Olivares family update
Oct/Nov 2012
Friends,
We’ve been in transition for what feels like ages, but we
finally got a house this week! Unfortunately it wasn’t well taken care of, so
we are working hard to fix it up, cleaning and painting, etc. We hope to move
in before Thanksgiving.
Isabella and Milan
continue to bring us lots of joy and laughter. They both are very excited for
the arrival of their baby brother, who is expected in mid-February. I have been
well during my pregnancy, except for getting hypothyroidism, which is quite
common. We had a small pause in regular life last week as Ricky’s wallet was
stolen and he had to go through the hassle of cancelling and renewing
everything. And we watched the damage of Sandy
and the drama of the presidential elections and pray always for the very best
for our friends and family in the States.
Ricky is a busy man, with the house and traveling to and
from Cusco each month. But these visits have
been such an essential part of our transition as he has had important meetings
with the leadership over the land purchase, has attended baptisms and has
encouraged the congregation. We are seeing now how the church is reaching out
and starting a new work of its own!
LIVING WATER in
Tambomachay
There is a little old town just outside of Cusco ,
called Tambomachay. It is a place where there are Incan ruins with a natural spring
of water that comes out of the rocks. The water is clear, naturally filtered
and never runs dry. Long ago, it was the bathing place of the great Inca. One
of the leaders of our church works by selling handicrafts to the tourists who
visit these ruins. Day after day, he would see the small town just down the
road and saw there was a desire for Jesus. So a few months ago, he and the
other leaders of the church gathered together to bring a songs, dance and a
Bible lesson to the children of the town.
The story gets even better! A long time ago, the townspeople
built a beautiful little adobe chapel, with the intention of holding Catholic
mass there. The problem is, the priest never showed up. Now, aside from the
occasional burial service, the building goes completely unused. When the people
saw the church holding children’s activities, they made the decision to loan
the building to them to use, free of charge. Services and activities are held
on Sunday afternoons. Many people from the congregation in San Marcos go to help out. And now, we are
seeing Living Water, the water that truly
never runs dry, come to Tambomachay.
LAND/BUILDING PROJECT
UPDATE
The land/building project is still going full speed, with
our first phase almost completed! This month, November, we need to reach the
80% mark for the purchase of the land, according to the contract of sale. In
October we had only reached the 50% marker… but thanks to a last minute
donation from Christ’s Church of the Valley, we are now at 77.5%. Please pray
about helping us this month to reach the 80% goal! If you read this newsletter
and aren’t already a faithful supporter, we ask that you’d consider sending a one
time donation of just $20 this month to help us reach our goal.
IT’S TIME TO PARTY
Lastly but not least, Christmas time is quickly approaching!
We are blessed to hold our annual Christmas party in Cusco
for more than 150 children. This year there will be two parties, one in San Marcos and the other
in Tambomachay. As you know, celebrating the birth and love of Jesus through
gift giving and celebrations is a wonderful tool to show God’s love to these
kids who receive very little this time of year.
Every year, as the party approaches we ask in faith that God
will provide for a party, and He has, usually only days before the party but
never late. His timing is perfect. We know this year will be no different. If
you have served with us in Peru
before or just love children, or simply love God, we ask you to help make the
party a reality this year!
It is such a blessing for us to continue serving in Cusco from a distance and we love the people there with
all our hearts. We thank God for you, for your love and support and words of
encouragement that we’ve received during these last few months.
With peace and love,
Tracie, Ricardo, Isabella, Milan and baby
IberoAmerican
Ministries. PO Box
1493Monroe ,
WA 98272
Make donations
payable to Iberoamerican Ministries and attach a note specifying it for the:
Olivares Land Project or the Olivares Cusco Christmas project
