Prayers For Storm Victims

We add our heartfelt prayers to the thoughts of comfort for Wednesday's storm victims received from Pastor Oscar Pièrola and Sara Armstrong.  The storms caused 320 deaths so far, with most occurring in the state of Alabama.  Pastor Oscar is the Pastor of the Amen Presbyterian Church in Lima.  We thank Sara for the translation.

We can't believe the continuing destruction.

Saludos de Sara

We will be praying for the brothers who suffered the disaster in the U.S.

God bless
Ps. Oscar Piérola

Perú Mission Network Update

• A quick update on yesterdays post (below) We heard through Adrian Fernandez that Ps. Santos has flown to the US for his surgery.
• We are also sorry to hear that Debbie Horne's son Eddie passed away on Monday and his funeral will be on Saturday. Harry left for the U.S. today to accompany the family.
• The Young Adult Volunteers and Jed and Jenny are in Ayacucho for the celebration of Semana Santa. All occasions for prayer...

con cariño, Sara

Perú Mission Network

• One of our Presbyterian related missioners here in Perú, Pam McAbee with the Amazon Mission Fellowship, was married this last weekend in South Carolina to Collins McGraw. They will be living apart, for the most part, over the next year of her commitment to AMF in Iquitos. Her address is Pamela McAbee gringacharapa@hotmail.com should you wish to congratulate her.
• There is less good news for Pastor Santos Buendia. He is the President of the IEPRP and was involved in a car crash March 3. He is still awaiting reconstructive surgery on his face. The tentative date is April 29. HIs address should you wish to write is sabt@amauta.rcp.net.pe He is able to work a few hours each day but the national work of the church is hindered.

Here is an excerpt from a wonderful letter he wrote:

God in His plans has allowed us to walk this narrow path. I do not complain about anything on the contrary I feel that my Lord Jesus suffered pain greater than mine. I pray every day for our God’s grace and mercy on me. Also request our Lord to open my eyes to see my wickedness and how sinful man I am. I know he loves me. At no time have I doubted of his love and forgiveness. He has a time for my healing. I will wait for it. Not as my will, but as our Father’s will. Dear Rusty & Sara and Maria, I request your prayers for me, my family and the ministry we have in Punta Hermosa. I know that my condition is at the mercy of our Heavenly Father's will.

I hope to return soon to continue preaching the Word and helping the needy. Please share this information with others in your church because we know of their love and care for us as you do in especial way.

Sincerely your brothers and friends in Christ,
Santos & Norma

• Also for your prayer ministries, mission co-worker Debbie Horne has been in the States since December accompanying her son Eddie in a battle with cancer. She and her husband Harry (who is here in Perú) and mission co-worker Jed Koball with his wife Jenny Valles are handling the details of the Young Adult Volunteer Program. They are glad to report five new YAVs for the next term.

Saludos atentos de Sara y Rusty

Mission Project El Salvador

Dennis Grills of Sharon Presbyterian will be leaving April 15 for a mission trip to El Salvador.  Dennis will be be leading a mission group from Steele Creek Presbyterian Church in Charlotte.  Please keep Dennis, his mission team, the families remaining here at home and mostly, the recipients of the work in El Salvador in your thoughts and prayers.

STRENGTHENING THE GETSEMANÍ COMMUNITY PROJECT

• Description  Habitat El Salvador is launching a three-year holistic project with the Getsemaní community. In addition to providing 30 housing solutions per year, this project includes the development and implementation of sustainable programs in community leadership, values education, community health, cultural exchange and microentrepreneurship. This project is a response to the poverty and the large housing deficit in the department of Ahuachapán as well as a result of Habitat El Salvador expanding its strategies to serve families through more holistic, participatory, community-focused projects.
• Methodology  From the beginning of the project, Habitat El Salvador is working directly with the community’s ADESCO board of directors, as the participation of the community leaders in this process is key to ensuring the sustainability of the results and is also an additional way to train them in project management. 

