Updated Prayer Request...

After a long night and an early morning in the Emergency Room we have discovered Liesa has a kidney stone. She has finally gotten some relief for the pain and now we're praying the stone will make its way out soon. Please pray for healing and a speedy recovery!

Thank you for praying for the Vision Conference...

The 2009 REAP North Peru Fall Vision Conference went very well.  We had churches from all over the U.S. who came to research the possibility of working with the people of Peru.  Thank you for all of you who spent time praying for this week.  The week was a tremendous success!

We are blessed to have an outstanding team working together to honor Christ.  God is so good and is working in great ways through our Strategy Coordinator churches and our REAP North Peru team.

Please continue to pray for these churches as they return to the U.S. tonight and begin some days of prayer and seeking God's plan as it relates to working here with the people of Peru.

Update from down here...SEPT 27, 2009.

Hey to all of you out there,

Thank you so much for praying and supporting the work here. Your prayers are such a blessing in so many ways. September has been a good month with some time to catch our breath from a busy 'winter'...that's summer in the United States. We've had a good month of work and we're getting ready for things to get turned up a notch as October and November are looking to be busy months for teams coming to Peru.

Please pray for our Vision Conference this week. This is a new idea where we invite churches to come to Peru for training and to go on a Vision Trip. We have groups headed to the Amazon region and to the mountain areas. We have churches coming from Texas, Kansas, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Colorado, and Florida. This is going to require a lot of work but we are excited about the possibilities.

Please pray for:

• The serious budget shortfall at the IMB.


• Wisdom for the church leaders attending the Vision Conference.


• Safety for our REAP North Peru personnel and the leaders from U.S. churches who will be traveling thousands of miles this week.


• Haylee and Jackson as they grow up here in Peru.


• Wisdom for Jeff and Liesa as we make decisions for our family and our REAP North Peru team.

Update for this week...

Bendiciones to all of you out there!

Thank you for your prayer support for our family and the work here in Peru. We've had a good, somewhat normal week. September is one of the months when we don't have a large number of ministry teams coming to Peru. However, there's still plenty of work to do as we're busy answering the phone and sending emails to all the teams coming to work in October, November, and December. So far, we've had 94 mission teams work with us this year. We'll probably end up with about 110 different groups making ministry visits to Peru this year with around 700 volunteers working with us this year. Your prayers have been instrumental in the work here.

Your prayers are especially needed for the next few weeks. In the next three weeks we'll have 8 churches come to research areas of Peru where they are praying about beginning work. Please pray that we'll be able to work out the details for all of these Vision Trips.

Also, would you please pray for our team members by name. Here are our team members...

• BOOTS AND KATIE HOLDER
  Leaders for REAP work in North Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia


• JEFF AND LIESA HOLEMAN
  Leaders for REAP work in North Peru


• JEREMY AND CRYSTAL NELSON
  Iquitos / Amazon Region


• TOMMY SMITH
  Huaraz / Huaylas Valley Region


• DAVID AND CAMERON OLSON
  Huanaco Region


• JOHN WILSON
  Huancayo / Mantaro Valley Region


• MINDY McCORD
  Lima / Student Ministry


• CHRISTINE JACKSON
  Lima / Research and Logistics


• JESSICA DOOLEY
  Lima / Media


• SANDI BRIDGES
  Lima / Interpreters


• And pray for Amber Smith, Jake and Dodie Glover, and Brian and Felicia Henderson who are in language school in Central America.

We will be losing many of our team members in the coming months because of their terms ending and because of funding shortfalls. Additionally, no new personnel will be coming our way because of decreased funding. So, we especially need your prayers as our Strategy Coordinator churches learn to do more logistical arrangements on their own.

Thank you so much for your love and support.

New REAP North Peru Newsletter posted below...

Just scroll down the page to read the latest news from Peru. Please print and share as you have opportunity!

Two years...

This weekend we passed a milestone... two years serving as missionaries.

Most of you who know us well know that our journey to serve as missionaries has been a lengthy one. It was several years ago that we first began to sense God's leading to serve Him in this way. We can look back and see how God has provided for our every need and has given us strength to overcome the challenges that we face. Your prayers for us have been so important in this journey. Thank you for praying.

As we've said all along...even to those hiring us as missionaries...we don't have long range plans. We stopped doing that several years ago when we didn't really have a clue as to where our Father was leading us. We are simply taking one day at a time...seeking to be faithful to the One who is the definition of faithfulness. We are very fortunate to work with some great people in a very blessed mission agency but our commitment is to our Lord. We are always praying for God to show us where He wants us to serve. As we pass two years of mission service we want to continue to seek His plan and to obey it at all costs.

We are so blessed to have so many praying for us. Thank you for your partnership with the work here in Peru. Your prayers are much more important than any work we can do. There are so many people more qualified and could be so much more effective at doing what we are doing. Your prayers fill the gap between our inadequacies, fears, and failures and what the work here actually requires. Thank you so much.

From Haylee's Birthday Party...

Happy Birthday to Haylee!

Happy 13th Birthday!

We love you.

Dad, Mom, and Jackson!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

After many long weeks of helping our mission teams do their work we enjoyed a weekend of REAL football. The blessings of SLINGBOX are too numerous to count, but, the biggest was seeing the Ole Miss Rebels defeat Tiger High on Sunday afternoon. We even pulled out the box of Velveeta we had been saving for a special occasion and made Ro-tel cheese dip this weekend. Fun times!

This week was a busy week as we have been preparing for an upcoming conference here with churches from the United States who are interesting in working here in Peru. We also were blessed to have the folks from International World Changers here to do some site visits for ministry projects in 2010. The summer of 2010 is looking to be huge summer for students here in Peru.

We are excited to have completed our second phase of language learning requirements. Kaleidoscope is finished! Our fellow IMB missionaries serving in the Americas Affinity will know what that means.

Haylee and Jackson have had a busy week at school. Haylee is looking forward to her 13th birthday this Friday. Jackson is continuing to learn the value of school...well, not really, but we plan on helping him with that.

We are so thankful for those of you who are praying for us. During September we have 4 mission teams from the U.S. coming to work in Northern Peru. We also are preparing for our Vision Conference on October 1 when 7 churches will be coming to investigate Peru. Please continue to pray!

Update for this week...

Thank you so much for your prayers for each one of us. We've finished up another good week here in Peru.

Jeff traveled to the Tarma, Peru area with a representative from a church in California so that they could investigate an area where churches might be planted in the future. They traveled mountain roads for 3 days searching for villages that were looking for help in starting churches. They found people hungry to know more about the story of Jesus and the hope He brings to life. Many of these people live within the shadow of decades old Catholic church buildings that are open only once or twice per year. Many have no copy of God's Word, and if they do, they don't know how to study it. Pray for them.

