10 April 2010 Update.

Another good busy week here in Peru. It seems this week has been 'crisis' week with so many things that we've had to help with...broken down vans, stolen passports, helping hurting people, trying to make sure our teammates are receiving the support they need...and that was just yesterday. God is good to use us in so many good ways.

Our week started off Sunday morning in Iquitos, Peru where we boarded an early flight so we could get back to Lima for church. A friend preached at our church for Easter Sunday and threw the hammer down in Spanish. He did an excellent job. Our church here has a big breakfast and then a worship service around the tables and it was great time with our Peruvian brothers and sisters...and our gringo friends, too.

Sunday afternoon we went to a fellowship in honor of some of our missionary friends who are moving to Mississippi to pastor a church. They have been in Peru for over 20 years and it was a sweet time of celebration for them. Jeff carried them to the airport on Wednesday night and they are now safely in Mississippi beginning their new ministry.

Brian and Felicia Henderson lead the REAP NORTH Peru translator ministry. On Monday night their home folks came to Peru for a Vision Trip in the Amazon Basin in northeast Peru. Brian was with them all week and you can find stories from their adventure HERE. It was good to have more Mississippi folk in Peru this week.

We are gearing up for a great summer with a ton of high school and college students coming to Peru. You can keep up with what is going on with our student ministry HERE.

We have a team pray blog where our team members are able to post prayer requests. You can check that out HERE.

Haylee and Jackson have had a busy week. Jackson has started playing at the soccer club in our neighborhood after a few months off for summer (in Peru) vacation and swimming classes in March. He is also busy with school work and playing the Wii whenever he can. Haylee is busy with school and keeping up with her guitar lessons and socital calendar. They are both excited about our visit to Mississippi in a couple of weeks.

Thank you to all of you who pray for us. Your prayers are so important to the work here. Please join us in praying for these things:

• The REAP NORTH training conference in Oxford, MS on April 27-29. We want to provide the training that our churches need to be able to have success in church planting here in Peru. You can find details about the conference HERE. There is still room for churches and individuals to attend.
• Jeff will be traveling with a team this week to provide some medical care for folks recently affected by a mudslide. This is a disaster relief project and the IMB has provided some emergency funds to buy medical supplies and other needs these people may have. A team from South Carolina will be coming in to minister to these folks.
• Pray for good health and safety for Jeff, Liesa, Haylee and Jackson.
• Pray for wisdom as we make plans for upcoming International World Changer projects. We are hosting a total of four projects in Peru in June, July, and August.

Thank you so much for your prayers. We'd love to hear from you! Send us some updates on your life at lholeman@samregion.com.

Quick trip to Iquitos and the Amazon River...

Haylee and Jackson were able to go with Liesa and Jeff on a trip up to Iquitos to visit with our teammates who work in the Amazon Basin area (the Glovers and Nelsons). There is so much good work going on up in the Amazon area. Please pray for the work there.

We were able to have some fun on Saturday while we were there. We visited with some of the Amazon wildlife and had a great time.

We're back from a trip on the Amazon...

We'll have a video posted real soon.....

1 April 2010 Update.

Thank you to all of your for your prayers for us. We are strengthened each day through the prayers of so many.

We are looking forward to a great weekend visiting our teammates in Iquitos. Jeremy, Crystal, and Karis Nelson and Jake, Dodie, Hannah, and Abigail Glover serve with our Strategy Coordinator church/association partners who work in the Amazon Basin region of northern Peru. They live and serve in Iquitos, Peru which is a port city on the Amazon River. They live in a challenging place and we are glad to be able to go and visit with them. We'll fly to Iquitos this afternoon (Thursday, April 1) and return to Lima on Sunday, April 4.

This week please offer prayers of Thanksgiving to God for:

• Amazing ministry work during the month of March. We have some outstanding strategic partners who have deep levels of commitment to the work that they are called to do.
• God's protection over our family. Through hundreds of miles traveled during March God protected us.
• Good health for all of us!

Please continue to pray for:

• Our REAP North Equipped for Missions Conference in Oxford, MS on April 27-29, 2010. This will be an important time of training for our ministry partners. Many are traveling long distances so pray for safety.
• Ten churches coming to Peru during April to work in Peru.
• Planning for 4 International World Changer projects that we are hosting this summer. A WHOLE LOT of stuff needs to be done.

