Peru Missions

2012-02-10T17:47:00.001-08:00

Hi All,

Hope this email finds you well. I wanted to write a very quick update before taking off for Louisiana tomorrow. We will be speaking in the church in Alexandria LA on Sunday and then be traveling on to Georgia where Lucy may be speaking in a Spanish church. It has been a blast having Lucy here.

She has gotten to do so many things like go to the San Antonio Zoo, Enchanted Rock, Natural Bridge Caverns, The Wildlife Safari, experiencing bowling for the first time and so many other things including a surprise visit from Amy all the way from Colorado. She has been well fed by my sister and so many others and we thank you so very much for helping support Lucy while she is here.

She has enjoyed the U.S. saying everything including the doors are friendly--they open when you walk up to them, the stoplight greet you and the angels flush the toilets for her but she is constantly thinking of the churches along the Amazon and is somewhat anxious to get back there.

We started with speaking at Dayspring in New Braunfels then New Hope in Austin. As I said before, tomorrow we will be heading to Louisiana, then Georgia, on the 26th we will be in Dallas at Collin Creek Community Church and Luz y Vida, the 4th of March we will be in Waco, the 11th in San Antonio, the 18th my niece gets married and the 22nd Lucy flies back to Peru.

I will be heading back to Peru May 1st with the medical team from Indiana.

I wanted to let you all know about 2 trips we have coming up this summer. The first will be an evangelism trip to try to begin a church plant in Nauta--a small city close to our church in Amazonas. One of our seminary students, Oswaldo, graduated in December and is now back in Amazonas. The church in Amazonas is doing well and Oswaldo has a vision of beginning a church in Nauta. This team will be doing evangelism through puppets, dramas and movies. From there, we will be going to Amazonas to inaugurate and bless the wells that we will be placing there. We will then travel to Tamshiyacu where Harol the other seminary student who also graduated this year will be. We will evangelize there and also in Santa Ana. We really are in need of people to sign up for this trip. It will be from June 8-17 and will cost $1800. This trip is coming up quickly so please pray about it and if you feel led to serve, please go to districtmissions.org to fill out the application asap. Thank you in advance for your willingness to serve.

There is another trip planned for Sept. 29th-Oct 6th. This will be a construction team that will be rebuilding a church in Maynas our newest church which affiliated with us this past year. This will probably be a smaller team due to the water being low and the difficulty of traveling there. You can also apply for that trip at the above website.

Thanks so very much for all of your thoughts and prayers. God bless you

In Christ,

Kayleen

Maynas

2011-11-14T03:50:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-01T03:20:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-24T04:29:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-17T06:01:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-03T07:14:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

August 3, 2011

Hi All,

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.

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.

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.

In His Service

Kayleen

July Team 2011

2011-07-19T08:07:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-29T11:05:00.000-07:00

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

Team Preparation

2011-06-11T15:01:00.001-07:00

June 11, 2011

Hi All,

Just want to give you a quick update of this past week. Monday, Lucy and I headed to Tamshiyacu. The river is really high right now and has flooded many areas destroying their crops for this year. Please pray for the people that they have food and clean water. The other problem comes when the water begins to recede. Then there is usually an epidemic from poor sanitation conditions. Lucy and I had to get into a canoe to be taken to the boat that went to Tamshiyacu. It is a 5 hour boat ride on the slow boat so we just hung our hammocks and chilled til we got there.

When we got there, we took our things to the parsonage that the team built last year. It is so nice to have a place to arrive and not have to pay for the hospedaje or hotel. (Photo: Our mosquito net beds) That night we had a service and afterwards played games with the children. We had a lot of fun and it was so good to see the kids again. This church right now is without a Pastor but has been continuing on with a 17 year old girl who is faithful in teaching the children and an Aguaruna woman who does not know how to read but is faithful in prayer, opening the church at 6 a.m. each morning to have her time of prayer.

Harol, who is a student that we have sent to seminary in Chiclayo will be coming with his wife and daughter in January or February. He was to come last year but there were some difficulties and he couldn’t come til then. I spoke with he and his wife on the phone and they are very anxious to get here. Their baby will be born this month so they cannot travel til she is a bit older as the traveling conditions are not easy here. We look forward to them coming as the church in Tamshiyacu has many needs, especially the need for a consistent Pastor. (Photo: Some Children in Tamshiyacu)

Tuesday night we also had a service with an even larger attendance and quite a few adults. No one wanted to leave after the service so once again we played games then were all talking out on the sidewalk and I saw the Southern Cross constellation for the first time. It only appears in May til the early part of June. I was excited as that is something I have always wanted to see.

Wednesday before we headed to Santa Ana, we were walking around town and there was a big commotion by one of the people’s yards. They said there was a snake so I thought I would send a picture of it. It is not venomous but bites and can be dangerous to dogs, chicken and children so they were going to have to get rid of it. It started coming after me when I was taking it’s picture. My mother, if she weren’t already with the Lord, would have passed out. (Photo: snake)

After that, Lucy and I went and waited for a boat to Santa Ana, there was a small boat headed there so we got in and had to sit on the sides to keep from tipping. (Photo: Lucy in the boat) We got to Santa Ana and got to bathe and wash our clothes in their beautiful oasis of a spring. That felt absolutely wonderful. We then had a service that night and celebrated the birthday of one of the women there, played some games then hung our mosquito nets in the church to go to sleep. I could not sleep because the bats kept hitting my mosquito net and I thought they were going to get inside. (Photo: one of the children at the church service)

Thursday we made the plans for the team that will be here on Saturday and then held a service that night. The church in Santa Ana is struggling as Pastor Hildebrando resigned and is trying to start a different church in his home. It is a small village where many of the people are related so this has impacted the church there but after the service, many were ready to continue on in the Lord’s work. Lucy and I want to try to get to each of the churches this year and do a week of discipleship. It will be difficult with all of the teams coming but it is really needed.

Despite all of the struggles, i.e. the continuing struggles of the churches, the bats, the countless mosquito and other bug bites, the mud, the rain, sleeping on the ground, bathing, washing clothes and drinking from the river, I have to say that I love the work here and wouldn’t trade it for the world. The people here mean so much to me that at times it is difficult to see all of the struggles but through prayer and leaning on the Lord, I know that one day this area will take hold and flourish. I keep remembering Gal. 6:9 “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” I know that God has His hand on this work through it all and it is His work and not my own. I know it says “How beautiful are the feet of him who spreads good news” but my feet are not so beautiful here.

I hope you are all well. I am excited to have our first team arriving next Saturday and am busy making preparations. I will leave you with one last photo of a little boy in Santa Ana, Anibal, that will turn 5 on Sunday. God bless you all. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and please write.

In Christ

Kayleen

P.S. It took me 4 hours to load this...that is how fast my internet is..haha

Team Preparation

2011-06-11T15:01:00.000-07:00

June 11, 2011

Hi All,

In Christ

Kayleen

P.S. It took me 4 hours to load this...that is how fast my internet is..haha

First Month

2011-06-04T06:35:00.000-07:00

June 4, 2011

Hi All,

I can’t believe I have already been here a month. Time has been flying and we have been really busy preparing for all the teams coming this year. This is such a blessing to have 7 teams coming. It is just difficult communicating with the jungle communities and takes a face to face visit to do the coordination due to limited phone service.

After we returned from Amazonas, I was very sick. I couldn’t go with Lucy and Pastor Juan to our new church in Maynas. I was so disappointed but I was having severe stomach problems and it is a nine hour boat ride with no bathroom. It actually turned out well since I did not get out of bed for the next 2 days. I finally ended up having to go to the doctor and get antibiotics but now am feeling much better. (Of course I didn’t lose any weight with all of this).

Fortunately Lucy had classes in the seminary the next week and I was able to get over the bug. We also had several women’s events to help pay the electric and water bill of the church. We sold cecina, which is dried pork and chicken with yucca and we made enough to pay the bills.

Sunday was also my birthday. Saturday night at the women’s meeting we had popcorn, crackers and soda. They sang happy birthday and I got the customary egg on my head. Sunday night after church, we had cake and soda and Pastor Leiter pushed my face into the cake. It was a lot of fun.

Tuesday morning we started to head out to San Juan de Sinchi Cuy but it was pouring and we ended up having to wait until Wednesday. We got out there and we played soccer with the kids (I ended up kicking more than just the ball). We then held a children’s service and then had to send them home to bathe before church.

Church service was awesome with more than 60 children and many youth and adults attending. We had a 2hour church service and the people still did not want to leave. We played games and told stories. This is a difficult community and there are many who do not want us there, but little by little God is winning over the hearts of the people.

We returned Thursday for church service in Iquitos. Yesterday we made more plans for the teams and practiced “Open the Eyes of my Heart” in English. It is starting to sound pretty good.

Sunday is the Presidential election here in Peru so we had to be back in Iquitos for them to vote. We in the house here, Pastor Leiter, Gladys, Lucy, Dayer and I are going to buy the ingredients to make a cake for election day. Mmmm.

Monday we will be headed out to Tamshiyacu and Santa Ana to finish the arrangements for the teams. When we return, I have to preach on the 15^th, then the team arrives on the 18^th so we will be very busy making the purchases. As I explained in another email, it is not quite the same as in the states as everything has to be purchased at different times and can only be as much as the moto carros can hold so we have to make many trips.

(Photo: Moto Carro)

I am very excited to see what God will do through these teams. Please pray for their health and that the hearts of the people be open to the Lord. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. Please write.

In Christ,

Kayleen

1st Week Back

2011-05-19T05:20:00.000-07:00

May 19, 2011

Hi All,

I hope this finds you all doing well. I can’t believe it has only been a little over a week since I left the USA. So much has happened since I left. First of all, I was only here 2 days when I found that my landlady passed away suddenly and unexpectedly after her surgery. That was such a shock as it was unexpected and my landlady was much more than a landlady to me as I have rented from her for 19 years. That had me a bit discombobulated for a few days thinking of and praying for her family and mine who also cared about her. I will miss her greatly.

Monday, Lucy and I left for Amazonas. To get to Amazonas, you normally have a 2 hour bus ride with a half an hour boat ride. Not too terrible unless you happened to get the bus we did. We started out at 10 a.m. and 4 hours, 2 flat tires and a bad motor that made this horrible sound every 7 seconds later, we arrived in Nauta. Everyone who lives here knows how difficult it is to find a boat heading down river after noon. They kind of looked at us with pained faces so we gave someone 15 cents to watch our luggage while we ate some chicken soup at one of the tables in the market.

