Therefore Go…

Testimonies from July 2012

Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them. Psalm 126:6

Hi there!

I pray that you are well and that this last month has been full of testimonies of God’s

faithfulness.

This last month for me has been a challenging one and consequently has seen its fair

share of tears (although, those who know me well know that this is not all together

unusual).

Since February I have been trying to get my Peruvian drivers licence, and when I finally

was able to do the practical test, I failed. I can’t remember the last time I failed a test

and was quite upset, especially since I have been driving in SA for over ten years. For

some silly reason it really knocked me and has been a quite a learning curve over the

last few weeks. Humility and patience are not so easily obtained.

This month I have also had to say goodbye to two of my closest English-speaking friends

here in Peru. These are probably the two people I am most able to confide in, so again, it

was another knock. All this coupled with new ministry responsibilities and a good bout of

homesickness made it an emotionally stretching month.

But then I remember all the amazing promises that God has made and I am filled with

hope. He is in control. He is faithful. He knows what He is doing in our lives.

Thank you for standing with Jaime and me as we seek to see God glorified in this part of

the world. It is not always easy, but it is worth it.

Richest blessings, Kim

Fe en Acción…. July has been full of activities with the students involved

in “Fe en Accion”. We have had two excellent Friday training meetings with new students attending every

week.

Our first meeting was spent analysing the individual

strengths that the students had learnt about through

the Strengths Finder test. Everyone was so encouraged

and eager to share about what they had learnt about

themselves. In the second meeting we focussed on our

understanding of the Kingdom of God and how it

influences our approach to community development.

Because the students are from a number of different

churches, we feel it is important to keep their pastors

informed of what their young people are learning.

Consequently last Thursday we hosted a special breakfast for the pastors so that they could be

informed of what is happening in “Fe en Accion.”

On the 3rd of August we will be launching the first session of the curriculum we have

developed on “Service as an expression

of Worship.” The following weekend we

will be taking the students away on a

retreat. This will be a special time to get to

know each other better and cover some

of the more important concepts in

greater depth.

Saints in Cells….

Over the last month I have been absolutely amazed at God’s faithfulness in prison

ministry.

Last month, my main prayer request was that God would bring another lady alongside

me to share the ministry load in Santa Monica. With Mary leaving it left me carrying

almost all the ministry load in this prison and as hard as I tried to think of who could take

her place, no one came to mind.

And then… God showed up! As a ministry we have been so blessed to find covering and

support from two English Speaking churches in Lima—the Union Church and Fire Church.

When the ladies leave prison we believe it is very important that they find a church family

so that they can continue growing in their faith.

Just before Mary left, we had a prayer meeting with the pastors from these churches. I

felt God had laid it on my heart to approach Anita, the pastor’s wife from Union church,

to see if she would be interested in coming in with us. Considering she has all the

responsibilities of being a pastor’s wife and a mom, I thought that there was no chance

that she would say yes.

Before I could even mention it to her, she

came up to me and said, “Kim, I believe God has called me to come into Santa

Monica with you.” I couldn’t believe it.

She is an amazingly godly woman and I

know is going to be such a blessing to the

girls. What an answer to prayer!

The photo to the left is of me and Mary

with the pastors from the Union church

and Fire church. Anita is the second from

the right.

Saints in Cells...

In another answer to prayer, Anita has also said that she is willing to host a bible study in the Union Church for the

ladies who have left prison. At the moment, I do not

have the capacity to run this bible study. It is so good to

know that they have a place where they can continue

to grow in their faith. The photo to the right is of Mary

and me with some of the ladies who are already on the

outside.

Two of the ladies who were released from Santa Monica,

asked to be baptised. Pastor Angus, from the Union

Church, lead a short ceremony and then baptised the

girls. It was such a special moment as the two young

women publically testified to their faith. It is awesome to

see lives that have been transformed as they have

encountered Jesus.

Yesterday Pam (with me in the photo bottom right) was

given her pass to be able to come into Fatima prison with

me. It took only two weeks for her to receive her pass,

which is record time! After going into Fatima prison on my

own for a few weeks, it makes a difference to have the

support of someone else. God is so faithful in providing

just the right people for this ministry.

Next month Pam and I will be starting to do the Purple

Book with the ladies in Fatima prison. The girls are very

hungry to learn more about God, so it is a great

opportunity to lay some solid foundations of faith with

them.

In the Community...

As I write this newsletter I am becoming more and more aware of how God has brought some amazing people

alongside me as armour-bearers in the various ministries He

has called me to here in Peru.

For the last two months, Christina Tetreault, a volunteer from

Arizona State University, has been accompanying me to the

Simon Bolivar children’s library. The kids in this community

are quite a handful, so it has been very helpful to have her

there.

With some of the funds that were donated from the Peru

mission fund I was able to buy a beautiful Spanish Children’s bible. Each week we read a story of one of the bible characters to the kids and try to get them reflect on what they

can learn from it. I am really trusting that seeds of truth will be sown into their hearts.

We have seen amazing growth in the number of children attending the library in 19A. A

few weeks ago, one of the children who

attend invited their classmates. Now two whole grades are now attending the library each

week. It is so

exciting to see

the library so

full.

Apart from my work in “Fe en Accion”, in the prison and the

libraries, I have also had the opportunity to be involved in a

few other interesting activities this last month.

In June I attended a course on Peruvian reality. There I had the privilege of meeting a couple from the US, Rett a n d

Sherrill Bragg, who have served as missionaries in the

jungles of Peru for over 30 years (top photo).

Rett and Sherrill are in a season of transition back to

the US for a time and I was able to help them put

together a newsletter to inform their partners of the

changes in their ministry. It was such a privilege for

me to spend time with this couple and hear

testimonies of many years of God’s faithfulness.

Here is the link to their newsletter if you would like

to find out more about the amazing work they

do… http:// issuu.com/RandSBragg/docs/

rett_and_sherrill/1

Jaime and I were also blessed with the

opportunity to be a part of a training day for

youth from various churches in Villa Maria.

In August the churches in the district are

working together to run a campaign for the

protection of children in their communities.

Jaime was asked to help run the workshop

that prepared the youth to participate in this

event.

In the Community...

Thank you…. Jaime and I are so aware of the sacrifices that many of you make in order to partner with

us in ministry. Our prayer is that God will honour your giving and your prayers and that He

will abundantly supply your every need. May you be blessed knowing that your life is

helping to impact the lives of others all the way on the other side of the world!

Thank you for sharing this dream of seeing God’s Kingdom come to Peru with us.

Much love, Jaime and Kim

Prayer Requests….

On Friday, Jaime and I are going to be leaving

for a much needed week’s holiday to the South

of Peru.

Please pray that God will keep us safe as

we travel and it will be a time of refreshing

and enrichment for us as a couple.

A young Australian lady in Santa Monica is HIV positive and is becoming

increasingly ill. She has already served four years of a 14 year sentence and has

applied for a humanitarian pardon. Please trust with us that firstly, she would

experience God’s divine healing and secondly that she will be shown mercy and

will be able to return to Australia.

Please trust with us that Anita will be given a pass to be able to come into Santa

Monica with us.

Please continue to trust with me that the lives of the children who attend the

libraries will be impacted as we share God’s love with them.

Jaime and I would love to hear from you: please write to us at kimmysol@gmail.com or you could

call on +51 990 50 1552. My skype name is kimmysol.