| Good Quote of the Day |
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| "Humility, the place of entire dependence on God, is, from the very nature of things, the first duty and the highest virtue of the creature. In fact, it is the root of every virtue."
Andrew Murray, Humility, pag. 12. |
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| The Krohn family had a good overnight trip to the 11,000ft town of Chuquibambilla. The biggest hassles were the dozens of blind curves. Each curve was a combination of loud horn-honking, nervous heart-pumping, yearning hope, and then relief. The few, high-altitude lakes were beautiful however...
 
A fairly-recently converted couple is trying to get things right with our Lord, and wanted to get married (they have been living together for many years). We had a good (albeit brief) counseling session with them, before a simple ceremony. (Given that the wife-to-be Segundina speaks primarily Quechua, the pastor translated for me during the counseling session):
 
 
Before the wedding ceremony, I had the privilege to preach at the normal, Sunday-morning service. I admit in shame that the 5 minute, kneeling-on-concrete prayer time was not so easy to endure.
Before the service, two young ladies expressed a desire to give their lives to our Lord (having been witnessed to by one of the ladies in the church). So it was a joy to talk of the Gospel, and lead these two precious souls to their Savior, emphasizing that God was at work in their lives, granting them repentance (Acts 11:18)!
Sophia was a trooper, though didn't sleep too well, nor did her mother...
   
The boys did awesome, playing with their legos or playing tag with other kids...
 
Lunch preparations (it was really good!):
 
The church (the middle building):
On the way home, we were reminded of a horrible event 20 years ago. In the picture below, about where the power-line tower stands, there was an ambush by the terrorists of the Shining Path on a military convoy. A number of soldiers were killed, and the next day more soldiers came, and in the nearest town, carried away suspected terrorists, whom were never seen again. In 1988, while I was oblivious to the heartache of the world, our little corner of Peru was convulsing in spasms of hate, violence, terrorism and war.
Have mercy on us Lord. Give strength to our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. May your Gospel run and be honored (2 Thess. 3:1) throughout the world, bringing peace and hope. Come quickly Jesus.
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| Visiting the jail, and preaching to 5 men on Psalm 42, and how spiritual depression can be combated by affirming the sovereignty of God and by preaching to oneself (vv. 5 & 11)…Then fielding all sorts of questions from them—“What about those who have never heard the Gospel? Will God really judge them? Is it blasphemy to ask God directly if he has forgotten us?” (See Ps. 42:9 for a biblical author asking God that exact question)... Teaching on fasting to a group of 7 committed university students who were fasting on an early Sunday morning (and having my three boys with me, as Stacey is away at SIM meetings, being quiet in a corner of the church, playing and reading…) (Did I ever fast with a group of friends when I was at college? Praying and calling on God? Sadly, I don't think so...) Having Stacey’s brother and wife visit… Hebrew class a couple weeks ago was a blast the first night, as the students really advanced, and we all enjoyed looking at some texts in the original (the 2nd night however, we all pretty much ran out of steam… it was not nearly as fun). Greek class is plugging along… little by little… Preaching at church and encouraging them (among other things) to fight drowsiness (and briefly using Augustine’s method of the congregation standing with the speaker sitting. They laughed as they stood up)… Finishing up a paper on the difficult verse of James 4:5 for applications to different schools. I now understand why some have called this “the most difficult verse in the NT”… Going to the Sunday market, and getting all sorts of fresh veggies, fruit and fish (we always skip the meat and sheep heads however…)  
Getting up early on a Sunday morning to work some more on my sermon, and at exactly 5:08am hearing a chain saw starting up (and not letting up for two hours). This was NOT an encouraging recent event...just one of those things living here in Peru...
Seeing at the market the biggest rabbit Jonathon and I have ever seen! (Cost: $65).
Travelling and seeing the high-altitude flamingos is always a treat (at 13,000ft)…  
Watching our precious little girl grow up! Already reading at 7 months! (Well, not really…)  
Taking Sophia on her first hike!
  Successfully pulling off a victory jump after a hike with the family and Stacey’s brother and wife! 
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| I have come to realize that there are fewer things in this world that give me more enjoyment, more fulfillment, and make me feel most alive—than speaking to the humble pastors of the mountains of Peru. Last weekend over 30 pastors came to my 3rd annual Pastor’s Retreat. A small handful of them have come all three years. It is very rare for them to have retreats, especially at a nice, comfortable hotel. We studied difficult subjects like “Decisional Regeneration” (i.e. “just raise your hand and repeat this phrase and you’re automatically saved!” (no matter what is in your heart)) and God’s electing work in salvation, as well as the Trinity, the Council of Nicaea, the baptism of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13), communion, and some characteristics of a healthy church.
 
