70,000 Christians in Prison in North Korea

This report says, "A U.S. religious group said Friday it has placed North Korea on its World Watch List as the worst violator of religious rights for Christians for a fifth straight year, claiming between 50,000 and 70,000 Christians are suffering in prison camps in the communist country."

To read the rest,click here.

Hebrews 13:3, "Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body."

Having fun at RUF / SSA!

This is a short video of my friend, Pablo. Pablo is my conversation partner, a mathematics major, former leader of the student led Bible Study ministry, Comunidad Biblico Univesitario--CBU, and general all-around good guy. I affectionately refer to him now as Pablo Antonio Banderas because of his characteristic joking around as you can see from this video taken last Friday night after our RUF/SSA meeting.



Here are some other pics from the evening.





For more fun pics, click here...

Jessica: ¡Hay Un Regalo Para Ti!

We wish you were here, Jessica!!!

Right smack-dab in the middle of summer!

I know that right now, many of you are enjoying cold to moderate temperatures, but it is just HOT here in Trujillo, Peru. The high here this afternoon reached 88 degrees, and add another +5-7 degrees inside. Right now at 10pm, my clock beside my bed tells me it is 86.5 degrees. We keep the fans blowing all the time it seems (yea, no air conditioning). But we haven't melted yet, just envious of North American weather right now. I'm told by the locals that February is the hottest month, but it doesn't actually start cooling any until April. So we are hanging on....

We have a couple of things to upcoming to let you know about:

1. Actually, this is happening right now. Please pray for our health. Heather has been running a low-grade fever for a couple of weeks, and Colton has had an upset stomach which has laid me out for a couple of days now. In fact, please pray for all our mission families & interns here. I'm sure we pass stuff back and forth, but it seems like a number of us seem to get hit with it more than we'd like.

2. This Saturday, our university ministry and our language institute will be having a sports day. This is essentially a time to interact with Peruvians, help connect folks, and build relationships. SALI is our language institute which serves as something of a fishing pool for our mission.

3. The following week, SALI will be having a movie night featuring Cinderella Man. I have been asked to lead the follow up discussion on it. This is something we did regularly with RUF at TAMU and I really enjoyed using a film and its message to provoke thought and questions about our life, good and evil, the place of our Creator God in the universe, and how we go about trying to make sense of life in this broken and bent universe.

Stay tuned for pics and updates from these events....

The 9 year old girl!

The 9 year old girl!
Originally uploaded by FergieFam007.

That's right! Our little girl turned 9 this past weekend. She had all her friends here in Peru over and had a great time. To check out more of the fun, check this out.

[we're hoping to resurrect the blog and the problems we are having with it by linking to flickr.com]

blog busted

Hey Gang, as you may have been able to tell, there is some glitch in our blog that keeps pics from appearing and in some cases makes them disappear after they have been posted. This is most frustrating, and hopefully we can get it figured out shortly. Please keep checking back for updates....

Page 1--Click to Enlarge

Page 2--Click to Enlarge

The Valley of Vision

Need a last minute Christmas idea? Well, you may not be able to get it by Christmas, but an excellent gift at any time of the year is the collection of Puritan prayers entitled, "The Valley of Vision." Honest, heartfelt, and humbling (alliteration purely accidental!), these prayers are at once an encouragement and a help for prayer.

It is a good day to me when thou givest me
a glimpse of myself;
Sin is my greatest evil,
but though art my greatest good.

Most prayers are in the old King James English (I guess folks used to pray that way, and some still do), but it is easily modifiable!

O God of my Delight,

Thy throne of grace
is the pleasure ground of my soul.
Here I obtain mercy in time of need,
here see the smile of thy reconciled face,
here joy pleads the name of Jesus,
here I sharpen the sword of the Spirit,
annoint the shield of faith,
put on the helmet of salvation,
gather manna from thy Word,
am strengthened for each conflict,
nerved for the upward race,
empowered to conquer every foe;

Help me to come to Christ
as the fountain head of descending blessings,
as a wide open flood-gate of mercy....

