writing another sermon, preparing a youth talk for Luz de Vida this Saturday night and trying to start another prayer letter.

I have also been having a bash at some baking. Lourdes and Graham Williamson gifted me a little yellow recipe book from Ballygomartin Baptist Church. It is very good and easy to follow (it would need to be in my case). I have so far had a very successful start with Fifteens, Flapjacks and Banana cake. Some ingredients needed amended as you can’t get quite the same items here but they all turned out very well. Thankfully, for the sake of my midline, I was able to share them with others around the seminary.

Assignments were supposed to be handed in this week but so far I have only received one, so I expect the rest next week (note the optimistic tone... not even a hint of sarcasm). I am sharing at both the youth and Sunday evening service at Luz de Vida this weekend so please remember that in prayer.

Please also remember in prayer one of my downstairs neighbours. His name is Adonias and he is a Brazilian student who has been studying here for a few months.
He feels God is calling him to be a ‘children’s pastor’ and a place has opened up for him to volunteer with a mission working with children in Bolivia. He leaves tomorrow (Thursday 19th) on his own. Pray he would know Gods guidance and comfort as he follows God’s call and settles into this new stage of his walk with the Lord. I asked him if he would like me to tell believers in Ireland about him and he was very enthusiastic that you would pray for him.

Thank you all once again for your interest and prayerful support.
God Bless,
Alistair.

Amazing Journey & Noisy Neighbours

2009-11-09T17:38:00.009-05:00

Hi, just a small post to let you know what I was up to over the weekend.
Well I wasn’t anywhere near the cemetery. On Saturday morning as usual I had my class. Numbers have dropped a bit in recent weeks but apparently it’s not just my class and is a usual trend at this time of year.

Saturday evening I was at the young people’s meeting in ‘Luz de Vida’ church which went well and I have had a few requests for topics to be dealt with in future talks. From Thursday to Sunday this church has been hosting the ‘Amazing Journey’ visiting local schools etc. Sunday morning I went along to see it presented to the Sunday School. It went really well and it’s a good reminder of the overall story of the Bible. Sometimes you can get so caught up in one book or part of the Bible that you forget the overall story. Luz-Maria does a great job presenting the Journey and this is Luz explaining about the Israelites escape from Egypt.

This is Luz chatting with Noah (also known as Pastor Freddie).

The kids even got to meet Goliath. His sword was quite impressive and I reckon he could just about have reached the front row if they had got out of line.

This is Mary telling about how she ended up in Bethlehem and what happened there.

This is Paul of TarsusThis is the entire cast posing for a group photo after the presentation.
I was eventually coaxed into trying on Goliath's outfit. I reckon the his sword would be a bit too big for spreading butter.

Sunday night I visited the ‘Rosa de Saron’ church for the third time and then this morning tried studying for tonight but found it impossible to concentrate due to noisy neighbours below. They should be busy at assignments is what I say. This afternoon I finished of preparing for tonight’s class and thought I’d try and squeeze this in between so I can have a fresh stab at studying tomorrow morning when the lads below have classes.

I have been feeling quite tired recently and I think it’s just the busyness of the last few months building up. I’m looking forward to the end of term in December and a drop in the pace of things. Thank you again for your interest and prayers; they are a real source of encouragement and motivation.

God Bless,
Alistair.

Cemeteries & Deodorants

2009-11-07T23:14:00.011-05:00

I mentioned in the last post that I might write a little more about cemeteries. Last weekend was an important time as far as cemeteries are concerned as it was All Saints/Souls days. I had visited the cemetery in Ticaco on the Sunday (apparently naively masquerading as a priest). It was a small cemetery surrounded by a white washed ‘adobe’ or mud brick wall.

It was almost the kind of place I used to see in the cowboy films I watched with my Dad. On Monday morning I decided that if I was going to visit the central cemetery here in Tacna, there was no better time to go. I had heard and read a bit about the elaborate celebrations that Mexicans have on these dates and wondered perhaps if the Peruvians would have equally elaborate celebrations. Well they didn’t in one way but at the same time I wasn’t disappointed. I thought I would share this with you as it adds another insight into the Peruvian culture. Even having been brought up here, I am still trying to take opportunities to better acquaint myself with aspects of the culture and lifestyle that one takes for granted as a child.

Upon arrival I asked permission to take photos which was kindly granted. Despite this I still think I must have looked a bit odd walking around taking photos. At least I made sure not to dress as a priest but unmistakably touristy.

Well the first thing to say is that here there are two principal ways to be buried: either in nooks in the wall, called ‘nichos’, or in a grave in the ground similar to home.

The graves however, were not neatly ordered in rows like graves at home. It almost seems as if you just find a free space and dig a hole for the coffin.

In fact they were so closely laid out that it is impossible not to step so close to the crosses that undoubtedly you must be stepping on the coffin. In the end this is where everyone else was walking, and I’m sure the occupants of these plots weren’t that perturbed. This being the aforementioned special dates, there was a buzz about the cemetery with lots of people coming to relatives’ graves and ‘nichos’ to clean them, some were even painting them and placing flowers. It gave the place a very bright and colourful appearance, not at all sombre.

There was also a lot of music from the distant makeshift restaurants selling lunch and also from groups of musicians which roamed around the grounds playing songs. Relatives would pay these groups to play for them and presumable the deceased relative and at the end the family offered the men an alcoholic drink. Also wandering around were witch doctors who would offer prayers or pour concoctions (including beer and wine) on the graves, again also for a price.
The newest block of ‘nichos’ was particularly busy with visitors.

I noticed that the blocks of ‘nichos’ were called ‘cuartel’ which translates as barracks, as in army barracks. I wondered whether this was, or is, at all a theological statement, but have not as yet ascertained an answer. If I do I will let you know. You can just about make out the word painted on the side of this block along with its number and letter. Some blocks of ‘nichos’ were heavily guarded like this one with metal gates. As I observed these fortifications I wondered if I were to ask someone around what they understood by the term ‘Eternal Security’ whether this is what they would point to.
Whilst talking about ‘nichos’ it was interesting to wander around what is obviously the rich area of the cemetery where the family mausoleums are located. Each is unique in its design, much like all buildings here. Many visitors remark when travelling around a city how each house is different to the next (some can be similar but always unique is some detail) as each is individually designed and built by the owners. I noticed this extended to the mausoleums.
This is one being built. I just hope no-one’s in a hurry to get in, because I didn’t see a workman in sight.
From what I have read about the Mexican celebrations food, drink and other items are left on the graves. This for the most part I did not see here. Mostly just plenty of flowers and occasional glasses or bottles of beer; though I am assured that it does occur just obviously not on Monday. In the mausoleums I did however see items left beside the tombs. This is probably because it was possible to lock it behind a door. These included the large ornate breads and again beer.
In one instance I even saw some Axe deodorant (Peruvian equivalent of Lynx).

On the way out I was able to speak to a friendly 86 year old gent who is the priest to the cemetery. He had just finished celebrating Mass and I asked if I could take his picture which he seemed delighted about, but then forgot to pose for it. The visit on the whole was very interesting and intriguing. It has raised many questions in my mind which I will no doubt try to get answers to. In the end however, it was sad to see that Biblical truth was almost indiscernible below the many superstitions and rituals I witnessed.

I hope this has been informative, and will help you understand better the society I am working in. I thank you once again for your interest and value your prayerful support.
God Bless,
Alistair.

Key-less in Ticaco

2009-11-02T23:10:00.010-05:00

Hi, last week I told you about the ‘Day of the Reformation’ and ‘Day of the Pastor’ celebrations which went well. I must say I felt very encouraged after that service in particular.

Class on Monday went well; we had got as far as wives and husbands in 1Peter 3:1-7. It was a very relevant section to a few of the ladies in the class who are married to unbelieving husbands. Some interesting questions, one in particular which I can’t remember now, but had absolutely nothing I could see to do with the topic. All I can say is you always get one!

The rest of the week included the normal preparations and visits. Also on Thursday afternoons we have managed to get a regular group from the seminary, and some others, together to play football. I try my best but it’s a good time together. Can’t let myself get too out of shape or I’ll not stand a chance of fighting for my place on Magherafelt Baptist’s first XI.

Saturday morning’s class went well also, though numbers dropped a bit because of the holiday week end. We finished the first topic, which was Death and Grief etc. and now we are starting Addictions this coming week. Saturday night many churches arranged Christian alternatives to the Halloween celebrations. The ‘Luz de Vida’ group I normally help out at were attending a larger gathering. A group who call themselves ‘Network of Christian Young People in Tacna’ (it really does sound shorter and catchier in Spanish) hired the Council Theatre and had an anti-Halloween event. It apparently went really well, though also really late. I was planning to go but was exhausted at 6pm and I was due to visit Tarata on Sunday (yesterday) so I gave it a miss and was in bed before 10pm.

Sunday then saw Chris and I visit Tarata a second time. I even managed to get a few more photos.

Below is a picture of the local office of the 'Proyecto Sierra Sur'.

I haven't a clue what they do, but in a previous existence this was the home of veteran missionaries Sam and Mary Sloan who lived in this house while they ministered in this town and the surrounding valley. In a sense another reminder of the long history of Baptist Mission's work, in so many different places, in South Peru.

It was a lovely visit and in the afternoon we attempted a trip to Ticaco, another town further along the valley. Upon arrival we meet a lot of sheep. The first quartet had managed to find their way home, so one presumes were no longer lost, but no one was home to let them in. One therefore presumes its the shepherd who got lost this time. Below is another group who were apparently camera-shy, if sheep can be this. At any rate it took a lot of huffing and puffing (and a few cracks of the stick) from the elderly shepherdess before these little lambs would go past us.

However, our trip to Ticaco wasn't a sheep finding expedition. We were actually hoping to visit an elderly lady I mentioned in a previous post. Sadly the lady is locked in, for her own safety, and we weren’t able to get in to see her. She is very deaf so she didn’t hear us at the door. None of her relatives, who have keys, were in but we guessed they may be at the cemetery. It is All Saints/Souls this weekend and all Catholics are congregating at the cemeteries.

We visited there and met a few people but alas not the ladies son or next door neighbour. I was wearing a black shirt and trousers (bad choice for this weekend) as a number of people apparently presumed I was a visiting priest and were asking Berta who I was in case I could offer some prayers or perform some other rites.

I might speak more about this in a later post. Anyway we have postponed visiting the elderly lady, Gregoria, until the next visit and will attempt to get a key we can take with us to avoid any problems.

Thank you once again for your valued support and interest in the work I’m involved in here and please continue to pray for the whole team of missionaries here. Especially pray for the plans which are already underway for summer camps and also for the churches Christmas activities which are even earlier.
Blessings,
Alistair.

Reformations & Dedications

2009-10-26T18:29:00.003-05:00

Hi. I said in the last post that I would probably divide all I wanted to share into two separate posts, and when I got writing I quickly realised that would be wise.

In a previous post I had mentioned that I had been invited to speak at the Manantial de Vida church, last night, when the church was planning to have a special service to commemorate the Day of the Reformation and Day of the Pastor. I had been asked to say something of an overview of the Reformation and then say something appropriate to the Pastor and also for those considering the call into the ministry.

During the course of this week I found out that they were also going to take advantage of the occasion and dedicate two infants. Needless to say this sounded like, and indeed turned out to be, a very packed service. It began shortly after 5pm and ended after 8pm, but I must admit that I enjoyed every minute.

Towards the beginning I presented a brief 10min overview of the Reformation, and thanks to a power point presentation I think most people understood at least a little of what I was talking about; that or perhaps were just nodding politely. Later in the service the Pastor presented the two infants to the church and explained the responsibility the parents and the church members were committing themselves to before God. He then prayed for them and the parents. It was lovely.
Shortly after I was then called on to bring the message and I spoke primarily from 1Timothy 4:13-16. I brought a few thoughts firstly for the Pastor, then those being called into the ministry and then finally addressed the congregation to support and love their Pastor.

After this the Pastor brought a few words of his own to the church and also invited his wife to join him emphasising that the ministry in the church did not just involve him, but that his wife was an integral part of team and the support she offered him. Then some church members said some words of appreciation to the Pastor and his family and offered him a gift.

Once the service finished (after 8pm) there was a plate of food provided for everyone. Again this was a lovely opportunity for fellowship, to express gratitude to the Pastor and take photos with the newly dedicated children. It was a lovely service and I felt a great pleasure from being able to join with Gods people and extremely privileged to have the honour of bringing God’s word during the service. I know many of you have been praying for particularly during this week and I am convinced that God answered yours and my prayers last night.

I would ask you to continue to pray for the Pastors in all the churches here as they strive in their ministries before God. Above is Ps. Abraham Rengifo and me. I’m now heading out the door to the Monday night classes at the seminary (only across the road).

Blessings,
Alistair.

Polladas & Picantadas

2009-10-26T14:34:00.007-05:00

Hi, so much has happened since last week, and the last post, that I’ll probably divide it into two posts.

Firstly I seem to have recovered fully from the tummy upset, but it did give me a bit of ‘time out’ to think and get perspective on things. It’s interesting how God sometimes allows things like this to happen, putting you out of action, to give you time to rest, recuperate but also contemplate. Being unable to leave the apartment (and the vicinity of the toilet to be precise and perhaps too detailed) gave me time to study and prepare for the activities this week.

Apart from the normal weekly routine this weekend we had the conference with Dr Tito Paredes (Friday night and Saturday morning). It was very useful and interesting.

