We wanted to give you a brief update of some of the things that are happening.

We are in the final phases of school. We just had our school closing Friday morning followed by the graduation in the evening and school program on Saturday morning.  We are closing late this year because of days we had to make up from a flu virus.

Just this week a boy from fourth grade came and asked to talk with me.  He then told me that a few days previous he had put his trust in the Lord Jesus while listening to one of the teachers in our school chapel.  This is one of the reasons we are here. Pray for him as he starts his summer vacation that the Word would abide in him.

I am including a few photos of the five year old grad we had this past Friday evening.

 

This week I got to drive a hearse (it was my own vehicle serving as one).  Not why I came to Peru, but a family from the meeting had a brother die (they lost their dad in October).  It took 36 hours for his body to arrive and so they had to bury him within one day.  They asked us to do a meeting yesterday evening so I spoke at a meeting at the “wake”. After the meeting they asked if I would mind driving the casket to the cemetery the next day (while they walked behind,) they didn’t want to carry him all the way as he was decomposing!  So it was a bit of a smelly affair.  Tom spoke at a meeting we then had at the cemetery and then afterwards we went to the home and I shared from the Word at a ceremony they have in the house.  Then everyone ate a meal prepared by the family of the deceased. 

The construction of the school building is underway.  God willing we will be adding two more floors to the current school building.  We are thankful for the people who are coming down to help prepare the building.

We said goodbye this Wednesday to three volunteers as they returned to the states and then Tina Howell left on Saturday morning.  They have been helping us out over the last six months and we are very thankful for their help.  One of the young ladies Laura Messerly will be returning to teach in March along with Tina Howell who was with us all year, God willing.  We are always amazed at how God uses so many different people to do His will.

Recently the daughter of one lady from the meeting started studying the Bible with Laura.  She initially thought she was saved but it quickly became clear she was relying on her works.  Within two weeks she professed her faith in Christ alone.  At the funeral I asked her husband if I could come by and visit on Sunday evening and so I went over and i talked with him about the gospel (he works 6.5 days a week and Sunday evening is when he is off). God willing we will have a Bible Study every Sunday evening after our meeting.

We have heard nothing more from our landlord.  The last we spoke she told me not to worry.  So we are staying where God has us for now.

Kim and I are both involved in individual Bible Studies with some of the people from the meeting.  I am meeting with two young men discipling them, and Kim is working with several young Christians teaching them.  She is also helping a young mother with training up her children.

We appreciate your prayers and pray you will enjoy sweet communion with the Lord, Paul said that I may know Him, I pray that is true for each of us.

In Him
Mark Kim and family

I have been slow to take this opportunity to send you some responses to prayer and some new prayer requests.

Our return to Peru went well, there were no problems getting in the country with flights, documents or immigration. We were met with lots of hugs from little to big on our arrival at the school and the local meeting.

We met with our landlord recently after our return and were informed that she planned to sell and move away.  We explained we were not in a position to purchase and asked if she would consider a rent to own for some friends of ours.  She ended up calling shortly afterward to say not to worry about anything (we are not sure quite what that means).  So we are staying where we are for now.

Recently the father of a sister from the assembly died.  We got to see more of Peruvian culture as we were part of much of the funeral process.  I was to drive the family to the hospital to visit the dad but when I arrived to pick them up he had already died, so I drove them first to the funeral shop to pick out a casket (10 minutes) then we went to the hospital.  It was late at night and so I offered to drive them home when they were done.  The casket arrived thirty minutes later and I ended up taking the deceased’s body home in the casket along with some very sad members.  The next day we visited the family to express our condolences and to offer help. The father was buried within forty eight hours and was preached over at least four times.   They carried his casket from his home where the wake was to the graveyard on the shoulders of the poll bearers (about 2.5 kms).  The casket was placed in a niche and then sealed with concrete immediately to avoid the casket being stolen. We then returned to the home of the deceased and they fed everyone. 

We have started again with a number of Bible Studies; it has been encouraging to see an interest, which in turn challenges us.  These are individual studies Kim carries on with some ladies and I with some men. Please pray for wisdom as we seek to wisely use the time we have.

Our documents are currently in Lima being renewed.  There has been no problem aside from a clerical error which will delay Kim’s for a month.  They have asked some additional documents for Jonathan but everything should be in order by the end of the year.  We are so thankful for this answer to prayer.

We have begun visiting the homes of the school children and are sharing the gospel in each home and leaving a copy of Ultimate Questions.  Some have led to more discussion – please pray for wisdom to respond to the many needs we encounter.

