https://youtu.be/OQjNKiAgXPs

The link above is about the Primera Iglesia Bautista de Huancayo (First Baptist Church of Huancayo) which is a 13 minute presentation about the Lord’s work in the Mantaro Valley of Peru.  We live close by the church property in Huancayo and work full time with the church and the missions in the surrounding towns.  The Lord has blessed us with many souls won, a strong church and capable teachers and preachers. 

 

We hope this link will spread understanding about the need for a new building dedicated to the cause of Christ. The following information might be helpful:

 

1. In 2007, Peru experienced a magnitude 8 earthquake which killed 519 people.  The government responded by requiring inspections of existing buildings and enforcing the building codes.
    
2. A few years ago the church’s buildings were condemned due to inadequate foundations and dangerous masonry construction.  The property is paid for and the lot is almost 5000 sq ft.  The only practical option was to apply for a building permit to demolish and replace the existing facilities.  As long as progress is being made, the church can continue to meet there.
    
3. Real estate is very expensive in Peru.  Most lots are tiny.  Financing is difficult to obtain and the terms are bad with very high interest rates.  The common practice is to build with the cash available, move in, and continue to build upward over a period of many years.  Homes are constructed to 4 or 5 floors.  The building officials decide how many levels a property may have and the owners are obligated to put in foundations and supports for all the potential future floors.

 

If our Lord is willing, this construction project will be on going for many years.

 

The First Baptist Church of Huancayo has made a great start with the permits and drawings and partial construction of a new Sunday School area that will also be the interim meeting space for their services. First Baptist Church of Huancayo is blessed with spiritually mature leaders including young adults to carry on the Lord’s work.  The people are faithful with their tithes and offerings.  Still the need is great and we are inviting churches everywhere to have a part in advancing the cause of Christ in Peru.

 

If you wish to contribute to the building fund, make checks payable to Bible Way Baptist Church and note Peru Building in the memo space.  Please call if you if have questions about the effort.

 

Bobby Dunn             Bill Fairbanks            Paul Rose                        John Allen

Minister                    Treasurer                    Missionary                       Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church

281-462-2310           713-542-3777            713-344-1480                  219-759-3317,  219-759-3554 cell

Evenings                   cell                             web phone to Peru          pastor.ebcsh@gmail.com

                                                                       

 

This video may also be viewed  at www.BibleWayBaptist.com.  Please tell anyone who may be interested.

 

Bible Way Baptist Church

4544 Brinkman St.

Houston, Texas 77018

A Special Blessing

One afternoon as I was about my business, two men came by the house looking for me. One was Bro. Antenor Rojas, pastor of the “The Bible Says Baptist Church”. Bro. Antenor runs a radio ministry in town and owns 3 radio stations; one here in Huancayo and another in a jungle town of Pichanake. He also is starting up a radio station in the state of Huancavelica. These are strictly Christian radio stations that pump the waves with the gospel of Jesus Christ 24 hours a day. I was very excited about the radio station in Huancavelica because when I was a young child my dad would take a donkey and a trumpet and travel that way preaching all over the state in many villages. When the brother asked if I could recall any of the villages I mentioned Izcuchaca, Conayca and Laria. He then asked my if I would like to visit these villages.  Of course! So very early the next morning, in the company of this pastor, his daughter and my wife and daughter, we set out on the trip.  It took us 4 hours to get there. It would take my dad a total of 2 weeks to get there and up the mountain and back.

Bro. Antenor Rojas and me

   There is no explaining the excitement I felt as we drove up the mountain.  We could see the trails that dad had climbed. If you look closely to the picture at below you can see the mountain trail. As I drove up this mountain, I tried to visualize my father leading a donkey with his trumpet, his Bible, and sleeping gear.  Another man, Felipe Arias, would accompany him.  I have never been able to find him or anything about him.  They only speak Quechua up here and I know my father spoke absolutely none of it.

As I pulled into the town of Conayca, we got out of the car and sat in the town square for a long while.  The town square was very modern, with electric lights and beautiful construction.   It had only been there four years.  I tried to feel what my father would have felt arriving into this place and pulling his trumpet out and start playing Amazing Grace and watch the people as they would gather around.  There was a myth he would have to put up with and fight called the Pishtaco. They believed the white man would come steal their children and make soap out of them.  How he overcame this obstacle I never knew.

We toured the old Catholic church

building that was built in 1663. They are spending more than $1M on restoration. It was actually built to mark the entrance to a gold mine.

   Bro. Antenor suggested that we should look up some brethren that knew dad. We found a very old lady who could no longer walk. She told us of a white missionary that would come and preach. We asked her if there were any other survivors of that time period. She said that, the last one passed away about 4 years ago.  When she heard that I was the missionary’s son, she cried.

   From there we went to Laria. That was the route dad would take. I drove from Conayca to Laria in about 45 minutes, it would take dad a full day. The church there was empty and no one present. The sad thing was that they were all Pentecostal churches. I would have loved to have met some of the old time brethren, but I guess I will have to wait to get to heaven to do that.  I could not help but weep over the fact that back in 1958 a young missionary traveled so far in such rugged circumstances with the simple prospect to preach the gospel where no one else had ever preached before.

               

   I am the recipient of much blessing because of the sacrifice that my parents made.  I can only try to imagine what it was like for my mother to be alone all those times when dad was gone.  I remember the excitement when dad would come home.  I remember sitting in the living room while dad tried pulling off his shoes and making a big ado about the smell. In those days there was no hot water heater.  Dad would heat the water over a kerosene stove and carry the hot water upstairs to the bathtub and soak for a long while.  All I can say today is God bless you, Dad.  Thank you for carrying the gospel to regions unknown! Thank you for paving the way for me to live this wonderful life. I get to live today because you were willing to pay the price back then. Today there are over 280 churches that exist because of their effort. Let whoever wants to criticize do it, but we do what we do for the Lord.  If we live, we live for him, if we die, we die for him.  Thank you Lord, for this special blessing

The first week in September we had our annual Missions Conference. It was a tremendous blessing to have Bro. Sylvester Matthews with us.  For many years he was the pastor of the Open Door Baptist Church in Mesquite, TX.  My father was sponsored by this church during those years that Bro. Sylvester was their pastor.
Again this year, the Lord blessed in ways that only He can. We had to build a fellowship hall to be able to house and feed everyone. We started building in March at the cost of almost $12,000. It took 2 months for the concrete roof to cure.  Before we could put the floor down, we had to bury a 2,800 liter holding tank. Water is pumped from there up to a new 1200 liter tank on the roof. We purchased 15 bunk beds and mattresses and arranged to make long tables.  On Wednesday night, September 4th, we were putting the beds together and worked past midnight!
Bro. Sylvester landed in Lima on Tuesday, the 3rd. The next night he preached at the Berea Baptist Church in Lima where Bro. Wilfredo Flores ministers. On the 5th we headed up the hill for what is usually a 6 hour trip. It turned out to be an 8½ hour trip because of a road block that took forever to clear up. The conference started on Thursday night with a good crowd. All the missions came in for the week. Our highest attendance was 173 on Sunday. We praise the Lord for all the blessings bestowed on us that week.

I praise the Lord for the decisions that were made during the conference. Seven professions of faith were made. These folks that came forward have been attending for some time. I believe it was time for the harvest. We will counsel with the three that requested baptism. If the Lord is willing we will baptize on the 1st of November. We have no facilities for baptism yet, but we are working on it. Pray for us!

The services were packed with people and the power of the Holy Spirit!