jeffkrohn's Xanga

Houghton College Soccer Team Visit

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:10:53 GMT

The beginning of June saw 16 visitors from Houghton college come to Abancay. What a great group of guys to have come support our ministry here! There were 14 players, plus the coach (a friend from college), and the coach's son. After they spent the night in the airport in Lima, and then flew to Cusco in the early morning, I picked them up and we headed straight to Curahuasi, a town at 9,000ft-- and we promptly played a game! It was a bit of a brutal beginning to the trip. Then after the game (we won 3-2), we took a hike to a beautiful overlook. On the way, we stopped to take photos of the stadium where we had just played:

Then we had a good victory jump up top...

We held a soccer clinic for some kids...                          Helping kids with their english homework...

We played a number of games against university teams of Abancay:

After every game, one of the players would present a short testimony, and explain the reason why they had come. (I would translate). It was great to have them present the gospel in many different ways, to many different people. Each opposing player received a booklet with the Houghton player's testimonies, as well as another booklet with arguments for the existence of God, with chapters on the difficult questions of life, like the existence of pain and suffering, why hell is necessary, and how God is just, as well as critiques of the atheist perspective...

The coach (Matt Webb) gave a talk to a large group of university students on leadership, and how Jesus best models an effective leadership style...

We had a great sharing-time on our deck. Awesome to see the youth of today committed to Christ, and being so open and vulnerable, yet so strong and secure...

One highlight of the trip was taking them to a hard-to-reach village that is a 4-hour dirt road drive from Abancay. The whole town of Sabaino came out to welcome the team. They had a long program with traditional dances and songs. It was quite the welcome! They invited all the players to dance with them...


The best part of the trip for me was the whippin' of my good buddy. Apparently in that village they have a tradition of whipping visitors. I had never heard of it before, and didn't think I would ever stop laughing as the young girl really got into it...
Ready...

Set...

GO!

Playing volleyball while waiting for the soccer game to start...

Playing at 11,500ft on a pebble-covered, bumpy field had its challenges... We barely won (and the average age of the other team was 14. They were good!).


Sharing after the game was again a joy...


We also visited the jail here in Abancay, playing against the prisoners on their small, cement court...

And what is probably my favorite picture from the whole trip-- translating a great testimony by one of the players to dozens of prisoners who desperately need a Savior (as we all do)...

We had a chance to share with the youth from one of the churches, and encourage them, as well as have a wonderful time of worship and prayer in two languages...

They also had a chance to eat some cuy (guinea pig), the common delicacy here in the mountains of Peru...

Visiting the world-famous, 12-angled, Inca stone in Cusco. How did they do that 500 years ago?

Our boys proudly showing off their new Houghton T-shirts...

We had some fun at the end of the trip, visiting some hot springs, next to the raging river...

While there, coming upon a large tarantula...


And then the final part of the trip was a strenuous hike to the famous Inca ruins of Choquequirao. It is a 20 mile round-trip hike, with a 5,000ft elevation gain to reach it. The views were staggering, as were the ruins...





On the way home, looking back over the valley to the road that we had just come from, we marveled at God's creation, and then thanked him for His protection on such roads...


Again, it was a phenomenal trip, where our Lord's kingdom was proclaimed to hundreds of people-- the vast majority of whom I never would have had the chance to talk to without the coming of the team. Thank you Houghton College Soccer team!

High-Altitude Adventures...

Wed, 20 May 2009 19:14:38 GMT

Ayapata is in the province of Arequipa, and is not so much a village, but just one of many compounds (called "estancias") in the highlands of Peru. It is located at 13,000ft.

I was invited to speak at what I thought would be a retreat of 40-50 youth, but ended up spending the weekend with about 13 wonderful believers. (Lack of communication being the reason for the mix-up). I was invited by one of my students from the Bible Institute in Arequipa—his name is Calmerino. He is one of the top students there, and preaches weekly at the same church where we met. The trip was worth it simply to spend time with him, talk lots as we traveled, and speak into his life during the talks. Here he is giving an introduction to the weekend...

On the trip there, we went to some caves that had ancient carvings in the rock. According to Calmerino, these are all over this general area. It was unguarded and out in the open, and pretty impressive.

