We can never go wrong in giving our hearts and lives to the Lord in His service. Since January, we have been very busy in His service, yet the blessings that we see in the lives of those who are being saved and discipled encourage us daily.
In February, we held Teen Camp; we had around 200 campers, plus many counselors and other workers. The camp was a success, with many teens making good decisions for Christ and several being saved and baptized. The camp has been an annual event for Team Peru now for three years, and we are seeing how God has used the camp in the lives of our young people in their Christian growth. We give God the glory and are thankful for the opportunity to influence the next generation for Christ. This year, the year after our camp in Lima, our Peruvian staff held another camp in the jungle for around 70 teens. Many of these teens received the assurance of their salvation, and many gave their lives to God, committing to serve the Lord.
Also in February, we held our annual Youth Conference in Lima. The Lord blessed as Bro. Carlos Sauceda preached to the youth of many different churches that were able to attend.
Peru has been experiencing political turmoil since December, when the president was removed from office and imprisoned for attempting to dissolve Congress. Since then, protests have been held by those opposing the current government, seeking to remove the current president and move forward the next elections. There have been roadblocks and airport closures. These things have lessened somewhat, but we still ask you to pray that Peru could resolve their political issues and move forward as a country.
We are excited to be sending out a missionary couple to Bolivia very soon. Gustavo and Soledad Munoz could use prayer as they take their survey trip at the end of March and the beginning of April. They have been training with us for the past year, and they are ready to begin the work that God has called them to do. They have been faithful soul winners and have been discipling their converts, and we are certain they will be used of God in a great way in Bolivia.
We close this letter by asking you to pray especially for Sarah Rader and her children in the death of Bro. Mark Rader, who was, until recently, serving on Team Peru. Many of you know that my father passed away on February 14. While we were home for the funeral, we received the news that Bro. Mark had been involved in a fatal car accident due to icy roads. Sarah and the six children are now in Indiana and would appreciate your prayers as they learn to live without their husband and daddy. We here in Peru would also appreciate prayers, especially the church in Surco that was pastored by Bro. Rader. We are now pastoring two churches, and we are thankful for the blessing of the Lord working in both churches. We have wonderful leadership in the Iglesia Bautista Internacional of Surco and San Gabriel.
We just finished our Missions Conference in San Gabriel, where we were able to see our Faith Promise commitments almost double from the year before! Praise the Lord, we believe we can take on 3 new missionaries, bringing our total to 13 missionaries that that church supports. God is good!
His for souls,
Zach and Karin Foust