Above is Dr Paredes signing some of his books purchased at the conference.

On Saturday night I had been invited to bring a ‘talk’ or short message at the ‘Luz de Vida’ church young people’s group again. I was there a few weeks ago. Upon request and discussion with the Pastor and current leader of the youth group I have agreed to offer my support as much as possible. I have committed myself to taking the Bible study every other week and then support with other activities as able. Please pray that the topics I share would be beneficial, but also that God would use me as a good role model for these impressionable young people/adults.
To share a little more about them, they are mostly in between 16-25years old and are very enthusiastic. At present they are planning to get involved in evangelism to children in the surrounding neighbourhoods.

Puppet shows are one of the methods they plan to use. They put on a puppet show yesterday morning as part of the Sunday School. We thank God for their abilities and enthusiasm, but please pray for their Pastor and leaders as they guide the young people in this endeavour.

Yesterday, Sunday, I had a lunch at a local church ‘Casa de Oración’ in a district called Natividad which was hosting a ‘Pollada’ to raise funds for musical instruments. These are some of the young people who organized the event.

This is a popular activity in Peru to raise funds for almost anything. Essentially what happens is that for weeks before, the hosts (in this case the young people from this church) sell tickets which represent a meal (in this case chicken- Pollo is Spanish for Chicken). Then on the allocated day, usually Saturday or Sunday, people come and claim the meal with their ticket. People do this sometimes to raise funds for relatives who are in hospital or parents will do it to raise money for school funds etc.

It has become so popular in recent weeks that I had a ticket last weekend for a ‘Picantada’, (same principal but just a different dish- this time a chilli dish). I wasn’t however, able to redeem said voucher as I was ill (that didn’t stop other individuals across the street from redeeming it though). This weekend I attended this one, and next Saturday I have yet another ticket for the ‘Luz de Vida’ church who are also doing a ‘Pollada’ to raise money to buy a speaker/amplifier for these evangelistic outreach activities. A friend here joked that he was going to need to host a ‘Pollada’ himself to raise money to pay for all these other ‘Polladas’ that are being hosted. I would agree with the sentiment.

That said, I find it a very enjoyable way to come into contact or meet up with new people or people I rarely get a chance to see. Yesterday was a case in point. I was able to visit a church, all be it after the official church service, speak with the various church members and have an interesting chat with the Pastor there. His name is Timoteo (the gentleman on the left waving his hand) and many of you may know of him or know him personally. He was on a team that visited Ireland a few years ago.

His youngest son was extremely ill and he wasn’t given much hope by the doctors. The last time I spoke with him was last May and June when I was visiting the churches promoting ‘Misión Rescate.’ At that time things were uncertain but I hadn’t understood the gravity of the situation. Since then it got worse but God has been good and the son, Daniel, has made a miraculous recovery which doctors here cannot seem to explain. In fact Daniel was running around the church with a friend trying to soak each other (and anyone else) with water. It was hard to believe that just months ago he was in kidney failure etc. I thank God for these opportunities to just listen to people’s concerns even if there’s not much I can say or do personally.

I was also able to meet a man called Venancio with his two sons Miguel and Pablo. He worked in the bookshop my parents ran and then pastured the church I attended as a child. Essentially he was my childhood Pastor.

It was good to unexpectedly meet him and hopefully will have the opportunity to speak with him again in more detail in the oncoming weeks.

Please continue to pray for me as I serve the Lord here. Pray for me as I study and prepare; be it for classes, youth meetings or church services. Also pray that God would guide me as I interact with such a variety of people in different situations, people I have known since childhood and others I am just meeting. Pray that my personal spiritual life would remain strong as I am used by God here. I thank God for providing the different members of the missionary family here to whom I can look for counsel and support, and look forward to the imminent return of Trevor Morrow and the Williamson family who have all been missed. Please pray for us as a team working here in South Peru.

Blessings,
Alistair.

Laptops & Bugs

2009-10-18T22:48:00.002-05:00

Hi since my last post most things have gone fine.
The visit to ‘Rosa de Saron’ church went well and the congregation really appreciated seeing pictures of my family and home church. It again underlines the fact that ex-missionaries and even visitors from Ireland are not easily forgotten. I have another date to return in November which will allow me, God willing, to continue to encourage these believers.

Mondays night’s class went well, as did the class I was covering for on Tuesday morning. Wednesday saw the departure of Gordon Darragh and Tom Moore. Their visit was much appreciated.

On Friday night Reuben and I were trying to get powerpoint sorted in the main auditorium as I planned to show a short film during the class I teach on Saturday morning; but predictably we couldn’t get it to work. To compound the problems my laptop died. It has done this once before but it seemed to recover after a while, this time it didn’t. If that wasn’t bad enough I woke in the middle of the night to an episode of ‘tummy trouble’. By Saturday morning I was almost in despair. Both feeling ill, but more so due to the prospect of what might need done to fix the laptop or if anyone here even could. I realised how crucial this piece of machinery has become to me here. It is where I prepare all my classes and where I maintain contact with family and friends in Ireland. I was imagining how I would manage to get by without it. Thankfully, an answer to a night of much prayer, the computer awoke and is working fine again. My digestive system hasn’t recovered as quickly however, and it has meant postponing the trip to Tarata planned for today. Yesterday, apart from going to teach my class in the morning, I spent most of the day in bed and today I feel much better. Although still ‘afflicted’ so to speak, I haven’t a sore head and have been able to continue preparing for next Sunday.

Please pray that I would recover completely. I had hoped it was a 24hr bug, now I’m hoping it’s a 48hr one. Pray also for my class tomorrow night, especially if I don’t feel too great.

This coming weekend, God willing, the second conference is planned with Dr Tito Paredes. I’m not too sure what the topic is but will surely find out soon enough. Also next Sunday night I have a sort of special preaching engagement. The churches here are celebrating the ‘Day of the Reformation’ coupled with ‘Day of the Pastor’. The ‘Manantial de Vida’ church has invited me along to speak. The issue is the brief. I have been asked, somehow, to give a résumé of the Reformation and its results, bring a message for the pastor, and then a message for those aspiring to the ministry all in one sermon. Let’s just say it’s still a work in progress.

Please continue to pray for the work here, for the seminary both students and teachers, for the churches and especially for their pastors coming up to this special date next Sunday.
Thank you again for your interest and prayerful support.
God Bless,
Alistair.

Conferences & Sports Days

2009-10-11T17:16:00.010-05:00

Hi, just a post to keep you up to date since the pancakes and Calvin conference.
The seminary’s weekend conference went very well. The invited speaker was Dr Donald Smith (principal of the Evangelical Seminary of Lima). He spoke very well on the subject of Calvin. The students gave very positive feedback and requested more conferences of a similar kind.
Thankfully there is just such a conference scheduled later this month. Dr Tito Paredes, also from Lima, is due to attend. It isn’t normal to have conferences so close together but Dr Paredes’ conference was originally scheduled during last semester but due to potential strikes was postponed to these dates. Anyway, no one’s complaining and hopefully it will be an equally enjoyable and beneficial event for the students.

Last Sunday I preached in two different churches, ‘Pan de Vida’ in the morning and ‘Luz de Vida’ in the evening. Both visits were very enjoyable. Classes took place as normal this week only we are getting a little behind in both courses as we always end up having all sorts of discussions, thankfully almost always related to the course content.
On Thursday there was a bank/national holiday and the four ‘de Vida’ churches in Cono Sur had a joint day trip to the countryside to have a sports day. I went along and it was very enjoyable.

As is customary, the day started with a short service of singing, and epilogue and greetings. Then it was on to the games. It was good to be able to get to know the church members better, and play football together.

There were different activities including volleyball, football, obstacle races and even a ‘who-can-eat-the-food-quickest’ competition, sadly only for the children.
Last night (Saturday) I had the opportunity to visit the young people’s group in the ‘Luz de Vida’ church. I joined in the games and then brought a short talk.
It was really good to spend time with these young people, some who I already knew from camps and the youth conference.

They are really enthusiastic and full of energy that needs channelled in the right direction. Pray that I could be a good influence for them.

Today (Sunday) I visited ‘Palabra de Vida’ in Cono Sur and this afternoon I am visiting ‘Rosa de Saron’ church in the north of Tacna for a second time. I am preaching again tonight and pray it will be beneficial to them. They also asked me to show some photos of my family on their power point to show them what my parents are now involved in. I plan to show some photos not only of my family but also my church; a bit like deputation in reverse.

Other interesting happenings include the arrival of Gordon Darragh (the mission director) and Tom Moore (the president of the Association) along with the three Irish members of the ‘Misión Rescate’ team who are now in Arequipa starting language school. Also the Roycroft family arrived from Arequipa on Thursday and are temporarily settling into a flat in the seminary until a permanent house can be found. Please pray for all of them and their individual needs and circumstances.

This incoming week includes the normal classes (and filling in for another teacher who is away to Lima), preparation, field meetings (meetings with all other missionaries and the visitors from Ireland) and then, God willing, a second visit to Tarata next Sunday.
Thank you once again for you interest and prayer support.
God Bless,
Alistair.

Pancakes & Calvin

2009-10-01T14:22:00.003-05:00

Hi, just writing to keep you up to date with things.

Since my last post things have mostly just continued the same. Classes continue with a confirmed 16 in the 1 Peter class on Monday nights and 11 in the Saturday morning class. This is good because in the very rare circumstances that you have less than 5 students by the second/third week the module is postponed to another semester. What is even more interesting is the variety of students. For example the Saturday morning class which is aimed at pastors actually only has one pastor and a retired pastor. The rest include housewives, an architect, a nutritionist and an elderly gentleman among others.

I also had the opportunity to visit the ladies program which the seminary runs on a Tuesday afternoon. This wasn’t to attend but to bake pancakes. Rosa who supervises the program was interested in some pancakes I had made a few weeks ago. She talked me in to coming and showing the ladies how to make them during their break time between sessions. This week end the seminary is hosting a conference to make the 500th anniversary of Calvin. The invited speaker is Dr Donald Smith (the Evangelical Seminary of Lima’s principal). I hope to attend and maybe learn a thing or two.

In the next few weeks I am scheduled to speak in a few of the Cono Sur churches and then mid-October I plan, God willing, to visit ‘Rosa de Saron’ and Tarata again on separate Sunday’s.
Please continue to pray for the work here and for these special events. Please also pray as I continue to prepare and teach here at the seminary and as I visit and preach in the different churches, that God would use me as an encouragement.

Blessings,

Alistair.

Tarata Visit #1

2009-09-21T16:27:00.005-05:00

Just another little post so say how yesterday’s visit to Tarata went.

Yesterday we (Chris from the past Misión Rescate Team accompanied me) left Tacna at 8am and travelled up the road to Tarata. It’s mostly tarmac except of where rivers have run across the road during the rainy season and damaged it a bit. The journey only took just over one and a half hours, a fraction of what the journey used to take when it was a dirt road. Tarata apparently is at an altitude of 3080m above sea level, but thankfully neither of us felt ill.

After a quick cup of tea we attended the service. It’s held in a small building beside the pastor’s house but was pretty full by half-way through the service. I had the privilege of preaching and I must say the children in particular were very attentive. After the service we had a brief photo session and then shortly after lunch, headed back down the road again in time to make the evening services in Tacna.
These are photos of the church congregation.

This is the pastor Orestes and his wife Berta who have served the Lord in this town and the surrounding villages for decades.

Please pray for them as they continue serving the Lord in difficult circumstances. They receive little encouragement but continue to faithfully witness in this town. Added to this there have been a few new independent evangelical groups starting works in the town and essentially destabilising their church. These groups tend to come up on Saturday and leave on Sunday and don’t offer a true pastoral support to their adherents, yet they claim to be the ‘central’ or first Baptist witness in the town.

Thanks again for your faithfulness in prayer,
Blessings,
Alistair.

Old & New

2009-09-17T21:40:00.011-05:00

Hi. Classes continue well.
It seems the in my 1 Peter class on Monday nights I will probably have 17 students, and there are currently 9 students in my Saturday morning Practical Theology class; big enough to get a discussion going but not so large that I wouldn’t get to know the students. Anyway I’ll write more about this as the semester develops.

On Sunday night I had the pleasure of visiting a church in ‘Cono Norte’ or the northern end of Tacna, opposite obviously to ‘Cono Sur’ or southern point where the de Vida churches, seminary and radio station are. It’s a church my Dad worked with a lot during his time in Peru but is now independent from the mission and seemingly doing well. The pastor had invited me to speak at an anniversary service back in July but I wasn’t able to attend. Instead I promised a date in September; last Sunday night. It was good to meet up with people I hadn’t seen since I was a child and was frankly surprised that I was able to recollect quite a few faces. The fact is however, that these believers haven’t forgotten many of the missionaries and teams that have visited them in the past. A few members, knowing I was coming, brought along photos they treasured of our family.

This is one of me with a full head of blond hair.

I was encouraged to see how the church was progressing and developing. Their building is well finished now and they have power point, drums, electric guitars etc. In fact the worship was interesting given the blend of accordion and electric guitar, joined later by the drum kit when the drummer eventually showed up. Yet it did demonstrate their attempt to cater for all ages. They sang 3-4 hymns from the old ‘Cala’ hymn book (which I remember was old when I was young), a few from another hymn book, evidently more recent, and lastly a worship time of very new songs on the power point.

I must say that my overarching impression was that I was made very welcome and that they were genuinely encouraged and excited that I had taken the time to visit. As a result I have made arrangements to visit another Sunday night mid-October.