We passed a hill (below) that Calmerino claimed was “sacred” to those who still practiced witchcraft and sorcery. As a child in these mountains, he was warned sternly by his grandmother to never approach such hills. Some still leave “offerings” to appease the earth mother/demons, believing that they will become sick if they do not leave such offerings. He said the enemy takes advantage of this, as he has seen that when people don’t leave them, they do indeed become sick—thus perpetuating the myth of the power of the demons. Once as a young adult he went to one of these sacred areas, and saw many valuable things left—even money in plain view. In the town where we picked up supplies for the weekend (called Callalli), he said many “witches”-- male and female-- still practiced. Since alcoholism is such a serious problem in towns like that, it may be possible that the only ones really concerned with witchcraft are those under the influence of alcohol. This "sacred hill" could be easily accessed from the other side...

I spoke on a number of psalms (thanks to a great series by John Piper-- http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/BySeries/84/). Psalms 1, 42, 51, 69, 96 and 103 are rich and varied-- just like life with our Lord. Ups and downs, and everything in between.

Memorizing Psalm 16 together was an enormous joy. Each received a laminated card with the psalm, and slowly we plodded our way through it. A few of them almost got it all memorized, though all promised to do it in the ensuing days.

One comical story Calmerino shared from his boyhood: Apparently his grandmother told him that it was offense to fall to the ground—the offense being taken by the earth mother. So as a consequence/appeasement, one needed to eat a little dirt. He told the story in a vague, general way. So I asked him if as a boy he had eaten dirt. With a sheepish grin, and a sparkle in his eye, his reply was, “Many times!”

During a break from our studies, we broke out the golf clubs. It was quite hilarious to teach them. They of course had never seen such an interesting sport. We had lots of laughs, as they would miss the ball the first few times, then catch on and be able to hit it. The more enthusiastic ones enjoyed teaching others how to grip the club. Sent to Peru to teach others who are then able to teach others! (Though golf was probably not in mind when our supporters did this).

    Thanks to a generator hauled by car, then by wheelbarrow, we were able to have a bit of light at night. There of course is no electricity at the compound. There is a spring of clear water near it, that they have to haul down by buckets. It was cold there (at night dipping below freezing, as winter is approaching), but I enjoyed listening to them sing many songs in Quechua...

    Eating breakfast (a hefty plate of rice, potatoes, carrots and a bit of alpaca meat)...

Eating is always an interesting experience, not the least because I prefer my Corn Flakes or Crunch Berries for breakfast, as opposed to the plate above. And for some reason I always seem to sit across from the one preparing the food. Watching the "hermana" picking up the dried animal dung to put into the fire (very little wood there to burn, given the altitude), then using said, unwashed hand to arrange the rice on a plate, always causes a range of reactions (first in the mind, and then later at times in the stomach). And washing dishes with clean water though with no soap usually does the trick. Well, it must seem to them to do the trick.

For supper, soup is always served followed by a piping hot cup of tea. I always cringe at both-- though they taste excellent-- knowing that such amount of liquid at that time means middle-of-the-night, crawl-out-of-toasty-sleeping-bag forays into the 28 degree air to release said liquid from the body. The second night I had to force myself to do this 3 different times. The full moon at that altitude was incredible-- one could easily read if one chose to-- though my mind was more on finishing my task as soon as possible...

This precious older man insisted I get on his horse and take a picture. He could hardly see or hear, but was full of joy and energy and always greeted me heartily, as well as sang with all his might during the worship times...

On the 4 hour trip way back to Arequipa, Calmerino and I talked of the things of God, and some of the deep, penetrating mysteries of Scripture. It was a "minor" event in the big picture, yet at the same time a "moment-made eternity", and another of the reasons we love ministering here in Peru. And later that night, the juicy hamburger at Burger King in Arequipa never tasted so good...

Recent happenings #2...

Fri, 08 May 2009 15:25:15 GMT

At the ocean with some friends...

At the US embassy...

Jonathon reaching the top of the climbing wall! Then celebrating upon descending...

On the long trip home, wishing for a nice rest area with changing tables!

Enjoying incredible scenery while traveling...

Coming upon a herd of rare Guanacos at about 12,000ft-- We've never before seen a herd!

This picture truly renews my soul...

Nathan getting sick on the trip-- going from sea level to nearly 15,000ft in 6 hours can do that...

Pastor's meeting in our house-- very encouraging to see! It has been quite a few years since such meetings!

Recent happenings...

Fri, 08 May 2009 14:20:07 GMT

Studying scripture with Fortunato, a man with quite a varied background with the Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses-- after growing up Roman Catholic...


Heading to the capital to get some passport crud taken care of... Waiting in a line-- so much red tape!


Heading to the ocean...

Boys being mesmerized by a street performer. They really thought he was a statue at first!