Liesa has been busy working here at the house in the office. Her job involves coordinating the logistics for the teams that are working here in Peru. She makes sure they have all they need to get their work done. Pray for her as she has so many things to keep up with.

Haylee and Jackson continue to grow up every day. They amaze us by the way they adapt to the challenges of living in a foreign place. We are thankful for those of you who make sure they are 'covered' in prayer each day.

We are approaching two years of service with the International Mission Board, working for our Southern Baptist Churches. We are thankful for your support through prayer and through giving to the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. There have been some weary days as of late and the knowledge that so many are supporting us is a great reminder and a wonderful encouragement.

Run for your lives! Jackson is in the band!

Jackson chose the trombone as his instrument of choice. There sure are some interesting noises around the house tonight.

A great month of July...

You're going to need to take the time to read all of this. So many of you pray and never get to see what God does. Through these words of testimony you can SEE where YOUR WORK THROUGH PRAYER is having such an impact here in Peru...

From the Mantaro Valley...
We went to Huancayo with the NOBTS group and I was expecting to assist in small ways and teach my assigned class. However, God had a different plan that involved 14 plus hour days of buying food, watching the budget, delivering food to the church for about 30 people for breakfast, 50+ for lunch and around 200 for supper each day. That meant we shopped for supper for one day and breakfast and lunch for the next day after breakfast each morning. It required us to go to the “open air” market each day where everyone seemed to operate in a different “time” zone, then go to Plaza Vea for everything else each day.

Then we returned to the church and attempted to get everyone on the same page for preparing supper which was trying and sometimes funny as much of the help was not used to preparing for 200 people and they also seemed to operate in the same “time” zone as the people in the market, where one is not concerned with the clock, just concerned with finishing the task whenever it gets done. And, we were trying to do this with just one faucet that worked.

But, as the week progressed we were able to get a second faucet working, buy enough cups for all to have a drink at the same time, get some needed items for the kitchen, get dishes washed between the feeding of the two shifts, and, most important, by the end of the week we had learned to love one another and put aside differences for the sake of the cause/task God had laid before us and at the same time come to appreciate each other much more through mutual respect and the fact that we recognized each other as brothers and sisters in the same family, the Family of God.

And, with the efforts of all we were under budget and were able to give those involved in the conference very good meals and on the last day they were able to use that training to the joy of a large number who came to know Christ through God blessing the efforts of the attendees. And, each of us, once again, were amazed at how God puts the right people in the right place to get accomplished the tasks that need to be done.

From Chachapoyas...
We storied the story of Peter and John going to the temple and healing the paralytic and then we went over the questions and had good participation from the group of listeners in the pueblo joven. Before the prayer I asked that anyone who might want to have a relationship with Christ talk to the pastor’s wife and before we departed one woman asked to talk to the pastor’s wife and accepted Christ.

From the Amazon (Student Missionary from Ole Miss)…
A special memory for me while sharing the Bible came about when we came to a village that we knew did not have much knowledge of Jesus. This meant setting a foundation about God, so we started memorizing the Bible, yes the entire Bible. When the day came we went to a man's house and started telling stories starting with creation and ending with the ascension of Jesus. That was exhausting and I wasn’t even responsible for the majority of the stories. Nevertheless, God was at work and by the end of the day a man accepted Christ as his Savior.

From the Amazon Storying Team…
“On the first night in the village of Catalan Urco, when our team was explaining what we would be doing during our stay, a man in the village asked if we would share about repentance. Later in the week this man received Christ!”

“I really enjoyed going into a member of the community’s home and sharing our Bible Stories for hours. The men and their wives listened so intently and asked questions about what they had heard. We took a break and they came and found us later that night and asked to hear the rest of the stories. It was encouraging to me that they were so interested in hearing stories from the Bible.”

“The reception that we got in Vainilla was amazing. We were met at our boat by the community. They helped us load and unload all of our stuff. A girl named Caila would come to walk me to church every evening and then walk the “gingas” home. It was so refreshing to see the community welcome us with open arms, through their children as well as their adult church family. We were shown the pure love of God by them.”

“One of my most special moments was when we were in Vainilla at the church there and I got to share the Bible story about the fall of man and then later the gospel. I’ve never shared the gospel in front of a large group of people and especially not in relation to an Old Testament story. “

“I will never forget sharing the story of creation and other cherished Bible stories as well as the gospel of Christ to a people group (segment) who have never heard before while under a huge gorgeous sky of stars. It was amazing to directly share the goods news that has given me life, hope and purpose! I felt so confident and filled with joy because I was investing all that I had, every day into things that are eternal and of infinite worth and value.”

More from the Amazon Basin…
“To be in such a remote area with the Iquito people and to see their friendly welcome was a fantastic blessing. They are a simple people with many needs. We planted many seeds of the gospel this trip that will come into fruition someday. The team did a wonderful job in working with the people. We saw some really encouraging results at this early stage in our ministry with the Iquito. We pray that we will see a mighty spiritual awakening take place among these unique people over the next five years.”

“ During the trip we went and talked to people daily and people came to church and we saw a lot of fruit after a couple of days of being there. We saw several people give their lives to Christ. Another lady was really sick and not able to move and we found out a little later that she is stable. Seeing one person healed and seeing a person accept Christ is enough. Praise the Lord for His plan and our roles in it.”

“Sunday morning was our first full day in the jungle. Before church, Scott Thomas, a summer missionary, gathered up all the children and played a game with them. Too see their smiling faces was something so simple but a huge blessing to me. All Scott did was invest a little bit of his time into their lives and attempt to show them a good time and to show them the love of Jesus. It paid off for the children and for us as well.”

“I was thrilled to see the light of Christ in the eyes of a new believer in the village of Nueva Atalaya. Several came forward the last night of our meetings in San Antonio but this new believer in Nueva Atalaya was special. This young lady, as I understand it, is the first new believer there in over 10 years.”

From riding around Lima in a taxi…
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to converse with a taxi driver about the major differences between his Catholic beliefs and my relationship with Christ. He was very receptive and agreed that it is a relationship with Christ, yet he was still very proud of the mini saint shrine on the panel of his car and the importance of that to his faith. I pray the Holy Spirit will do a work in the feeble words I had to offer during that afternoon ride.

Keep praying. You are so important to the work here!

New REAP North Peru Newsletter...

is located below. Just scroll down and read it!

Update for this week...

Hey to all. Sorry so long since our last post. It has been a busy, busy past couple of weeks but things seem to be settling down to simply 'fast' instead of 'insane!"

