Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.

We are called to bring Jesus Christ to everyone we meet. This can be done in big ways and small ways. Often it is in the small ways that our children bring Christ to others. Here are a few examples:

The children often carry holy cards in their pockets and prayer bags to distribute to everyone we meet. This is one of their favorite things to do. “Everyone we meet needs to know who Jesus is” is their reason behind handing out the prayer cards. If everyone gets one then we have done our job. Their goal is to give away all of their cards by the end of the day. If they haven’t done so they get upset because they think that they might have missed people and have let Jesus down. We kindly explain that is not the case. Jesus loves the work that they do by handing out the cards and everyone that needed one had received one that day. Tomorrow is a new day with more opportunities to share about our Savior! 

The kids really had fun distributing the cards at the airport. There were so many people walking around. Everyone close to the kids received one including the people working in the airport. Leo had a big impact on two such workers. We arrived into Lima at midnight on our way to the States. While we were waiting for our luggage Leo went over to two workers and gave them a prayer card. They took the card and walked away. At some point they must have realized what it was because just as we were walking to customs they ran after us. They asked us to stop and wanted a picture with Leo. Leo was grinning from ear to ear. As they knelt down they said thank you to Leo and took a picture. 

Sometimes simply praying for someone in the moment can bring someone closer to Christ such as this experience. When we first arrived back in Wisconsin dad had a cough. Ruth heard him cough while she was eating breakfast. As soon as she did she stopped eating and said “Let’s pray over grandpa so God can heal him.” All of the kids ran over to him and laid their hands on him. They then asked mom to come over and lay her hands on him as well. They prayed that God would heal him of his cough and make him feel better. After the prayer the kids went back to eating breakfast. Ruth stopped eating a little later and said “ If it doesn’t work right away that doesn’t mean that God isn’t going to heal you. Sometimes God doesn’t heal you grandpa because you might have to suffer and offer it up for someone else.” She then went back to eating. 

Sharing your testimony is also a simple way to share the Good News with others. Malachi has been given this such gift. Throughout our time in the States Malachi was able to share this verygift. One such occasion was when we were asked to share at Peace United Church of Christ. As Carol Lowe was introducing our family she asked the questions “ What is missions and who are missionaries?” Malachi stood up and shared with the congregation that missions is bringing Jesus to the poor and those who do not know Him. He shared that we are all called to be missionaries and that they can be missionaries right where they are. They just need to go and do it.

“ Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Luke 18:17

God can use everyone to bring His Good News to the world! You just have to be open to His will!

Wisconsin- Thanks for the memories and your kindness!!!

We want to take this blog to thank everyone in Wisconsin. We were so blessed to be able to visit for three weeks. We were also happy to bring the warm weather with us! It definitely made the adjustment from 95°+ so much easier. It was so funny watching everyone sweat when it was above 70° and embarrassing for us to wear sweatshirts when it was below 70°. Alright we also wore our winter stocking hats as well. Yep we are those people that we always made fun of. I can say that we finally adjusted to the cooler weather by the time we flew back. 

We first want to thank FMC for letting us use the vehicle for our time in the states. You made our travels possible!

Surprise we are here!!!

Thank you Olivia for welcoming us into your home at 5:00am. The look on your face when you saw us standing outside your door as you were headed out for your run was priceless. Thank you for the wonderful coffee and the delicious egg sandwich. Oh and for letting us warm ourselves by your stove. It really helped!!!

Mom and Dad you are truly amazing!!! Thank you for a place to lay our heads. For all of the food, fun, and laughter. For being amazing parents and grandparents. Thank you for the date nights out and for the relaxing evenings on the pontoon. For all the amazing things you did. There are so many that touched our hearts and the hearts of the kids. Thank you also for keeping the kids favorite toys and sleeping bags. For keeping their pillows and blankets. Thank you for Easter and Christmas all on the same day!!! We are so blessed to call you mom and dad and grandma and grandpa.

