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On Wednesday 3rd March, Richard and Pam sent an update:

Hello again,

We’ll start off by bringing you up to date with one thing from last year.

The Institute night school was started last January 09 as an alternative method of study for those unable to attend the full time modules. By the time we ended the year, we found ourselves having to turn down students as the class size was becoming too large. Not ideal, but a good problem to have. Throughout the final months, we had 19 attending each Monday, 11 of whom passed every course that was run. This is no small achievement since balancing class attendance and homework with the other demands on their time (all are working/studying and actively involved in the church) hasn't been easy. This also makes it a huge encouragement for us.

Over the last couple of weeks we've been hosting a team from the Forest of Dean Community Church in Cinderford (England). They were kept busy over their time here with visits to a couple of churches, helping with a kids' camp, painting the new classroom for the Institute, teaching at the night school and running a special event, complete with cream tea, for the women of the church. As usual with these things, the plan changed continuously as the time progressed, but from our perspective it was a very successful team. The culmination was going into the women's prison on their last full day in Trujillo. It's a long story, and we're still not quite sure how we were able to secure permission to enter except to say that God clearly wanted them there. Each of the team contributed and afterwards one of the women came forwards asking for prayer as she wanted to become a Christian - which seems a great way to end their time with us.

The other major event of the recent weeks has been the weather. The team had only been here a few days when we had, what in the UK or Canada would just be some overnight rain. Here in Trujillo, where nothing and no-one is ready for rain, it was a minor disaster. We escaped lightly with only a miniature waterfall running down the stairs and water seeping through the concrete of the walls. Those whose houses are made from adobe mud and/or are without proper roofing suffered much more. And don’t get us started on the state of the roads ...

Thanks again for your prayers and interest. We'll be in touch again soon.

Rich, Pam and Lucas

For prayer:

1) Give thanks for the growth of the night school programme and for the success of the recent team.

2) Pray for those studying at the night school that they would keep up the commitment and continue learning and growing.

3) Pray for the next full-time module of the Institute running through March.

4) Pray for the teenagers group as it restarts in mid-March. Pray too as we adjust to some changes in the leadership team for this year.

5) Pray for health and safety for us as a family.

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On Sunday 28th February, Tim Cracknell showed us a taster of photographs from the Mission Trip to Peru:

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21st February: News from Katrina - Painting and decorating:

Hello all,

This morning we were picked up at 8.30am by Anne Laure (another missionary working here in Trujillo and supported by Echoes) and taken down to an office in the city which the Bible Institute have recently rented to hold the Bible School in. Our job was to paint the walls and then clean and polish the wooden floor. Tim stayed back at base to do some sermon preparation while we got covered in paint and dust and worked right the way through until 1pm without a break by which time we were feeling rather tired and ready for some lunch. Pam and Rich cooked a BBQ on the roof of the apartment which we very much enjoyed and then we had a quieter afternoon incorporating a trip out to the local grocery store to buy some provisions.

Tomorrow we have church at 10am (we're 5 hours behind you) and we are hoping to be able to visit an orphanage but Richard is waiting to hear back from them so we're not sure if we will be able to fit this in before we leave on Tuesday lunch time. We think there will be some photos of the recent camp we attended being shown at church tomorrow and we have been told to wear the cowboy hats and neckerchiefs we were issued with at the beginning of the week.

On Monday evening Tim is teaching at the Bible School on general leadership from 6-7.30pm so would value your prayers for that.

We have booked our tickets for the bus to Lima on Tuesday - this time it is a day time journey so we will get to see a bit more of Peru. We will arrive late on Tuesday evening and will stay overnight in a hostel and then spend the day visiting a museum and doing some last minute souvenir shopping before getting our plane on Wednesday evening. Pam is accompanying us to Lima and will be our guide for the day on Wednesday. All being well we will arrive back in Birmingham at 5.15pm on Thursday.

Thank you all for your prayers and your interest in following our itinerary. Marissa had a phone call from Charles today so we know it has been snowing quite heavily back home - it will be a bit of a shock to the system after the temperatures here!

That's all for now - it's 10pm and my bed is calling!

Katrina

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18th February: Another update from Katrina:

Hello everyone!

