so here in lampa

so i wanted to update all how things are going here in lampa. after mid summer debriefing i was left the cmt team... although i hated it, and joined the lampa team. the first week we got here we did some rearranging of the schedule started trying to focus on getting the church that was once here rebuilt. it has been a very frustrating endeavor. the ppl who were once the church leaders have basically quit on us and we were getting very discouraged. but God has opened up a few new doors for us. during the strike... lampa was protesting and we decided to go out and watch because all the little villages on the out skirts had all came in to lampa for the protest. a young girl maybe in her 20´s decided to come talk to us. 3 male greengos... this is very rare. she asked if we could teach her english... and we were like SURE!!! so we talked for a while an now we have a class set up meeting twice a week to teach english for anyone and we are going to follow suit with what others in the reap south team are doing. we will be teaching english through bible stories. this has given us new life in lampa so please continue to pray for us. also... pray for our bikes. we have been biking out to the other villages which are about 10 miles away and without fail out chains and seats have broken every time. thus missing our scheduled time to be there and missing oppurtunities. then we have to walk 10 miles back to lampa which hasnt been fun.

also i put a link up which is a link to the international mission board´s article on greg gomez. we miss him but wouldnt take away what he has now for anything. if that link doesnt work you can go to www.imb.org and i am sure you will find it there. or you could go to google and type in greg gomez peru... there are already countless christian sites that have posted articles already. be sure to keep his family and friends in prayer.

until next time
eric

Cora Cora

Our hearts broke yesterday when we found that one of our team members, Greg Gomez passed away. The Research Team was traveling near Cusco when the van they were in lost control and Greg had a fatal head injury. The two girls on the team, Claudia and Lydia, were ok and are being treated in a hospital in Lima right now. When we first heard the news, we couldn´t believe it. We had just seen Greg a few days ago in Nazca. I can´t begin to imagine how his family is feeling; we have been praying for them every day. We know the accident was part of God´s perfect and pleasing will. I have been reminded of the urgency that we have to share the gospel with everyone on earth. Our team is doing our job here with more fervor than we had before. I just hope that God is glorified so so much through all of this, because Greg´s life is completely invaluable.

After we heard the news yesterday, we went to an orphanage to share with the kids. It was hard, but we had to keep trucking on. Those kids were awesome. A couple 14-year-old chicas wanted us to dance to some cumbia and reggaeton with them. It was pretty hilarious. :) Today we had a great time sharing the gospel in a technical college. Later today we are having a bible study in our hostel with some kids we met there. God spoke to their hearts today and it is to exciting to be a part of that!

My lovely darling Beth had to leave us today. She had to go home to Georgia to start her first teaching job as a first grade teacher. We are going to miss her so much! She speaks very little spanish, but she would always put herself out there and talk to everyone she came in contact with. That Bajita challened all of us who speak spanish to get out there and do our thing. :)

Please pray for Beth and Elsa, an interpreter as they travel. Pray for Eric, who left our team to minister in Lampa. He is a great discipler, and we know he is doing awesome stuff with the people there. Please pray for everyone who made decisions for Christ, that they would live out their decisions and grow in Christ.

I hope everyone is doing good! We are trying to stay warm here in Cora Cora. I come home in 28 days. I love you all and I will see you soon!

Love Jess
Jeremiah 20:9

Onward to Cora Cora!

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to give an update on where we are! We have just spent 4 days in Bella Union visiting a Preschool, a elementary school, house Bible studies, a college, and and the Plaza during the evenings. I loved hanging with the younger children and doing acting out Bible stories as well as singing songs! Precious! Presenting Lifehouse, some songs, a testimony, and the Gospel at the college to a group of about 25 students was amazing as well! I felt many of us could relate to where the students were in life and fellowship was powerful. About 19 gave their life to Christ! It was moving to see their faces and pray for the hearts as God worked through His truth! We had a great time hanging out with the teenagers and children in the plaza during the evenings too! It was a work out! Too because that was probably the longest village ever! hehe It stretched down a strip of road versus around the plaza. It was amazing to see how many people were receptive to Bible studies there. The village team was doing a great job keeping them moving having about 3 home studies per day! Amazing the doors that God is opening there! We are currently in transit to Cora Cora. We board the bus tonight at 9! Please pray for safe travel on that note! We are excited to meet the team there! By the way, I am excited that God has given me another week later to stay with the team in Peru! I will be home on the 10th now for my new job teaching. Also, God has made it possible for Eric to be on the Lampa village team after much prayer in his decision by everyone! We miss him very much but we are confident that God has placed him there to meet a need!
Katherine says ´´Eat more chicken´´ lol