We want to thank all of our friend for the time you made
for us. For welcoming us when we popped in. For all
of your prayers and well wishes. We were so lucky
to see all of you!!!

Monika thank you for all you did with Ruth!
And for the haircuts! We really needed them.

Jill Skaletski reading to the kids

We especially want to thank the following people for opening their homes to us. Ken and Dorene Schuster, Curt and Jill Skaletski, Ted and Briget Petri, Lynn and Garry Tamm, Jerry and Tammy Barta- Andy, Allison, and Jake, Brad and Kelli Heimke, John and Heidi School, and Andy and Christel Schmidt. The food was amazing and the stories we all shared along with the laughter was wonderful!

Andy and Allison Barta with Anthony

Andy Schmidt
and Faustina

Kim Madison thank you for taking the kids on a little date. They truly enjoyed the movie and they are still talking about the fun they had with you. 

I want to thank Mimi Ariens for our wonderful coffee chat. I truly miss our conversations. Thank you for all of the hugs! I also want to thank you for giving us the opportunity to have our morning prayer in your chapel. It was such a blessing!

A special thanks for the field trip to the Brillion Police Department. Thank you Chief Mignon for the tour of the police station, as well as the ambulance, and fire station. The kids had a blast. 

Seaton Catholic School- Sheboygan

We were so blessed to share our story with so many people while we were back. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to share our love for the mission and for the people of Peru. Relevant Radio, Holy Family Catholic School, Holy Family Faith Formation, Peace United Church of Christ with a special thank to Bob and Carol Lowe for organizing this opportunity, Seaton Catholic School Sheboygan and Father Matthew. We hope to be able to contact you all from Peru throughout the next year. Let us all pray for a good internet connection! 

Grandma Betty we love you so much! We are so thankful for you and your love. Your prayers help to sustain us. Know that we are praying for you!!! 

Thank you Father Timothy and Holy Family Parish. We are so blessed and honored to call you our home parish! Your prayers, love, and kindness is such a blessing. Thank you so much for the countless prayers and help in our mission. We are so excited that some of you will be joining us in February to help build the chapel. We can’t wait to see you!!

Luke and Amy Bolle thank you for taking this wild journey with us! Thank you for your love and support. Thank you for the prayers and late night or early morning conversations half way across the world. We are so blessed to call you our friends! We were so blessed to be able to spend time with you. We look forward to seeing you again soon. Don’t forget to book your flights for our Renewal of Vows ceremony in November!!!! 

Until next year!

The "robot", a high five, and mouths wide open

“And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.” John 14:13-14

On July 1 Malachi came home from school with a broken arm. His class had gone for a walk in the jungle for science class. Malachi decided to climb a rock wall when his teacher asked him not to. As he was climbing he fell off the wall and landed on his arm. We knew instantly when we saw him that his arm was broken. We splinted his arm with our splint and took him to the doctor. Our town in Caspizapa has a doctor but they do not have access to an X-ray machine. After a few hours of waiting we were given an order for a X-ray and Taylor headed to Picota to try to get one done. The doctor there decided Malachi’s arm didn't look broken so he wasn't going to do the X-ray. Praise the Lord we work with two amazing priests. Padre Leopoldo and Padre Paco were not going to take no for an answer. The next day Taylor and Malachi were going to head to Tarapoto for a X-ray. Tarapoto is an hour and a half drive from our town. Our region’s hospital is in Tarapoto. Taylor was met in Tarapoto by Madre Clarece. Madre Clarece is a doctor and a sister who serves there. She was able to walk right into the hospital and demand a X-ray. The X-ray confirmed our thoughts. Malachi had a fracture in his arm right below his wrist. After receiving the diagnosis Madre Clarece, Taylor, and Malachi had to travel across town to find a splint and sling. They were able to locate the one store who sold them and purchased the items. They then had to return to the hospital for the doctor to approve them. Once they were approved the doctor sent them to the store to purchase more milk and yogurt before they could head home. Malachi was very proud of his spiderman sling but the excitement of having a broken arm slowly wore off during the next three weeks. 