Thank you all so much for your support!

25 March 2010 Update...

Hola amigos!

Thank you so much for your prayers for us during the past week or so. Things have been busy. Jeff was with a team from Oxford, Mississippi working out in a jungle area (SEE VIDEO BELOW.). Then, Jeff and Liesa, along with some teammates, went to Huancayo to make some arrangements for an upcoming International World Changers project.

Haylee and Jackson have been busy as well. Jackson is keeping his class laughing at his corny sense of humor and trying to find bugs to feed to the class pet...a scorpion. Haylee has been studying hard and left today for a retreat with the middle school and high school students at her school.

We continue to need your prayers. Please pray for...

• Haylee as she is away on a retreat with her school. Pray for a good time with the Lord and her friends.
• The whole family willl be traveling to Iquitos, Peru for some meetings with our teammates who live there. We'll also make some time for some fun things. Iquitos is on the Amazon River so we're excited about seeing that part of our world.
• April is going to be a busy month with 10 mission teams coming to work with us here. Pray for all of these volunteer teams to have great ministry work while here in Peru.
• Also, we have our REAP North Equipped for Missions Conference in Oxford, MS on April 27-29. We need a good representation by our Strategy Coordinator churches at this meeting.

Enjoy this video with some of the sights of the work of North Oxford Baptist Church...

This incredible group of students were able to train believers in church planting methodology using the book of Acts, teach English in the village school along with bible stories, lead men's and women's bible studies each afternoon, and play soccer with the men of the village each afternoon. They did a tremendous job continuing to build relationships and provide discipleship training in this village.

Updated Newsletter.

Scroll to the bottom of the page or click HERE for updated news from the REAP North Peru team.

12 March 2010 Update!

Hellooooo out there!

Thank you for praying for us and your financial support of missionaries around the world.

We've had a good week here in Peru.  Right now, teams from the following churches in the U.S. are either heading back to the U.S., working here in Peru, or are on their way to Peru in the next few days...

• Grace Community Church, VA.
• Woodland Hills Baptist, NC
• Immanuel Baptist, CO
• College Street, SC
• South Carolina Baptist Convention
• Wedgewood Baptist, TX
• North Oxford Baptist, MS
• Manna Ministries, Canada
• New River Baptist, GA
• Morningside Baptist, GA

As you see these are busy times for the REAP North Peru team.  We have prayer requests listed on our TEAM PRAYER BLOG.  Click HERE to go there!

We are especially excited to work with North Oxford Baptist Church this week.  These are our some of our friends from our hometown of Oxford, MS.  Jeff will be traveling with them this week to a village of the Ashaninka tribe.  Pray for a good foundation to be laid for a church to be started in this village.

We've had the blessings of having our friends, The Pennington's, here with us this week.  They have been staying at our house with us while they are in Lima.  It has been a great time with them here.

Here's some photos from our trip to the Water Park here in Lima, Peru (You can click on them for a bigger photo.)...

Updated Newsletter.

You can scroll down to the bottom of this page for our updated newsletter!  Or you can click HERE!

6 March 2010 Update...

This has been a good, busy week for us here in Peru.  Haylee and Jackson are back in full swing with school.  Haylee and Jackson are both taking a swimming class two days a week and Haylee has resumed her weekly guitar lessons.  Liesa and Jeff are trying to get prepared for some busy times coming up in the next few weeks.

Jeff and our teammate, Brian, made a trip to the village of Chirani to arrange for some upcoming ministry projects there.  It was a long drive, good meetings, and good fellowship.  Chirani is an Ashaninka village with no church and few Christians. On the right is a photo of how we have to cross the river on a zipline to get to the village. Over the next few months several mission teams from Mississippi will be coming to minister to this village.  You can pray specifically for some village leaders by going to the REAP North Peru team prayer blog at www.pray4reapnorth.blogspot.com .

We were blessed to have Jeremy, Crystal, and Karis Nelson here in Lima this week.  They are our teammates who live in Iquitos, Peru and we don't get to see them often enough.  You can pray for them and read about their work at www.loscoffeelovers.wordpress.com .

We are gearing up for a busy March with 10 teams coming to work with us.  We are most excited about North Oxford Baptist Church coming on March 12.  Jeff will be out in the high jungle village of Chirani with this team.  (Photo to the left is Jeff and Romera taking a walk through the village.)  We'll be teaching the village bible stories from the Book of Acts.  Pray for the work in this village to result in a strong, reproducing church.