Love you all! I hope ya´ll had a great Independence Day!
Beth

Praise da LERD!!!!!

Hola,

Just wanted to shout a holler at cha!!!!! We are currently in a village called Caraveli... This village is by far my favorite... I really have a heart for this place for a few reasons... First, this area has a ton of teenagers... We got to do a presentation in the high school in front like 350 students... I really enjoyed that... We were not allowed to give an invitation but the principal said I could share whatever I wanted with the students... We presented a couple of songs... they really liked them.... we sang, ¨La unica razon¨, The only reason... and ¨Esas Montanas¨ Those Mountains...

Then we presented a skit that goes along with the lifehouse song ¨Everything¨ This skit shows many of the tempatations teenagers face in life... It is really powerful....

After this skit we presented the Gospel... The students were sooo attentive!!!! I really have a heart for this age group of people because of the decisions my friends and I made in High School... I pray that these students would search for the meaning of life through Christ and not in alchohol, drugs, and sex...

Here is the skit in Spanish Drama "Mi Todo" (Lifehouse's "Everything" Skit)

Here it is in English Next Level Lifehouse Everything Skit

Thank you all sooo much for your prayers... I really appreciate you all... Keep my team in your prayers as we travel today to Atico from Caraveli... we will stay in Atico until Saturday morning and then we will be in Nazca for our mid summer debriefing.... this is just a time of rest and relaxation in which we can chill and hang out with all the other summer missionaries... I am going to go visit the lines of Nazca from an airplane possibly... I am also going to travel to Ica during this time and go Sand bording on some of the world´s largeste sand dunes... Pray for me!!! LOL... Miss you all!!!

Until All Have Heard
Psalm 34. 4
Tommy Leach

blessed hands

so we are currently in caraveli. we arrived yesterday on a very bumpy ride through the andes mountains. for all the worried moms we made it fine. we are currently between ica and arequipa. we will be here for one more day then we are goin to ica on another bumpy ride to do ministry in ica. after we will be in nasca where we will get some rest and have great fellowship with all the other missionaries. today we went to a school where we did our normal song and dance... literally. we had a great time, the kids were really receptive. after we did our thing, you would have thought we were celebrities. the kids broke out pen and paper and wanted our autographs. some of us put smily faces, some of us put our names, and others just put "Jesus Christ loves you." i was sitting there writing hundreds of times "Jesus Christ loves you" hoping they would figure it out in english. (i was trying to encourage them to learn as well ya know.) there were so many kids around me shoving and wanting to be next i could hardly seem the daylight. for what seemed like forever all i saw was my knee, a pen and piece of paper on my knee, and little peruvian hands. i was just like wow... this really brings truth to the verse where Jesus speaks about the workers being few. i started praying.... Lord bless that hand... Lord bless that hand... Lord bless that hand. there are so many kids... so many people... the need is out there. the fields are ready but we dont have enough workers. when people back home ask me... "how was it?" i am goin to tell them to go see for themselves. one words cannot capture it and two the need is great. please continue to pray for us. we are approaching mid summer de-briefing then we are goin to get kicked in the pantalones!!! the second half of our summer is goin to be alot harder... if you havent been praying for us, please start and if you have, pray harder. we love you all thanks for all the encouragement.

eric
p.s. i really like spanish keyboards because i can do this !¡!¡?¿?¿çççç just look at all those different characters!!!

