ok 1 more- (Uno Maus)

I didn't bring a laptop to Peru so Justin and I didn't blog much or read the blogs. I thought this morning I would see what everyone was talking about and I have been crying for an hour and 1/2. I felt Jesus in the commenter's faithful messages. You guys are too cool. Dawn, Amanda, Sara B, Sarah S, Mom, Mary Ann, Jennifer, Brent, and many more just overwhelmed me this morning. I feel so humbled that you were involved all week and praying God's word over us. THANK YOU!!! What a church we have!!! You guys are awesome. I guess the part that really got me was when a few of you commented on our trip over and that it was 11:58 and we had landed, etc. Your prayers carried us to Peru, protected us while we were there, and brought us back safe( at one point on the flight from Atlanta to NC I thought you had forgot to pray for us. It was a little shaky.LOL). This entire experience was a blessing from God and I can't wait to see what he will show me next. At the moment I am just showered in love from you guys.
Love ya
Julie
PS: I can't wait for Justin to see all of your blogs and comments too when he gets home from work. Please pray that his work will be light today. He is so tired. He got up at 4:30 this morning :(

photos

What a beautiful creation that God has made! Don't forget about these people and what love they share in their culture. Let's bring that back to the US and have relationships with each other. Turn off the TV and go see your neighbor.

It was very hard to leave these beautiful ninas behind.

This is a typical house made out of woven grass material. It breaks my heart to think that someone is sleeping there tonight and I have a soft, clean, comfortable bed of my own. Let's pray that we all open our eyes to the NEEDS of the world and think less about what we want next.

We are home and feel loved!

The welcome at the airport was WONDERFUL!! I couldn't believe you guys would do that for us. I was humbled as I road down the escalator. i really wanted the moment to last forever because i felt so humbled by the group at the bottom. A wave of emotions hit me. I didn't want to leave Peru, but seeing you guys so happy to see us lifted my spirit.

Last nights dinner and sharing time was heart felt. I really enjoyed being with a group of people who were warm and wanting to hear of our lessons. i think the team could have went on for another hour. The days to come will be filled with lots of sharing time I hope.

This morning as i used the bathroom (and threw the paper into the toilet), I got a nutri grain bar out of my clean kitchen (with no rats or bugs), I walked into my comfortable living room (and sat on a soft clean couch) I felt so incredibly guilty to be here. In my head, all I see are the kids and adult faces smiling at me. I feel like I left something behind, but I know that I couldn't "fix" all of Peru. I have hope in the fact that I can do some mission work here...at the Grace Place, in Lenoir, in North Carolina, in the U.S., and maybe one day Peru.

Thank you Peru team. I hope we never lose the closeness that we developed on this trip. Something unexpected.....that I would fall in love with Donnie, Dean, Jake, Kris, Haley, Joe, Brad, Jessica, & Jr. ( I already loved Justin so that was no surprise, but I did grow closer to him through this experience and I cherish that).
Love you all: Grace Place, Ohio group, Penn State group, Hickory group, and my Peruvian homies.
hulia

Through Customs waitning to board

Hello Church...

Just a note to let everyone know that we all are through customs and ready to board our flight to Atlanta....

See you all soon!!!

Little Kisses

Five little girls, one little boy sat with me in dirt street of a little community in Chilca Peru. Crayons in hand… Coloring pages ready to color we sat in a small circle. My desire was to connect with these children, but they were shy and reserved. Drawing a face on my hand… coloring with the children… I was blessed with little smiles and giggles… but no more. Suddenly our moment was passing, as the call came for our team to make our way to the bus. Walking to the bus… I said, “Lord, I wish I could have captured the hearts of these kids… I wish I could have had the entire week to spend with them… and then it happened… a little hand tugging at mine… I turned and leaned over. What happened then was why I came to Peru…. There they stood… some of the girls I had colored with… and their gift to me, just before they ran to their homes… THREE LITTLE KISSES. The miracle of God's Love.... changing the world, one little heart beat at a time.

more pics of our awesome team

Last Day Of Work!!!!