(our boat to Amazonas)

As the rain clouds started rolling in, we thought we might be stuck in Nauta for the night but along came a man from Amazonas, also looking for a boat with 2 kids in tow. It was little Kayleen’s father. We kept searching for a boat and finally around 4:30 we found one. We got to Amazonas a bit worn out and went down to the river to bathe and wash our clothes. All the children also came of course and were jumping into the water out of extremely high trees doing dives and back flips. I just kept praying that no one got hurt.

Since we arrived so late, we just visited some of the people, ate dinner and went to bed.

(Lucy and I on the boat. I know, bad picture but I have not yet mastered the art of self photography)

I slept pretty well although even inside the mosquito net I was getting eaten alive. I found out the next day that it was chicken lice that was in the bed that was biting me. I am not sure how that can live there as the bed is just a board with no mattress.

The next day we went around visiting the people of the town and talking about the teams that will be visiting their village this summer. There is always a lot of preparation work to be done for each team and it has to start early. That night after the rain subsided we had a beautiful service. It was so awesome to see all these people that I care about so much again. I had to keep pinching myself to make sure it wasn’t a dream. It really was a beautiful service and afterwards we talked with the church regarding the upcoming trips.

Then it was off to bed so we could be up early to catch a boat to Nauta so we could get back to Iquitos as we have a 3 day class to go to for Sunday School training.

I hope you all are blessed and I will write more again soon.

In Christ

Kayleen (Lucy had the adults and children in stitches with her guava earrings)

Children from Amazonas

Upcoming Trips

2011-02-04T12:09:00.000-08:00

Feb 3, 2011

Hi All,

Hope this finds you all doing well and blessed. I can’t believe how long it has been since I have written an update. I arrived home in late October and it seems like once Thanksgiving hits, life becomes a holiday blur. I have no excuse for January other than I went to see an old friend from graduate school for a few weeks. I had a great time there and am now getting back to reality.

I will be returning to Peru on May 8^th as I have an appointment that I have to be in the states for in late April. I am very excited about this upcoming year in Peru and am looking forward to seeing what God has in store for all of us this year. It is so awesome serving the Lord as the excitement never ends. There is always something new in store. “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lam. 3:22-23.

This year there will be a total of 6 teams visiting the Iquitos area. Three are from the Texas Louisiana District, one is from the Indiana Wesleyan University area and two Peruvian teams coming from Lima. I am very encouraged by this as I know that this greatly encourages the churches in the jungle area. It also is an encouragement for all those who participate in those trips.

There is still room for people to go on two of these trips. One is a children’s ministry and evangelism trip. The dates for this trip are July 8^th to July 18^th. On this trip we will be visiting several villages along the Amazon River doing puppet shows, dramas, door to door evangelism and showing evangelistic movies and preaching in the evenings.

The other trip is scheduled for August 26^th to September 5^th. This will be a construction team in which we will be building a church at a new preaching point in the village of Nuevo Esperanza.

The cost for each of these trips is $1800 and applications for signing up can be found at www.districtmissions.org under the information tab “team information documents 2011”. I hope you will take advantage of these opportunities if you feel the Lord is calling you to do this and I hope to see you there.

I am excited about returning to Peru and covet your prayers that the work be fruitful. I am so thankful for all of you that have been in prayer for the work in Peru and although at times things seem to be progressing a bit more slowly than I would like I have to remember what it says in Galations 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

If you would like to help financially, please write me at kayleenjr@sbcglobal.net and I will get you the information regarding that. I appreciate all of you and am looking forward to serving in the Amazon area in 2011.

In Christ

Kayleen

Second Confraternidad

2010-10-11T03:29:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Hope you are all very blessed and doing well. These are my last days in Peru for a while and I wanted to catch you up on what's been happening here. We had to stay in Iquitos the past week and a half due to various reasons such as Lucy and I were ill, then I was scheduled to deliver the message at the church in Iquitos and finally they had the election here in Peru which as I stated in a previous email, it is mandatory that you vote here and if you don't you have to pay a fine. So with all of that said, there was no one able to travel with me so we stayed in Iquitos until the arrival of the people from Lima .

Pastor Daniel arrived this past Wednesday. Marleni and Ricardo also flew from Lima on Wednesday and arrived in Iquitos but could not land due to fog and ended up flying in on Thursday. In a way, this was good for me as I ended up in the emergency room the night before as I had been sick for 2 weeks with stomach issues, so it gave me an extra day of rest. Most of the people left Thursday morning on a slow boat for Santa Ana but we had to wait for the others and take a fast boat to Tamshiyacu then a small boat to the mouth of the Tahuayo River where we then had to push the boat up the river. It was pitch black outside as it was cloudy out so there were not even stars and they kept saying to make a lot of noise to scare off the stingrays. We then had to walk through the rice fields where I was once again scared of snakes. We finally arrived wet and tired and they invited us for some soup for supper. It of course was dinner by candlelight as there is no electricity in Santa Ana so we really couldn't see what we were eating. Lucy finally put a piece of meat in the light and said, "Oh, this is monkey." I thought Marleni was going to lose it, especially after she discovered she had eaten the head. Even without good lighting, I could see she had turned a weird shade of green.

We then had a short opening service until about 10:30 pm and went to bed. I could not sleep due to the snoring, then the drunks from the town headed “quietly” home. At about 4 am, I was drifting off and I heard someone say “kill it, kill it” and then the sound of a sandal smashing on the floor. I of course thought it was a tarantula but found out it was a naca-naca or coral snake that was inside the mosquito net crawling on the man's arm. I didn't sleep well after that and everyone was up at 5 anyway and we started the day. (Photo: Confraternidad)

The first day of the Confraternidad went well with 6 of the Wesleyan churches in attendance along with 2 others. I did my teaching on the first day and was glad about that as then I was able to sit back and enjoy the rest of it.

One thing that was really exciting for me was there were five people came from Nueva Esperanza which we opened up as a new preaching point and the Pastor from Yanashi is continuing to follow up with them and it is bearing fruit.

These Confraternidad’s have been a real blessing here resulting in 12 marriages with 4 more planned for the next year and 32 baptisms so far in the 2 years we have had them. These gatherings are something I have been praying for for years as I wanted our Pastors and churches to get to know one another, know they were not alone in this work and receive teachings. Marleni and Ricardo took it upon themselves to start this here not knowing they were an answer to prayer. Next year’s Confraternidad will be in the community of Amazonas. (Photo: Some of the Participants of the Confraternidad in front of the church in Santa Ana )

The second complete day of the Confraternidad we had the rest of the teachings until 1 pm then we had free time until the night services in which we had a banquet and a time of sharing. The Confraternidad ended on Sunday with 11 people being baptized and then communion. We said our goodbyes and headed in a boat for Tamshiyacu where some of the people stayed to wait for the boat that would leave at 11 pm, while Lucy, Pastor Daniel, Marleni, Ricardo and I headed to Iquitos in a fast boat as we had to be back in Iquitos Sunday night for church services. (Photo: Baptism)

Today we are going to just relax in Iquitos as Pastor Daniel, Marleni and Ricardo don’t fly out until tomorrow morning and tomorrow night I have to preach my last service here in Iquitos and say my goodbyes. I fly out on Friday night and arrive in Austin at 9:30 a.m. on the 16^th. I cannot believe how fast time has flown by. I am sad about leaving my friends here and excited to see my friends and family in the states. It is really difficult sometimes to figure out my emotions as I love both places. I always have an adjustment period when I go from one place to the other so please pray that it all goes smooth without too much of a roller coaster feeling. Thanks to all of you for your continued prayers for the Amazon region of Peru .

In Christ,

Kayleen

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San Lorenzo

2010-09-22T06:17:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Hope this email finds you doing well. We left for San Lorenzo last Tuesday by airplane to Tarrapoto. When we got there, we found a "hotel" to leave our things at while we went looking for transportation that could take us to a community where Lucy has a brother that she has not seen in 17 years. It was like finding a needle in a haystack. We went back to the hotel to sleep then continued looking the next day. We were about to give up when we went to the market, a lady selling cheese was from a nearby community and knew which truck we needed to take there. When we got to the truck, we found that Lucy's sister-in-law was in town selling bananas so we met up with her in the truck that was headed to the village. I opted to pay the extra 30 cents for Lucy and I to ride inside the cab instead of in the truckbed--probably one of the best decisions of my life. (Picture: the truck going to see Lucy's brother)

Outside of Tarrapoto are the foothills of the Andes Mountains so we were driving on dirt paths only as wide as the truck on the edges of cliffs. I would show a picture if I had one but I was too terrified to take a picture. I kept my eyes shut most of the way and was really depending on the power of prayer.

We finally arrived in a little town with mud houses. This was as far as the truck could take us. From there we had to walk up a narrow mountain trail through the coffee fields. It was beautiful but tiring. From the top you could see Tarrapoto, Llamas and Tablalosa, three towns near there. After about an hour walk we arrived in the "town" which consisted of 3 houses on the side of the mountain. We had some fish and rice for lunch and then waited for Lucy's brother to come in from the fields. There was really nothing else we could do but wait as the truck we came in on was the only transportation available and it wouldn't leave til the next day--in fact we had to plead with the driver as he was not going to go into town the next day and we would have been stuck there. (Picture: the mud house we stayed in)

Lucy and her brother had a tearful reunion and we ate some of the best chicken soup ever. We went to bed early as there is no electricity and we had to meet the truck at 3 a.m. The stars there were absolutely amazing. It was my first time sleeping in a mud house. It was extremely dark and on a slant so I kept falling off the cushion all night but slept well. Lucy said she felt like a wasp sleeping inside a mud house.

We got up to start the walk to the truck a little before 3 a.m. I was terrified that I would be bitten by a snake hiding under the coffee leaves but we arrived at the truckstop and started the trip back to Tarrapoto, picked up our stuff at the hotel and went to catch a bus to Yurimaguas. I thought the truck ride was bad but in the bus I definitely kept my eyes shut and Lucy ended up getting sick. It was all switchbacks right on the sides of the mountains. I was scared to death. When we got to Yurimaguas we went to the port to find a boat headed for San Lorenzo but there was none for that day so once again we were in a holding pattern and had to stay the night. They told us there would be a boat leaving the next day at 6 a. m. but when we got there the next day, they said the motor was broken but another boat was leaving from another port. We quickly went to the other port then had to get into a little fast boat to catch up to the larger boat that had already left us, but at least we finally were traveling again.