We are so grateful for your prayers and your financial support through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.  Thank you for your friendship!



P.S.  We'll be in Mississippi in April to lead a conference in Oxford, MS.  ALL of you are invited to come and hear about what is going on in Peru and other REAP North countries.  Here are the details...

REAP North Equipped for Missions Conference

April 27, 28, 29    Oxford, Mississippi 

Host: First Baptist Church, Oxford, MS 

This conference is for church leaders who:

·         Are interested in becoming Strategy Coordinator church partners.

·         Are currently working as Strategy Coordinator church partners with REAP North.

·         Want general information about leading your church to become more involved in missions.

Cost is $59 per person for the conference. Fee DOES NOT include lodging.

Airport transportation to/from Memphis is available.  Please schedule airport transport at reapnorthperu@gmail.com.

Conference Hotel… Downtown Oxford Inn & Suites  (662-234-3031 or 800-606-1497) will provide standard rooms (double bed) for $89 per night.  The event to identify the rate is “Missions Conference – First Baptist Church”

Website -- http://www.downtownoxfordinn.com

Conference begins at 5:00 p.m. on April 27 and ends on April 29 at Noon.  (Oxford is approximately 1.5 hours from Memphis airport.)

DEADLINE FOR CONFERENCE REGISTRATION IS APRIL 2, 2010.

To register or for more information contact Jeff or Liesa Holeman at reapnorthperu@gmail.com .   You may also call 601-914-6705.

Pray for this team from Southwest Baptist coming to Peru.

This team is led by our former student, Courtney Hunter.  Please pray for them!

Emily Knox sure picked a winner.

Since the first day I met Emily Neal Knox I knew that the Lord was going to use her in BIG, BIG ways.  She has beautiful children and has a great ministry.  But, what makes me so proud is her husband Steve wearing an Ole Miss Hat.  Good Job Emily!

 

Pray for Chile.

Although Chile is our neighbor to the south, Lima was not affected by the massive earthquake this morning.  However, please pray for the people of Chile and the effort to minister to them during this disaster.

21 February 2010 Update.

Hello world,

We are so thankful for all of you out there who pray, give, and come to Peru to help take the gospel to lost.  This week your prayers have kept us safe on mountain roads, given us a clear ability to speak truth in a foreign language, kept us healthy, and have opened the doors for new ministry opportunities.

Two churches from the United States began their ministries in Peru this week.  First Baptist Jesup, GA and First Baptist, Hesperia, California both were there this week to begin church planting work among the indigenous people of Peru.  Thank you for praying.

We have a busy week ahead as Haylee and Jackson return to school after their summer break.  Also, things are beginning to get a busier as March approaches.  Spring Break begins what we call our 'busy' season which lasts until Labor Day in September.  We are so thankful that we have a team of missionaries who work so hard.  We are so blessed to have co-workers who are more than that...they are family and dear friends.  Not every missionary has the teammates that we have.  We know we are blessed.

There are several things you can pray for this week...

• Please pray for the large number of student projects we have coming up in the next few months.  We have so much that has to be organized.  Pray for Mindy McCord, our student project coordinator, as she has so much responsibility.  The great news is that she can handle it.  Pray for her and the planning that needs to be done.
• Please pray for Roebuck Baptist Church from South Carolina as they work with the Ashaninca people on the Tambo River this week.  They are out there teaching woodworking skills to them so that they will have another way to support themselves.  More importantly, they are sharing the gospel and discipling new believers among the Ashaninca people.  Pray for safety, good health, and open doors.
• Please pray for our mission organization, International Mission Board.  There are so many important decisions that must be made over the next few months. We know God is faithful and will take care of us like He always has been faithful to do.

Our house in Lima.

Our street in Lima.  The hair salon, vet, little hardware store, and bakery are

right across the street.  Fruit and veggie market is right around the corner.

The first utility pole on the right is where the taxi drivers stop to pee.

A good Word for today...

Some friends from Yungay, Peru.

This is Pastor Joel and his wife Hilda from the Bible Baptist Church in Yungay, Peru.  We were blessed to work with them this week as they seek to see their new church grow in a very difficult place.

Please pray for them!

We've been out in Ancash Peru this week...