Well, in the spirit of visiting places of old anew, I plan God willing to go to Tarata on Sunday morning. This is a little town about 2 hours from Tacna (some say less now that the road is tarmac) up into the mountains. The mission established a work there many years ago but sadly not many missionaries have been able to visit recently. The last ones to visit, as far I’ve been told, were the first Misión Rescate team. Please pray for safety as I travel (I was nearly hit by a bus overtaking a car approaching a bend this morning as I travelled back from Ilo). Also pray as I preach, that the message I share would be an encouragement to those present.

The other event I attended was a basketball competition in which Rebecca Morrow was participating. I had heard so much about how amazing etc these were and I wasn't disappointed. Both her match and the last match were particularly exciting and had us on the edges, and off, our seats at the end. I thought I would post one picture in particular which I thought was quite humourus.

It looks distinctly as if 16 has been hit with the mid-match-munchies and decided to have a chew on 43's bicep with 32 looking on in disbelief. I might get on to this basketball thing yet!

Thanks again for all your support and encouragement.

God Bless.
Alistair.

Radios & Porridge

2009-09-11T15:00:00.002-05:00

Hi, since the last post a few things have happened.

Firstly my second course got off the ground on Saturday morning. Only 3 of the 7 students turned up, the rest presumably attending the radio conference. This means this week’s class will be a bit of a refresher and then into the ‘meat’ of the course. The first topic I’m dealing with is death and grief. Part of the second lecture (if we get this far...which I doubt) is discussing the meaty subject of mortuary cannibalism. If you want to know more, sign up for the course!
This week’s 1 Peter lecture was postponed as it was the Radio station’s 2nd anniversary service. So it resumes next Monday night. God willing next week we will be dealing with 1 Peter 1:1-2 and discussing the assignments.

The other main event was the radio conference which took place between Thursday and Saturday. The speakers were Allen Graham and Fernando Arroyo from HCJB in Quito Ecuador. Allen does a lot of training for people involved in radio and was actually on his way back from a conference in Argentina.

There was an excellent attendance with visitors from Pucallpa in north Peru, Arequipa, Arica in Chile across the border and local people. The speakers had asked for 40-50 only so that the groups would be manageable for workshops and that is pretty much how many turned up.

More to the point was the way the attendees gelled together and took part eagerly in the different workshops and practical exercises. There were many radio stations represented from other cities but also people interested in getting involved in radio and students from local universities who are studying related subjects.

The schedule was packed and on the last day there was an end of conference meal and a walk round some of the sights in the centre of Tacna for those who had come from out of town. It was good for our own radio staff to get some practical training and advice from these speakers in their own environment.

On Sunday I attended ‘Palabra de Vida’ and went early to see the Sunday school. It was encouraging to see so many attending and their participation. At 8:30am they start by providing the children with a porridge and bread roll breakfast. The church is in a very impoverished area and the breakfast is truly beneficial to these children. Then from 9-10:00am they do their lessons (including an adult class who misses out on the breakfast and start at 9am). Then from 10:30 to around midday they have the morning service.

We were also able to make the most of the fact that an engineer from Pucallpa was attending the conference to allow him to check out some of the equipment. Don’t ask me exactly what it is he was able to do... but it sounded very technical, was apparently gravely important and involved me driving them (the engineer and Reuben our Radio director) up to the hill overlooking Tacna, where our radio mast is, at 6am on Monday morning before he got his flight.

Monday night was then the anniversary service which was great and very encouraging for the staff of the radio, who were exhausted after a very busy week.

These are the staff of the radio with John and Lourdes Brew dropping Allen Graham off at the airport on Tuesday morning.

Anyway I must go now but will write again soon.
God Bless,
Alistair

Classes and classes

2009-09-03T22:34:00.001-05:00

Hi, just a little update.

The seminary has started and there seems to be a good number of students but some are still enrolling late so it’s too early to get an accurate count of how many students there are.

I have taught my first class on 1 Peter. It didn’t go too bad. It was the introduction which some people naturally find boring and a couple of tricky questions were asked but I managed to answer them satisfactorily. I admit it had me sweating though because it crossed my mind that maybe I was very mistaken, but after checking with another missionary after class I was relieved to find that I was neither ‘barking up the wrong tree’ nor lapsing into heresy (imagine doing that on your first lecture of the first week... I should at least give it a fortnight).

My second course, on practical theology, starts on Saturday. I’m looking forward to this as it will get the course ‘off the ground’ so to speak. Getting to meet the new students will also help me as I continue to refine and rearrange future lectures. In another sense I’m nervous but I’ve as much preparation done as I can so just wait and see how it goes on the day.

This week there has also been a conference here at the seminary hosted by the radio station which doesn’t finish until Saturday. I haven’t attended very much of it but have helped out in the background when needed. I’ll say no more now but wait and write about it in a future post.

To keep you updated on where I’ve been. Last Sunday morning I attended ‘Manantial de Vida’ and was asked on arrival to help inspect the Sunday school classes. It was an interesting experience. In the afternoon I travelled to Ite and preached at the evening service there. This Sunday morning I plan, God willing, to visit ‘Palabra de Vida’ and then perhaps ‘Luz de Vida’ in the evening. This will mean I will have visited each of the four Mission churches at least one time.

Anyway, I’ll go now and try to write again early next week. Thanks again to all of you for remembering me in prayer and for all your encouragements.
God Bless,
Alistair.

Apartments & Plants

2009-08-22T19:40:00.002-05:00

Hi. Sorry for not updating sooner but I’ve been busy and also I haven’t had regular access to the internet until yesterday.

During the last few weeks Dave and Alicia Murphy were here. It was great to be able to spend some time with them. There were a few frustrations in terms of trying to get things like transport organised. Things like this aren’t as simple as in Ireland. It certainly isn’t a case of just calling a company and arranging a suitable time and price. For example it involved going to the police station and getting ‘Mudanca’ documents done (which are essentially legalised copies of an itemised list you provide) to allow us to transport or send stuff out of Ilo. If you don’t have these documents any police or customs officers who stop you on your journey are entitled to confiscate all your property in case it’s stolen. The fact that the policeman never came to the house to see if we actually possessed the items on the list is beside the point. We had to get three sets of these documents done, but thankfully the police were very helpful in this regard. Although it was a very busy week it was good to meet up again and laugh about the various hiccups along the way; either you laugh or you cry.

Also since the last post I have moved into a flat at the seminary in Tacna. It’s cosy and I’m making myself at home in it. I’m also trying to settle into life in Tacna. I have had to deal with the little frustrations that come with trying to settle into life in a new place and it’s only now I realise how accustomed I had got to living in Ilo. For example I have managed to find places to buy most food items but haven’t found somewhere to buy meat. The thing is that very few places that sell meat keep it in a fridge of any description. In the market meat is laid out on the tiled counter but you never know for how long, and whilst I have bought meat there, preferably I choose the refrigerated variety. Last night I tried a shop and found they kept serving people in front of me and after 15mins I left. I went back today and the same thing happened but I persevered until I managed to get something. In Ilo I had become accustomed to shopping at a little shop that always made point of serving people in turn and today I wished they would open up a shop here. Anyway it’s the little things like this that you don’t think about until you’re in the situation, but no doubt in a month’s time I’ll have a routine established.

On the whole the frustrations have been few and I have enjoyed getting things sorted around the flat. I would like to have bought a pet but that seems unwise at present (though some people are trying to convince me to buy some fish) so I have made do with some plants.

Other than settling into the flat, I am continuing preparing classes for the new semester which is alarmingly close. The first classes are on Monday evening the 31st of August. My first class is that evening. Yesterday I spent the afternoon in the library compiling booklists to give out to the students which involved me having to browse through numerous shelves looking for relevant material. Comparatively speaking there is nowhere near as much literature available in Spanish as there is in English, and for the most part I am using the books I brought with me to prepare my courses. I was however, relieved to find at least some material which the students can make use of. Please continue to pray for me, and all the other lecturers, as we continue to prepare our classes.

Tomorrow (Sunday morning) the seminary administrator and I are going to visit a long list of churches to hand out information about the new semester and encourage the believers to come along and enrol. The postal system in Peru isn’t really that effective and the best way to make sure people find out about anything is to go and tell them yourself. Then in the evening one of the churches in Cono Sur, ‘Palabra de Vida’, is celebrating its anniversary. As usual the four churches are joining together for the service and I plan to attend.

Please pray that God would motivate believers to come along and attend the seminary. There is a wide variety of courses offered and there’s usually something for everyone. I have been able to talk to some existing students who are excited about starting back so that’s good.

Thanks again for your continued interest and support in prayer.
Blessings,
Alistair.

Youth Congress

2009-07-31T15:16:00.000-05:00

Hi, this week I had the opportunity to attend a ‘Youth Congress’ at the Camp Centre in Ite. It’s a bit like a camp only more formal with more meetings and workshops. It was organised by 7 of the churches that work directly with the Mission: the four ‘de Vida’ churches from Tacna and the Ilo, Moquegua and Ite churches. The youth leaders from these churches, under the supervision of the pastors, formed an organisational committee who planned everything.

Despite the cold weather (it’s the middle of winter here- and you can feel it), there was an excellent turn out with approximately 120 or more young people (ages ranging from 13 to early 30’s) in attendance and the congress went very well.

The theme was ‘Sirves o no Sirves’ which is a play on words in Spanish and literally means are you serving or are you of no use.
They invited Santiago Quispe, the actor/physics teacher from Lima, who had been the speaker at this year’s youth camp (see previous posts). They could only afford to pay for him but in the end the rest of the team he works with, Proclaim Peru, came along at their own expense, including Pastor Rino Bareta who was the speaker at our family camp.

They ended up with 6 for the price of one. It was such an encouragement that they would sacrifice their time and money to travel what turned out to be 27 hour bus trip, (their bus broke down for 6 hours in Ica on the way), to minister to these young people. In the end Pastor Rino actually delivered the sermons and as a team they acted out dramas which were excellent and illustrated the points Rino was sharing from 1&2 Timothy.

On the last morning they presented a very evangelistic drama, Rino spoke and at the end 8 young people made professions to follow Christ.

Apart from the main meetings there were workshops arranged to help the young people learn, or encourage them to develop, skills which they could use serving in their churches. These included two singing workshops, another for drummers, one for guitarists, and then workshops related to drama like mime and choreography. Invited along were some professional Christian musicians from Tacna including a band called ‘3:16’. They sang at one of the evening sessions and then helped out in the respective workshops.
The congress was a great time to catch up with people I had made friends with during the camps and visits to churches with Misión Rescate, and also to get to know a whole new bunch of people I had never met. I’m now looking forward to camps in the summer as hopefully many of these young people will return.

The end of the month is here and I now have to start thinking of moving to Tacna. The seminary starts back at the end of August but I need to get settled into the flat at the seminary where I will be living for the rest of this year. I am planning to make a trip over in the next few days to take some of the stuff I don’t desperately need here in Ilo and to get some cleaning done in the flat before I move over for good. Please pray for me as I settle into a new routine in Tacna, continue preparing for the seminary courses in September and as I start visiting churches over there.

Please also pray for next year’s Misión Rescate team. The deadline for applications is today. We had arranged the date so that potential applicants could bring their applications with them to the congress and I had half hoped that we would have a number of candidates emerge at the congress but so far only one female applicant came forward. In one sense this worries me but on the other hand various youth leaders have told me that in Peruvian terms it’s still early days and there’s still time for people to come forward.

Thanks again for keeping an interest in the work here and remembering us in prayer.
God Bless,
Alistair

Photos of youth congress

2009-07-31T14:58:00.008-05:00

These are some photos of the various workshops.

These are all the various tutors who taught the different workshops.

The singing workshop with the lead singer of '3:16'.

The drum group with '3:16's drummer.

The guitar workshop.

A budding guitarist.

The drama group acting things or people you find at a beach.

The mime group was held in the amphitheatre.

More photos of the youth congress

2009-07-31T14:34:00.008-05:00

The following are some photos of the congress.
First thing in the mornings was devotions where the young people split into different groups and spread out around the campsite. The talks were given by various youth leaders who were accompanying them.

The games room was popular during break times.

As was the 'Tienda Azul' or tuck shop.
A popular nocturnal activity turned out to be skipping. That and apparently singing into the wee small hours. Given that those reporting this hadn't slept well on account of it, I assume they weren't singing lullabies.

Only two of these are wigs are fake, (Discúlpeme Joel si lees esto).

On hand to make sure nothing got too crazy were some of the pastors who with youthful hearts attended the congress. Above are two of them, Ps. Quintin Anco (Palabra de Vida) and Ps. Freddie Mandamientos (Luz de Vida).

Rain & Uno

2009-07-23T11:27:00.001-05:00

Hi, just thought I would get back to you and let you know how Tuesday night went. Well again no adults turned up for the midweek prayer meeting, fourth week in a row. This is not surprising in one way as it was raining, not usual for Ite. When people are not Christians and have made no commitments to the church it’s difficult to get them to come out on a cold night. Obviously unlike Ireland buildings here do not have central heating.

On the positive side seven young people, who would normally sit at the park or football pitch, did turn up looking to get in out of the rain. Richard and I played Uno with them for a while followed by a sword drill session and then Richard shared a short epilogue. So in a way our midweek prayer meeting turned into a youth meeting thanks, in part, to the rain. Richard has been taking advantage of the fact that the young people are on school holidays, which were brought forward nationally because of the swine flu, to spend more time building relationships with them. Pray as he visits in the village and takes the opportunities he can get to share the gospel.

