Raechel Kirby... my sista from anotha mista!

Picking up Kirbster from the airport

Yes, that's right Chick-fil-a nuggets! My parents sent them with her!

A surprise for Nancy!

She brought us all matching pajama pants! Love them!

Starbucks on day off!

Pluck that chicken house shoes!

Getting ready to watch 24!

Since we live in Peru, orange bread has to replace orange rolls!

Aji de Gallina

Hanging out with some new friends that we found while playing soccer

On the bus for the 24 hour adventure for the 24 year old.

The book that had what was going to happen next.

Churros at Manolas.

Rachel and I being our normal crazy selves. 

A little shopping in the market. Nancy with her Kari Jobe hat!

Chilis for birthday dinner!

The kids loved Rachel.

Doing our missionary rap gangsta style.....right after this we saw the rat run by. 

So, I am going back about 3 months to get caught up on a very special visit that we had from "my soul sister." A little background update on Raechel Kirby, I actually didn't even know her until I moved to Peru. I think I had met her once or twice at Southmont but that was it. She was actually supossed to go with me to Peru when I first went for six weeks but then it didn't work out. Anyway, when she came to Peru last in May of 2009, she had told me that the Lord had really impressed on her heart to pray for me and that she prayed for me all the time. I was blown away by that because I didn't even know her. Little did I know that she would end up being a summer missionary for Mission Denton that summer, an organization that my mom started, and then would end up living at my house for a few months. Anyway, throuh her first visit to Peru, her living at my house (even though I was not there), and my visit home during furlough we began to get really close. It is crazy because we are SO much alike. We always joke that we were really twins and got separated at birth. We like so many of the same things and we are both missionaries. She now works full time for Mission Denton. Anyways, she came at the perfect time. God knew exactly what I needed. I definitely needed some encouragement when she came. We had a blast together. She came in our day off, so we got to go hang out at one of the malls in one of the bigger city then had a movie night together. My mom had sent a season of 24 with her, i have to admit, we watched almost the whole season in the 11 days she was here, but I got her addicted which I am not sure is a good thing. 24 is my favorite show ever! Anyways, then she just got to go to our regular Bible studies with us and live out everyday life with us. She played street soccer with the kids in our neighborhood and they LOVED it. She is a soccer champion. She also played with a group of guys that always play soccer and she pretty much did AMAZING. She made tons of goals. Everyone was saying in spanish, wow the gringa can play. It is not normal for gringas to play soccer so well haha. Case and point proven when Nancy and I try to play soccer. She just was a huge encouragement to us and everyone she met. Everyone of the Peruvians that met her loved her. We also had the cool opportunity to celebrate her birthday one month early. We took her on a 24 hour adventure because she was turning 24 and she loves the show 24! We took her to Barranco, the arts district of Peru to eat at a cool restaurant, stayed in a hotel, got massages (that was an experience in Peru - one that neither one of us will be repeating), went shopping at the market, watched 24, and just had a great time. Thank to my mom and Amy Pierce for helping us have that fun experience. Then we also got to make a single girl missionary rap. If you want to watch it, you can check out this link:http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=10100332508931470   If you want to watch it here is the link:  It was so much fun. I love how God plans everything out perfectly and brought my dear "sister" Raechel to visit me at just the perfect time. Below are some pictures of our time together.







Like normal the pictures won't post! Gotta love Peruvian internet! I will try again tomorrow.

Update on John

It has truly been an incredible journey and a miracle from the Lord to watch John grow in his faith. I have written about John before. He is the peruvian that came to know Christ last year and helps us out on our team now with Bible studies etc. Anyway, quick summary for about 6 months last year, we had a weekly discussion about Jesus. More like a fight with him getting very mad at me. Finally he came to know Christ right after our good friend Kelly Dillon had an amazing conversation with him. God used her in an incredible way. Anyway, even after coming to know Christ it has been a rough journey with him.

