Jan. 27, 2008

Dear Prayer Warriors,

Greetings from Iquitos, Peru! Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. The past two months have been very full. The end of the school year at the Bible institute brought more activities instead of less.

Dec. 6 – 13 brought two new friends from SIL doing an investigation on Peruvian sign language. Their visit gave me opportunities to renew contacts with some of the deaf adults I have not seen in a long time. The research is still in its beginning stages, but my prayer is that one day it will result in a Bible translated into the visual sign language the deaf here can understand, even if they cannot read Spanish. We had a great time of fellowship as well.

Christmas activities came next, planning special things for my little neighborhood friends, my Sunday School class at Betsan Baptist Church, and helping Fabiola give Christmas cheer to 100 poor children from our Baptist churches here in Iquitos. In order to find 100 poor children, I enlisted the help of leaders in 5 churches. Fabiola prepared hot chocolate, sweet breads, and gifts. On Christmas Eve, the Peruvian missionaries, Eliasib and Daniela, brought their group and prepared program to share the true meaning of Christmas. Fabiola and her family were so impressed that they said they would like the same program presented next year for their Christmas programs. Pray for true spiritual understanding and growth in this family.

After a quiet and relaxed Christmas with the Donaldson family and Darlene, things got busy again. Next on the agenda was sharing an end-of-the year supper with the Iquitos Baptist church leaders and their wives. Not everyone was able to come, but a good number did, and we enjoyed a good time of fellowship.

Three days later, I hosted the New Years’ Eve all-night party at my house. We began the evening talking about 2007 and the things we could thank God for and continued with goals for 2008. Two of my Source of Light students, Diana and Sosimo, received certificates for completing another series of lessons. The purpose of staying all night is to provide them with an alternative to the worldly partying and drinking that goes on around them. At 6:00 a.m. eleven sleepy but cheerful deaf friends headed for home.

By then the pressure was really on for getting the final things ready for the Amazon mission trip and deaf retreat. Praise the Lord for wonderful fellow Christians who gave of their time and service for God to take part in this first-time-ever river trip to reach the deaf along the Amazon River for Christ! Pastor Carlos made the contacts with the owner of the launch we rented and the river churches. Esther signed on as cook and did a lot of the buying with me. Marta and Juan helped with the buying as well, though they were not able to join us on the actual trip. Alfredo agreed to join us as our river guide and general all around assistant as needed. Nancy, Miguel, and Dany came from Chiclayo and joined in the last-minute honing of the retreat program. Sosimo and Silvia agreed to come with us to help befriend the new deaf. Finally the day of departure came!

January 7 we embarked on our 300-mile journey. Three deaf siblings who live on the Napo River had come to Iquitos to start the trip with us here. Within a few hours we had made two stops in Mazan and Indiana and had picked up three more new deaf friends and five hearing people who came along to learn sign language and how to minister to their deaf family member or friend. It was disappointing that no more deaf friends would join us in the rest of the villages where we stopped. We did pick up four more hearing people connected with the deaf in two other towns. We arrived at Monte Carmelo conference grounds near Caballo Cocha. Praise the Lord for a good time together at the retreat as we learned sign language, the lessons from the wordless book, memory verses, and other Bible lessons taught by Miguel as well as sports times and the handcraft hour. Everyone stayed fairly healthy and in good spirits. As we boarded the launch, the Titanic VII, for the return trip home, a special effort was made to share the Gospel with different ones. Four trusted Christ as Savior, including Jose, a hearing friend from Mazan, and Keyla, Edvin, and Audicio, deaf siblings from the Napo River. It was the Grand Finale to our trip! Please pray for their spiritual growth. Missionary Lee Johnson was not able to join us for the trip because of health reasons but plans to come in May for special meetings. Please pray that we will be able to get our deaf friends together in Mazan and have a follow-up meeting then. Pray for the other deaf that have not yet made decisions for Christ: Pedro (9), Julio, and Jeremias (young men). Pray for wisdom in planning for the next retreat for 2009.

Since our return on the 17th, I have been trying to catch up on other things that were set aside. So far I have caught up on grading the Source of Light lessons and making out certificates for those who have earned them. Tonight I attended Getsemani Baptist Church and helped hand out some of the 17 certificates their members have earned in the past six months. Please pray for them and other churches that are currently looking for pastors. Other projects on my list for this week are the annual reports, bringing the field treasury books up-to-date, and visiting my deaf Bible class students to encourage them.

May the Lord continue to bless you and give you a wonderful year in which to learn more of Him and serve Him faithfully. What a privilege we have to serve the King of kings!

Your sister in Christ,

Lynn Porter