The other issue on my heart that I want to share is with regard to next year’s ‘Misión Rescate’ team. In short we have yet to receive any applications from prospective Peruvian members. This is despite a lot of promoting and encouraging. In a sense I realise I am worrying prematurely. Firstly the application deadline isn’t until the 31st, next week, and I keep hearing that ‘this one’s friend’ or ‘that one’s sister’ is interested. Secondly this is Peru and nothing ever happens until after any given deadline and usually at the last possible moment, but until I get concrete applications I won’t be satisfied. I am constantly aware that time is flying by and I seem powerless to do any more about it; I can’t force anyone to join. So I would ask you to keep praying that these almost mythical interested parties I keep hearing about would be challenged by God to commit thoughts and intentions to paper.

As I close please also pray for me as it is my turn to preach at the Ite church this Sunday afternoon. Pray that there would be a good turnout and that God would help me share what He has placed on my heart.

Thank you once again for your interest.
Alistair.

Memories & Prayers

2009-07-20T19:31:00.002-05:00

Hi, sorry it’s been so long since the last post but time just seems to be flying by.

In the last post I mentioned the dwindling attendances at the Ite church meetings. Well sadly the two subsequent Tuesday meetings also had no attendance in terms of a congregation, just Richard the seminary student working in the village and me. Richard had even gone up early and visited numerous houses to remind them about the midweek but its winter here and after a day’s work many don’t want to come out of their houses. On the upside the Sunday before last we had a congregation of 10 including a couple of young men who haven’t come to the church for a long time, but who Richard knew. I plan to go out again tomorrow night (Tuesday) and see who turns up. This obviously depends on whether or not the national transport strike planned for tomorrow actually goes ahead, just to keep things interesting.

Last week from Wednesday to Sunday I took the opportunity, before the strike, to make a quick visit to Arequipa. I was kindly hosted by the Roycroft family and was able to enjoy their fellowship and see how much baby Grace is growing up. I also visited friends at the language institute and met up with different friends I had made in March. Recently I have been having difficulties finding adequate terms and phrases in Spanish to express concepts for the practical theology module I hope to teach. While in Arequipa I was able to meet up with a tutor from the institute who is a trained psychologist and they were able to offer some useful terms and phrases. This will help my preparations enormously.

While in Arequipa I also met up with a childhood friend I hadn’t seen in 20 years. My friend is the oldest son of a missionary family who worked with a Quaker missionary society in Tacna and then in Arequipa. While they were in Tacna I was briefly home schooled by his mother along with him and his brother. Anyway he and his wife happen to be visiting Peru at the moment both to see the tourist sites and also to revisit some of his childhood roots. Thankfully we were able to arrange our visits to Arequipa so we could meet up. He, his wife and I spent at least 2 and a half hour catching up on everything. The funniest part however, was when we were leaving. Having exited the coffee shop my friend asked to pray for me so the three of us stood heads bowed to the left of the front door and prayed. Then I asked to pray for them and their families. Halfway through this prayer a lady pulled on my elbow and interrupted us. She was one of the waitresses from the coffee shop, and was very eager to find out if the young lady was feeling alright. Apparently a lady walking by had gone in and alerted the staff that there was someone evidently ill outside and the waitress came out to check. I informed the waitress that we were just praying. In one sense it’s very funny and we were grateful for their concern. On the other hand it was sad to think that this kind of praying was so alien that various people mistook it for something else completely.

Thankfully I had a safe journey down again yesterday, but have been suffering a bit of a tummy bug today. Hopefully, as with most of these things, it will pass shortly. Thank you once again for remembering both the work here in Peru and me in prayer.

Alistair.

Midweek connections

2009-07-01T17:53:00.004-05:00

I just thought I would write another post to give you an insight into one of the aspects of ministry I haven’t had time to mention yet. Last night was my turn to speak at the midweek meeting in Ite and I distinctly feel I failed to make a connection with the congregation. This however, thankfully wasn't due to my fledgling preaching skills but because sadly I was the only person who turned up. I waited for an hour and in the end decided to call it a night.

This isn’t however, the first time something similar has happened, and no doubt will not be the last. I remember one Friday accompanying Dave Murphy to the youth meeting to find all the youth had gone to some other event in the village. More recently Trevor and I went out and found that the building temporarily being used for the church was having a wake held in it.

Thankfully now the church is meeting once again in its own premises, yet numbers still seem to be low for most meetings. Last night was simply the first time it happened directly to me and also in the new premises which adds to the disappointment. In a way this is just one of those experiences that are part of any church plant situation. Because I’m preaching through a series it means at least I have the sermon prepared, apart from a revision, for the next time.

The meetings in Moquegua and Ite last Sunday seemed to go well and I had some positive feedback. As for the lecture preparation, the more I read, the more I feel I yet need to read. I said I would let you know more details as my preparation went along. Well at the minute having the sermons out of the way, I am trying to write the introduction lectures for 1 Peter, issues like: authorship, context, dating etc. In some ways quite dry but yet I’m finding some of it very interesting.

Simultaneously I am preparing the lectures for the practical theology module. This I thought was just for general students but recently found out that it is being offered to the pastors study group on Saturday mornings which adds another dimension to the issue. The topics I plan to major on are Grief, Addiction and Suicide, not because I have any great expertise in these areas, but they do interest me, they are very valuable if not necessary issues to be covered and I’m told they aren’t presently covered by anyone else. I just can’t decide where to start as I’ve been reading for all three topics so I might just start all three and then see where things go from there.

Anyway, must go, thanks for reading and continuing to pray for the Lord’s work here in Peru,
Blessings,
Alistair.

Reflections

2009-06-26T18:10:00.005-05:00

Hi. The following blog is a mixture of a little bit of news and then a reflection on a few different things that I have encountered over the past few months but never had an opportunity to include them here. Some are funny and some are reflections of a serious (as supposed to funny) nature.

In terms of what I’ve been up to since my last update, well, largely it has revolved around starting preparations for the courses I hope to teach in September, God willing. I have also visited Tacna to speak to the Peruvian members of the Misión Rescate team and do evaluations with them. These were good and while there were no major problems highlighted, there were some suggestions which I think would be beneficial for the next team.

Whilst in Tacna I visited the various pastors and churches previously visited. Thankfully there seems to be quite a few interested individuals, though I have only been able to speak personally to one young lady at the Bible hour in the seminary. Therefore I don’t know how serious the other interested individuals are. The application deadline for Peruvian candidates is the end of July so there’s time yet, but I would like it sorted sooner rather than later.

The following are some pictures taken over the past few months which I thought I would share with you for different reasons.

The first two photos were taken when the team and I were returning from Puno. We stopped at a town called Mazo Cruz to have lunch (those of us who were up to it). While there a 'combi' (or minibus in English) pulled up, but I was quite surprised when I saw the passengers.

I thought, either these animals, reknown for their ability to climb mountains and travel long distances have gone soft, or the Peruvian public transport system is getting extremely popular. Alas, this was actually the bus to the butcher shop, so to speak, not that they probably knew that. But then I'm not really sure what they must have thought about it. I wonder in fact how the farmer managed to get them in in the first place!

The second pair of photos were taken when I visited the Zoo in Lima (and no they didn't keep me in). I quickly took this photo of these workmen presumably fixing an enclosure. I remember a caption I once read for a 'Men at Work' sign which read that "when men work they need everyone to know about it" or something similar. Well I thought this picture expressed a similar thought.

I'm not sure if there's a dentistry wing to Veterinary medicine, but I reckon that if there is, this toothy fellow could do with an appointment.

I took the next pair of photos in Mollendo when the team and I visited. This is the harbour where apparently some former missionaries arrived. It's now a tourist attraction and the chair that used to be used to lift people onto the pier is now a monument. Theres also a small museum nearby.

Whilst these serve as vivid reminders of the long history that Baptist Missions has in Peru, I also found personal reminders in the small things. While we stayed in the mission house in Mejia, I found the writing in the cement below. The story behind it is that when we were children we spent a holiday in the house, and while there my Dad supervised the construction of a stone wall around the house. One day while the cement below had just been laid my sister and I wrote our names in the wet concrete. It reads 'Alistair and Andrea' though the 'Alistair' has amost worn away. It isn't too clear in the picture but you can see the 'A' of Andrea almost in the middle of the picture.

Just a little reminder of my own childhood.

To keep you up to date this week end I am preaching in the San Antonio church in Moquegua in the morning and then in Ite that afternoon. This is closely followed by the midweek in Ite on Tuesday night. Please pray for me as I finish preparing and then especially as I actually preach in these churches.

Please also continue to pray for my lecture preparations and also as I continue promoting next year’s team.

Thanks once again for reading this blog and for praying for me, also I am writing another prayer letter which I hope to finish in the next few days. If your not already on my list please get in touch with me and I will make sure you get a copy.

God Bless,

Alistair

Quakes & Shakes

2009-06-13T16:38:00.004-05:00

Hi. I’m just writing to keep you all informed of what I’ve been up to this week and plan to be doing next week. I can’t believe the days are flying by so fast.

One of the reasons I’m sitting here on the internet is that at 15:12 (according to the clock in my bedroom) there was a quite strong earth tremor and as usual I’m checking the internet to see what information I can glean about it. It seems to be still too soon as I can’t find anything about it.

I was having a little Saturday afternoon nap when the tremor started, and I thought maybe it’ll just pass, but then it got stronger and the windows rattled very loudly. There was a bit of a pause and then it started even more strongly at which point I thought that I should maybe get up after all and stand under the doorposts. I had just got my sandals on when it stopped. I was already feeling guilty enough about having a lie down without being got out of bed in such a dramatic fashion! An earth tremor is a really odd experience. One part of you wants to worry and the other is so blasé about it. In my case usually by the time I've decided its worth doing something about, its normally over.

I checked out the back window beside my bedroom to see who was about and also to check the sea. (For those who don't know, the house I'm staying in is almost beside the sea). Thankfully no apparent Tsunami’s in sight. As I looked about you could see people out in the street talking to neighbours and mothers taking their children to play on the grass near the sea away from the buildings presumably in case this might be followed by a stronger quake.

I tried phoning other missionaries just to check up on each other but the networks were understandably to busy. It’s all just another interesting aspect of life in Peru, and a clear reminder of how much you rely on God for protection in every aspect of life. Lately Ilo has had a lot of muggings, robberies and even kidnappings. This afternoon reminds us that God protects us in ways we don’t even think about, and for which we are grateful.

To keep you up to date, I have started preparing for the courses I hope to teach at the seminary. Although I’ve been reading for them over the past few months, when I’ve had the time, now I’m getting it down on paper so to speak. I’ve missed this kind of study and, whilst the task is daunting in many ways, I’m also very excited. I’ll maybe write a bit more about this over the next few weeks.

Tomorrow after the evening service in Ite I plan to go to Tacna until Wednesday. On Tuesday afternoon I have arranged to meet up with the Peruvian Misión Rescate team members to do their evaluations. Please pray that this would be useful in highlighting aspects that could be improved or taken into account for next year’s team. The rest of the three days I hope to visit the churches and pastors we previously visited promoting next year’s team to give them another letter with a submission deadline for applications. Hopefully this will hurry things along as we would like to have the candidates confirmed well in advance of October. Pray that young people apply, but also that God would give us guidance as we interview and select the right candidates.

Thanks for reading this blog and upholding me, and all the other missionaries here, in prayer.
God Bless,
Alistair.

The end and the beginning

2009-06-06T21:30:00.006-05:00

Hi, I'm just back from Lima and getting caught up with everything. This includes accounts for any mission money I have spent, Misión Rescate accounts (still working on them), writing my monthly report to the mission telling them what I've been up to and other things like this blog which I try to update regularly.

Since the last blog we have said farewell to the year team. The farewell activities went well. The football match was cancelled in the end so a quiet Saturday was spent packing. Sunday included a meal with some of the team members families. It was good to have an opportunity to meet the parents and after the meal was had a bit of a closing ceremony.

I gave out team portraits which Dave Murphy had made before he went to Ireland. Also given out letters were of thanks to the parents for allowing their sons and daughters to come on the team, and also sent letters of thanks for their churches for sending them. Certificates were also presented to the team members for having participated in the team. These were all arranged by Dave before he left and much appreciated my the team members.

The rest of the afternoon was spent packing before attending a farewell service at the Ite church.
As soon as possible following the service the Peruvian members rushed to try and catch the last bus to Tacna. The Irish team members and I also headed to Tacna to catch the early morning flight on Monday to Lima. Thankfully everyone was able to make it to the airport on Monday morning, though the lack of sleep was evident. In the end seeing the Irish members board the plane probably helped them bring closure to this chapter of their lives. Please pray for me as I hope to visit the Peruvian team members next week to see how they are settling back into normal life again. I hope to carry out evaluations with them regarding the team. Pray that these would be useful in helping us plan for next years team.
Simon, Roberta and I obviously then headed on to Lima and spent most of the day there before their flight home that evening. We visited a souvenir market and Roberta particularly got very excited about some of her purchases for family and friends back home. Thankfully the day in Lima went well and they were able to catch their flight home without any major problems. Please pray for them as they seek to adapt back to life in Ireland. Some missionaries claim to have faced more culture shock going home than when they came to the mission field, so pray for them both.