I obviously saw an immediate change in his life, but the gradual changes are the things that have been the most amazing to watch. I have watched him go through a horrible fear stage of letting others know about his faith, I have watched him go through an on-fire for the Lord stage, and I have watched him go through a very agrumentive stage with me even as a believer. I would actually dread him coming over to our house because I knew he was going to ask such hard questions and be so argumentative with me. My favorite stage ever though is right now. Finally, I got tired of having  theological debates with him because it was wearing me completely out. I think one reason he really did it is because he just lovees to argue. I was talking to my mom about the situation, by the way she is the wisest person ever....and anyway, she told me to just let him read the Bible and stop trying to take the Holy Spirit's job of explaining everything. After that, it is like everything changed.

One day, I just got tired and I said, "John, you are going to read the book of Romans today." You read it in the living room, and I will read it in my room and when we finish we will talk about it. Later he told me that process terrified him. I had come to find out the only books before that he would read from the Bible were the 4 gospels and the Psalms. Anyway, he absolutely loves the book of Romans now and learned so much. It gave him a true hunger for Truth. He also started to actually understand how to explain the gospel once he really started reading the Word for himself. It was incredible to watch. John had been living with a women for about 10 years and had 2 kids with her. This women is not a Christian. John, Nancy, and myself all had wanted them to get married. Recently though, Nancy really felt burdened to encourage them to get married. She bought the book the Love Dare for John. Witihin about 2 weeks God had been working on both him and his future wife's heart and they decided they needed to get married. They got married a couple of weeks ago. John told me today that getting married as helped him so much. I am so glad he sees directly the results of how obeying God is so much better than doing things our own way and living in sin.


Anyway, John is doing so good. He is also super pumped about leading 3 adults to Christ this past Saturday. I think those were the first people he has ever led to Christ. He is also doing a great job still teaching religion classes at the school. He is in the final last few weeks of the school year and is teaching  the life of Jesus. Please pray for his students that they will understand the gospel and accept Christ as their Savior. Please pray for John that God would give him the exact words he needs to explain the gospel to these precious peruvain teenagers. Thanks for all your prayers for John. God is answering them. All glory to his Name!

New Believers - God is at work!

Although, many times this year have felt a lot slower and like nothing was happening compared to last year, it is amazing the things that God has done especially in a period of about a month this summer. We had several very solid leaders give their lives to Christ.

Two girls that are in college gave their lives to Christ with in a week of each other. I was actually taking a language lesson from one of them and we started talking about life instead and the gospel. Nancy and I had both talked to this girl a lot about Jesus before, but it just finally clicked. She was so excited after she became  a Christian. She called her older brother immediately who had become a Christian the year before. She is SUPER passionate about Jesus. She is always talking to people about Him. She is constantly reading the Bible. She challenges us. She asks all kind of deep questions and her desire is to follow after the Lord. It has been amazing watching her grow in her faith.

Then three Teenage boys that we are very close to and have been talking about Jesus to for a long long time decided to follow Jesus. I love it because at least 2 of them are serious about telling others about Jesus already and leading Bible studies with their friends. It was a beautiful night when the 2 brothers came to our house because they wanted to give their lives to Christ. These two boys are the younger brother's of one of the girls that gave her life to Christ like the week before. Now 4 of the siblings out of the 6 are belivers! The other teenage boy, whom I call my son, he is probably my favorite teenager I have ever met in Peru. I know you aren't supossed to have favorites BUT..... :) Anyway, I have been wanting him to come to know Christ for forever now, and he finally did. Wow! What a blessing.

The other college girl, we had thought was a Christian. It is SO cool how God works because she was reading some of our house church curriculum from Mission Arlington. She realized that she had believed in Jesus but had never given control of her life to Him as Lord of her life. She did that night in the room on her own after realizing her need for Jesus as Lord of her life. It is just so amazing how the Lord works! She is also SUPER passionate about sharing things she has learned from the Bible with others.

