Mark Rader Prayer Letter: Building for the FutureOur June and July were packed full of blessings here in Peru. Our little baby Rebekah is blossoming into one of the sweetest babies you could imagine. On June 10, Sarah and I celebrated 11 years of marriage. Sarah and I were also blessed to have five of our neighbors come to church in June and July. Every week we have had visitors in our services. Many have been saved. I had the privilege of leading Juan, who was invited to church by his brother Walter, to the Lord. He was then baptized the first Sunday that our new baptistery was installed, and he helped us install it. His wife Lijia came for her husband’s baptism, and a few days later, she also trusted Christ as Saviour. We are so happy that many of our people are seeking godly counsel. In spite of many construction projects, our church has had some incredibly special meetings.

We’ve had many new teenagers visit our Friday night youth meetings. Julio Durand, Jimmy Solis, Carlos Lopez, and Abraham Avila are doing a phenomenal job leading and teaching. Our church, along with our other churches in San Gabriel and Chorrillos, had a “Sports Day” on our property. We played soccer at a nearby park and then continued at the church property with volleyball. After we all ate hamburgers, we had a prayer meeting, and Pastor Zach Foust preached, “Be the Salt of the Earth.” The Lord used this meeting to bring our churches together through some tough times.

We had some other very special meetings preaching at other churches, but we must mention what God is doing in our institute. The month of June, we taught on “The Holy Spirit.” The Lord met with us as we spent time not only in teaching but also in prayer. In July, our topic was “Music and the Bible.” During this class we hit record attendances, and the class was like an extension of the class on the Holy Spirit. Our members who came from other churches told us, “Every church in Peru needs to hear this Bible study!” Due to the nature of the class and the extremely precise application, we were a bit nervous about how the listeners would respond; however, the response was beautiful and very encouraging.

The work on the church building continues. So far, our church has met outside in an open patio for the last two and a half months; due to increased attendance, we no longer fit in the inside room on Sundays. Every Sunday has been an open-air revival. The work done during these months is as follows: installing breakers, conduit, wires, outlets, switches, lights, well for ground post and wire, installing windows, hanging doors, excavating and installing cistern, water pump, platform on roof for water tank, remodeling the front entrance, tiling, installing two bathrooms, baptistery, nursery, drywall, cement work, spackling, sanding, painting, woodwork, etc. We are now in the midst of building a roof for our auditorium. Well, God is good! We are still in need of more work to be done on the property. We are spending two years’ worth of savings. Please pray for the Lord’s provision as we move forward.

Please pray for the church started by Team Peru located in Chorrillos. After celebrating five years with 462 in attendance, the next morning they were evicted from the property that they were renting. After the owner won a legal battle for the property, his lawyer received a bribe, and the decision was overturned. Although the situation was very bitter, the Lord has used this to bring the church together like never before. These are amazing people. Please pray for our family’s health, as we have had some struggles as of late. Please pray that God will use us to do greater works here in Peru. Thank you so much for your love, support, and prayers. God bless you.

In Christ in Peru,

Mark, Sarah, Savannah, Paul, Samuel, & Rebekah Rader