GREAT DOORS ARE OPENING!

My last Blog was written on Saturday, July 4th. Today is Thursday, well it was, because it is just about over. This week has gone very fast. So allow me to fill you in on the happenings since Saturday.

Saturday we spent the day with Doctor Roger (MD) and Magaly and Abigail (their 5 month old daughter.) Roger went with me as my interpreter for the Saturday evening service at Escuela Biblica Corazon En Fuego where Hector Carpio, the engineer on the Hodges home is connected. The Church has one of our largest University classes - 44 in the 3rd Trimester and 20 in the 1st Trimester. It is about 25 minutes from the airport and in a very, very poor area.

Pacto De Vida’s success there is very exciting. Not only does the local Church have many students but their students come from other area Churches and include several pastors. I was able to spend about 45 minutes sharing with a couple of them. Their excitement about what they have learned is indeed gratifying and helps to propel me forward to do more to help them do the work of Christ among their own people.

Sunday, we departed from Jicamarca earlier than we, David and I, needed because we had the incorrect information about the starting time of our morning service at Iglesia Pentecostal de Santidad, with Pastor Jorge & Janine Watanabe. He is the superintendent of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church here in Peru. Upon arrival we discovered that the pastor was very sick with the flu and that many of the congregation were also sick. But in-spite of not having any musicians we had a good service.

We returned back to Jicamarca just in time to stretch out for 45 minutes and then prepare for the evening service at Iglesia Vida (Life Church) pastored by our own David and Ceci Hodges and boys. Sometimes you’d think that their eldest, “El-E-L” (I just discovered I do not know how to spell his name) was the pastor to listen to him. Anyway, wearing my leather sport jacket and my Ukrainian black sweater shirt, I made it through another cold evening at Church without any heat – the Holy Spirit and fire assisted greatly.

Monday, I spent the entire day going from one place to another in the greater Lima area to accomplish many tasks. The most interesting was that of having the privilege of hosting four pastors from Lima. These men are the officers of the “Fraternity of Leaders of Fraternities of Pastors of Peru.” That is the only way I know how to explain who they are. You will understand more in a moment.

The purpose of the meeting was to share with them about Pacto De Vida (Covenant Life University). The President wanted to meet me and discuss the university prior to my sharing with the Presidents of the Fraternities of Pastors throughout Peru. There will be 100 of them gathering tomorrow, Friday. Together these men represent all the Fraternities of Pastors in all of Peru. The bottom line is this: They represent literally thousands of Churches in Peru.

Now listen to this: The government of Peru is or has prepared a bill that will require all pastors to have an education equivalent or parallel to that of the Catholic Priests. Meaning, that the majority of the pastors of Peru do not have an Biblical education. AND THAT MEANS: Pacto De Vida is being given the opportunity to share how it can help educated the pastors and they can remain at their task of pastoring their churches and keep their jobs and not leave their homes to fulfill the requirements of this law.

I felt like Esther - destiny wise: “For Such A Time As This!” Here I am, the doors swinging wide open to the entire nation of spiritual leaders of all faiths! All four pastors opened their hearts and gave me complete support to be the first item on the agenda on Friday morning! One offered his lawyer to help Pacto De Vida secure government registration. Another shared how the classes have impacted his Church and how many were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke with tongues as they listened to A.L. Gill teach on the Holy Spirit.

The President, who teaches at three or four different Bible Colleges said that he was completely behind our method of Biblical Education and offered to teach any course that would assist and allow us to use it on DVD without any fees attached. Another, who speaks excellent English and also is fluent in Quechua - the language of the mountain people said he would donate his time and effort to assist in dubbing any teaching into the Quechua tongue.

And then the evening concluded with 25% of the people present in Jicamarca being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in Tongues! Well, allow me to say that means five – an another so hungry and so close but fear kept him back. This was the culmination of the teaching on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the Initial Physical Evidence of Speaking With Tongues – a four part, four hour teaching requested by Pastor Hodges.

Tuesday was a repeat of time spent traveling in Lima to complete the tasks begun on Monday, picking up my laptop that had developed even more serious problems (I hope it will last until I can get my new one). And shopping for a new printer for the University here – the other one developed a leak in the ink system and ruined the mother-board – we are still looking and checking prices.

We had to do some last minute grocery shopping so we would have the necessary food for the guests for supper. Pastor Agustin and Jessica Ciccia and their three children and Pastor Gustavo and Jenny Rodriquez who had been invited by the Hodges to eat with us. They are close friends of the Hodges and also are special to us. And, well, after picking up some material for the Restaurant being built on the Church property to assist with local expenses, I made it back just in time to sit a spell and then get geared up for the evening.

Let me tell you – a trip to Lima and its many, many adjacent “burgs” is an all day, tiring trip even with a car and a driver. I can’t imagine doing it by foot, moto-cab, taxi, bus and then repeating the same to get back home. Yet the Hodges have no other means at this time.

Wednesday was a day off! Hush! I am not “off every day!” It was good to relax, but it also meant that we had to complete many small tasks, and then pack to be ready to leave at 3:30 AM Thursday to take Marilyn to the airport for her 7:05 departure for Miami and home. It would have been easier but some of the people of the Church decided that Marilyn needed to spend some time with them – the ladies! So they arrived and she did! They finally departed at 11:30 PM! We completed the necessary things and decided to shower, shave, etc. before retiring since the generator was on and we had electricity for lights – which we would not have at 2:45 AM!

Problem! Sleep never arrived! At least for me, though I thought I heard some strange sounds from the bunk below. Please be careful how you handle this. No one needs to know that my lovely wife makes sounds that sound like “snoring.” So we completed the hours and departed from Jicamarca at 3:35 AM and did find the airport and Dunkin Donuts as well as “Starbucks” – which between the two it helped the body do without the sleep it wanted.

Marco and I said good-by to Marilyn about 5:20 AM and made our way to my new place of abode – at the International Pentecostal Church Headquarters here in Peru which also houses the Church pastored by Jorge Watanabe.

Dan Clowers, the Latin American - Caribbean Missions Director had offered me a room in his apartment and I had accepted, provided he take me out to eat “Alpaca Steak”. However, due to the death of his mother, he is not here. Thanks Dan and may God bless and strengthen you at this time.

Marco and I crashed for two hours, worked for four, caught some food at a very nice buffet filled with a Chinese-Peruvian mixed foods and drink – all for 50 soles (divide by 3 to get dollars). Since I thought it would be my first and only meal today, and I had only one meal yesterday – I took advantage of the great food – including chevechi (fish cooked in lemon juice). It was great!

Then back to the bed for another nap and up and back to work on the presentation for the Fraternity of Pastors tomorrow.

Here I sit - tired, glad I have finished this blog, and very happy to be back in communication via the internet and can catch up on some very important communications and work.

God bless!

Dr D (Marilyn is home! I spoke with her and watched her via Skype and the computer.)