From there we travelled all day and all night and arrived in San Lorenzo Saturday at noon. Lucy's father is not doing well and it was difficult to see as he has always been very good to me. He no longer gets out of bed without help. We had some I.V. fluids put in and he seemed to do a bit better but it is really hard on Lucy and her family.

(Lucy with her father)

Sunday night Lucy and I went to a nearby church that we usually go to when we are here. From the pulpit, the Pastor asked if I would give the message for Tuesday night church, so of course I said yes (yes, I submit to peer pressure). It went o.k. although it had rained and we had to walk about a half a mile through mud to the church so we showed up in rubber boots and skirts. It kind of had a "Little House on the Prairie" feel to it. We brought our shoes along so I didn't have to preach in boots.

Lucy's parents have a well in their backyard that you pull up the water in a bucket but the metal barrel around it was oxodized and breaking (Picture of the well before)

so we bought a bag of cement and some bricks and made a new well. This whole year has been a year of construction for me. We also installed a light socket and outlet in the room we sleep in. That wasn't so difficult though because they only have electricity from 6 pm til midnight so you can install without worrying about getting shocked. I must admit a real feeling of accomplishment when everything worked though.

(Picture of well afterward)

It has been a very difficult time emotionally with a lot of family coming to see Lucy's father and the tears starting again but Saturday night we had a fiesta to celebrate a birthday, to pray for two babies and I had to cut the hair of one of my godsons which is a symbol of something here although I am not sure what ( perhaps hair today, gone tomorrow ). Saturday afternoon we had a huge storm that blew off part of the roof of the house and knocked out some of the power lines so we had to borrow a generator to have electricity. We had a service then ate duck with rice, turtle with spaghetti, jello, cake and soda. We then told jokes and went to bed very full of food and laughter.

(Picture: Turtle and Duck before we ate them)

Monday morning we had to go catch the boat for Iquitos . I was a little nervous as there is only a boat to Iquitos from San Lorenzo every two weeks so if we missed this boat, we were out of luck. After a very tearful good-bye we made it to the boat on time. It is also a hurry up a d wait situation as once you get on the boat, it is a three day boat ride to Iquitos as we are with the current. It is 4 days to go there against the current. You just have to sit back in your hammock and even as relaxing as that sounds, it gets old after about the first 3 hours. Also it was so packed that the hammocks were on top of each other and it was so hot you could hardly breathe. Lucy and I got off in Nauta to take a bus the rest of the way as Iquitos is only 2 hours by bus from there.

(Picture: the little boy whose hair I cut and his family)

It was very difficult to leave San Lorenzo knowing that I would probably never see Lucy’s father on earth again. He was sobbing when we left as he also knows his time is short now. It was an emotional roller coaster of a trip but I am glad I went to support Lucy and so that I could see Lucy’s father again.

It kind of feels like a culture shock being back in Iquitos and having to think of all the things I have left to do before I leave. I can’t believe it is less than a month before I head home. I am excited but have mixed emotions due to the work left undone here. We will be having the second confraternidad with all of the churches in Santa Ana October 8^th through 10^th and then I head back to the states on October 15^th. Time passes much faster than I would like. I had always heard that saying of “Life is like a roll of toilet paper…the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes.” I can now see the truth in that. I hope all is well with you and yours. Please write me a quick note if you get a chance. God Bless.

In Christ,

Kayleen

Amazing God

2010-09-06T03:28:00.000-07:00

September 5, 2010

Wow, what an amazing trip this has been. The team got here on Saturday and we left for Tamshiyacu that same day. We got all of our stuff loaded on a slow boat and headed out. The river is amazingly low and this group was a group of practical jokers so when we got to a place that had a beach type place, they pushed Pastor Mark from the top of the boat into the Amazon. Actually Pastor Bob will go down in history as the man that pushed Pastor Mark into the Amazon…of course Pastor Mark took Pastor Bob with him.

We got to Tamshiyacu that night and got settled in at the “hotel” for the night. The team was exhausted from two days of travel so we just ate supper, had devotions and went to bed so we could get started on the work the next day.

There was so much work to do just to get started. First of all we had to level the dirt floor in the church so that the cement could be laid. We also had to level the dirt under the house that we were building which was fortunate because we were able to use the dirt that was dug up from there to level the dirt inside the church. Also, all of the electricity needed to be changed inside the church so Aldolpho and Charles got started on that.

It was amazing how the team got right to work, every member doing his/her part. They were able to put up the beams and framework on the house so that the next day while some would be working on the cement for the floor, others could be working on the house. It was really incredible to see.

After working hard all day, we had a service with the children that night. Pastor Jim became known as “Wow wow” to all of the children from his dog puppet and every time they would see him from then on, they would come up to him and say wow wow. It was pretty cute.

The next day, the whole floor was poured with the help of a cement mixer. That was probably the best idea yet. We found one to rent in Tamshiyacu and it saved

mixing all the bags by hand like was done inSanta Ana last year. It saved a lot of time and the whole floor was down in 3 hours and while the two men we brought from Iquitosworked on putting the sheen on the floor, the rest began working on the house during the torrential rain. We ended up having to stop a little early as it became dangerous with the mud so slippery.

Within several more days of work, the whole project was completed. It was amazing. There is now a parsonage for the Pastor and the church is repainted and has a beautiful floor, new lighting, bricks around the wall where the boards were getting termites and gutters. As I said before, it was amazing.

We ended the time in Tamshiyacu with an open air service, then got all the supplies on a slow boat back with Javier and Abel (our two workers from Iquitos) and we got ready to go to Santa Ana the next day to see the church that we built last year and to baptize Michael.

As I said earlier, the river is really low and when we got to theTahuayo River, we couldn’t enter so we all had to get off and walk about a mile or so intoSanta Ana. We ended up having a service dedicated 5 infants then went down to the “Chismosa” the name of a pond there and 3 people, including Michael were baptized. It was awesome.

After buying some of the locals arts and crafts we headed on the long walk back to the Amazon to catch the boat back to Tamshiyacu, ate lunch then got on the boat back to Iquitos.

The Lord worked in so many ways on this trip. He protected us from major accidents, He worked on the hearts of the two workers that were brought fromIquitos, He worked on the hearts of the people in Tamshiyacu and He worked on the hearts of the team members. It was an amazing construction project that not only built buildings but relationships and I am very sad to see them go.

To change the subject a little bit, Lucy’s father is probably in his last days of life. He can no longer get out of bed for anything and is hardly eating. Pastor Bob called Lima to ask for permission for her and I to go see him before the conference in October so we will be leaving tomorrow and will be gone for a couple of weeks. Please pray for this situation as many members of her family are not Christian and there are some problems that we will have to confront there. It will be more difficult for me to stay in contact as this town only has electricity 6 hours at night so getting on the internet is more difficult but I will try. It usually takes 4 days on a boat to get to Lucy’s parents but because the river is low, it is taking a week so we are going to fly to Tarrapoto, then take a bus to Yurimaguas then take a boat to San Lorenzo. We should then be able to get there in 2 days. Please pray for safe travel.

Well, I better get busy, I have so much to do in so little time but I wanted to make sure I got you all updated on the team. They should be arriving home this morning so tell them all I miss them. Hope you all are very blessed and continuing to serve our Lord Jesus Christ.

In Christ

Kayleen

The Past Week

2010-08-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

August 22, 2010

Hi All,

I wanted to write you a quick update before the team gets here next Saturday. We have been busy here buying all the building materials and getting it out to Tamshiyacu. It isn’t as easy as it seems as once you buy the materials, you have to get them to the port, then you have to get all the materials down this big hill to the boat then travel in the boat for about 6 hours then get all the materials up another huge hill and about a half a mile to the church. Thankfully Pastor Leiter and Juanvolunteered to ride with the supplies and help get them delivered. I was very grateful as there were 40 bags of cement plus a lot of other supplies. Most all of the supplies are now there in Tamshiyacu and we have someone keeping an eye on them but please keep this project in your prayers as it seems every time we start a project such as this, something always seems to happen. I therefore covet your prayers for this team.

The team arrives this Saturday and we will be traveling out to Tamshiyacu that same day. It will be a lot of hard, hot work but will be a blessing to the church and to the new Pastor that will finish seminary in December.

Yesterday Lucy and I made a quick trip to San Juan de Sinchi Cuy to visit the church plant and eat Caymito which is a fruit that is in season right now. We also went to inform Lucy’s brother who is in charge of the work there that their father is not doing well. (Picture: Caymito)

We had a longer walk than usual as the water has dropped so much that we had to get off the boat on the Amazon instead of entering the Sinchi Cuy Creek. It was really a beautiful walk except that the bridges have gotten even worse—there are more broken boards making some of them very difficult to cross.

I wanted to write about this trip as I really felt a great joy as I looked out across the group of children and adults gathered at the service last night. A year and a half ago when we first started going to San Juan de Sinchi Cuy, the children were frightened and the adults were suspicious of us. They did not know any Christian songs and the adults did not really want us there. There was a real resistance to the gospel and we had to go house to house to invite people to the service.