Today was our last day of construction on the orphanage and it was amazing how everybody pulled together and got done as much as possible. Everyone has worked so hard all week long and things have came together so fast. It feels just like yesterday that we just got started. It all goes and comes so fast it makes you wish it was the first day all over againg. Ive had such a great and blessed time and im so thankful i got to come on this trip. We had a great last supper that was specially prepared by a fire in a metal barrell with a piece of meatl inside to turn the chicken kinda like a rotissari. After supper we had a bond fire out on the beach and went around the circle telling what special moments we are going to return to the States with and how we are going to explain what God has done this week. It was so awesome to hear the many different moments that have happened this week and how they have opened peoples eyes and how its changed thim. I so wish we could stay longer but im also glad to be coming home. Tomorrow will be our last day and we get to go in the morning back to see the kids in the orphanage for about an hour and a half be fore we have to load up the bus and head back into Lima. When we get back to Lima we get to check out a couple of their markets and buy some suvineirs to bring back home, and eat some lunch and supper. Then its back to the airport for our flight back the States.

Thanks so much for praying for us all week and sending us coments back on the blogs. Remember us Saturday night into Sunday morning as we are in the air and in and out of the airports.

Love You All,
Jacob

Our last night in Peru from the Fantastic Four

Sorry guys it has been so long since we have blogged. Justin, Julie, Brad and I are sending this message together.

Wednesday night we went to Lima to a large mall. We had Pizza Hut for dinner. It was a great meal. Wednesday night we went to church in Lima. WOW! We began the service with "Open The Eyes of My Heart Lord". It was cool hearing the song in Enlish and Spanish at the same time. The church was SOOOOOO much like The Grace Place. Until...after the service we were pulled up to the front to dance with the Peruvians! It was so much fun. We danced for what felt like forever. We were so impressed with the youth and young adults on our trip. They praised the Lord and worshipped, so unashamed of their faith. They even jumped off the stage. We had a blast! We got back very late. We all went straight to bed.

Thursday was our last day of VBS. Julie and I were able to work with the moms using the left over makeup samples from our Prom event. We talked to the ladies about how Jesus makes us beautiful like the makeup does. It was great! They didn't know what to do with it. We saw one lady putting lipstick on her eyes. It was so much fun and they kept saying "Mas, Gracias!" Last night was awesome. Junior, Haley, Chris, Jake, Justin, Brad, Donnie and Big Jay ate guinea pig. Justin, Haley, and Junior ate the brain! YUCK! Check out the pics. During group debrief time we served each other communion. We had to choose someone who we saw Jesus in this week to serve. It was so special. We also got to witness Jason and Kathy Guyer renewing their wedding vows. It was a special night and we celebrated the covenant between husband and wife, and also Christ and the church.

Today we spent our last day at Hannah's Home. One half of the home is complete with a roof, sheet rock, electrical, insulation, and plastic windows. The pump house roof and painting is complete as well. A huge trench has been dug and footers poured. Sod was also laid. We have accomplished a lot this week. It is amazing to see the before and after photos.

Tonight, we had a closing bonfire on the beach. During our debreif time, each member of the group shared how God revealed himself during events this week. The group time lasted 2 hours. It was an amazing time led by the Holy Spirit. Lots of joy, tears, and fellowship.

Tomorrow we get to tour Lima and have a final visit with the orphans at Hogar De Ninos. After the visit, we will finish packing then shop at the market all afternoon.

We have had fun, it will be sad to leave but we are all ready to come home to continue God's work in Lenior and share this amazing experience with you all.

Per your requests, here are some pics. We love you all. Thank you for your prayers and support.

See you Sunday!

Last Things

Our team has had very little free time the last two days... but we are beginning a period of last things... last children's ministry in the community, last time today to work at Hannah's Hope, last bus ride back from Chilca, Last meals here at Ola Grande Hostal, last shower in Peru...

As we enter this time we need your prayers again... feelings are mixed... It's hard to say good-bye to new friends... hard to lay down your tools while there is work to be done.

This is God's work, and He has another team, another blessing, another journey, for another mission team.

