Trip to Juliaca:
Thank you for praying for me as I went to preach for my friend David Ramos in Juliaca, Peru. I was a bit sick during the trip due to the change in altitude (1,000 feet above sea level here in Tacna to over 12,000 there) but the Lord blessed. God is using Pastor David in a special way. The church he recently started has a good group of core people and is reaching out to others. It was my privilege to challenge the people with 4 missions-centered messages. It was a sweet time of fellowship with Pastor David and his family and another preacher friend who was also part of the conference. Please keep Pastor David and the Vision Baptist Church in your prayers!
Opportunities:
It has been a blessing to jump right in to the work here of the Calvary Baptist Church in Tacna. I have the privilege of teaching the young adults Sunday school class, and am also teaching a course on Hermeneutics in our Tuesday night Bible Institute. It has been a blessing to help out in the children’s Bible club in Viñani. We have a club there and also in the church each Saturday as a follow-up from the summer VBS programs.
April 11th, we started a new Bible study group in the home of one of our church members. The purpose of this Bible study is to reach people with the gospel and to provide a time of encouragement and fellowship for the church folks. Please pray as we invite the people of this area of the community out each Thursday night, that folks would grow in the Lord and be added to the church. I Corinthians 3:6 states, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” Our prayer is that God would bless whatever part we may have in this process. It is encouraging to know that God can and will give the increase in His work. We are just privileged to have a small part.
On April 28th, we are starting a new visitation program for the church. Please pray that many would be burdened to come out and help reach their city with the Gospel.
Family:
Thank you for praying for us during this time of adjustment. The children like our “new” house here in Peru and making new friends at church. The boys are slowing picking up a bit of Spanish. Josiah is doing well with his homeschooling and will soon finish kindergarten. On April 1, he made the decision to trust the Lord as his Savior. We thank the Lord for this decision and are praying that our other children would come to know Him as well. Lydia will celebrate her 1st birthday on May 19th. She crawls well now, loves to eat table food, and says a few words, including, “all done!” My wife Sara, as always, is a tremendous blessing to myself and the children. She does a great job working in the church nursery ministry, playing the piano at church, and is beginning to teach piano lessons.
We are blessed to be a part of what the Lord is doing here in Tacna, Peru. Thank you all for being a part of our ministry through your faithful prayers and support!
Working until the Trumpet Sounds,
Robert, Sara, Josiah, Caleb, Joshua, & Lydia Stover