Fernando is another one that came to know Christ this summer. He was actually our waiter at the restaurant we went to in Lima on our free day with the FBC Mansfield group. A lot of times, God leads me to tell the waiter about Jesus. I always feel awkward going up after and telling them about Jesus. I shouldn't since it is the greatest and the only life changing news in the whole world. Anway, we got to talking and realized he lived actually really close to us even though he worked an hour and a half away. I gave him my number. A couple of weeks later he came over to hang out with Nancy and I. We had a serious conversation about the gospel. Then he came over like 2 weeks after that and one our Peruvian Christian friends was over and we talked about the gospel again. Fernando was steeped in some very hard issues. He decided that night to let it all go and realize his need for the Savior. He accepted Christ that night. This whole situation was an encouragement to me for so many reasons. Even when it seems weird that Christ is calling you to share the gospel with someone, he has a purpose and will bring it about to completion. Also, it was just so incredible for me to see someone with the situations and stages in life Fernando was in to just come to Christ. I was watching the Holy Spirit move in an incredible way that night and it just amazed me! Now, he always hangs out with us and comes to our discipleship class as well.

Then a little later on, Nancy had the opportunity to lead another college boy to Christ. That also reminded me of God's faithfulness because over a year ago I had a serious conversation with this same boy about the gospel, but it is like he could not even understand it. Then a year later, he accepted Christ. God did not give up on him, like he does not give up on any of us. He desires for all to be saved.

Then around September, one of our Peruvian Christian friends led a teenage girl to Christ who comes to the Huaral Bible study. Also another work of God's persisitance and faithfulness to bring someone to himself. Normally we had to BEG her to even come to Bible study. She didn't until pretty recent start coming consistently. Then she is the first one to give her life to Christ out of the whole group. I just love the way Jesus works!

Then some of the most exciting news, this past weekend, John and Nicchola went to Huaral by themselves to teach the weekly Bible study we have out there. It has been a very slow Bible study with hardly any fruit that is visible at least. They led the 3 adults that come to the Bible study to Christ. So God definitely is at work. Even when it seeems like nothing is happening, things are actually happening. The Holy Spirit is constantly drawing all of humanity to himself. All glory to God!


Please pray for all these new believers. All of them before they came to know Christ were expereiencing very tough battles. Knowing what I know about spiritual warfare and Satan not being happy about these people coming to know Christ please lift them up that they will not be discouraged but persevere in the faith and they will boldy tell all of Peru about Jesus Christ the ONLY ONE that SAVES.

Peruvian Independence Day

Making Chica Morada

The food for the evening

Teenage girls from the Bible study in Puente Piedra

Jackeline is the lady that made the chicken dish for the night

July 28th is Peruvian Independence Day. We thought it would be a great opportunity to get to know our neighbors better. We also thought that adults might have off of work as well and be more likely to come to an Independence party. We started the day off early. We went to the market at about 7:30 am. That was a fun and very interesting trip. I just went with our good friend Fernando and we had to carry chicken, vegetables, rice, sugar, pots and pans, and more around the market for 80 people. This is a HUGE market. At one point and time I waited on the sidewalk while Fernando would go pick up everything we had put on hold at all the little stands. Before long I had piles of food all around me and I was the "gringa" just looking like a dork on the sidewalk in front of the bathrooms at the market with tons and tons of food. Anyway some of our good teenage friends were over spending time with us and they helped us cook as well. Also John, Fernando, and Jackeline (a lady that we have Bible study with every week)did most of the cooking while we "helped". We literally cooked ALL day. It was so much fun. We were cooking enough in preparation for 80 people to come over. We made Papa Huancaina (a typical Peruvian apetizer), chicken and rice, and Chicha Morada (the typical Peruvian drink made from purple corn. We cooked all day and had so much FUN! Just in time we finished for the neighbors and other friends to come over. About 50 people ended up coming. The moms
made button bracelets that we had left over from a previous mission trips. The kids colored, everyone ate, and then we talked about how Jesus is the only one that can give us true freedom. It was a beautiful time of fellowship.