Maynas

November 14, 2011

Hi All,

Hope this email finds you well. I wanted to write a quick update about this past week.

First of all, Lucy flew to Lima Sunday to be there for her appointment at the U.S. Embassy on Monday. She was asked to preach in the church in Zarate which is the church of the National Superintendent of Peru.

She got done preaching Sunday night and called me frantically saying that she forgot her passport. I was freaked to say the least. I found her passport and Gladys and I took a taxi to the airport but at 11 o’clock, everything was closed so we returned to the church.

The next morning, Pastor Leiter and I went to the airport again on his motorcycle and I got off on the wrong side and burnt my leg on the exhaust pipe. I ran inside the airport with Lucy’s passport where they told me I needed to go to another place outside the airport. We got it all signed in and paid for but they said it would not get there until noon and Lucy’s appointment was at 10.

She went to the Embassy and told them what was going on and they gave her until 2 p.m. or else she was going to have to make another appointment.

She arrived back at the embassy at 1:45 with her passport, went inside and Praise the Lord, they gave her a visa and she will be coming to the U.S. in January.

Lucy arrived back in Iquitos Tuesday and we decided to go to our church in Maynas Thursday. This is a new church for us, Lucy had been several times but I had not yet been there as the water had been low and the boats could not reach there.

We found a boat large enough to hang hammocks and took off at 9 a.m. Thursday. At 6:30 p.m. we arrived at an impasse, the water was still to low to cross in the larger boat, plus it had started to rain. We ended up sleeping in our hammocks in the boat, thankful that it had a roof. (Photo: Lucy and I helping a woman grind sugar cane)

The next morning we found a smaller boat that took us further up river. Before we got to the community, there was a waterfall. Lucy wanted us to get out and walk as she said it was really dangerous if the boat tipped. The motorist told her to go to the front of the boat and use the oar to guide us. He then used all the power in the motor and we made it up the waterfall. I was thinking that it was very much like our Christian lives—when we meet with difficulties, we need to put Jesus in the front of the boat to guide it and continue forward with all of our strength.

We finally got to Maynas. It is a small but pretty community. The people from the church welcomed us with open arms and killed one of the chickens that the church was raising to make us soup. We went from house to house getting to know the people and inviting them to the service that night.

That night about 20 adults showed up despite the rain. We had a beautiful service and then informed them of the upcoming year starting with the study for our pastors and leaders in Iquitos in February. In May we will be going there with the medical group from Indiana Wesleyan. (Photo: the church in Maynas)

There is a wonderful group of people in the church there. They work together and have a t.v. and dvd in the church to listen to praise songs. They have a keyboard organ, speakers, microphone and generator. They give their all to the church and had built this church themselves. It is in desperate need of being rebuilt—the boards are all rotting and with the rain, everyone had to keep changing positions to escape the leaky roof. They said they will go out and cut the wood and bring it to the community themselves. They just need the gas and oil to do it. Their desire is to put a metal roof instead of a thatched roof so it will last longer. I am hoping that this can be a project for one of the groups this next year.

(Photo:the church in Maynas)It was a beautiful time there in Maynas. The people were open, loving and giving. I hated to leave but was scheduled to preach Sunday night in Iquitos. We got into a small boat with no roof, full of wood, plantains and yucca at 8 o’clock in the morning. It had rained all night and the river was now very full and we had to be careful of all the logs rushing down river. It continued to rain off and on all the way to Iquitos. It was a grueling 10 and a half hour trip sitting in one place. We would have arrived a little earlier but there were some mechanical problems. Anyway, we arrived safe and sound at 7 pm in Iquitos. I arrived with a bit of bronchitis and stomach problems from the rain. I am doing better now though. (Photo:the inside of the church in Maynas prior to the service)

The trip was wonderful except the boat ride back being so arduous and last night I had many examples to share in the message.

Today we are going to pick up Lucy’s visa and meet with some Norwegian missionaries Lucy knew as a child. We are preparing for our children’s outreach that will be this Saturday and Lucy and I are planning a quick trip to Santa Ana and Tamshiyacu.

I can’t believe how fast time has gone. Lucy will be leaving for her home for Christmas in 2 weeks. If she doesn’t take that boat, there won’t be another boat going there until the 15^th of December. She would arrive the 19^th and only have a few days with her family.

(Photo: the 10 and a half hour boat ride back)

I will be leaving Iquitos for Lima on the 6^th of December and have been asked to speak in various churches there. I then head to the states and arrive the 14^th of December. Please have Diet Dr. Pepper, chips and queso awaiting me—just kidding. I am leaving with sadness although excitement that Lucy will be coming in January. It is hard to leave all of the villages where I have grown to love so many people but at the same time, I am excited to see you all. God bless you all and have a wonderful Thanksgiving. See you soon.