The rest of the week was spent in Lima with the Roycroft's. This was a good opportunity for fun and fellowship. It's amazing to see how quickly Grace is growing up. The main purpose of the stay in Lima (apart from ensuring Simon and Roberta were allowed out of the country) was to conclude immigration procedures for Grace to ensure she didn't have to leave too. God was good and her paperwork was concluded without any difficulties in less than two hours.

I flew back to Tacna yesterday and then travelled on to Ilo. Please pray as I settle into life here again. Over the past few months I haven't been in Ilo longer than two weeks at a time and it's made it difficult to settle. Hopefully now I will have a chance to try and make a bit of a home here. Pray also as I start concentrating on preparations for the courses I hope to teach at the seminary. I hope to get into that once I get a few loose ends tied up.

Thanks once again for all your prayerful support and the words of encouragement I receive by internet comments, e-mail etc.

God Bless,
Alistair.

Retreat & Farewell

2009-05-29T21:59:00.007-05:00

Hi. Since I last wrote we (the team and I) have visited Tacna and then headed on to Mejia (a seaside town) for a sort of retreat. The time in Tacna went well with lots crammed in. We visited the 'Pan de Vida' church and took the Young Peoples meeting on Saturday night and the Sunday School the next morning. We also participated in the main service. It was a useful visit to encourage the members there. Also while in Tacna we visited John and Lourdes Brew's home for lunch. The team have been regular visitors (I think this was at least the fourth visit) and they had accompanied Lourdes to Puno at Christmas time to give out presents. As such the team have become very fond of Lourdes and John and we spent a lovely time together.
Whilst visiting Guido was spotted working at the light fittings. I assure you he was changing the light bulb and not appropriating any removable items to help finance next years team.
We headed to Mejia on Sunday afternoon and stayed until Thursday (yesterday). It was a great time spent together and a lot of fun. The talks were shared, some almost two hours long (sorry) and seem to have been well received. We managed to visit Mollendo and Matarani, two nearby ports that missionaries used to arrive at when they came by boat. The fun included a bonfire (with the required marshmallows) on the beach along with crab chasing by torchlight.

Others almost got stuck trying to climb in and out of an abandoned boat now turned into a type of monument in Matarani. Not to worry, if he hadn't succeeded in getting out again we could have simply launched the boat into the sea and told his parents to expect him home in 4-6 weeks.
Tonight the team have taken part at the young peoples meeting in Ite. Sadly it seems the footballers in Peru have gone on strike and the game that was due to happen tomorrow (see previous post) seems to have been called off, but we won't know for sure until tomorrow, as usual in Peru. On Sunday there is then the farewell activities and no doubt many tears. The Irish pair and I are then due to travel on to Tacna for the flight to Lima the next morning.
Please pray for the team as they split and the emotional time this will no doubt be for both the team members and all those who have got to know them over these months. Please also pray for safety in travel for all the team but especially Simon and Roberta as their travel schedule is very tight. Lately LAN Peru, the airline flying us from Tacna to Lima (and has a monopoly on the route), recently has unexpectedly been cancelling and delaying flights. This could throw the existing travel arrangements into chaos if the flight is cancelled or postponed too long.

Thank you again for your interest and faithfulness in prayer,
Alistair.

Visits & Ties

2009-05-21T16:07:00.006-05:00

Hi, sorry its been so long since my last post but I've been both busy and away from the internet a lot.

To get you right back up to date with things, since Puno, the 'Misión Rescate' team have been visiting churches to promote next years team along with getting involved in all the usual activities. The first weekend they visited the Baptist church in La Pampa here in Ilo. Among many other things like Sunday school and youth meetings they helped the ladies with a 'Picaronada'. Picarones are like dough rings (sometimes made with sweet potato) which are fried and then served covered in a type of honey. The ladies group were doing this to raise funds so the team took a load to the market and sold them there. Apparently some of them turned out to be quite the salesmen.

The following weekend they visited the church in San Antonio in Moquegua. I was only able to visit on the Sunday which coincidently was Mothers Day here in Peru. Again a great time was had by all and old friendships continued.

In between visits to the churches some of the team members have been working at the church building site in Ite.

Last weekend was then spent in Tacna visiting both the 'Palabra de Vida' church in an area in Cono Sur called Vinani and then also the 'Luz de Vida' church. I accompanied the team on this trip and both visits were very enjoyable. Its good to make contact with the young people in all these churches.

On a more personal note I've never tended to be a shirt and tie person but due to the fact that I was intending to participate, be it briefly, during the service on Sunday morning and speak a little about the team I though I might as well wear a tie and look a bit more the part. In fact it turns out that this church only have an all age Sunday school in the morning and leave the service to the evening. However, on our account they had convened a brief 'culto' or service to give us an opportunity to promote the team. The young lady leading however, due to the fact I had a tie etc on, presumed I must be intending to preach and proceeded to invite me to share the Word. I hadn't even an old sermon on me let alone anything prepared. Thankfully having promoted the team we were able to bring things to a close without me having to submit those present to my uncoordinated ramblings. I'll have to think twice before getting too dressed up in the future.

During the visit we were also able to visit the Radio and promote next years team there, live to the whole of Tacna and beyond. Almost everyone got interviewed and I had my first experience of being interviewed on radio.

Simon Curry was even coaxed into doing the 'Pollo Chevre' live on air accompanied by some of the other team members. I don't know what its called in English but its something like the crazy chicken and involves singing a song while flapping your arms and legs. How this was going to be transmitted effectively over radio I'm not sure, but Simon encouraged those listening to use their imaginations.

Wednesday Sara, the team co-ordinator, and I spent five hours driving round Tacna handing out the promotion material to a list of Pastors we had been given. Trying to find some of these men was a difficult task and by the end I felt like a detective chasing down leads. Often Pastors live on site at the Churches but in the case of those who didn't we had to ask neighbours who then told us where someone belonging to the church lived who in turn gave us an address of where the Pastor had a shop or lived etc. Thankfully we only have three more Pastors left to contact when we visit Tacna again this weekend.

I would ask you to pray firstly as this is the teams last church visits. Pray as we then go to Mejia for a short retreat to finalise the team. They have asked me to prepare some talks which are relevant to the team ending. I've spent a lot of time over the past two/three weeks preparing five talks. Please pray that they would be what God would have me share with the team, and that they would be an encouragement to them.

The following weekend then ends the team. On the Saturday there is an inauguration of a new football stadium in Ite. We hope to attend this both for the occasion and also if possible as an evangelistic event. Invited to play are the top team in Tacna called 'Bolognesi' and perhaps the team top team from Arequipa called 'Melgar'. What's more exciting is that the council have arranged for the Bolo team to stay at the camp site for two nights. The prospect of this has caused great excitement among the team (particularly the girls). Pray that this would be an excellent opportunity to witness to these players and their entourage.

The farewells are scheduled for Sunday the 31st. That night Simon, Roberta Sherlock and I then head for Tacna for an early flight Monday morning. They then fly out to Ireland late Monday night/early Tuesday morning. Please pray for all the farewell activities and the emotional time that it will undoubtedly be. Also pray for their safe travel home to Ireland. Pray also for the Peruvian team members as they return to their families and face the anti-climax they are already dreading. Pray as I try to maintain contact with these individuals in the months ahead and as they settle back into their churches, something some of the team are worried about.

Thank you again for all your prayers.
God Bless,
Alistair.

Cristo Salvador Church

2009-04-30T10:57:00.006-05:00

Another note to let you know how the rest of the Puno trip went.

The rest of our time with the 'Alianza Cristiana y Misionera' Church went well. We attended the Sunday morning service and then took the last campaign night that evening. I spoke on the Resurrection, the topic the pastor had selected beforehand for that night. There was a good attendance at the meeting with some staying after to speak with the pastor.

On Monday morning we packed and moved to the Baptist Church 'Cristo Salvador', the next church we were due to work with. During the course of the week we took the midweek meeting, the young peoples meeting/service, Sunday school and the Sunday morning service were again I had the privilege to speak on the Church from 1 Peter. We also visited a local school three times to speak to both the entire of primary and one class of secondary.

The church has two ministries in which it is involved as a means of evangelism. The first is a kinder garden. During the week Roberta and Guido taught English to the 3-4 year old's at the teachers request. This was a bit funny as two of the girls didn't speak to them at all let alone in English. After that Liz and Chris taught them Bible stories each morning. On Friday there was a parents meeting to arrange some activities later in the year. We were invited to deliver an evangelistic talk at this meeting.
The other ministry is a children's home. Sadly there have been some difficulties lately in terms of finance and support. As a result some children have been returned to their relatives. On a positive note other children have been returned after their parents have been reconciled. In the end there are only two boys still at the home and their father is due to take them back in May.
On Friday we took the two boys to a play park near the church but the youngest, Michael, fell and hurt his arm. We took him to the local hospital and after the x-ray was taken the first doctors said it was fine. I wasn't convinced so we waited for the specialist who diagnosed that there actually was a fracture. The boy had a type of plaster cast put on and was due to be reviewed on Monday past, but I haven't yet heard how that went. Please pray that it heals well with no problems. The Pastor and his wife are a bit worried about how the relatives will react to this when they finally manage to get in touch with them.
I would also ask you to pray for the Pastor of the church Ramon Chavez as he is quite discouraged at present about the work of the children's home and other issues in the church. Its a lonely task and very demanding.

On Monday we travelled down to Ilo/ Ite. The journey took about 9 ½ hours, though we stopped for a bite of lunch and some photos along the way. The team and I had a meeting on Tuesday to plan the rest of May and their departure. This weekend they are in Ilo, the following in Moquegua and the following two in Tacna. Each visit is primarily to promote next years team but they are also involved in other activities. Please pray for all the activities planned and for the farewell activities. Pray especially for a retreat we've planned at the end of the month where they have asked me to speak on topics relevant to the team breaking up and returning to their home churches. Pray that the Lord would guide me as to what to speak on and that the time spent together would be beneficial. Pray also that during the visits to the churches God would raise up young adults for next years Mision Rescate team.

God Bless,
Alistair.

Photos of team visit to the old peoples homes

2009-04-20T12:35:00.001-05:00

Photos of the team visit to the old peoples home.

The lady who sung the national anthem for us.

We even played some games with them.

Everyone enjoyed the cake and fanta.
Sara with Manuel who made a profession of faith.

Photos of team visit to Boys Home San Juan de Dios

2009-04-20T12:18:00.001-05:00

These are photos of the teams visit to the boys home.
Some fun and games.

Learning memory verses

Singing some songs with actions.

Photos of Visit to Girls home Virgin de Fatima

2009-04-20T11:52:00.000-05:00

These are photos of the team's visit to the girls home Virgin de Fatima.

We visited twice. In the morning to speak to the primary and adolescents. In the afternoon to speak to the primary girls who were an the school in the morning and to speak again to the adolescents who don't have school or work to go to. We had some meaningful conversations with the girls after the program was over.

Photos of Alianza Church

2009-04-20T11:35:00.000-05:00

These are photos of the week spent at the Alianza Cristiana y Misionera church in Puno.

The team and church members on Sunday morning.

Time spent in prayer at the beginning of each service. This is me speaking at the Sunday evening service.

The team presenting their special item or 'especial'.

The team with Pastor Jair at the front after breakfast on the last morning. As you can see breakfast was a tight squeeze!

Arequipa & Puno

2009-04-18T17:07:00.005-05:00

Hi, I’m just writing to let you know what we’ve been up to in the last week or more since the last post. On Sunday the 12th the team and I left Ilo and Ite in the morning to travel to Arequipa. We arrived just after 2pm and got settled into a cheap but comfortable hostel. The aim of our stopover in Arequipa was primarily to allow the team to get gradually adapted to the altitude. When they last traveled to Puno all but the driver and Dave Murphy succumbed is some way to altitude sickness.

Arequipa proved to be a good time for the team to relax for two days. There was a lot of fun and we managed to visit the Roycrofts which gave both Andrew and Carolyn and the team a chance to get to know each other a bit better. Whilst in Arequipa I was able to see the doctor who has been treating me so far and she gave me the green light to travel to Puno (which is where I’m writing this from).

On Wednesday morning we departed for Puno. It’s a good road and the journey went well with a few pit stops for the toilet and also to take photos of the scenery and especially a few Vicuñas which were grazing close to the road. They are an endangered species but there is a reserve for them on the road between Arequipa and Puno.

Thankfully no one suffered any major problems with the altitude, just a little nausea which was quickly resolved. So thank you for your prayers in regard to this. We arrived in Puno around 15:30 and after meeting Pastor Jair Ventura, with whom we are presently working, we settled into our accommodation. It’s a little cramped but cozy. Our team consists of the 7 Misión Rescate team members, Freddie the minibus driver who was a member of last years M.R. team and myself. We are also accompanied by Luz Maria the Ite camp centre administrator who has been very helpful. In total that makes 10 of us and thankfully everyone has gelled and are working well together.

Jair is pastoring the Missionary Alliance Evangelical Church here in Puno. Its a difficult task for him so we are more than glad to be able to help in any way possible. He has had plenty of activities lined up for us. On Thursday we visited a children’s home for boys and undertook a “program” to transliterate the Spanish, which means a selection of games, memory verses, a Bible story or lesson and then a quiz based on the story. We had programs both morning and afternoon because in Peru most children go to school either in the morning or the afternoon. So this way we were able to share with all the boys in the home.

