Catch the Fire in Pucallpa

Astra showing how she loves the young ones no matter where she is.

The traditional dance and dress of the Shipibo women welcoming us.

After the ILSOM conference we went to the jungle with the Catch the Fire team. This was Mark's eighth visit to the jungle, and third to the Shipibo village of Nuevo san Juan where we are supporting the church. We had an amazing time there even though we arrived Sunday night and returned to Lima on the Wednesday morning. Pucallpa's weather welcomed us on Monday as it rained like only happens in tropical climates until about 2-3pm.

Angela, part of our church leadership, being the joker that she is.

Following the rain the blessings began. Our intern Haseena, who is a doctor, when not in Peru was able to visit some of the houses in the village.

Haseena with a small proportion of the kids in the village.

We also had a few of the team praying for the people who received medical attention. In this first house we saw our first healing, as the founding pastor's wife, who was partially deaf in one ear, and completely deaf in the other was able to hear better than some of the Catch the Fire team who were testing that this lady wasn't just trying to make us feel better, and was really supernaturally healed. God is good.

Praying for the church members and visitors, just before we left.

We also were able to give out 6 suitcases of donations that the team had brought with them, shoes, clothes, toys, and toiletries. This took nearly 2 hours to finish doing, and again was a real blessing to me, seeing kids without shoes, having shoes for the first time.

Tuesday was also an amazing day of blessing, as we were able to serve food to the whole village. Over 450 people were present. Some people had a stable meal for that day. Also we saw over 250 people when we set up our makeshift medical clinic. Photos to follow.

We also finished with an amazing church service with over 200 people present and many recommitting their lives to God and the church. We also got to pray for every person in the church.

I am already awaiting my 9th visit which are going to do just after Christmas.

It is such a blessing to work with people who are so hungry and needy.

Catch the Fire Visit

CATCH THE FIRE VISIT SEPT 2011

Left to right: Capucine, Alexandra, John, Debbie, Astra and Rosa (missing Robert and Daniel)

We have had the blessing of a short term team led by our friends John and Alexandra Tanyan, pastors of the catch the fire church, Ajax. A team of 8 people came for 3 reasons; to do an ILSOM, an international school of ministry, to bless our church in Pacifico, and to do outreach in the church we work with in the jungle.

Astra from the CTF team with Tiago from Pacifico.

The team arrived Saturday night and Sunday morning the team recovered from culture shock and ministered in Pacifico.

John and Alexandra our friends, leaders of the team, and the pastors of Catch the Fire Ajax

One of the main reasons they came however was to minister at the ILSOM, a week long intensive pastor and leaders school, where leaders are ministered to, and helped to deal with life's hurts, and then leave better equipped for ministry.

Students from the school; from Chiclayo, Pucallpa, and Lima.

Mark was head coordinator and he managed to gather pastors and leaders from several churches in Lima, 2 churches in Pucallpa, and a church from Chiclayo, a northern desert city.

Capucine talking about father types and Mark translating.

The week was an amazing success and everyone was blessed by them and God, and we look forward to the possibility of them coming again in future years.

Kids Party

The conga line.

Every 3rd Sunday in August we have ´el dia del niño´or child day. This is a day when the Peruvians celebrate children.

Nicole as sweet as ever

Sharro our god-daughter painting Karina´s face.

We therefore decided to have a party for the kids and celbrated in style, and without their parents. No child cried the whole time!!

The old favourite!!

Angela won, and her sister Karina cried foull. Sibling rivalry!!

Daniel, Priscilla with Jefferson, and Rosa with Tiago.

Sebastian with adopted uncle Oscar

Haseena, our intern doing ring a ring a roses.

We had fun, played games, filled them with lots of sweets and other junk, and let kids do what they do best, be kids and have fun.

Jefferson seemed to enjoy the chocolate.

Pre Teens

The boys playing football

The faithfuls

The pre-preteen girls

Johannah and Nicole

Gustavo

Alex, Frank and Arthur

One of the greatest pleasures of being an overseas missionary and church planter is seeing the next generation growing up. This is certainly the case with our pre teen (9-12 year olds) as Ronald has pioneered and runs this group along with Rosa (18) Oscar (16), and his brother Franco (14). It is wonderful to see the group growing in depth and numbers week by week. Luz, Alex´s mum has commented on the difference the group has made to Alex´s behaviour in both school and the home. It makes the work worthwhile!

Alex outside his home

Felipe

Kaleb update

Well in a few hours Kaleb will be a week old. It has gone very quickly! This has been the first opportunity I have had to upload some photos from our camera, so here are some highlights.

Both Daniel and Joel have been very cute with Kaleb. Joel calls him 'Kalem' as he can't say his name, and keeps asking when we are going to give him back to our friend Alison Thompson who has a daughter called 'Cailyn'!

