Welcome to The Jungle

There has been a lot of things going on here in Lima recently but first I want to tell of a much needed trip we took two weeks ago. Moving from south Alabama to Lima has been a little difficult for me. Partially because it is the middle of winter here. Its not to cold but extremely humid and gloomy. You can go weeks without ever seeing the sun. During the week of Peru's independence we decided to take a break from the cold. We traveled seven hours northeast over the Andes montains. I didn't believe this at first but the seasons are flipped on the other side of the mountains. So right now it is winter here and summer there. I didn't know this until I came here but the Andes are the second highest mountain range in all of the world. We arrived in La Merced late the first night and stayed in a very nice Hostal. The next morning I woke up walked out of my bungalow to find the jungle all around me. It was absolutely beautiful. Another thing you have to understand to appreciate this is that Lima is practically a desert on the coast. Lima receives less rain fall each year than the sierra desert. It is surrounded by mountains but there are not trees to be found. The color green is a rare finding in Lima. The picture above is of our team in La Merced with the Indian tribe that lives there. The way that I connect best with God in prayer is when I am out in his marvelous creation. I knew moving to a city of 8 million would be hard for me to get away and spend time in his wilderness. This trip was just so refreshing for me spiritually. To see God's creativity and power reminded me of what an awesome Father we serve. On our way home on Sunday we weren't going to make it back in time for church so we decided to stop somewhere on the side of the road and have our own service. So my team, coordinator, and a Peruvian brother stopped the cars in jungle and climbed a little hill on the side of a mountain. I will try to describe to you the beauty that surrounded us. We were completely surrounded by mountains, about quarter mile below us was a flowing river and across the gourge parallel with us was a waterfall that was hundreds of feet tall. In my spiritual life I have begun to see more of how Satan attacks us and the tactics he uses to weaken us. Its scares me sometimes to think of how he is so desperately trying to find a foothold in our lives. But standing on that cliff worshiping with my Father looking around and being reminded of how big and powerful he is. To know that I serve someone so faithful and strong in comparison it makes Satan seem so small. God blessed me so much on that trip and reminded me not to worry for the one who made all that is with me each day.
When we arrived back to Lima things have really started picking up for us. One big work that started up once we got back was the satellite school of preaching. Our coordinator has been searching for a building to house the school but had no luck. So he came to me and my two guy teammates to ask us if we wouldn't mind housing the school in our living room. How it works is there is a very high-tech webcam that is hooked up to the internet and receives streaming video from classes that are being taught in spanish in the states. The teachers in the states can see our classroom hear and answer question that our students have. The webcam has voice recognition so when a student has a question the camera will turn to whoever is asking the question and focus on that person. So we spent all weekend last week getting everything set up for school. The schools purpose is to train the men here to become fully capable preachers. It will be just like any preaching school in the states, I am really excited to see what might come of this.
Many of you have probably heard of the 8.0 earthquake that shook most of Peru. Its origin was southwest of Lima of the coast in the pacific. When the earthquake hit Lima I had just left my apartment to go get something to eat and then I started to hear something. It sounded like a really strong wind but I didn't feel any wind at all. I heard a gate beside me begin to shake very hard. I didn't understand what was going on at all. I looked up and saw the power lines above me dancing back and forth and then I thought "earthquake". I immediately ran as fast as I could back to my house. The rest of my team was there with some teens that had come for our small group. We got everyone out of the apartment and huddled up together in the middle of the street. It was eeriest feeling I have ever had before in my life. To feel the earth move back and forth beneath you and move you with it, and then it got worse. It became more violent and wondered if it were going to stop. The lights on our block all went out and then I saw three tranformers on the power line poles blow up. It lasted from beginning to end about two minutes but seemed like forever. It still doesn't seem like it was real. There was not any structural damage done to our apartment and no one was hurt. Lima didn't receive the worst of the earthquake. Three towns south of Lima were devastated. Chincha, Ica, and Pisco is where the earthquake was the worst. In the past week our coordinator had just established a church in Chincha so we were very concerned for the people there. The building that the church meets in collapsed partially. All of the members are OK some have lost family members and friends. So please keep the people of Peru in your prayers. The president of Peru declared a state of emergency and has requested help for the cities devastated by the quakes. Our coordinator and four of my teammates left to spend the day in Chincha to bring relief. They brought supplies to help with the needs and also just wanted to be there for encouragement.
Thank you for taking the time to read this really long update. I am sorry it has been so long since I have updated everyone on what has been going on. I love you all and thank you for the love and support you give me.