Feliz Navidad

Here in Peru the birth of Christ is celebrated on Christmas Eve, known here as Noche Buena. We spent the evening in the traditional Peruvian sense of traveling from home to home visiting with relatives and enjoying deliciously prepared hot chocolate and turkey dinner. It was a bit difficult for the kids to stay awake well past midnight but it proved well worth it as they watched a wonderful display of fireworks and then opened a few presents.

Merry Christmas - Feliz Navidad

Wishing you all great tidings of joy as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ this Christmas Day.

We extend are warmest wishes to you and your family and thank you for your thoughts and prayers during this holiday season.
It is a blessing and a privilage to serve our Lord here in Peru and we thank you for standing with us in this ministry. 

The Peruvian Aji Amarillo

Aji Amarillo, oh how I have missed thee.

The word aji in Spanish means chili pepper and amarillo means yellow. When fully ripened and ready to incorporate in to your most favorite Peruvian cusine, the aji will be orange in color. It is a staple in kitchens throughout Lima and is used in typical plates such as Aji de Gallina, Papa Huancaina, Locro de Zapallo and Lomo Saltado.

We're Losing it by Paul Washer

Happy 3rd Birthday

 Monday evening we celebrated Josiah's third birthday here in the house. We kept things simple and invited just the immediate family, although Christian would have been invited if he could have made it!



Happy 3rd Birthday Josiah



A little help please?



For the future Architect



Wait a second, it wasn't her birthday too was it?
What a suprise, the kids cousins chipped in and bought them both  bikes!

Lessons from Papa.

Wait until Christian sees this!
 One very excited little boy.

Cousin Katty

Cousin Jacky

Josiah taking notes from his older cousin Osquitar the architect.

A Little Bit of Everything

This past week we have been doing a little bit of everything. One of the primary things that the Lord showed us to do upon our return was to just meet with the people and reconnect so we have been doing so in various forms. We've had the chance to reunion with most of those whom we were discipling during our first mission here and likewise the opportunity to meet new friends as well.



Marisol and Josiah having a bit of fun in the kids "casita."

If you will remember, Marisol is the young lady who was helping us out around the house during our last mission trip, she has become a close friend of ours as well as the children.

Kike joined us one afternoon for one of my first Peruvian dishes, green spaghetti.

The Lord has brought many new people into our lives in such a short period of time. One of them is a couple named Jose and Lisa whom I met on a forum for expatriates living in Peru. They invited us to their house for Thanksgiving dinner were we met a handful of other missionaries who serve with Wycliffe, a bible translating ministry. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and a testimony of just how God provides for each detail of our lives. We had not made any plans for Thanksgiving and although we had not specifically prayed  for an invitation, the Lord knew our hearts and provided us with one.

It was a wonderful meal, not to mention delicious!

Such care was taken in the setting of the table.

A special verse was chosen for each of us.

The kids enjoying the casita of Jose and Lisa's daughter.

Yes, this picture was taken on Thanksgiving Day, we praise God for the warmer weather.

On Saturday mornings there is an organic "fair" by a very nice park that we like to visit. Yesterday morning we took the kids for an hour or so. Here they are in the small library watching a pupet show.



After the library they had a chance to run.

Our time spent at Iglesia Cristiana Koinonia has been a blessed one for us. The fellowship within the body is wonderful and we stand in awe with them as we watch the Lord doing marvellous things there. Each Sunday we have been there has been a full day of worship and fellowship. Every other Sunday they prepare a menú in the church. A menú is meal served complete with appetizer and beverage for a small price, they use the proceeds toward missions work. Even on the off Sunday's the people still congregate until very late in the afternoon.



La familia Koinonia... or a part of it anyways.



Chipy preparing a plate of spaghetti con mucho cariño.



For dessert, Jacky made piccarones... stay tuned for the video.

The finished product - piccarones.

The kids favorite part of the week, play time with Pricila.



Poco A Poco... Little by Little We Settle In

Today marks eight days in Lima so far, the time is just flying by. We finally received internet service last night and so here is a brief update. I'm sorry that the pictures are out of order but I was having such trouble with it that I decided to just post them as they came up.

We moved into our apartment little by little through out the week as we waited for each item to arrive. Finally the mattresses arrived this past Monday and so we are now living permanantly at our apartment in Surco. We were tremendously blessed to have stayed one week with the brothers and sisters of Koinonia Surco, they truly are a family and we thank God to be part of it. Although we have gone through many trials this past week it has touched us so to be with such caring people. Eddy's family also has went out of their way to help us run here and there buying different items and lending to us when we have been in need. We have been blessed abundantly by the generous hearts of those here in Peru.

The kids had been stuggling a bit with sickness and the lose of their friends from home. Hadassah who is quite sensitive has picked out many of the negative aspects of Peru already and at one point had decided she did not like it here. That all changed this past sunday when we went to church. She and Josiah were able to make friends and spent the day with some of the younger girls in the fellowship. We took them to a nearby park and the kids were just delighted with the friendship... they now ask everyday to return to church.

