July
26
God has brought forth a great day, for
our team has united. Wendy, Stacy and Gayle were the
first to arrive into Lima, after a five day journey
of Cuzco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu, all
nestled in the Andy Mountain's of Peru. Next, Lauren
arrived safely from her home in Minnesota. The break
of a new day brought the rest of the team from the
Crete Berean Church into the welcoming arms of a crew
from the La Roca Church congregation. After the bus
was loaded with people and luggage, we paused to raise
our praises and thanks to God. The bus ride back from
the airport to the La Roca Compound was filled with
excited voices, praises, much laughter, wonder and
fatigue. The sights from the bus window portrayed
the differences in the physical landscape and painted
a glimpse of the living conditions of so many Peruvians.
The team arrived to the church compound and quickly
laid their heads on their pillows just after 3 am.
We are thankful for your many prayers on behalf of
our travel and look forward to sharing God's story
of Love.
The Team
July 27
Hola from Peru! Our first day at La
Roca was amazing! We spent all day getting prepared
for the kickoff of the family camp. We set up some
tents, painted the soccer field, and made sure that
everything was ready to go. For the next three days
families from around the area will be staying on the
church compound. Every morning we will start with
praise and worship, a testimony from one of the coaches,
and a message. The afternoon is filled with fun crafts,
crazy games, and great fellowship. It has been amazing
to see how the LORD has already broken down the language
and cultural barriers to reach the hearts of everyone
here. God really is that big! It has been amazing
to see the hearts of those who serve at La Roca everyday.
They see how desperate the people are in need of hearing
the love of Jesus Christ, they are willing to go to
any measure to do it. It has been an honor to serve
side by side our brothers and sisters in Christ. Even
though we live on completely different hemispheres
it is encouraging knowing that we are fighting on
the same lines and fighting the same victorious battle,
for the souls of the lost. It has been very humbling
and God has truly opened our eyes to how blessed we
are. Please pray for a deeper understanding of God's
love and his heart for the lost. If we truly understood
the depth of God's love and His heart complacency
would not be a word in our Christian vocabulary. Also,
continue to pray for a servant's heart, endurance,
and for the freedom of the LORD to move in miraculous
ways. We cry out for more of you LORD! We need to
see you, hear you and not man! We need you to show
up so Heaven can celebrate the names added to the
Book of Life. Thank you so much for being our prayer
warriors. May God bless you and draw you nearer to
Him.
By His Grace,
Amanda
July 28
Friday was the first full day of family camp here
at La Roca (the church where we are staying). There
are over 100 people of all ages from 2 different churches.
The day was full of many activities - worship through
music, speakers, craft time with the younger kids,
Bible study/small group time for the older kids and
adults in the morning. Sports clinics (a multi-generational
event which was pretty cool), free time, and crazy
games in the afternoon. The evening had some more
free time, followed by supper, indoor games, a time
of teaching, and a movie about faith.
It was a full day, but the SportReach team was glad
to get to meet and interact with the Peruvian people.
It is clear the people here genuinely love and care
for one another and they have not been hesitant in
sharing that with us. Although the language difference
and lack of ability to communicate in conversation
was frustrating at times during the day, the frustrations
quickly disappeared when we spoke the same language
of a common activity. Robbie was able to teach some
kids how to throw a football. Derek, Amanda, John
H., and John W. have played some impromptu soccer
games. Kayla, Lauren, and Gayle have helped kids create
crafts to help them understand the camp theme (Psalm
127:1). Kirk has been able to have conversations with
some of the leaders here. Natasha has been able to
share what she knows about volleyball during the clinic
time. Stacy got to hold some kids and just love on
them during one of the talks. Wendy had a great time
doing dishes with the team Friday night. John L.,
Taylor, Kayla, and Lisa got to practice some songs
with a very musically talented teenager from La Roca.
We know that it is no coincidence that each of us
is here for a purpose. God has designed each of us
and has given us every previous experience to be here
in Peru for such a time as this. Please pray that
we would find ways to and encourage our brothers and
sisters here. Pray that we would find ways to love
them through actions and deeds when we don't have
the words to say. Pray that they would be challenged
to grow in their faith and that they would in turn
share their faith with people in their spheres of
influence as they leave camp on Sunday. Pray that
we would seek the heart of God so that we can do what
pleases Him during our time here.