In Christ,

Kayleen

Confraternidad 2011

October 30, 2011

Hi All

I hope this email finds you blessed and doing well. It seems like it has been a very long time since I have written you and you may have thought I had fallen off the face of the earth, but here I am, alive and well.

We had been so busy with the preparations for the confraternidad which is the reunion of all of the Wesleyan churches in the Amazon region. We get together in one of the villages and have a great time of fellowship and training. We visited almost all of our churches during these weeks prior to the confraternidad in order to invite the people and inform them of the details. (Photo: The speakers from Lima)

This was our 3^rd confraternidad and each one has been better than the previous. We were extremely blessed to have five wonderful women from Lima come as our guest speakers. These were not your ordinary run of the mill women. They included: the wife of the Peruvian National Superintendent, Teo; the district Director of Wesleyan Women, Marleni; the wife of Pastor Samuel, Jessica; a member of the Zarate church in Lima, Madeline; and the National Board Secretary, Pastor Lucy Narvaez. What a tremendous group of women and what an absolutely awesome time.

Thursday, 28 people from Yanashi, Nueva Esperanza, San Juan de Sinchi Cuy, Lima and Iquitos, left in a bus to Nauta. From Nauta we took a boat to Amazonas where we got set up, bathed and had the opening session. Each of the churches introduced themselves and sang a song or two. 30 people were headed to Amazonas in a boat from Santa Ana but never arrived due to problems with the boat motor. Despite their absence, we still had 70 adults, 20 teenagers and about 60 children who attended the studies.

(Photo: The women in prayer)

Friday and Saturday started out with a devotional at 6 a.m., then breakfast, and the first lecture which was from 9 to 10:30. At 11 we broke into groups where there were special studies for pastors and their leaders, another for the Sunday school teachers, another for the teenagers and children and another for those who were left over.

We then had lunch and a small break until 2pm where we started the classes again until 3:30. At 4 we had competitive soccer and volleyball between the communities until time to bathe, get ready for supper and the church service that evening.

Saturday evening we had a special closing service where we all ate together and gave testimonies regarding the confraternidad and we ended the conference Sunday morning with the baptism of 12 people.

We headed back to Iquitos, singing all the way on the bus. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and another dream come true for me. I had wanted the churches to get together like this for years so they would know that they were not alone in God’s work. Now the people have brothers and sisters in Christ in various parts of Peru. The Confraternidad in 2012 is scheduled for Santa Ana.

(Photo: Singing on the way to the Baptism)

Monday, the folks from Lima and the communities returned to their homes. It was sad to see them leave but I am so grateful for the time we had together.

This Sunday Lucy leaves for Lima to go to the U.S. embassy to find out if they will give her a visa to come to the U.S. for a visit. Please pray for favor for her appointment on Monday. I really want her to come and be able to see people that she got close to on various mission trips who have never returned and also just to have a great time.

Time is flying for me here. I was planning on staying until January to be able to go visit Lucy’s family for Christmas but could not get my flight changed without spending a fortune. This year is going to be difficult for them as her father passed away last Christmas but I know they are in God’s hands. I will be returning to the states Dec. 14^th. It is always difficult to come home during the holidays as there is so much culture shock but hopefully I am better prepared this time.

(Photo: Those waiting to be baptized)

We will be having a children’s outreach here in Iquitos the 12^th of November then I will be visiting the churches to tell them goodbye which is always difficult. I am still trying to get money together to have hot chocolate and panatones (a Peruvian Christmas tradition) for all of the churches. If you would like to help in this, please send your contribution to Alden Griesbach at Collin Creek Community Church 3701 West Spring Creek Parkway
Plano, TX 75023. Make sure to include a note that says this is for Peru Missions, Christmas. Thanks so much for all of your thoughts and prayers. I love and miss you but will see you soon.

In Christ,

Kayleen

Yanashi

October 1, 2011

Hi All,

We just got back from Yanashi this morning at 3:30 a.m. Yanashi is usually 12 hours to get there and 24 hours to return as returning is against the current. This was not the case this time though. Due to the river being low, we went as far as the larger boat could take us, then got into a smaller boat to get to Yanashi. This was at night and there are a lot of stingrays, snakes and alligators in this part of Peru so I was hoping we wouldn’t have to push the boat as we sometimes do. This time the boat went fine, but the motor didn’t. Three motors and 5 hours later we arrived at the church soaking wet. I now wish I would have paid more attention to my “Buns of Steel” exercise tape. I was wishing I had them to sit on that board for 5 hours in the rain. We did arrive though and got our mosquito nets set up and went to bed. (Photo: Little Emerson holding a melon)

