Pucallpa Nov 08 Part 4

Following the business and leadership seminars we did, Julian preached
in the main church with Jennifer an American missionary translating, and I went to another Pucallpa church plant called 'Cordero' or 'the Lamb'. Again following my preach God healed people and people had powerful encounters with God.

Praying with the people of Cordero church.

Preaching at Cordero church.

I also had an encounter of a different type as I met a tarantula of the non friendly pet’s corner type. This was promptly squashed and the majority of the praying kneeling congregation unaware. Those who did see it took it in their stride. Just what is normal in a jungle service?

My little spider like friend was just left of the keyboard player.

When I arrived back Julian told me that they had see healings in their service when the congregation prayed for each other. One of the people healed was Antonio a Shibipo pastor full of faith who is still going strong at 70. He has travelled the entire world and has a unlimited visa to go to the US at anytime. This is unheard of here in Peru as people often get refused for a 2 week visa for fear they will stay after the 2 weeks to live. Antonio went to his interview at the embassy and saw many young people crying because they had been refused their visa. Antonio was feeling very apprehensive when the embassy official came out. She asked Antonio: 'Are you from an indigenous tribe?', he said ‘yes’. She said ‘come this way pastor’. He was given an unlimited visa without an interview to visit the USA whenever he wants.How good is God?

Myself, Antonio, and Julian

Antonio is a pastor of a church 19 hours by river from Pucallpa, and has invited me to go and minister there and the 56 church plants as well!! If God lets me, I’m there. We plan to go back in early 2009, so watch this space.
My time in Pucallpa was again a real blessing. Next time we hope to more training, especially of the pastors and leaders, part of our vision, but I cannot take anything way from the amazing things God has done through us in these 4 days. I would say its back to normal, but things very rarely are. I love it. What a privilege to be here living out our calling.

Pucallpa Nov 08 Part 3

Wow day 3 arrives (Saturday) and we have already preached and taught 6 times in 36 hours. We began the day with going for a roadside breakfast again, Oseas having cockrel soup for breakfast, while we had a more 'normal' egg sandwich for breakfast with fresh juice, picked from the nearby trees! Following breakfast we went to another church plant called San Fernando stopping off at the house of Oseas and his family. While we were there we had juice from the Cocona tree grown in their garden, which is different! Ceci, Oseas' youngest sister (one of 11) who is 14 asked Julian to be her Padrino (godfather) next October when she turns 15, the magic age here in Peru. This is a great honour as people ask people to be padrinos as they are people of good reputation in the community who can help with the preparation of the young senorita financially, emotionally, and in our case spiritually. Julian has accepted, so we will see what happens next October!

Oseas' mum, Ceci, me, Julian and Oseas outside the house of Oseas and family
We arrived at San Fernando and again Julian shared a word on the grace and peace of God. Again we prayed for healing and saw the people praying for each other. What a blessing this was.

Praying in San Fernando
After lunch we took a taxi 50km down the road to another of the church plants called 9th February (yes really) which was in a remote village, where we were to stay overnight. We found out the next morning that this was the anniversary of the church, and this was the reason there was over 200 people there. Communication differs in its form here in Peru, and this seems to especially be the case in the jungle.

Anway following a couple of hours sleep we went for dinner and waited for the service to start, which it did about 2 hours late at 9.30pm. After requesting not to preach too late, as the service would be going on for sometime, I preached on the love of God and then we asked for those who wanted to recieve healing to come forward. Again God healed people there. One of the visiting leaders testified later that her stomach had been healed physically, and the depression she had had been lifted. God is good.

Preaching in 9th February (not on)

A Brazilian lady then met Jesus for the first time and felt the power of God come upon her.

Some of the 200 people at the service in 9th February

I slept well that night, which cannot be said for Julian, who had 4 hours sleep. I only found one giant cockroach in my room that night!

My companion for the night!
The next day we set off back for Pucallpa and I preached at the main church, before having lunch and then Julian doing another business talk which was again really good, and also really inspiring.It was partly inspiring as 2 men attending gave testimony of their businesses. The 1st was a middle class business man who owned several businesses including a restaurant that helped support the TV station. He said he had become a Christian recently but since he had become a Christian he had changed the way he did business and God had really blessed his business.

The other man was a member of the Luz Divina church and he had had several problems with previous business and had lost all his money. He then told a story of how God had blessed him as he had had faith in God to provide for him. He works with jungle medicinal plants, and was asked to provide few thousand tonnes of these plants for a client. He did not have the money to buy them or the money to go and get them. However he found a warehouse that wanted to sell several tonnes of this plants. He asked the client who wanted the plants if they could pay 50% of the money up front and they agreed because they trusted him. He then delivered the plants and made a tremendous profit without spending any money, not that he had any to do it!