We've had a great week working with FBC Jessup, Georgia and also visiting some of our friends who live in some remote areas of the Ancash Department (sort of like a state in the U.S.) of Peru.

Jackson standing on top of the Lottie Moon truck.
 

 

Liesa, Haylee, and Jeff with a glacier in the background.

Some recent photos...

6 February 2010 Update...

We have had another good week here in Peru.  Here's a recap...

• Monday...Team meeting with most of our REAP North Peru team.  We are blessed to have such an outstanding group of team members.  
• Tuesday/Wednesday... Office work and planning. Phone calls.  Answering emails.  Meeting about student ministry projects.  
• Thursday/Friday... Visit to Canta with our new team members to show them some of the villages where there is great work going on.  Explore future International World Changer sites.
• Saturday... A little housework.  A lot of watching basketball.  

Here's some prayer requests for this week...

• Please continue to pray for the financial condition of the International Mission Board.  Pray for increased giving by Southern Baptists so that the work of your missionaries will be strengthened.
• Pray for our REAP North Peru team as our work begins to speed up as more teams arrive to work here in Peru.
• Pray for First Baptist Hesperia, CA and First Baptist Jessup, GA as they work in Peru this week.
• Go to our team prayer blog at  http://pray4reapnorth.blogspot.com.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

Update from Peru. January 31, 2010.

Thank you so much to all of you out there who love us so much that you take the time to pray for us. We constantly are aware of your prayers. God is so good to provide just what we need at just the right time.

This has been a busy and good week. We have a team from College Street Baptist Church in South Carolina here working in a mountain area. They are one of our strongest strategy coordinator churches and have seen amazing things happen among the Ambo Quechua. They have seen a steady increase in the number of churches being planted in their area. Their ministry teams are led by Randy and Sharon McManamay (retired school teachers). Please pray for them this week as they bring light to the darkness.

Liesa and I spent the first part of this week in Atlanta, Georgia for the International World Changers Retreat. On Wednesday evening we returned to Peru with the leadership teams of two IWC projects we'll have in the Canta, Peru area this summer. These two projects will bring nearly 200 students to Peru to minister here in Peru. On Thursday we did some orientation work here in Lima. On Friday and Saturday we toured the mountain villages around Canta. Today we were able to spend some time wrapping up some loose ends and our friends Danny, Laurie, Derek, and Lou are headed back to the U.S. tonight. Please pray for the International World Changer projects that the REAP North Peru team are hosting in Canta, Huancayo, and the Amazon Basin.

We have a busy month of February coming with tons of planning that has to be completed before our schedule begins to get a little crazy in March. Please pray for our team as we seek God's wisdom as we coordinate the work of so many people this year.

And, most importantly, we say 'See You Later' to Jessica Dooley who is finishing up her Journey-girl term. Jessica has been a vital part of our team and we'll sure miss her in many ways. Please pray for Jessica Dooley as she returns to the U.S. and begins seminary this fall.

Please pray for our REAP North Peru team...

• Boots and Katie Holder (Rebecca, Elizabeth, Joseph)
  
• Jeremy and Crystal Nelson (Karis)
  
• Jake and Dodie Glover (Hannah and Abigail)
  
• Tommy Smith
• Jim Gilstrap
• Mindy McCord
• Amber Smith
• David and Cameron Olson
• Jessica Dooley
• Sandi Bridges
• Brian and Felicia Henderson (Skylar and Sydney)
  
• Jeff and Liesa Holeman (Haylee and Jackson)

Thank you so much for being such faithful prayer partners!

International World Changers 2010...

Liesa and I have been here near Atlanta, Georgia for the past few days attending a retreat for IMB personnel hosting International World Changer Projects in 2010. Our REAP North Peru team will be hosting around 300 students attending four projects this summer. We are excited about the opportunities for ministry coming this summer. However, we need your prayers. 300 folks are a lot of people and we must plan well in order to pull this off in a way that brings honor to the Father. Last year we hosted over 700 volunteers in Peru. This year that number may well push the 1,000 mark. God is blessing as our IMB leadership reduces the size of our team.
Please pray for our REAP North Peru team and the HUGE task that God has given us. We need you praying now more than ever.