Blessings,
Lisa
P.S. Everyone is feeling fine other than the occasional
tiredness. And there were no major injuries yesterday
other than Robbie getting bit in the bum by one of
the guard dogs. :) But all is well. Thank you for
your continued prayers for health and safety!
July 29
Hola! What an amazing experience this has been so
far! The people have been on fire for God here and
it is rubbing off of one another. The unity of brothers
and sisters in Christ is being shown here. Even though
we have a language barrier between us it hasn't stopped
us. We realize that it is our hearts that matter and
not words.
The family camp has been incredible! Today was the
final day of putting on clinics for this camp. Just
helping with basketball yesterday was incredible!
Everyone seemed to really love the scrimmage we had.
There were many many laughs.
We had crazy competitions, which were very fun. We
played soccer with a huge ball, carried people on
stretchers, played tug of war, and many other things.
Everything here is all out. Those who don't play stand
off to the side and dance and sing for their team.
It is awesome and I have never seen anything like
it!
We can't thank you enough for your prayers and support.
Just yesterday we saw the power of prayer. On our
way down here we thought we might miss our flight
due to weather, after running through about the whole
airport we made it. Today we just found out that we
were being prayed for about our flight at the exact
time we thought we might miss it! Praise the Lord!
We ask that you continue to pray for us. In the coming
days we will be putting on sport clinics and this
is were a lot of the nonbelievers will be. Pray for
open hearts!
In Christ,
Jon Hofer for the team
July 30
Hello All,
Sunday was the final day of the family camp here
at La Roca. The day was set apart for the families
to come together for a large worship service. A time
of praise and worship, teaching, testimonies, communion,
and salvation invitation completed our time. What
an amazing thing God is doing here! To be a part of
something where communication is limited in understanding
but know that the spirit is ministering to your heart
and you know that you know that God is moving; is
absolutely beyond each of us. We were reminded how
God's provision for us is so complete that He gives
us more than we can think or imagine!
The relationships that were built were so real, so
family, so loving that we know that we are part of
the larger family of God. Many hugs, kisses, blessing,
and tears were shed as families left. We will see
them again either here or in heaven. What a magnificent
and diverse God we serve.
The day was finished by the annual La Roca vs. La
Roca Eterna Soccer match under the lights at La Roca.
One of our own, Robbie Trent, was the goalie for La
Roca Eterna. It is an incredible sight to see the
Peruvians play soccer. Finally, the Sportreach team
competed in a basketball match beating the La Roca
team at night. Juan had and all star team this year
and put a good effort as Robbie Trent, Taylor Seibert,
Jon Hofer, Wendy Vork and John Wiedeman were too quick
for team La Roca. Pray for rest as we head into the
next week of service here.
May God continue to quicken our ear, minds and bodies
to His will here reaching many with the gospel of
Jesus Christ.
In Christ
Kirk & Natasha Kingston
July 31
Hola from Peru! It was an amazing Monday here in
Lima. We had the "day off" today and did
some sightseeing. We left around 10:00 this morning
and first went to some pre-Inca ruins not far from
the compound. Those were quite intriguing and had
some interesting stories behind them. There were some
amazing photo opportunites as we were up on a mountain
and could see the ocean just a few miles away and
much of the city on the other side. It was a great
time to look around and see how amazingly God has
blessed us with His creation. Next we went to the
ocean and the team ran around on the beach for a while.
The water was quite cold but I think I speak for everyone
when I say I really wanted to get in the water. However,
we had to settle for taking our shoes off and trying
to outrun the waves. It was a good time, seeing the
waves and the massive body of water, and just another
testament to God's power and greatness. In the afternoon
we actually went into Lima to the old downtown area.
There we just walked around and passed out gospel
tracts and talked to people interested in receiving
Jesus Christ as their Savior. I was amazed at the
openness of these Peruvian people to the gospel and
the interest nearly each one of them showed when presented
with a tract or conversation. The team then went to
St. Francisco's Monestary (a 3+ century church) and
got to see some amazing arcitechture and murals. They
actually buried the monks of the church below the
church floors in the catacombs. We got to go into
these underground burial sites where we saw the bones
of around 25,000 deceased members of the church. It
was rather spooky, to say the least. We then walked
by the presidential palace and on to Lima's Central
Park. This was the time God showed up in a huge way.
We were just walking around talking to people and
Alexis began talking to three or four people. In less
than a minute, there was a crowd of at least 60 people
listening to him present the gospel. Several SportReach
members had to jump in with the Evangecubes so no
one would miss what Alexis was presenting. We were
forced to stop by police because it was prohibited
to have such a large group of people together in the
park. Seconds later there was another group of about
40 people talking with Lisa and some other team members.