Sophia capturing our hearts...

Heading to some impressive fountains...

Making the long, 13 hour trip...

Life is good!

Youth Retreat

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:16:45 GMT

Had a fun weekend camping trip with some local youth. Good group...
Playing hackey sack/thrash, playing soccer, lots of time studying Scripture, and of course, a victory jump...

A hodge-podge of events—celebration of new life, fun times, study and tragedy

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 19:47:45 GMT

What a joy to welcome little Sophia Noelle into our family! Her big brothers love and kiss her constantly.

This morning Brandon and I got up at the crack of dawn and went biking. We had to drive a ways to get to a semi-flat area. How we yearn for nice bike paths! The road is the main highway between the capital and world-famous Cusco. I carefully watched for speeding cars and trucks.

On the way back, we came across a one-vehicle accident. This dump truck simply drifted off the road. One observer said the driver was “ebrio” which generally means drunk—but then he said the driver was tired, and had fallen asleep at the wheel. I suspect this is what happened. Even my Hebrew students earlier this year said they were “ebrio” with their Hebrew! So as far as I can tell, while this word can mean drunk, or sleepy, it can also mean overwhelmed or "out of it".

Here they are harvesting any decent part still left on the vehicle.

Last week I invited some youth from the churches to experience a new sport—we played hockey! They had a great time learning—and it was a great time of fellowship.

Nathan celebrated his 5^th birthday last week!

Our pastor’s breakfast was not as well attended as I hoped, but at least one was impacted—me. We studied the life of George Mueller, and Mueller’s passion of “be happy and content in God” really hit me. How many times I focus on my circumstances, instead of God Himself…

Out our back porch is a beautiful 3,000ft hill, and on the other side of the hill is a village that I have passed through a couple times called Quisapata.

(The village cannot be seen in this photo, as it is behind the distant hilltop).

Just last week, tragedy occurred as 3 young men, known previously as thieves, were trying to break into someone’s house/farm to steal. The owner sneaked out when he heard the noise/saw them, called together the whole town, who captured the men, and tragically, lynched them. Apparently the mother of one of the thieves, being fed up with the behavior of her son, at first permitted and even encouraged the violence against him and his accomplices, but only after seeing the body of her son, did she break down and weep and regret his horrible end. This village has no police force, though the police arrived from here in Abancay within a couple hours of the event. At times here in Peru infuriated villagers take justice into their own hands, often after futile attempts at justice with an absent, distant and overwhelmed police force/court system. What an unspeakable tragedy. Three souls left for eternity. Many souls remained with blood on their hands. Lord, have mercy on us! Raise up your people! Build your kingdom here in Peru!

Email to Supporters on possible future plans for the Krohns...

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 01:55:06 GMT

Hello All!

We have had our feet planted on Peruvian soil now for 6 years. As with all of life and ministry, we have seen some encouraging times, and some challenging times. Even now we are extremely encouraged as 3 men in our town have shown much interest in the Gospel, and are (we hope and pray) very close to receiving Christ (their names are Fortunato, Santos and Norton), thus passing from death to life (Eph. 2:1, 5), and receiving a new heart (Ezequiel 36:26). Norton told me last week for example, "I just want to know God!"

Yet our time in Abancay seems to be coming to an end. ARE THE KROHNS LEAVING THE MISSION FIELD? No, but we might be taking a break. Probably in the beginning of next year we will be packing up to head to the States.

We have talked with a number of you about continuing education for me (Jeff). We feel that the training of pastors here in Peru is a vital, rewarding and crucial ministry. One effective way of doing this is by receiving more education, to be able to teach at an established, solid seminary here in Peru. Specifically, Stacey and I have kicked around the idea for 2 years now about me aiming for a Ph.D in New Testament. This would require much time, energy and cost, yet the potential benefits far outweigh these costs. Lord willing, I would start a program in August of 2010.

WHERE WOULD YOU LIVE IN PERU?

Again, Lord willing, if I could successfully receive a Ph.D, the plan would be to return to Peru, and live in the capital of Lima. I would LOVE to teach half-time at a seminary there (http://www.sel.edu/), and church plant/pastor/preach half-time. I have already talked with the seminary about this first possibility. This move to the capital would also coincide with our desire for good education for our children. Right now in Abancay, we believe that we are experiencing one of the BEST places in the world to live with young kids-- the boys are learning Spanish, enjoying their school, and we love living in the mountains. Yet as they advance in age, we would really like for them to be in a solid, organized school that will prepare them for college in the US. So living in the capital would be perfect (there is a great school we have checked out-- http://www.icslima.org/-- that we would LOVE to send our kids to-- it is an expensive, private school-- but a really good one). We knew we would eventually be leaving Abancay some day because of the education of our children, and this whole process of more education for me, and the move to Lima, seems to be a good fit.

