I Love a Rainy Night

Rainy Nights. The cool breeze and the soothing sound of rain drops on the roof normally sends me to sleep. The sound of rain is a welcomed sound in our house. Living without clean water is hard and something that our family has become accustomed to. We have safe drinking water Praise God but we do not have access to clean water to bathe in. Our family has come to depend on the rain! Typically at the sound of rain there are screams of joy heard throughout the house. Whatever we were working on comes to a complete stop and everyone runs to their station to help collect the rain water. Once we have filled all of our buckets and garbage cans we all change into our swimsuits to bathe.

Last night around 1:00am the rain started to fall. Taylor and I both awoke to the sound. Quickly Taylor ran outside to position our buckets to collect the rain. We both dozed back off to sleep happily knowing that in a few hours when we awoke once again we would have plenty of water for awhile. Joyously we went about our morning praising God for hearing our prayers and for providing the rain for our pueblo.

That joy soon ended when we received word of the utter disaster some nearby pueblos were in. The rain that was a godsend for us destroyed houses, hopes, dreams, and lives of others.

The zone of Tres Unidos is where the single men missionaries have been living over the past three years. Tres Unidos and their alturas, mountain villages, were hit hard by the rainstorm. We were told that the rains caused mudslides in the upper pueblos and traveled down the mountain. At the same time the river next to Tres Unidos grew and swelled beyond the banks. The river swept through town in the middle of the night taking houses, animals and belongings along with it. What it left behind was mud and tears. The community is grieving the loss of things and hope. But praise the Lord no one lost their life there.

Unfortunately that was not the case for many other communities. The community of Paraíso suffered a lot including the loss of a family of five. It is believed that over the next few days more people will be found dead or severely injured.

Currently no one is able to reach any of the communities beyond Tres Unidos due to the fact that both bridges were washed out. The president sent in the military today to rebuild the bridges and to search for the deceased. The hope is one of the bridges will be complete tomorrow so the missionaries can go in and access what is needed in each of the pueblos.

What do the people need right now?
 Prayers! They lost everything. They have lost their hope amongst all of their possessions. 

Food and clean drinking water. Taylor and the Carmody family spent the day bringing in food and clean drinking water to everyone that needed it. Tomorrow they will be returning to bring in more food and drinking water. They will also be taking the time to pray with the people and remind them that God is there with them amongst their sorrow.

What will the people need over the next few weeks?

More Prayers! It will take time to heal from this and to rebuild. They will need many prayers to help them see the good in all the sorrow and also to help them see the need of everyone around them.

Medical Supplies and medicine will be needed over the coming weeks. There is a good chance that the people will get sick from contaminated water. Many people have outhouses and when the water rushes through town it takes the sewage with it contaminating everything. 

Clothing, shoes, and school supplies. Families lost all of their possessions. We will be bringing in all of the clothing that our friends from Holy Family Parish gave us. This will help many people but there is a chance it will not be enough.

Bibles. We will be bringing in Bibles again since many people lost their Bible.

A new church. Unfortunately the church in Tres Unidos was damaged beyond repair. The mudslides took out one of the walls supporting the church. Since then the church has been slowly collapsing all day. We will need to take down the church for the safety of the community.

Cleaning out the church. 

Please consider donating to help with the flood relief for these communities.

Please pray for Taylor as he helps with the disaster relief efforts. Please pray that God will protect him from any illnesses that he might come in contact with.
~ Katie

And we are back

Wow it has been some time since we have blogged. Sorry about that but we figured blogging while we were in the states would have been pretty boring.

We returned to the states in April to wait for the upcoming birth of our latest child. We had to return by the 30th week of pregnancy due to flying restrictions here in Peru. We spent the first few weeks visiting doctors as well as taking some time together as a family. On June 26 we welcomed our newest child into the world. María Araceli was born without complications and has been an absolute joy for our whole family. We were not sure how the twins would handle a new baby but they love her!

We returned to Peru on September 12th. You might be asking why wait so long. Well we had to wait for María's passport and we did not want to miss the wedding of Taylor's sister Anna. She was married to her husband on September 8th. Please pray for Anna and Steven as they adjust to married life!

Since returning to Peru we have kept busy. In all honesty we hit the ground running. A few days after we landed we led a marriage retreat for engaged couples among many other classes. We also moved to a new town 20 miles from our previous mission. Our new town is called Buenos Aires. It was named this by a priest who was passing through from Argentina. Along with working within the pueblo of Buenos Aires we have also been given charge of the two valleys that are part of the zone. The valleys have sixteen pueblos between them with eight of them yet to be evangelized. We are excited to begin bringing the saving message of Jesus Christ to the people.

María Araceli

"Daughter, your faith has saved you." Update

Taylor had the opportunity to head back up to the communities of the Bombonajillo Valley at the end of March. The journey to get there was exhausting, muddy and long. A trip which normally only takes five hours ended up lasting over nine hours. When Taylor and our friend arrived to Nuevo Chanchomayo they were both caked in mud, exhausted and a little beaten up.