We have been blessed with the arrival of Steve Griffin from Mississippi. Steve was in the youth group at First Baptist Oxford during our years there and Steve's mom and Liesa worked together at the Mississippi Tax Commission. Steve (and his buddy, Elliot) left on a bus yesterday for the mountains around the Mantaro Valley. They'll be there for two weeks teaching discipleship and loving on the people there. Hopefully he'll lose all of his Mississippi State shirts while he's up there.

We have said good-bye to all of our summer student missionaries. We had over 200 high school and college students serve with our team this summer. What a blessing! We are so grateful for the hard work they have done and the sacrifice these students made during their time here. Some were in some incredibly difficult situations and were able to do some great ministry work.

Haylee and Jackson have a few more days remaining in their winter break. They begin their new school year on August 12 with Haylee entering 7th grade and Jackson going into 5th grade. They are growing up fast! Pray for them as their new school year begins.

August is a 'SLOW' month with only 12 teams coming in to work with us. Pray that their work would be effective and multiplied.

As you may know, giving to the Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering has seen a steep decline over the past year. Because of this many of our team members may be leaving us within the next few months. Please pray with us that more workers will be available for the harvest fields of Peru.

Haylee and Jackson's first jungle trip...

Thank you for praying! On this ministry trip...

• 27 kids responded to a clear presentation of the gospel. Their names are Sheila, Leonela, Matilde, Cani, Luci, Cacilda, Gladys, Borac, Victoria, Franklin, Oseas, Werener, Octilia, Marilia, Mayolixa, Jessica, Ibelia, Floripe, Bocio, Milca, Lurde, Yois, Edgar, Manger, Cleve, Malqui, and Elodia.
• Church leaders from 5 area villages were trained in Chronological Bible Storying from the books of 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings. They do not have these books written in their native language.
• Medical help was provided to over 30 villagers for parasites and other various infections.
• Eyeglasses were provided for several villagers.

Thank you for praying for us and God's work here in Peru. Thank you for giving to the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.

We're back from the Jungle...

We'll post a video soon. Your prayers brought great results. Thank you for your help!

Some of the great things happening here....

Here's some of the results from your praying! Each month we enjoy looking over what God has done. Here are some great things that happened in June 2009...

• We had 20 different mission teams work with us in June. Each did a tremendous job taking the LIGHT of JESUS to the dark places of Peru.
• One team shared the gospel with 250+ people in their village!
• One team came across a jungle village that had never heard of a CREATOR. The process of telling the story of the Bible has started with them.
• While walking the streets of Tarma doing evangelism a man asked the group to come to his house and tell his wife the good news of Jesus. They did. She is now a follower of Christ.
• One team was able to distribute 125 Bibles to people who did not have one.

Here are some other stories for you...

• From the Amazon Region...
  Bryan Baptist Association are holding morning & evening services in 3 villages for an 8 day period. Each message/story from the Bible is centered around forgiveness of sin, Christ’s love & God reaching out to us and that he desires a relationship with us.
  
• From International World Changers...
  There is so much to tell about the International World Changers that came to work in and around Canta! The group I had the privilage of working with was incredible. We spent most of our time in Obrajillo at the preschool, sharing the love of Christ with the children and teachers. Though we encountered opposition and were not welcomed in the elementary, we were able to spend some great time prayer walking through the village. Later in the week, we travelled to Huacos and were warmly welcomed to spend several hours with the few students there and share the storying beads with them.
  
• From the Northern Conchucos...
  In June, a group of 22 from First Baptist Church Jackson MS shared the Gospel and held a medical clinic in the village of Conopa in the Northern Conchucos. While there, we invited those who were "serious" about being disciples of Jesus to come to a special Bible study on the following Sunday. The video La Esperanza was shown. A crowd of over 70 people responded and some had walked as long as 1 1/2 hours to get there. It was obvious they were there as a result of what they had seen and heard during the medical clinic.
  
• From one of our Journeygirls…
  When I was with the Canta group, I served on the San Buenaventura team. One of the things the whole group had learned was the Redeemer skit. We were working in a very small school of very young children. There was some doubt as to how well the young kids might understand the meaning of the skit. Someone, however, came up with the idea to teach the children the skit and have them act it out. They were explained the meaning of the skit as well as able to interact with the team and be part of the skit. The Gospel was presented several times throughout the week, but I think this one truly helped them to be part of it and see what the Gospel really means.
  
• From the Amazon Region…
  Where do I begin….? Satan tried to attack our mission in almost every aspect of this trip but we stayed faithful as individuals and as a group and God prevailed! I feel so blessed and humbled and happy to be able to witness to people so hungry to hear God’s Word. To witness to someone, them accept Christ, and then ask you to speak to their family is the most amazing feeling. I know I have grown spiritually during this mission.
  
• From a faithful prayer warrior….
  After praying for 19 years the Lord allowed me to come to Peru. I have prayed for this country because of friends who have served here. To come and feel the presence of God as we served was amazing. What stands out to me was how the Holy Spirit broke through the language barrier and it was as if we were no longer strangers but friends. In Catalon Urco we shared and asked questions. None of the people knew who had created the Earth or where they would spend eternity. We started with the story of Creation and stopped. My prayer is that seeds planted will be received and grow. The darkness was so evident.
  
• From the Andes mountains….
  Baptism is a tough topic to teach, explain, and discuss with a lot of these Peruvians because of the Catholic influence in that area. There was an old man who wanted to know more about baptism. We explained it and the next night, in front of all his people, he said he wanted and needed to be baptized! That meant that we were actually getting through to them.

Thank you for your prayers and your giving to the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering!

UPDATE from down here...

It's been too long since we've been able to update you on the work here in Peru. July has been a busy time for our REAP North team. Haylee and Jeff just returned from a trip to Orcotuna with a team from First Baptist Quitman, Georgia. It was a great trip where the group of believers in Orcotuna were encouraged greatly! Jeff was able to preach at the Christian Missionary Alliance church in Huancayo this past Sunday and enjoyed that tremendously (and yes, it was in Spanish).

Liesa has been busy coordinating the logistical arrangements for our mission teams that are coming and going. It has been great to be able to serve our partner churches and enable them to minister more effectively here in Peru.

Just a reminder...our work here in Peru is to partner with Southern Baptist churches to plant churches among the unreached, indigenous peoples of Peru. We have seen amazing things happen here through our REAP North Peru Team and through our partner churches. Thank you for praying.

Liesa, Jeff, Haylee and Jackson are off to the Tambo River for the next two weeks to help a team from South Carolina minister to the people in a village there. We'll be traveling for two days...one by truck and one by boat to reach this community. Please pray for safety for those traveling.

Update for this week...

Hey all. Thank you for your prayers. Lots of great things happening during a very busy time here. We'll update soon.

