Since arriving back in Peru, life has been non- stop. One of the highlights without doubt has been the time I (Mark) have spent with our friend Bob, and his team. We met Bob in Toronto, Canada, in 2004 at a church conference. He is here in Peru as he felt a call to preach in big campaigns on the street here in Peru, as well as Uruguay, Bolivia and Colombia. He has seen hundreds of people become Christians, seen many miracles, including sight to the blind and people walking, who were in wheelchairs, amongst others. 
We estimated there were over a thousand people at the campaign
I went to help Bob and his team on his ministry team Friday and Saturday night, and Anna interpreted for one of his team at a church in Comas, in the north, on Sunday. This was an amazing experience, and a great privilege to be involved. I saw the power of God in a way I have not seen very often. On the Friday night I was helping to translate for Berthard, a German ex-pilot, and praying with him. We prayed for 20-30 people, (the numbers become cloudy when you pray for that many people one after another) and each person said they were either completely healed, or something was healed. For example a woman with a hernia was completely healed and a man who couldn’t move his neck, was released from this, and then felt he should become a Christian. 
Our friend Bob preaching, with his intepreter Jonathan.
The main highlight however was a woman who brought up her young daughter, and said she had a cold, and was I told that she had fallen and hurt her knee when she was 6 months old. (I found out later, she hadn’t been able to walk because this accident). Anyway we prayed for her knees and we moved her leg to test if any healing had happened. She cried, before suddenly calming down. We asked her mum if there was a difference, and her mum started to cry joyfully uncontrollably as she had felt the bad of the knee and something had grown: a creative miracle, praise God. I saw her on Saturday and her legs were completely straight. 
The young girl healed with her mother, completely overcome with emotion
On Saturday I was praying with my friend Jono. We began to pray for the hundreds of people who had come forward for prayer.
Some of those who came forward to become Christians
We prayed for a man with crutches, who 30 minutes later had walked up the steps to the stage unaided for the 1st time following more prayer. In addition a man who was blind, gained his sight for the 1st time.
Another person testified in the middle of the ministry time that he had been walking past the square where the crusade was, with the plan to rob someone or something, and he had a gun in his pocket. The man however stopped to listen to Bob’s message and heard him talking about God’s love, no matter what you had done. He realised he had to get right with God, and went to the front of the square gave his life to Christ and felt peace. He threw his gun away and is now in contact with some of the pastors who are involved with prison work. (He is known by name by the police).
God also healed a woman with arthritis and rheumatic joints (thankfully very similar words in Spanish as English!),
The young woman healed of arthritis and very happy
a woman who had bad joints and bones, as well as a man who couldn’t move his head, as we prayed for them, amongst many others. 
The Lady healed of aching bones and aching joints
On Sunday we also saw a young man healed of a broken spine who was supported by support harness under his clothes, as well as a woman who lacked vision in her left eye, who no longer has this problem.
Bob and his team said they had never seen anything like it, and the pastors here agreed.
How good is God?!
Last Thursday I (Mark) went to Ventanilla again to see the progress and support Alfredo and his wife Rosa. It was a humbling time as always, but worth the 2 and a bit hours to get there. (Ventanilla is north of Lima and we live in the south of Lima – it’s like travelling from London to Leicester an back on a dirt track!)
The foundations for the building of the classroom have been done and the land flattened, and the original shack has been pulled down to make way for the new wooden structure which is due to be finished this week. There is just over a month before the school is due to open and the inside of the classrooms are due to be done next week, then teachers need to be employed! Excluding furniture, the remaining building costs are around s/6000 (£1000). You can see progress so far in the photo above (and Mark pretending to be helpful in the photo below!)
Whilst I was there I got to see the water truck arrive. Each house has to pay 1 sole 50 cents (about 20p) for each container of water. The truck comes every day and the water will last for 2 days if clothes do not need washing, or just 1 day if they do.
One of the things that I found particularly interesting / bizarre was that one house I went to, the lady of the house had plastered the wooden walls with wrapping paper and adverts for the Peruvian equivalent of Sunny Delight as wallpaper. What I found even more strange was that no-one thought that this was at all weird, in fact, Alfredo and Rosa were impressed with her ingenuity and might have even been secretly thinking about this for the school!
We are trying to sort out the house this week before starting work on Thursday. Next week we start working with the young people we are leading, so watch this space..