Getting settled physically has been a struggle, if you all remember from our last trip things are much more complicated here. We were promised our mattresses on Saturday only to make a sale, they didn't arrive until Monday but we were promised a comforter for the delay. The mattresses came after a whole day of waiting but no comforter. Today it came and the guy offered to sell us a set of sheets to match, after we bought them we realized they most likely were to be included in the set but he pulled them out for a quick sale. We waited until today as well for our refridgerator and now that it has arrived, it doesn't fit. Did I mention you can not return items here for a refund? We've removed the cabinets and will have someone reinstall them a few inches higher, way to high though to be usable on a daily basis. The stove arrived yesterday but the gas and connection valve didn't, today the situation is now under control and we are cooking finally. Eddy also had the phone installed yesterday but much to his disappointment the man also lied to him. We have just four minutes a day to make calls and no option to change this until December, it doesn't matter that the guy lied to him about the plan, that is just the way it is. It is a new way of life for us but sometimes we just have to laugh because of the complete insanity of some things. It is an adventure for sure and it is fun experiencing a new way of living even when it is different. God must be answering our prayers for more patience.

We are thankful that little by little we are settling in. We do have a home telephone number now that you can call, apart from the local number we left you all with in NY. The phone we received from the telephone company will not work with the Magicjack so until we get one that does we can only receive calls to our Lima telephone number. I'll send out an email with the number shortly. I'll also send out an update with prayer requests as well. Continue praying for a smooth transition for our family and feel free to drop us a line, we love to hear from you.

Watch out for the splinters!



Do you recognize that face??



Eddy & Hermano Lucho



The bunk bed at the church was a hit

 

"Welcome Koplin"
We were receieved with  a warm welcome gathering our first night in Lima

Renewed friends... Pricila, Ayumi & Hadassah



Ready, Set, Go!

Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered.

We have been getting ready for this big move for months now, and we are almost set to go! We've taken that final step and purchased one-way tickets for Lima in early November to which we are very excited to announce. The contents of our home are quickly disappearing and we are down to a few remaining items, the Lord's timing and favor have been perfect in everything. He truly is a God who cares for the details.

During these last few weeks here in New York we will begin to focus our efforts on presenting the vision the Lord has given to us to different pastors, churches and friends in hopes of gaining prayerful support for the ministry. If you are interested in joining a team who regularly prays for us, please let us know and we will provide you with the contact information of the lady who heads up this group. We covet your prayers during this transition and for the months to come as we settle into a new routine, home and country. Although Eddy is a native of Peru it is still quite an adjustment for him as he has grown very accustomed to the way of life here in the States.

We will also be searching for a home church to become connected with and different ministries to work along side of as the Lord leads. If you know of any missionaries, native or foreign, that you would recommend we reach out to once we arrive, please do send us their contact information.

Thank you all for following along with us, we are sorry for our lack of updates to the blog site as we wanted to wait until Eddy had put in his notice to his employer before we announced to the world of our departure plans. We still would love the chance to meet with you before leaving for we are going to miss everyone so much!

The kids spending some time with friends before the big move.

Are You a Good Person?

Daniel's Perspective - Rancho Maranatha

As of late there is nothing of significance to report regarding our progress on returning to Peru but we do however want to share with you memos of challenge and encouragement from others that we discover along the way. These all have spoken to our hearts in some form or another and we hope that you will be equally as blessed. The following is from Daniel & Ana Jones' most recent update from Rancho Maranatha in Alamos, Mexico, written by Daniel.

I have always used the thief at the cross as an example of how a person can be saved at the last minute. Two years ago I spoke to the village where Miguel Angel, Ana's brother in Chihuahua lives, and told the men there how if they are taken out of their homes to be killed, (that is still happening and at the time was happening a lot) that they should use the last minutes of their lives to repent and ask Jesus for forgiveness instead of wasting those precious last minutes paralyzed by fear and regret. I explained to them how foolish it is to wait that long and how wise it is to give your life to Jesus now and live for Him and how we will each be rewarded for what we have done here on earth. The thief on the cross has always seemed like and example of someone that wasted his life but found forgiveness at death's doorstep. Yesterday I saw him in a different light.

I was explaining how stocks work and used Eva's garden as an example. I told them how if Eva wanted to go public and expand, she could sell stocks and each of us could purchase a part of her present business and doing so would include any future growth. I told them that perhaps each one of them might buy one share because of lack of confidence in the future of that same business. Now I have seen Eva's garden and I know that she has a green thumb and that she is a very hard worker and very disciplined. I would buy at least 1000 shares! I told them to imagine at the end of a year now instead of her garden being just her back yard, being the field next to it which is a huge field. Now because we invested in her enterprise, we also each own a percentage of her business. Of course, because I had faith in her abilities, I own much more and my investment is paying off handsomely.

