Our hearts are full as we write this prayer update from Lima, Peru! Sometimes, we are overwhelmed as we contemplate the blessings of the Lord in our lives and His working here in the churches of Peru. The months of April and May were no exception, as we experienced many answers to prayer and saw God work in many areas of the ministry here.
At the start of April, we hosted a group of builders from Beth Haven Baptist Church as they visited Bro. Romario Bustamante and his work in Iquitos in the jungle. They were able to get concrete plans going for the construction of the church and buildings there. Praise God for this strong work in the jungle. Pastor Romario also started an extension of our institute there in April. They have around 20 students studying there. We go once every other month for weeklong classes, and they connect by way of Zoom from a central location in the city of Iquitos on Mondays as we teach here in Lima.
The institute is going strong this year! We started in April with a record number of students—49 enrolled this semester! We are so excited to see God working in their lives. Please continue to pray for these students. Many have surrendered to full-time service and are looking to plant churches someday.
Bro. Rollin and I took a trip to the deep jungle in April as well. We were able to do teaching and training in churches, provide Hays Pure Water systems, and give the Gospel to many of Rollin’s family and other families along the way!
At the end of April, we held a Pastors’ School in the northern city of Chiclayo. This event was held in the church of a missionary who is doing an excellent job there, winning souls and establishing families. We were able to see more than 45 people trust Christ during that trip! Also, 7 people surrendered to serve the Lord full-time with their lives, and many others made decisions to serve the Lord wherever and in whatever capacity He would ask them to. Maybe one of the most rewarding moments of the trip was when a man, whom I had led to the Lord five years before when I visited the church, surrendered his life to serve the Lord full-time! Isn’t God good?!
Coming up, we have another Pastors’ School at the end of May, this time in the southern part of Peru in a city called Arequipa. On June 28 & 29, we will hold our biannual Ladies’ Conference. Please pray for the preparations of these events.
IBI School is off to a good start! Our homeschool group/school has full days of classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We love the opportunity to train the next generation of Christians and are pleased at their progress so far. Please pray for the finances and facilities for the school, as well as for our staffing needs.
Our church will celebrate its 11th anniversary on May 19. We are thrilled with the growth of the church, both numerically and spiritually, and are anticipating another wonderful year serving with the families of Iglesia Bautista Internacional of Surco. Each week this year, we have had visitors in the church services, people have been saved every single Sunday, and we have baptized almost every week. Our church members are actively involved in discipleship, and we are pleased with the number of people who are winning souls each week. Of course, we are praying for more to become involved in reaching others! We are praying for a larger place to meet, as we are outgrowing our current location. Please pray with us for a piece of land or a building that we could buy here in the metropolitan area of Surco in Lima. God knows our need, and He will supply, of that we are sure.
Thank you for your constant prayers and support!
His for souls,
Zach and Karin Foust