We thought that we were going to arrive here and find the church leader gone. He had been saying he was going to work driving a boat for a few months but he and his family were there when we arrived. We had a long talk about his commitment to the church and after a while he said he wanted to stay with the church. It is always difficult for the leaders in the jungle churches as they need to be bi-vocational to make a living. He has a wife and 4 children and this year Yanashi flooded so their entire yucca and plantain crops were destroyed. In a few months they should be doing better. (Photo: Eating melon)

We held services the next two evenings and there are several that plan to come to the trainings in October and November. It ended up being a successful trip regarding the church plus we arrived just in time for watermelon and melon season. We ate so many melons I felt like I could have floated back to Iquitos. (Photo: MMMM)

We had to leave Friday at 4 am to catch the boat headed back to Iquitos. It was also full of melons and watermelons. We were loaded down but still made it back to Iquitos at 3:30 am Saturday. (Photo below: The boats loading the watermelons)

I hope you are all doing well. In my last email I told you I was trying to collect money for Christmas for the kids here. Several people have asked me how so I thought I would put it in here for those that are interested. If you want to donate for the kids, send donations to TX/LA District Missions, in care of Alden Griesbach at Collin Creek Community Church, 3701 W. Spring Creek Pkwy Plano, TX.75023. Please attach a note that says Kayleen, Peru Missions, Christmas. Thanks so very much.

We will be headed out to San Juan de Sinchi Cuy this week and then getting ready for the church conference at the end of October. Please pray for me as I have a lot to do between now and then. I need to finish my correspondence course I am taking, I have to preach this next Sunday in Iquitos and I have to prepare my teaching for the church conference. I feel a bit overwhelmed right now but know that God will get me through it. Thanks so much for all of your thoughts and prayers. Please write.

In Christ,

Kayleen.

Tamshiyacu, Santa Ana--Discipleship

September 24, 2011

Hi All,

Well, this trip really started out with a bang. Lucy and I boarded the 5 hour boat ride to Tamshiyacu and when I was getting off, the plank that I was walking down slipped and I fell. My melon went flying into the river where someone rescued it and I hit the boards hard. I wanted to cry so bad but there were so many people around that I just got up and walked off.

We got settled in at the parsonage that was built last year and then went around inviting people to service that night. The church there is without a pastor right now and the church is anxiously awaiting his arrival in February. We had about 70 kids and adults on Saturday night then 60 kids for Sunday School the next morning. We played with the kids in the afternoon then had a service Sunday night. I know that when the pastor arrives, he will have a good group of children and adults.

The house has termites so we paid a man to paint it with petroleum. We lent him the key Monday and looked for a boat that was headed toSanta Ana.

We arrived at Santa Ana late Monday so did not have service that night. We were doing a 4 day discipleship training there and began the next day with 15 students. It was such a neat time of fellowship. There were several in attendance that were not Christian but wanted to study and by the end of the week one received Christ and one reconciled her life. It was a really special time as the church has been struggling somewhat since the pastor decided to leave the church. There is a strong leader there who has replaced him but two other leaders are not doing well and are not congregating. We had a great time encouraging the church and saw their desire to continue on.

In the mornings we went door to door visiting people and in the afternoons and evenings we had classes. It really was a great time of fellowship and we hated to have to leave but we needed to get back toIquitos so we can switch directions and head to Yanashi and Nueva Esperanza. We left the people in Santa Ana content knowing that we would see them again at the church wide fellowship in Amazonas in October. It is going to be really exciting as there will be 6 people coming from Lima to teach including Marleni, Pastor Lucy Narvaez and the wife of the National Superintendent Felipe Jordan. (Photo: Lucy teaching Juanita who newly accept \ Christ)

Also the National Superintendent along with two other pastors are coming to Iquitos in November for another pastoral training program. We have been really blessed this year.

When we left Santa Ana, we hitched a ride with the students

from Santa Ana who were going to a spring festival in another community. This boat was like Noah’s ark and I had just had my arm put into its socket again so it was a bit difficult for me to get on and hang on with just one arm but we made it to Tamshiyacu to pick up the keys then catch another boat back to Iquitos.

We will be heading to Yanashi and Nueva Esperanza this next week for a few days then out to San Juan de Sinchi Cuy before we have to get things ready for the fellowship in Amazonas in October. It has been a very busy but fulfilling year here and getting close to Christmas. I would like to be able to have a small toy and the Christmas story for each child in the villages. If you would like to help in this let me know. Thanks so much for all of your thoughts and prayers. Please, please write me.