The last couple days have been highlighted by:
- Awesome minstry in the local community... and even a new experience with make-up for some of the local ladies (during VBS)
- Our team was honored to write scripture on the foam insulation of Hannah's Hope... very cool.
- A new experience in worship... our team rejoiced before the Lord as David did... with all their might... (I know what some will think... but it was an offering of beauty, and wonderful to behold)
- A wedding, and the Lord's supper, Barnabas style... simply wonderful... as individuals stood face to face and shared where they had seen Jesus in their life this week... and then serving them the Lords Supper.
- Little projects being completed.... satisfying.
- Jesus Everywhere

Every move I make I make in YouYou make me move, Jesus
Every breath I takeI breathe in You
Every step I take I take in YouYou are my way, Jesus
Every breath I take I breathe in You
Waves of mercyWaves of grace
Everywhere I lookI see Your face
Your love has captured me
Oh my God, this love
How can it be

These are some of my favorite photos from todays VBS and i seen this little kid sitting up against the wall watching the others play soccer so i reached out and picked him up. He was such a sweet kid. The picture of the girls using my back to color on was pretty cool cause i just sat down and then they just started to use my back as a place to color on. The picture of the older man and me is my favorite along with alot of other peoples favorite cause i keep seeing his picture on the blog. Hes just a really happy individual and is always smilling from ear to ear and it was just amazing to see a man of 70 years of age get out there and run around playing soccer with us. It is really late tonight so i will blog more in the morning cause we are all tired tonight.

Love all of you,

Jacob

Late Night

Hello Church...

Just a quick note to say all is well. It was a late night and we didn't get in until about 12:40 am your time... we attended church in Lima. I'm sure you will hear about the day as our team has time to blog. It was a great day.

Thanks so much for making this trip so special with all your support!!!

In Christ,
Joe

The Star Breather

It is just so great to be here on this trip!! I feel that I am blessed beyond measure. It so hard to comprehend that the ONE who created the universe and breathed the stars into existence could ever care about us in such an intimate way. Yet His prescence is here in such a profound way that I can't even begin to describe it. He is everywhere. God is working in so many different places on this trip that it's crazy. And I'm sure there's so many things we can't see too. I just want to thank everyone for making this possible for me. I want to thank you Brent for the cards each day and for the journal. I can't tell you how much the words you wrote have encouraged me and lifted me up this week. Anyway, when we get back each day we have a de-briefing and the leaders of the group ask us who we say GOD in today. It's so cool to hear everyone talk about where they say HIM. Everyone here is great!! Keep blog browsing and commenting. This picture is from Sunday at Church Service.

Gracie, Rachel and Emilee,

Mom and Dad miss you so much and can't wait to see you soon. Make sure you mind Nana now and be good for her. Keep praying for us and the children here!!

Love,

Brad

What A Wonderfull Experiance

One of the greatest feelings I have ever had the honor of , was being used as a table for these preciouse children to color thier pictures on. The presence of God is just so over whelming here. To hold one of these kids in your arms and to see thier smiling faces is so heart warming I thank God so much for allowing me to take part in such a thing as this. I want to thank everyone for all the prayers that have been lifted up. And all the support that you have given.

Love you all and God bless Donnie W. ----------> ------------> -----------> ----------->

P.S. To my lovely wife Brandy Even though i'm over 3100 miles away.

My Love for you still grows with each passing day.

This Love is strong and so ever true.

And soon my darling I will be home to you.

LOVE Donnie

This is the little boy that kept coming back up to me at the orphanage after i made him a hat balloon. He was such a sweet little boy and he was the one that made me not want to leave the most. I thought that this would be a really cool picture to post to go along with my post from earlier tonight.

Thaks for all the prayers!

Love you all,

Jacob

GOD is good

Hello everyone , thank you so much for all your prayers . Everything is going so good, everyone is so pumped up. God is really working on us. Pray that we have new strength each day, some of the jobs at the orphanage are really demanding.

Sarah, I love you

Noah, I love you

Logan, I love you

p.s. the picture is of a plant outside my room.

Dean

GOD IS GOOD!!!!!!!!

Today was nothing but a blessing! We got a bunch of work done today at the orphanage. People coming together and the fellowship you get out of it is amazing. Things are coming together so fast and it is awesome. We got to go across the the street to the store and buy some drinks and i got the glow sticks brent gave me and gave them to the kids and it seemed like the older ones were more anxious to see them than the kids. At first we didnt have a translator but it meant more to me without one. When one of the translators came over we got to communicate a little more so i handed out a few spanish new testement bible and learned how to say god bless in spanish and it was like the most wonderful feeling to be able to be apart of that. Jason showed and taught me to tie balloon animals and hats so when we got to go see the kids at the other orphanage i got to be apart of making them hats and it was special cause we were like the best people on earth in their eyes for making them balloon hats. It was hard to leave when it was time to because i got so attached to the kids. I cant wait to go back and see their smiling faces again.

