Hi everyone, you can click on these images to make them larger for easier reading. Enjoy!
Friday, December 19, 2008
December 2008 Newsletter
Hi everyone, you can click on these images to make them larger for easier reading. Enjoy!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Medical Clinic at Sector 3 Church
These are pictures from the medical clinic the team held last week at the Sector 3 church in San Juan de Lurigancho. They had general medicine, dental, and vision clinics. Unfortunately, Alex and I were so busy, we didn't get to take many pictures. The team saw 160 patients the first day and 290 patients on the second day! They worked incredibly efficiently and with great love and care for each person! Well done, faithful servants of the Lord!
Nov-08 Women's Conference
God inspired the theme in me "A Way to Peace" a month or so before we held this conference, but I really didn't know why. I didn't think I was going to do more than introduce the other speakers because I didn't have anything to say. Then the night before the conference (during the men's conference night), He led me to this scripture in Matthew and told me what the women battle most is their own minds! God tells us not to worry, and if we do, we are in fact sinning! I struggle greatly in the battlefield of my mind, so it's something I had personal experience with and can empathize with these women. I told them there are three things we must do: First, we must repent and confess our sin of worrying to the Lord. Second, we must seek first His kingdom--meaning we must spend time with Him, read the Word, worship Him, and put Him first above all else in our lives. And third, we must trust that He will "give" us all that we need, as the scripture says. We don't have to earn the things we need; we don't have strive for them; we don't have to wonder if we are enough or if we do enough. Jesus says we ARE ENOUGH in Him! And so in front of them all, I got down on my knees, confessed my sin of worrying to the Lord, and told Him I wanted Him to consume my thoughts, my feelings and my life! I told Him I wanted lasting change for myself and for all the women there that night. And when I stood up and invited them to come forward for prayer with the team to do the same, they leapt from their chairs and rushed forward! Nearly every woman came forward. There wasn't a dry eye left! Praise God that He loves us and meets all our needs!
Nov-08 Missions Team Photos
This is the team in their new hats (I forgot again what they're called in Spanish) just before they flew back to the U.S. They are an awesome and joyful bunch of people whom we love dearly!
These are pictures of the Medical Clinic that the team held last week; they saw about 450 patients in just two days! That's a record!
These are pictures of the Peruvian Home Makeover described in our newsletter below. I'm hoping that some friends of ours will send us a few more than we were able to get of the rest of the house.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
We're Moving Back to Atlanta! (Oct-08 Newsletter)
We know it's sooner than expected, but we are, in fact, moving back to Atlanta this December! As you know, we have both had a recent position change within the ministry. Alex now serves as the President, and Holly, as the Director of Public Relations. We have come to realize that our efforts in these roles would accomplish more if we were living in Atlanta.
This was a difficult decision to make, as we have made many friends here in Peru. And in many ways, we still feel like we're just settling in. However, through much prayer and consideration, we believe this change of direction is a necessary step in God's will for New Covenant Ministries (NCM) and all the work that NCM is doing for the Kingdom.
Initially as President, Alex has been traveling back to the States once a month for a week or longer to address ministry needs. Beginning in January, he will do the opposite and return to Peru for an extended weekend every month to address the needs of our projects here. Before we leave in December, we will be completing our current Peruvian Home Makeover and the Phase 1 construction of our Medical/Sports Complex & Church. Next year, Alex will oversee the continual development of the Complex & Church, as well as our abused women's shelter, Pat's Place, and our girls' orphanage, Hope House.
Holly's first year of teaching ESOL is quickly coming to a conclusion. She has really enjoyed being in the classroom and seeing her students improve week by week. She is going to miss them all terribly. However, she is very excited about supporting NCM with her gifts in writing, editing and design back in the U.S. She will be assisting with mission trip planning and recruiting through regular rallies and email communication. She will also assist with general ministry fundraising for the projects and facilities described above.
We will post more updates as our plans progress. We do know we will be traveling most of December, but we hope to move into an apartment at the end of the month. Since we sold all our furniture before moving to Peru, we will have to furnish the whole apartment again! Thankfully, the Lord led us to keep our bedroom suite, so we know at least one room will be ready for us! Please pray that God provides for everything else just as He provided for our move to Peru!
Thank you for your faithful support during our year in Peru. You have been a great blessing to us and to all the people God has touched through us. We welcome your prayers and your questions, should you have any. We love and appreciate you and your families. We look forward to sharing in God's blessings with you in 2009!
In His service,
Alex & Holly
This was a difficult decision to make, as we have made many friends here in Peru. And in many ways, we still feel like we're just settling in. However, through much prayer and consideration, we believe this change of direction is a necessary step in God's will for New Covenant Ministries (NCM) and all the work that NCM is doing for the Kingdom.