Daniel composed his own lullaby for Kaleb, and after printing it out, takes it out of his pocket various times a day to sing it to him. His last request before he goes to bed each night is if he can sing Kaleb his lullaby. Below is a video of him singing it to Kaleb. The audio is not very good, but the lyrics are below.

Kaleb, Kaleb, you are cute,

Kaleb, Kaleb, you have a flute!

Kaleb, Kaleb, you are amazing,

Kaleb, Kaleb, you are not hazing!

Kaleb, Kaleb, this is the end

Kaleb, Kaleb, say “The End”!

So now we are five!

Kaleb Josiah Burgess

Kaleb Josiah Burgess 3 minutes old.

After a lot of pushing, pain and boredom Kaleb didn't want to be born yesterday and due to his breeched poisition and the cord around his neck, which after his birth we discovered was very short we took the correct decision that a caserean section was necessary.

Anyway at 23.40 we weren't sure if his birthday would be the 5th or 6th, but at 00.01 on the 6th Kaleb was born with a healthy weight of 3.3kg, 7.4 pounds.

Mum and baby are doing well. Anna reports that so far he is a quiet contented baby, Thank you God.

All scrubbed up

00.01 6th August Kaleb makes his appearance.

Mummy and son for the 1st time

Daddy and son for the 1st time

Mark, Anna, and Kaleb

My Mum

Last week Daniel and I (Mark)went to England for 5 days for a family emergency. The emergency was due to my mum´s state of health. My mum had been in hospital for over 4 months with a broken femur, which never healed correctly. The situation seemed to be stablising, although her health was up and down.

However two Sundays ago I received a phone call from my sister saying my mum had been admitted into intensive care and her situation was serious. We as a family took the decision to fly back and arrived on Friday the 22nd of July with Daniel. My mum with Anna and a very baby Daniel.

My mum died on Saturday 23rd July at 2.30pm UK time due to multiple organ failure. This has been a great shock to the family. Please pray for us at this time.

Christmas 2009 with my mum and dad.

However I do not wish to dwell on the negative that my mum is no longer with us but the positive that she is now in a place where there is no more pain, no more sickness, no more evil. More than this, she is with Jesus and his perfect presence.

I always want to dwell on my mum as the person she was before she went into hospital. She was very servant hearted, always willing to help out where she could. She was a person who loved her grandchildren dearly, and myself and Anna will always be grateful for the money sent through for toys, the Cbeebies magazines and of course the endless hours of Cbeebies recorded onto DVD.

I will always remember when as a child mum used to make wine in big demi johns and the adults who enjoyed this, sometimes in excess! (I remember one engagement party, and what I thought was a very jolly gardener!!) I also will remember her taking me endlesslessy to the Leeds General Infirmary hospital with various breakages and even concussion.

Also I will never forget the way she has looked after my dad for so many years and has served him.

Thank you mum for your life. You will be sorely missed.

We love you.

JEAN BURGESS 12 October 1946- 23rd July 2011.

Wedding!!!

A month ago I was given the chance to take my second wedding here in Peru. (The first was in the jungle) Both of them have been very different to my normal experience of weddings in the UK. Jaime and Belen who are both part of our church in Pacifico have lived together for 13 years but felt that it was the right time to get married. I had a dual role at the wedding as the official chauffeur and the presiding minister.

The happy couple who were acting as if in love which was great to see.

I arrived at 8.40pm to pick them up. It was supposed to be 8.00pm. When I arrived Jaime was still in his dressing gown. We left at 9.00 and then proceeded to drive around several attractive spots in Chorrillos, the area where we all live. Meanwhile Jaime and Belen were constantly on the phone trying to sort out the P.A for the wedding which hadn´t arrived, the food that hadn´t been sorted 100% and also checking about the DJ who was at that point presiding over a babyshower. I would have been stressed if it had been my wedding but they seemed to be very relaxed about the whole situation. Anyway 10 0 clock arrivedand we hadn´t arrived.We then hit major traffic as it was the anniversary of Chorrillos, and got delayed another 40 minutes. After that I thought it was just plain sailing and we could start the wedding!

Jaime repeating his vows after me.

The guys from the church who made the journey to the wedding.

How wrong I was. We then arrived 1 block from the wedding venue, we stopped at a very dodgy and dirty looking chinese restaurant and waited for the all clear that the DJ and the sound had arrived. Meanwhile Belen in her wedding dress went to the bathroom and bought some food. I was completely thrown by the whole event, but throughly enjoyed the whole event, even though it started at 11pm and when we left at 1.15 am we felt like the party poopers!!!!

The happy couple below!!! Jaime seems to have the Chandler curse and can´t seem to smile even though he is generally a happy guy!!