Love you all so much and thanks for praying for us.
Jacob

Glory

All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone. Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.
(Psa 86:9-12)

It's great to see our team so enganged... In some ways, it seems I've done so very little on this trip... except be like a proud father... watching his children (our team) shine for God's Glory. It seems I'm here to be blessed and filled... to sit at Jesus feet... and once in a while hand Jr a board or something... I feel so full.... blessed, and thankful!!!

Glory to His Name.
-Joe

howdy yaw..

Hey yaw this is Kristopher, i just had to blog a little bit because Jessica was makin me. But i really do miss all of yaw. It really is great being here. It is amazing how the kids are just so happy with the little that they have. I am having a blast. At the VBS thing the kids were just so loving, and they loved the soccer balls that we took(and they are really good).

Nick i just have to tell you that when i get back i am going to show you some of the soccer skills that i was taught by like an 8 year old.

I love all of yaw and thanks for the prayers they really have help, because i love the food, but it is no where near as good as Debbies chocolate grave!

I miss all of you and i hope you are having as much fun as we are!

Love you,
Kristopher

HEYYYY BRIT!!!!!!!
I knew this was going to be awesome, but this has been awesome awesome awesome! God has done so many little things that are huge. The coolest thing for me is that I know one of our translators from my last visit. It was so cool to get here and see a familiar face...made me feel at home!
It's awesome to be here with people from home this time. Sharing the experience with the ones I love has been...I can't think b/c Kristopher, Dean, and Junior are making my A.D.H.D flare up!

I'm having a blast and God is good!!!!!!!!
I don't have much time, I'll blog more later...I promise!

I love you all bunches and bunches!
Miss you
(hey Jenny Wenny)

God's Awesome Timing - Miguel and his Madre

I have to tell you that today's experience will be hard to beat! Guys, get your box of kleenex ready for this awesome God story...... I was not assigned to go to VBS today as I originally thought. I installed styrofoam insulation all day, which was fun. After lunch, a team leader asked me and my teammate, Courtney, if we wanted to go into the community on a prayer walk. I was thrilled. As we were leaving Hannah's home, Tony Kay the project leader asked to go to VBS as they were loading the bus. She wanted us to go with her into the community and invite kids, help with crowd control, etc. Of course, I said yes. As we arrived, we went into the community with MJ our translator. A little old lady walked up and began talking to us. MJ had trouble figuring out exactly what she was saying. She wanted help for her son. He is sick, or so we thought. She kept asking, over and over, for us to come to her home. We accepted her invitation and went on our walk. As we arrived at her home, she invited us in. She was very distraught and upset but I wasn't clear on what her needs were. As we went in she walked into a corner room and brought out her son. He has special needs! I instantly began to cry my eyes out. He is 16 years old, but has the mind of about a 8 or 9 year old at best. I was able to minister to the sweet lady. I shared with her Rachel's story and reminded her that God will provide the stregnth she needs to be his mother. She cried, he cried, the rest of the group cried. I prayed with her and reminded her that when we are in heaven how perfect her son and my sweet Rachel will be. It was such an awesome moment that I can't quite put it into words to express God's perfect timing in that he pulled me from my regularly scheduled job to be there for that specific woman. Isn't he amazing! I am forever changed. I can't wait to see how my God will top that! :)

Stewart Brown, I was so excited to see your message! It made my day! Thank you for taking time to think of me and pray for me! I hope you are enjoying your summer.

I love reading all of your posts daily and can't wait to get back each night to share my stories with you all. I wish you could all be here.

Girls, mommy loves you and misses you so much. Keep praying for these children!

In Christ,

Jessica

Monday

Hello Grace Place...

Words can not express the effect your prayers are having on our team and this mission effort. There have been moments when its been hard for me to contain... and I can't describe the overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit envading my spirit.... at times this has continued for hours... and the Lord has allowed me to understand that these are the prayers of His people being offered up.

Be very proud church.... becsuse this is the most "Christ Like" group I have served with on the mission field... and wheter it's rocks we are moving... ditches we are digging... or doors we are knocking on... organizing...cleaning....wiring...buiding... I've seen Jesus in our team.... and it's only Monday.

Please continue to pray... and pray for Tony our mission leader.