Last night I truly recognized the changes that have taken place. We didn’t even announce that we were having service; instead everyone was asking us what time we would have the service. We had a children’s service in the afternoon and then a regular service that night. The children all had their favorite praise songs that they wanted to sing. We had a two hour service and they still did not want to return to their homes. It was truly a blessing for me to see this. My heart is still full of joy today—nothing huge happened, but to see the children and adults singing their hearts out and receiving us with such acceptance just brought me an inexplicable joy and I am truly grateful. (Picture: Lucy speaking to some of the children)

Today we left at 5:30 am so we could get back to Iquitos as tonight is the anniversary of the church in Iquitos and we had to help with the preparation. As we were getting off the boat in Iquitos , one of the members of the church from San Juan de Sinchi Cuy helped carry our things to the moto taxi. As he left he said take care of yourself Kaylita and asked when we would be coming back—that we needed to visit more often. This also touched me as most of you probably know; Kaylita is an endearing form of Kayleen. It just felt wonderful first of all because I didn’t even know that he knew my name and second of all, these were the people that once upon a time did not want us in their village. I just am thankful to the Lord that he is faithful to His word as in Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

(Picture: Youth Group dancing)

As I mentioned above, tonight we had the anniversary of the Iquitos church. We have owned this building since 2001 which is ironic as 2001 is the first year that I came toPeru on a short term mission trip. The festivities of this evening were great. The youth group performed some dances, a Colombian Pastor who is our next door neighbor, delivered the message and of course the food. My heart is very full of gratitude in this night that God has given me this opportunity and honor to be able to share His word in this part of the world. I hope this email also finds you all very blessed. (Picture: Gladys'--our cook for our mission teams grandson singing for the church anniversary)

In Christ,

Kayleen

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Tamshiyacu

2010-08-13T04:34:00.000-07:00

August 13, 2010

Hi All,

Hope this email finds you all blessed. Lucy and I returned from Tamshiyacu yesterday afternoon. We had anticipated being in Tamshiyacu one day, then going on to the Tahuayo River to visit San Carlos, Nuevo Triunfo and Santa Ana. It was not meant to be though. There ended up being too much for us to do in Tamshiyacu to get ready for the team that is arriving two weeks from today.

(picture:the church in Tamshiyacu)

Lucy and I went to Tamshiyacu with Hermano Edgar, the man that will be in charge of the construction, to get the measurements of the church and parsonage to know how much cement, roofing tin, sand, bricks, nails, lightbulbs, electrical wiring, ect. to get for the project. Lucy and I will bring all the supplies out on a boat next week so that it will be there when the team gets there. Until I came down here to stay, I never knew how much work there was in getting prepared for a team to come. We are usually exhausted by the time the team gets here and they are usually anxious to get to work.

(Picture:the ground where we are going to build the parsonage)

This next week, we have to get 40 bags of cement, 250 bricks, the roofing tin and other supplies up a big hill and to the church in Tamshiyacu. We are of course hiring some men to help us but it still ends up being a big job.

Hno. Edgar left later that day and Lucy and I went looking for the man that is cutting the wood for us. It was a bit upsetting that he had only cut one half of the wood as the wood needs time to dry. He promised it would all be ready by Saturday—tomorrow, so we shall see. We had a man dig a well but he dug 4 meters or 12 feet down and there was nothing so we decided to put the bathroom over that hole.

(Picture:the dirt floor of the church that we are going to put cement)

We then had to talk to the man who is going to be getting the sand for us. We are going to need 8 meters of sand for the project. He has to go across the river in his canoe, put the sand in his canoe and bring it up the hill to the church. I am so glad this is not my job.

That night we held church services and as usually had a lot of kids in attendance and we had a lot of fun.

The next day we had to go to City Hall to get some measurements of the land so that we know exactly where our land ends. Then once again we had to talk to the woodcutter and the man carrying the wood. They now have running water for one hour a day in Tamshiyacu so we started the paperwork involved to get running water piped to the parsonage. We had to go to one office to get the paperwork typed up, then had to take 2 copies of that paper to the governor’s office but since all of the officials are in campaign, he was busy and we had to take the paperwork to another person to follow up with on Monday. We didn’t have services that night as there was a big political campaign in town so most of the town showed up for that.

As I said in an earlier email, the political fury is very high in Tamshiyacu. The quote is 3 dead the last time, 6 dead this time so the political groups are battling it out right now.

Wednesday we continued working on all of the paperwork and getting all the logistics lined up for the team to come such as the lodging for the team ect. In the afternoon we went and burned the trash that was behind the church. We were cutting down some banana trees that had fallen and other dead brush so that night in the service, I talked about John 15 , where Jesus says, “I am the vine and you are the branches”. We had a great time and a bunch of the kids walked back to the lodge with us and we played until it was time to go to bed.

(Picture:Some of the kids)

Thursday we took care of last minute details then caught a boat back to Iquitos . Today we have to start the purchases and find boat prices. I sometimes get tired just thinking about all that is left to do but I know it is in God’s hands and it is His work and not my own. Well, it is 6:15 a.m. so I better get busy, daylight is burning. Hope you are all well. Please pray for this team that is coming, that we be a blessing to the people in this town and that the name of the Lord be glorified.

(Picture: Tamshiyacu at sunset)

In Christ,

Kayleen

Past 2 Weeks

2010-07-31T14:31:00.001-07:00

July 31, 2010

Hi All,

Hope this update finds you all very blessed. It has been a busy time since the team left on the 18^th. First we had to go out to Amazonas on an emergency trip to encourage the church. It was a quick trip but fruitful. There is a little Kayleen (Picture Kayleen from Amazonas)

in Amazonas who just turned 2 and now is not so scared of me and the other little Kayleen from Requena turned 1 and came to Iquitos to visit so I got to see both of them which was neat.

(Picture-Kayleen from Requena)

Last Saturday night we had our first children’s lock-in here at the church with about 40 children showing up to stay the night. We sang, had a message, ate, played games, watched a Veggie Tales movie and finally went to bed. The kids all loved it and keep asking when we will do it again. We have a lot of kids that go to the various cell groups but don’t come to Sunday School on Sunday

so our goal was to get them acquainted with the kids from other areas and to get them acquainted with the church so it seemed to be a great success from that standpoint.

Monday we got all ready to go to Yanashi and when we got to the port, someone told us that the boat to Yanashi for that day had broken down. Thankfully we had not taken all of our stuff down to the boat and we returned to the church and left on Tuesday instead. Yanashi is a 12 hour boat ride to get there and a 24 hour boat ride to return as it is against the current. Lucy’s 13 year old niece and 3 year old nephew

(Picture-Carlitos, Maria and I) arrived from San Lorenzo which is a 4 day boat ride away while the team was here and are leaving Monday so they traveled with us. It was a bit more difficult traveling with them only because we had to think more about what we were going to eat and drink. Many times when it is just Lucy and I, we go hungry out in the communities but we couldn’t really do that with a 3 year old so we had to put a little more thought into the trip.

We arrived about 10 pm. Tuesday night and set up our mosquito nets and went right to sleep. The next day was the 28^th of July which is Independence Day here in Peru so we went and watched the different people march and got ready to go to Nuevo Esperanza the next day to evangelize. We took a dugout canoe to Nueva Esperanza which was about 2 hours away and found all of the people in a minga which is where someone makes a big meal and everyone works together to harvest their crops. The people there are open to the gospel though and asked us to come back some evening to have a service and stay the night. The church in Yanashi plans to go there with their youth this next month. While there, I saw 2 snakes…one living and one dead. The dead one here is a type of coral snake, (Photo--Nacu Nacu)

very poisonous and the live one is a loro machaco which is also very poisonous.

On the way back we saw some eagles, macaws and a sloth swimming across the river. It was quite the day of wildlife for us. When we returned to Yanashi, we bathed in the river to get ready for service that night. The church there is doing well and is excited by the thought that they may someday have a church plant in Nueva Esperanza. (Photo-Loro Machaco)

(Photo-sloth crossing the river)

Friday morning we had to get on the boat to return at 6 a.m. and we arrived back in Iquitos this morning. Carlitos and Maria (Lucy’s niece and nephew) have to get on a boat to return to their town on Monday so we had to get back to Iquitos to finish up some things here in Iquitosbefore they leave. I feel absolutely exhausted but tonight I have to teach the youth group and Tuesday night I have to preach in the church in Iquitos. I am not prepared for either of these things and feel like I am going to fall over right now from lack of sleep so I guess I’d better go for now and try to take a quick nap before I prepare for this evening. I keep thinking of all of the things we have to do such as visit the churches in the Tahuayo river and then get ready making the purchases—cement, food ect for the team that is coming in August to put in the cement floor and build the parsonage in Tamshiyacu. It will be more difficult logistically than theIquitos trip as many of the supplies cannot be purchased in Tamshiyacu and we will have to buy the materials, take them down to the port to ship them on the boat then make arrangements for someone in Tamshiyacu to get the materials to where they need to be. I know that it is all in God’s hands but sometimes it is difficult to get my mind to shut off. Well, I miss you all very much. Please write to me and don’t forget me. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

In His Service,

Kayleen

July Team

2010-07-20T08:01:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

I hope this update finds you all as blessed as I have been the past few weeks. The team arrived at 9:30 am on the 9^th of July after a slight flight delay and hit the ground running.

As soon as we got back to the church and had breakfast they began the work on repairing the church in Iquitos . We started pulling down the ceiling boards, getting on top of the roof to repair it and started painting the front of the church. While the ceiling boards were off, they put in new wiring and some new sockets. The roof was the major concern as if it did not get repaired, the wiring and drywall would get wet again and the paint would be ruined. It ended up being the biggest headache.

First they tried to put silicon on it, then tar, then finally had to take off the metal, rebuild the frame and put it on again. We thought all was well until it rained. It still leaks in one spot but today Hno. Edgar is once again up there fixing it. It only leaks in one spot now which is a major change and now and he thinks it will be repaired today. All of the water pipes were changed out and new plumbing put in, the whole upstairs was repainted, beams in the ceiling were changed out. It was amazing. This team just would not stop. They cleaned up the back yard which meant 2 truckloads of old brick and garbage hauled off. They redid the whole back porch and made a chicken coop so beautiful that Lucy wants to live there.

We did not think this team would even get a third of the projects we had planned done but they did plus more. As I said, it was amazing. We worked all week then on Friday went out to San Juan de Sinchicuy and did an outreach there. We returned to Iquitos on Saturday and some of the team went to the zoo while the other part of the team rested a bit and met the other half and went shopping. We had a huge cold front in Iquitos —the coldest it has been in years. Most of the time it is very hot

and humid but it got down into the 60’s and with the humidity, it is freezing. The team left yesterday so today I feel kind of lost. We had a great time and it was hard to see them leave. It is always so hard when you anticipate something for so long and then it gets over so fast and you have to go back to the daily routine.

This week we wanted to go to Yanashi but it is impossible since we have to be back on Thursday to get ready for the lock in with the kids in Iquitos on Saturday. We will probably

head to Yanashi next Monday then return Friday as we are having a 3 day fast out on some land that was donated to the church Friday, Saturday and Sunday then I have to preach that day. Time is flying. We only have a month to prepare for the other team to get here and we need to get out visiting all of the other churches. The August team will be putting in a cement floor in the church in Tamshiyacu and will be building a parsonage. We have already started having the wood cut. It is going to be logistically more difficult than this last team as since this team was in Iquitos , we could go get supplies as needed whereas in Tamshiyacu, we will have to have it all ready there so it takes a lot more planning. I am exhausted right now so I don’t even want to think about all the things that we need to do. The team was such a blessing to the church here in

Iquitos . We are still just looking around in amazement of all that was accomplished. Thank you to all who served on this team either by coming to Peru , financially supporting, or praying for this team. May God continue to richly bless your life.