Jonathan is back to doing school at home.  He is taking Spanish lessons from a friend who is a teacher.  He also is taking guitar lessons.  The Lord graciously provided a teacher.  Kim and Jonathan went to the music school but it was closed for renovations.  On the way home the moto-taxi driver offered to take them to a teacher he knew.  It turns out he is a very good teacher and Jonathan is enjoying his lessons.


 

October 25^th Strong Tower celebrated its 7^th year anniversary.  We had a parade of torches (lit candles -something out of the question in Canada) and then a number of presentations in the town square.  To finish it all I shared the gospel to everyone in attendance.

God willing we will be going ahead with construction in December to house two new classrooms next year.  This will mean a busy summer as everything is prepared.  We are praying for people to help out as they are able.

In Him
Mark Kim and family

Dear praying friends, we are writing to you as we prepare everything to return to Peru.  God willing we will be traveling back to Peru September 16^th and arriving home in Ferreñafe the following day.  We are including a few items for your consideration in prayer.

Travel: We are thankful for God’s protection as we have traveled many kilometers around Quebec and the Maritimes this summer visiting. It has been encouraging as we have spent time with many of you.

Wedding and family: My sister Audrey was married the end of June and all of my family (parents, brothers, and extended family) attended.  After the wedding we spent some time together.  It was the first time we were all together in eighteen years.

 Leaving:  It is time to return to Peru but when we do, it will be only Kim, Jonathan and me.   Lindsay has just graduated and will be staying in Moncton living with her grandmother and working.  Part of our reason for coming home was to see her settled.  Jessica and Christopher will both be returning to University in Fredericton New Brunswick.  Please remember them all as we leave.

New Accommodations: Upon return one of the things we will address is our accommodations. The landlord has increased the rent and informed us she has put the house up for sale.  We are not in a position to purchase the home, so it appears we will be looking for new accommodations. The options are limited in our village but we only need one place to live.  Please pray for wisdom and the right place.

The School: The school is going ahead well and is now in its third semester.  The return to classes after the winter break (July 29-Aug 9) was delayed by one week for Primary and two weeks for Kindergarten because of the risk of the children contacting the H1N1 virus. 

New Construction: God willing we will start registration for the next school year (March 2014) November 1^st. We already have thirty-six students preregistered for our K3 class which has 24 spots. We also would like to add the sixth grade to the school so the students in fifth grade can stay with us and move.  The challenge is that we have no more classrooms, so please pray for the provision to build two new classrooms.

Children’s home: On a different note the three little brothers we cared for from the children’s home have been adopted by a family in Lima. Please pray that what they have been taught will bear fruit in their lives.

Also David a young boy at the children’s home has returned to be with his family that live in Chiclayo.  He will continue to attend Strong Tower Christian School for the rest of the year. Then Solomon (a baby who was abandoned on a bus) has recently gone to live with a Peruvian family.

Gloria: Please continue to pray for our friend Gloria who is suffering from liver cancer.  She has recently started chemotherapy.  Gloria and her husband Carlos have been very active with the young people so her absence is felt keenly.

Visitation: Upon return I will be carrying on the visitation of the families from the school.  It is an open door to share the gospel, but requires wisdom. Both Kim and I will also need wisdom as to which Bible Studies to resume.

Baptism: We were happy to hear of the recent baptism of a number of the believers from our assembly in Peru.  We have watched them grow and are happy to see this step of obedience.  Please pray for them that they would be faithful.

In Him

Mark Kim and family

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we are thankful to say that we are back in Canada and have been for two months.  We received new passports with the warning not to lose them again!

What have we done so far: we have moved Kim’s mom into a new house in Moncton where we are staying with her.  We are thankful how God provided this house as it is 1 KM from Kim’s brother and 1 KM from her work.  It will give Kim that added peace that her mom is close to family in the case she needs anything.  We have helped our children Jessica and Chris move their stuff from their apartment.  Now we are trying to sort through and downsize.

All of our children have found work.  Lindsay and Jonathan found work shortly after we returned from Peru which is something they had hoped for.  Chris is working in Fredericton and Jessica in PEI. We are thankful to be able to spend some time together with the children.

We have been visiting as we have opportunity; I just finished a trip to visit some assemblies in Quebec with Gerald St Laurent. It has been so nice to see so many friends. We still have many more people we would like to see so please continue to remember us as we travel.

Please remember one of our sisters Gloria in Ferreñafe, as she has been ill recently and they have found a tumor on her liver, which has proven to be cancerous.  Gloria and her husband Carlos have been faithful in their service and commitment to the work of the Lord.  They both have worked with the young people carrying on small Bible studies with unbelievers or young believers.  Gloria has esp. been a big help with the young girls.