Initially as President, Alex has been traveling back to the States once a month for a week or longer to address ministry needs. Beginning in January, he will do the opposite and return to Peru for an extended weekend every month to address the needs of our projects here. Before we leave in December, we will be completing our current Peruvian Home Makeover and the Phase 1 construction of our Medical/Sports Complex & Church. Next year, Alex will oversee the continual development of the Complex & Church, as well as our abused women's shelter, Pat's Place, and our girls' orphanage, Hope House.
Holly's first year of teaching ESOL is quickly coming to a conclusion. She has really enjoyed being in the classroom and seeing her students improve week by week. She is going to miss them all terribly. However, she is very excited about supporting NCM with her gifts in writing, editing and design back in the U.S. She will be assisting with mission trip planning and recruiting through regular rallies and email communication. She will also assist with general ministry fundraising for the projects and facilities described above.
We will post more updates as our plans progress. We do know we will be traveling most of December, but we hope to move into an apartment at the end of the month. Since we sold all our furniture before moving to Peru, we will have to furnish the whole apartment again! Thankfully, the Lord led us to keep our bedroom suite, so we know at least one room will be ready for us! Please pray that God provides for everything else just as He provided for our move to Peru!
Thank you for your faithful support during our year in Peru. You have been a great blessing to us and to all the people God has touched through us. We welcome your prayers and your questions, should you have any. We love and appreciate you and your families. We look forward to sharing in God's blessings with you in 2009!
In His service,
Alex & Holly
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Build NCM Peru Headquarters!
We currently live in an apartment that is one of three in a former factory in San Juan de Lurigancho, Lima, Peru. The owner of the building has decided to sell it, which falls in line with the vision God gave us for making this building the NCM Peru Headquarters! This very large building can be used for so many things, such as offices, library, computer lab, classrooms, meeting space, prayer rooms, and apartments for long-term missionaries (like us) or women coming out of NCM's abused women's shelter or girl's orphanage.Check out our cause at: http://apps.new.facebook.com/causes/110080?recruiter_id=17596722
and see what you can do to help us buy this building! God bless!
Friday, August 15, 2008
June-August Newsletter
Sorry this took so long to write. There was just too much to say! (Click on each page to enlarge them so you can read them more easily.)God bless you all!
In His service,
Alex & Holly
Sunday, August 10, 2008
2008 Home Makeover
Last week we purchased the house for this year's Peruvian Home Makeover project. This is a picture of Edgar and his family right after we bought their new house. I took them to the only McDonald's in town. The house will be ready in November of this year, and our team will be there to welcome them into their new home. Buying a house here can be much easier than in the U.S. We bought the house in 2 hours, and Edgar has never seen it, nor does he know where it is. That is the best part. There are only 3 people that know where the house is at this point, so it will be a complete surprise.
The reason we purchased them a new house is because they do not have one. They rent a one-room apartment. It is 12 feet by 12 feet, and that's it. They share a bathroom with 16 other people on their floor. They live on the 4th floor, and their daughter is in a wheelchair. Edgar's daughter's name is Betsy, and she is 9 years old. She was born with Cerebral Palsy, and they spend all their money on rehab for her. Because they are not rich, they qualify for special assistance with her rehab. Edgar has been driving our teams around for the past 5 years, and their family has been amazing towards us. Betsy always has a smile on her face, and that's what makes her so awesome. This family is very loving and deserving of this house. Please pray as we work on the house and get it ready in time.
Wonderful Day
Holly had an awesome weekend. We had a great night Saturday with some friends. We made it a date night. We took our good friends Laura and Vico out to Jockey Plaza where we had a nice dinner, and then we went to see the Mummy 3. We had a really good time with them. It was Vico's first time at a Chili's. He really loved the American food. He got a steak, and Laura got the Cajun Chicken Pasta, which she really enjoyed. Anyway, it was a really nice night, and I wish we could do something like that every weekend. It just takes your mind off of work when you get to spend time with friends.
Today was a great day at church. Holly and I went to the 11am service at the sector 3 church this morning. When we first got to the door, we were asked to attend the 2 year anniversary of our sector 10 church. We currently have 12 churches that we work with here in Peru, so it was a real treat to go to the anniversary service. They really do it up here too. We had some praise and worship, a special dance, and some other special music. After that, they had a nice dinner prepared for all of us, and some cake of course.
Today was a great day at church. Holly and I went to the 11am service at the sector 3 church this morning. When we first got to the door, we were asked to attend the 2 year anniversary of our sector 10 church. We currently have 12 churches that we work with here in Peru, so it was a real treat to go to the anniversary service. They really do it up here too. We had some praise and worship, a special dance, and some other special music. After that, they had a nice dinner prepared for all of us, and some cake of course.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Jesus has Truly Blessed Us
For all of you who have been waiting for an update on our blog, here it is... We have been really busy these past couple of months. We had a chance to be in the United States for most of July, which was awesome. We spent July 4th in St. Marys, GA at Alex's family reunion. That weekend was really great because we went to the beach and didn't have to worry about anything, other than getting a sun burn. It was great trip, but as always it went by too fast. After that weekend, we returned to Atlanta to work in the ministry office, as that was our main purpose for being in the U.S. We spent those weeks working with Bruce and really helping the ministry get ready for November, which is our next big mission trip. We were also able to spend time with a lot of our supporters, which we love doing. Holly and I gained a couple pounds from all the eating out we did, but the time with friends is alway worth it.