(I wish I could have sent more pictures but my internet connection is so slow that I couldn't put more up. Please get with the team so you can see more of this awesome trip)

In Christ

Kayleen

Children's Ministry Tamshiyacu

2010-06-28T07:31:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Lucy, Gladis, Pastor Leiter and I arrived back from the children’s ministry in Tamshiyacu at 3 a.m. yesterday. We had such an awesome time with the kids. We arrived Friday and had a regular service that night then slept in the church… I will be very glad when the team comes in August to put a cement floor in as right now it has a dirt floor and it is all uneven so it is a little difficult to sleep.

The kids were waiting for us by 6:30 a.m but first Lucy and I had to find a woodcutter to start cutting the trees and cutting the wood for the parsonage that we will be building in August. We have to start now as the wood has to dry as long as possible before we build. We are trying to get as much of the materials such as the wood and sand ect as we can from Tamshiyacu to avoid having to pay transportation costs but unfortunately they do not sell cement, calimina, bricks, nails ect there so we will have to buy them in Iquitos and transport them to Tamshiyacu. The team in August will be laying a cement floor in the church and building a parsonage for the new pastor who will arrive in Dec/Jan. We also talked to a person who is going to dig us a small well and outhouse for $25 as we will need to have water to mix the cement with in August.

After our breakfast of fish and bananas, we started playing with the kids—first a soccer match, then volleyball. The kids were all pretty small so they actually thought I was a good player ha. They told us there was a spring nearby to go swimming. I had been to the swimming holes before and couldn’t remember one that was “nearby”. They all kept pointing in one direction from the church but we kept saying no, that was far away and wasn’t there one closer. Finally someone suggested a different one but when we finally got there, it was a little tiny puddle. The kids said the other one wasn’t far so we started climbing up and down huge hills, crossing logs and after we walked for an hour and a half we came to the “nearby” spring.

Unfortunately we couldn’t swim long as we had to get back to start the program. We had 26 kids with us with the youngest being 2 years old and thankfully returned with 26 after trekking through the jungle (I think that the 2 year old was better at walking than I was—I kept having to have help getting across the logs as I am afraid of heights but she would just run over them like it was nothing). The trip back was only about a half an hour. If we had listened to the kids that were pointing in the other direction earlier, we would have had much more swimming time.

The children’s ministry was great with about 100 kids attending. We sang, listened to the message, played games, had sack races, popcorn, candy and gave the girls jacks and the boys slingshots. Lucy dressed up as a clown and we had a great time. A lot of the parents joined in and it was a successful community outreach. We could have had many more kids but we really wanted to target the kids in the neighborhood close to the church.

We had another service later that night and then packed up to get on a boat that left at 11p.m. so that we could be back for church in the morning.

In October there is an election in Peru and I learned something interesting on this trip when people were talking about it. First of all, there is some fear in Tamshiyacu about their election as they have 2 strong candidates. The last time this happened 2 people were killed and one person lost there legs due to the mayhem after the election. They now have marines that come out and keep order. The other thing I learned is that in Peru, if you don’t come to the place you are registered to vote and vote, you have to pay a fine of over $100 U.S. dollars. In some areas the fine is not as much but I was surprised to learn it is an obligation to vote here.

We now only have 11 days until the team arrives inIquitos : ) We have sooo much to do before they get here but I am very excited that I will get to practice my English. We are going to meet with the man that is going to help us with the construction and start buying the materials. That usually takes some time here as the main transportation is moto taxis which is like a motorcycle rickshaw so we can’t buy very much at a time and there is no Home Depot or Lowe’s here so we have to go from place to place in search of materials. Pastor Leiter is going out with another church member to the village that we will be visiting with the team to dig an outhouse as right now the only place to go is the woods and we want it to be available for the team.

Well, I guess I better get busy. Please pray for the safety of the team and that we be a blessing to the church and community in Iquitos and especially to the Lord.

In Christ,

Kayleen

San Juan de Sinchi Cuy

2010-06-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

June 23, 2010

Hi All,

Just got back from a quick trip out to San Juan de Sinchi Cuy and wanted to write a quick update for you. This past week was kind of difficult as the son of one of the church members in Iquitos was murdered in Lima . He was a security guard at a construction site and some people came in and beat him to death so they could rob the place. They were able to bring the body back from Lima and we went to his wake Saturday night. It was hard for me because, being the “missionary”, they sat me beside the grieving mother whom I don’t know really well and I didn’t know what to say. I finally told her that but it was a difficult night for me. The next day, Father’s Day, we went to the cemetery to bury him. That night we had a special program in the church for Father’s Day and they came which was nice.

(picture of some of the fathers in the church in Iquitos)

Monday, Lucy, Gladis and I headed out to San Juan de Sinchi Cuy. This is a 2 hour boat ride then a 3 and a half mile walk to get there. We got kind of a late start so didn’t get out there til about 4 o’clock. We played a little volleyball then invited people to the service that we were holding that night. This village is a very difficult village with a heavy Catholic influence but more than that is the alcoholism and witchcraft that is present there. We had a good turn out for the service though and at the end of the service, I told the story of the 3 Billy Goats Gruff and jokes to the kids. Gladis tried to pass the hat to have people pay for my jokes but I guess they were not that good so I guess I won’t make my living that way. Also at the end of the service, Lucy talked to the people about us bringing the team out for one night. In most communities, the people are anxious to have teams but as I said, San Juan is different. They said we could come but we would have to stay out at Atilio’s (Lucy’s brothers’ place). We are working hard at evangelizing this village and hopefully the team coming can help encourage some of the believers that we have there.

( Picture--Lucy preaching in San Juan de Sinchi Cuy)

Today is a holiday—Dia de San Juan or John the Baptist. It is celebrated here by making juanes which is rice cooked with chicken and wrapped biojao leaves. They are to represent the head of John the Baptist. Gladis, Lucy, Pastor Leiter, Gian Franco and I are going to kill one of our roosters which was a tithe to Lucy in one of the villages and make them this afternoon. This is a huge holiday in Iquitos . Today everyone makes their juanes and tomorrow everything is closed and there is a big party in San Juan which is a part of Iquitos . Here are some pictures of the end result.

(picture--juanes)

Friday we are headed to Tamshiyacu to have a children’s event and then we will begin buying the construction material for the team which arrives in a couple weeks. Hope you have a very blessed day.

In Christ

Kayleen

(Picture--The juane makers)

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Amazonas

2010-06-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

June 18, 2010

Hi All,
Lucy and I returned from Amazonas yesterday. It was an awesome trip. The church there is really growing and flourishing. Sometimes I like to go there for selfish reasons as it is nice to get to see some positive results from the work here. The church there used to be mostly children and women but now there is a fairly large group of men and they are doing all of the teaching and preaching and have just started a discipleship program from some material that I downloaded off the Spanish Wesleyan website.

When we arrived, we did a children’s service and then I went swimming and played with the kids then had a service that night. The next day, I taught computer classes to the kids until their batteries ran out. They are simple little computers but have quite a bit built in. They have a microphone, video camera and quite a few programs but isn’t your basic windows interface. I had a lot of fun teaching them although some of the kids already knew most everything. A lot of adults came too and we had a great time.

Last year the church bought the house next to it so that Lucy and I would have a place to stay when we came and so they could use it for Sunday school classes. This was the first time we slept in it. When we came back from bathing, I was in the other room changing when I heard some kids screaming. When I went out to see what it was, I saw a huge tarantula on the wall. Lucy kept telling me to get closer and closer when I was taking the picture but then she tells me to be careful because they can jump a good distance. The neighbor came with a broom to kill it but when she knocked it off the wall, it came right after me (maybe it didn’t like it’s picture taken) and I started to scream as well as the kids so it was pretty chaotic. The woman’s husband told me the bite from a black tarantula is like a snake bite and that some people die from their bites. I was glad that we had seen it and it wasn’t in my bed that night.

Little Kayleen is going to turn 2 on Sunday. I can’t believe how fast the time has gone here. The other little Kayleen in Requena is going to turn 1 in July and they are going to travel here so I can see her.(pictured here: Little Kayleen with her sister and another little girl)

We arrived back in Iquitos last night and will be heading out to San Juan de Sinchi Cui on Monday. From there we will be going to do the children’s outreach in Tamshiyacu and then the July team comes… I am so excited.

Lucy, Pastor Leiter, Gian Franco, Gladis and I have been having devotions every Monday and Friday. I was talking last week about all the tourists that come here looking for drugs, shamans, witchcraft ect. and we decided that we are going to pick a time when the five of us go out and talk with these people. We want to let them know the church is here if they need help. We don’t really have any financial help but we could always help make phone calls ect. in case of emergencies.

Well, I guess I better get busy. The women’s group here is going make a meal for Father’s Day and I need to help. May God continue to richly bless you.

In Christ
Kayleen

Nuevo Triunfo, Santa Ana, Tamshiyacu

2010-06-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

June 11, 2010

Hi All,

Hope this email finds you all well. Lucy and I returned today from visiting 3 churches along the Amazon and Tahuayo rivers and I wanted to send an update about these villages. (Some children in Nuevo Triunfo)

We first traveled to Nuevo Triunfo. I had never been to this village before so I was excited to get to see a new place. The pastor from the village came to the conference in Amazonas last October and expressed interest in affiliating with the Wesleyan Church. We left on a boat from Iquitos at 9 a.m. and pulled up to an empty bank at around 3 p.m. We then had to walk about a mile and a half over logs and up hill to the tiny village. We were, as usual met by the children and taken up into the town. As soon as we got there, we found out that we had missed the pastor as he had gone into Iquitos to say goodbye to his son as his son is moving to Cuzco and would be leaving the next day. We had a children’s service with about 25 children attending then held services at night. There is no really good water source in this village. We bathed in about 6 inches of water which is also the drinking water, the water for washing dishes and clothes and where the cows, pigs and ducks drink. It also had noticeable worms in it so I was glad that Lucy had convinced me to bring bottled water this trip. She said she didn’t even feel comfortable drinking this water and she usually doesn’t complain about that type of thing. Here is a picture of the waterhole at the bottom of the hill.