so... i didnt know what to title this

well we are in arequipa being american. we go to caraveli on monday. so far it has been a great summer. we have had plenty of oppurtunities to share the gospel and more importantly glorify God while in peru. lampa was great but i feel that there is a great need there. there are 2 village missionaries there named j0rge and austin. the guys are awesome but they are in serious need of help. there church has been sending missionaries to lampa for a while but everytime they leave the church there stops meeting. they are in need of ppl to pray and help physically in lampa to disciple the men and women there in lampa. our goal is not to start a satelite church anywhere but i a church that can be ran by the ppl in that village. once that happens then they can go out to there on ppl and share Christ... which is much more effective. i ask that everyone please lift these two guys up. they are both 18 or 19 and they have shown tremendous courage and boldness in spreading the gospel. please continue to pray for us as we share the gospel. please pray that the Holy Spirit may go before us. we thank you mommas for prayin for us and letting us come... haha.

until next time
eric

Pictures & Stuff

Here is a team pic... From left to right: Tommy Leach, Eric Jones, Nick Blackmon, Derek Pirtle (standing), Ahna Buckwalter (semi squatting), Kathryn Oder, Beth McCarthy, Jessica Stephenson (seated)...









This is in Orurillo the night before we got to eat guinea pig!!!!












Desfila - Parade in Orurillo













In Chupa with a family that opens up thier home for bible studies...












In the stadium in Chupa... we would gather the kiddos up and sing songs and tell bible stories and testimonies...











Sunset over Lake Titicaca... We spent the night on an Island there...












The squirells in traditional Quetchua women garb...












Eri-Eri-Eric Jones!!!! Jumping over the fire in his QuechuaMAN outfit!!!!












This is Julio... He is the director of Awanas in Peru... He is a hilarious man of God!!!!












Freddy and Ida... The hostel workers niece and nephew at Hospedaje Milam in Lampa...

Rest and Relaxation

Well right now we are pretty much just chillin for the next few days in Arequipa, and I just got my haircut by a timid peruvian woman, and for those of you who know me this was no easy task as I hate getting my haircut, and I was very nervous, but it actually went pretty well i pretty much just prayed the whole time that God woud be most glorified in how i got my hair cut lol. Well anyway, not much new to report just we are not going to be able to go to MAchu Picchu which stinks but it is best for our ministry, anyway, things are great and we are almost at the midsummer point, so about 6 more weeks, and then back to the landing of clean flowing water and Taco Bell, but as for now I am just happy to be being used by the lord. Well Ahna is probably ready to go so. later.

lampa.... sounds like llama

We arrived at Lampa yesterday morning and met the village team.. George and Austin from Atlanta, GA... that´s right... Georgia. We´ve had opportunities in the village square and outside Lampa to minister to people already. Today we went to a family reunion and shared the Gospel and other Biblical stories. We also played volleyball which was and has been a great way to socialize and get to know the people in the area. We will be in the schools, town square, with a group of women, and among a small church meeting in a house. Please pray that God will open hearts and minds so that they may recieve the gospel. Also, pray for those who are already Christians that they may grow in their walk with Christ and share it with others. We are doing great and excited about our ministry in Lampa and future villages. God is AMAZING! Always!

Let God guide you in prayer for our team! Thank you for your prayers!!!!!!!!!

Eric and Beth

PS: Happy Father´s Day from everyone... Father´s Day video in progress!!!!