On July 23 Taylor and Malachi returned to Tarapoto for a follow up X-ray. The X-ray showed that his arm was healing but that it needed more time. The doctor once again sent Taylor to the store for more milk and yogurt before sending them home. In three weeks it should be healed.

August 12 our whole family drove into Tarapoto to bring Padre Paco to the airport. He was headed home to visit his family for a month. The drive into Tarapoto was exciting that morning. The night before we had our first rainstorm in over a month. This caused a major mudslide on the road. Some semitrailers were turned sideways and now blocking the road. How were we going to get into Tarapoto in time to get Padre to the airport and Malachi to the doctor? We came to the Lord in prayer and he provided. The semitrailers had just been moved out of the way and now our line of traffic heading to Tarapoto were the first to go. Praise you Jesus!!! Padre Paco didn’t miss his flight and we were able to see the doctor. The good news ended there however. After Malachi’s X-ray we were told his arm was actually worse than it was initially. The fracture was wider now than it had been. The doctor said that there was nothing else he could do without surgery. We thanked him for his help and headed home. I immediately contacted our wonderful friend Anthony Luczak for help. I emailed him the X-rays and he went to work looking for an orthopedic surgeon who could squeeze us in on short notice. We were heading back to the states on August 25 and were hoping to have his arm fixed as soon as we arrived. Our appointment was set for August 27.

Fast forward to August 27. We were driving from Abbeville to New Orleans. During our drive we once again implored God’s help with healing Malachi’s arm. We came to Him pleading for the healing but only to show His glory to the world. Malachi was quiet most of the drive. He was trying to take in the thought of having his arm broken and cast. Our first stop was to X-ray. Malachi and Taylor headed in as I filled out all of the paperwork. We were then whisked away to the exam room. As we were waiting in the room Malachi broke down and started crying. He was pleading that he didn't want to have his arm in a sling for another six weeks. Just as he was in the middle of his sobbing the doctor walked in. He could see that Malachi was distraught. He asked Malachi why he was so upset and Malachi could only blubber that he doesn’t want a broken arm. The doctor then asked him why he was holding his arm like a robot, so stiff. Then he proceeded to do the robot. He then asked Malachi to come off the table and to give him a high five. Malachi gave him one with his left hand. The doctor laughed and said no with your other arm. Malachi was surprised and lightly tapped the doctor’s hand. The doctor said harder, so Malachi did it. Again the doctor said harder and Malachi slapped his hand. At this point both Taylor and I were sitting there chuckling with our mouths wide open. I swear my mouth was hanging on the floor. I could hear Taylor say “Oh God you are so funny.” The doctor then looked at us and asked if we had prayed over Malachi. We said that we had. He then said “Then you know exactly what this is. His arm is perfectly fine.” At this point Taylor asked to see the X-ray. When we went to see the X-ray we could see it was completely healed. You could hardly see where the break was and there is no calcification on the bone.

We truly do serve a real God who does real things for real people in the real world. We are overjoyed to be able to sing His praises and humbled that He has shown His glory through Malachi’s healing. 

I'm going to let it shine!

