23 May 2010 Update

We're in the midst of a busy beginning to our 'busy' season here in Peru. More mission teams will be joining us this week here in Peru to do the work that God has called them to do. We have teams here working with the Quechua (several segments) and Iquitos people groups. These teams are seeking to plant reproducing churches among the indigenous peoples. Please pray for them. You can find specific prayer requests on our team prayer blog at www.pray4reapnorth.blogspot.com.

Haylee and Jackson are doing well and are ready for this school year to wind down in a few weeks. Here in South America the schools take a 'winter break' during the month of July. The new school year begins in August with Haylee entering the 8th grade and Jackson the 6th grade. They just performed their Spring play at school, Oliver Twist. Jackson and Haylee both had great performances. We hope to publish more of that on the blog in the coming days.

This week, Jeff traveled to Tarapoto in North Peru for meetings with leaders of Lamista Quechua villages where teams from the U.S. will be working over the next couple of weeks. We are blessed to have a local pastor with a missionary heart who is a big help to us. He is a very effective National Strategy Coordinator for our team. Liesa and Jeff also enjoyed spending time with our teammates, Jake, Dodie, Hannah, and Abigail Glover. They live in Iquitos, Peru on the Amazon River. Please pray for them and their work in the Amazon Basin.

This morning, Liesa and Jeff went to visit with a team from First Baptist, Louisville, MS as they were leaving for their mission project in Jimbe, Peru. One of our former youth, Shonna Harvey Ryals, is a part of that team and it was so good to see her. It was good to see Mississippi folk again in Peru.

We are very glad that our home church, First Baptist Oxford, is coming to Peru this week to continue their church planting work with the Lamista Quechua. Please pray for this team to be able to continue to build relationships, begin bible studies, encourage struggling churches, and lay a healthy foundation for new churches.

Please pray for the missionaries and mission teams working in Peru this week. This week we have teams here from:

• Charleston, SC
• Ole Miss
• Calhoun Association, Mississippi
• William Carey University
• Bryan Baptist Association
• Southwest Baptist University
• First Baptist Louisville, MS
• First Baptist Oxford, MS
• Southside Baptist, Pine Bluff, AR
• First Baptist, Humble, TX
• Ingleside Baptist, Macon, GA

Thank you for your prayer support and your Great Commission Giving!

Haylee and Jackson's School Play

Jackson and Haylee have been working hard for several weeks to prepare for Oliver Twist. The performance was last night and here are a few scenes...

16 May 2010 Update

Thank you so much for you prayers!

We've had a busy week here and we've enjoyed seeing some great friends from Mississippi. A team from the Ole Miss BSU and Ecru Baptist Church are here working with a jungle tribe. They'll be roughing it for the next 10 days so pray for them.

Here's a video for you from Jackson's birthday party...

Thank you so much for praying for us!

Fun time with Madilyn...

During our recent trip to Mississippi we were able to spend some time with Jeff's brother's family. Here's Haylee and Jackson with Madilyn.

11 May 2010 Update

Hey all of our great friends out there in Webville,

Thank you so much for your prayer support!

We've had a calm few days before the busyness of the U.S. summer season hits Peru. The madness begins this weekend with 5 teams coming in to work in Peru. Before the end of the month of May, 8 more teams will be in Peru. We'll work with 15 teams during this month of May 2010. So, you can see your prayers are needed.

We're all doing well. No big news from us since our last update! Haylee and Jackson are working hard to finish their school year strong. They're also working hard getting ready for their school play on May 21. Jackson is back on the soccer fields three days a week after school and Haylee is busy with her guitar class once a week.

Don't forget that Friday, May 14th is Jackson's birthday. He'd love to hear from each of you.

Take care, know you are loved, and keep praying that the lost of Peru will know HIM.

3 May 2010 Update!

Hey out there!

Thank you so much to all of you who pray so much for our family. We are daily blessed by your help through your prayers on our behalf.

It has been a busy couple of weeks for us. On April 22 we traveled to Oxford, Mississippi. Here's a daily play-by-play of our travels to Mississippi...