In Christ, (Photo: Noah's Ark)

Kayleen

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San Lorenzo

September 15, 2011

Sorry Looks like my computer messed up and only sent part of the message

Hi All,

I just got back from San Lorenzo last night (this morning) and wanted to send you an update of the past ten days. The engine broke down on the boat that usually goes directly to San Lorenzo so we had to get on a boat that was headed for Yurimaguas and try to find a boat from there. We were in luck. On the 3^rd day on the boat we encountered a boat headed to San Lorenzo. This time I felt even more like James Bond as we had to jump about 7 feet down into a little fishing boat which took us to the other boat. Those of you who know my extreme fear of heights will recognize what a challenge this was for me to do this at night with a huge river to fall into. I was very relieved when my feet hit the boat. We climbed up into the other boat and on the 4^th day of travel, we arrived in San Lorenzo.

(Photo-Flower Girl)

We arrived on Thursday and needed to prepare for the quinceñera which was Friday evening. I did not realize what a big deal it was. We had to practice Thursday night after church. It was quite an affair and I think that Maria had a good time although I know it was difficult for her since her biological mother and father did not show up. She has been raised by Lucy’s mother since she was 6 months old but she said it still hurt somewhat that her natural parents did not come.

(Photo-Maria's entrance)

Saturday we ate the turtle that we had brought for Maria’s birthday. It was my first time eating turtle and I really did not want to but I have to admit it was quite tasty. Many times I have to disassociate when I am eating so I don’t cause hard feelings. I just eat what is set before me. Sunday they killed a duck for us so we did eat well even though most of the time it was fish and bananas. I do like fish and bananas though.

We went to the cemetery to see Lucy’s father. That was a difficult time for me as well as Lucy. I had known her father for 3 years and loved him. His passing has left a huge hole in the house there.

Tuesday we caught a boat heading back toward Yurimaguas with hopes once again to find a boat and once again we were blessed. We arrived in Nauta last night at 11p.m. then took a taxi to Iquitos where we arrived at 1 a.m. It was a long quick trip in that the travel was long for a few days but it was well worth it to let Maria know she is important and worthwhile.

(Photo-Carlitos enjoying the turtle--guess that's slow food instead of fast food)

I got back to Iquitos and got all my clothes washed and mended. We are going to rest today and tomorrow then Saturday we are headed to Tamshiyacu for 2 days and then on to Santa Ana for 4 days where we are going to do some discipleship training with the churches. We will come back to Iquitos for a few days then head to Yanashi. With all of the teams this year, it has felt a bit like we have not gotten to all the needs of the church so hopefully we can get in some good quality time before the Confraternidad in October.

Well, I sure do miss y’all. Please drop me a line. I love hearing news from home. Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers.

In Christ,

Kayleen

Building the Church in Nueva Esperanza

September 4, 2011

Hi All,

Hope this email finds you well. This past week has been amazing. The team left yesterday and I am still exhausted but I will be traveling again tomorrow so I wanted to get an update out before I leave.

A team of 4 men led by Pastor Bob Ellis fromSan Antonio, TX arrived on Saturday the 27^th of August. They arrived a little bit too late to catch the slow boat so we had to take a fast boat to catch up to it. It was a little James Bond like as we climbed up from the fast boat to the slow boat and felt kind of cool. I heard one lady on the slow boat say that “these gringos didn’t have the money to pay the fast boat so they dumped them off here.”

The slow boat was filled to capacity—maybe overfilled due to the transfer of passengers from another boat that malfunctioned. We literally had to crawl on our hands and knees under all of the hammocks to get to the back of the boat. Right before we arrived at our initial destination, it began to rain. The water is low right now so the big boat could not get us to shore and we had to transfer all of our things into a smaller boat. I have to mention something really amazing here. We had never been to this community and really didn’t have a place to stay. Lucy had been praying about this as she was nervous since we had no place to go. She met a man on the boat and he said he had a big house and we could stay there. God is so good.

We got to the shore and it was a huge mud pit up a hill to the house. The guys made many trips carrying our heavy equipment up the hill. It was then named “the trail of tears.”( Photo trail of tears 1 in the daylight) Little did we know there was a greater trail of tears waiting for us.

The next day, we got up and got on another boat which took us to a river bank. There we were met by some of the folks from Nueva Esperanza. They helped carry our things up “Trail of Tears 2”.

It was a very muddy trail that took about an hour to walk. We had 9 five gallon jugs of water, 2 coolers full of food, a generator, tools ect. I had to have help even walking at times to keep from falling. As we got closer to the village, Lucy told me to grab a stick. I looked down and there was a little alligator sitting there. The church leader had killed it for us that morning but it sure looked alive sitting there and scared me for a bit. At least we had our first meal given to us. (Photo: Trail of Tears 2)

When we finally got to Nueva Esperanza, the guys got right to work on building the church and had an amazing amount of work done by the end of the day and we ended up having a short service that night.

