Latest News

July 21st

¡Bienvenido! Welcome !

I just made my Target/Wal-Mart run to get my travel size things and it has made me realize that I really am going on this missions trip....SOON! I am so excited! We had our team commissioning last Sunday at our church.

I have also recieved my flight information. I am on one of the last flights leaving on Saturday, August 26 and arriving back in Minneapolis, Monday, August 4th.

Our church has a website that will be updated daily with pictures and news. They have made provision for our friends, relatives, and supporters to send us an e-mail now and then to encourage us. .  I will not be able to answer these e-mails. 

The way it will work, is that any friends can write me an e-mail on the Grace Peru Trip Webpage, which will be sent to a special mailbox in Peru.  The staff will download and print them out in the evening hours, and they will be delivered under the door of my hotel room in the early morning hours, along with the nightly Peru Gram and next day’s team schedule.  So I will have the potential to receive these e-mails once per day in the morning.  (Peru and Minneapolis are on the same time zone.) Only your name and my name (or other person on the team) is needed...no email addresses.

This is the information that was sent to me as their Methodology:

1. Go to the Grace Home Page at http://www.atgrace.com/
2. Click on the Lima, Peru Missions Trip banner on the Home Page.  A copy of this is right below this text.

3. This banner will take you directly to the page where the “Encourage a Team Member!” Box is located.  Please note that it is not there today, but will be later this week. 
4. There will be a graphic box with two little boxes to type names into.  Your friends should only type in their name and your name in the appropriate boxes!  Not either of your e-mail addresses!!  Then we will get these messages to you as I have described in the opening paragraph above.

June 8th

We had an all team meeting that discussed different cultural differences and the need to respect these people --their life, religion, church, etc. We have also started to discuss the clothing to bring (& not bring!). We will be in Peru during their winter months. The cost of the flights continue to rise and the administrative team is working to lock these flights down. Each ministry team has begun to hold thier own training times in preparation for their involvment on the trip. The music is going to be high energy!

May 4th
I am getting more and more excited about this trip, especially as I am beginning to recieve back my requests for prayer support! Today we had another training session on evangelism.

Two Questions that reveal where a person's personal assurance for the future are:

1. Have you come to a place in your spiritual life where you can say you know
for certain that if you were to die today you would go to heaven?

2. Suppose that you were to die today and stand before God and he were to say
to you, “Why should I let you into my heaven?” what would you say?

I am memorizing John 3:16 in Spanish!

Juan 3:16

16 »Porque tanto amó Dios al mundo, que dio a su Hijo *unigénito, para que todo el que cree en él no se pierda, sino que tenga vida eterna.

John 3:16 
 16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

April 15th
Taxes are not the only thing that I am mailing today! I sent out letters telling of this trip and request for partnering with me in prayer. I am getting excited!!

April 6th

Our 2nd mandatory meeting. Part of our preparation is self-examination of the spiritual condition of our hearts. Dave Gibson walked us through the differences between the Natural Man, the Spiritual Man, & the Carnal Man. "The victorious life rests on mighty promises" ,,,,,the promises of God. The victorious life is a life of victory over sin, of power, of abiding inner peace, a life of love, a life that does not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, and a life that demonstates the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self-control. (Gal 5:22-23) Praise! I signed up for the Evangelism Team! Jeanne, Nan, Gail & Tess are all on the Music Team. Deb is on the Women's Ministry Team.

• Prayer Request: The costs of the flights contiue to rise. Please pray that they can be contained so that those who are going will be able to raise their support. Also pray that I will claim the promises that God gives me in the Bible.

March 9th
Our first whole team meeting! There were about 200 people there. More and more are signing up. We are hoping for 300! There are other local churches joining us as well as a church from Texas. The whole team met in the chior room to recieve logistical information on the trip. I need to find a travel clinic and start getting my shots! I also need to write my prayer support letter and begin to list those people in my life that might consider praying for me and the whole team.

• Prayer Request: What small team should I sign up for?

February 17th
God abundantly blessed our all-church trip to Lima in 2005. At that time we encountered the Dean of Missions at Trinity and Moody radio people who had been doing research on short term missions trips. They happened on our group and were amazed – they had never seen anything like our partnership and the staying power with lasting impact.

Now we are looking forward to working “Shoulder to Shoulder” with our sister church in Callao in 2008. We are praying for a team of 300 from Grace Church to work “Shoulder to Shoulder” with a team of 700 from Callao Church in Lima. The Callao Church doesn’t just want decisions for Christ; they want
disciples for Christ. Our objectives are:
1. Exalt Jesus Christ in everything we do
2. Encourage Peruvian believers in the Callao Church (we come as servants)
3. Do evangelism! We would like everyone who goes to have the privilege of leading at least
one person to the Lord.
4. Equipping and training our people for ministry both before and after the trip
In the past we have done multiple services in the church every night. This year evening meetings will be held in the stadium which holds 5,000. We will start the week with a parade on Monday. The stadium program that first night will include Peruvian dancers along with team presentations.

It all begins with prayer. We’re going to fast and pray, Jer. 33:3. Callao Church prays around the clock. The church is almost full every week for midweek prayer service. Our 33 days of prayer will be June 25 – July 27. We will do prayer walking. Pastor Alegre calls them prayer warrior teams. That’s where the power is, not our presentations. We want to get people’s attention with their eyes so they will hear with their ears and see how Jesus can change their lives.

The advance team will go down on Wed. July 23. Others will go Thurs, Fri, and Sat. We will attend one of 3 worship services on Sunday. The evening will be a dedication service, “Shoulder to Shoulder” with Peruvian believers. Then we will go down to the coliseum to pray there.