Cactus Bradley

         On Tuesday night this past week, we picked up our 5th teammate! Wow, God is so good. Our team is growing like crazy. I remember back when it was just two of us and even a short period of time when it was just me. Now I have 4 other friends and laborers for the gospel. I don't know what God is doing here, but I know it is something big! I know the Lord loves the people of Ventanilla and wants all of them to come into a saving relationship with Him, so I am so excited about how he will use this team of 5.
         Bradley Hilliard has come to work here in Ventanilla for the next 3 years! Hopefully, God will keep him here even longer. He has already been such a blessing to our team. He is completely fluent in Spanish. It is incredible. I took about the same amount of Spanish classes as him, yet I came here barely being able to speak anything or understand, and he has come here already able to have full out conversations with Peruvians since day one.
         We picked him and his parents up on Tuesday night, and then Bradley came back with us to stay in Ventanilla, while his parents stayed in a hotel near the airport. The next morning, Jessi and Angela went and did a great job filling in for us at the Huaral Bible study. Nicchola, Bradley, and I went and met up with his parents to go shopping for his furniture for his apartment. We went ALL over and got a ton done. That night we started setting up his room. Then on Thursday we went out again and got more errands run. Then we all came back to the church to eat some amazing typical Peruvian food that our good friend Fernando had cooked for his family to try. By Thursday night, almost all of Bradley's apartment was set up. Can I just mention that his parents are so great?!! They helped him get all set up. They are so nice and generous, and his dad is just hilarious. It was such a joy to get to hang out with them for a couple of days.
         On Friday, we got to take his family to a Mega Market in Puente Piedra for them to see some more Peruvian culture. Then, we went to Calle 10. We had a great time there. We had a really good turn out of kids, and we had fun playing jump rope and other games. Then we headed to Lima to show Bradley and his parents around Centro de Lima and Mira Flores.
        The next morning his parents headed out on a trip to Cusco, while we went to work at a place that has tons of kids where we have several Bible studies ( can not say where because of security reasons). It was such a great day because Fernando joined us as well, so we had 3 teams of two. It was BEAUTIFUL! We were able to split up and get things done so much faster, which left us time to just hang out with the kids, help with chores, play in the park, and play soccer. Bradley jumped right in with everything, and then it was so cool to see him play soccer with the boys. Finally, someone on our team that can actually play soccer instead of just running around like a chicken with their head cut off like I always do. It was amazing also being able to rely on Nicchola and Fernando to do a great job teaching in the other places. It just felt  so good to see the Lord expanding the productivity and not having to do everything anymore. We are seeing some fruit of others that have come to know Christ and have become leaders and now teach. We are multiplying, and it is so cool to watch God do it. It definitely wasn't in my time table, if it were up to me, the multiplication would have been much faster, but God is doing it in his perfect time. I used to teach 12 Bible studies a day on Saturdays. I only had to teach 3 yesterday, but they all got taught because other Christians were now teaching them. This was my favorite Saturday I have ever had there. To God be all the Glory.
           We had a great Sunday as well. We split into two teams and went to make house visits. It went so well. We were able to visit 6 different families. One family that Bradley and I went to visit, we found the mom in terrible condition. She had fallen down the stairs from the second story. She is in very bad shape physically, but the Lord protected her from so many worse things that could have happened to her. We were able to talk with her, and we are going to take her to the hospital tomorrow to get some check - ups. The Lord is so sovereign in leading us to go to that house at just the right time. Would you please pray for Benita and her family. They have been through so much recently. Their daughter was murdered this year and now the mom of the family is in very bad condition from falling from the second floor. She is really struggling while all of this is happening to her.

He is a true servant, having to play doll house with 2 little girls. Oh this is just the beginning of all the adventures and crazy times that he will have in Peru over the next 3 years.

Helping the girls put the verse together at Sunday's Bible study. 

First moto taxi ride!

          After the home visits, we had a good turn out for Bible study and we played soccer again. It was a blast, we had several teenagers that came to Bible study. It was great fun. Then we had a great turn out for discipleship and celebrated the August birthdays. It was an amazing day. Today, we were able to run some errands, then went to meet up with his parents at the airport to hang out with them before they left for the states.
          I am so excited for the way the Lord is already using Bradley on this team and how he will use him in the future. He has already connected so well with the people, knows how to play soccer and plays it with the kids, already is telling people about God's love, greets everyone he meets on the street, can i mention again he speaks SPANISH, has such a willing spirit to help with anything and everything, even cleaning! He also can sing and play tons of instruments so we are excited how the Lord will use that in the future as far as leading worship.

To God be all the glory for the great things He has done.

PS - The reason why the title of this blog is named cactus is because he has already developed new nicknames here in Peru. Nicchola's mom called him a cactus because she saw a picture of him and his twin, and he was shorter and smaller - so OBVIOUSLY that makes him like a cactus.....I don't know....it's Peru.