(Photo: Lunch)

We were so fortunate to have men on this trip who knew about construction. Edgar came from here and built the roof and the rest of the guys made short work of building a beautiful church including benches and a pulpit.

On Monday afternoon, Lucy and I had a two hour service with the children. Many adults came too and we had a great time. Tuesday night we had our first service in the new church and invited everyone to the inaugurationThursday night. We had a packed house Thursday night and after Pastor Bob gave the message, we played games and had snacks.

Some of the really neat things on this trip were that several afternoons Pastor Bob took time to teach the young leader of this church. The young man is 23 years old and hungry for the Word. It was really special to me to be able to see the interaction. Another neat thing for me was that the team got to see a little clearer what my life is really like here. Although every team has to face many difficulties when they come, we usually take private boats and even though they may be slow, we have them to ourselves. They also got to experience some of the little jungle walks and the rain ect. It just felt good to me to have some other folks experience the real life. There is so much more I could tell you about this trip but just let me say it was great.

I really hope this email makes sense. I am so tired even though I didn’t really help in the actual construction. Tomorrow Lucy and I are headed on a 4 day boat ride to go to the quinceñera of one of my godchildren. We are only going to stay 3 days and be back on the same boat. When we get back we are going to travel to Santa Ana and do some intensive discipleship courses. Please continue to pray for the work here in Peru and please email me. God bless you all.

In Christ,

Kayleen

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Indiana Team

August 17, 2011

Hi All,

I cannot believe how fast time is flying here. Yesterday the team from Indiana Wesleyan left after having a very productive week. It was exhausting but amazing.

The team got here on Sunday morning and they rested a bit before having services that night in the church in Iquitos. Sue Ferguson, who had been a missionary for over 20 years in Peru and was on this team preached a much needed message that night on “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.” It was an awesome message and really encouraged the church here in Iquitos.

The next morning we took off in a bus for Nauta and then a boat to Amazonas. We received a warm welcome there with the community coming out and helping us get our cargo up the hill. We got settled in and had a welcoming service that night.

On Tuesday we got on a boat and went about an hour and a half down river to a community called Fatima. Lucy and I were a bit nervous as due to all the teams we have had this year, we were not able to go and make all of the arrangements like we usually do. We have never entered this community before and didn’t really know if they would receive us or not. We got there and had to cross a line of logs through the mud to get to where a long trail started.

When we got there, to our surprise, the governor of the village was there as he was fixing his chainsaw. We spoke to him about what we proposed to do and he was happy to accept us and even had a bicycle with a trailer to carry all of our supplies. Our God is faithful to supply all of our needs. We had about a 45 minute walk to the village over some more logs but finally made it to the tiny village. I was very surprised at this village as most of the adults and children had never seen a Bible and did not know what one was. That was amazing to me as most of the villages that I have been to, even if they do not have a church, know what a Bible is and have at least seen one before. They invited us back as they want to learn more about the Gospel.

This was a very interesting team trying something that we have never done before. It was a medical team per say but did not offer medical attention but teaching. They taught on how to purify the drinking water, how to make soap, first aid, the Heimlich maneuver, how to make a natural Gatorade type drink for dehydration and did it in a very innovative way that held the audiences attention. It was very well done and I believe was very effective. They also brought along Dr. Rudy, a dentist from Iquitos that pulled teeth for those who needed it and we had a children’s evangelism program.

When we finished the program, we headed back to our base camp in Amazonas. It took about 2 hours to get back as we were against the current and so we got back in time to bathe, eat and have services again. One of the young men on the trip was very adventurous and went with one of the villagers that night to hunt. They killed two frogs and a monkey so we ate them for breakfast the next day before we headed out to Grau.

Grau is a very large village of about 1000 people. It is the village where the Maranon and Ucayali rivers meet to form the Amazon. Fortunately there had been a boat with a dentist come through 2 weeks before or we could have been very overwhelmed with patients. When we finished the program, the governor of the village allowed us to go up for free into the mirador which is a very high tower where you can see the rivers meet and where the Amazon River is born. It was pretty awesome.

We then headed back to Amazonas and played with the children until it was time to go to bed.

Thursday we headed to Payarote which was another village I had never been to. It was very hot that day and we ran out of water so after the program was finished, half of the people went back to Amazonas while the other half stayed and finished the dentistry.

The services at night were just precious. I love the church in Amazonas. It is the highest functioning of our churches and it really touches me to see the unity there and how much it has grown before my very eyes. At one time we had one man and about 6 women as regular attendees but now it is about 10 men and 30 women plus a lot of children. This church really encourages me to go on and to know the blood, sweat and tears spent here in the Amazon is not in vain.