PRAISE...Last week Ingleside Baptist Church from Macon, GA led a Pastor/Church Leader training conference in Huaraz, Peru. Over 350 pastors/church leaders attended this training conference. Thank you to Ingleside and our REAP North Peru team who worked very hard in making the conference a huge success. Please continue to pray for Peruvian pastors to receive this important theological training.

We're back in Peru...

After four weeks of vacation and visiting with churches we're back in Lima, Peru. It has been good to see old friends, new friends, and sleep in our own bed. We've got a busy few weeks ahead as we prepare for another year of ministry here in Peru. We are so thankful for all of you who pray for us and support us through your gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Cooperative Program. Please pray for these specific requests...

• Please pray for the millions of people of Peru who have little or no access to the Gospel and/or discipleship training.
• Pray for the REAP North Peru team as our schedule gets busier over the coming weeks.
• Please continue to pray for Haylee and Jackson as they grow up as kid missionaries.
  

From the Cotton Bowl...

Happy New Year!

We have new prayer requests for January 2010. Just scroll down and read them and/or print them out and share them with your bible study group.

Merry Christmas!

Here's a video from Haylee and Jackson's Christmas program last week...

Home for the holidays...

We've made it home to Mississippi for the holidays. Here's a photo of all the cousins on Liesa's side of the family. We enjoyed a great lunch today!

Please give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering...

When you give things happen...

Here's just a reminder about the work you are involved in through your giving to your local Southern Baptist Church that supports the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering...

Update from Peru. December 6, 2009!

Hey ya'll,

Thank you so much for your prayers. We've had a good and busy week. We are anticipating a busy couple of weeks as Jeff will be in a jungle area with a team from Mississippi and Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson will be finishing up this semester at school and getting ready for our trip to the States for Christmas.

Haylee had a guitar recital here at the house this afternoon. Here is a video of some of that...



As you can see she has certainly learned a lot in a short amount of time.

Thank you so much for your prayer support and for all of you who support us financially through your giving to the Cooperative Program through your local Southern Baptist Church and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Please pray that the financial situation improves for our mission organization, International Mission Board. Without financial support, our missionary force will continue to see a decline in number.

Update! December 3, 2009

We are having a great week getting ready for a busy December. Please join us in praying for several teams coming to work in Peru this month...

1. Grace Baptist Church from Kentucky.
2. McNeese State University Baptist Campus Ministry.
3. West Heights Baptist Church from Pontotoc, Mississippi.
4. Immanuel Baptist Church from Colorado.
5. Bryan Baptist Association from Oklahoma.
6. Oklahoma Baptist University Baptist Campus Ministry.

Please join us in praying for these teams. Also, please pray for the Henderson Family (Brian, Felicia, Syd, and Skylar) who are finishing up their training in Costa Rica and will be joining us later this month. Their assignment is to work with our translator ministry.

We are grateful for each of you. Thank you so much for your prayers!

Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll!

Update! November 23, 2009!

Thank you so much to all of you who pray for us. Your prayers are so important to the work here in Peru. We are so grateful for your concern for our family and the way you express that concern by lifting us (and our REAP North Peru Team!) in prayer.

Please join us in praying for...

• Our Language School (Costa Rica!) friends will be joining us for a Thanksgiving Day celebration. Even though Peru is missing out on the Thanksgiving holiday, we plan to celebrate with the Bredbenner's, Pennington's, and McLamb's. We were all neighbors in Costa Rica during Language School and its going to be good to be together for the week. Please pray for safe travel for the Bredbenner's and Pennington's.
• Student Teams from Mississippi (Several colleges!), McNeese State, and Oklahoma Baptist University will be working in Peru during December. Please pray for them as they prepare to come and serve.
• Pray for the missionaries who suffer during this time of year as they are separated from their families.
• Pray for the Henderson family as they finish up in Costa Rica and head to Peru in just a few days.
• Pray for increased giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
  

Top Ten Things We're Thankful for This Year.

10. Few opportunities to eat guinea pig.
9. No calls to Mr. Hovious' office at OHS because of my top ten list.
8. Sling Box!
7. Vonage and Skype.
6. Unlimited Travel Accounts. (Just kidding, Boots!...And Terry and Jerry, too.)
5. Caleb, Luke, and Elijah, Jack, Katie, Grace, Jordan, and Trevor...and Hope on the way although we don't know her personally yet but we're sure we're gonna love her.
4. The night sky in the jungle.
3. Our REAP North Peru Team.
2. The prayers of so many people.
1. Being supported by so many Southern Baptist Churches.