One BAD thing that is happening is a transportation strike here in Peru. Strikes like this are not uncommon but are definitely a nuisance to our work. We have had teams from Clarksdale, MS and Hernando, MS have to stop their work and return to Lima. Jeff is trying to get out of Lima today with a team from Georgia. We have 9 mission teams in different parts of Peru today.

Please pray for their safety and that the work would be able to continue.

Update for this week...

Jeff's mom loving on a Quechua baby.

Hey you all. Thank you so much for your prayers for us. You are a vital part of the work here.

We've had a good, busy week with all of our REAP North Team members busy doing their work. God has been good to protect us as we've traveled and worked in so many different places.

On Monday, Jeff, his mom, and Courtney Hunter traveled to the Huaylas Valley to check on two teams of college student missionaries working there. It was good to be able to be with them for a couple of days and to see and hear about the great things they are a part of in Recuay and Aija.

Liesa has been busy coordinating the work of our volunteer teams from the office here in Lima. She has to schedule transportation, hotels and handle other logistical needs for our Strategy Coordinator churches. She has to deal with flight cancellations, road blocks by striking Peruvian groups and a host of other distractions.

Haylee and Jackson are busy finishing up their school year. Their 'winter' break begins on July 2 and they'll be out of school for about six weeks. They are looking forward to the break. Haylee will be traveling with Jeff on a trip to the Mantaro Valley...this will be her first translating assignment. Jackson will be enjoying a little time on the couch with the Wii and Playstation. We all head to the jungle to a village on the Tambo River during the last two weeks of July where we'll be working with a church from South Carolina.

We have more college students arriving this week to work on various projects. We're excited that Ole Miss is sending us Scott Thomas and that USM is sending us Danielle and Whitney and Mississippi State is sending us Eric English...they're Mississippi folks so we're especially proud of that. They are among the almost 200 students that will work with us on different projects this summer.

Please continue to pray for the safety of our volunteer teams and our REAP North Team members. Pray for health as well. Most of all, pray that the gospel will be communicated clearly and that the process of discipleship would continue in the lives of the indigenous people here in Peru.

Please pray specifically for...

• Haylee and Jackson as they wind down their school year.


• Courtney Hunter as she travels back to the States Sunday night.


• My mom as she travels back to the States on Tuesday night.


• Our new team member Christy Holcomb as she arrives this week.


• Our new team members David and Cameron Olson who arrive this week.


• Leadership to develop for church starts in Aija and Recuay.

Thank you so much. We'd love to hear what is going on with your family! Email us at lholeman@samregion.com .

REAP North Peru Info-mercial...

Click HERE!

We win 1 to nothin...

Your Prayers are answered every day here in Peru...

READ about what your partnership with us through prayer is doing here in Peru. Here are some stories from individuals about their work here in Peru during May 2009...

• I had a group of college students down in the area where I work and I think we had about 9 people come to faith from all of the places that we worked at. Six of these new believers got saved in a little place called Orcotuna and these people are ready to be apart of the church that is there and to start growing. Most of the students from the US taught in schools about how to be a person of valor. They taught about respecting others, respecting themselves and loving God. It was neat because I think from all of the places we taught nearly 1,000 kids in the Monterro Valley about Jesus that week. It was overwhelming, rewarding and something I will never forget!
  
  
• There were two events that happened while we were in the Huancayo area: One was the amount of community interest that was created by seeing Americans being willing to get dirty scraping, cleaning and painting the community building. The second was when we went (God says go) to meet with the group in Sappallanca the second night and only the pastor and one other person showed up. We were supposed to be sharing how to witness, but we instead spent and hour with the pastor talking about a vision for the community and what was needed in al the churches to help them be better organized and learning how to go and witness.

• The Citadel (Charleston) BCM team that I helped with a few weeks ago were amazing gospel sowers!! They were able to share their testimonies and speak words about christianity in the schools they entered on a "ESL only" invitation. In most of the schools we were told we shouldn't speak about Christianity, only about English,and in every one of them they ended up sharing more about Christ than English! In one of the schools, after two shared their testimonies and one shared a Bible story, a girl came up to our translator and asked what she had to do to be saved. The translator was able to speak with her and pray for her right then and the girl accepted Christ! This same translator shared her testimony during another session at one of the schools and it was her first time to share it in English in Peru.
  
  
• Liesa, Haylee, Jackson and I were able to travel to Recuay to work alongside the Ole Miss team in a sports camp for kids/teenagers. We were able to play with kids and spend time getting to know them. The pastor of the Baptist church in Huaraz came and led in a time of commitment where about 10 students responded to an invitation to begin a relationship with Jesus. I was able to do some counseling with 4 young boys…about 10 years old…about their decision. They claimed to understand the presentation of the gospel and wanted to begin a study of God’s Word. The Ole Miss team planned a bible study for the kids who had made decisions and they returned later in the week for two bible studies.

• The Ole Miss team has had the opportunity to share the gospel in Recuay and has seen at least two new believers who they have also been able to begin discipling.
  
  
• Lifepoint team- primarily worked in school in Tapacocha doing a very basic English classes. Also showed film in the Catholic church. Presented Bibles to religion teacher and class. Testimonies were given by the team after the film.

• Liberty Team-Showed film in Chavin on colegio soccer field and in also in Quercos. Also Bible storying in the several villages.

• This month was awesome, one of the highlights of my journeyman term to date. For the first time I got to see beyond "planting the seeds". We spent one whole day in a village called Orcotuna near Huancayo. We held five different sessions over values in the schools. We talked to kindergardeners through jovens altogether around 600 heard the Gospel presentation. Then two nights later we held an event at the Alianza chruch. At first we were disappointed that it was mostly young kids, but we soon realized there were parents and teens outside the church listening in. Before the night was over we saw six young ladies step forward to receive Christ. Later that night one of them pull me aside. She was crying and told me how she was scared. Her family was "Catholic" but her dad didn't believe in all this stuff. She wasn't sure how she was going to live out her faith with her friends and family. I could go on about everything we talked about, but I'll stop there. There was also another girl who pulled me aside later to discuss her new faith. I was fighting back the tears of joy to know that God allowed me to be a vessel for Him!

• There was a day in our trip to the small village of Topacocha when some of the team and I were overlooking a vast array of mountain peaks. The leader of our group spoke out in our silence and said, “I wonder if the rocks are cyring out?” Then we came up with the idea toyell Jesus as loud as our pathetic lungs could hold. After screaming Jesus from where we stood we stopped to hear the brief echo of our voices shoot across the valleys and peaks. Our leader said, “Well, at least for a few moments the rocks didn’t have to cry out.” This is one moment that put the rest of the trip into perspective.