On Friday we then visited a girls home which had a bout 70+ girls in total but of very different age ranges. This time we carried out a program for the younger girls and then a separate program for the teenagers. Again we revisited the home to speak to the girls who had been at school in the morning. In the morning Lizbeth spoke to the teenage girls about self esteem and our value in Gods eyes. Some of the teenage girls dont attend school or work for various reasons so in the afternoon Sara spoke to them about Gods love and relationships. After both the morning and afternoon sessions with the teenagers, the girls surrounded some of our team members and initiated very meaningful conversations. These girls have very difficult backgrounds and it was a great opportunity to minister to them in even a very small way.

Today, Saturday, we visited an old peoples home and spent time with them. We sang songs, played not very strenuous games (at least not for the old people) and shared the gospel. We also spent time just speaking to them. Ricardo was invaluable as he was able to speak to the old people in Quechua and translate the gospel message to them as some of the old people spoke very little Spanish.
It was a lovely time and my heart went out to these old people who seem so content despite their basic living conditions. This was the first time I have visited an old peoples home here and to see them content spending their days sitting in the sun to keep warm and doing what they can around the home like working in the gardens or peeling potatoes in the kitchen. While I felt for both the boys and girls in the other homes I felt particularly touched by the old folk who were just so happy to have fun with us strangers. One lady was so impressed with our singing she insisted on singing to us. She stood up and promptly began to intone the Peruvian national anthem. She could only remember the first verse or so and soon began to invent something of her own creation; I couldn’t make out exactly what. We gave out cake and Fanta (hope there weren’t any serious diabetics) and spent almost an hour after finishing our program just sharing with the old folk. After the meeting Sara told me she had led a man called Manuel in the believer’s prayer. Pray for Pastor Jair and the church here as they seek to continue their visits to all these homes, and especially the contact made with a number of the girls who would like to come to the church and also Manuel and the other old people who we witnessed to.

In the evenings from Thursday to Sunday the team are taking the meetings. Thursday night was a Bible study, and then Friday to Sunday are evangelistic meetings. Simon Curry spoke last night (Fri), Guido is speaking tonight and then I’m speaking on the resurrection on Sunday night. Please pray that these meetings would be well attended and pray for all those taking part and especially the preachers as they share the gospel.

I’ll try to get a good number of photos posted of all these visits. On Monday we start working with a Baptist church here in Puno so please pray as we continue planning and preparing for this.

God Bless,
Alistair.

Tacna, baptisms... & this time paratyphoid!

2009-04-08T09:24:00.005-05:00

Hi, I have spent the weekend (Thursday-Tuesday) in Tacna with the Misión Rescate team. We had a great time. The team was working with 'Manantial de Vida' Church who were celebrating their 7th anniversary this week. The team did visitation and door to door work handing out leaflets about the church activities and inviting the people to attend the anniversary services.
On Saturday there was the church outing to a country club/restaurant. They hired a room for the day and the pool for an hour. The purpose was to undertake a baptismal service, which apparently has become a tradition over the past few years. We had a short service in the room and then everyone gathered around the pool where 5 people were then baptised.

After this we spent time playing games the team had organised and then had lunch which we had arranged ourselves as the restaurant would have been too expensive. I have never attended a baptismal service quite like this, but I was glad of the opportunity.
Sunday was spent at Church with a special service in the morning where the newly baptised believers were accepted into membership and then the Lord's Supper was celebrated. In the afternoon there was another service where the other churches in Cono Sur who work directly with the mission were invited. The four 'De Vida' churches as they are known (Pan de Vida, Luz de Vida, Palabra de Vida and Manantial de Vida) customarily cancel their own evening services to attend each others anniversaries. This helps promote fellowship and support between the churches. (Below are are some team members with a few of the young people from the church).
On Monday the team returned to Ite while I stayed on until Tuesday to complete the tests at the laboratory. Sadly the result is that although the antibiotics cleared the typhoid bacteria, they didn't successfully eliminate the paratyphoid (trust me to get both at once). Presently I am awaiting an e-mail from the laboratory to tell me what antibiotic the bacteria is sensitive to and then I have to phone the doctor who treated me in Arequipa to get an antibiotic prescribed. This also throws into doubt whether I will be able to accompany the team to Puno. I'll keep you posted on this.

I would ask you to pray for the following things. Firstly for the team and myself as we prepare to go to Arequipa this Sunday and then on to Puno (presuming I get to go). Chris, one of the team members, and I visited a Cardiologist while we were here in Tacna. He has a history of heart problems as a teenager and was not able to join the team when they last visited Puno in December. The doctor has decided that it would be fine for him to travel this time but has recommended that we keep a careful eye on things. The other thing the doctor pointed out is that altitude sickness can affect anyone therefore we all need to be careful to take it easy the first few days in Puno. Hopefully the couple of days in Arequipa will help minimise the effect on our bodies and allow us to acclimatise more gradually. Pray for safety in travel and also for good health as we adjust to the altitude.

I also want to ask you to pray for Pastor Ruben Mendoza. He works in the radio in Tacna and also pastors the Pan de Vida church. He has had pain and other difficulties over the past week or so and was finally diagnosed on Monday as having renal stones in both kidneys and also some other problems. However, the hospital are presently saying he may have to wait until May/June to see a Urologist and later in June to get surgery. At present he has been sent home to await an appointment. His wife nevertheless, is trying to get him seen sooner as he is in a lot of pain and his own doctor says he needs surgery urgently. Please pray for him and his family at this time and I'll keep you posted as I hear how things are going. Also pray for Christine Morrow as she continues to recover.

Sorry that health matters seem to dominate this post but they are genuine needs for prayer. Thank you again for your faithfulness in prayer and also for your encouraging comments and e-mails. They are a real blessing.

God Bless,
Alistair.

Settling into Ilo

2009-04-01T17:58:00.003-05:00

Hi, this is just a post to let you know what I've been up to in the last week or so.
I moved from Arequipa to Ilo on Saturday. The most difficult part of the journey was getting to the bus terminal and making sure my luggage got put on the right bus and don't get appropriated by alternative owners. I actually had more baggage than I could safely handle so thankfully Iain McKelvie, the missionary whose family I was staying with, accompanied me to the terminal.
I was obviously over my 20kg allowance and the attendant informed me so stating I would have to pay a charge. I responded that that was fine and asked how much? For some reason this seemed to shock him and after looking at me in a sort of stunned manner he then said not to worry that he wouldn't charge me, but would do so the next time. I don't know if he expected me to argue, or bribe him or what exactly. Obviously he expected anything but what I think would be the most probable answer to his question- “how much?”.

Anyway the journey began well, with all luggage on board and the lady beside me crossing herself every time we passed a Catholic shrine. This was at least six times before we even got out of Arequipa, and pretty much at every village or township we passed through. I got the vibe that she was quite nervous about our journey and I soon wondered had she travelled with our driver before. It was about 45 minutes into the journey when the stewardess/conductor ran past me and shouted to the driver to stop. Both then got out and disappeared round the side of the bus. It quickly became apparent to everyone that one of the cargo doors had opened as we had been going round the corners. When the stewardess got back on the bus she reassured us that it wasn't the door of the luggage compartment that had opened but of the compartment containing the deliveries and postage people were sending to Moquegua or Ilo. I nevertheless sat for the rest of the journey wondering if this was really the truth and would I find my luggage missing on arrival. At Moquegua I got off and checked that my luggage was there, which it thankfully was. I wonder however, if someone else's bags or post is now at the bottom of a ravine outside Arequipa?

I have spent the last few days settling into the Murphy's home here in Ilo, where I will reside until July. This has included buying in food and trying to get myself organised in terms of paperwork, accounts etc. Sunday night I accompanied Trevor Morrow to Tacna where he was speaking at 'Manantial de Vida' Church, which is celebrating it's 7th anniversary this week, and stayed the night so as to attend a meeting for the missionaries on Monday morning. Tomorrow, Thursday, I am planning to travel over to Tacna again and stay probably to Monday. This is to visit the 'Mision Rescate' team, see how they are doing and also share in the anniversary celebrations at 'Manantial de Vida' with whom they are working this week. There are baptisms planned for Saturday morning and special services on Sunday. Also this weekend the seminary has an invited speaker coming from Lima who is speaking on Friday night and Saturday morning. I hope to attend Friday night's session but will probably have to miss Saturday morning to attend the baptisms. Please pray for these various events, and especially for those getting baptised and for the invited speaker.
Whilst in Tacna I am also going to see if I can get some tests done at a reputable laboratory there to see if I am indeed clear of typhoid. Please pray for this and other tests I have to have done. One of the Peruvian male team members also needs to be seen by a doctor while in Tacna to ensure that he is medically fit to travel to Puno next week. Pray that he would get the all clear. Please also pray for Guido, another of the Peruvian team members, who has been suffering from backache since February. He was seen by a doctor back then and as symptoms haven't resolved he was examined by another doctor on Monday who again diagnosed him with sciatica. Pray for him as he tries to get relief from the pain.
Lastly please remember the team as they minister in Tacna this week and then next week as they prepare for our trip to Puno. Pray for safety in travel both to and from Tacna and then next week up to Arequipa and on to Puno.

Thanks again for your prayers,
God Bless,
Alistair.

Mr T (for typhoid)!

2009-03-23T16:57:00.009-05:00

Hi, since my last post language school had been going very well, learning loads. The language school is excellent in the standard of teaching offered is among the best. A few of the students, who have experienced other language schools around the world, commented to me how good they feel the language institute is. This was supposed to be my last week there but sadly in many ways things have changed.

I commented on my last post that I was suffering from headaches, which I put down to the altitude, and nausea which is something I'm never troubled with. During this week I got a bit worse and then by Thursday had started to pick up with the nausea subsiding and headaches minimising. On Friday I arrived home from language school to the news that two children from another missionary family had been diagnosed with typhoid and paratyphoid. This, added to another missionary who had been diagnosed with typhoid on Thursday, was a cause for concern for all of us. We decided it would be prudent to get a blood analysis done which indicated, to my great surprise, that I was at least a carrier of the bacteria. I decided to get a second opinion and had my blood rechecked at a more expensive laboratory down town on Saturday. This result came back even higher showing that I wasn't just carrying the bacteria, but suffering from typhoid.
To cut a long story short, I saw a doctor this morning who frankly was more interested in my weight and lectured me on a whole new healthy lifestyle regimen. As far as the typhoid was concerned she reckoned that the treatment of antibiotics I had already started Saturday morning were sufficient intervention at present. I had phoned a doctor friend in Antrim A/E on Friday night who had advised me to start antibiotics even if my blood test was only marginal.

My symptoms are not excessive, and even though I was fairly ill last week (apparently suffering from typhoid), I am not even close to being as ill as others who have or have had typhoid. What I believe has prevented me from suffering as badly from the infection as might have been the case, was the typhoid vaccine I got a month before leaving. It's not 100% effective, so whilst it hasn't prevented me from getting typhoid altogether, it has seemingly limited its severity.

My main concerns at the minute are to treat the infection, and then to make sure to eradicate the bacteria completely from my body. Many people treat the infection but once the symptoms are gone they return to normal living, but continue to carry and spread the bacteria which apparently like to hide in your gallbladder (sorry if that's too much info). One website I was reading said that a recent study showed that asymptomatic carriers (people who have no symptoms) have been proved to play a essential role in the transmission of typhoid globally. Well I can't speak authoritatively about global transmission, but I can say that some kind soul (sarcasm) freely transmitted their bacteria to me here in Arequipa! The bottom line is that I don't want to pass this nuisance on to anyone else so I plan to isolate myself as necessary, which means I can't attend language school, and try to not pass on the infection to others around me, which among other things has meant me eating pancakes with latex gloves on. Perhaps a little over-the-top but better safe than sorry.

I plan to stay here in Arequipa until I see the doctor again on Wednesday and if my symptoms have not worsened, and I feel up to it, I may head down to Ilo towards the end of the week. I'm worried about passing the infection on to others here, whereas in Ilo I will be living on my own.

Please pray that my symptoms would not worsen but get better, and that the course of antibiotics would be effective in eradicating the bacteria. Whilst Ciprofloxacin is the drug if choice to treat typhoid, in many other parts of the world typhoid has become resistant to it. Therefore there is always the possibility that I may end up needing other antibiotics after this.

Please also continue to pray for the 'Mision Rescate' team as they prepare to go to Tacna for a week and then shortly after to Puno for two weeks.

Thank you for praying so faithfully for me,
God Bless,
Alistair.

Countless Subjunctives, Verbs, Nouns etc... & an Orphanage

2009-03-15T21:38:00.010-05:00

Hi. Sorry its been a while since I last wrote. Basically I'm still at language school, haven't been expelled just yet but here's hoping (joking). I have to admit to having a considerable advantage over the other students, the fact that I learnt to speak Spanish while living in Peru as a child. I'm not as fluent as I was as a child but hopefully with practice I may regain that fluidity. On the other hand however, I never learnt very much of the grammar, only a little during Spanish G.C.S.E. The result is that I tend to know the answer without knowing the 'why', and it is precisely, very precisely, the 'why' that my tutors are trying to instill into my mind.

On a more humorous note I've found that I know some Spanish not recognized as legitimate by any official authority on Spanish. These are not slang or swear words, that's another story, just words I've Hispanicised and truly believe would be valuable additions to the language. Chief among these would be 'Mandatorio' my Spanish wannabe equivalent for 'Mandatory'. Sadly, solely for me it seems, that slot is already occupied by the word 'Obligatorio' similar to 'Obligatory'. It is taking considerable effort on my part, and patience on my two tutors parts, for me to undo the habit of using the wrong word. What's more to the point, I never imagined I would use this word as often as I evidently do!

