Christmas in Lima
Merry (almost) Christmas!
As the Christmas season approaches, I wanted to send this prayer letter before the holiday busyness begins. Christmas is truly one of our favorite times of the year—not only because we get to celebrate Jesus’ birth with the wonderful people here in Lima, but also because it’s a season full of fellowship, joy, and plenty of opportunities to eat (and then eat some more)!
What can we say other than thank you for praying for us! In our last letter, I shared about our social media ministry, and I am thrilled to report that in October alone, nearly 1,000 people trusted Christ as their Savior! All told, 993 individuals wrote in to share they had accepted Christ, and we recorded over 350,000 views across all social networks. That was just one month! The Gospel is being shared 24/7 across Peru, and it’s all possible because of your prayers and support.
We also recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of our church plant here in Lima. Last October, we held our inaugural service, not knowing what God had in store. Since then, we’ve seen many people walk through our doors, hear the Gospel, and place their faith in Jesus Christ as their only hope for eternal life. What a year of blessings it has been!
To mark this special occasion, we invited Pastor Derek Bradshaw from Salem Baptist Church in Decatur, Illinois, to preach to our church family. He and a team from his church joined us for the anniversary weekend, bringing messages that challenged us to prioritize family and deepen our love for one another in Christ. It was a beautiful picture of unity as people from different continents, languages, and cultures came together to worship the same God and lift Him high.
As a church, we are in a period of growth. For several months, we averaged 80–90 people on Sundays, but beginning with our anniversary service, attendance has surged to 110 or more each week. While we are thrilled to see new faces and lives being changed, we are also quickly outgrowing our current space. Our rented building provides the second and third floors on a main road, but our auditorium only seats about 85–90 comfortably. Even after separating the children and their workers into another service, we’re regularly filling the auditorium!
We need your prayers as we search for a new place to meet. The ideal solution would be to purchase property, but land in Lima is extremely expensive. Multiple members of our church family are willing to contribute toward this goal, but we will need significant additional resources to make it a reality. Would you pray with us that God would provide in ways only He can? We firmly believe that God has the resources, and we trust that He will supply what is needed in His perfect time. Until then, we ask for wisdom and guidance as we take these next steps of faith.
Thank you for your continued love and support. It’s an honor to partner with so many of you to do God’s work here in Lima.
May God richly bless you this Christmas season!
Josh, Heather, and Joseph