Arequipa News - June 2010

The wind blows where it wishes and your hear the sound of it, but do not know where it is going: so is everyone who is born of the Spirit. John 3:8.

A volcano erupts in Iceland, the wind blows the ash cloud South, planes are grounded, and all mans plans are scuppered. Just as the wind cannot be controlled and directed, neither can we know, forecast, or discern what the Holy Spirit has planned for us individually, or as a church. This does in one sense take everything out of our hands, and should enable us to serve the Lord, believing that the Holy Spirit is the director and orchestrator of God’s purposes. As someone once said “I can control effort, but I cannot control fruitfulness”.

CAMP

This year’s camp proved to be a spiritually beneficial time for a number of people. As mentioned in the Church News section below, Betty was converted and has shown evident fruit of a changed life. On returning home she immediately closed her shop on Sunday and has not missed a Sunday service since. She has requested baptism and for the last couple of months she has been attending discipleship classes.

A number of others, such as Raul have also been attending the meetings since camp. Raul lives near to the church premises. Not long ago before he began attending he had a brain hemorrhage which has affected his speech leaving him almost unintelligible. But he is the most outwardly joyful person in the fellowship! It is very frustrating for him trying to communicate, although Ronny and Alfredo can pick up and get the gist of what he is saying. Please pray the Lord will be gracious and enable him to recover much of his ability to speak and communicate.

VILLA MAGISTERIAL

In this area of Arequipa it is our desire, where possible, to have meetings in believer’s homes and also to reach out to the other communities where members live, by inviting their friends and neighbours to attend. We have started a children’s club in Lucresia´s home with around 25 children attending . Recently when Roxy was ill and we couldn’t go to the area, one of the kids rang us at home and said “Aren´t you coming today? We are all waiting for you!” The kids are keen, but the work with the adults is a slower process!!

The work in this area will take time as folk get to know us, through regular visitation to their houses. I read recently a comment by John G Paton, Missionary to the New Hebrides, concerning his father. He had been appointed as a visitor in his own community in Scotland to distribute the scriptures. John Paton said his father was known to everyone within a 5 mile radius, and was able to enter many homes to pray and read the word! Now that´s effort! Pray that we may be known in the area, and have many opportunities to share the word with folk in their homes.

We have had people attend the meetings, but getting them to return is the challenge! What seems an encouragement one week can quickly evaporate the next!

Pray for Angélica and César who have attended the Sunday Bible Study, and Lopez, who came with his wife. It is evident his wife is strongly opposed to the Gospel and his initial interest has waned.

We know this is a spiritual battle and no advance is made without prayer and perseverance. One needs to be prepared for opposition. As William Carey said we need not only to attempt great things for God, but expect great things from God.

Transport
One of our vital needs in the work is to have two reliable vehicles. We do need to replace our second vehicle which is more than 15 years old and costing us money in repairs. We make this need known so the Lord may provide for us this year a more reliable van for the next 5 years.

Family

Thankfully Roxy’s health is much better after a difficult time. By the time you receive this we will have returned, DV, from a welcome break as a family: a change of air and a change of scenery! A spiritual recharge to continue in the fray!! Thanks again for your prayers and support that is much appreciated by both us, as a team, and by the church that are aware of the many whose support enables the work to continue.

Church News
This month we celebrate our church anniversary, beginning on Friday 11th with a day of fellowship and prayer. Then on the Sunday a lady called Betty, who was converted at this year’s camp, will be baptized. Pray for her husband and two daughters and all the extended family as they attend the service. Her two daughters have also been more regular in attendance and we would love to see this and other whole families saved and added to the church. May the wind blow!!

We are expecting a full church with the majority being unbelievers; so do remember us on Sunday the 13th!

Why not pray for us at 4:00PM (your time) as the service commences!

We have regularly around 15 unsaved attending, but we expect many more over the anniversary weekend, so we would value prayer that the Lord will be gracious and give spiritual understanding to those who hear the word.

Contact details:
Trevor Condy, 22 Kirkstall Road, Southport. PR8 4RA. trevor@condy.co.uk
Anthony, Roxy & Melly: New email: antroxmel@googlemail.com
Ronny, Rocio & Samuel : Casilla 411 (Mission PO BOX)

4 Mornings of FREE FUN!

Tues 1st - Fri 4th June, @ Grace Baptist Church, 9.45am - 12.15pm

Games, songs, stories, crafts - plus the adventures of FANTASTIC FLOSS & BARON TOOTHACHE!