As a lot of people already know, Alex has been asked to be the President of New Covenant Ministries, but we wanted to let others who do not know to read about it on our blog. As we wish this came with a huge pay benefit, it does not, but this does allow him to have more power to get things done in Peru. Holly has also got a new job title, and that is Director of Public Relations. She is really excited, as this is allowing her to focus a little more on marketing and creative communication, which is her expertise. She is still teaching English at the local church, but we did cut the classes back to allow her to be able to do both jobs. That was July; it came and went like each month seems to. We will be sending out our newsletter soon, so look for that. We will also post it here on the blog.
This month began with a wonderful visit from some new friends in New Jersey. The last Sunday in November, Holly got an email from a man named Dan Baker. He is from New Jersey and goes to Chapel on The Hill (www.chapelonthehill.org). Dan heard about us while surfing the internet looking for another group called Shama. Shama is a boys orphanage that we do work with, but it's not officially a part of NCM. Dan found our blog because the orphanage is here in San Juan de Lurigancho, where we also live and minister. It was truly amazing how God worked things out and allowed us to meet.
Anyway, Dan emailed Holly, and she emailed back. It was history from there. Dan and Johnny arrived last thursday, and we picked them up from the airport. For the next three days we showed them Shama, Pat's Place, Hope House, The Sports and Medical Complex, and toured Lima for a day. Shama actually had a benefit concert on Saturday night, and we were able to attend. Unfortunately, they had to leave on Sunday night, but they blessed us with their presence and allowing us to show them around. It just goes to show how God really works in our lives when we least expect it. I forgot to tell the best part. The church they belong to is only two blocks from Holly's Aunt's house in Cedar Grove. Holly and I were hoping to be in New Jersey for Christmas before we knew anything about them, and now we have more friends to see while we are there.
It is only the 5th day of the month, and already things have been busy. The sports and medical clinic is moving along. The first floor roof has been poured, and I went to buy the materials for the second floor yesterday. There's nothing like a man spending a lot of money at a hardware store! The only issue is that it is not like Home Depot, but I still like it. Today was a great day as well because we purchased the home for this year's Peruvian Home Makeover project. It took most of the year to find a home and then be able to purchase it, but the Lord has really blessed the ministry in being able to get this done. We will start the makeover process of the home by the beginning of September, and the house will be ready to present to the family by the first week of November. This is an amazing dream for this family. They have a wonderful daughter who unfortunately is in a wheelchair and cannot really talk, but she is so lively, you would not know it. She never seems to be in a bad mood or unhappy. Today after purchasing the house, I asked if I could take them to the local McDonald's, and she screamed, which meant; "You Better Believe It!"
As a lot of people already know, Alex has been asked to be the President of New Covenant Ministries, but we wanted to let others who do not know to read about it on our blog. As we wish this came with a huge pay benefit, it does not, but this does allow him to have more power to get things done in Peru. Holly has also got a new job title, and that is Director of Public Relations. She is really excited, as this is allowing her to focus a little more on marketing and creative communication, which is her expertise. She is still teaching English at the local church, but we did cut the classes back to allow her to be able to do both jobs. That was July; it came and went like each month seems to. We will be sending out our newsletter soon, so look for that. We will also post it here on the blog.
This month began with a wonderful visit from some new friends in New Jersey. The last Sunday in November, Holly got an email from a man named Dan Baker. He is from New Jersey and goes to Chapel on The Hill (www.chapelonthehill.org). Dan heard about us while surfing the internet looking for another group called Shama. Shama is a boys orphanage that we do work with, but it's not officially a part of NCM. Dan found our blog because the orphanage is here in San Juan de Lurigancho, where we also live and minister. It was truly amazing how God worked things out and allowed us to meet.
Anyway, Dan emailed Holly, and she emailed back. It was history from there. Dan and Johnny arrived last thursday, and we picked them up from the airport. For the next three days we showed them Shama, Pat's Place, Hope House, The Sports and Medical Complex, and toured Lima for a day. Shama actually had a benefit concert on Saturday night, and we were able to attend. Unfortunately, they had to leave on Sunday night, but they blessed us with their presence and allowing us to show them around. It just goes to show how God really works in our lives when we least expect it. I forgot to tell the best part. The church they belong to is only two blocks from Holly's Aunt's house in Cedar Grove. Holly and I were hoping to be in New Jersey for Christmas before we knew anything about them, and now we have more friends to see while we are there.