We're going here soon...

Please give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering...

November 2009 REAP North Peru Newsletter...

Scroll down to the bottom of the page for our latest newsletter. You can email it to friends, print if for your bible study or prayer group, or print copies to sell to make money for Lottie Moon. OR, You can pass it on to your Tennessee Volunteer friends so they won't have to read about the butt-whoopin Ole Miss put on them this past Saturday. Enjoy!

Who's Missing? Whose Mission?

News from Peru...

Hey yall,
We want to thank all of you who pray regularly for our family. Every day we sense the prayers of many people as we try to do the work the Father has called us to do. Thank you so much for the way you love us and support us through prayer. We do want to share with you some prayer requests...

• Please continue to pray about your part in giving to this year's Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. It was announced this week that there will be a 10% reduction in the IMB missionary force during the next year. This is terrible news for so many around the world who have yet to hear about Jesus.
• Please pray for our REAP North Peru team. Although this month only 7 teams are working with us there is much work to be done for 2010. Pray that we will have wisdom as we plan for the upcoming year.
• MOST OF ALL... please pray that those here in Peru who have never heard about Jesus will hear about Him.

You all are a blessing to us. Thank you so much!

Please give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering...

Haylee's Guitar Recital...

Haylee's Spring 2009 Guitar Recital was Sunday, November 8 in Lima, Peru. Enjoy the video!

Video from First Baptist Oxford trip...

New School Photos...

Happy Birthday Aunt Liesa...

The McLamb Super Duper Drive-By Birthday Party arrived at our home this morning. John, Jenny, Caleb, Luke, and Elijah arrived with flowers, do-nuts, and a strawberry smoothie. What a great surprise. We love the McLamb's!

What will you give this year?

Update from Peru. November 2, 2009.

Hey you all. Before I update you let me remind you that Liesa's Birthday is Tuesday, Nov 3. You can call her at 601-914-6705.

This past week has been a great one. Our home folks from First Baptist Oxford, MS came to begin their ministry among the Lamista Quechua people in Northern Peru. A team of ten doctors, nurses and helpers came to do four days of medical ministry in Lamas, Bella Vista, and Pamashto.

Here's a photo of the team...


This team of folks did an amazing job of visiting in the homes of many people. They used medical ministry to gain access to the homes of hundreds of people. Over 140 people accepted the offer of eternal spiritual healing through Jesus. Hundreds more received temporary physical help. We were able to distribute a large amount of medicines, vitamins, and worm/parasite treatment. Thank you to all of you who prayed for this project.

New Prayer Requests...

are listed below at the bottom of the page. Please print them out and use them to help the work here in South America.

God continues to do great things...

Here are some reports from the past few weeks...

• The team from Grace in Kentucky did a medical clinic as their way of beginning relationships in the Santa Cruz de Andamarca region. This love shown by members of this team for each other and for the people was evident enough to the people that in more than one pueblo, they were asked if they were Christians. Just their service to the people gave opportunities to share the love of Jesus with some in the communities and helped lay a foundation that will be useful for other trips in that area. And, the good name that was created on this first trip will hopefully bring benefits in the future.

• Bryan Baptist Association sent a team down to work in Atalaya, San Antonio and Ungurahual. They did house to house witnessing.

• One of our translators was asked to lead the Saturday service for the church on the Nanay river one day. He storied and I think that it was great to have a Peruvian lead the service and there were 4 adults that came forward to accept Christ and several children.

• The school children of Tucna sang the Peruvian national anthem for us. They then wanted me to sing the Star Spangled Banner. Another team member and I did, then we sang Jesus Loves Me. We then shared the gospel with them and several said they had accepted Christ. (It is reported that 20 kids accepted Christ.)

Please continue to pray for the work of the REAP North Peru Strategy Coordinator Churches and our team of missionaries.

Reunion and See You Later's....

We met in Lima tonight with three of our Journeygirls who are headed back to U.S. as they complete their terms of service. All of us in the photo met at Orientation in Virginia in 2007 and were all in the same small group.

Liesa is feeling much better...

The doctor told us today that all looks good. We'll have another sonogram next week just to check on everything but Liesa is doing better today. Still a little sore and tired but all is better. Thank you for praying.

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.