For kids from reception & all primary school ages.

For more info call our office: 01704-531751

WHO CAN SAVE THE WORLD?

Dr. John Benton spoke on this subject at our anniversary weekend this year.

Click on the “Sermons” tab to download the MP3

Every Sunday Morning, 10.30am, we are looking at the evidence and listening to the eye-witness accounts.

FORGET THE SPIN, OR THE BLUSTER OF RICHARD DAWKINS, ETC.

YOU ARE WELCOME TO COME AND FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF.

In 2005, he announced he would no longer play Sunday games for club or country, because of his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and his conviction that the Lord’s Day is for the Lord alone.

Come and hear Euan tell his story and how his faith has affected his life.

GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH, PRINCES ST, PR8 4HJ, 8.15PM EASTER SUNDAY

Here at Grace we have decided that the 1st prayer meeting of each month will be set aside for concerted, united prayer for the Lord to send revival and spiritual awakening to our lives, our churches and our nation.

YOU ARE VERY WELCOME TO JOIN US - Wed, 7.30pm.

Normally the weather man tells us what the weather will be like. But here, God invites his people to have a role in determining how much rain we have! What a promise for us to PRAY TO THE GOD WHO SENDS THE RAIN!

This verse is true physically - the Lord gives us all our material needs. Seek first His kingdom, and all these things will be given to you.

This verse is true spiritually - we need God’s Holy Spirit to fall upon all our ministry - for the salvation of lost sinners & the purifying of his saints! Only God’s Spirit can do God’s work through his people!

We met at Ashton Baptist Church on Monday with folks from other churches, to pray for the West Lancashire Reformed Baptist Fellowship. It was a great encouragement - and a time of real blessing. We trust that the Lord would hear our cries & pour out his blesssing on the churches we know and love.

We are encouraging all the churches to pray regularly for one another - using the recent summary prayer sheet as a framework perhaps? We hope this will foster fellowship as churches contact each other and ask, “How can we pray for you & your fellowship?”

If you want more info. about the West Lancs Fellowship - please contact us.

Moses My servant is dead, now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.  Joshua 1: 2

Those words must have filled Joshua both with joy and trepidation. He had waited 40 years for that day, but what he is asked to do, is do the impossible. There was one massive obstacle; the river Jordan in flood! If that was formidable, then dare I say it is nothing compared to the task we are called to do; preach to sinners who are dead and believe to see God raising them from spiritual death to life; surely the greatest miracle. There is no entrance to the promised land until God is pleased by an act of his omnipotence to lead his people through the turbulent waters. So there is no Christian life and joy until the Lord removes the heart of unbelief. The priority of our prayers should constantly be that the Lord will by his power bring to fruition the new birth in those who hear the word.  Without that our preaching will be in word only, and death will prevail.

VILLA MAGISTERIAL

We had an encouraging beginning in the new area when we had over 120 women and children gathered for the special Christmas service. I will be starting a Bible Study at the beginning of March on a Sunday afternoon, and a children´s club starting also in March on Friday afternoons. Pray that the Lord will be pleased to give early encouragements as we reach out further in the area. Pray for “Joachin”, Lucresia´s husband who is coming to church more regularly and showing interest. We would love to see him saved and involved in the work with his wife, as we use their home to begin the meetings.

We have used funds to put up a wall and room on their property which allows us to have the children´s club in the open air, and to have the Bible Study inside which is needed during the cooler months during the year. This has also both enabled us to help a poor family from our fellowship get established in the area, and also reach out in an area where there is no church. It has been encouraging that this has arisen through the desire and prayers of Lucresia to reach the people with the Gospel. The initial interest has been encouraging, but as the text above explains, we need the power of God to bring people through to life in Christ; pray!

CHURCH NEWS

We have seen a number of new couples with us and the congregation increasing, but the great need is for a move of the Spirit creating conviction and adding to the church. It´s one thing to have more attending, but that means little unless the word and Spirit bring new life with a body full of the Holy Spirit and the joy of salvation. The Lord has given me sure promises with which to intercede, so we must wait and anticipate the breakthrough. We have now begun the process to obtain the Title deed for the church and later in the year we will work to put together the church constitution. I have had studies with both Alfredo & Adolfo in preparation for their service toward the Lord and the church as deacons later in the year. We are going through the Baptist confession of faith, church government, and various aspects and responsibility of the Diaconate. Pray for these two men, that they will be discerning and diligent, knowing that trials and attacks will most certainly come to oppose their commitment to the will of God. The life of faith is a life of conflict, and for every new day we need fresh “manna” from the presence of the Lord.