Impress on my mind the shortness of time,
the work to be engaged in,
the account to be rendered,
the nearness of eternity,
the fearful sin of despising thy Spirit.

May I never forget that
they eye always sees,
thy ear always hears,
they recording hand always writes.

May I never give thee rest until Christ is
the pulse of my heart
the spokesman of my lips,
the lamp of my feet.

Of course, if you are like me, your prayers are much more 'earthy' (and this is where the inspired book of Psalms is helpful), but these prayers are good and they are like wise, spiritually mature friends coming alongside you and praying with you. Many times when I read these prayers, I am amazed at how they give voice to my heart's desires, and how they say the things I want to say in words that I often have a hard time finding.

Home Alone in Peru!

I've made it back from a week of staff training with RUF in the states and Heather survived 10 days without me (barely!) [insert correction: Heather says that it was actually 11 days pushing 12 because I got back so late on Monday]. That's hard work with five kids. I told her she gets the wife / mom of the year award. It was good to catch my breath in the states, visit with a few people (but alas, no time to meet with very many :), and eat some good American food!!!

Now, with the Baker's on vacation in Texas, the Bradford's taking some time off in another part of Peru, and the Smith's in Lima picking up Allen's father, we are the only American family here connected with Peru Mission. We're home alone! A bit surreal, but we'll survive no doubt. In addition, most of our SALI interns head out tomorrow for the states for Christmas break and much deserved break.

Please pray for safety for all our missionaries who are traveling, as well as physical and spiritual refreshment.

Participating in the Language Everybody Knows--Soccer!

A few weeks ago, the university ministry sponsored a sports day (read soccer--futbol--competition) with 10 different teams from various churches and ministries represented. It was a lot of fun! As you might have guessed, our predominantly Gringo pastor's soccer team came in last place, but hey, I remember something somewhere about the first being last...(And we could have used the help of Brian Franklin & Joshua Butcher's athletic prowess! Ahem.)

At any rate, it was a good time and provided many opportunities to interact and get to know some of the Peruvian people down here. Here is a picture of our all-star soccer team and a team from the Larco church.

Pray for the Salters

Some of you know my friend, Dustin Salter. He is the RUF campus minister at Furman University and was formerly the RUF campus minister at TCU for the past 8 years. He is in critical condition at Greenville Memorial Hospital in Greenville, SC. On Wednesday, November 8, Dustin and his two sons went for a bicycle ride on his new mountain bike in his neighborhood. Dustin had an accident and as a result of the fall he was knocked unconscious and sustained very serious head trauma. He had to be airlifted to the hospital in Greenville, where he was operated on that night in order to reduce/stop bleeding in his brain.

You can pray specifically for: (1) Immediate subsiding of swelling in Dustin's brain; (2) reversal of any damage to Dustin's brain; (3) improvement in neurological function (movement in his arms and legs, response to touch, pupils react to light, open eyes spontaneously); (4) reduction of complications like pneumonia, urinary tract infections, blood clots in his legs; and (5) strength and faith for his wife, Leigh Anne, and their three children (Jacob [9], Nathan [7], and Meredith [2]).

Reformed University Ministries has established a fund by which churches and individuals can support the Salter family, now and over the long term. Send gifts marked "Dustin Salter Care" to Reformed University Ministries, 1700 N. Brown Rd., #104, Lawrenceville, GA 30043.

Below is a prayer for Dustin & his family...

Our God & Heavenly Father, You are the Sovereign Lord & Only King of the Universe.

We cry out to You, our God, for help. We cry out to You, our God, to hear us. We are in distress; therefore we seek You. At night we stretch out untiring hands because our souls refuse to be comforted.

We come before You with heavy hearts filled with sadness & tired eyes filled with tears. Our dear brother, Dustin, has suffered a severe life-threatening injury while riding bikes with his children. We are struck anew with the brokenness of this world. Surely such an accident is violence against shalom. O Lord, this is not the way things are supposed to be.

Yet, You, O God, are our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. When we are afraid, we will trust in You.