• Wanted to thank you for having our Charleston team come to Huancayo and serve. It may have been the best and most productive mission trip I've been on. All the Journeyman/girls did an amazing job. John Wilson did a great job setting up ministry. Jim (masters) and I hung out all week and he was a hoot. The interpreters (Gladys, Clara, and Martin) did a great job as well. I hope and pray the Kingdom work we did will benefit the ministry of John and the local pastors/Christians there. We saw at least 11 people come to know the Lord and probably over 1000 people heard the gospel. I've been several places around the world and Peru is by far my favorite-it's a wonderful country/people. Thanks so much for working our team in this summer as you are busy with ministry and summer missionaries/teams.

We have 15 more teams that we are serving with over the next two weeks with more than 220 volunteers from our Strategy Coordinator churches, International World Changers and college student teams. WE NEED YOU TO PRAY!

Some memories...

First Baptist Oxford changing the world...

First Baptist Oxford is here...

Update for this week...

Hey all of you out there wherever you are!

Thank you for investing in the work of our team here in Peru through your praying and giving...and those of you coming to work with us!

We have some busy, busy times coming up so we need to redouble our prayer efforts. Please join us in praying for...

• Haylee and Jackson as they finish up their school year. They have done extremely well in school and continue to adjust to life here. They do miss their friends in the US and in Costa Rica. Please pray that they would continue to build friendships here in Peru.


• Pray for Jeff and Liesa as these are busy days. Pray for healthy bodies and a great memory to remember everything that has to be done.


• Please pray for our friends and team mates Jeremy, Crystal, and Karis Nelson. They just moved from Lima to their post out in the jungle in Iquitos. Setting up a house, getting supplies, taking care of a newborn, traveling with mission teams...lots of things to do. Please pray for them as they adjust to jungle life.


• Pray for International World Changers. The first wave of students arrive Thursday morning, June 18.


• Pray for the unreached people of Peru who think because they have a catholic tradition that they have a relationship with Christ. Pray for those in jungle communities who worship trees, the mountains..they worship created things but not the CREATOR.


• Pray for the International Mission Board. Southern Baptists decided not to give as much this year so we must trim already thin budgets. We will be unable to have new missionaries to work with us and some of the short term missionaries we now have will not be able to stay as long as they had planned. This seems alarming but God is never caught off-guard and will work through all of this.

God's blessings to all of you!

New REAP North Peru Newsletter...

is located at the bottom of this page. Scroll down and take a look!

Prayer Requests...

Thank you to all of you who are praying! We are so grateful for your help here.

These next few weeks are busy weeks as we anticipate the arrival of over 40 mission teams during June and July. Please pray that things would go smoothly.

Jeff's mom arrives Tuesday Evening, June 2 and will be with us for four weeks. She'll be on the road several times going to International World Changers and to other ministry sites around Peru. Pray for her health as she is here.

We'll post more later!

Please join us in praying...

for these students and adults from our home church, First Baptist Oxford, Mississippi.

Lauren Cullen, Wood Dabbs, Susan Dempsey, Andrew Henry, Courtney Hunter, Brandon Lewis, Sarah Meadows, Sunni Meadows, Joseph McQueen, Scott Parkin, Lynn Riley, Morgan Riley, Bubba Robinson, Nicole Robinson

They will be here in just a few days to work with us. WE ARE EXCITED!

Can you find the llama in this picture?

We've enjoyed having the Ole Miss Baptist Student Union team here for the past three weeks. They are doing remarkable work in Recuay. Please continue to pray for them as they finish up their work on Friday, May 29.

School photos...

Prayer Requests for the week of May 17, 2009...

Hello to all of our prayer partners out there. Thank you for your investment in what is going on here in Peru. Your prayers are so important to the work here.

We've had a very busy week with lots going on. We have three college student teams here working with us... from Ole Miss, Liberty University and The Citadel. These are the first groups of nearly 250 students working with us this summer. We have seen God do some amazing work already with these teams. Please lift them up in prayer this week.

Monday (May 18) a team from Calhoun Association, Mississippi arrives. They are one of our partner churches and have a great ministry up in the Chachapoyas area. Students from William Carey University, Mississippi arrive on Tuesday. Please pray for these teams as they travel this week. We have 19 different groups headed our way over the next few weeks so pray for the REAP North Peru Team as we prepare for their work here in Peru.

The work here in Peru is doing well and the gospel is going to unreached places. We continue to hear great reports from our teams as new bible studies are starting, existing churches are being strengthened and new churches are being planted. We continue to focus heavily on training Peruvians to do the work of missions here in Peru. We also are busy recruiting new partner churches in the U.S. who will adopt unreached people groups so that they will be able to understand the gospel.

As for our family, Haylee and Jackson are doing well. We are blessed to have a good school and good support for them here. Liesa and Jeff are busy coordinating logistics for our partner churches and serving our excellent team of missionaries. It would help to have a few more hours available each day.

Thank you so much for your prayers! Check out the new REAP website at http://www.reapsouthamerica.org/.

Happy 10th Birthday Jackson!

Jackson celebrated his 10th birthday this week. Thank you to all of you who sent cards and made phone calls. A big thank you to our families for sending the great gifts.

Good news...

We both passed our Peru driving test today! Gracias!

Update on Liesa's Mother's Day meeting...

Thank you for praying. Liesa did a great job and had a great time! All of you out there who pray for us are such a vital part of the work here. Thank You!

Jackson's Soccer Team...

The coolest people in Peru...

Introducing AMAZON...

We have a new addition to the family... our dog 'Amazon'.

Pray for Liesa...

Liesa is speaking (in Spanish) tonight at our Peruvian church's Mother's Day dinner. Please pray for her and the message the Lord is delivering through her.

New Team Website is up and running.

Go to www.reapsouthamerica.org.

New Prayer Requests for May 2009...

Please scroll down to the bottom of this page for new South America Region prayer requests. You can print these for personal use, for your church missions group, for your Sunday Morning discipleship class, or whatever. Please pray.

An Amazing April...

The Faithfulness of the Lord has been amazing this month here in Peru. Here are a few highlights...

• God continues to bless our family in so many ways. When we left the comfort of Oxford, MS we had so many questions and some fear about how the 'missionary life' would be. God has been faithful every step of the way in providing for our every need. He has used many of you to make sure that we are doing well.
• This month we saw THREE more unengaged, unreached people groups adopted by churches in the U.S. We are thankful for the progress being made that those from every nation, tribe and tongue are gaining access to the gospel.
• Our REAP North Peru team continues to be blessed by some of God's finest servants. It is an honor for us to work alongside such great people.

Please continue to pray for the following needs...

• Quality friendships for Haylee and Jackson. As parents this is one of our greatest concerns. We are trusting the Lord to provide for 'His' children. They belong to Him and He knows what they need and when.
• The task of reaching North Peru with the gospel is HUGE. Please pray for more churches to adopt unreached people groups here in Peru.
• Our student projects this summer with bring over 100 college students to work with us. Please pray for our summer projects and that God would use them to advance the Kingdom here in Peru.

