Christmas Cards for Sale!

You can´t say we didn´t get them out in time! Christmas cards designed by the kids in our two orphanages, Casa Hogar San José and Casa Hogar Sagrada Familia are available through Christ Church, Plano. We´re proud of our kids and their designs!

Please Continue to Pray for Earthquake Victims

The rebuilding process is a slow and painstaking one. First, there have been rains in the affected areas! Drinking water is still very scarce. Here are some pictures take by our diocesan staff working in the area. Note the single mother with all her possessions: her daughter and two mattresses. I wonder how she does it? If she leaves the mattresses, someone will steal them!

An English prayer from before the Reformation adapted for our situation:

We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee, because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world. O Saviour of the world: who by thy Cross and precious Blood hast redeemed them, save them and help them, we humbly beseech thee, O Lord. Amen.

La Virgen María

Being a country with 500 yrs. of Roman Catholic heritage, Peru has many festivals celebrating apparitions of the Virgin María and each neighborhood´s resident statues of her, such as La Virgen de Chapi, Santa María de la Caña, Santa María del Carmen, etc. Recently it was our neighborhood´s turn to celebrate. A special float with a life-sized statue was paraded through the neighborhood and announced with firecrackers that sounded like rounds of heavy mortar fire! Sadly, this is a close as many of our neighbors ever come to worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ in any church.

James A.

An all around good bloke, James was back in Peru for his third straight year. Staying with the Robertsons for a month, James helped out at San Lucas, Casas Hogares, and the music ministry. Everyone enjoyed his stay and all the help he always is. Ron, however, was not so sure about his trying to teach our birds to say, "Britania rules!" The birds, however, just screeched back in a very Peruvian way!

James also enjoyed helping Vicki coordinate the Alvachurch team mission and sharing guitar "licks" with his countrymen.

Project

One of the projects that the English team helped the San Lucas children produce was a quilt. The team worked with each student while talking about Christ to complete individual squares. Then a lot of work for the team to attach them all together! Thanks, Vicki, for making things go so smoothly!

Alvachurch

Just prior to the quake, Vicki facilitated a team from Alvachurch, England. They were here two weeks helping at San Lucas before heading to Cabanaconde to visit the schools there. The kids always are stimulated by the crafts, stories, and projects that teams bring. God work, guys and gals!

Major Earthquake Hits Peru

On Wednesday evening, August 15, a major earthquake hit Peru. The epicenter was south of Lima and was 7 on the Richter scale and 7.9 on another scale. News reports to this date have estimated as many as 440 fatalities. We here in Arequipa felt it as did Father Ron and some US friends who were visiting Padre Alejandro in Cabanaconde. We all are fine. The only major highway connecting the southern part of Peru to the capital was badly damaged in at least 2 locations. This has effectively cut off land transportation on this commercial life-line. Our Lima churches and congregants are okay and immediately joined in the rescue and relief efforts.

While we in the South are cut off from the Lima area, we do have access to Pisco, a town severely affected. In response to local appeals, both Cristo Redentor and San Lucas are collecting food items to send to Pisco. There has been a huge flat-bed truck on the Plaza-de- Armas square receiving items for the affected area. And, yesterday evening the central police station had dozens of cadets boarding buses about to leave town to help in the devastated areas. You may keep up with our Anglican efforts by visiting Bishop Godfrey's special blog at : http://anglicanbishopperu.blogspot.com/ .

Please pray for families, businesses, the economy of Peru , and especially the poor who seem to always suffer the most in this time of crisis.

Romans 8:37-40

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Festival

Bishop William Godfrey has been up to visit us in Arequipa. As a special treat we took him and Judith to see the Fifth International Guitar Festival. It really was outstanding. Guitarists from 9 countries, including England, the US, and Sweden performed incredible pieces from Flamenco to Blues. It was superb!