An Update

Ok well just a little update for all of you guys who I miss so much...Peru is amazing and it is crazy how much I am using all of the actual Spanish that Mrs. Swadley taught it is crazy and I am learning a lñot and I am actually speaking pretty well right now, it is just kinda hard for me to understand what other peopl esay which has always been the hard part. Anyway, hopefully i will be speaking fluently by the time I come back...So I have seen Lake Titicaca lol funny name, it is the highest navigable lake in the world. It was pretty sweet everything here is actually really cool I haven´t experienced any culture shock or anything like that really yet, but it is definitely a crazy adjustment and things are rteally different here, for instance if my typing it bad iit is because the keyboard is whack here. Right now I am sitting in an internet cafe wherte you pay by the hour to get on. I just bought a phone card today so don´t be too surprised if some of you get a call soon. I am having a great time here but I would be lying if I said I don´t miss america and all of you. So so far what I have done is this. I am on a creative ministry team where we basically hangout with kids play games, do puppet shows and skits ands stuff and share the gospel through that, and so far it has ben amazing because it is like everyone here is really shy at first but if you just say hi to them or start playing a game or anything they all of a sudden never leave you alone. Wer have gotten a lot of ministry done so far and I think around 30 people have come to the Lord in clluding two school teachers who will be able to disciple the children and lead others. I am having a great time, I have only had 3 showers since I got here, all of which are cold, my beard is coming in nicely, some of you will be glad to hear lol. And honestly things are just amazing, right now we are taking a few days off froim traveling and just relaxing in Puno and tomorrow we get started again. I won´t give you all of the crazy details or anything but I wanted to let all of you know that everything is going great and the only bad thing that has happened is that I was really sick for a while at first but nowI am used to the climate and the altitude and everything and I am feeling great. I can´t wait to see everyone, and I hope you all miss me. Oh, and real quick some of the intersting things I have seen or done is this: I drank a frog that had been thrown in the blender I chugged it it is supposed to be good for your heart, it tasted like a warm caramel frappucino lol, and I have eaten cui or guinea pig lol and it was pretty awesome I have a picture of them hanging up to dry in the son lol, I ahev seen lake titicaca as previously said, and apparently Peruvian women find me pretty attractive lol, and hopefully I will be able to go to Machu Pichu, and I have my bouldering gear with me in case I get an oppurtunity to climb, which I am hoping for and expecting because I have seen a lot of amazing looking rock faces and climbing routes so far but always from distance whilw traveling on a ¨convy¨which is basically a minivan that crams about 20 peruvians in it lol. Well anyway that is all, let me know how ya´ll are doing ask questions whatever, and if you want something let me know because a dollar is three times more vauable than a solle which is there currency and I have 4000 solles so yeah lol just lemme know, they have some sweet alpaca fur clothes...anyway. Later guys.

chupa chupa chupa

hey all... thought i would be next to give an update. we left orurillo and went to chupa for 4 days. we had a blast. day one we got to take some time to relax and let our sick bodies recover from an array of ailments. after that we went to a school were we played games with children shared Christ through bible stories, puppet skits, and songs. we also went to a park everynight where we got to play with the children and do bible stories. we went to several other schools and did pretty much the same thing depending on the audience. God has really blessed so far as the ppl have been really receptive of what we had to say. we had countless kids raise hands saying they had accepted Christ. we pray that they are true. we have also had 2 or 3 teachers admit that they had recieved Christ. GLORY TO GOD!!! pray that God may direct them in their new walk. we all know how hard it is... pray. while in chupa we also got to attend a house church with 3 awesome christians. it truly was a blessing to see God´s hand at work in such a remote area. we are now in Puno taking a small break. while on the way here though God opened a door to preach on the bus... that was awesome. tomorrow we are headed for lampa. as always pray to secure luggage and safe travel. most importantly pray that God my glorify himself in the lives there before we get there. let God guide you with the rest. we love you all... talk to you soon

Chupa

Hola!!!!

We are in Puno right now hanging out with Lidman and his team (visiting Lake Titicaca!!!) ... We are a few days ahead of schedule... Everything has gone awesome so far... Hopefully someone else on our team will write about everything but I just wanted to tell everyone that all is going well!!!

I like to Macro Journal instead of writing every little detail so here it goes:

We got to chupa safely at about 8:00 AM... had to leave orurillo at like 1:30 AM That was crazy...

In chupa we were able to quickly get into the schools and start with our presentations... We went into three different schools there... Each presentation there were a bunch of kids that got saved... We presented in an 3 elementary schools and 1 high school...

I am feeling a lot more confident in sharing the gospel with large groups of kids... Wednesday I had the opportunity to lead a lot of children to the Lord... I asked them to repeat a prayer to recieve Christ and they all repeated it out loud...

We finished early in Chupa so we decided to travel with the Chupa village team to Lake Titicaca... It has been an awesome time of fellowship with each other... There are not words to describe this place...

