November Update

Dear Praying Friends,

Every so often in life, God has a way of shaking us out of the ordinary and presenting us with an entirely new experience in order to teach us greater lessons about Himself, His Word, and the joy of serving Him. Last week I had the privilege of having one of those experiences. Some of you may be thinking, "But she's already in PERU, what more could there be to experience?!" Believe me, there is much. :-) I am referring to the week long missions trip with eight other members of my church to the remote mountain village of Chinchil.

Thank you to each one of you who prayed for our trip. I look forward to finding out one day in Heaven about how God used each one of your specific prayers for protection, for growth, and for spiritual fruit. Our team departed by bus from Lima at 8:30 am on Sunday, October 31st. So began a LONG trek to our destination. Twenty-four hours (and several stops later) we arrived in the town of Huacrachuco. The trip itself was fairly uneventful, but God's hand of protection was clearly evident. The last 12 hours of the trip took place on a dirt road, barely wide enough for our bus at times, over switchback mountain roads in the middle of the night. It was not until the return trip that we saw in daylight just how precarious the road was at times! :-) We have some incredible pictures of scenery!

After arriving in Huacrachuco we ate breakfast (another new experience...sheep's head soup! Which contained many more parts than just the head, I'm afraid) and set out in a van for the next leg of the trip. After traveling several hours in the van, and having to get out to walk when the road became too difficult to pass with a full load, we finally reached the last leg of the journey. After all that time sitting on a bus, a hike through the mountains would feel great, or so we thought! The final road to Chinchil involved hiking for about 4 1/2 hours over mountain roads. Thankfully, most of the rain held off until we reached the village.

Once we arrived in Chinchil on Monday evening, we began preparing for the whirlwind week of ministry. Monday evening we had our first service there in the church. A deacon from our church, Timoteo preached in each evening service, Monday through Thursday, and shared clearly with the church and numerous visitors about salvation. Our group helped in providing special music and performing several dramas throughout the week.

On Tuesday through Thursday, the majority of us participated in holding various kids clubs in the local school during the morning and outside during the afternoon. Each day's Bible lesson had a theme, Creacion, La Caida, Cordero, Cristo, and Cielo (Creation, the Fall, Lamb, Christ, and Heaven). During the club times we sang fun kids songs with the children, played games, had crafts, and many of us had the privilege of teaching a lesson. I had the opportunity to teach the lesson about "The Lamb". It was so exciting to be able to share with the kids the story of Abraham offering his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice and how God provided a substitute so Isaac would not have to die. I was able to tell the children about the Israelites sacrifice of animals like goats, and sheep, and how this was a picture of Jesus Christ, The Lamb of God, and the only perfect sacrifice for sin. In the mountains villages everywhere you look you can see a variety of animals ranging among goats, sheep, chickens, donkeys, ducks, pigs, and guinea pigs, so the children understood the concept of sheep and killing them (since a lamb is a very common meat for them to eat). How we pray that the truths those precious children learned will plant seeds that will one day produce the fruit of salvation in their lives. Nearly every day we had close to 100 children at the clubs and in the schools, so many souls heard the message of the gospel.

On Thursday, our final day in Chinchil, our team presented a program in both the High school and Elementary school during the morning, witnessed the baptism of 4 sisters in Christ during the afternoon, wrapped up our final kids club, and had the last evening service complete with a baby dedication. It was a marathon day, but such a blessing to witness the faithfulness of this small church and the work that God is doing in this village.

Throughout the week, something that God continually kept impressing upon my heart was the privilege of serving Him, and the necessity of being a servant at all times and in whatever situations with which we are presented. There were many times throughout the week where it would have been easy to complain because of certain inconveniences or physical discomforts. However, God kept reminding me that "Life is for Service". I am not here on earth to please myself or to do what is comfortable, but I am here to sacrifice my life for the indescribable joy of serving my Savior; to point others to Him, and to encourage other believers. What a humbling reminder and a lesson I pray is not easily forgotten.

On Friday, we departed from Chinchil...another 4 1/2 hour hike UP several mountains :-), another 3 hour van ride, and another 24 hour bus ride back to Lima. God gave us safety in spite of two flat tires on the bus on the return trip. Thanks again for your heart-felt prayers. There are many other stories which could be shared, but this letter has already gotten far too long. If you are interested in more details, send me a personal note. :-) Lord-willing I will be putting up some pictures of the trip on my Peru blog http://www.perspectivesfromperu.blogspot.com/ soon so you can see some of the adventures for yourselves.

In closing, let me mention a few prayer requests:

1. Pray for Maxmiliano, a man who accepted Christ after the Monday evening service in Chinchil. Pray for his continued spiritual growth.
2. Pray that the seeds of the gospel planted in Chinchil and on the trip will take root.
3. Pray for the students and teachers at Fetzer as we finish out the last month before Christmas/Summer break!
4. Pray for the health of our students and teachers. There are several of us who have struggled with sickness over the last few weeks.
5. Pray for new opportunities for service at "El Manantial", my church in Manchay.
6. I have been approached by the administrators of Fetzer about staying on in some capacity at the school for another year (2011-2012 school year). Will you please pray with me about God's direction in this regard? My desire is to serve where the Lord wants me. Please pray that if it is His will for me to stay, that He will make it abundantly clear.

Thank you again for your prayers and encouragement. God bless each one of you for your faithfulness!

Serving the Savior,
Heidi Robbins