As hinted above I have learnt some slang and some common swear words, not because I plan to profanely insult anyone, but rather to ensure I don't. I've already managed, quite innocently, to accuse our missionaries in Ilo of having less than honourable interactions with their money changers. I must refrain from elaborating further here, suffice to say I think these classes have already proved invaluable.

To change the subject a bit, I'm glad to say that language school hasn't been the only think I've been up to here. I've been to a church held in a coffee shop, been to play football (at 2200m above sea level might I add) and even scored a goal yesterday. The highlight, of my out of school activities so far, in many ways has been to visit an orphanage. A friend of mine, JD Lovell, a missionary kid who I grew up with here in Peru is volunteering at a number of different children's homes in Peru and Colombia over the coming months.

Presently he is working at New Hope Children's Home here in Arequipa. Last Wednesday I went to visited him after school. It was great not only to catch up with him but also to see the work he's involved in. The conditions in some senses were basic yet I'm told they are much better than many other orphanages in the city. Almost all the children come from very difficult backgrounds.

Some have behavioural, emotional or physical difficulties. I can't elaborate on individual issues here but I would ask that you pray for the children. God knows their needs better than any of us. Also pray for the volunteers who come to work with the kids and young adults. They are given a lot of responsibility and work very hard to provide for the children's needs. Pray also for their health as many have had bouts of sickness recently.

It was a truly heart warming and challenging experience to see this ministry to some of the most underprivileged and vulnerable in Peruvian society. The volunteers seek tirelessly to present the gospel to the children and young people in their care and expain to them the only true and everlasting hope that is found in Christ Jesus.

If you want to know more JD also has a web blog which you can read. The web address is:
http://peru-vision.blogspot.com/
or you can search for 'Peru-Colombia Trip 09'.

Please continue to pray that my time at language school would be beneficial in the long term, and as I prepare to take on the role of leading the 'Mision Recate' team. Please also pray for my health as I've had recurrent headaches recently and some nausea at times. I've yet to figure out a cause.
I'm away to bed now and see if a good rest cures the headache.

God Bless,
Alistair.

Thunder & Lightning

2009-03-06T08:21:00.004-05:00

Hi, I'm writing this post from Arequipa. Yes I got here safely and thank you to all who prayed for my travelling and also my settling in. I am living with the McKelvie family who serve the Lord here in Arequipa with SIM. They are primarily involved in a program which provides breakfast for underprivileged children. This is actually a busy period for them as they are buying supplies for the months ahead and coordinating with the various churches involved in the program. Please pray for their safety as they often have to carry large quantities of money on their person, to purchase the food for the program, in wholesale markets which are notoriously dangerous in terms of thieves.

I have also four days of language study over me. It involves both conversation and grammar classes. So far it is going well and the homework's have not been excessive (until my teachers read this!). I will say no more about this now as I will be able to elaborate more fully about language school as the weeks go by.

There is actually something else burdening my heart, which I want to write about. I am composing this post at 11pm and hope to post it on the internet tomorrow. As I write there is a thunder and lightning storm outside. I am staying in a room on the fourth floor which in many ways is great in terms of a panoramic view over the city etc. Tonight however, it also gives me an almost front row seat for the lightning show with thunder resounding ever more loudly all around me. I've tried my best, somewhat successfully, to photograph some of the lightning from one of my windows until it began to rain so hard I had to call it quits. I've posted the two best photos I managed to take, not amazing in quality but see what you think. Earlier I considered going up the last flight of stairs on to the roof above my room to try and get some even better photos but chickened out in the end. I may not have much hair on my head to singe, but I can't imagine a lightning bolt would improve my Spanish any. Thunder storms like this are common because of the altitude (Arequipa is 2200 metres above sea level). I can only imagine the lightning storms I'll perhaps see in Puno when I go there in April. Its at a much higher altitude than Arequipa.

As I sit here writing this, with lightning flashing in through the windows around me, and the sound of thunder booming I also remember the earth tremor two nights ago. I woke from my sleep to the sensation of my bed shaking and the metal single-pane windows vibrating, and began to think to myself was this really and earth tremor or perhaps some heavy goods vehicle passing by. Before I had concluded my pondering's the tremor had passed. I was later able to confirm that there actually had been an earth tremor (so much for my reflexes). Perhaps for those of you who don't know, Arequipa is located right beside an active volcano called 'Misti'. The crucial issue is that these small tremors, which are very regular in these parts, are actually very helpful as they allow tension to be released from the tectonic plates. One of the missionaries told me that back in 2001 the newspapers had publicised that 6 weeks had passed without a tremor. The very next day there was a large earthquake which caused a lot of damage both in here in Arequipa, but also in the south for example in Moquegua.
Reflecting on the tremor two nights ago, and the magnificent display of the power of nature unfolding around me, I can't help but become so profoundly aware of Gods power. The fact that he is in control of the tremors, of the thunderstorms, and of all creation.

Psalm 19 verses 1&2 say:

“The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge”

One of my most favourite songs is Chris Tomlin's 'Indescribable'. I have been listening to it just now and he sings that creation reveals God's majesty, something I am presently acutely aware of. He goes on to sing that God is “all powerful” and “untameable”. It is so easy to fall in to the temptation of conceiving God as a kind of teddy bear who we can have as a comfort where and when we choose. Whilst God is our Abba Father this thunder storm testifies clearly his almighty power and that fact that no-one can tame or control God. Chris Tomlin goes on to sing that God “has told every lightning bolt where it should fall”. As I look at the lightning bolts falling outside they seem to flash and crackle across the sky in an almost haphazard fashion, their destination appears unpredictable, yet God is in control. We may gaze in wonder but God has determined the path which each lightning bolt follows.

Psalm 19, continues to read in verses 3&4:

“There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.”

I wonder how anyone witnessing this spectacular display of nature could fail to see the creators hallmark imprinted throughout. Nature, as David writes in his Psalm, does proclaim God's greatness across language barriers. Attending language school I have met people who for example speak only German, or Norwegian and have had great difficulty communicating with them. Yet truly, language is no barrier to God and creations ability to display and proclaim boldly His majesty.

I can say no more... words simply do not suffice,
God Bless,
Alistair.

Conference time

2009-02-28T21:19:00.011-05:00

Hi. Just catching up having returned from Ite. We had an excellent 24 hour conference. There was a really good attendance including children, parents etc. The schedule included Bible studies and relevant seminars dealing with issues related to mission. We also had a seminar on first aid very ably given by a local doctor and also a talk on security/emergency response by a local community security officer. These were aimed at enabling the mission workers to be able to deal with emergencies in their churches or ministry locations.

The highlight was definitely the last session where we celebrated the Lord's Supper. It was such an appropriate way the end the conference, by sharing communion as a team of mission workers both foreign and national. Many expressed how much they appreciated this.

Earlier in the day some also took the opportunity to run the 12 station assault course. It was very entertaining and also included the oldest person, so far, to ever complete the course. They shall remain nameless as far as this blog goes, though I shall reveal that they are in their late 70's and come from Ireland. All were left very impressed by this young (at heart) person's enthusiasm and determination.
Anyway, tonight I am packing for Arequipa. This is very much on my heart, I would sincerely ask for prayer especially for the journey. I realise I have already mentioned this for prayer numerous times already but I still remember the MADNESS exhibited by some of the other road users on our last trip to Arequipa. This time instead of trusting Trevor Morrow's excellent driving skills, I will be at the mercy of an anonymous bus driver, who may also be excellent, but one never knows.

God Bless until the next time,

Alistair.

The life of Abraham

2009-02-26T10:31:00.010-05:00

Hi. This week was meant to be mission conference week, and it still is. Just things had to changed around a bit, primarily due to the fact that this is a very busy period for all of the missionaries in their various ministries. As such a three day conference proved unworkable, and instead we met yesterday here in Ilo as a mission family for a one day conference. It was great to meet the Brew family who I had not yet met since I arrived.

The highlight of the day was definitely the three sessions with Pastor Byers where we looked at the life of Abraham. It was spiritually nourishing and very challenging. There was also time spent in prayer for all the missionaries including myself which I valued greatly.

This is to be followed on Friday and Saturday by another conference, this time in Ite, with all the national workers (Pastors, lecturers etc) and missionaries. I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to meet many of them who I know only by name, or haven't met in three years. Please pray that this gathering will also be a beneficial time of fellowship and spiritual nourishment for everyone.

Also this week some of us went on a boat trip around Ilo harbour. This is a popular attraction to everyone both tourists and Peruvians. We were able to see birds, boats, seals and some very large sea lions.

The other news is that I have finally bought my ticket to Arequipa, I leave by bus at 9am Sunday morning. Please continue to pray for safety as I travel and settle in to life there.

I'll aim, as always, to write again soon,
God Bless
Alistair.

Seafood & Needles

2009-02-22T11:28:00.006-05:00

This week I have been attending family camp at the camp centre in Ite. It was much more relaxed than youth camp, with more time to chill out with those in attendance. There were still the usual activities like the beach, treasure hunt, assault course etc. Everybody entered into the spirit of the camp and created a very friendly atmosphere with a lot of camaraderie, for example on the assault course, even by individuals on opposing teams.

There wasn't a large number in attendance, but all those who did participated fully, took an interest in other campers. It also allowed those leading to get to know the campers much better with many fruitful conversations. Whilst there may not have been quantity, there was definitely quality.

One of the highlights as I look back was a lunch were one of the campers, a retired career soldier, took the notion that, as his contribution towards 'talent night', he would cook his favourite dish. This was a beautiful 'Ceviche', a seafood dish cooked in lemon juice. It's not a dish I particularly like, especially the shell fish, but this was really good!

Another experience that comes to mind, though not really a highlight per say, was having to give intramuscular injections to two of the Peruvian members on the 'Mision Rescate' team, one of whom was prescribed an antibiotic. What is of particular significance is that this was the first time I have ever given an antibiotic intramuscularly. I have given many intravenously but apparently it is common place in Peru to give penicillin intramuscularly. I really did not envy the poor patient. On the upside it seems to have done the trick. I realise that many who read this will not be at all interested in this, but probably my work colleagues, or other nurses, may.

One of the greatest encouragements about the camp, in a similar way to the youth camp, has been the promises made by all to return again next year. At the bonfire night many expressed their genuine enjoyment of camp and plan to return next year, not just themselves, but with other family and friends. Many of the young people plan to also attend to youth camp. I pray that these promises are fulfilled come next year, and that year by year attendance at all camps grow.

It has been a true pleasure to serve God, all be it in a small way, during both camps. I am left with a sense both of enjoyment, but more importantly spiritual growth not only from what was learnt during the teaching sessions, but also what God has taught me through the practicalities of the camp such as interactions with other leaders and campers. I leave camps exhausted, but already contemplating expectantly next year's camps.

This coming week includes a conference at Ite camp centre for all the mission workers. Pastor Byers, Gordon Darragh and John Brew will be speaking at it. I don't know much more than that, but I know it will be a great opportunity both to spend time studying God's word and also to meet up with the rest of the missionary family, some of whom I have not yet had the opportunity to meet since I arrived.

Next Friday or Saturday I then have to pack bags and travel to Arequipa for language study. I can't believe this time has already come. It seems as though I only arrived a week ago, yet next week will be my 7th in Peru. In a way, as fruitful a time as I hope language school will be, it will be good to get it over with and settle properly back into the work here in Ilo and Ite.

Some prayer points before I go would be

safety as I travel to Arequipa.

that I would feel Gods presence as I settle into life there.

for both the Roycroft's and myself as we start language study. I don't know what to expect and therefore have a sense of trepidation as it approaches.

Sorry this has been a long post but that is what happens when you don't have access to the internet for over a week. Good to share with you though.

God Bless,
Alistair.

More Camps

2009-02-14T11:05:00.000-05:00

Thankfully the rest of our trip in Lima was very productive. This included obtaining a copy (or three of them to be precise) of my Peruvian birth certificate. The wasn't particularly difficult but took most of the day. In the end it was amazing to see the details about my birth, some of which I didn't know, written about me 29 years ago. Apparently I was born at ten. At the bottom was my Dad's signature. In a strange way, perhaps being soo far from home, getting this birth certificate was oddly emotive.

As I have reflected on this over the past few days it has also reminded me that my name is written in another book, a book which will be opened at the end of times, the 'Book of Life'. My name, written in that book, is in a sense a record of my spiritual birth. When I got my Peruvian birth certificate I was told that with this document I can proceed and obtain full Peruvian citizenship and the right to vote or become the president, not hat I would ever want the hastle. Spiritually speaking the fact that my name is written in the 'Book of Life' evidences my heavenly citizenship and the fact that I am a citizen of Gods kingdom and part of the Church.

I could go on pondering this amazing topic but the above will suffice for now.

Now I am back in Ilo preparing to go for another week of camps. This time it's a family camp which no doubt will have a different dynamic to it than the youth camp. Please continue to pray that God would give, and that we would be faithful in taking, opportunities to share to gospel. Also, writing from 'camp nurse' point of view, please pray there would be no serious illness or injury among campers or leaders.

I look forward to letting you know how camp went once I return.

God Bless,
Alistair.