Friday morning we set out for San Francisco which is the village right next to Amazonas where we once again did the teaching program and pulled teeth. We had been evangelizing this village before this but then had to stop due to some land disputes between the two villages. This has now been settled and we are now welcome to come there once again.

On Saturday we had our program in Amazonas and that night had a good bye service that was totally awesome. You could really sense the Spirit of the Lord there that night.

Sunday after some tearful goodbyes, we headed back to Iquitos where we got cleaned up, rested and got ready for services that night.

Monday we toured Iquitos and went shopping and then Tuesday, the team took off for Lima. It was very sad to see them go.

I am really exhausted and can’t seem to shake this bronchitis because I just have not had time to rest and get well between teams. We have 9 days before the next team comes so please pray that I can get some rest although I am not sure how I am going to do that as I have so much to do. We still have to buy the food for the next team and the supplies needed to build the church in Nuevo Esperanza. I also have to buy a dress for a Quincinera and write a research paper for a class I am taking and I have to preach here in Iquitos so please pray for my health. I miss you all very much. Please write to me. I would love to hear from you. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers.

In Christ

Kayleen

Lima Youth

August 3, 2011

Hi All,

Hope this update finds you all doing well. I wanted to write and inform you of the last several weeks. As you know per my last update, the team from TX/LA left on July 18^th and on July 23^rd we had 11 people arrive from a youth group from Lima. This was very exciting for me as I keep praying for the more mature churches of Peru to adopt the younger churches here in the jungle.

The youth arrived Saturday night and Sunday morning we set out for Nauta in a bus, then Amazonas by boat. The community of Amazonas once again turned out to help us get our cargo up the hill and get us settled. Amazonas is one of my favorite communities as the church there is very united and willing to help. We didn’t bring the gas stove so cooked with wood which all of the church members went out to bring us each day as well as water.

The group from Lima was ready to work and had children’s services, then a time to talk about sexual abuse with the children and a service that night.

The next morning we went in two’s to do door to door evangelizing which was a huge success. We also divided up into male and female groups to have a round table discussion. Many of the women of the community opened up and talked as I have never seen before. It was a time of healing some old wounds for many and that night’s service was packed with standing room only.

Wednesday morning we started the return trip to Iquitos and that afternoon went to the park to evangelize. One of the youth was in a Christian “beat box” group and knew how to flow. He has several cd’s out and is very talented. This of course drew a crowd and 3 people accepted Christ that day in the park which was awesome.

Thursday we headed out to San Juan de Sinchi Cuy where we had to walk an hour to the community. About a month ago I fell while walking to this community and hurt my arm. My arm had been hurting horribly for that month but while in Amazonas, a man looked at it and said it was out of its socket and popped it back in. Finally I am feeling some relief from that.

We arrive in San Juan and had a children’s service then played soccer against the entire community in which Lima lost every game. That night we held a service in the house and then went to bed.

The next day we did door to door evangelism which was more difficult in this community. There is more opposition here and in reality it is a somewhat tough ground. The people accepted us into their homes though and a large number of them came to the service that night.

Saturday we returned to Iquitos and had a service with the youth that night and then all of the youth went to the Boulevard and did their mimes ect with great success.

Sunday we had Sunday School in the morning and then a vegilia that night which is a service that lasts all night. I couldn’t believe how these kids kept going. I was so exhausted I could hardly stand up but they just kept at it.

Monday and Tuesday we had days of traveling around Iquitos visiting various places and last night we had some tearful good byes. Overall it was a tremendous success for all with the youth encouraging all of the churches.

Please pray for us here as we have another team arriving Sunday and I have a lot of work to do between now and then. I also have to go to immigration to ask for an extended stay. I am exhausted and keep getting bronchitis with not enough time to heal so please pray for my health. In between these teams we also have to get things ready for the construction team that is coming at the end of August. Don’t get me wrong. I love doing this. Just please pray for health and strength to keep moving forward. God is moving in big ways this year in the Amazon and it is an honor for me to be able to be here to see it. Thanks for all of your prayers and support.

In His Service

Kayleen

August 3, 2011

Hi All,

Hope this update finds you all doing well. I wanted to write and inform you of the last several weeks. As you know per my last update, the team from TX/LA left on July 18^th and on July 23^rd we had 11 people arrive from a youth group from Lima. This was very exciting for me as I keep praying for the more mature churches of Peru to adopt the younger churches here in the jungle.

The youth arrived Saturday night and Sunday morning we set out for Nauta in a bus, then Amazonas by boat. The community of Amazonas once again turned out to help us get our cargo up the hill and get us settled. Amazonas is one of my favorite communities as the church there is very united and willing to help. We didn’t bring the gas stove so cooked with wood which all of the church members went out to bring us each day as well as water.