On a hot Sunday morning in the jungle of Peru as I was driving to help the people of Nuevo Chimbote celebrate there first liturgy of the word in over three years i noticed something odd. This rough jungle road that normally is sparsely used was quite busy.  But not thinking to much of it I drove on passing many other motos along the way.  Of course I arrived a bit early, which in Peru is excessively early.  As I waited people from a different pueblo called Nuevo Egipto began to come in to town and in this moment I realized that they have all come on their day of rest to support this community, which is about a 30 min moto ride for them. Beyond that they then began to clean the town hall that we were going to use as a church and sang hymns and encouraged the people of Nuevo Chimbote, who were nervous and had know idea what to do being that they went three years without any church activity at all.  Now i was not very surprised by the love and care of the Catholic community of Nuevo Egipto. They are in my opinion a spiritual light in the darkness of the jungle, Nuevo Egipto is one of the smaller pueblos in the region that my family covers but upon visiting one will quickly see that their love for Jesus and the Faith is great and my weekly bible study with them is the much needed spiritual fuel I receive to get through the week. Often I wonder if the Lord sent me here for them or if he sent me here so they could encourage me. Never the less at our bible study the Wednesday before this Sunday we were talking about how as baptized Catholics we have the responsibility to care for our church just as God charges Adam with the care of the Garden.  I used this analogy - if you have a garden but you do not cultivate the soils, water it and fertilize it what will happen? In which they replied " it will not produce."  They know a great deal about this topic of gardening, the people of this region live and die by their gardens. It is the major source of all of their food and income.  After their reply I said with the same care you give to your garden you must give to the church. It is not only the responsibility of the church leaders and the priests but of every member and although they are a flourishing community just a couple miles away was Nuevo Chimbota, a community that has almost died out.  Now I said all of that just hoping for a couple of prayers not expecting anyone to go to visit Nuevo Chimbote next Sunday, but their they were singing and praying in support of the mission and I might add far better missionaries then me.  The day was very special for the people of Nuevo Chimbote to come together and rekindle their faith. Many were excited to start preparing to receive their sacraments and also to receive their first bibles.  So it was on this day that one community has found their faith again and another has found out what amazing thing they can do with their faith and for the faith of other when they let Christ's light shine through them. ~Taylor

Many of the people pictures here are preparing their children to receive the sacrament of Baptism on October 25. Once the children are baptized

Driven by the Spirit

Mid week I was feeling very tired and frustrated. To make matters worse while I was on my way to lead a Bible study in the high school in a nearby town when I was pulled over by the police at one of their check points. Normally this is not a problem once the police realize that I am a missionary working with the diocese they let me go. On this day the officer was not impressed with my paperwork or my story. He informed me that he could put me in jail, but after awhile he let me leave. Once I arrived at the school I found no one there... No school today! Now all I could think was "Great the only good road back has that police check point." I decided to take the bad road that looks more like a farm lane which winds through the jungle. 

Segundo and his family

As I turned onto the path no one in our group has ever taken including the priests, I'm not going to lie I was a little nervous, but I kept going. As I continued to drive all of a sudden there was a group of houses. I instantly felt the Holy Spirit telling me to stop and to share the Bible study I had prepared with the people. Yet I thought of the rule we were given "Do not go alone because the people do not know that you are missionaries and are working with us." But how could I deny the Lord? 

The Bamboo Bridge

So I prayed and went cautiously to these people. First I asked them permission to come and share the Word of God with them. They said pass and giggled. Why? Because to pass meant that I had to cross the bamboo bridge. Let's just say I did not make it across dry. 

Once I made it across I asked if they were Christians. They replied that they did not know. I then shared my Bible study on Jesus and explained how we receive our salvation through Him. I then gave them my Bible since they did not have one. We prayed together and they invited me back to teach them more about Jesus. 

This time when I crossed the shaky little bridge I was able to stay dry. I continued on my way Praising the Lord. God is so Good!!! ~Taylor

My Giggle Girls

The sound of giggles can be heard outside our window starting at about 3:30 every afternoon. Why giggles? Did someone just play "Ding, Dong, Ditch?" Nope. The giggles are in anticipation at what happens at 4:00. That is when I open the doors to our ministry room and my Bible study with the kids starts.

Each of the kids that come to our class have been given their very own copy of the Evangelios, "the Gospels". We always look forward to presenting each new child with their own copy. It brings joy to my heart and a smile to my face when I see the smile on their face. On many occasions the child immediately hugs the Evangelios. While presenting the child with their Evangelio I ask them to make a promise to me. "You need to promise that you will read this every day. Promise that you will read at least five minutes every day."