The vast majority of these pastors have other jobs to supplement their income. Many don’t even receive a salary from their churches, though they are teaching/preaching 3 to 4 times a week. A few have received formal theological training (though not many). They desperately need tools with which to minister, which is why it is such a joy to give them materials. Thank you supporters!  One pastor told me of his work during the time of terrorism 20 years ago. He was visiting village churches at 13,000ft when he and his partner saw a column of terrorists coming their direction. At that altitude, there are no trees to hide behind; yet a short distance away there was a large rock. After hiding there for a short time in the waning hours of daylight, they needed to leave as they would freeze to death if they stayed. So they said a quick prayer, and though the terrorists had camped out a short distance away, began to walk. At that moment, a huge hailstorm came, which caused all the terrorists to find refuge in an old hut. Shielded by the hailstorm, the two faithful pastors praised God as they escaped, overjoyed with joy. However, in the darkness, they fell into a well, and became wet in the near-freezing temperatures. They knew without a fire they would soon be dead, so they stopped to listen in the quiet night for barking dogs—a sure signal of a house/hut in the deserted highlands of 13,000ft. They soon found a hut, and called out for help in the darkness. They received no answer. They continued yelling, pleading for help. Still no answer. They were getting more desperate as their body temperatures continued to drop. Finally someone responded, but told them to go away. During that time, everyone was suspicious of everyone else. If the terrorists did not attack you, the army often did, as they didn’t know who helped the terrorists and who didn’t. Yet the cold pastors insisted, and even had to barge their way in. An old lady with her grandson were huddled in the darkness, and she kept asking the pastors what they wanted. The pastor had to repeatedly tell her to keep quiet—he just wanted to light a fire! With no wood at that altitude, he started a fire with llama dung, and took off most of his clothes to dry them. As they began to recover, they discovered that the old woman’s son was a good friend of theirs! They were able to stay the night, and in the morning, before the sunrise at 4am, they left to continue their journey, knowing that though the darkness, terrorists and hidden wells may assail them, God watches over His own! He controls the hailstorms and can send a friend when needed. And in the years after this event, when he passed through the area, the pastor never could find that rock they hid behind!
We went on a hike overlooking the city...  
 We had some wonderful times of prayer, celebrating the Lord's Supper together, handing out materials, as well as a number of hours of teaching time.
 
 
 
  I hope in the coming years to be able to return EVERY year to hold such a pastor’s conference. It will be difficult if I get into a PhD program in the States next year, though somehow I really hope to continue this ministry to these awesome, dedicated men.
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| Had a really encouraging time hosting a 3rd annual pastor's conference this past weekend. A little over 30 pastors came from all over our province. We had many good discussions, as well as prayer times, memorizing the first part of Ephesians 1, and taking a hike. Quite a few hours I taught on The Knowledge of the Holy, by A.W. Tozer. Some of the attendees are included in the picture below...
More pictures coming soon...
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| It was an incredibly encouraging time at the prison yesterday. There were about 15 men who gathered as we studied "Seven Penetrating Questions of Jesus" (questions like, "...when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Lk 18:8); "Why are you sleeping?" (Lk 22:46); "If I want him to remain until I return, what is that to you?" (John 21:22); "...whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (Jn 11:26)). They had lots of questions, and we focused a lot on salvation and that we are saved by grace through faith. We talked for nearly an hour and a half, until some of them started nodding off...
One man named Carlos entered the jail a month ago, and has to wait another month for his trail. He has an 8 year old son, and a 4 year old daughter in a town 12 hours from here. He would like to see them, but it is too far for his wife to come and visit.
Lord, touch the lives of those prisoners!
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