SO WHERE WOULD YOU GO TO SCHOOL?

We are looking at Wheaton or Trinity. I visited both these schools last year while home on our short furlough. Wheaton offers a full-ride scholarship, but would be very difficult to be accepted. Trinity also offers scholarships to cover some/most of the tuition. The only way for this whole idea to fly would be to get accepted at Wheaton, or to receive scholarship(s) from Trinity. As we would be planning to return to the mission field after the schooling, taking out loans would simply not be a good idea. If I am not accepted at either of these schools, well, we will cross that bridge when we get to it.

WHY THIS CHANGE OF HEART?

Well, this is not so much a change of heart, just a desire to minister more effectively to the people of Peru. Again, living here in Abancay has been a blessing in many ways. Yet one frustration that has been growing steadily has been feeling like I am not focused/centralized in my ministry. For example, this Friday I am hosting a breakfast for pastors. I hope to have as many as 15 of them here, while we enjoy fellowship and also study a short biography of George Mueller. Then on Saturday night I will be teaching the youth at the IEP church (Evangelical Church of Peru), then on Sunday afternoon preaching at a small community church the other side of town. Then I teach Greek on Monday mornings to a small group of pastors. Then next weekend I will teach the Baptist youth for a couple days on a retreat, then come home, and teach the IEP youth again on Sat. night. Next month I will speak at a weekend retreat in a village deep in the mountains 12 hours from here, then a Hebrew class in Arequipa. Some weeks/months are not like this, and I admit in all honesty, does reflect the reality of ministry anywhere, but the point is-- I feel a bit too stretched out, and lacking in focus. In one sense I LOVE the flexibility/freedom I have, yet year after year of this is taking a toll. I do enjoy ministering in a variety of ways (feeling more and more pulled to focus just on the pastors), but am feeling the need to be involved with JUST ONE CHURCH, and invest energy in a more focused way. Pastoring one church in the capital would allow that-- or at least greatly facilitate that. Living on the mission field in a fairly small town with a number of small, needy, evangelical churches almost forces one to be "too stretched out".

WHAT ABOUT YOUR SUPPORTERS?

That is a good question. SIM has given us the go-ahead to pursue this. I would need 3-4 years to complete the Ph.D. That's a tremendously long time to be away from the mission field-- and would be one of the aforementioned costs-- and an enormous one at that. That is also a long time for people to support us-- without us actually being on the field. We imagine some would rather give their hard-earned money to other ministries/areas. Stacey would probably have to work part-time to help out. Though any support that continued would be well-used-- health insurance for the whole family, scholarships to Peruvian students for study at Bible Institutes here (we/you all gave 7 such scholarships this year), retirement, and some salary to help with living expenses, etc. It is possible to become Associate members of SIM, instead of Active members, if our support drops a significant level. We would then receive reduced benefits and salary. Though as this whole process is aimed to improve ministry on the mission field, we believe our support could still be viewed as giving to missions. This whole idea of leaving the field temporarily is NOT an "Okay, that was good...nice to get that missions thing out of the way, let's head to the States now..."

We would welcome any thoughts/feedback/questions/doubts from you our supporters. Actually, we really hope for feedback from you.

(With Trinity, it is possible to spend 2 years on campus, and then to return to the field, with further study later. This might be a possibility though it would require the Ph.D to drag on a bit. There might be more wisdom in just plowing through to get the whole process done in one shot).

YOU'RE STUDYING WHAT THIS SUMMER?

The reading comprehension of German is needed for a Ph.D in New Testament, thus I just might be headed to Trinity this summer for a few weeks for an "Introduction to German" class. Costs for this would be covered by our personal funds, and not by ministry funds. I am just feeling the need to get moving on preparation, and itchin' to start. The jolt of starting to learn German would surely warn me of the tough rough ahead.

YOU'RE SURE ABOUT THIS?

Peru desperately needs Bible-saturated, godly, well-trained young men and women to serve Christ's church. Often times, formal education forces one to study and reflect deeply on the things of God and His Word (i.e. "write a 20 paper on Salvation", or "...on the Indwelling Spirit", etc.). Theological Education, especially in an organized, formal setup, can tremendously encourage and dramatically strengthen the faith of those receiving it, and consequently, all of those they serve. I can certainly say it has encouraged and strengthened me. Thus, I would love to have a more focused ministry in Theological Education, at a place like the seminary in Lima, and through involvement in just one church.