IT´S NEVER TOO LATE!

Many of you will remember Tomasa who was knocked down by a car and seriously injured last year. She and her husband have been married legally, but never in church. Tomasa and her husband Antonio wanted to renew their vows before the Lord, and they wanted to testify in such a way to most of their children who follow the culture here in living together. The same is true in the UK now as everybody now has a  ”partner” as Gods word and marriage is rejected and redefined by a secular culture, as the world does what is right in its own eyes.  It was lovely to see these Elderly believers obeying the Lord from the heart. Again we were the “Padrinos” and bought the rings. If anymore come forward we may have to plead poverty or go on deputation!!!!!!

One of their daughters “Lucia” has now been attending church regularly for over 3 months. Pray that the Lord will call her by his grace through the word.” Aurelio” we were informed recently was found dead and the news spread quickly, but amazingly he came round and is at the moment in intensive care and improving. He was divorced more than 20 years ago and his former wife appeared travelling from Argentina. Thinking he was dead the vultures appear for the financial pickings; he has a very good pension that passes on to the spouse! He has made an improvement, so we pray he may have some time yet this time of eternity to be granted repentance, and also to disappoint the waiting vultures!!

Faustino & Anna Maria have come to us recently. They come with their bibles and are showing a real hunger and desire for the word. They also come to the prayer meeting which is s good indication of life when folk want to pray. They came this Sunday with their son “Alex” . Máximo & Sylvia have recently come to us. The lady has a very sad background of sexual abuse within the family and one of the children is a product of her past suffering at the hands of a stepfather.  Pray that the Lord will bring healing and salvation to this woman.  Both have also been attending the prayer meeting during the week. We are having camp later this year, at the end of this month. We will have some new folk with us, and we have been more careful and selective regarding those we accept to attend. There were some who appear at the church in January hoping to have a cheap holiday! But the purpose of the camp is spiritual, both for fellowship as a church and to reach those unsaved who have recently attended the church. So we have given priority to some, and had to disappoint others. But please pray that those unsaved at camp this year would hear the call of the Good Shepherd and be really and truly added to his body, the church.

Pray for all the church activities, especially the young people´s meetings and the ladies meetings. The hardness of the human heart and unbelief is in your face continually when folk are content with just meetings. Pray for Ronny and Rocio who are leading these meetings. The church would be full on Sunday if the folk from these meetings were saved. If the Lord saved all our contacts we would then have a wonderful problem. It is for that wonderful problem that we pray, and believe that day will come to the Glory of God.

One of our vital needs in the work is for two reliable vehicles in the work. We do need to replace our second vehicle which is more than 15 years old and costing us money in repairs. We make this need known so the Lord may provide for us this year a more reliable van for the next 5 years.

On behalf of us all thanks again for your prayers and support for us in the work here in Arequipa.  We are all well as a family, at the moment still in the school holidays and for that reason extra busy!

Contact details:
Trevor Condy, 22 Kirkstall Road, Southport. PR8 4RA. trevor@condy.co.uk
Anthony, Roxy & Melly: New email: antroxmel@googlemail.com
Ronny, Rocio & Samuel : Casilla 411 (Mission PO BOX)

He will baptise with fire...

MORNINGS: MEET THE KING!

Pastor Stuart begins a new series in Mark’s Gospel - where we come face to face with Christ, the Servant King. Mark’s “fast-paced,” Gospel reflects the dynamic, powerful nature of Christ & his saving work.

EVENINGS: WHAT A FEELING! (God, Emotions & Us!)

What are emotions? Why do they affect us so much? How can we live with them? What does God think of them? Most importantly - how can we glorify God & live emotional Christian lives? A vital but neglected area of Christian living.

Who is Jesus?

Why did He come?

What does it mean to follow Him?

NEW COURSE STARTING - JAN 2010

All welcome - ask any questions you want!

You don’t need to know anything about the Bible. You won’t be asked to read aloud, sing, pray (or pay!)

We usually meet in people’s homes for coffee, where we then watch & discuss a short DVD presentation.

This course will run MONDAY EVENINGS - 8PM- starting 11 JANUARY.

For more info call Adam or Stuart (01704 - 531751) or email us via our “contact” page.