Thanks for all the comments!
Our God is worthy of all your praise... and this is His work and it is marvelous in our eyes.

Good-night

Hugs and kisses need no translation!

Today was busy and jam packed! We began early with worship on the beach! Sooo cool! "Amazing love, how can it be..that you my king would die for me. Amazing love, I know its true...its my joy to honor you." It was so precious to stand in front of a small part of God's beautiful creation and give him glory and praise. We began early at the construction site. We broke up into groups. I was so impressed with everyone on our team. From digging trenches (GO JULIE, GIRL POWER!) to wiring (Brad and Dean got to use their cable skills) to organizing and supply inventory. Everyone worked so hard! I certainly did not see any of our team sitting around doing nothing! I had the opportunity to go through stored items to find clothing for 2 new orphans at the Hogar de Ninos. I was able to fill one garbage bag for each child that this morning couldn't change from the only garments they owned, their pjs. Oh, how I am spoiled and selfish! I got to take coloring books and prizes to 3 sick children at the orphanage. I also had to organize and plan VBS for 150 kids. It was a challenge and I have to admit, I was SCARED! I had no idea what to expect. Silvia, a full time Child Reach staff member guided me and it went great. As we pulled our bus into the community, children began running. They multiplied from about 40-50 to over 150 and we had to tell children "No Mas" when we were finished with give away items. It was crazy. They were so happy with the coloring books and a small ziplock bag filled with 2 pieces of candy, 1 pencil, 1 tiny eraser, and 1 bouncy ball. It was awesome to see how loving and joyful these children are, who by our standards have nothing. This experience has given me such a new perspective as a Christian, person, and mom. We are so truly blessed. I am excited each day to log on and see your posts. Your comments are so encouraging. Keep them coming! It is good to hear from my family, love you guys. It is also good to hear from my work family, I am so blessed that God placed me at 2 spirit filled schools. Thank you all for your support. As for my Grace Place family, I can't tell you what it means to hear that you are loving on my girls while we are away! Thank you for that! I love you all, will write more tomorrow! I will try to post more pics tomorrow. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me tomorrow!
Thanks for your prayers, we continue to feel them throughout our busy day.
Jess

The Best Day Yet!!!!

Today was great. We got to visit one of the villages and do VBS activities. The kids were so happy to see us. They gave lots of hugs and kisses. We played football, soccer and frisbee. We had a blast. They loved the coloring books and the gift bags that we brought. We also got to visit the orphanage across the road from Hannah's home and they had prepared a performance for us. This is a picture of some of the kids dancing. Today was great. Thanks for all the support from back home and for all the comments on the blog page.

Love Brad

Day 2

Today was a wonderful amazing day. We had worship on the beach this morning at 7:30 and then we had another great breakfast. At 8:30 we left for Hannah's Hope Orphanage, which is the place we are helping build. I worked all day digging trenches to bury water lines to supply the orphanage. We had lunch on site today and some of the ladys made us sandwiches and chips and cookies. Then we went back to work and some people got to go work at the VBS. We also got to visist the oprphanage across the street from the one we are working on and it was just a sweet sweet moment to be sitting with the kids and see the smiles on there face for us coming to visit. I cant wait until tommorrow to do it all again and cant wait for my chance to work the VBS.

I love you all so much,
Jacob

1st Day!!!

Wow!!

Today was great!! Amazing!!! We woke up this morning around 7:30 after going to bed at like 4:30 and ate breakfast here at the hostal. After breakfatst we loaded up on the bus and went to church in Chilca. The service was in a way similar to ours but it was still different. The people are so loving and caring and are just soooo thankful we are here. After church we went to a local restaurant to eat lunch. The food was so good. After lunch we took a tour through the orphanage to see where we would be working and what we would be doing. We came back to the hostal around 4 and had a couple hours to relax until supper at 6. After we ate we had a group meeting to get to know everyone better and talk about the plans for the week. This has been really great so far and i cant wait until in the morning because im so ready to see what God has in store for us.


Love you all and thanks for praying for us!!!!!!
Jacob

I'm So Amazed Already!!!!!!!!!

It's hard to describe all the emotions I'm feeling. I really don't know what to feel. We went to one of their church services this morning and the message was on Faith. It was so awesome to watch them worship even though during part I couldn't understand what they were saying but I knew who they were talking to and what they were doing. The people here at the Hostal are treating us very well and the food is pretty good. We start work on the orphanage tomorrow and I can't wait to see what we will be doing.