It is only the 5th day of the month, and already things have been busy. The sports and medical clinic is moving along. The first floor roof has been poured, and I went to buy the materials for the second floor yesterday. There's nothing like a man spending a lot of money at a hardware store! The only issue is that it is not like Home Depot, but I still like it. Today was a great day as well because we purchased the home for this year's Peruvian Home Makeover project. It took most of the year to find a home and then be able to purchase it, but the Lord has really blessed the ministry in being able to get this done. We will start the makeover process of the home by the beginning of September, and the house will be ready to present to the family by the first week of November. This is an amazing dream for this family. They have a wonderful daughter who unfortunately is in a wheelchair and cannot really talk, but she is so lively, you would not know it. She never seems to be in a bad mood or unhappy. Today after purchasing the house, I asked if I could take them to the local McDonald's, and she screamed, which meant; "You Better Believe It!"
Monday, June 23, 2008
June Update
This month has been amazing. We have seen many people saved through our street dramas, medical clinicis, and conferences. Holly had the opportunity to speak all weekend at the women's conferences. She took Alison Lusted's place as she was not able to come to Peru this June. Last night was the last of the three conferences, and Holly did an awesome job. She was preaching in front of 250 people like she was just talking to me. By the time she was finished, we asked her to stay up and give an altar call for salvation. Then she invited everyone up for prayer, and God just kept moving. The focus for the conference was on Purity, and a lot of these women got their purity back because of the healing that the Lord did in their lives.
We have also seen a lot of amazing things happen on the Drama Teams and in the Medical Clinics. Tody we had our 5th medical clinic, and there were about 200 people seen. It is amazing to see how these things go. We do a full medical clinic for those who are sick and need medicine. We also have an eye clinic for those who need glasses. We are able to give away hundreds of glasses each year during June and November. Alex was out with the Drama Team today, and we stopped at five locations and lead people to the Lord through drama. It is so amazing watching mostly teenagers work together so that people can receive Christ in their lives. These teams go to bed late most nights (12am) and get up early, but they push through all of the tiredness to get the job done. Holly and I welcome them, as it is the only time we really get to hang out with a lot of our friends here in Peru.
Holly and I pray everyone is doing well, and we look forward to seeing you all soon. Please send us an email or give us a call when you can.
We have also seen a lot of amazing things happen on the Drama Teams and in the Medical Clinics. Tody we had our 5th medical clinic, and there were about 200 people seen. It is amazing to see how these things go. We do a full medical clinic for those who are sick and need medicine. We also have an eye clinic for those who need glasses. We are able to give away hundreds of glasses each year during June and November. Alex was out with the Drama Team today, and we stopped at five locations and lead people to the Lord through drama. It is so amazing watching mostly teenagers work together so that people can receive Christ in their lives. These teams go to bed late most nights (12am) and get up early, but they push through all of the tiredness to get the job done. Holly and I welcome them, as it is the only time we really get to hang out with a lot of our friends here in Peru.
Holly and I pray everyone is doing well, and we look forward to seeing you all soon. Please send us an email or give us a call when you can.
Blessings,
Alex and Holly
Friday, June 13, 2008
An Unusual Morning
Yesterday was not a normal morning by any means. NCM's Director of Medicine, Jan, and I were suppose to start the morning by touring two new churches to decide how the medical clinics were going to be set up for next week. Apparently, we had a more important job before we were to leave the church. At about 9:45am, I heard a loud screaching sound like wheels from a bus locking up and then a loud bang. Jan happened to be close to me but did not know what had happened. I grabbed her and told her what had happened. She asked me if we should go check on the man, and I said yes. When we got over to the man, he was not moving, and there was already a big gathering of people. All of them were arguing with one another about whose fault it was, and not one of them was checking on the man. The police were already on the scene, since they stay on the corner where the accident happened. I had to tell them that we were medical professionals so we could get to the man. Jan is, of course, but I am not. The man was not moving at all, and there was blood all around his head.
I ran the 50 yards back to the church and grabbed what we needed (gloves and gauze). When I got back, other police officers had already showed up, and I had to tell them again that we were medical professionals in order to see the man. Jan and I put on gloves and did what we could to stop the bleeding from his head. The man was barely breathing and was not with it at all. Jan told him that Jesus loved him and prayed over him. We then had a pastor's wife show up next to us, and I asked her to share with him the Lord's Prayer. I saw his head move a tiny bit one time when she talked to him about being saved. After that his eyes had no life, and the ambulance was finally showing up (30 minutes after he had been hit by a bus). Unfortunately, the man died in our hands. There was not a lot we could do but hold him and pray with him. There is much more to the story, but I do not want to put that on the blog. Please pray for me, as it has been a little hard. I am not sure how to take a man dying in my hands, but I have had a lot of friends around me that I can talk to.
