New Floor

Oikos church continues to grow and this has presented a good problem, that of lack of space at our Sunday gatherings.

Belen, her sister Sara, and her sister in law Miriam

Since September we have been meeting in Jaime and Belen's house and their 22 metres squared front room has been great until recently as there has been no room at the inn.

The floor before we started the destruction!!

Ronald looking on at the end of Monday after we had levelled the floor.

Therefore we asked if we could bless the family and the church and extend the room in some way. Belen and Jaime have sacrificed bedroom and kitchen space and we have gone from 22 metres squared to 35 metres squared. (Apologies to our American readers, but I have no idea what this is in feet) We managed to destroy the false floor, level the floor (more or less) and also lay a concrete floor in 3 days. On Monday we destroyed the floor.

On Tuesday we levelled the floor and started to mix concrete and we laid about a sixth of the floor.

All the sand had to be carried down from the top of the hill.

On Wednesday we had an amazing blessing of a team from the USA who helped us do most of the back breaking work.

Thanks to Justin and Mark (part of the American missionary team whom we are friends with) who brought their 4 interns, and the 9 university students to help us completely lay the floor.

Belen and Jaime ran out of water so we had to get water from the local stream.
In addition to the American contingent we had Stuart an expat friend helping us, and varying amounts of Peruvians at different times

We also brightened up the front of their house with a nice blue paint.

We now have an extended area to meet and are starting the process to find a permanent building or plot of land where we can build a resource centre and have a meeting place on the second floor.

Ventanillla school update- Multiplication!

The multiplication continues in Ventanilla. We started with 7 students in 2008, went to 11 in 2009, 33 in 2010, and this year there are over 90 students. God has really blessed the work going on. Allison and Peck went with Julian (my father in law) and I to see the work and I asked Allison what she thought, as it was her first visit to Ventanilla. She responded ‘it looks like a normal school’. This is a wonderful step forward considering where the school has been for the last 3 years. There are now 9 teachers, more children in each class than there was in the whole school two years ago, and kindergarten/nursery, and a class of secondary school children.

Some of the kids lining up after s chool had finished.

Numerical growth is fantastic, but what is even better is that the same spirit that has been in the school is still present, even though there is three times the number of children.

The faith of Alfredo still continues to challenge me and encourage me. He is a great man to work with, one who completely trusts in God for the provision and advancement of the vision of having a Christian school, which is not like the normal education here in Peru.

The teachers in the meeting we had after school to encourage them, and pray for them

Added to this the Australian government have donated money to build a brick building for the school, which is more amazing provision. Alfredo started with nothing and still continues to build. Next year he wants to start a new school!!!

Maybe in Pacifico or in Pucallpa!!!

Alfredo in one of the red tshirts worn by the staff.