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March 1997 | May 1997 | July 1997 | | Read This Week in Peru | Missionary Thoughts | Home
Dear Pastor and Praying Friends,
Greetings from Arequipa, Peru. We arrived in Arequipa in the midst of the rainy season. Peruvians say it’s the worst rainy season in 60 years, but we have enjoyed our first month in Peru.
We have much to thank the Lord for. We praise the Lord for giving us safety as we traveled to Peru and for the opportunity to travel with veteran missionary Austin Gardner and his family as they returned from their furlough. It was a real blessing when we arrived to have a family that already spoke Spanish and knew their way around to help us through customs, find a house etc. etc. In our last prayer letter we mentioned several prayer requests. We praise the Lord that He has heard and answered your prayers. We were able to find a house shortly after arriving in Peru. It has a nice yard for the kids to play in which is rare for a Peruvian home. We had also asked you to pray that God would provide the funds for the shipping of the container from Lima to Arequipa and the customs fee we would have to pay. Getting it to Arequipa and through customs cost us $1200, we thank you for your prayers. We praise the Lord that He provided that need before we left for Peru.
While in language school we will be working in Iglesia Biblica Bautista "Hunter", pastored by Austin Gardner. The church is preparing to add a third story to their current building. Many of the church members have donated bricks and bags of cement to the construction project. Due to the poverty in Peru the church members are collecting paper and cardboard and other objects that can be sold to make money for the addition. We were able to help by purchasing some steel rods to help in the construction. The total cost of the addition will be approximately $5,000. Since our arrival we have also been able to help rent a small building to put a Christian bookstore in. The bookstore will give us the opportunity to talk with many people in the market area that will shop, but not come to church. Please pray that we will be able to reach people through this endeavor. Please pray for the Peruvian Bible College and the Hunter Christian School as classes have just begun. A Peruvian school year is March through December.
We are very grateful for your faithful prayers and support. May God continue to bless you as you serve Him.
In Christ,
The Staley’s
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Dear Pastor and Praying Friends,
Hola! We are now at the half way point of our first book in language school. There are four more to follow. We are beginning to understand a little more and are able to communicate a few things, but we have not mastered the language by any means. Here is a good example of what it is like to not understand what is happening around you. Last week the Peruvians celebrated Labor day on May 1 and the church held a picnic in the morning. That night at church everyone wanted to know where we were, but we had no idea what they were talking about. They had announced it for two or three Sundays, but we didn’t have a clue!!
We need your prayers for the Bible College land. The land was bought six years ago by Austin Gardner with the hopes of moving the Bible College to the land in the future. In the last couple of months squatters have moved on to the land to build their houses. Bro. Gardner and the men are in the process of getting the legal paperwork done and the people removed. Please pray that all the land that is rightfully owned will be returned. Please also pray that God would provide the much needed financial support to continue the building of the dorms and classrooms.
I have been writing an article called "This week in Peru" and been sending it out over the Internet. It is just some information on what happens in the week of a missionary. If anyone in your church has access to the Internet and would be interested in receiving the article contact me at (mstaley@mail.cosapidata.com.pe). We would like to keep you as informed as possible about what is happening in the life of your missionaries.
As I was sitting in my office the other night looking over the calendar I used on deputation. I began to remember the churches we have been to, the pastors we have meet, and all the great people we have gotten to know. I thanked the Lord that he called me to be a missionary. I thank Him for the privilege to serve Him here in Peru. I would like to thank you for allowing us to be your missionaries in Peru.
In Christ,
The Staley’s
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Dear Pastor and Praying Friends,
In my last prayer letter I asked you to pray for the Bible College land and the problems with the squatters on the land. I would like to share with you what happened shortly after my prayer letter was sent. This is taken from "This week in Peru" an article I send out over the Internet.
Wednesday started like any other day with language school in the morning. After language school I headed to the Bible College land to work. About six hundred yards away from the land a man ran down the hill and stopped me. He was yelling for me to go to the police, he told me, in what I could understand, that the invaders were throwing rocks and had torn down the dining hall that we had built the previous day. You must remember that he was saying all of this in Spanish very rapidly. I trusted the man and took him to the police station with me. After all, how bad could a man in short shorts and flip-flops hurt me? I followed the police back to the land. One of the ladies started yelling at me calling me a gringo. I replied in a calm voice, "No entiendo Espanol." She did not know what to say then. When the police left the land with two of the "matones"( hired killers), I had to leave also because the invaders started to throw rocks at my truck. During the attack, Bro. Austin was hit several times in the head by the invaders. He currently has 10 stitches in his head. Several of the Peruvians also suffered injuries while trying to protect Bro. Gardner. Besides all the personal injuries suffered the thieves also destroyed the dining hall and the dorm room which had approximately $5000 invested in them. They used much of the material to begin building their homes on their new conquered territory.
Please continue to pray for the Bible College land as it is going through the court system. The lawyers said the land should be returned to the Hunter Baptist Church by the end of June. We have heard no word as of yet. Please pray that this matter will be settled soon.
Last Thursday I was able to preach my first message in Spanish. It was only five minutes in length but with a limited vocabulary it seemed like an hour. I shared a message I had gleaned from my morning devotions in Spanish.
Thank you for your faithful support and prayers.
In Christ,
Michael, DeAnna, Joshua, Caleb and Bethany Psalms 91:1
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Dear Pastor and Praying Friends,
We would like to thank the Lord for the many visitors he has sent to Peru the last two months. There have been twenty-seven in total. The first group that visited was the youth group from Whitfield Baptist Church in Dalton, GA. We had the privilege of hosting 6 of these young people in our home. During their stay the entire group meet for devotions in the morning and then a full day of sight-seeing and soul-winning followed. One day we went to the town of Yura, a town of about 2,500 people with no gospel witness, and passed out tracts to the entire community. The second major group came with Macedonia’s Caribbean director Alan Saunders. He leads the ACTS group, a group of college age students interested in the mission field. Along with sight-seeing in Arequipa they were also able to travel to Cuzco and Machu-Picchu. They were able to pass out tracts and participate in the work on the mission field. If you have any college age students in your church this might be a great opportunity for them next summer. If you have any questions about the program please contact Alan Saunders at Macedonia (770)963-9079.
The other group of visitors we had last month were uninvited, they were robbers. During the night, with seven adults in our home and no one hearing a sound, some robbers came in and stole several of our things. In all we lost about $1500 worth of stuff. The hardest item to part with was the boy’s bikes as they were just learning how to ride them. It was so unbelievable that at first I thought the Americans staying with us were playing a trick on us, but that was not the case. Please pray for Caleb as every night he asks if the thieves are coming again. Even though we lost the material possessions, we thank the Lord for watching over us and protecting our family and visitors.
The court case for the Bible College land is coming to an end. We should know shortly the verdict. Thank you for your prayers thus far and please continue to pray that justice will be served.
We have one request for all of the Pastors. If possible, could you please send us a tract with your picture or church name and address. I am making a bulletin board called "Helping Hands" it will be comprised of your church tract and the names of those that are praying and financially supporting us. I will use this with my family to pray for you and your church. Thank you for your help in this area. Our address is: Michael Staley, Casilla 1464, Arequipa, Peru S.A.
In Christ,
The Staley’s Michael, DeAnna, Joshua, Caleb and Bethany Psalms 37:4
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