The group from Lima was ready to work and had children’s services, then a time to talk about sexual abuse with the children and a service that night.

The next morning we went in two’s to do door to door evangelizing which was a huge success. We also divided up into male and female groups to have a round table discussion. Many of the women of the community opened up and talked as I have never seen before. It was a time of healing some old wounds for many and that night’s service was packed with standing room only.

Wednesday morning we started the return trip to Iquitos and that afternoon went to the park to evangelize. One of the youth was in a Christian “beat box” group and knew how to flow. He has several cd’s out and is very talented. This of course drew a crowd and 3 people accepted Christ that day in the park which was awesome.

Thursday we headed out to San Juan de Sinchi Cuy where we had to walk an hour to the community. About a month ago I fell while walking to this community and hurt my arm. My arm had been hurting horribly for that month but while in Amazonas, a man looked at it and said it was out of its socket and popped it back in. Finally I am feeling some relief from that.

We arrive in San Juan and had a children’s service then played soccer against the entire community in which Lima lost every game. That night we held a service in the house and then went to bed.

The next day we did door to door evangelism which was more difficult in this community. There is more opposition here and in reality it is a somewhat tough ground. The people accepted us into their homes though and a large number of them came to the service that night.

Saturday we returned to Iquitos and had a service with the youth that night and then all of the youth went to the Boulevard and did their mimes ect with great success.

Sunday we had Sunday School in the morning and then a vegilia that night which is a service that lasts all night. I couldn’t believe how these kids kept going. I was so exhausted I could hardly stand up but they just kept at it.

Monday and Tuesday we had days of traveling around Iquitos visiting various places and last night we had some tearful good byes. Overall it was a tremendous success for all with the youth encouraging all of the churches.

Please pray for us here as we have another team arriving Sunday and I have a lot of work to do between now and then. I also have to go to immigration to ask for an extended stay. I am exhausted and keep getting bronchitis with not enough time to heal so please pray for my health. In between these teams we also have to get things ready for the construction team that is coming at the end of August. Don’t get me wrong. I love doing this. Just please pray for health and strength to keep moving forward. God is moving in big ways this year in the Amazon and it is an honor for me to be able to be here to see it. Thanks for all of your prayers and support.

In His Service

Kayleen

July Team 2011

July 19, 2011

Hi All,

I hope this update finds you at blessed as I was by the team that just left from here Sunday morning. We had an awesome time on this trip and I wanted to write a little update to share some of the things that we did.

This team had a very long flight and layover time. They left Austin in the morning on the 8^th and did not arrive in Iquitos until 4 pm on the 9^th so they arrived exhausted and we went back to the church so they could bathe, rest and get ready to head to the jungle the next morning.

We left the next morning for Amazonas which is a 2 hour bus ride to Nauta then about a 45 minute boat ride. We were met with open arms from the community with the adults and children waiting on the shore to help carry up all our supplies. I absolutely love this village. The church there is growing by leaps and bounds with everyone pitching in to help. Last year Lucy and I bought the house and land next to the church from a family that was moving for 80 soles which is around $30. We bought it with the mindset that it later be used for Sunday School classrooms and growth for the church because soon this church won’t be able to fit in the building it has. Lucy and I then collaborated for a man to cut wood for a new house and the Amazonas church put in all the wood framing for the roof, the palm thatching for the roof and the labor to build it so when we arrived, the new house was finished complete with a long table for the children to color on. It is pretty awesome. The team used it as there kitchen/dining room. They plan to put in a small bedroom so that when Lucy, Gladys, Pastor Leiter or I arrive, we have a place to sleep.

In the morning we played with the children until lunch then had a children’s service with puppets, balloons, face painting and fixing the little girls hair. We then went down to bathe in the river to get ready for the evening service for which there was standing room only. It was a beautiful service that night with the Peruvians also sharing in the service. It was then bedtime but not for some of the Americans who continued with a dance contest and charades.

The next morning we played volleyball with the adults. U.S.A vs Peru and we got killed. The Peruvian team was all women but they still beat us in every match. With our heads hung low, we bought some of their crafts and with tearful goodbyes, got on the boat to head back to Iquitos.

When we got there, we repacked to leave for Tamshiyacu the next morning. We took a fast boat to Tamshiyacu, got settled in the hotel, then headed down to do a children’s program and then play with the children. We then got cleaned up to have another service with the dramas that night in the church.

The next morning, we headed in a small boat to Santa Ana and spent the day doing all of the children’s activities plus the dramas. We then bought some of their crafts then headed back to spend the night in the hotel in Tamshiyacu and get ready to leave the next morning to head back to Iquitos.