Blessings,
Alex
I ran the 50 yards back to the church and grabbed what we needed (gloves and gauze). When I got back, other police officers had already showed up, and I had to tell them again that we were medical professionals in order to see the man. Jan and I put on gloves and did what we could to stop the bleeding from his head. The man was barely breathing and was not with it at all. Jan told him that Jesus loved him and prayed over him. We then had a pastor's wife show up next to us, and I asked her to share with him the Lord's Prayer. I saw his head move a tiny bit one time when she talked to him about being saved. After that his eyes had no life, and the ambulance was finally showing up (30 minutes after he had been hit by a bus). Unfortunately, the man died in our hands. There was not a lot we could do but hold him and pray with him. There is much more to the story, but I do not want to put that on the blog. Please pray for me, as it has been a little hard. I am not sure how to take a man dying in my hands, but I have had a lot of friends around me that I can talk to.
Blessings,
Alex
Friday, June 6, 2008
May 2008 Newsletter
Hello wonderful people! Thanks for checking up on us and reading our newsletter. If you click on the images, they will enlarge so you can read them easier. We'd love to hear from you! We hope you are well in body and spirit. Thanks for your prayers. You are in ours too!Blessings,
Alex & Holly
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Another trip to the ER
Yesterday we tested our new health insurance. Alex has not been feeling well for two days now, but yesterday things got worse. His whole body was hurting, and he started getting a fever. The fever was at 103 when he decided it was time to make a trip to the hospital. The hospitals here are so much better when it comes to the ER. We always get to walk right in, sit on a bed, and they start the questioning. Of course, we have to answer in Spanish, because they do not speak English, but they understood that he had the flu. Alex had the symptoms about 2 weeks ago for the flu, but we thought he had shaken it. Once they saw that he had a high temperature, they decided to give him a shot to take care of the fever. The doctor gave him some medicine to help with the pain, the fever, and to kill the germs in his body. When we went to leave, the bill was about $170 dollars for less than an hour in the ER. Since our full insurance benefits kicked in on May 1st, we are covered at 90%, so we only had to pay $17 dollars. We give thanks to the Lord for allowing us to have this insurance. We are not sure why, but he still had a fever of 101 all night long, but it broke for the first time today. Alex is feeling better now, but his body still hurts all over. Plus, it is hard for both of us to sleep because of his coughing. Please continue to pray for him as he gets over the flu. Please pray that Holly does not get what Alex has. We pray everyone back home is doing well, and we look forward to hearing from you soon.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Construction Conintues...
Here is a picture of Alex at the beginning of this month digging a hole for one of the support columns. The construction for the church is really moving along. We just finished pouring the foundation for the perimeter. We should be ready to actually pour the foundation for the main floor this week.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Update on Holly's Grandmother
Thank you so very much for your thoughts and prayers for my grandmother, Domenica! I just wanted to update you quickly that she is at home now recovering. There was a mistake in her ultra sound, so she still has one kidney stone, and actually the other kidney is not functioning at all anymore. Because of that, they were not able to do the angiogram for her heart. Her heart is working at 25% and is out of rhythm. Her doctor has ordered a CAT scan, but she’s not strong enough to get out of the house for that just yet. She lost eight pounds while in the hospital and continues to lose weight.
My mother has been with her throughout this time and will be staying another week as she hopefully regains her strength. We’re not sure if she can be alone in her house anymore, so my mother’s brother and sister will join her in Las Vegas shortly to discuss the options. Please pray for all of them and for wisdom in the situation. Please continue to pray for my grandmother’s strength both physically and emotionally. I know she feels very old and a little hopeless. She underwent quadruple bypass in ’99 but had my grandfather’s support then. Now she is very lonely without him. I am eternally grateful for all your love, encouragement, and continued prayers for her.
I, too, have been very sick these last two weeks. I have had a severe sinus infection that comes with extremely bad headaches. I’m sorry I can’t email you all individually, but I do appreciate your emails greatly. Hopefully, I’ll be back on email in full swing soon. May God bless you all abundantly.
With hope,
Holly
Sharing the Word...
Last week was not an unusual one for me (Alex). I am pretty much in charge of all the construction we are doing here in Peru. I'm not sure how I got the task, but I like it. Hope House (our girls' orphanage) had a new water pump installed to help pump water from the bottom of the property up to the garden, where they grow their own vegetables. Now the girls do not have to carry it by bucket, which was a pretty hefty task if you saw the bottom of the hill where the water was coming from.
So one day, I was just going around checking on things to make sure everything was working like it was supposed to. I was on my way back from Hope House to the land where we are building the Sports/Medical Clinic & Church, when I saw two Jehovah's witnesses talking to Janett. Janett works for us on the land; she brings tools to all of the workers as they need them and makes sure that each person signs in and out when they get to work each day. I do not know what was said to her, but I know that it got her thinking about the Lord.