I can honestly say that I never would have associated the Bible with giggles before our time here. These kids are so excited to study the Bible and to learn more about their faith that all they can do is giggle. Their love of Jesus is heard outside our windows everyday. Their love for Christ is on their faces in the shape to a smile whenever I see them. My Bible study with these children started only with Ariza and Fiorela. My "Giggle Girls."

A few of the kids before class begins.
The two girls in front are Ariza and Fiorela.
They are my "Giggle Girls!"

These beautiful girls came to our house looking only for a rosary which we had and they left with an Evangelio as well. At that time I hadn't thought about having a Bible Study with the kids since we already had a Bible Study that the whole community came to, but God had other plans. The next day there was a knock on my door. Ariza and Fiorela wanted to learn. Not a problem I was just getting ready to start the English class I was teaching so I invited them to join not realizing that they had brought their Evangelios along. After my English class the two girls asked about the Evangelios. I opened them up and explained that reading them is really quite simple and the numbering system is exactly the same as a complete Bible which we had learned the night before during Bible Study with the whole community. The girls understood but they wanted more. And all I could think was "OK Lord, now what?" I asked the girls to read John 1:1-18 for tomorrow. They left smiling as our marriage prep got under way.

"OK Lord, now what?" I asked the girls to read John 1:1-18. That is the
only thing that popped in my head. After marriage prep all I could think was
now what. I have no idea what to say. The Lord came up with this.

God is so good. Where I am lacking He will fill me up. "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given to him." James 1:5. Praise you Lord Jesus for your generosity. Upon going to the Lord in prayer He did fill me up and He did grant me the wisdom to put together this study in Castellano for my "giggle girls." At 4:00 the next day we started our first full Bible study. They we full of giggles and super excited to read out of their Evangelios. The three of us took turns reading the verses and when I struggled with the words they helped me. The study that God prepared actually went along perfectly with mass that night. The point that I highlighted in my study turned out to be the same point that Padre Paco made during his homily. God is so amazing!

Our studies are no longer just the three of us. The "giggle girls" have started bringing and inviting their friends to join us. Today we ran out of furniture in our ministry room. Some of the kids had to join me on the floor. Many times throughout the study today I was able to see people standing in the street outside our door just listening. One man was so excited to see all of the kids studying the Bible that he came in and gave each of the kids fifty centimos which is roughly $0.15. He praised them for wanting to know Jesus and begged them to continue to come and learn. 

Even though our Bible studies have grown one thing has remained the same- giggles can still be heard. I look forward to 3:30 tomorrow when the faint sound of giggles will be beneath my window! ~Katie

Practicing English while I learn all of the kids names and the names of their parents.

"Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost"

 Luke 15: 4-7  What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Alex was baptized on Father's Day in Nuevo Egipto.
Taylor leads a Bible study there every Wednesday evening for the whole town.
The church is always packed. Alex has been a faithful attendee and participant!

I was reminded of this verse recently when we came upon a pueblo that had been lost. 

Often times when Padre Paco is visiting one of the nine pueblos we cover he invites us to go along with him. On Father's Day Padre Paco asked us to join him for mass in Nuevo Egipto and then we were going to visit a new pueblo- Nuevo Chimbote.  

We are always excited to join Padre for mass but we were even more excited with the thought of finding a finding a new community not on the map. 

Mass was beautiful in Nuevo Egipto. We welcomed Alex into the church community. This young man was so excited to be baptized. 

Malachi fractured his arm last week at school.
Who would have thought we could get a spiderman sling here?