We pray specifically for our dear brother. You who are the Great Physician, would you awe us by Your great power? Would You give us even more reasons to praise You by healing Dustin and restoring him to Your service, to his family, and to us? Surely nothing is too hard for You! Please awaken him! Restore him, we pray!

We know that one day, you will make everything the way its supposed to be. Your Kingdom will have come in all its fullness. Then there will be no more brokenness, sadness, tears or death. We long for that day, and we would ask that in this instance of our friend's brokenness that Your long-awaited Kingdom would break into the present. Please awaken him! Restore him, we pray!

We pray for Leigh Anne, Your precious daughter. Terror constantly assaults her soul. The enemy would destroy her confidence in You as good and as loving. During this time of severe testing, would You support her by Your strong right hand. May she come to understand You in a new and fresh way as the Rock of her salvation. Remind her through the testimony of your people that You will never leave her nor forsake her. Even though she is passing through the waters, they will not overwhelm her. Though she is passing through the fire, she will not be burned because You, O Lord, are Holy One of Israel, and you have her inscribed on the palms of Your hands. May she dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. May her soul find rest in You alone, for You alone are her rock and her salvation. Be to her a mighty fortress in which she can never be shaken. O Lord, she needs more of You at this very moment. Comfort her with the indescribable peace of Your presence.

And Lord, we pray for their children who must be scared and confused not understanding what is happening, nor all the implications. Protect them, O Lord. Even in these tender years, enable them to trust in You at all times and to pour our their hearts to You. Lead Leigh Ann and the children to the Rock that is higher than they. Put their feet upon the Rock and make their footsteps firm.

And Father, we pray for Your church which in so many countless ways is rising to the occasion. We pray for Jeff Wilkins and for Rob Hamby and for their wives who are involved in ministering in very difficult circumstances. Give them words to say, and the wisdom to say nothing at times and simply cry with Leigh Ann and others affected in deep ways by this tragedy. Strengthen them as they seek to minister to so many people who are looking to them for answers to unanswerable questions. Enable them to point to Christ—the Resurrection and the Life—the One in Whom our hope rests. May Leigh Anne find strength in the comfort of Your people who are only able to comfort through the power of Your Holy Spirit. Cause her to shine in this dark moment that others may see here and glorify the Lord Jesus.

"One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard:
that You, O God, are strong,
and that You, O Lord, are loving." (Ps. 62:11)

Hear our prayer. From the ends of the earth we call to you even as our heart faints. Hear us, through Jesus Christ in whom we live and breathe and have our being. Amen.

An Unexpected Surprise (or rather, Disappointment)

I had my first talk with Mormon missionaries the other day. I'm actually surprised that it has taken so long to actually bump into them because they are, as my grandpa used to say, thicker than hair on a dog's back. It seems like hardly a day goes by that I do not see Mormon missionaries spreading the gospel of Joseph Smith (and here).

The Mormons I talked with said they have 29 Mormon churches in Trujillo with over 100 missionaries here. One of my friends here said he was at the airport the other day where a group of Mormons were saying goodbye to 7 missionaries who had completed their 2 year stint while at the same time receiving 20 more newbies from the next plane.

Needless to say, this is of great concern for us. The Roman church here has given the folks of Peru a notion of who Jesus is, and most people here have great respect for Him. But most folks having only vague notions are very ignorant of who Jesus is, who He claimed to be, and what He has done. Thus, the Mormons are able to capitalize on this ignorance. As one of the Mormon missionaries told me, "Everyone here has heard of Jesus, but most folks do not know much about him, so we can spend hours talking to folks about him."

Of course, the Jesus of Mormonism is not the Jesus of historic Christianity. According to Mormonism, Jesus is the brother of Lucifer (Satan). Mormons believe that good Mormons one day will become gods themselves over their very own planets.) Joseph Smith and his family were superstitious gold-diggers who were involved in the occult. In fact, Joseph Smith "translated" the Book of Mormon by putting his head into his hat with "seeing stones" similar to if not exactly the same stones he used to see hidden treasures buried in the earth (the trade he and his family had by which they milked gullible people of their money).