After a good night's sleep Taylor was ready to visit the neighboring communities. He was excited to walk the hour and a half to Primavera to visit Isabel. It had been month's due to his health issues since he had last seen her.

When Taylor arrived in Primavera he found Isabel in her house. As soon as he entered she was so overjoyed to see him. Isabel confessed that the nighht before she told her husband that her friend the missionary were going to visit her in the morning and here he was. No one knew that Taylor was travelling to Nuevo Chanchomayo. The Holy Spirit Isabel to receive Taylor though.

Isabel felt the Lord asking her to share her testimony with Taylor during this visit. Isabel was baptized Catholic but did not grow up in the faith. When she married her husband she left the catholic faith and joined her husband's religion. When she became sick their church community abandoned them. They told her it was because of her sins that she became sick. No one came to visit or to help. She was left to suffer alone. Until last year.

Isabel was reintroduced to the Catholic Church through Taylor's visits. She was given a Bible and she was shown love, compassion and mercy whenever Taylor visited. It was inbetween these visits when God talked to her. He started to call her back to the church. She had conflicting emotions about following this call because her whole life she was told untrue statements about the Catholic Church but here was a Catholic missionary living the Bible. Here he was showing the true love of Christ. Praying with her, visiting her, sharing the word with her and being a true friend to her.

She confessed to Taylor all of these thoughts and at the end asked if she could come back to the church. Taylor joyously said yes. Isabel then started asking him questions about the faith and what it means to be Catholic. Taylor answered all of her questions and she reaffirmed she wanted to come back to the church.

At the end of the visit she asked Taylor to teach her a hymn to sing to God since she did not know any catholic songs. Taylor explained most of the hymns we sing in Peru are used by other denominations as well so she probably already knows a catholic song. He asked her to sing her favorite one. As she opened her mouth Taylor described she had an angelic voice and he was so touched by her song. It was not until after she had completed singing that he realized he did not tape it. He reassured her the song was also catholic and she could continue singing it.

As Taylor prepared to leave he informed Isabel he would not be returning until September when we return to Peru. In the time he is away he encouraged her to continue to praise God through her singing, to pray daily and to continue reading the Bible.

Ask and You shall receive

The Lord blessed me tremendously yesterday! He knew my heart's desires and He granted them to me.

I have been resting a lot lately due to the temperature. Daily it is over 100 degrees here. Due to this it was recommended for me to rest since I am currently seven months pregnant. The heat has caused premature births and two weeks ago a woman lost her baby due to the heat. This has been very difficult for me. I enjoy taking walks around town and visiting with people on my way. I also enjoy visiting my home visits listening to them and just being present for them. All of which has stopped since I was told to rest, until yesterday.

The Lord knew that I desperately wanted to visit with my home visits one last time before we leave. Unfortunately do to the distance that did not seem possible. Then the Lord surprised me. Yesterday morning there was a knock on our door. It was Liliana, one of my home visits. She brought some bananas for the twins and she wanted to check on me. The Lord brought her to ME!

It brought so much joy to my heart. Here I was able to be with this beautiful woman in my own home. We sat and chatted for an hour. She shared with me her stuggles since losing her husband Oscar. We talked about how great and faithful the Lord is. She watched as I made her a rosary as we laughed and enjoyed each other's company. When she left we both were renwed and full of joy.

God answered my prayers. It did not happen the way I had intended but His plan was way better!!!

"And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." Luke 11:9-10

Liliana, left, visiting in my home yesterday. 

Rising waters

We are asking for prayers for the community of Nuevo Egipto. They are very special to us. We have worked with them for almost two years now. Their community is off of the beaten path. They are surrounded by rice fields which employs most of the town. On one side of the town is a canal and on the side is a river.

Last week disaster struck Nuevo Egipto. At 2:00am on Wednesday the canal overflowed its banks and swept through town. As it swept through town the excess water overflowed the outdoor bathrooms which then contaminated everything.

Many people spoke of waking up because the rising waters soaked their beds. It was then that they started alerting their neighbors and the cleanup began.

We received a call midmorning from Max, our fellow missionary, explaining the situation because his family lives there. Taylor immediately jumped on his motorcycle and headed to Nuevo Egipto. When he arrived he found a mess. Houses that were built out of mud bricks were partly swept away exposing the sticks used to frame it. Houses without cement floors now had a soppy wed mud floor. The feces was mixed with everything which will cause illnesses if not removed. No one really knows how many items were lost when the flood waters went through. But it is our guess that many people lost clothes, shoes and their personal belongings as well.

Taylor came home to report on what he found and to call in backup from our fellow missionaries. When I heard his report I broke down in tears. This community is so beautiful. They have a living faith and they willingly give all they have to anyone in need.