The next day I arrived at the land pretty early, and Percy (our contractor) was there with his Bible showing her the Word and teaching her that whatever they were saying was not true to what the Bible says. It was a pretty cool thing. All the guys that work on the land belong to one of our Sector churches, which is how Percy knows them. However, he met Janett through another friend, and she does not go to one of the churches. It was just awesome to see that even in the middle of all the construction going on, he took time out to show her the Word of God. I hope this little story blesses someone.
Alex
So one day, I was just going around checking on things to make sure everything was working like it was supposed to. I was on my way back from Hope House to the land where we are building the Sports/Medical Clinic & Church, when I saw two Jehovah's witnesses talking to Janett. Janett works for us on the land; she brings tools to all of the workers as they need them and makes sure that each person signs in and out when they get to work each day. I do not know what was said to her, but I know that it got her thinking about the Lord.
The next day I arrived at the land pretty early, and Percy (our contractor) was there with his Bible showing her the Word and teaching her that whatever they were saying was not true to what the Bible says. It was a pretty cool thing. All the guys that work on the land belong to one of our Sector churches, which is how Percy knows them. However, he met Janett through another friend, and she does not go to one of the churches. It was just awesome to see that even in the middle of all the construction going on, he took time out to show her the Word of God. I hope this little story blesses someone.
Alex
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Holly's Grandmother
We found out tonight that Holly's grandmother has had a heart attack and is in congestive heart failure. Please pray that the Lord touches her body and brings healing and touches her mind and brings peace. Thank you all for your loving support.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
I Can't Believe March is Over!
Hello all, and I just want to say, I can't believe March is over already! We had a great time in the United States this month. We were able to spend some time with all of our family and friends. We also had our ministry's annual banquet which was awesome. Things went well, and the ministry continues to raise money for all the projects we are doing. Holly and I were able to spend a day in Houston, a week and a half in Atlanta, and a weekend in Boston. We were some busy travelers, but we had a great time. We always look forward to our visits. I stayed an extra week because I was given a free ticket to fly back to Peru, which saved us a thousand dollars!
Once Holly returned to Peru, she hired a friend of ours, Pamela, to start working with us in the English classes and translating for me when needed. She has been a great asset, and we are so lucky that she was able to come and work for us. We do not treat her like an employee. The great part is that Pamela was already helping Holly twice a week, so we did not have to show her that much in order for her to come on full time.
The week I got back was Holy Week, so Peruvians didn't work on Thursday and Friday, but they did work on Saturday and Sunday (go figure). That being said, I had a couple of days off when I got back. This week has been really busy, as I have been working with my contractor to buy a bull dozer for the property. That was an experience. We drove 30 minutes by car to the center of Lima, purchased the huge bull dozer in 30 minutes, and then we drove it all the way to the property. When I say drive, I mean drive. There was no transport truck involved. We were driving this thing on the freeway and all. I was laughing the whole time. Yesterday I used the bull dozer to dig the first hole on the property for the medical clinic, and today I dug the hole for the new water tank. I thought I was a kid again playing with my Tonka toys.
Holly has spent the past couple weeks getting back into the groove of teaching. When she returned from the U.S. she took on another class. Holly is now teaching 7 girls from Hope House (our orphanage) on Saturday afternoons. The girls are loving the class and are so grateful that Holly is taking the time to teach them. It also gives the girls a chance to get out of the house on Saturdays and for them to attend Youth Group at the church. The orphanage is an hour away from the church, and if they were not coming for class, they would only go to Youth Group once a month. Now they get to go every week!
We pray all is well with all of you, and we can't wait to see you again.
Love,
Alex and Holly
Once Holly returned to Peru, she hired a friend of ours, Pamela, to start working with us in the English classes and translating for me when needed. She has been a great asset, and we are so lucky that she was able to come and work for us. We do not treat her like an employee. The great part is that Pamela was already helping Holly twice a week, so we did not have to show her that much in order for her to come on full time.
The week I got back was Holy Week, so Peruvians didn't work on Thursday and Friday, but they did work on Saturday and Sunday (go figure). That being said, I had a couple of days off when I got back. This week has been really busy, as I have been working with my contractor to buy a bull dozer for the property. That was an experience. We drove 30 minutes by car to the center of Lima, purchased the huge bull dozer in 30 minutes, and then we drove it all the way to the property. When I say drive, I mean drive. There was no transport truck involved. We were driving this thing on the freeway and all. I was laughing the whole time. Yesterday I used the bull dozer to dig the first hole on the property for the medical clinic, and today I dug the hole for the new water tank. I thought I was a kid again playing with my Tonka toys.
