New Teammate

Big news for team Peru! As of last Tuesday we have a new team member. David Keith Dowell was born at 4:00 p.m. and weighs healthy six pounds (for all the moms reading this I know you want to know the stats). In the picture to the left is my missionary Paul looking at his first baby boy. Paul and Amy have two girls Helena(6) and Katelyn (3). We prayed with Paul the day before David was born and Paul said some very touching things. To hear a father pray "may you save his soul" pierced my heart. He also prayed "may you raise him to be a strong warrior in your army and fight the darkness". Those things really shows how Paul has an amazing perspective on life and what really matters. Please pray for baby David and the family's safety.

I also ask for prayers for another David here in Peru. Two weeks ago I started studying once a week with a member of the church that hadn't been coming very regularly. David is 27 and is the only member of his family in the church. It is a bible study but is focused on discipleship. I have never done any focused discipleship before this so it is a learning process for me. One thing about disciplining others is that you can easily get into the wrong mindset about who is the one that is teaching. God has shown me that I am not the teacher but only a brother who is directing the focus on the source of our power which is God and his word. It has been such a humbling experience studying with David. Something we have been studying these past weeks is worry and anxiety. So David tells me he struggles with worries and we begin to look up verses on peace and not worrying. And after going through all these verses David asks "what do you do"? And then it hit me that I have not been living out the same verses that I was showing him. God is doing just as much work in me as he is in him and I love it! I love that two brothers one American and one Peruvian can come together and read their Father's words and grow and be strengthened. I see so much potential for David to be a leader in the Church here. Please pray for him often because he is such a threat against the evil one that I am sure Satan will be attacking him in any way he can.

We have been planning for about a month to take the whole church in Lima to visit the church in Chincha. Chincha is one of the towns that was damaged by the earthquake over a month ago. We loaded up two charter buses on Sunday morning with all of the members from Lima for the three hour trip. Then met the members of Chincha in a park and a beautiful service together. There were 160 people worshipping together and it was awesome to see God bring us together as family in that moment. Even though it meant so much to me I know that it was more encouraging for those families that had been through so much. After worship we shared an amazing Peruvian meal and played soccer and volleyball. Before we left we distributed 12 care packages to 12 families. These packages will provide enough food for each family for a month. Being used by God to encourage and help others is such an amazing blessing. I feel like God is really using me here and that gives me so much strength. Pray that my heart will be completely devoted to him. Also please pray that I can learn this language. After trying to learn another language you realize why God used speaking in tongues in the first century to spread his word. Pray for me to have patience. I love you brothers and sisters and am strengthened by your love and support.

With love,

Brandon