Greetings from Lima! We are back home in Peru and excited for all that God has for us here!
After announcing our resignation from our work in Chorrillos, we spent approximately five weeks in Peru before returning to the United States. During this time, we had the privilege of assisting another church with various events and activities, as well as the opportunity to preach in multiple churches. Staying in Peru allowed us to participate in the anniversary celebration of the International Baptist Church, which was a tremendous blessing. We are thrilled to witness the continued strength of the church we were part of for so long and are eagerly anticipating what God has in store for them.
We had a wonderful time in the U.S., where we were able to visit 10 states, be in 7 churches, and visit with family and friends along the way. It is always exciting to be there, but traveling is always an experience. We always say we are going to rest, but that never happens, as there are always so many people we want to see while in the U.S. We want to thank so many ministries and families for making it a wonderful trip. My blonde-haired, Spanish-speaking son was able to pick up English super quickly and got back to Peru—having forgotten all of his Spanish!
As soon as we landed in Peru, we began making plans. We were able to go visiting in the area where we are looking to start the church and look at different places for rent. For a week, we didn’t find any good options, but we continued praying. Then while we were coming home from church on a Sunday morning, we saw a building for rent, and I took a picture of it while driving. As I called about the property, I was surprised to find that the lady was a Christian, wanted a church there, and was willing to work with us on the price! It is located in a very central part of the city, on a main road, and on a corner lot, to boot. Starting here will open up a lot of doors to reach both the immediate area, as well as reach beyond. Lord willing, we will sign this week. It was a complete answer to prayer!
In and amongst all of that, I was able to travel to Bucaramanga, Colombia, where Missionary Aaron Vance and his family serve. There, I was able to record content for the media ministry we have through Christian Media Internacional. In two days, we were able to record 40 messages, as well as many other smaller videos to be used for the new work. I know I don’t talk much about what is going on with the media ministry, but it has become an amazing tool to reach people. Just last month, over 60 people wrote in saying they had accepted Christ, and the messages that we put out were seen upwards of a million times across all platforms. It is amazing to watch what God is doing.
Please continue praying for the start of Iglesia Bautista Esperanza (Hope Baptist Church). This month we will start Bible studies and Sunday services; and, Lord willing, we will have an official Grand Opening within a few weeks. We are still looking to cover some of the costs of startup; if you would like to be a part of that, the instructions are on our FBMI missionary page.
Thanks for making this ministry possible!
Serving Him in Lima,
Josh, Heather, and Joseph Hedderman