Holly has spent the past couple weeks getting back into the groove of teaching. When she returned from the U.S. she took on another class. Holly is now teaching 7 girls from Hope House (our orphanage) on Saturday afternoons. The girls are loving the class and are so grateful that Holly is taking the time to teach them. It also gives the girls a chance to get out of the house on Saturdays and for them to attend Youth Group at the church. The orphanage is an hour away from the church, and if they were not coming for class, they would only go to Youth Group once a month. Now they get to go every week!
We pray all is well with all of you, and we can't wait to see you again.
Love,
Alex and Holly
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
February Newsletter
Here is our February newsletter. It's a little late because we have been so busy in the States, where we still are. Click on the newsletter pages to enlarge them for easier reading. Let us know how you are doing too at hollyjcompton@gmail.com!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Time for Work & Time for Play
It's always good to get away and have a little time off. Since Sunday was the Super Bowl, and Holly's from Boston, we had to find a way to watch the game. We have some other missionary friends in Lima, and they invited us to a Super Bowl Party. It was a first to watch the game in Spanish--definitely an interesting time. Holly was unhappy because her team lost, but we had a great time.
Monday was even better for me, as I went hiking in the mountains with Greg and Bridget from our orphanage. They are going to the U.S. next week to spend 9 days on the Appalachian Trail and wanted to get some training. We hiked along four or five different mountain tops. It was a nice hike and took about eight hours. We started at 8am and got back about 5:30pm or so. It was so beautiful at the tops of these mountains. There were no cars honking or dogs barking, and the air was great. We hiked about eight kilometers or so, which wasn't bad considering we hiked up to a height of 1700 meters at the peak of the highest mountain. I am hoping that in March when we all get back from the U.S., Greg and I can go out for a weekend trip to hike some of the higher mountains around. Along the hike, we did find two intact human skeletons. I will send pictures once I get them from Bridget. Apparently, these two skeletons have been there for a while, because they are nothing but bones now. Greg had reported it to the police here a couple of months ago, but they could care less.
While I was out on the mountain, Holly was at home working on this week's classes. The students have now finished one month of classes and have their four-week test this week. She has been busy, but hopefully with some help she is receiving in the classroom, things will get a little easier for her. We have hired two of the older girls from the orphanage to help us out with a couple things. One of the girls, Valeria, really wants to learn English, so she will be helping Holly on Wednesday and Friday mornings with her classes. The other one, Yessenia, will be taking care of our apartment twice a week. It is nice to have someone help us clean and get some things done around the house, and it allows us to bless her for her work as well.
We hope everyone is doing well, and we can't wait to see many of you in a couple weeks. ~Alex
Monday was even better for me, as I went hiking in the mountains with Greg and Bridget from our orphanage. They are going to the U.S. next week to spend 9 days on the Appalachian Trail and wanted to get some training. We hiked along four or five different mountain tops. It was a nice hike and took about eight hours. We started at 8am and got back about 5:30pm or so. It was so beautiful at the tops of these mountains. There were no cars honking or dogs barking, and the air was great. We hiked about eight kilometers or so, which wasn't bad considering we hiked up to a height of 1700 meters at the peak of the highest mountain. I am hoping that in March when we all get back from the U.S., Greg and I can go out for a weekend trip to hike some of the higher mountains around. Along the hike, we did find two intact human skeletons. I will send pictures once I get them from Bridget. Apparently, these two skeletons have been there for a while, because they are nothing but bones now. Greg had reported it to the police here a couple of months ago, but they could care less.
While I was out on the mountain, Holly was at home working on this week's classes. The students have now finished one month of classes and have their four-week test this week. She has been busy, but hopefully with some help she is receiving in the classroom, things will get a little easier for her. We have hired two of the older girls from the orphanage to help us out with a couple things. One of the girls, Valeria, really wants to learn English, so she will be helping Holly on Wednesday and Friday mornings with her classes. The other one, Yessenia, will be taking care of our apartment twice a week. It is nice to have someone help us clean and get some things done around the house, and it allows us to bless her for her work as well.
We hope everyone is doing well, and we can't wait to see many of you in a couple weeks. ~Alex
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
More than a Full Time Job
As we have have learned over the past couple weeks, ministry is more than a full time job. This is something we were both aware of before we set out on our journey as missionaries, but as the weeks go by, it is reality and not just awareness. We love our jobs and thank the Lord everyday for allowing us to be here.
The past 2 weeks have been extremly busy for us. Holly has been working 7 days a week to plan lessons, teach classes, and grade homework. I have been working on getting the construction of our new Church and Sports/Medical Center started. Things here are always complicated. I was able to work with the contractor last week on the plans and made some small changes. The plans are now in the hands of the architectual engineer, and they are literally drawing them. I should have those soon, along with the total cost for this part of the project, which is huge. There will be a church, medical center, sports complex, and a boys orphanage. I can tell you that when it all is said and done, I am expecting it to cost nearly a million dollars. The Lord is bringing the money in, so I am not worried at all. The first phase of the project is the church and medical center. We want to get that going as soon as possible, so that we can start helping more people with our medical clinics.