Thank you for your partnership! Keep 'holding the rope.'

Update from down here...

Thank you to all who have prayed over the past few days. The Ole Miss Vision Team had a tremendous visit with open access to several villages. Thank you for praying for this. Over the past month several unengaged groups here in Peru have been adopted by churches in the U.S. as targets of ministry trips in the coming years. Please continue to pray for the people of Peru and the churches in the U.S. who are reaching out to them.

Update...

Thank you so much to all of you who read this blog and pray for us. You are a VITAL part of the work here in Peru. The Vision Team from First Baptist Church of Quitman, Georgia left this morning and a Vision Team consisting of members of 3 North Mississippi churches and the Ole Miss Baptist Student Union arrive tonight. Please help us by praying for these things...

• Please continue to pray for Haylee and Jackson. School is going great and they are doing GREAT. Thank you for praying. Jackson has joined a soccer club here in our neighborhood and is doing very well with that.
• Please pray for the Vision Team arriving tonight from Ole Miss and 3 North Mississippi churches. They are considering adopting a segment of the Asheninca tribe. This is a VERY difficult group to reach. Please pray for permission to be granted for us to visit the tribal communities and for an openess of tribal leaders to let us work among them.
• Please pray for our upcoming summer...we have dozens of mission teams coming from every different direction doing so many different things. Lots of things to coordinate and prepare for.
• Please pray for the International World Changers Project coming up in June. We have two weeks of ministry projects for nearly 100 student volunteers coming to work with us. Pray that God would use this huge project to impact the Canta, Peru area for Christ.

Thank You for all of your help!

Liesa's Version of the Driver's License Medical Exam

Liesa also passed the psychological and physical parts of the test. However, her process was a bit different than Jeff's.....Here are a few of the differences. See Jeff's list below and compare.

• Step Four....The written mental evaluation test...same test as Jeff's, but it took me 5 minutes to figure out the lady was telling me to put my name, address, and birthday on each and every page. I'm afraid I'm a bit slow. Not a good start for a psychological exam. I forgot to put feet the person I drew so the lady asked me to add them. Before putting my name on every page, I began to answer the questions using an ink pen...didn't know that the pen was only for my name. The lady fussed at me, I couldn't help it she didn't give me a pencil until after I put my name on each and every page. And then she proceeded to give me a part of the test where they ask questions like "do you generally hate the people around you" and "are you an angry person"?
• Step Five...Medical exam...I had to look into a machine and tell what colors I saw, read letters and describe the pictures I saw on the bottom of the screen. As for the hearing test...I had to put on head phones and say if the sound was coming from my right or my left. Guess I don't look like I can see or hear so they thought they'd test me thoroughly. Finally, I had to pick up 5lb (my estimate) weights and lift them over my head with each hand. Guess Jeff looked a bit stronger than me!

I didn't get to take the driver's exam as I didn't have my Peruvian ID - which you may remember was stolen. I have since received it and have plans to take the exam along with Jeff on a later date.

CRASH AND BURN...Jeff fails his Peru driver's license test...

Yes. It's true. But I did pass the psychological and physical parts of the test. It guess knowing the rules of the roads here in Peru is the most important part. Here's the process...

• Step One...You go to a local bank and pay all the fees for the license.
• Step Two...You go to the medical clinic around the corner from the driver's license office.
• Step Three...Fill out some paperwork.
• Step Four....There is a written mental evaluation test...you have to answer questions like "Do you think everybody hates you?" You have to draw a person...mine had clothes and shoes. There is a page of mazes that you have to draw a little line and find your way out of. Then, you have these cards with random shapes drawn on them and you have to draw them exactly like that.
• Step Five...Medical exam...walk a straight line, read the Eye Chart (Spanish alphabet), answer the question..."Can you hear well?" I answered, "Si, amigo." Do you drink a lot? "No, amigo. Soy un misionero bautista.' (No friend, I'm a baptist missionary.)
• Step Six...Wait in the waiting room while they determine whether or not you are crazy.
• Step Seven... They call you to the back and approve you for being able to take the driver's license test. (I don't know what happens if you don't pass the mental exam...I guess you get to drive a taxi.)
• Step Eight...You go to the other side of the building and they take your picture...remember, I haven't taken the test yet...but they took my picture.
• Step Nine...You go in this room with about 20 computers and they tell you to go to one. I sat down at #8 and there was my photo on the screen. The test is in Spanish. You have 40 minutes to answer 40 questions. It only took me about 12 minutes. :-(
• Step Ten...When you have missed 11 questions the screen goes blank and there's a 'You're a LOSER!' message that pops up. That's your cue to get your nalgas out of there.
• Step Eleven...Go outside and buy a copy of the test questions from this shady dude on the street.
• Step Twelve...Study the book and I'll be going back to take the test again...more to come.

New REAP North Peru Video...

Our team videographer and photographer put this promo video together.
It is a great summary of what we do here in Peru.

First Baptist Oxford Vision Trip...

Our home church, First Baptist Oxford, Mississippi, sent some folks to Peru this week for a Vision Trip to the Lamista Quechua near Tarapoto. We were so excited to have our pastor, Eric Hankins, and our great friend Gary Hunter (Carmen and Courtney's dad!) here with us.

Below is a video with some photos of our time researching the Lamista Quechua.

Thanks For the Goodies!

What a sweet surprise from our friends in Oxford!

Praise and Thanksgiving -
From Liesa - Thanks so much for your prayers while I was traveling last week. I had a wonderful week of ministry and learning during my time with the Ashaninka people of Peru. God is doing amazing and wonderful things among this people group. The believers in these villages have such a sweet spirit and love for Christ and are working together to carry the gospel to their own people in the villages up and down the Tambo River.

Somethings you can pray for -

• Jeff, Javier (translator), Eric Hankins and Gary Hunter (from FBC Oxford MS). - They are traveling to Tarapoto in Northern Peru on a vision trip. They return to Lima on wednesday.
• Domi - 3rd and 4th grade teacher in one of the villages Liesa visited last week. She is a believer, but working in very difficult circumstances and is very lonely. Pray that the children and families among whom she works will see Christ through her as she teaches their children.
• Cambridge Baptist & Grace Richmond Baptist Churches - They are working among the Quechua people this week in Peru.
• Our newest family member, Madilyn Holeman - that she would gain back the weight she has lost since birth and continue to remain healthy.
• Crystal and Jeremy Nelson - ReapNorth team members expecting their first baby, Karis, any day.

Video of Liesa's Trip to the Tambo River...

Here's a photo of Madilyn Lea Holeman...