Theological Education is indeed costly, but LACK of such education-- LACK of sound doctrine, LACK of "correctly handling the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15)-- for home and abroad, is in reality, much more costly.

May the Triune God be glorified in and through our ministry and lives, and in His church here in Peru.

Thank you for being a part of who we are-- as we serve here deep in the mountains of Peru. We have lots of ministry yet to do here this year, with lots of ideas and plans--and are excited to plug away and continue serving, even as we contemplate leaving in a year.

Que Dios les bendiga GRANDEMENTE,

Jeff, for Stacey, Brandon, Jonathon, Nathan and Sophia

P.S. And no, this is NOT an April Fool's Day joke...

Paying Indulgences

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:01:35 GMT

Fortunato came over this morning to talk of the Bible and spiritual things. He has three daughters, and has worked at a local hotel in town, in various service roles. He grew up Roman Catholic, yet was convinced by some Mormon missionaries 5 years ago that that was not correct. Then more recently he had been attending the Jehovah Witness Kingdom Hall. So this morning we briefly studied some good verses on the personality of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2.10; 1 Cor. 12.11 and Rom. 8.27).

He mentioned that 10 years ago he paid 30 soles (about $10) to the Roman Catholic church in town, so they could hold a special mass, and pray for his parents (his father died 25 years ago, his mother 11 years ago), so they could "pass on from there..." Meaning of course-- that they could get out of purgatory. He said they continue to provide this "service", asking this amount of 30 soles. He mentioned the rich getting richer from the poor.

We will be studying Scripture every Monday morning. Pray for Fortunato!

Last Class of the Year

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:15:35 GMT

Chiguata Bible Institute has classes from Jan.-March during the summer months here in Peru. My last class was a blessing to teach-- Intro. to Greek. There were over 20 students, and they all did very well. It actually turned out great to have Hebrew before Greek, as they all thought Greek was so much easier. I finished writing the course mere hours before teaching it-- but thankfully it got done. All the students were able to memorize about 3 dozen vocabulary words, plus new grammatical characteristics of Greek, and even got to translate a few phrases from the original NT. Pray for them as they must now work through the manual in the coming year, memorizing 190 vocab words, and learning much more important grammar.


Students doing the workbook exercises during class...




On the anniversary of the Institute, we had a celebration, with lots of pictures taken.


One victory jump picture turned out really well!

A few students are from Layo, an area deep in the mountains, more near Cusco than Arequipa. They are very talented musically. Alejandrina, dressed in her traditional performance garb, really put on quite a show. Though I couldn't understand the song, as it was in Quechua, it still was a beautiful praise song to the Creator.


Once again, an encouraging, fruitful few weeks at Chiguata Bible Institute.

Study/Prayer garden for the Bible Institute

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:58:50 GMT

Chiguata Bible Institute is located about 30 minutes from Peru’s second largest city, Arequipa. It is in a beautiful, rural town, with lots of terraces and hills, and astounding views of the mountains, ranging in height from 17,000ft-20,000ft.

Yet it is on a dirt road—and all over the property there is nothing but concrete and dirt. No grassy area for the students to relax in. No nice place for them to study, pray or just hang out. Nothing but buildings, and a dirt volleyball court. Until now.

I thought it would be a good use of our ministry funds to help make a study/prayer garden. There is not a lot of room, but in one corner of their property, we did the best we could. There is a big rock right in the middle of it, and we tried to chip away with a mini-jack hammer, and though we made some progress, some of the rock remains. Might actually make a good footrest.

A couple of pictures of what the corner looked like before we started:

Getting the dirt ready... Trying to get the rock chipped away...

Moving dirt... Laying sod...

With the cover, the shade it provides should be nice... Nice to have help from Eric, one of our colleagues...

Calmerino, a very bright student-- who really excelled in Hebrew...

Picture was kind of staged of course, but I sure hope there will be lots of times of reading and studying and fellowship...

A few of the students-- some are third year students, a couple in the first year.

The finished product...

Santos, the director of the Institute, and Milo, a young very bright man, who has finished the Institute's program, and is pursuing a higher degree at a larger school, while remaining at Chiguata to help in administration and in teaching classes to the first year students...

What a blessing to be a part of such a simple, yet great Institute-- where the Word of God can take root and come alive in the hearts of his humble servants.