Newest Update from Peru

by Rob Brinks

Wednesday, December 7
 

This was our last construction day; we completed all that was assigned to our work group, plus little extras. What a great blessing to see the work completed. There is plenty more to do, however the local construction manager and the family will be finishing these. We made some new contacts with another missionary here who is also working hard to bring the reformed faith and Word of God to the people living here. Dr. Hegeman and Kent will leave early Thursday morning while the Veldmans (Rob and Heidi, Doug and Chantel) and I will be leaving in the early afternoon. I speak for the group to say thanks for all the prayers for us while here and for our safe travels to and from Cuzco. Please pray for the Rivera family, and the people of Peru to always look to God for their help and salvation. 

Photos from Peru Trip 2011

Tuesday, December 6

We are over two-thirds of the way complete with the block work. I am sure that we will finish up the blocks on Wednesday. Deb Brinks, Kristin Sterk, and Valentine Nobel left for home this afternoon, and so begin the goodbyes. An update on Kina VanTil, they arrived home Sunday, and she was still not feeling well. Monday morning, Max took her to the emergency room and they determined that she suffered from High Altitude Cerebral Edema, which can be fatal. We can praise God for His providence that she went home in time and that the doctors could diagnose and treat her for this. Please pray for healing strength as Kina recovers from this condition. Also pray for continued safety on the jobsite and for those traveling home soon. 

Monday, December 5

We took the day off from the worksite to tour some of the ruins of the Inca people. Cuzco is the center of the Inca world as far as archeological sites are concerned. Our tour guide was Javier who is of Inca descent and very proud of his heritage. He also works as a tour guide here in Cuzco and at the famous Machu Picchu. It was a great day to see the mighty works of God in His Creation. It makes you realize how small you are when you see the great mountains, the creatures He has made, and how He controls all things. Max and Kina made it home safely today; we pray all is well with them now that they are home. Please pray for the team members who are travelling home tomorrow as well. We thank them for all the hard work they have done in this past week. We thank you as well for all the prayers you have offered on our behalf.

Sunday, December 4

We attended a small mission church from the Presbyterian Church here in Cuzco. One of the MINTS students will soon become an elder there. Dr. Hegeman preached about the importance of elders to train the people of the church to remain faithful to the word of God and how there are many things of the world creeping in to our beliefs. All these things are of the antichrist. I don’t care what language Holy, Holy, Holy, or How Great Thou Art is sung in, these hymns move the soul. We experienced the communion of the saints when we celebrated the Lord’s Supper with them. Lunch was served at the Rivera home and then we headed back to the hotel for some rest. We took a city bus back to the hotel and that was an experience for all of us. After our afternoon of rest, we went back to worship in the church that the Rivera’s attend. Dr. Hegeman preached to them the same sermon to strengthen the elders and congregation of that church as well. We celebrated the Lord’s Supper with the members of this church and sang hymns of praise to our universal God and Father. What a glorious day worshipping with the saints in Peru.

Saturday, December 3

There is a political rally going on today in Cuzco so we had to postpone our day away until Monday. We went to the worksite and continued working on the building. We stripped the 7 forms that we poured on Friday, formed and poured the last column, and laid quite a few blocks. The group also moved block and sand from the front of the house to the second floor where it was needed. Many hands make light work. In the evening we celebrated Javier’s 58^th birthday with him and the family. He gave us his testimony about his priorities. First his God, second his family, third his faith, fourth his work and how he can share his faith there. He expressed his great appreciation for all that his new family is doing for him and the people of Cuzco by building this meeting space on the second floor of his home.  Max and Kina left for home early this morning, we pray that getting out of the high altitude will ease her sufferings. Pray for safe travels as they try to return to Toronto today.

Friday, December 2

A beautiful day God has given us today. We stripped the four columns, formed, and poured 7 more. We also dug 2 footings that were 3.5’ long X 2.5’ wide X 4.5’ deep; the footings are for the steps and landings for the second floor and the roof. Max was on site; however Kina was still affected by the altitude and stayed in the hotel. Things are progressing along fine and we are looking forward to tomorrow. Pray for the group as we work together doing things that we normally don’t do in our everyday jobs.

 Thursday, December 1

The team had a great day today, although we are missing two of our team members due to migraines and a cold which is not helping in this high altitude. Please pray for Max and Kina VanTil as they are stuck in the hotel not feeling well. We were able to form and pour 4 columns today. We will strip these and start laying block tomorrow. There are 8 more columns to pour, 4 on Friday, and the last 4 on Saturday. The columns scheduled to be poured Saturday will be done by the Peruvian foreman and family members. The team is planning (D.V.) to tour some ancient Inca ruins on Saturday. Please pray that all that we are doing will give honor and glory to God. Pray that this building we are constructing will help many others to learn more about what is means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, and that they will bring this message to all the people of Peru. Thank you for all your prayers while we are away. God bless you all! 

Wednesday, November 30

The team arrived in Cuzco on Tuesday. We rested up and went to visit the worksite. We met the foreman of the job and determined what we needed to get done on Wednesday. We had dinner at the Rivera’s home and then it was back to the hotel for a much needed good night’s rest. We got up the next morning and headed to the house for our first full day of work. We tied and bent rebar for the columns; we hauled sand and gravel by bucket to the second floor which will be used for mixing the concrete on Thursday. Some of the girls cut and bent wire to be used for the roof section and bent rebar for the beams that support the roof. We had a very productive day. Dr. Hegeman gave us all a brief lesson in Spanish on some of the everyday words that we can use on the jobsite. He also gave us a brief update on what has been happening here as far as the spreading of the gospel in Cuzco. Everyone on the team is getting to know one another and friendships are already forming. Praise God for a great day! Also, please pray for good health as some are struggling with the altitude here.