When we got to Iquitos, we repacked to head to San Juan de Sinchi Cuy the next day but that night in Iquitos, we had a service with the local church and then headed up to the boulevard and performed the dramas there in the open air. It was really an awesome experience.

The next day we got on a boat for San Juan de Sinchi Cuy where we played with the kids, had a children’s service and the Americans went for a walk in the jungle and had kind of a muddy experience. That night we had a lamplight service with the community and then set up our tents in the patio for a good nights sleep—that is until it started to rain and we had to move all the tents (except Jim’s) to the porch (sorry Jim).

We had a great time there in San Juan. San Juan de Sinchi Cuy is a preaching point for us. There is not a church there yet although some of the people are discussing the possibility. There are a lot of obstacles there but it really lifts my heart to see the people singing praise songs when a year and a half ago, the children didn’t know what a Bible was nor any of the praise songs. The children now know many Bible stories and are learning many things about the Lord.

We left the next morning, hiking through the jungle 45 minutes then catching the boat back to Iquitos where we got ready to go to the zoo, shopping and eat our last meal together.

The team left Sunday morning and we have another team from Lima arriving Saturday. This is a youth group and we are going to travel to the various churches teaching dramas and evangelism to the youth there. It should be exciting. I am not sure if I can take another team though. It feels like my heart is being cut up into pieces as I get so close to each of these teams then they leave. It feels like a part of me goes with each one of them and I get so sad when they leave. Good thing that one day we will all be together in heaven. I am exhausted right now and can’t believe the other team will be here in 4 days. I have so much to do. Please pray for all the seeds that are being sown through these teams that they may come to harvest. I love you and miss you. Please write to me.

In Christ

Kayleen

Louisiana Team

June 29, 2011

Hi All,

Hope this email finds you doing well. I wanted to write you all and tell you about the past week and a half with the team from Louisiana.

The team arrived Saturday in the morning after a threat of being delayed in Panama City. They had all been traveling 24 hours so were exhausted and got to the church ate breakfast and took naps—that is all took naps except for Scott. He reminded me of the energizer bunny and as soon as he got here, he built us a nice table and benches for the back yard so now all of the teams will have a cool place to eat and we are also starting to serve breakfast to the Sunday School children so this is perfect. He took a job that I thought would take all week and finished it in the afternoon.

That evening we had a beautiful service in Iquitos that evening in which we also celebrated Father’s Day. I had to speak a lot and by the next morning I was losing my voice which was not a good thing since no one spoke Spanish on the team. We got ready and left for San Juan de Sinchi Cuy in a small boat and arrived around 11 a.m. The team played soccer with the children, then we had a puppet show and children’s service. In the evening we had a regular service and then showed a movie. We had a great turnout of people for the movie and they really enjoyed it. Several people afterwards spoke about how it had renewed their faith.

The next day we set sail for Iquitos again and held a short service in the park near the church. This was a good way to invite people to the church around the corner. It went really well except that a moto taxi drove off with five of the churches chairs which was sad but the team replaced them so all ended well.

Tuesday we left for Tamshiyacu. I was drinking all types of remedies for my voice and by the service that evening, I was able to talk. Last year a team from Texas had built a small parsonage with a lean to in back. The team bought wood and cement and we had the lean to enclosed and a cement floor put in. Later we are going to make another lean to for their kitchen. Harol will be coming in January or February with his wife and new baby so he needed a bit more space. This will be such a blessing for them.

We held a service in the evening then went to Santa Ana the next day where we swam in their beautiful pond and had a service with a large attendance. This church has suffered a split and during the service, several people made amends to each other. We headed back to Tamshiyacu that same evening then back to Iquitos the next day where we went to the zoo and sight seeing.

I flew with the team Friday to Lima and was able to see Oswaldo, our seminary student and Gianfranco, Gladys’ son. We toured Lima and then went to a hotel where we spent half the night as we had to leave by 3 a.m. to get to the airport for our various flights. All in all it was a great trip with new friends.

When I got back to Iquitos, we received an emergency call from San Juan de Sinchi Cuy. A man who had been at the service was hit by a tree and died. They wanted us to come asap to be at the wake. This is amazing in itself as these people were very reticent to have our presence in their community before. They really did not want the gospel message there so for them to call us now was something very special. Pastor Leiter, Lucy, Dayer and I went out and were at the wake. I ended up getting very sick with fever, vomiting ect. but fortunately arrived back in Iquitos where I am recovering now. As you can probably tell from this update, I am still not up to par but at least my fever is gone.

We have another team arriving next Saturday so we have to start making all the purchases and transportation arrangements again. Please keep this team in your prayers. Thank you to the Louisiana team for all your help here. You were a blessing. I will write more when I feel a bit better.\

In Christ

Kayleen