Martin's Peru Mission Update View this email in your browser People, People, People! July 2018 Newsletter Hello Friends! We hope this finds you enjoying a wonderful summer! It has been a summer FULL of people for us -- visitors, friends, family, & teams! A LOT has been going on, so... we're going to do this newsletter a bit differently & mostly share our "news" via the photos from June - July!! Enjoy!
Larry Secrest visited from Lima to finalize plans for a Medical Ministry we'll have in August -- at which we will also verbally share the Gospel. Jorge Senisse (originally from Ayacucho) & his 2 children visited from Indiana. They helped at Kids Club & with our interviews. We continue to enjoy our friendships with our Peruvian brothers & sisters in Christ. We welcomed Pastor Walter & Gloria into our home for a meal. They are partnering with us in sharing the gospel. We also enjoyed a lovely meal with some of the Yupanqui family! The Mecklenburg Community Church team arrived on the morning of Father's Day! They enjoyed fellowship & celebration in a local church! They helped in our Kids Club & English ministries as well as in preparing the ministry space apt. for use! (Especially the bathrooms!) But another BIG help was...
...in hosting our FIRST "Family Fun" Night for our community!! What a great night of fun we enjoyed together!! Also on Father's Day, we hosted a birthday party/worship gathering for our dear friend Yuri. Our house was FULL of new friends! Pastor Wayne & Connie Sibrava, from Living Water Baptist Church in Owego, NY arrived on the afternoon of the Family Fun Night event!! (Nothing like arriving & being put straight to work to help out!!) Right after Pastor Wayne & Connie left, our "favorite missionary" of the summer arrived... our daughter Elizabeth!! She helped in
whatever ways we asked, but especially in the Kids Club with art & English time. In the middle of Elizabeth's 3 weeks with us, our son, Micah also visited! How great to have two of our children with us once again! Such a blessing indeed! During the kids' visit, Rick was invited to preach at the big, "united" worship service of all of the Presbyterian Churches here in Ayacucho. The estimate was that about 500 people were in attendance worshiping the Lord together!
Our friend, Alí continues to attend Small Group time with us. It was a thrill to see our kids helping him find things in his new bi-lingual Bible that Pastor Wayne brought down for him! This is his first Bible & he is learning that "this book is teaching what is good!" (Yes -- his words!) Before Elizabeth left, new team mates, Jaime & Heather Azuaje came for a visit (taking a break from their language studies) to help us with an upcoming medical ministry with another arriving team. They helped with translation; Jaime preached at least three times; & Heather, a nurse, got to pull out her stethoscope as the "team medical person" for whom she was translating got sick one day! We also took the opportunity to have a "good-bye" dinner for both Elizabeth & Antoinette -- our team mate who left to go teach at the Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center in Bolivia. The Lakeview Baptist Church Medical Mission team arrived next! We had two full days of medical ministry in Luricocha and one in Huayhuas. First, we visited the brand new clinic in Luricocha to get our "bearings" of how things would go. We also enjoyed a wonderful
lunch with the Mayor & several of the clinic personnel. Then we had to sort, organize, & divvy up the medications -- including dosage instructions in Spanish. While the patients waited, they heard the gospel (as our opening photo shows) as well as received teaching on good health habits. The Huayhuas setting presented some unique challenges in that it was more rustic & most of the patients only spoke Quechua, so we needed extra translation helpers. All told we served about 395 patients during those three days.
Everyone was needed --- from University friends like Nilton, who translated Quechua for us, and Yuri (Preaching in the opening photo), as well as the guys from the team who played with the kids outside & gave out many, many balls! It was a great, but exhausting time of ministry. Along with the Bailey Church team, fellow SAM Missionary, Ally Lee, came this week. She will lead our "Team Spiritual Retreat" next week before heading back to the States. She led worship for us on Sunday during our Life Group. She is seeking God's plans for her next steps...maybe a return to Peru?? A few days after the Lakeview team left, the Bailey Church team arrived! This is Kaylee's home church & they are here now. They are transforming the playground area of our local apt. complex by repairing & painting the equipment, as well as helping with the Kids Club & English ministries. They plan a Community "block party" event too. We Praise God for these things: Getting to see our kids recently Many opportunities to share the gospel with others
Ministering together with Peruvian brothers & sisters Many, many friends who support us Please pray with us for these requests: Health!! We are both currently "under the weather" For more people to accept Christ & follow Him More Peruvian team members Careful guarding of daily time with the Lord As always, we say a huge "Thank you," to our prayer & financial supporters. We are able to serve here because of your faithful support of us and our gospel ministry. You are an incredibly important part of this ministry. If you feel led to partner with us here in Peru, here is the link: http://southamericamission.org/about/our-team/rick-donnamartin/ A verse to encourage you: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)" With gratitude, Rick & Donna Martin My heart melted with this gal at the clinic. I loved her sweet expression. To Financially Partner with Us: www.southamericamission.org Click on "Donate" and then scroll to our names. Or contact them directly: 803-802-8580 1021 Maxwell Mill Rd, Suite B Fort Mill, SC 29708 Thank you very much!