Habitat El Salvador has hired a full-time project manager with experience in community development to design and implement the project. Her first responsibility is to create a baseline of data in the community—in coordination with the ADESCO board of directors—in order to determine and measure the precise needs, as related to each project component.

The next step is for the project manager to collaborate with the ADESCO board of directors to design and subsequently implement each program, based on the baseline data. Together they will identify and invite other local organizations to contribute to the project. Furthermore, Habitat El Salvador will promote the participation of national and international volunteers in all components.

Project Components

• Community Leadership  The goal of this component is to strengthen the project management capacity of the community’s board of directors and potential new community leaders. During the first year, community leaders will attend workshops on the role of the board of directors and will conduct a self-evaluation of the board. They will then participate in a series of classes on the different phases of project management and, as a capstone experience, will work together to plan and carry out a new community project.
• Values Education   The goal of this component is to promote values, through a Christian education program for youth, in order to improve family and community relationships. Under the leadership of the nearby Presbyterian Church of Ahuachapán and other local churches, 100 community youth will have the opportunity to participate in a year-long values education and Bible study program, including a summer camp.
• Community Health  The goal of this component is to improve the conditions of reproductive health, nutrition and basic sanitation for 138 families in the community and surrounding communities. The focus is on preventative rather than curative health measures, given that this method is safer and healthier for the families in the long-term as well as more cost-effective. During the first year of the project, youth leaders will participate in a year-long course on reproductive health. Families will have the opportunity to participate in workshops on nutrition, take classes on healthy food preparation and even organize a gastronomical festival. With regard to basic sanitation, the project manager will work with families to ensure proper reuse of grey water and also vector control. Furthermore, local and international medical teams will be invited to the community to see patients.
• Cultural Exchange  The goal of this component is to promote cultural exchange among the community, the local church, international churches and Habitat El Salvador . More than a community development project, this project seeks to facilitate the development of fraternal relationships among all partners. To that end, international partners will be encouraged to visit the community on an annual basis to participate in spiritual retreats, social events and community service activities alongside community members and local church partners.
• Microentrepreneurship   The goal of this component is to promote microentrepreneurial initiatives, in order to help families improve their income. In collaboration with other institutions with experience in income-generating projects, the project manager will work with the ADESCO board of directors to establish a community solidarity fund that can help finance community members’ microentrepreneurial initiatives. This program will be designed such that it will create a domino effect of added value to the community. Community leaders will be highly trained in fund administration.
• Housing Solutions  The goal of this component is to provide a total of 90 housing solutions—30 per year for three years—for families in Getsemaní and surrounding communities who currently live in substandard housing. The standard house design measures 34 square meters and includes two bedrooms, a living/kitchen/dining room and a bathroom. All houses will be wired for electricity and will be built according to the structural safety codes of El Salvador. 

Considering the level of poverty of the partner families, the house loans will be subsidized by Habitat El Salvador between 40% and 60%, the percentage of which will be determined by a socioeconomic study of each family. As with all Habitat projects, the homeowners are required to contribute sweat equity.

Additional Resources:

2011 Lent Build Project {Strengthening Getsemaní}
Habitat For Humanity
Steele Creek Presbyterian Church

Peace,
Dennis R. Grills

Inca Empire

Photo Gallery - From National Geographic Magazine

Pastor Santos Update

Good evening,

We received the email below from Norma and Santos Buendia. We hope to visit with him this Saturday. Gracias for keeping him and his family in your prayers.

saludos de rusty y sara


Dear Sara, Rusty and Maria,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Thank you being with us during this difficult time.

Please pray for Santos.  He is still not able to talk very well.  He needs his mouth to keep preaching the gospel as our Lord gives life. Please pray for our Lord that he himself can heal their wounds. I am attaching to this email a letter giving details of his accident and the state of his healing.

With much love in Christ,
Norma