My brother's (Pete) and Carrie's new daughter.

Update from Liesa...Wednesday, April 1...

Liesa had an interesting day. While bathing in the river a small crocodile latched on to her arm. Fortunately some Ashaninca ladies were nearby and were able to beat it with their spears. April Fools.

Liesa called and reports an excellent day of ministry. They led a bible study for the village women this morning and this afternoon had around 50 kids for a bible study time. Liesa told the story of the friends bringing the paralytic to Jesus for healing.

Later this afternoon, Liesa visited in the home of one of the teachers at the village school. She is a single young lady from Huancayo who has been assigned to teach in the village. She is very lonely and appreciated Liesa's visit.

The group gets on the river on Thursday morning at 6 am and will arrive in Lima on Friday afternoon. Please continue to pray for their safety.

New Prayer Requests for April 2009...

You can find NEW South America Prayer Requests at the bottom of this page or click HERE.
Please copy or print them and use them daily. You can even print them for you Sunday School Class, Small Group or even your Family Devotion. Prayer is a huge investment in the work going on here. Your prayers are powerful!

Update from Liesa...Tuesday, March 31...

The above photo is from the Tambo River area in January 2009.

Liesa just called from a satellite phone and reports all is well in Anapate, Peru. Anapate is the second village that the group has been working in. Liesa, Courtney Duncan and Lindsey Powers are leading a women's bible study in the mornings and a children's bible study in the afternoons. They will begin the journey home on Thursday and will arrive in Lima on Friday evening, April 3.

The good news is that Anapate has a shower that they can use instead of the river so Liesa says that is a great thing. The toilet situation in Anapate is much cleaner as well. Everyone is healthy although it is very hot and humid.

Thank you for praying. Please keep it up!

New Reap North Peru Newsletter...

Scroll down the page to find the new Reap North Peru Newsletter or click HERE.

Liesa's Update from the Jungle... March 29, 2009

We are able to communicate with Liesa by way of a satellite phone while she is in the jungle. Her report today...

• Thank you for praying. She is doing great although it is VERY hot and humid. She and others have been able to do some great work with the kids in the village.
• Bathing in the river is not so bad. Not so good, either.
• Liesa was able to help lead worship for the village with her flute today.
• She has seen the slaughter of a chicken and just missed the slaughter of a cow.
• Monday morning they pack up camp and head up the river to another village.

Please continue to pray for Liesa and the team from Roebuck, South Carolina.

Update from the Jungle...March 28, 2009

Liesa has spent the day working in the village of Shevojah on the Tambo River. She reports all is well and "if I can do this then anybody can do this." She says it is very hot and humid and she enjoyed her bath in the river.

Liesa has been able to lead a bible study with the kids about the Creation Story. She also has shared her testimony and the plan of salvation with several children and hopes to talk more with them about their relationship with Jesus.

Please continue to pray for her and the work that the team from Roebuck, South Carolina is doing out there in the jungle this week.

Where's Liesa?

Liesa called this morning from Masamari, Peru letting us know that after being delayed by a landslide that blocked the road the team is getting ready to end the paved roads and now have a few hours of muddy roads to reach the Tambo River. On Friday afternoon they will board a boat and head down the river to the the village of Anapate and then on Saturday they will arrive in Shevojah. She says everyone is doing well and are ready to get to work.

Please continue to pray for their safety and that they will be effective in the work they are doing. Liesa is working with children and women and the men are leading a conference for church leaders to help them learn worship leadership skills. They're even teaching guitar lessons.

If you have Google Earth or have a GPS program her coordinates are S10 58.313 W73 45.991.

Here's a satellite view of the area...

Prayer Requests for Sunday, March 22, 2009...

Hey to all of our wonderful prayer partners out there. Thank you for your support!

We've had an eventful week. First, Liesa had her purse taken while at a restaurant. She lost a little cash, cell phone, and several credit cards but all is well. We'll have to buy a new cell phone and replace the credit cards. We are thankful it was just stuff and not Liesa that was taken.

Jeff spent most of the week with a church vision team from Tennessee. We traveled to the Montaro Valley to research a segment of the Wanka Quechua people. We are praying that this church is the one God has chosen to adopt this people group.

Haylee and Jackson are getting adjusted to school. We are thankful for your prayers in this area. They have caught up in their studies and are doing great. We ask that you continue to pray for them.

Liesa heads out to the jungle this Thursday with a church group from Roebuck, SC. She will be heading out to a couple of villages on the Tambo River where they will be training church leaders in worship leadership. The church from SC will be teaching guitar lessons and other skills to help these churches with their worship. Liesa will head out on March 26 and return on April 3.

Here's some things you can pray for...

• Haylee and Jackson and their adjustment to school. Pray for their continued learning of Spanish and their adjustment to the culture here.
• Pray for Liesa as she travels this week with a team from South Carolina. Pray for safe travel as they travel one day by truck and one day by boat to reach the villages on the Tambo River.
• Pray for Jeff as he is here in Lima handling logistics and planning for upcoming vision teams and a busy summer coming up.
• Pray for the hundreds of unreached people groups in Peru who have little or no access to the gospel. Pray for the pastors of Peru who need encouragement and training. Pray for more churches to adopt people groups here in Peru.
• Pray for Jeff's brother Pete and his wife Carrie and the arrival of their baby this week.

Blessings to you all. Come and see us...

A quick update...

Thank you to all who are so faithful in praying for us. Our gratitude simply cannot be contained in words. We learn every day new lessons about prayer. Thank you.

This has been a good week. Liesa has been here in Lima doing a lot of the 'business' stuff that goes along with coordinating the work of about 40 churches who have adopted people groups here in Peru. Jeff has been in the Mantaro Valley with a church from East Tennessee who are here investigating the Wanka Quechua people group. They are praying about adopting this people group. Haylee and Jackson are doing great adjusting to their new school.

Please join us in praying for...

• Haylee and Jackson as they continue to grow up each day.
• Liesa and Jeff as they coordinate the work of REAP North Peru.
• The millions of lost indigenous people in Northern Peru.
• The REAP North Peru team.

Prayer Requests...

We have had a great and busy week here. We have a group of college students from South Carolina here this week ministering through medical work and we also have a group from Virginia as well. On Friday, March 13 we have 3 groups arriving to work in different areas. So, things are busy but The Gospel is being proclaimed so all is very, very good.

Jeff is leaving at 5 a.m. today (Sunday, March 8) for a research trip in Northern Peru. This is in advance of First Baptist Oxford coming in April. The Lamista Quechua live in the area around Tarapoto on the eastern slope of the Andes in the high jungle area of northern Peru.