Quick facts about Mormonism:
•Over 11 million members (most of which are nice neighbor-types who vote Republican).
•Over 60,000 full-time missionaries—more than any other single missionary-sending organization in the world.
•More than 310,000 converts annually.
•As many as eighty percent of converts come from Protestant backgrounds. (In Mormon circles, the saying is, “We baptize a Baptist church every week.”)
•Within fifteen years, the numbers of missionaries and converts will roughly double.
•Within eighty years, with adherents exceeding 267 million, Mormonism could become the first world-religion to arise since Islam.

To learn more, check out these books:
The New Mormon Challenge
One Nation Under Gods
The Kingdom of the Cults

And check out these websites:
Institute for Religious Research
Utah Lighthouse Ministry
The Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry
Mormonism Research Ministry

One of the things I am very interested in is developing a course on Mormonism for our seminary here. Stay tuned....

Teaching Opportunities

I had two opportunities to preach recently. One was at our RUF/SSA meeting on Friday when our campus minister, Geraldo, had to make an unexpected trip out of town. I filled in and preached from the Gospel of Mark about the rich young man who came to Jesus asking "What must I do to inherit eternal life." We are consistently having a group of 25-35 or so students out for our meetings. Here are some photos from recent meetings with the university students.






I also had the opportunity to preach at our church in Arevalo this past weekend. Arevelo is one of the three churches associated with Peru Mission. Below are some pics from the church in Larco which is also under construction.

Blogging de Heathercita

Sorry this is so late – Just wanted to let ya'll know that I'm actually doing something down here besides taking care of the family, learning Spanish, walking the dog and keeping my cat from jumping out the window. On Wed., Sept. 27, Jami Baker, Allen Bradford and I (Heather) headed out to Hogar de Esperanza a local orphanage with which Peru Mission has developed a relationship. We had been asked by the director of the orphanage, who attends the Larco church, to come and speak to the house moms and other women who help with the kids, in order to encourage them an help them think through what it looks like Biblically to teach and discipline in love. They are in such a unique and difficult position. Many of these kids have been abandoned, some have been brought because their home is not safe, some have been brought because their family does not have a home and can not take care of them.

As of now, there are no men helping at the orphanage, so not only are the house moms having to guide these children from such difficult circumstances, they are having to do it with no male “father – figures” to help support them in their efforts. The women are strong, patient, and love their kids very much, but, needless to say, they were in much need of encouragement and affirmation. We enjoyed our time there very much, and have been asked to return sometime this month to continue the discussion. Please be in prayer for these ladies as they seek to love these kids with the love and energy of Christ.

How Great The Father's Love For Us

A friend sent me this video that left me in tears. It is a perfect illustration of the Gospel. The story by Rick Reilly originally ran in Sports Illustrated about a father's love for his son that propelled him into action, to do for his son what he couldn't do for himself.

Read this and then watch the video. And then collapse in tear-filled praise.

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay For their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a Wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and Pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back Mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike. Makes Taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.
This love story began in Winchester , Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick Was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him Brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him And his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. ``Put him in an Institution.''

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes Followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the Engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was Anything to help the boy communicate. ``No way,'' Dick says he was told. ``There's nothing going on in his brain.''

"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a Lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed Him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his Head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? ``Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the School organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, ``Dad, I want To do that.''

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described ``porker'' who never ran More than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he Tried. ``Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. ``I was sore For two weeks.''

That day changed Rick's life. ``Dad,'' he typed, ``when we were running, It felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly Shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

``No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a Single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few Years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then They found a way to get into the race Officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the Qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, ``Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he Was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick Tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud Getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you Think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? ``No way,'' he says. Dick does it purely for ``the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with A cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best Time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world Record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to Be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the Time.

``No question about it,'' Rick types. ``My dad is the Father of the Century.''

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a Mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries Was 95% clogged. ``If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' One doctor told him, ``you probably would've died 15 years ago.'' So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass. , always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

``The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, ``is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''