We began October in the States and ended November in Peru. We went from Louisiana, to Texas, to New Mexico, to Arizona, to California, back to Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, then up to Iowa, over to Indiana, and finally down to Lima, Peru. We had the privilege to visit some great churches and attend some excellent Missions Conferences. At one of these conferences, I had the privilege to witness to a lady named Kenya while out soul winning with a missionary to Kenya. I was able to lead Kenya to the Lord in Spanish. She then said something I’ll probably never forget. She said, “I have been praying for someone to come to my door and tell me about the Lord for four months now.”
During the month of October, we had meetings every day, or we were driving every day. Some days were 10 hours of driving to get to a meeting the same day. At the beginning of this month-long stretch, we got really sick. I had to ask Sarah to drive a few times because I was dizzy and passing out. Our children got sick one at a time and some two at a time. Some of the pastors we visited really helped us along the way. By the time we got to Iowa, a good pastor friend and mentor told me, “Brother, your family is sick and tired. If I were you, I would cancel the rest of your meetings.” We did exactly that. Our two littlest ones struggled for an entire week after that meeting with 104° temperatures. Fortunately, everyone had recovered before we went to Peru. God is good. Our children also finished their school semester on furlough before going back to Peru. So many people from so many churches were so good to us along the way. We are very grateful.
In our absence, our church in Lima had some great days. During a soul-winning week in October, 75 souls were saved. During an all-day soul-winning event on November 1, “The Day of the Dead,” our church won 83 souls to Christ with 28 soul winners in Peru’s largest cemetery.
On November 15, after packing only 24 bags of luggage for a family of only 8 persons, we read our devotions out of Proverbs 15. We learned how necessary this spiritual preparation was for the day. I think Sarah presents the day best from her perspective. Sarah shares,
“Arriving at the airport in the cold of the first snow of the year with plenty of time for our flight, we were helped by a kind customer service lady. She rushed to get 14 of our bags checked, while saying she had 7 minutes until the cutoff time. We proceeded to run through security with our duffel carry-on bags and 6 children. We piled the bags back on the cart and dashed to the finish line—the gate. We were the last ones to board the plane, but we made it! We also had to rush to make the connecting flight, as Mark held the plane up to grab some quick expensive airport food to go. When we arrived in Lima, because of all our luggage and the size of our family, we had to put the luggage in one oversized taxi and put the family in another. Mark rode with the luggage, and I rode in a smaller cab with all 6 children stacked one on top of the other. Having the chance to witness in Spanish now, I asked the Holy Spirit to help me. My travel-tired children had to be reminded a couple of times of the importance of being quiet so the driver could hear about Jesus. After finally arriving at our home, we unloaded the bags and the children. Segundo then humbly and readily bowed his head and asked Christ to save him. Now it all made sense! Why? Our itinerary was to leave at 2:00 p.m. from O’Hare, but we were placed on a 12:00 p.m. flight—all so we could arrive 2 hours earlier so that Segundo could hear the Gospel.”
We got back to Peru just in time to host our Missions-Emphasis Sundays. Thank you to so many churches and pastors for the great influence and great example of strong missions giving. Our church is following in your footsteps. Thank you to many for special offerings for a vehicle for our family. We are hoping within the next few months to report a huge blessing to you. Please pray for our church, her leaders, and Team Peru as we are moving forward with our plans 2023. We are expecting great things from God as we attempt great things for God. Thank you for your love, your support, and your prayers. God bless you, and Merry Christmas.
In Christ in Peru,
Mark and Sarah Rader
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