Haylee and Jackson are adjusting to a demanding new school. Their new school here in Lima is more advanced than what we were used to in Costa Rica so we've been playing 'catch up' on some areas. But, all is good and they are excited about being back in school. On Fridays their school has an AWANA program so that is something they are very excited about.

We are sad that our team mates, Diago and Dana Reyes are leaving us this week to return to the U.S. for medical reasons. Please pray for them and their two sons as they return to the States.

We are also saying 'See You Later' to Jack and Beth Sheridan. They are heading to Texas after serving with REAP North Peru for over two years. Jack and Beth are some of the hardest working missionaries you will ever meet. Their passion for their work is simply amazing. We will miss them but know they are excited to get home to the grandkids and the farm. We hope to see them again in the future here in Peru!

Thank you all so much for your investment in the work here in Peru! Please pray for...

• Haylee and Jackson as they continue to adjust to their new school. Pray especially for Jackson as he has a lot of catching up to do in math.
• Pray for Liesa as she is at home in Lima this week while Jeff is traveling.
• Pray for safe travel for Jeff and Boots as they travel the roads of Peru doing research.
• Pray for Diago and Dana Reyes and their two boys returning to the U.S.
• Pray for Jack and Beth Sheridan as they return to the U.S. after serving faithfully in Peru.
• We need more student summer missionaries this summer!
• Pray for our mission teams working with us here this week and those arriving next week.

Prayer requests for this week...

Thank you to all of you who pray for us. We are so grateful for your investment in our lives and God's work here in Peru. Please join us in praying for these requests...

• Haylee and Jackson's first day of school here in Peru is Monday, March 2. Please pray for their transition to a new school...their third since October 2007.
• Things are beginning to get busy with the REAP North Peru team. Please pray for Liesa and Jeff as we manage the dozen of church groups arriving in the next few weeks.
• Pray for the financial resources to be supplied by Southern Baptist Churches so that the work of our missionaries can continue.
• Pray for the needs of hundreds of volunteers who will work with us this year here in Peru... Opportunities to share the gospel, safety and health.
• Pray for our team of missionaries who work so hard to bring light to the dark places of Northern Peru... Jeremy and Crystal Nelson working in Iquitos (and baby Karis in mom's tummy), Diago and Dana Reyes, Broderick and Ethan, Burney and June Tate, Jack and Beth Sheridan (who are leaving us this week!), Larry and Nancy Jackson (who are moving to Bolivia soon.), Tommy Smith, John Wilson and Mindy McCord. Pray also for Jessica Dooley, Jacinda Melson, Katie Stewart and Christine Jackson who work in a lot of different areas. Pray for the Olson's, Henderson's and the Glovers who are on their way to Peru in the next year. And, our team leaders, Boots and Katie Holder who keep us out of the ditches.

Liesa's Family has been visiting us here in Lima...

Our stuff from the U.S. is in the house...

One day soon we'll be able to unpack it all! Thank you to those who prayed for our crate's arrival.

Advice for today...

Update from down here...

Katie Stewart, Jeff, Christy Holcomb and Liesa at Caleb McLamb's birthday extravaganza.

Most of the people who read this are UP there...to the North...in the U.S...Land of the stimulus packages. We're here in Lima, Peru and folks here are very interested in Obama and the new economic stimulus package. We are becoming more and more aware of how important the U.S. is to everyone here in Peru. It seems as the U.S. economy goes, so goes the hopes of billions of people. So, we're praying that folks in the U.S. know what they're doing.

Thank you for your prayers for Haylee, Jackson, Liesa and Jeff. We are doing well and getting prepared for Liesa's family's arrival on Thursday. We look forward to the visit with them.

Our crates of furniture are still out at the port here in Lima. Hopefully any day the customs officials will release them and we can find out what we've been living without for the past 16 months. You can keep praying about that.

Also we have six church mission teams arriving over the next 3 weeks. Pray that the Story of Jesus will be proclaimed boldly and clearly.

Our crates of furniture are here...

but, unfortunately, they are out at the port here in Lima and there is a lot of paperwork to do. Will you pray that things go smoothly?


This is Liesa in the fall of 2007 standing in one of the crates before we filled it up with stuff!

February 10, 2009.

This is a young Quechua teenager (named Grover) I met this past week. I was able to give him a bible and share with him some verses that would help him understand God's plan for his life. Thank you for praying for our work here in Peru.

Prayer Requests this week...

• Haylee and Jackson as they continue to adjust to the culture here in Peru. They go to their new school soon...only 3 weeks of summer vacation left.
• Pray for Haylee as she helps lead activities for kid missionaries this week while their parents are in meetings during their prayer retreat.
• Pray for Liesa and Jeff as they continue to learn the REAP North Peru ropes.
• Pray for Liesa's family...Granny, Marie, Arnold, Sonya, Russell, Cameron, Missy, Chris, Megan, Sydney and Hayden...as they arrive in Peru on February 19.
• Pray for Angelina who began a relationship with Jesus in a village called Quio, near Ambo, last week.

Update for this week...

The photo is of Canta, Peru. Site of International World Changer projects this summer.

Thank you to all of you who are faithfully praying! You are a vital help to the work here in Peru.

We've had a good and busy week. Liesa is beginning to get a handle on the many administrative responsibilities of coordinating the work of our REAP North team. Jeff traveled with some International World Changer staff to the mountain town of Canta to prepare the upcoming student projects. We'll have approximately 140 students arriving in June to work in the Canta area. We still have work to do but the projects are shaping up to be amazing. Kathy King, from Oxford, MS, is the ministry coordinator for the projects. It was good getting to know her better and to have someone from home here for the week. Jeff got to do some mountain driving on some interesting roads and was able to speak to a church on Saturday night...with about 10 minutes notice! Things went well for Jeff and the lady breast-feeding on the front row.

Haylee and Jackson are enjoying their summer vacation. Jackson went on an outing with our church and had a great time. The parents of the other boys bragged on his Spanish speaking ability. Haylee is advancing in her language as well and will be helping with a prayer retreat for one of the other missionary teams here in Lima. She is looking forward to helping with the kids while the parents meet together.

College Street Baptist from Walhalla, South Carolina arrives Tuesday night and Jeff heads out with them on Wednesday. We'll be going to another mountain region to do evangelism work using the The Hope video and other strategies.

Please pray for...

• Haylee and Jackson and their continued adjustment to Peru.
• Liesa as she shoulders more and more of the work load putting together all of the administrative details for our partner churches from the U.S.
• Jeff as he travels with teams and encourages them and serves them while they minister in Peru.
• College Street Baptist Church and their team that are here in Peru this week.
• The unreached people of Peru...we need more churches to adopt unreached people groups. There are not enough missionaries to get the work done.
• Please pray for student volunteers for this summer. We need a bunch! Go to http://www.thetask.org/ to find out more information.