Gracie, Rachel and Emilee,

Your Mom and I miss you so much and can't wait to see you. Keep praying for us every night. Help Grandma get on the computer to read our blogs. Gracie, you can be the tech person when I'm not there.

Love ,
Dad and Mom

Thanks everyone for all your prayers. Talk to you tomorrow!!!
Brad

WOW and again I say WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't even start to describe this experience! It's more than I ever expected it to be. We've already seen God move in so many ways. The Church sermon was awesome. They are very Huggy People. It has been a blast getting to know all the other teams and staff that are here. We have played games to get to know one another and I was one of the winners so now I get to eat Guineapig. You would think the losers would get to eat it but that's what the winners got. We start working on the orphanage tomorrow. Continue to pray that everything goes well. I love all you guys.

Maddie,
You would love being here with these kids. They just laugh and cut up and have a good time. I know you would love it.

Susan, Lacy, and Nick,

Running out of time, I type slow, used up everyone else's time so I got to go. I love you guys too. Talk to you later.

Love,
Dad

Peruvian House of God

This is a picture of our church service this morning. It was an amazing service. God's presence was awesome. Thank you for all of your prayers. Please continue to pray God is really working here and we can't wait to see what he is going to do tomorrow.

I love you Sarah, Noah, and Logan. My pumpkin :)

The Holy Spirit

Hola! Como Esta Usted? WOW! You all will be happy to hear, Jessica Stout is a girl of few words right now! That one is hard to believe huh? HA HA Seriously, it is so difficult to describe this experience. While we were on the plane, I opened up my Bible and with no direction turned to Jeremiah 1. This is what I found: Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained the a prophet unto the nations." The funny thing is I wrote the verse down in my journal and an hour or two later Brad started reading a book Brent gave him and he found the SAME EXACT VERSE! How awesome is our God! This morning we went to church and worshipped. How amazing it was to experience the Holy Spirit, despite the language barrier. One body of Christ, one church, one Christian family and ONE AMAZING GOD! I have never felt the Holy Spirit in the way I have felt it today. Usually it is a gradual build in our services and in prayer but here it is WHAM, IN YOUR FACE! I have been overcome so many times today with sheer awe and amazement. After church we had lunch in a local fishing village and I had fish. It was good! No Dr. Pepper but I did manage to get a Coke! :) We saw some beautiful creation and then took a short bus ride to tour Hannah's Hope and Hannah's Home. I felt overcome with emotion as I stood inside what will be the new orphanage for ChildReach. Just experiencing what so many brothers and sisters in Christ has accomplished before us is so amazing and it is so humbling to be able to contribute this week to God's work here. Tonight, when I logged on to read our blog, it was another emotional moment to see how many posts we have! KEEP THEM COMING! It is awesome to have such a supportive church and network of family/friends praying for us at home. Your messages are so encouraging! Brit, it is great to hear from you...you made me cry! Renee, I am so thankful for your friendship and for taking your time to support us!

Just a few more things...Sarah B, don't worry, we are taking care of your little pumpkin! LOL

Gracie, Rachel, Emmie, Mommy loves you so much. You would love to play with the kids here. They are so much fun! I love you girls so much and am praying for you while I am away. Be good girls for mommy.

Well, I know I said I was speechless but, then again, is that really possible? HA HA
Love you all, until tomorrow
Hasta Luego!
In Christ,
Jessica

The Dream Team On Day 1

In front of the hostel right before dinner. We had a few minutes to nap before this photo.
This is where we had lunch! How cool is this. I can't wait for you guys to see all of the great pictures we took today.

Grace Place Kids: These are some of the precious kids we worshiped with this morning! You would have enjoyed hearing them sing about Jesus!

WE MADE IT AND WE ARE LOVIN IT!!

WE have seen and done so much in the last few hours it feels like we have been here for days. The food has been great! They have brocolli!! I missed Sunday diner with my "lunch buddy" but I will be able to share years of stuff with her later. I miss you all and I will check the bloggs as much as I can. Mandy and Mom the cards and journals were WONDERFUL!! I cried over and over again on the plane. Mandy I really broke down when I opened the journal to Brooke and Jena's picture. Mom, please kiss Milo and Selah for me. I miss them already.
Justin says that this place is a culture shock. God is really breaking his heart for these people. Everyone is beautiful and we can see God everwhere.
Love ya all
Please continue to blogg!! You don't know how encouragingit is for us.
Julie and Justin

Safe and Sound

We made it here... safe and sound. Thanks for your prayers!
We will write more tomorrow some time.