We left the next morning for Santa Ana where the team built a church last year. When we got there, we found out the pastor had gone in a boat to get his daughter but would be back later that day so we washed our clothes and bathed in a stream and had a children’s service. The pastor arrived about 8 and we had a night service announcing a meeting with the church board the next morning at 7 am. Lucy was nervous as she had to discuss some difficult issues with the church but thankfully everything worked out well and we left from there to Tamshiyacu.

We planned to have a service that night in Tamshiyacu but it began to rain and I have been sick with bronchitis and ended up having to go get an injection and nebulizer treatment. We had a service the next evening with over 60 children and a few adults. We do not have a pastor at this church at this time but have a few people that have been keeping it going until the pastor graduates in December. They are all excited that he will be coming and the missions’ team in August will be putting in a cement floor in the church and building a parsonage. We will be returning to Tamshiyacu on June 26^thto have a children’s outreach so we began to make arrangements for that.

All in all it was a fruitful trip. We are going to try to have a class in Iquitosto train the Sunday School teachers from the rivers as many of the villages have been requesting this.

Lucy and I will be headed to Amazonas on Monday where I am going to be teaching a computer class as I said in my last letter, the government gave the children laptops but no one knows how to use them so I am excited that I will be able to help in that area. Please continue to keep the churches in prayer as they continue on in adverse circumstances and please pray for me to be used how God wants me to be. Thanks for all your support.

In Christ

Kayleen

Pastors Convention

2010-05-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

May 30, 2010

Hi All,

Hope you are doing well. This past week we had our first session for capacitating the pastors of our churches. It was very exciting as this has been another dream come true for me. The National Superintendent and the District Superintendent of the Wesleyan Church of Peru flew to Iquitos to teach our pastors in the Amazon area for 3 days. It was absolutely awesome with 22 pastors and their leaders attending.

(Pastor Felipe Jordan--National Superintendent)

At first I was a little disappointed as 3 of our churches didn’t show up but I then got caught up in the activities. The pastors were so excited as they also have been longing for direction. They kept telling me they were beginning to

understand things in a different way and had such a hunger to learn more. I had to ask the Pastors from Lima to go a little bit slower as many of the people from the jungle have around a 6^th grade education due to the professors coming, teaching for a while then leaving when they receive their check. Don’t get me wrong, these pastors are very intelligent people but just were not given the educational opportunity that is offered in more highly populated areas and they have such a desire to learn more.

Yesterday the session ended with 2 people getting baptized in a swimming pool here inIquitos. Yesterday was also my birthday and I awoke at midnight to balloons breaking and all of this noise outside my door. My dentist had just given me this bite guard to wear at night so I quickly had to take that out so I wouldn’t scare anyone and answered the door to all the people singing me happy birthday. It was so sweet. I thought that was the end of it but when we came back from the baptism, they surprised me with cake and soda. As I was blowing the candle out, the District Superintendent pushed my face in the cake and broke eggs on my head (a Peruvian tradition).

It was hilarious. We then had to say our goodbyes and the church feels empty again but with many plans ahead.

This next week, Lucy and I are headed to Tamshiyacu, Santa Ana and Nuevo Triunfo to visit our churches there. After we return, we will be headed to Amazonas to our church there where I am going to teach some computer classes. The government gave the kids laptops which is awesome but a bit funny since they do not have electricity there. Apparently they are a type of laptop that you charge the battery separately and the school has a generator so they charge them there. The church is trying to save to buy a generator so they can have lights and a keyboard for their services. I am looking forward to teaching as they said no one knows how to use them and it will be fun to be able to place this tool into their hands.

(Me with Pastor Daniel Bocanegra--District Superintendent--also cake and egg culprit)

After we return from Amazonas, we will have to get ready for the team coming in July. Lucy, Gladis, Pastor Leiter and I are also planning on doing a lock-in for the kids in Iquitos and a children’s program where Lucy is going to dress up as a clown in Tamshiyacu. I am still kind of feeling like “so much to do and so little time” but I know God has it all in His hands. I asked Pastor Felipe (National Superintendent) and Pastor Daniel (District Superintendent) if they could start sending some outlines for the pastors as guides for preaching so that even as they are preaching, they are learning. It is an exciting time even though it always feels like 2 steps forward 1 step back. I just have to remember that it is all in God’s timing and not my own.

Thanks to all of you who wished me Happy Birthday on facebook. It really meant a lot to me when I opened up my email and saw more than 50 messages for my birthday. May the Lord richly bless you as you have me. Hasta mas tarde.

Dios les bendiga ricamente,

En Cristo

Kayleen

San Juan de Sinchi Cuy

2010-05-19T12:41:00.001-07:00

May18, 2010

Hi All,

I know I just wrote but wanted to send another quick update. Yesterday we—Lucy, Gladis, Gian Franco, Pastor Leiter and I went out to San Juan de Sinchi Cuy where we are trying to start a church. It is kind of a difficult community as they are very wary of strangers. This village is 2 hours away from Iquitos by boat then a 3 mile hike into the jungle. Below: Esther, the birthday girl with her baby.

I have been trying to lay kind of low when I go there as last year some of the people were saying that I was coming there trying to change everything. I just want to be a blessing to them so I am just trying to get to know some of the people there. We went to celebrate Esther, Lucy’s niece’s 15^th birthday. She had a baby about 3 months ago so this was the first time I would see her also.

Right: Baby Amy Veronica

We were greeted in the town where the boat stops by a herd of water buffalo.

We then walked the 3 miles toSan Juanwhere we played soccer, then bathed in a stream before holding a service. The family killed a duck so we had a delicious duck soup.

Left: Water Buffalo

That night, the service was awesome. We sang, did a drama, had a meditation then played games. There were about 30 adults and 50 children attending and they were all very open to hear the word of God. When we finished, they didn’t want to go home. They begged us to please return soon and 2 people accepted Christ. One was a young 20 year old man that had attempted to hang himself the week before. There is such a need for the gospel in that village. The alcoholism rate is very high and there is a lot of witchcraft practiced in their town. I would like to go there for one day with the team that is coming in July. I asked them to speak with the town officials to see if that is a possibility. We would like to try to regularly get out to that village. It is so difficult with all that we have to do this year and after each trip, I need 1 to 2 days of rest before going out again. It feels like there is so much to do and so little time but I know that God has it all in His control and I just need to keep doing things one day at a time. Please keep this village in your prayers. Hasta Luego

In Christ

Kayleen

Right: Lucita, my own personal stylist

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I am here

2010-05-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

May 12, 2010

Hi All,

Hope this finds you all well. Sorry it has taken me so long to write but as soon as I arrived, we hit the ground running. I arrived in Peru on May 3^rd and was to meet a medical team from Indiana Wesleyan in the airport in Lima. I arrived at 10:15 and their flight was supposed to come in at 10:30. I didn’t know it had been delayed so at first I thought I had been left at the airport and got a little scared. Then when their flight did get in, no one from their team came out. Almost everyone was gone from the airport and it was 2 a.m. when a couple of their team members came out and said some of the girls had lost their luggage. We finally got to the church in Surco about 3:30 a.m. slept a bit then headed back to the airport in Lima to catch the plane to Iquitos.

When we got to Iquitos, the medical team began to sort their meds and get ready to go out into the jungle. I had lost 4 fillings while in the states and so went to the dentist to get that done. The 4 fillings cost me $35 which I didn’t think was so bad. I also went to try to get my internet hooked up thinking that I was going to be able to get high speed from the telephone company. To my dismay, all they have here still is dial up. I am going to check with this other company but I think all they have is for businesses. I was very very disappointed as my internet connection is so frustratingly slow and disconnects often. Oh well, I am happy to have an internet connection at all.

We left for the jungle the next day…to Yanashi first which we made our home base. We took a slow boat there—we left at about 9 a.m. and arrived about 7 p.m. It was getting dark so we had to quickly get the boat unloaded and get the generator hooked up. We had a lot of team bonding time which was great. This team was led by two students studying in the medical field at Indiana Wesleyan but also on the team were Sue Ferguson and Joel her son. As many of you know, Sue and Jarvis Ferguson were missionaries in the coastal area of Peru for over 20 years. They came on the first mission trip I was on in 2001. That was also Joel’s first mission trip to the jungle at 16 years of age. That trip changed both of our lives forever as we both received the call into missions on that trip. Sue is a very dear friend of mine and has helped me so much through the years so it was a huge blessing for me to have both of them on this trip and get to spend some time with them.

We went to 4 villages nearby Yanashi to give medical and dental care. We were also able to do some children’s ministry in several of the villages. The villages we visited were: Nuevo Israel, Santa Ursula, Nuevo Esperanza and San Antonio plus we were able to offer some medical services in Yanashi and Iquitos. All in all over 500 patients were seen. We wanted to hold services at night in the villages but it just was not possible as the water is very high right now and it would be too dangerous with snakes and trying to navigate the river at night. Besides, the team worked so hard, they would have become even more exhausted. As it was, two of the girls got pretty sick and had to go to the emergency room when we returned to Iquitos.

When we got back to Iquitos, we were going to go to the zoo ect. but were not able to due to a strike. It ended up o.k. though as the team walked to a nearby park and played and we went out to dinner later.

Yesterday the team left and I am now alone here. It is always hard when a team leaves as you become so close so it feels very empty when they are gone. Today we are cleaning ect. I am going to paint my bathroom later today. Pastor Leiter, Gian Franco and Lucy painted my room as a surprise for me. It looks so awesome that now I have to paint the bathroom.

We are going to have a busy year. May 26^th the National Superintendent and District Superintendent are coming fromLima to teach a few classes to the pastors from the river. So we will have them and all of the pastors until the beginning of June. I am very excited about this as I have said in prior emails, my dream is that the churches in Lima adopt the churches in the Amazon region. After they leave, we will have to start getting ready for the TX/LA team coming to work on the building inIquitos the first part of July. A team from New York came in April and redid the roof but while the roof was off, it rained really hard and destroyed the ceiling boards, the walls are also cracking which may mean taking down a few walls and putting rebar in. There will be one team from TX/LA coming in July, then we have another TX/LA team coming in August to the beginning of September. Finally in October we have a big convention of all of the churches. I am really excited that the work is finally starting to take off here. Please pray that all continues to go well. I said to some people that the work here was always one step forward, two steps back and they said they think I better start saying it the other way around—two steps forward, one step back or we will be losing ground.