Taylor, Andy, Max headed back to Nuevo Egipto to assist in the cleanup along with two visiting nurses from Spain. They spent the afternoon moving contaminated mud and assisting wherever they were called. Taylor helped a single mother with young children spread gravel in her house to create a new floor. Her floor was a sloppy muddy mess but as they laid the gravel it made walking possible. At one point Andy and Taylor had to move a paralized man from his bed. His family had no way yo move him out of their waterlogged home. The water level was to the mattress on his bed. His family abandoned the home knowing that if the waters continued to rise he would most likely perish but they could not move them on their own. The family was overjoyed by the help they received from Andy and Taylor. They were able to move the man across town to a family member whose house was not badly damaged.

Unfortunately none of our missionaries thought of taking photos during their time helping the community. They were so focused on helping the people in need that it did not cross their mind until after they returned home.

Please pray for the community of Nuevo Egipto. Please pray that the waters reside and that the rain stops for a bit so the cleanup can finish. Please pray that the people will not get sick from working in the unsanitary conditions. We are also asking prayers for the people who need to rebuild.

Is just one soul worth it?

This past Sunday we had another opportunity to celebrate a first for a community. The small community of Nuevo Canal received mass for the first time ever. It was such a joyous event!

Padre Paco celebrating the first mass in the community of Nuevo Canal Sunday February 12, 2017.

Nuevo Canal is a little community that Taylor initially found by searching on Google Maps. Taylor enjoys looking at our zone through this application. It was during one of his searches that he stumbled upon the little pueblo. Upon further investigation through the church archives it was determined the community was never visited by anyone from the church partly because it was not on any maps. With the permission of the priests Taylor decided to head out to the community to see the state of their faith. 

When Taylor and Max arrived they were greeted by Damel. He was so excited to see them and so happy to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. Damel lives in the pueblo with his family and two other families. Taylor, Max, and our whole family has spent many days ministering to this community. We have brought them their first Bibles. We have taught them their prayers. But most importantly we have taught them about our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Max, Taylor and Gamel the first time in Nuevo Canal.

When people first heard that Taylor was driving out to the pueblo to minister to the three families the response he received was it wasn't worth his time. ''Only three families?'' ''They can travel to one of the other pueblos to attend mass and receive catechesis.'' ''Why would you trouble yourself and waste a day traveling and teaching the people when there are so few of them?'' 

As we thought of these questions we remembered Abraham and his courage in interceding before God for Sodom, see Genesis 18:16-33. It was here that God shared His plan to destroy Sodom for its wickedness with Abraham. Abraham boldly asked the Lord if He would spare the city from destruction if there were 50 righteous men. Abraham continued to ask the Lord if He would spare from destruction if He found 45, 40, 30, 20, and lastly just 10 righteous people. The Lord agreed to spare the city if He found just 10 righteous men. For just 10 people the Lord would have spared a whole city from being destroyed. Even though the city was destroyed God did save the only righteous people in the city, one family.

Taylor leading a Bible Study in Gamel's house.

Jesus Christ would have also died just for one person. If everyone but one person in history rejected Him He would have willingly gone to the cross for only that one soul. His love for us is so great that He willing went to the cross for each one of us. He knew our names and each of the sins He was dying for. So why can't we have that same sort of love for just one soul?

The answer will always be "YES!" Just one soul is worth. When we write and prepare our studies we are hoping that many people will come to our study but if just one soul has a personal encounter with Christ everything we sacrificed to get there is worth it!! 

Happy 1st Birthday Asencio!

Today is a day to celebrate! Little Asencio is turning one! I do not think that anyone expected him to 

turn one when he was born a year ago. Praise be to God that Asencio was healed and has made a full recovery. If you have forgotten his story you can Read his story here. 

Here is a picture of Asencio from February 11, 2016

Those trips to the hospital were worth it though! I spent hours in Tarapoto with Keisy and her sister-in-law. We talked about family and I fought with the doctors to have Asencio's tests taken quickly. I know I talked about God's love. I remember bringing Keisy a bible to read while she waited those long hours day in and day out. I do not remember all that I said and I am pretty sure that what I said in those moments did not even matter. I think my example spoke more than my words. 

During those days I showed Keisy and her family what God's love actually meant. She was able to feel it. My words matched my actions. My words were LIVING through my example. I held her as she cried. I listened. I spoke with the nurses to help us speak with the doctor. Much of my time was spent waiting and praying. But I was present and I was there. 

Keisy, Asencio and Stiven. My has he grown!

 A few weeks later Asencio was cleared to go home. He could leave the NICU and join the rest of his family in Caspizapa. That day there was much rejoicing in their house. It was then that Taylor and I learned how God was using those days to call this family to Him. Keisy and Henri asked us if they could enter the church through the sacrament of marriage. Henri said he wanted to be this example for his three small children. Keisy and Henri were married on October 8, 2016 and Asencio was baptized into the faith  as well. It was a emotional day for everyone in attendance!

His first birthday party this afternoon.

Faustina and Adele enjoyed dancing and eating all of the snacks!

Asencio returned to the hospital in the middle of last year. His urinary tract was blocked. This was a huge complication. Unfortunately it couldn't be treated with medicine. Asencio ended up needing three surgeries to repair this problem. Since his surgery he has not had anymore complications. He is doing well and growing fast. We are all so excited to say "Feliz Cumpleaños" today!