Christ’s blessings have come in abundance this August and September here in Peru. We began August with the arrival of Sarah’s dad and mom, Philip and Francis Davis. Their timing was perfect, and they stayed with us for 25 days. The day after they arrived, Luke Daniel Rader was born at home. He arrived at 3:20 in the morning, August 3, after 5 hours of labor. He weighed 9 pounds 9 ounces and was 22 inches long. Mommy and Baby are in perfect health.
Our Sunday school discipleship program is beginning to grow and is now producing new Sunday school teachers. I must say, it’s a joy to see our Sunday school teachers winning souls to Christ, getting them to church, and having them follow in baptism. Out of the 7 that have been baptized in the last two months, 6 were led to the baptismal waters by our Sunday school teachers and 1 by my father-in-law. God is good!
Much work in preparation was done by our church for Team Peru’s Pastors’ Conference. Our church choir practiced diligently. Many made and/or bought materials needed. Our church motto for the past two months has been “Be strong” (Esfuerzate). We watched our people bring an offering of themselves and bear a burden of service greater than ever. Our church choir sang and participated. Ushers worked fervently. Our ladies worked in a tiny kitchen and served over 1,000 plates of food in one day. Our ladies helped with the children’s program. We also led the singing and the overall schedule. Our greatest blessing was that, despite a heavy load, a busy schedule, and uncomfortable conditions, not once did any of the people of our church complain. Everyone served with joy and laughter.
The privilege is ours to serve with people strong in the Lord. God blessed this conference in a mighty way. In the mornings, we had between 250-325 in attendance for the teaching and preaching, and in the evening services, we had between 350-450 in attendance. More than 134 pastors were present, 29 surrendered their lives to full-time Christian service, and 90 souls were saved while taking everyone out soul winning. We enjoyed great preaching by Pastor Andres Gomez, Missionary Jonathan Ashcraft, and Missionary Luis Martinez, and more. This conference connected us with pastors from around the country and opened many doors. God is obviously blessing our team under the leadership of Pastor Zach Foust, and it’s our pleasure to serve in harmony.
Please pray for our continued influence with pastors across the country. Please pray for our institute. Please pray for our church’s end-of-the-year evangelistic campaign. Also, please pray for Sarah and baby Luke Daniel. Thank you so much for your love, support, and prayers. Without God’s help through you, none of what we have the privilege to do would be possible. God bless you.
Thank you,
Mark, Sarah, Savannah, Paul, Samuel, Rebekah, & Luke Rader