Following mass we all loaded up into Padre's pickup truck. Faustina, Adele, Anthony, and I rode inside with Padre and the sisters while Taylor, Malachi, Ruth, and Leo rode in the back. The ride to Nuevo Chimbote was exciting. The road was a dirt road barely large enough for the truck to fit. In Peru the roads have speed bumps placed periodically to stop people from speeding. Sometimes the speed bumps are hard to see on these dirt roads mostly because it always seems like there is a cloud of dust swirling at the moment you come across one. This usually means everyone is caught off guard and when you hit the speed bump you jump out of your seat a little bit. The drive from Nuevo Egipto to Nuevo Chimbote takes you past rice fields and up a mountain. The views were breath taking- Sorry I couldn't take pictures but when traveling with the girls my arms are full:) 

I enjoyed watching the water flow through one rice field into the next through the canals. We were blessed with seeing the water rush from the mountain into the irrigation canal. Anthony was so excited to see

Malachi was super excited to see his break.
He is even more excited that he was able to keep the x-ray.

Look who had to fix the church bell.
Yep they sent up the man who is afraid of heights.
But don't worry we will send up someone to help you.
Turns out he was afraid of heights as well. Too funny! :)

this waterfall. The views looking over the valley from the mountain above was amazing. Everything was so lush and green. The river snaked through the valley. No picture could best show the beauty we witnessed that day.

As we entered Nuevo Chimbote Padre Paco playfully honked the horn announcing the arrival of the church and hopefully drawing the people from the cool of their homes in the heat of the day. We were directed to a small government building that at one time was the site for mass. After talking with the people for awhile we found out that it had been over three years since a priest had visited the town. As I had stated in one of my previous blogs the priest cover a large area with over 120 pueblos. These amazing missionary priests try to get to each of these communities many times throughout the year; however, due to the location of some they are only able to visit these yearly. 

Somehow once Nuevo Chimbote was located it was not included on the map of the area. During a transition year it seems that no one was told about Nuevo Chimbote so no one knew that there were people in need of a shepherd. A sheep was lost that day, but praise Jesus that now it has been found!

The people in Nuevo Chimbote are eager to receive the sacraments. They are excited to once again have the church and in turn Jesus brought back into their lives. Padre Paco was saddened about the whole situation but he is excited to bring Jesus to them once again! He told the people that we will have a fiesta for all those that desire to receive their sacraments. A fiesta is one day where everyone in the church receives their sacraments. Throughout the year the people are preparing to receive their sacraments on that day. This means that Taylor will be traveling to Nuevo Chimbote to catechize the people until Nuevo Chimbote has their own catechist. Please pray for the people of Nuevo Chimbote that we will be able to minister to all of their needs and that we will be able to raise up a catechist from one of their own. Praise you Jesus! Let us rejoice with Heaven as the lost sheep has been found!!!!

Hola!

That is me trying to teach the kids English. We are starting easy.
Vowel sounds and the sign of the cross. 

They look so sweet and innocent.
 It was an "awe" moment when we saw this last night.
Touching heads and holding hands.

One of our Bible studies and saint studies. Saint Maria Goretti pray for us!

Some of the neighbor kids joining us for Willy Wonka
 and the Chocolate Factory.
Afterward we explained the 7 deadly sins.
The kids loved the fact that they could see some of
them in the characters.

This week we lost an amazing mission partner.
He heard the Holy Spirit calling and he had to follow!
Jeremy we have been blessed to journey with you and are so
blessed to call you our friend.
We are going to miss you in Peru! 

A little break from our class to teach the kids a little about Football Americano.
How fitting that we have a white board to draw on. Right coach?

Some of the neighborhood kids came to help us work up the soil for our garden. 

The hard workers took some time to pose for this picture but then it was right back to 

before the day started getting super hot at 9:30am.

Spending our prep time duringwriting Bible studies for the week. This one was on Baptism. 

Verbum makes writing studies easier when everything is at your finger tips.

This note came home with Leo this past week. It roughly translates out to "Please bring 10 regular rocks and a machete to school. We will be working on a project of life lessons." They are teaching the children how to nurture and protect a piece of land at 5 years old. This is so foreign to me but so beautiful. Already they are learning skills which they need to survive. By the way Leo only went to school with 10 rocks.