• April 22... We arrived in Oxford and went to open our storage building for the first time since 2007. Haylee and Jackson were excited to get their bicycles out of storage and take them out to the old neighborhood to ride around. We were able to live with Glenn, Ruby, and Tory Wilson for the week and enjoy their hospitality. We were able to spend some time with Larry and Debbie Little and their precious grand-daughter Brinson (and Brinson's mom, Leslie). After that we enjoyed dinner with Liz Thurmond from the Ole Miss BSU. That evening we were able to spend some time training with some Ole Miss students who are coming to Peru this month. They are a great group.
• April 23... We spend part of the day working at FBC Oxford preparing for the REAP NORTH Equipped for Missions Conference and then in the evening we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with Beth and Robert Allen. Haylee and Jackson took off and went to visit friends they haven't seen in a while. Jackson was able to go trail riding on his bicycle with his big bro Austin Carter...Jackson had a blast!
• April 24... We were able to enjoy a cook-out for lunch with the folks from the neighborhood where we used to live in Oxford. We were blessed back then and are still blessed now by the friendships on County Road 241. That afternoon and evening we enjoyed an Ole Miss baseball double-header as the Rebels defeated the evil LSU tigers twice in one day. A BIG thank you to the Morgan's for giving us some great seats to the baseball games.
• April 25... We enjoyed being a part of worship at FBC Oxford, checking out the Double Decker Arts Festival on the Oxford Square and witnessing the Rebels complete a 3 game sweep of LSU. After the game Jeff and Liesa were able to lead some training for the FBC Oxford mission team coming to Peru in a few weeks. We ended the night with the folks at North Oxford Baptist Church where Jeff was able to share in a part of the worship service. We ended the evening with the North Oxford Baptist mission team that came to Peru in March.
• April 26... We spend part of the day preparing for the mission conference. Jeff was able to have lunch with Jim Yates, youth pastor at First Baptist Starkville, MS. Jim is bringing a team of students to Peru in July. Monday evening we enjoyed a great time with the Carter's, Robinson's, and Allen's. Liesa's parents came and picked up Haylee and Jackson and took them to Brandon, MS. The best part of the day was visiting with Katy Carter!
• April 27... It was great to have Tuesday morning coffee with Fish and Liz at Uptown Coffee...just like the old days! After that it was a return to lunch at Oxford High School with Austin, Nicole, and Joseph. What a blessing to see so many of my former students. Then, Liesa and I were able to spend some time with Karen Allen Landers, one of the all-time greatest. The REAP North Equipped for Missions conference began with a great group of folks representing churches from MS, OK, VA, AR, GA, and SC. Katie Griffin and Susan Dempsey (Katie, Susan, and I have been all over the world together.) were a great help in getting the conference going.
• April 28... Day Two of the conference went well. During a little break in the schedule Boots, Larry and Nancy Jackson, and Jeff were given an 'inside' tour of the Ole Miss Rebel Football facility and stadium. Liesa spent some time giving the folks from Grace Richmond a tour of the Ole Miss campus. Boots led the Wednesday evening worship time at FBC Oxford and did a wonderful job. After church Boots, Larry, Louis Zinc, and I took in an Ole Miss baseball game. Spending time with Louis Zinc is one of my all-time favorite things to do...always fun!
• April 29... Day Three of the conference was great. After the conference, Liesa and Jeff traveled to Brandon, MS where Liesa's parents live.
• April 30... Jeff led a bible study for a group of men in Madison, MS at the Reunion Golf Clubhouse. It was good seeing my great friend Harvey Ellis. That afternoon we all headed to Petal, MS to spend time with Jeff's family. Jeff's mom lives there along with his brother and his family.
• May 1... On Saturday morning Jeff and Liesa were able to visit with former and future summer missionaries from the University of Southern Mississippi. For lunch we celebrated Jackson's birthday at Jeff's brother's house. In the afternoon we all traveled back to Brandon for some time with Liesa's family.
• May 2... We went to Sunday School and worshipped with the folks at Crossgates Baptist Church in Brandon, MS. We had an afternoon birthday celebration for Jackson. Then, we made our last minute run to Target.
• May 3... We left Brandon at 5:45 am and drove to Memphis for our 11:45 am flight that ended up leaving at 1:30 pm. We made it to Atlanta in time for our 5:05 pm flight to Peru that finally took off around 7:00 pm. We arrived here at the house around 1:30 am this morning.

So, there you go. That's been our life for the past 10 days. We'd love to hear about yours!

Please pray for the following...

• May begins MISSIONS MADNESS SEASON here in Peru as many, many mission teams come to Peru. Please pray we are able to take care of all of them. Most of all, please pray God uses them in mighty ways.
• Jeff will be doing some research in the Amazon Basin this week with a teammate. Please pray for non-poisonous snakes, non-biting misquitoes, and for God to lead us to the right places.
• Please join us in praying for the needs of our REAP NORTH team at our prayer blog... www.pray4reapnorth.blogspot.com.