Have a great day at church tomorrow!

WE'RE GOING TO BE CHRIST'S HANDS & FEET. WOW!

WOW. We are really doing this. It has hit me now. I was driving home from work this afternoon and I was listening to Casting Crowns": In Me: when it hit me. That song is us. I am so thankful that God is allowing me, a wretched sinner, the opportunity to go to a foreign land and tell them about Christ and what He has done for us. WOW, WOW, WOW. Man, I am just humbled by this. I pray that on this CHRIST MISSION I will draaw closer to God. Experience Him in such a way that I will never be the same. I am also humbled by the fact that we have so many people are praying for us in such a genuine way. Thank you guys so much. God will bless and keep us safe, may His face shine upon us.

Last meeting with Jason's group!

These guys are too cool!!

psst...I think they look nervous!

Group discussions-

(check out Jr's tat...Ha-ha it was freshly draw on by his daughter Maddie)

We are all getting to know each other better. What a wonderful group to go with!

We got into small groups to pray before we left. Prayer is so important...please don't forget to pray for us.

Jason was getting us ready to learn a cool song that we will sing while we are in Peru.

Only 2 more nights in the US!!

I think the devil ia trying to win this battle!!UGH!!

This is the 3rd time I have tried to post...yicks!!I have no computer skills, but hey why not try AGAIN!!

I can't believe it is almost time!! We are so blessed to go and to be used by Christ!
I can't believe how many "things" we have and the wonderful people we have praying for us. THANK YOU PRAYER PARTNERS, Mandy, Mom, Dad, and Steven!!! You guys made a commitment and you followed through with it and finally in a few shorts days you will see and hear some of the stories.Yea!! I know I couldn't have made it without ya. I felt confident that I could come to you with my "issues" and you would listen and pray without judging me and that is something that is truely special...THANK YOU!! You have made me a better person through this experience and have helped me to build my faith in prayer. James 5:16 "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
thanks guys....post when you get a chance it really isn't that hard. I just took forever the last 2 times and tried to put a picture in when I didn't know what I was doing.Ha-ha
Julie

Getting Ready to Go!!

As we have prayed and prepared for this trip, God has already began to reveal Himself to us in so many wonderful ways. From the outpouring of support from our church, friends and family to our communities and co-workers the amount of support has been tremendous. Our Mission Team appreciates all of the donations, gifts and especially prayers from all that are our partners as we travel to the other end of the world. We are so excited to go!!! Thanks again for everything and don't forget to check our blogs each day to see what's happening!!

Ministry Supplies & Prayer

On Sunday we met to pack our ministry supplies. We have 10 full suitcases and 1 guitar ready to go to Peru. Even up until Friday afternoon God was still sending money for our mission efforts through obeying believers. Through this support we were able to completely fill all 10 suitcases with items to donate. We had so many give away items that we are having to pack some items in our personal suitcases and carry-on bags! God is so good! We are taking close to 1,000 KJV Bibles in Spanish to distribute, loads of VBS supplies for our children's ministry (coloring books, bouncy balls, stickers, puppets, etc.), gifts for the children in the orphanage (tee-shirts, toys), and also baby supplies for the pregnant teen mothers. Other supplies include children's clothing, over the counter medications, health and beauty products, school supplies, and much more. We are in continuous prayer as we prepare during these final few days. Please continue to pray for our team each and every day next week: Joe, Justin, Julie, Kristopher, Haley, Donnie, Brad, Jessica, Jake, Dean, and Junior. Our team is so grateful for the tremendous support that we have received. Be sure to check this blog next week as we plan to update it daily and I am sure it will be comforting to receive posts from you guys! We are so excited to see how God will reveal Himself to us during this experience!

Celebration Service

Well, we are ready to go.
Bags are packed.
Prayers are being offered up.
We are excited.

Please continue to pray for our team as we leave Satuday morning!

We all hope to see you at our Celebration Service June 29th 6:30 PM at The Grace Place...
(No Morning Service on the 29th)

Here we go!