Lima

2009-02-09T18:03:00.012-05:00

Hi, this is just a short post to inform you of answered prayer. We arrived safely, though exhausted, in Lima yesterday. We made an early start this morning and headed to the immigrations office. We had allocated two days to complete the necessary paperwork, and a third just in case of complications. However, God answered prayer and we were able to complete all the necessary procedures, and walk out of immigrations with our residency cards in hand at 11:45am, just before they closed for lunch at midday. It was a great relief that there were no complications etc. Thanks once again to all who prayed.

Grace Roycroft's does seem to be a little more complicated but it will not be completed for a few months yet as her paperwork couldn't be commenced until her parents paperwork was complete. So we would value continued prayer on her behalf.

Now having a resident status we were able to open bank accounts this afternoon, which will save us from having to carry cash on our person. It also means we don't have to carry our passports everywhere we go as a form of ID which is comforting.

In the next few days we have a few other things to do like getting a couple of copies of my birth certificate. Good thing I was born in Lima. This actually confused the man at immigrations considerably, why someone born in Lima was now applying for foreign residency status. I suppose I could apply for Peruvian citizenship, but one thing at a time for now. Anyway tomorrow I'll try and get new copies of my birth certificate. For some unknown reason I'm quite excited about this, I just don't know why.

My latest educational experience has been learning how to upload photos on the blog, thanks to Andrew Roycroft guidance.

The two photos I've uploaded refer back to the previous post about the youth camp. The first photo is of some of the camp leaders, including the 'Mision Rescate' team, Richard who helps with the church plant in Ite (beside mein the back row), the guest speaker Santiago (in the front row in red shorts and grey top) and myself.

The second photo depicts some of the unfortunate individuals being 'placed' in the typhoid tank. At this point I'm still behind the camera but shortly got in of my own accord to save being 'placed' there.

I have to go now but will write again soon. God Bless.

Alistair

On the go

2009-02-08T08:26:00.005-05:00

Hi, I´m just back from a week at youth camp 2009 at the camp centre in Ite and I´m trying to get up to date with e-mails etc. (Whats changed?)

To start with camp was excellent. It was exhausting but soo worthwhile. It ran from Saturday to Saturday with roughly 40 or so young people from 12 to 25. The schedule was very full with little time to rest or catch a breath, so to speak. We went to the beach, to Ite and then had all the normal activities provided, like football etc, and then the more abnormal stuff like a 12 station assault course. Thankfully I didn´t have to run it, but that didn´t stop me from getting dunked in the `Lake of Piranhas´ on the last day by the campers. It was essentially week old stagnant water with any number of dead bugs in it. I dubbed it `Typhoid Tank´. Good for the immune system I say!

The theme for the week was "Are you Listening" and focused on essentially the importance of what God is telling us in His Word. It was a very appropriate topic. The speaker was an actor from Lima called Santiago. He was great and really motivated both the campers and all us leaders. I´ll not say much more about this as I was given the opportunity to write an article about the camp for the Baptist magazine, so you´ll get more info then.

It was really good to get a chance to work with the `Mision Rescate´team this week. It allowed me to get to know them, and frankly they are a fantastic team of young adults. Each very different in their gifts and personality. I´ve been so impressed and encouraged by their servant attitude, their dedication and their enthusiasm no matter what the task. Please pray for them as this is a particularly busy month for them.

I got back from camp yesterday evening and then Trevor Morrow and I left Ilo at 4am to travel to Tacna as we head to Lima today. We had to leave early in order to give Santiago, the guest speaker, a lift to the airport in Tacna as his flight left at 7am. Ours isn´t until 11:15am so I´m taking the opportunity of some free time to catch up on e-mails and this blog. The Roycrofts will join us here in about an hour and we´ll head to Lima to try and finish our immigration procedures, and get Grace Roycrofts started. Hopefully no drug smugglers or mafia kingpins have been using the alias `Alistair Creelman´ or it might make my Interpol visit more lengthy than I would care for.

On a serious note though I, and I know then others also, would value your prayers during this trip. Please pray that the immigration office visits would go smoothly and that there wouldn´t be last minute changes in laws or requirements that would cause delay. Also pray for our saftey as we travel about Lima.
Also pray for all those involved in preparing for the family camp at Ite while we´re in Lima. It starts next Saturday.

Thank you all once again for keeping up to date with this blog. Your prayers and comments are a source of great encouragement.

God Bless,
Alistair.

up to date

2009-01-29T09:57:00.011-05:00

The last post ended with us arriving in Ilo.

Since arriving in Ilo I have been living with the Murphy family who have very kindly let me stay with them. Its been great to get to know them and share their home. In between trying to settle in and do things like trying to open bank accounts (unsuccessfully until we finish our immigration procedures apparently) Dave has been explaining to me the workings of the 'Mision Rescate' team and the responsibilities I'll have once he goes home on deputation.

Last week I was out of action for about three days with a tummy bug, I'm not sure if its something I got since I arrived, or something I brought with me. In the end thats just another part of settling in to a new culture.

This week Trevor, the Roycrofts and I went to Arequipa for three days. This was to move some of the Roycrofts belongings and to sort our accomodations for language study. We are supposed to all start in March, and it looks as though I'll be living with the McKelvie family from Mountpottinger Baptist who serve with SIM in Arequipa. It will be a good chance to catch up and it makes going to Arequipa a little less daunting. I'm only going for one month but I reckon it will be hard work but very profitable. I'll keep you posted on this.
We also were able to get a lot of other things sorted while in Arequipa which made the trip even more worthwhile. I also managed to find a hat that actually fits properly and will keep my head from looking like a tomato with a beard!

On Saturday I'm going to go to Ite to stay and help at the youth camp that starts then. I have been given the responsibility of being the camp first aider/nurse. I'm looking forward to the camp. Some prayer points include:

That there are no major injuries or illnesses.
That a good number of young people turn up.
That it would be enjoyable, but more importantly, a spiritually enriching experience for the campers.
For all the leaders, speakers and helpers as they interact with the young people.

With the camp in view I plan to spend today and some of tomorrow purchasing items for the camp both personal and for the first aid box, which is proving a little harder than expected. For example I can't find just plain non-elasticated bandages.

I value your prayers immensely. Please keep praying both for the specific items I share but also the more general everpresent issues that are simply part of missionary life in this country for example safety walking around town and safety in travels. This was highlighted yesterday on our return from Arequipa. On the bends going up and down mountains, which anyone who has been to Peru will be familiar with, the recklessness of other drivers were at times astounding.

I better go now, but I'll write again when I get the chance and let you know how the camp went.

Thanks and God Bless.

Alistair

getting caught up

2009-01-20T10:09:00.007-05:00

I'm continuing trying to get caught up with what all has happened.

I departed from Dublin airport on the 11th. It was a tearful farewell to parents and granny, made perhaps worse by the fact I was travelling alone. Thankfully I had the assurance that God was with me and knew exactly the emotions I was experiencing. The flights both the Madrid and then on to Lima were uneventful.

I arrived at 7:45am on the 12th. I was met in the airport by Trevor Morrow who took me to the flat we were to stay in. The Roycrofts arrived later that day. Over the next two days we initiated our visits to various offices and warehouses to try and get paperwork sorted. This even included a dental inspection at Interpol.

We were also able to meet up with Tom and Isobel Fleming as they travelled home. As many know, Tom is seriously ill. While they spent 7 hours or so in Lima airport awaiting their international flight we were able to spend some time with them. I am amazed at how God showed himself sovereign at this time. The fact that our stint in Lima coincided with their emergency, unpredicted, trip home was no coincidence! In fact we happened to be across the road from the airport in the frieght warehouses trying to get the Roycrofts belongings released.

My abiding memory however, of these days was the care and support given by Trevor. Leaving home and all that in involved is difficult, yet the little things Trevor did, like having a phone card available so I could phone my parents as soon as I arrived, were very meaningful and much appreciated. Thoughtfulness like this can only come from someone who has been through the same experience you're going through.

I also valued the journal given to me by the Young Adults group. It included seven days of daily readings based of Clive Johnston sermons. I finished the last entry this morning. The journal also included some phone numbers which was helpful as I had forgotten to bring anyones phone number. They're all on my mobile which I didn't bring. I was touched by the thoughtfulness shown in the comments in the journal. I am very thankful to all who took time to write.

The upshot of the Lima paperwork extravegaza is that we will need to return to Lima in February for upto 5 days. This is to complete the paperwork already initiated.

We flew down to Tacna and then travelled to Ilo on Friday. We are now in the process of settling in and unpacking. I will bring you up to date with this in my next post.

Thankyou and God Bless,
Alistair

Sooo much

2009-01-18T22:38:00.006-05:00

Hi, sorry it's been soo long since I last wrote and soo much has happened since. I don't think I could relate all that has happened in one post so I'll do several posts over the next few days and catch up that way.

Since I last wrote I ended up having to go to London to sort out Visas for the Roycrofts and myself. We all flew over together and then I stayed overnight to collect them. It was a bit tedious but finally we succeeded. There followed a few intense days of packing, shopping and tidying my room. I also had to make numerous phone calls to cancel car insurance etc.

On Sunday the 11th I had a farewell service in my Church. It was excellent. I was soo encouraged by how many people made the effort to attend. People were so encouraging in what they said and the interest they showed.

Crucially the service closed with an act of commisioning which is entirely biblical. However, having experienced it, it has truely given me a renewed sense of purpose as I embark on this period of service in Peru. I am a strong believer in symbolic rituals like Communion and Baptism and the how they symbolically convey the spiritual truths. Commissioning is not on the same level as those (some may argue otherwise) but it has really impacted upon me. The thing is that I know that my Church is supporting me as I come to Peru. I need no convincing of that. Yet some how when the elders laid their hands on me it conveyed to me, and I believe to some in attendance who commented on it afterwards, the reality of what was happening. It has given me a confidence and reassurance that I'm not here just because I came, but rather because I was sent!

I was, as I mentioned above, very encouraged by the good attendance at my farewell. I have also been encouraged by the phone calls, e-mails, cards and messages I received from those not able to attend the farewell. Thankyou. It's so encouraging to know that such a large number of people will be upholding me in prayer while I'm here in Peru.

I will finish up for now and continue tomorrow as I endeavour to tell you about all that has happened this week.

God Bless,

Alistair

A bunch of 12's

2008-12-30T20:03:00.001-05:00

Hi, time is flying by so fast. I only have one more shift to work before going to Peru. I celebrated my birthday on the 12th of December, and it suddenly occurred to me that it was exactly a month from then that I would be departing to go to Peru. I leave, if you don't already know, on the 12th of January. These two dates just happened to coincide in a sense, yet the reality that I am now ACTUALLY leaving dawned. There is so much still to be organised but I'm getting there.

I also wanted to write to let you all know that a farewell service has been arranged for me on Sunday the 11th of January at 4:30pm in Magherafelt Baptist Church. If you need directions let me know. It's the day before I leave and it would be great to see you all.

In terms of prayer the visas have been granted, so give thanks to the Lord for that. However, they are in London, so somewhere in the next week or so someone has to take our passports to London, get them stamped (or whatever needs to be done) and back. Arrangements are already in progress to try and determine how this will be achieved. Please pray that whatever arrangements are made, that all will run smoothly without any last minute crisis.
Thanks again for all your prayers and I will endeavour to post more regularly to keep you all informed.

Its past midnight which means, firstly I'm up too late, and secondly that it's the 31st. This means there are only 12 days until I go. Wow.

Thanks, God Bless, and have a happy New Year,
Alistair.

Info

2008-11-22T18:26:00.000-05:00

Hi. I'm writing to let you know that I now have my prayer card and information leaflet available. If you want one, or a few, let me know and I can post or deliver them to you. Just let me know either by e-mail or on this blog, or phone me at 94478324.

Thanks and God Bless,
Alistair.

Prayer Points

2008-11-10T16:39:00.000-05:00

Hi.
As I wrote below, I'm trying to get a lot of stuff sorted at the minute. The following are some items which you could pray about:

The first is that I would get a residents visa granted before I go to Peru. Both the Roycrofts and I have begun the paperwork for this but are waiting to hear from Lima. This might be quite important because if it doesn't get here on time I will have to try and get into Peru on a tourist visa. However a family friend recently tried entering Peru on a tourist visa but because she was travelling on a one way ticket she had to go and buy a return flight. I am travelling on a one way ticket so I would prefer not having to deal with any hastle of this sort either in Dublin or Lima airports.

Secondly you could pray for the other preparations. Presently I am trying to write an information leaflet (which is proving more difficult to do than I initially thought), and also a prayer card. I half considered leaving my face off it but I think by definition a prayer card should have your photo on it otherwise its just a large business card.

Thirdly I'm planning a couple of courses to teach at the seminary in Tacna. I have already begun working on them a bit because I need to figure out what the content is, so that in turn I can decide what books I need, so that I make sure I take them with me. Although I haven't managed to get as far in the preparation as I had hoped, I need to make sure I at least have a fairly final idea of the content. Please pray that, as I plan and prepare these courses, God would clearly show me what would be beneficial for the students and what He would have me teach, rather than what seems interesting to me.

I'll write again soon,
God Bless,
Alistair.

Preparing for Peru

2008-11-06T13:15:00.000-05:00

Hi. I am currently frantically preparing to go to Peru in January 2009 to serve with Irish Baptist Missions. As part of these preparations I have created this blog as a means of sharing news of what I'm up to with, frankly, anyone who's willing to read this.
This first post is simply to get things off the ground, but I will shortly return and share more detailed news and prayer points.

Thanks and God Bless,
Alistair.