It was just amazing to see God work and see how hungry
these people are to hear the Word of God. They need
it so badly here and most of them are very open to
listen to the free gift that they have the chance
to receive. Anyways, this is a long update, but today
was an amazing day and God showed us just a sample
of how ripe the harvest for souls is around the world.
Praise Him for his faithfulness and how He continues
to amaze us here. Thanks for all the prayers and please
keep praying for lives to be changed and God's will
to be done. God bless!
In Him,
John Wiedeman & Tay Siebs
August 1
Our day today was spent doing our first
sports clinic on the streets of a suburb of Lima called
Jose Galvas. This area is close to the church we are
working with. In fact, a couple that attends church
at La Roca requested that we bring a camp to this
area. Discipleship is an important part of spiritual
growth and at La Roca, this might mean a small group
called a cell group. This couple has been organizing
a cell group and wanted our team to present a camp
as an outreach to the families that live in the area
around where they live. As the morning began it was
great to watch campers and SportReachers spill out
of the hillside down onto the court. Slowly, more
children and adults began to trickle onto the courts
where we conducted mini-camps in volleyball, basketball,
and soccer.
Teaching children is a way God has gifted me specifically
so for me, this was a rewarding experience. John W.,
Taylor, and I presented the mind, body and soul talks
which are integral parts of the SportReach philosophy
of reaching the total person. We also had the opportunity
to present the gospel through a drama performed by
the La Roca youth group, a painting presented by Bryan
also from La Roca, and through our words which were
aided by a tool called an Evangacube. These small
1 1/2 inch cubes are similar to a puzzle as they allow
you to tell the gospel through pictures that are displayed
on each side of the cube. As you flip the cube, the
parts essentially move inside out which often draws
children as they enjoy seeing how the pictures come
together. About 120 individuals prayed to have Jesus
forgive their sins and come into their hearts. For
Peruvians, this is very different from the idea that
your good works will allow you to go to heaven. Many
Peruvians feel hopeless as they are dependent upon
their own goodness to get to heaven so this news of
grace is like water to a thirsty soul. For me, perhaps
this has been the greatest lesson of our trip. God's
Word is truly a thirst quencher; I often forget what
it is like to be parched because my life is so satured
with His goodnesss.
For SportReach-Kayla Spence
August 2
Often times in the states we find ourselves
saying the phrase, (God is good; all the time; all
the time; God is good. (Somehow, that phrase takes
a new meaning when you see soul after soul being born
into the family of God.
Today was no exception to this truth. Our sports clinics
took place in a suburb on the extreme North side of
Lima. This required us to take a two hour bus ride
from La Roca Church. We stopped half way for about
half an hour at a Walmart-esk store, as we waited
for Betsy Hoefer to join us. We got back on the road
and made it to the park excited to do God's work.
Due to time, we didn't do door to door invites, but
God provided once again as the kids flowed in. It
was an older group of children today, with more skill
and attention spans. We were able to go more in depth
than the day before, when it came to the sports. When
it comes to the Gospel, it knows no age.
So, we were able to express God's love in the same
fashion as times before.
Ben Watson gave his testimony followed by Kirk's mind
talk. Both were very affective and the kids seemed
to truly enjoy their words. John Hoffer delivered
a solid body talk followed by a strong drama that
shows the power of God in Jesus Christ. The Gospel
was presented and souls were won for the Lord. We
ate lunch at the church that we were partnering with
and returned to the park. As our bus rolled up the
dirt road the kids were gathered and ready storm the
bus. It was encouraging to see their excitement, but
we know that they were excited to experience more
of Christ's love, not necessarily spend more time
with a bunch of Americans.
Some schools in this neighborhood were in session.
Therefore, we saw a number of different school uniform
come and go from our clinics. It gave us a great opportunity
to pray for the schools and the ripe harvest that
exists within those locations. More sports and Gospel
presentations filled the afternoon and nearly a hundred
people were recorded as accepting Christ. Our bus
ride was broken up a couple of times. We were able
to experience the Ancon beach and an overheated bus.
As smoke poured out of the engine the Peruvians never
lost their joy and even took advantage of the opportunity
to share Christ with a few police officers that were
on the side of the road.