Next week we have planned a littl night out for the missionaries that we know here in Lima. I am trying to set this up once a month so that we can all get together, relax, and not have to work our brains so hard speaking Spanish. I never thought that speaking and understanding another language would be so tiresome. ~Alex
The past 2 weeks have been extremly busy for us. Holly has been working 7 days a week to plan lessons, teach classes, and grade homework. I have been working on getting the construction of our new Church and Sports/Medical Center started. Things here are always complicated. I was able to work with the contractor last week on the plans and made some small changes. The plans are now in the hands of the architectual engineer, and they are literally drawing them. I should have those soon, along with the total cost for this part of the project, which is huge. There will be a church, medical center, sports complex, and a boys orphanage. I can tell you that when it all is said and done, I am expecting it to cost nearly a million dollars. The Lord is bringing the money in, so I am not worried at all. The first phase of the project is the church and medical center. We want to get that going as soon as possible, so that we can start helping more people with our medical clinics.
Next week we have planned a littl night out for the missionaries that we know here in Lima. I am trying to set this up once a month so that we can all get together, relax, and not have to work our brains so hard speaking Spanish. I never thought that speaking and understanding another language would be so tiresome. ~Alex
Thursday, January 17, 2008
I'm officially a teacher!
Hello everyone! I'm sorry it's been a few weeks since our last update. We have both been extremely busy. I am now officially an English teacher! (Won't my grade school English teachers be proud!) Classes started on January 8th. Tuesdays-Saturdays I teach three groups of students at the Sector 3 church in San Juan de Lurigancho, with a total of 65 students. I am also teaching the women at Pat's Place, an additional 9 students. The rest of my time I am correcting papers or planning lessons. I haven't had a day off in the last two weeks because of my work load. So unfortunately, I've had to postpone teaching the English classes at Hope House, our girls orphanage, for now. I want to be able to manage my time a little better juggling my 74 adults students before I take on 14 young girls!
Overall, I am enjoying teaching. It has been rough administratively because there were so many people who wanted to be in my classes. Some signed up but didn't show up; some didn't sign up but showed up, so they got the empty spots. We're almost through two weeks of classes, yet I'm still getting phone calls about adding more students. It's hard to have to turn people down, but I realize I can't please everyone (duh!) and I have to set limits and stick to them! The larger the classes are, the less time I can spend with each student. Thankfully, God has blessed me with helpers for 2 of my 3 groups of students. I'm just trusting Him that He'll send someone along to help with the other group too--and sometime soon!
Alex has been busy both with his company in Atlanta working via internet and addressing the designs and construction plans for our Sports/Medical Complex & Church. Things are done so differently here in Peru that it has kept us hopping with various legal and financial issues. We hope to begin construction in February, but there are a lot of steps that need to be taken between here and there. Please pray for guidance and protection in all areas of our duties in Peru! We really need it!
Two praise reports: We finally got our bedroom furniture, although we are still missing the closet that is due to arrive this weekend. Secondly, we are looking forward to our next Stateside visit at the end of February as we swing through Houston, Atlanta, & Boston, in that order. In Atlanta we will attend our ministry's annual fundraising banquet on the 29th and then work in our old offices again the following week. We're looking forward to catching up with many of you, so let us know your plans! We miss you and love you so much!
Bendiciones,
Holly
Overall, I am enjoying teaching. It has been rough administratively because there were so many people who wanted to be in my classes. Some signed up but didn't show up; some didn't sign up but showed up, so they got the empty spots. We're almost through two weeks of classes, yet I'm still getting phone calls about adding more students. It's hard to have to turn people down, but I realize I can't please everyone (duh!) and I have to set limits and stick to them! The larger the classes are, the less time I can spend with each student. Thankfully, God has blessed me with helpers for 2 of my 3 groups of students. I'm just trusting Him that He'll send someone along to help with the other group too--and sometime soon!
Alex has been busy both with his company in Atlanta working via internet and addressing the designs and construction plans for our Sports/Medical Complex & Church. Things are done so differently here in Peru that it has kept us hopping with various legal and financial issues. We hope to begin construction in February, but there are a lot of steps that need to be taken between here and there. Please pray for guidance and protection in all areas of our duties in Peru! We really need it!
Two praise reports: We finally got our bedroom furniture, although we are still missing the closet that is due to arrive this weekend. Secondly, we are looking forward to our next Stateside visit at the end of February as we swing through Houston, Atlanta, & Boston, in that order. In Atlanta we will attend our ministry's annual fundraising banquet on the 29th and then work in our old offices again the following week. We're looking forward to catching up with many of you, so let us know your plans! We miss you and love you so much!
Bendiciones,
Holly
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