The coolest thing that happened during this time was as we were traveling out of Chupa... Lidman, a Peruvian translator, presented the Gospel to everyone on our bus as we were traveling to Juliaca... It was amazing the boldness he displayed... That we know of, no one accepted, but the Gospel was presented... I was very encouraged by this!!!

Derek is posting some fotos on here so check them out... He has also added them to some previous posts, so you may need to scroll down to check them out...


Hasta Todo Han Oido
Tomas Leach

Destination #1 ORURILLO

After 24 hours of riding in luxury buses and Comvis we are finally here in Orurillo! two adorable children are standing over our shoulder (Eva and Elvis) and we are more than glad to be out of a mode of transportation. Tomorrow is our recuperation day followed by 3 to 4 days of ministry in the village encouraging the missionaries here and drawing crowds in through skits, puppets and music presenting the Gospel! Jessica says that she wants her family to know the women are wearing boulder hats and colorful sacks on their backs =o)!!! It should be an interesting time here and we are expecting God to move. We will probably update before we leave to Chupa to notify all about what has been going on. But for now, we are glad to be walking around and blessed to be here in this beautiful village! Keep praying for us and pray for the people to be receptive to God´s Word.

For His Renown
Kathryn and Jessica
CMT 08

Movin´ On Out!

Tomorrow we finally leave to our first village, Puno. We get on our bus at 4 pm for a 24-hour ride. I have plenty to read and skits to memorize, so hopefully my bum can last that long sitting! The past 3 days we have all been preparing and memorizing our Spanish songs, dramas, and puppet skits.

Puno is high in the mountains, and it will probably be pretty cold. We´ll be there for 3 days, then we´ll keep moving to other villages and bringing the gozo de Christo with us. :) I´m so excited to meet the villagers and share with them at least a taste of the hope that I have in God´s promises.

Luggage theft is very common on the buses we´ll be riding on, so please pray that no one´s things get stolen. Thank you guys! I love you, talk to you soon!

In His love,
Jess

Lima!

Hey everyone!
We've been at camp for three days in Chosica! We learned a lot of great things about the Tabernacle and the culture! The camp was muy bonita and tropical with a rio! The world outside camp is very different; the driving, the food, the buildings, the language! But, it is very interesting and I and the group are excited about venturing outside the city to the villages and meeting the beautiful people of Peru! We will be practicing songs, skits, puppets, and parables in Spanish for worshiping with the Peruvians. Our team is absolutely awesome! We leave Wendesday for the first village! Love ya'll! Thanks to everyone for much needed prayers!

Beth-(and team)

Vamos al Peru

Hello,

Pray for me I will be flying all day and I will arrive in Lima tonight around 11:00 PM tonight... I am soo ready to get down there and to get started preparing our dramas, skits, songs, and what not... 

The rest of the team is in Chinca at a camp for orientation... They should arrive back to Lima tomorrow sometime... I will be staying in a hotel tonight with a pastor from Lithia Springs Baptist Church in ATL...  

Pray that the flight would go well and that the orientation will be informative and motivating as all the other summer missionaries make their way to their villages... We will be in Lima for about a week and then we will frolic out to the villages where the other missionaries are located...

Thanks for everything

Until All Have Heard

Tommy Leach

Peru!

I am so excited about what God is going to do in Peru! Only three more days! The anticipation is building! I cannot wait to meet all of the team members and the Peruvians!

Beth :)

Early Preparation & Travel to Lima

The majority of us will be will be arriving in Lima on the 27th of May.... They will be picked up from the airport really late... They will make their way to the REAPSouth office and from there they will go to a camp for orientation.  I will have to miss this b/c I will be in TN until I am done teaching on the 29th...  I fly out on the 30th and I will hopefully get to meet up with the rest of the team when they return from orientation.  We will then stay in Lima for about a week to prepare for the rest of the summer.  While we are practicing, the other teams will be traveling to their villages and settling in.  Please pray for us as we practice and prepare during this week.  Thanks!!!  Until All Have Heard...