Well, I know this was kind of long but since I hadn’t had a chance to write and tell you all that we got here, I thought I better do it now. Hope you are all doing well and very blessed. Please write.

In Christ

Kayleen

Back to Peru

2010-04-16T05:19:00.000-07:00

April 16, 2010

Hi All,

I hope that this email finds you all doing well and blessed. I have been in the states since late December and during that time had the privilege to speak at several churches so have been kept pretty busy. I was able to go to Collin Creek Community Church in Dallas, Dayspring Church in New Braunfels and Simms Wesleyan in Simms, Louisiana and share a little bit about the work being done in Peru. I will have the pleasure of sharing in my home church of New Hope Church in Austin on May 2^nd.

Time has really flown by and I have really enjoyed my time here with friends and family. I think one of my favorite things about America is couches and other cushioned seating and have really enjoyed that part of life. Of course the food has been awesome… too awesome if you know what I mean.

I am writing now to let you know that I will be returning to Peru on May 3^rd. I will be going down with a medical mission’s team from Indiana Wesleyan. We will be going to several villages around the Yanashi area which is great as in that area it is a 24 hour boat ride to the nearest doctors so most do not receive medical care.

At the end of May the national superintendent and the district superintendent of Peru will be coming to Iquitos and we will be bringing all of the pastors from the river in for an intensive training.

Another team will be coming in early July to help do some repairs on the church building in Iquitos. It is in desperate need of repair and this team will be spending most of their time in Iquitos on a construction team. We are still in need of 2 men for this trip. Please go to the webpage www.districtmissions.org for more details and if you would like to go, please contact bobellis@grandecom.net or call 210-377-0500 to sign up.

The third team from the states will be coming down at the end of August until Labor Day to do some construction work in Tamshiyacu. They will be putting in a cement floor in the church and building a small home for the pastor that will be coming there. This is very exciting as the pastor will be Harol who will be our first student to graduate from the seminary in Chiclayo. We need 4 to 5 more people for this trip and you can sign up at www.districtmissions.org under the information tab.

It will be very difficult to once again leave my friends and family but I know that this is what God is calling me to do at this time of my life. It is so hard to leave all the comforts of home as it is a much more difficult life there but I cannot imagine not going. I thank you all for your continued support through prayers, emails and finances. By the way if you would like to contribute financially, a few details have changed. You can send checks to TX/LA District Missions 3701 W. Spring Creek Pkway, Plano TX 75023 Attn: Alden Griesbach. It is very important to put Kayleen Rosenquist, Peru Missions in the memo so that it goes to the right place. Once again I thank you all for everything and want to let you know you are making a difference in Peru.

In Christ,

Kayleen

Back Home

2010-01-14T08:07:00.001-08:00

Hi All,

I arrived back in the states on December 18^th and hit the ground running. It was difficult coming home that close to Christmas but I had a great surprise in that my older sister had flown down to meet me at the airport. I had to do some power shopping to buy people things that they probably didn’t need which was hard as I think of all the people in Peru who don’t even have clean drinking water or a bed to sleep in. We do live in a very blessed country and hopefully we all realize just how blessed we are.

It has taken me a bit more time to get settled after this trip. I am often thinking of the churches in Peru and how they are doing. It is really difficult to want to be in two places at once. I am very glad to be home with my family and friends, but it is also difficult missing the friends in Peru. I have many hopes and dreams for the people in Peru and it has been very exciting for me to see some of them become a reality.

I spoke with the people in Iquitos this week. Lucy will travel with Harol, one of our seminary students to Tamshiyacu this week. That church is having quite a few struggles and our hope is that Harol will pastor there once he finishes his studies. Also, according to the Pastor in Iquitos, the wedding in Amazonas was awesome with 8 couples getting married. There had been 20 couples but many could not get all of the required paperwork done in time. The National Superintendent from Lima was able to come and perform the church ceremony after the civil ceremony was finished.

In 2010 there are also a lot of exciting things planned for the Amazon area churches. There are 2 teams currently planned for April and May—a group of teens from New York and a medical team from Indiana. There will also be 1 or 2 teams from the Texas/Louisiana area going later in the year. Then in October, the people from Lima are coming again to have a conference in Santa Ana.

Two days ago, I was able to purchase a used car which is such a blessing as before I left for Peru, my car engine blew and I had to sell it. I am once again mobile and am open to visit any churches or groups to share about the ongoing work in Peru. If you would like me to come to your church, please contact me at kayleenjr@sbcglobal.net or 512 567-2526. I would love to come share with you all the exciting way that the Lord is working in the jungles of Peru. Thank you all for your prayers and support.

In Christ’s precious love,

Kayleen

Coming Home

2009-12-15T12:20:00.000-08:00

December 15, 2009

Hello Everyone,

I hope this update finds everyone well and enjoying this blessed holiday season. I had written an update after I returned from San Lorenzo but was ill with fever, bronchitis and stomach problems and accidently erased it so I will quickly recap.

The trip there was great. We were on the boat 4 days and there were severalbrothers and sisters from the Aguruna tribe that Lucy worked with when she was a missionary in that region. We held services on the boat and it was so beautiful to listen to them sing in their native tongue.

We arrived in San Lorenzo where they killed 2 guinea pigs in my honor. They are delicious by the way but don’t worry about your hamsters...they are safe with me. We held 3 services in Lucy’s parents’ home as many in her family are non Christian and it was a way to reach more of them.

We also gave the meditation 2 nights in a nearby church. We kept very busy with just the day to day things of having to go get wood for the stove—an hour and a half hike into the jungle and fixing things around the house. I had a wonderful time but it was very difficult to have to say goodbye to Lucy and her family there and have to travel the 3 days by boat back to Iquitos alone with her niece and nephew.

We arrived in Nauta which is 2 hours by car from Iquitos Thursday night and decided to get off there instead of taking the boat back to Iquitos as the boat would take 12 hours from there. There were 6 adults and 6 children plus suitcases packed in a car. I now know what a can of tuna feels like.

I arrived in Iquitos ill which was kind of a bummer for my last few days. I finally ended up going to the hospital yesterday and feel better now.

I can’t believe I am leaving for Lima in 2 hours. I will stay with some friends there and leave for the states Thursday night. It all feels like a dream right now. I feel a bit numb. It is difficult to leave friends here and I am looking forward to seeing my friends and familyso my feelings are somewhat jumbled.

I want to thank all of you for all of your support in finances, in prayer and through your emails ect. None of this would have been possible without you all. A lot of growth has been taking place in the churches of this region in their maturity and we also have 2 new places where we are starting churches. It is always 2 steps forward, one step back but we are advancing in the work of the Lord here. Thank you all so very much and I hope you have a very blessed Christmas and Happy New Year.

In Christ,

Kayleen

The Past 2 Weeks

2009-11-19T02:37:00.000-08:00

ovember 18, 2009

Hi All,

I wanted to write a quick update about the last couple of weeks. In my last update, we had just returned from Yanashi that Saturday morning. We were in Iquitos Saturday and Sunday then Monday left for Amazonas as I am having to say my goodbyes to the churches. I am learning to be ready in season and out of season as one half hour before the service, Pastor Leiter asked me to preach and in Yanashi, as the church service was starting, Lucy asked me to preach. It is probably better that way because then I don’t think too much and have to rely on the Lord and not myself.

Tuesday on our return to Iquitos, there was a strike and the roads were closed by protesters so we stopped at a stream and swam until the roads were passable again. Wednesday we left for San Juan de Sinchicui, held a service and returned to Iquitos Thursday as we had to get ready for the children’s outreach we were having in Iquitos on Sunday.

Sunday morning Lucy, Pastor, Gian Franco and Gil who were also helping with the children’s program had to go out and look at some land while Gladis and I stayed at the church practicing with the kids. The program was at 4 p.m. and Lucy and the rest didn’t show up until about 4:30so Gladis and I were getting nervous as there were over 100 kids waiting for the program to start. After it did start, it was awesome. The kids themselves put on the program and

did a great job. We had to cut it short because our church service started at 7 but all in all it was a success.

Monday we headed to Tamshiyacu with Pastor Leiter. It was his first time in Tamshiyacu so we presented him to the church there. This church is without a pastor right now so it is struggling and the land behind the church was overgrown with grass so Tuesday morning at 6 a.m. we went out

there with our machetes to cut the grass. Three hours and several blisters later we were done. Pastor Leiter had killed a rat when he was cutting the grass so they put it on the fire for breakfast. One of the women of the church also killed a chicken so that we could have a soup for breakfast. While we were eating, the little boy that was cooking the rat said “look, it had babies” and showed me the little rat babies that were inside...my soup didn’t taste so good after that.

From Tamshiyacu we went to Santa Ana to say good bye and had a service in the new church. They have almost completed it—they redid part of the floor in the church and just have to do some of the windows, the bathroom and paint and it will be ready for their anniversary in December.

Wednesday we returned to Iquitos. I will be going with Lucy to visit her parents which is a 4 day boat ride there and 3 days coming back so I will only be able to stay a couple days since I leave for Lima on the 15^th. We are planning on taking 2 of her brothers children with us but that will depend on them coming to town to notarize papers saying we are allowed to travel with them. They have just begun to enforced this law due to the increase in child trafficking here. I am hoping they can go otherwise I will have to travel back to Iquitos alone.

I cannot believe how quickly time passes. I will be home for Christmas the first time in 3 years and am excited about that but of course sad to leave my friends here. They want me to return in April to help with some teams that are coming so I am praying about that. I have had many ups and downs here in Peru but through it all, God is always faithful and does much more than I can ever imagine. He is my rock and my fortress. Thank you all for your continued support and may you have a very blessed Thanksgiving.

In Christ,

Kayleen

Yanashi

2009-11-07T02:09:00.000-08:00

ovember 7, 2009

Hi All,

We just returned from Yanashi this a.m. I am a bit tired from the 24 hour boat ride but also having a difficult time getting to sleep so I thought I would write a bit about the trip.