A note for praise; I had told you that the government had made changes to the visas for missionaries but we were not sure what these changes were.  While in Lima getting our passports taken care of, I spoke with our contact.  He told me that it appears, the changes will impact new missionaries only and ours would be renewed normally when we return to Peru.  They should find out better in July what the changes for new missionaries will be.

The recent mother’s day and father’s day programs were well attended with a good number in attendance.  The gospel was given and we pray for fruit from the seeds sown.

Before we left we had started visiting the homes of all the families from the school (approx 140).  Our goal was to get to know them better but also share the gospel in each home as we visit them.  Recently some of the families have begun attending the Sunday School so remember them as well.

As many of you know my sister Audrey was with us for two years in Peru, she is to be married June 29^th in Truro NS.  We are thankful we are home and will be able to attend it.  All of the family is coming which is the first time we are all together in many years (approx. 18).

In Him 

Mark Kim and Family

Dear friends, the month of is over and with it the summer break comes to an end.  We start classes next week with over 180 registered students (approx. 35 new students this year).  I particularly wanted to share how important your prayers are for us. 

  Last week Tuesday we discovered that a new local law for private schools prohibits us from using Primary teachers to teach Kindergarten.  It is permitted in the rest of the country and locally as well for Public schools.  We have had several fine Primary teachers teaching kindergarten for the last years.  Well with only a week and a half before classes started and a reported shortage in Kindergarten teachers we began to pray.  As I sit here today a week later I am thankful for how God has provided two Kindergarten teachers for our school.  It is one way we can spread the Word of God in this community and especially in the lives of the students of the school. Rejoice with us at His faithfulness.

We recently purchased our tickets to return to Canada in late April with a return date to Peru of September 16^th. God willing during this time in Canada we can get to see many of you, we hope to visit as many as possible.  Along with visiting we hope to get some other things done such as spend time with our children and family, medical, dental and shopping – they don’t have my size in pants (they are too short) and shoes are too small.

There is continued interest in the North to hear the Word of God.  The initial wave of curious listeners and people looking for a handout is gone and those with a genuine interest have remained in two little villages.  The meetings are now being carried out in different homes of people interested. Please pray as each month various brothers take turns going and sharing the Word in these two villages (Rinconada, Pelingara).
We are still looking to the Lord to provide a K3 teacher (English that is).  We currently have a young lady who will be here to the end of March but are waiting to see who God will bring along after she leaves.

The local assembly has since the return of many of the Sunday School children to the meetings.  We have also had some disheartening news as some of our young people have chosen to follow the world. Please pray for wisdom as we seek to see them restored.

In the will of the Lord we will visit each home of our students to get to know the families but also to share the good news.  Please pray for wisdom as many of these homes are broken by problems and the opportunities to counsel are numerous.

In Him

Mark Kim and family

 Dear friends in Christ, it has been awhile since we wrote so we thought we would update you on some of the recent activities.

The school year is over with the K5 graduation and the family Christmas party. We finished the school year on a high note.  One of the last days of the year several of the young ladies from the children’s home brought several of their friends to the school office because they wanted to trust the Lord for their salvation.  They had heard the gospel in class before so we reiterated what they had heard and were delighted to hear them pray.  The next day one of the girls came and asked me when she could be baptized!

We currently have a number of volunteers here preparing a sports platform and other jobs around the property. Some have come to us again from PEI and others have come with Team Workers USA. One of the team, Arthur Burnham from Penn was running a pipe along the top of a wall and fell ten feet.  He sustained a strained shoulder and fractured pelvis.  Please pray for Art that he will recover quickly. We are so thankful for their help and for God’s supply of people and finances for these projects.

We ask for continued prayer as we travel (both locally and further afield).  My wife specifically is feeling a target.  Recently she has been in near accidents while traveling in  moto taxis involving motorbikes, power lines and other moto taxis with either near hits or pulling down power lines.
Please pray for the Christians that meet here.  A number of the believers have unsaved spouses which makes things challenging for them in the home.

The school is in registration mode. Classes are full for K3 to grade 1 with openings from Grade 2-5.  Each day we turn away applicants because we are full.  Some come specifically because they want us to teach their children values – we want to teach them something far better.

The law under which we entered the country has recently come to an end.  We have heard rumours of some drastic changes but are waiting to see what the Lord has in store, please pray that we will enjoy the same opportunities and tranquility under the new law.

In Him

Mark Kim