We've just returned to Trujillo after our camping expedition. In the end we didn't have to sleep in tents - we had a little house to stay in which was very basic (no loo seat and a cold shower which looked like you'd get out dirtier than when you got in it!) but at least we had somewhere to sit and chat in the evenings and when we had some free time. The days started at 7am and then we had our daily exercise session at 7.15am followed by devotions and then breakfast at 8am. The day was pretty full on after that with Bible Stories, craft activities, games, tent inspections, meal preparations etc. There were 47 kids enrolled at the camp plus leaders and councillors and kitchen staff. We did a lot of the washing up after each meal (in cold water) which we didn't need to know any Spanish for! We also peeled a huge mountain of potatoes on one day to make enough chips for 75 hungry campers! We had to negotiate 2 stressy geese each day on the way from our humble abode to the main meeting place but we got the better of them in the end. Jayne and I braved the swimming pool one afternoon with all the kids and leaders so it was a bit congested to say the least! The campfires went well and our talks, mime and puppet show seemed to be appreciated. We were put in charge of tent inspections and so found that it was quite a lucrative job as the kids would bribe us with chocolate bars, sweets and bags of crisps. The only problem was that the leaders had to have their quarters inspected too and on one occasion Jayne committed the cardinal sin of leaving her Bible in her room on her bed and so she got booed when the inspection report was given. Marissa on the other hand knew how to work the system and sprinkled her bed with rose petals and left goodies out for the inspectors - what a creep!!!

We all ate well (they were catering for 80 kids!) We had rice twice a day, even with chips and potatoes! The beds weren't the most comfortable in the world (slats missing which made for dips in the mattress) but bugs and mosquitoes weren't too much of a problem, which was a relief. The theme of the camp was 'Cowboys' and so we were all sheriffs and were given cowboy hats and neckerchiefs so we looked the part. We've got loads of photos so watch this space.

Plans have changed a bit since we've been away at camp. We aren't able to go into the women's prison now but we are hoping to go to visit an orphanage nearby. Also, the teenagers' session on Saturday isn't now happening, but we will be doing some decorating in the new Bible School office which has recently been rented and Tim will be doing some teaching in the Bible school on Monday too.

We're certainly getting to experience a wide variety of Peruvian culture and so far we've stayed fairly fit and healthy, although Tim and Marissa have had slightly delicate tummies! That just about brings you up to date with what we've been up to over the past few days so I'll say 'Chau' (as you can see we've become pretty fluent in Spanish!)

Katrina

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11th February: Katrina sends an update:

Hello all!

Just a quick update while I can use the laptop. Jayne has been to Trujillo airport and picked up her luggage so has now got a change of clothes for which she is very grateful - thanks for your prayers! We went to a camp meeting yesterday afternoon and discovered that it will run from 7am until 11pm each day so we'll be well and truly shattered by the end of it. We're responsible for doing the games, a puppet show and a short talk on Monday evening on the first night of the camp. On Tuesday and Wednesday evenings we're running the campfires which involves testimonies, games and songs. At the moment we're preparing for the women's meeting tomorrow afternoon. We're doing a traditional cream tea for about 40 women (we're baking the scones tomorrow morning) and then we'll do a short presentation on British culture followed by some interactive Bible teaching. Tim is speaking at a church in Chiclin on Sunday and so is preparing the message for that as I write this. This morning we were awoken by the sound of water running and discovered that it had been raining heavily in the night (very unusual for this area of Peru) and the rain had come down the stairs into the apartment. The houses here are all built with flat rooves as rain is such a rarity and there is very poor drainage so when it rains it's a nightmare! The roads have no drains so some roads have been shut off and there is water in huge puddles everywhere - it's a real talking point just like the snow was back home.

At lunch time today we were invited to the home of Bert and Colleen Elliott (brother of Jim Elliott) and we were given a roast dinner which was delicious. Bert and Colleen have served for 60 years in Peru - for 40 years in the mountains and jungle and for 20 years in Trujillo - a truly inspiring couple!

We're all fit and healthy so far and had a good night's sleep last night which made us feel a lot better this morning. Thanks for your prayers and we'll continue to keep you updated although you probably won't hear anything while we're at camp next week.

Love

Katrina

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10th February: Katrina sends a message of their news so far:

Hello everyone!

I'm using Richard's laptop to send you updates of what we're up to over the next few weeks. Well we arrived this morning into Trujillo at about 7am after a 9 hour bus journey. Thankfully the bus had big bucket seats which could recline and so we were able to sleep fairly well which is more than I can say for the plane journey! Unfortunately Jayne's luggage went missing when we got to Lima and after enquiries, it turns out that it got left in Amsterdam! They are sending it down to the airport in Trujillo this evening so at least she won't be without her creature comforts for too long!

We've just been down to the town to change our money and get a few groceries (and a tooth brush for Jayne!) while Tim had a sleep upstairs. We're all staying with Richard and Pam as they have a 3 storey apartment. Jayne and Marissa are sharing a room and Tim and I have a room upstairs on the roof area. It was lovely to have a shower as soon as we got here this morning and then when we felt more human. We were greeted with the lovely aroma of home-baked muffins for breakfast - I think I could get use to this mission experience!!!!

We're just about to have some lunch and then this afternoon we're meeting up with the team to discuss the children's camp next week. After that it will be an early night for us all I think! That's all for now until I get the chance for another update.

Chao!

Katrina

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9th February 2010: FODCC Mission team leaves for Peru.

INFORMATION ABOUT PERU FOR THE MISSION TRIP.
(Sent by Richard & Pam Harknett) Word document.