It was such an example for us Americans to see what
it means to not worry and find joy in the Lord. The
bus ride quickly became a three hour tour. We can't
wait for tomorrow and want to express our thanks for
your continued prayer. God Bless.
Robbie Trent
August 3
Today was the last Sports Clinic. We traveled to
a small area close to the compound and set to work.
Alexis gave us a short "pep talk" and read
us the verse Luke 5 :1-11. Basically it said to "put
down your nets on the side of the boats and I will
supply the fish, more than you can imagine..".
When we arrived we went out into the community and
handed out fliers for kids to tell them about the
clinic. We walked around for about 15 minutes handing
out the fliers and then went back to start the camp.
We were a little disappointed in the number of kids
that were there to begin with, but Alexis reminded
us that at that time it was still very early for people
to be up and moving around. He said that there will
be more to come. We started the sports camp with around
20 kids and by the time lunch rolled around the numbers
were amazing. We put out our nets , and God proved
the people. There were at least 20 to 30 kids actively
doing each sport ( 60 -90 kids total). That day three
people shared their testimony and Mind, Body, and
Soul talks. John W. shared his testimony and talked
about how important it was to have your mind set on
God. Amanda B. then shared her testimony and the Body
talk. For the Soul talk Robbie T. shared his testimony
and then explained all the different ways a person
can try to fill their soul, but the only true way
was with God. He did this by demonstrating a person
was a deflated soccer ball and they were trying to
get filled up with these different things ( a air
pump), but nothing worked except God. It was an incredible
last sports clinic being finished with a dynamic drama
that featured four people (included Lisa B.), four
people as Demons (included Amanda B., John W.), and
then of course Jesus (Kirk K.).
That night the team then traveled into downtown Lima
to the University of Lima for a little pickup game
of basketball. It was the team of Sportreach (Jon
H., John L., John W., Taylor S., Wendy V., Robbie
T., and Juan B.) versus the Lima junior national team
( and yes they were AMAZING!!) While the basketball
team was playing most of the girls and Alexis went
over and started a volleyball game with some of the
locals playing. After the game Alexis shared the gospel
with them (six in all) and they all accepted Christ!
Praise God!! After the basketball game had finished
Taylor shared his testimony and then Alexis shared
the gospel. No one accepted Christ publicly, but they
were all given the chance, that is what matters. As
Alexis said , "We have planted the seed, now
it is up to that person and God." Overall the
day was very satisfying and productive. What a great
way to end our sports clinics.
A huge thank you to all our supporters and for all
the people praying for our team. Yours prayers are
felt each and every day. God bless and we will hopefully
see you very soon!
Derek Spence
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August 4
Today was our "shopping day". It was a
day to sleep in, which I know everyone was thrilled
about. We started out with a plan to leave at around
11:30. However, we began our team devo's and that
changed. (Here there is no such thing as a "plan"..its
non-existent-just go with the flow.) As a group we
talked about how God has used the power of prayer
this week, and how He has used the prayers of others
to impact our team. James 5:16 says, "The prayer
of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
This is so true, and I know as a team we know it from
experience. We ended up praying as a team which was
one of the most awesome experiences on the trips.
After the prayer, it was about 12:00, so we decided
to eat lunch at the compound. After lunch we all loaded
up on the bus and drove to the Indian Market. This
is where we did all of our shopping. It was little
shops, that almost all had the same thing. Many used
this opportunity to share the gospel. After shopping,
Alexis had a great idea to go over to the beach and
watch the sunset. However, in Peru in the winter,
there is no such thing as sun. It became the big joke.
We still went to the beach, but when we looked out
to see the sunset, all we saw was a white horizon.
It was funny though. We played on the beach for a
while then went to dinner. We ate at this really nice
restaurant right on the beach. They were playing some
music, and we decided to give them a Christian cd
to put in. What a great witness to those at the restaurant
as our table sat and sang the songs. After dinner
we went to the mall and got ice cream, then went and
saw the team off. Gayle, Stacy, and Wendy's flights
leave at around 10 am tomorrow. Heather, Ben, and
I leave at 11:30 tomorrow night. Praise be to God
for the trip He has allowed all of us to take. I know
each and every one has taken something different away
from it. Like the Peruvians, may we make the most
of EVERY opportunity. Look for open doors to share
the good news of Christ. I will leave you with a verse...
Psalm 111: 1, 9 says,
"Praise the Lord....
He provided redemption for his people;
he ordained his covenant forever-
holy and awesome is his name."
Lauren Binkley