We left Sunday morning and thankfully the water has risen enough to enter into Yanashi itself instead of having to change boats so we arrived Sunday evening about 10 p.m. so we just set up our mosquito nets and went to sleep. It is a 12 hour boat ride there as it is with the current and the return trip is 24 hours as it is against the current.

At 6 a.m. the next day we began the construction of a new church. We (Lucy and I) thought we were just going to enlarge the building we already had but when we got there, it was completely disassembled and just had the new support beams put into the ground. (shown here).

A group of men who are not part of the church came to help put up the beams and get the structure ready for the roof. As they started doing it, we realized we would be short wood so we had to contact the woodcutter so he could go with the pastor the next day into the jungle to cut more wood.

On Tuesday, Lucy and I walked down to visit a little 10 year old girl that we met on the boat trip there. She had been extremely ill for 2 months and they were sending her home from the hospital to die. They said there was nothing more they could do for her, all the medicine they tried made her sicker and she was not able to eat anything, just drink. Her father (who also lost his wife and son in childbirth this year) was at his wits end and had brought her to Yanashi to see the witchdoctor.

Many people here in the jungle have a strong belief in curses and witchdoctors and if western medicine does not work, they believe the person has been cursed by someone and need to see a witchdoctor to cure them. Lucy and I asked if we could pray for her for which they consented. We later sang to her and then Lucy asked her if she wanted to accept Christ which she said she did and she weakly prayed in her own words to receive Christ.

That night we had a church service in the upstairs of the house with a good turnout of people.

The little girl’s cousin was there and said that she had started eating a bit and that her fever was down which was encouraging but when Lucy and I went to see her the next day, she had developed a deep cough and her father took her to the witchdoctor...please be in prayer for Salvith.

We finally had all of the wood Thursday which we had to bring upthe hill from the boat. Thankfully a group of children helped us.

The same group of men plus 2 more came to help put on the roof. We had a minga which is where the men work for food. This was a real blessing since all of the money that we had with us had gone into getting the extra wood. These men that helped were not Christians and wanted us to buy alcohol but we didn’t think that would be too great since they were going to be working on top of the roof. They did an awesome job and here is what we have so far of the church. We have all the wood to finish it up but we had to leave due to a commitment here in Iquitos.

Thursday, Lucy and I and the kids were upstairs in the house when Lucy jumped. I thought there was a bug or something but when she jumped again, I saw it was a snake. Lucy was telling me to take a picture, while the pastor’s wife was telling her husband to kill it. The snake was too fast for me to get a good picture until it was dead (shown here). Lucy had thought it was a grass snake but it ended up being a loro machaco

which is a very deadly snake—it is a green tree viper and usually falls from trees on its victims. We found out later that the neighbor had recently died from a bite from one of these snakes.

I have only seen 2 live poisonous snakes in the jungle and they have both been in Yanashi. The other snake I saw was the

jergón or fer de lance which I saw about 2 feet from me in the river. This snake in the house had bitten Lucy’s pants twice. Thankfully she was wearing pants instead of shorts. They also said an anacondahad eaten a dog not far from where we bathe in the river. I always try to be extra careful in Yanashi as there is still a lot of dangerous wildlife here. A huge iguana also tried to eat one of the chickens but we killed it and had it for lunch.

Thursday night we had another service and Friday morning the people came to the house to pray and see us off which was a special blessing. Today I will be practicing dramas and puppets with some kids as we prepare for our children’s outreach here in Iquitos on the 15^th. Please pray for that event and that many children’s lives are touched by Christ.

Well, looks like daylight is here and I will not be getting any sleep. Lucy will probably come to my room any minute to get me to go running with her. As I said before, every time she decides she wants to get into shape, she makes me part of the deal. Oh well, it is good for me but I don’t have to like it. Thank you so much for all of your emails, support and prayers. They really mean so much to me. I hope that you all are doing well and are richly blessed. Here is a picture of the pastor’s 2 year old son helping us cut the grass. I am getting much better with a machete but this little boy probably does a better job than I do.

In Christ,

Kayleen

Tamshiyacu

2009-10-30T05:36:00.000-07:00

October 30, 2009

Hi All,

Sunday we returned from a 5 day visit to Tamshiyacu where we have one of our churches. It was kind of a difficult trip as a few months ago the pastor of that church left without telling us or the people there anything so it is like starting all over again. There is a group of people there that will meet when we have services and Harol (one of our seminary students) will be coming in December so I know all will be well but sometimes it can be so frustrating as you feel like it is all coming together and then these things happen. One thing I know above all other things is that Our God is faithful and the work is His and not my own so I try not to get too stressed. It is just I feel the disappointment of the church members there and want to help them.

We had services every night while there and the people are more encouraged to continue on in their Christian walk. We also formed a praise team with some of the kids...they will be leading worship until we get back there. They are really excited about it as they were walking with me back where we were staying they were saying “when I grow up, I want to be a ‘sister’ too so that’s why I am studying” then a little boy said “I want to be a sister too” and then a little 3 year old was like “Sister, sister...guess what? Tomorrow I am going to be big.” The kids here are just precious. We sat up talking until the wee hours of the night—really only about 11 but it felt later—about all of their fears about life, teaching them how to pray and put their trust in the Lord...it really was a special time for me.

As I said, we returned to Iquitos on Sunday and I finished my Wesleyan Doctrine and History course with an A—yay! It was a bit difficult as I needed to use my computer to complete all of the exams and the only time I have my computer is in Iquitos since there is no electricity in most of the villages. I am traveling most of the time so I was afraid I was not going to be able to complete it but Praise the Lord, it is finished.

We are going to be headed to Yanashi again this next week where we are going to rebuild the church building. This is the church building as it is but we are going to make it larger and change the thatched roof.

We are going to buy rice and chickens ect. and have a minga which is where you make a big meal and all of the people of the village come and work for food. I am sure it will be a great time of fellowship and am looking forward to it. It is a long boat ride to get there but well worth it.

I can’t believe how quickly time is passing. When we return from Yanashi, we have a children’s outreach planned here in Iquitos for the 15^th of November. I then need to go out to each of the villages to tell them good bye as I will be going to the states for Christmas. Truly the saying “life is like a roll of toilet paper...the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes.” is a wise statement as these 6 months have flown by.

I am wanting to take a quick trip to San Lorenzo to see Lucy’s family before I go as her father is 86 and not doing too well. Her family has been very good to me and always made me feel a part of their family so I would like to see them before I leave the country. The only problem is time...it is a 4 day boat ride there so I could only be there for 3 or 4 days and then make the 4 day ride back so that is 2 weeks spent mostly in transportation so I’ll have to see.

I forgot to tell you all the exciting news about Amazonas in my last update. There are 15 couples that are going to get married in a massive wedding ceremony on December 20th including little Kayleen’s parents and Oswaldo’s(one of the seminary students) parents. His father was an alcoholic who accepted Christ when the team came last May and was baptized during the event that took place in early October. A lot of very exciting things are happening in that village. I am just sad that I am not going to be here for the celebration. Most of these people have been living together for years and they decided after being in the church,that they wanted to make it legal. Here in Peru, the legal marriage is the civil marriage so the representative from Nauta will be coming to Amazonas to perform the services. They are going hunting so there is going to be a big feast and I will miss it. I am just excited at the work that God is doing here.

Thank you all for all your thoughts and prayers. They really mean a lot to me. I hope you all are doing well and are blessed.

In Christ

Kayleen

Amazing Amazonas

2009-10-13T13:04:00.001-07:00

October 13, 2009

Hi All,

Hope this finds you safe and well. I returned Sunday from the convention in Amazonas and have to tell you, it was absolutely amazing. This was the first time we have had our churches from the rivers all get together. Previously we had a Women’s convention but unfortunately due to economic difficulties, there was not a high amount of participation.

There were over 100 participants in this convention with representatives from Amazonas, Santa Ana, San Juan de Sinchicuy, Iquitos and another church from Nuevo Triunfo that has now joined the Wesleyan denomination. They are a village a little further up the river Tahuayo where Santa Ana resides. Pastor Hildebrando had been visiting with them for years and they decided they wanted to join the Wesleyan denomination as they have been abandoned by their church covering for 3 years. It was a blessing that the Superintendent of the district—Pastor Daniel Bocanegra (corazon blanco) was here to welcome them into the denomination. There were also representatives from Puerto Prado and San Carlos. Unfortunately there was not a representative from Yanashi or from Tamshiyacu.

For some of these people, this was a 16 hour boat ride so it took sacrifice for all of us to be together but it was well worth it.

Another awesome point of this trip was that it was put on by the churches in the coastal region of Peru. It is my dream and desire that the more mature churches in Peru itself come alongside these baby churches in the Amazon region to provide spiritual support and teaching. Hna. Marleni de Casteñeda, her husband, Hno. Ricardo and Pastor Daniel Bocanegra all came from Lima to provide teaching and preaching for the convention. My part of the teaching actually went pretty well. I thought I had about 10 minutes of material but it turned out to be more than an hour.

We had such a good time all together in fellowship, playing volleyball—my team won despite having me on their team and bathing together in the river. All the people of the church in Amazonas had gone fishing, so we had plenty of fish plus the people coming from Santa Ana met up with some people on their way to Amazonas that gave them tons of watermelon plus we brought rice and 12 chickens so everyone was well fed.

Perhaps the best part of the trip for me was that 4 people accepted Christ and 21 people were baptized. We also had a communion service which was the first time many of the people had ever taken communion. Many people kept asking me “hermana how do we take communion” so the whole process was explained and we had communion together. It was such an awesome trip, I can’t begin to express my gratitude to the Lord for allowing me to be a part of this. It is such an honor for me to be able to see how much the church is maturing in the Amazon area. I want to thank all of you for your support and prayers for making this possible for me to be a part of all of this and I especially want to thank the Lord for without Him, I am nothing.

I am sending a few photos of the event although the photos cannot begin to describe the incredible experience. 1. The kids receiving t-shirts which Marleni sent and Gian Franco and Pastor Leiter painted. 2. One of the church services. 3. Eating together. 4. Baptism Candidates. 5. Baptism—this is Dayer—Lucy’s nephew who many of you prayed for his cancerous tumor last year.

By the way, there was an announcement at the end of the convention by the people who traveled from Lima that they are going to make this a yearly event so next October we will be in Santa Ana!

May you be richly blessed and please email me and pray for the work here in the Amazon.

In Christ’s Precious blood,

Kayleen