“April showers bring May flowers…” or they bring massive lightning strikes. A lightning bolt recently hit close enough to our line to blow up a bunch of lightning arrestors, fuses, and even melt some of the fuse holders off the poles. We were out of power for almost 40 hours. Super fun. Ironically, this happened the very day that Vann had another appointment at the police station about the generator scam while our whole base was without power which also means no water or internet. A generator would have been very nice. The electrical surge killed my ovens. Vann is trying to see if there’s a way to resurrect them, but until then, less baking for me! We are very thankful for the men that worked to fix the power, especially since they had to fight killer bees that had nested in one of the power poles - no easy day.
We were delighted to host a team earlier this month from Pennsylvania led by our dear friend, Rozanna. She is one of those friends that is like family, so when she wants to bring her class of ten eighth graders to the jungle for a missions trip, then the answer is a definite “yes”! These kiddos came willing to wade through the waters across the road with their bags on their heads, and along with our Clara, they cheerfully served in a local church and in the English classes in a local school. They were so very well behaved and a blessing to everyone who met and interacted with them. Their parents and teachers should be very proud. Please pray for the salvation of the van driver that we hired for the team as Vann was able to spend a considerable amount of time talking and sharing the gospel with him!
God had His hand of mercy on our dear Rozanna. As she was leading her group through Cuzco (after leaving the jungle) she miraculously survived a major heart attack! Clara and I left for Lima right away to meet her there as well as her husband, Steve, who was able to fly in that same day. Some dear friends of ours offered us the use of their beautiful apartment in Lima, so we had a safe place of refuge for Steve and the sweet nurse, Jodi, who traveled with Rozanna. From a safe evacuation out of Cuzco to the presence of a cardiac nurse already within Rozanna’s group, every detail worked out so perfectly by God’s grace. She made it to a clinic in Lima where she ended up having the two top cardiologists in the country perform her surgery, and to top it all off, God has given me the health sufficient to travel and serve even after hosting a team! Praise God! While I was in Lima, my phone was stolen right out of my hand while I was speaking to my Uber driver, so that added a bit of stress, but I am thankful that we were not harmed and the only thing lost was a phone.
The Round Robin’s kitchen is in working order! The countertops are installed along with the sink and faucet, so it is now a usable kitchen, albeit unfinished. The cabinets still have a long way to go, but we are thankful to be able to leave the house in functioning order!
We are in full wrapping-up mode here as we are getting ready to leave for furlough this coming summer. Clara will be moving to the States after she graduates in May, and Vann and I will follow her up in June to begin our whirlwind of visits. Since I am feeling so much better, it is my hope that we can actually visit some of our churches and supporters this time! Every weekend is booked and we are very much looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible. Please pray for our family as we come nearer this time of transition of launching our last child into her adult life and we become empty nesters. Most of our travels and visiting will now just be the two of us.
Please pray for salvation and revival in Pucallpa and in every remote corner of this country and for the safety of each of our missionary families that are all diligently working toward this end! All praise, honor and glory to our Risen Savior for his goodness to us and allowing us to live and serve in our beloved Peru.
“And I will cause the showers to come down in their season. They shall be showers of blessing.”Ezekiel 34:26
Your newsletters always encourage us! God does have His hand upon you! Please know you have a place to stay if you get near Sonora, CA. (Which is near Yosemite National Park) We would be so honored to host you!!!! Sue & Buck
Thank you for your update. I can’t imagine 40 hours with no power. Thanks to those who helped to fix the problem.
Hope you have good visits in the states this summer.