Pucallpa Nov 08 Part 2

Following our TV appearance, time for a quick spot of breakfast before off to visit an Indigenous community in the village of San Fransisco. I have a real heart for such people, and would love to be more heavily involved with them. We eventually arrived 2 hours later, after getting lost and the rains starting. (A continuing theme) On our way to San Fransisco

As the rains poured down we walked around the stalls of the Shipibo people, selling their authentic, handmade products. Oseas then said to me 'let's go to the main square and then we need to leave, as we supposed to visit 2 churches this afternoon'. I responded to him 'we must be here for a reason, see if we can find any Christians to encourage, or spend some time with'. We then asked a young lady on the table next to us 'Do you know any churches or Christians here'? 'She responded, 'yes i'm the leader of an Assemblies of God church just round the corner'. What a coincidence, not that I believe in coincidences!

Views of the village of San Fransisco

We went to the church that Judith led and she then announced to her church family that some random weird white people had arrived and were here to share. Well she may not have said all of that.

Judith

Anyway about 20 people of all ages arrived to hear what Julian had to say. Julian preached, I translated into Spanish, and one of the congreagtion translated into Shipibo for those who didn't understand Spanish.Outside the church.

This was the 2nd time I have done this, and it was a great honour again.

Julian preaching, i'm translating, and then Manuel is translating again
These guys really appreciated our visit for several reasons. Firstly I believe it was a divine appointment, which nearly never happened. Secondly, Judith who has been the leader of the church for only a year and is only 21 (I think taking the job over from her Dad because he died a year ago) really needs support, as she recieves no outside support from her denomination and also she is obviously still very unexperienced. Our prayer is that a great team will be formed there and they will continue to see amazing things.
After preaching there we helped the members of the church to learn how to pray for each other and we again saw 2 or 3 healings. God is good. The Shipibo people praying for each other with Oseas and Julian overseeing

Following this time we left and headed back for lunch back at the church 2 hours late according to out itineary. Following lunch we visted another of the 24 church plants in Pucallpa called Las Melinas'. I shared and we then prayed for healing, and 1 old man who could hardly walk was healed and was nearly able to jump around. The joy of Jesus was obvious to see.

We concluded the day by preaching in another of the church plants called Tushmuy. This was a church I visited in March, and it was great to see these young pastors Manuel and his wife Jovannah again, leading their church forward. Again following a sermon (battling against insects of all types) on Stephen we again prayed for healing and the Holy Spirit and we saw the evidence of God's power in action again. Jovannah leading some of the worship at Tushmuy church

Pucallpa Nov 08 Part 1

I went to Pucallpa again for the 2nd time last week, this time with my Father in Law Julian.

We went on the Thursday 13th November and planned to return on the 17th in the early afternoon. This was scuppered due to rain, jungle style! When I spoke to the checking staff an hour before take off, the said the plane was still in Lima. We eventually left after the rains subsided and arrived back in our house at 8pm, 4 hours late.

A hour before bone dry, and a hour later dry again!

It's raining it's pouring!

We had an amazing time and we saw many amazing things as well as being very busy.We arrived Thursday late afternoon. I was asked to preach at the evening service, and we then prayed for the sick. This was incredible as we prayed for about 11 people and all 11 were healed. Our Western cynical view thought maybe they were saying they had been healed to please the visiting preaches, but the beams on their faces seemed to defy this.

We were also invited by Mercedes the leader at the church to preach on television the next morning from 7 till 8. This was an offer we would never have expected, and weren't really prepared for, but we both like new challenges, and so we accepted. We arrived at the studio (someone's converted front room to appear on the Christian hour of Pucallpa, Campo Verde and Ucayali's community channel), and we were told that we would have 4 sections of approximately 10 minutes each, the 1st an introduction from Pastor Benjamin interviewing Julian and I asking why we were here, and what we did. The 2nd section I was to give a devotional for the day. I spoke on Matthew 22 and the love of God that we need to accept and then show the world. The third section was a short (translated by me) talk on business by Julian, advertising his seminar to be held on the Sunday, and giving a few words of advice as well to those out there who were in Business.

Oseas, Julian, Benjamin, and myself after the show.

The final section was a prayer time from me, and a wrap up. It was a real honour to be able to share with so many people, and potentially to be able to have an impact on the lives of so many people. Benjamin said to me up to 50,000 people watch the show. I am guessing this is a Peruvian exaggeration, but it shows it is a high number.

BBC News next?

A Few Family Photos...

Sometimes life is so hard...

Playing at home...

A day out in the country...

Joel's dedication

Joel Simeon Burgess Burgess!
Yesterday was Joel's dedication, an opportunity for us to thank God for his life, and pray for him. We chose the name Joel Simeon for him, Joel meaning 'The Lord is God', and Simeon meaning 'The Lord hears', which is our testimony, and we hope it will be his as well!

Our friend and pastor Eduardo praying for Joel, and us as parents. Joel and Grandad Julian after the service. Daniel playing the drums after the service

Now we are four!