Now back to the thief on the cross. The disciples had placed all of their hopes on Jesus: Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You." (Mark 10:28). Imagine how they felt when Jesus was arrested, tried, beaten and then hung on cross to die. I believe at that point that they were all wondering how to get rid of all the "stock" that they had bought in Jesus. They had lost all hope. They were afraid for their lives. Peter was denying even having known Jesus. These were the people that had been with Him from the first and at this point really didn't have any faith in the future of themselves or the enterprise that is Jesus.

Two men hanging on crosses next to Jesus were even mocking him, until one of them saw something there in Jesus. I imagine that they were imitating the crowds as they mocked Jesus and called for Him to save Himself, but then something happened in one of the thieves. He decided that the crowd was wrong. He looked at the beaten and bloody Savior and decided to cast the last of his numbered breaths into trusting in Jesus. He "bought in" to the enterprise of the Kingdom of Heaven, when it's stock was at the absolute bottom. Jesus promised him that on that same day, that he would be together with Him in paradise!

DON'T THINK NOW, TAKE THE ROAD

My Utmost For His Highest - Oswald Chambers -June 18th

"And Peter . . . walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid." Matthew 14:29-30

The wind was actually boisterous, the waves were actually high, but Peter did not see them at first. He did not reckon with them, he simply recognized his Lord and stepped out in recognition of Him, and walked on the water. Then he began to reckon with the actual things, and down he went instantly. Why could not our Lord have enabled him to walk at the bottom of the waves as well as on the top of them? Neither could be done saving by recognition of the Lord Jesus.

We step right out with recognition of God in some things, then self-consideration enters in and down we go. If you are truly recognizing your Lord, you have no business with where He engineers your circumstances. The things surrounding you are real, but immediately when you look at them you are overwhelmed, you cannot recognize Jesus, and the rebuke comes: "Wherefore didst thou doubt?" Let actual circumstances be what they may, keep recognizing Jesus, maintain complete reliance on Him.

If you debate for a second when God has spoken, it is all up. Never begin to say - "Well, I wonder if He did speak?" Be reckless immediately, fling it all out on Him. You do not know when His voice will come, but whenever the realization of God comes in the faintest way imaginable, recklessly abandon. It is only by abandon that you recognize Him. You will only realize His voice more clearly by recklessness.

Reckless Faith

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

We began reading a book entitled "Reckless Faith" Let Go and be Led, while driving back from our trip to New York City. Lent to us at apparently just the right time. The trip, at least the portion concerning our meeting with the officials in the consulate, did not pan out as hoped. We seem to be chasing our tails in reference to the idea of registering both of our children's births as well as our marriage with the government of Peru. Without this we can not apply for any type of residency or dual-citizenship. Despite having planned the trip in order to achieve this very goal we left with a peace in regard to the outcome.

Our faith is growing... and we know that our Father in Heaven has a plan. There is a reason that we have not been granted this easy ticket into Peru, could it be for the people we meet later on while trying to resolve this issue in Lima? Maybe the people we'll meet while traveling outside of the country renewing our visas? Quite possibly there could be a hundred different scenarios but we'll just have to hold on to faith and see what unfolds. It can actually be exciting when you look at it from this angle. We are learning that the true excitement that comes from following Jesus only really surfaces when we let go of our plans and security blankets. It is not easy but that is what our hearts long to do, to walk faithfully depending on the power and care of our God... to Let Go and Be Led!

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Time for Paperwork

Early this coming week we will be traveling down to New York City to complete paperwork which will hopefully lead to the possibility of obtaining Peruvian passports for the kids as well as opening the door for my (Lisa) permanent residence in Peru. We had attempted this a year ago and ran into a snag but we feel that we should go to apply in person and give it another go versus waiting until we arrive in Peru. The advantage to entering Peru with Peruvian documents means that we will not be required to leave the country at a maximum of six months to renew our visas. Please pray for favor that the proper paperwork will be granted to us before we leave for Peru.

We know that the burning question these days is "do you have a date to leave," and the answer is still no. We do however have a peace that the Lord is in complete control and will open up that door in His timing. Our house is still for sale, now nearing almost the half-way point of our contract with the realtor. Please pray for discernment for us if in the event that it does not sell, how we would be directed of the Lord. In the mean time we continue to live in preparation.

The kids randomly have Spanish lessons with Dad.

We are trying to keep them fluent or at least well-primed for the immersion into a spanish-speaking culture. I've also been looking into home-schooling information and preparing for this facet of the trip as well.

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We've also spent some time visiting with family and friends.

The above picture is of the kids with their older sister Sandra (Eddy's daughter).

At times we have had couples or families over for Peruvian type dinners to meet with them in fellowship and share a bit more in depth about our experiences and vision for Peru. We will continue to do this throughout the remainder of our time here and welcome any who are interested in a meal and fellowship in our home.

Decide to Abandon Retirement as the Reward for Your Life

Power of Your Name

A year later we have finally come up a a video montage of our time in Lima, Peru. Please feel free to share the video, you can find it on YouTube(Koplinfamilia)for this purpose.

Spend Some Time Listening

We ask you to spend some time listening to the sermons on the above linked website. We have been touched by many of these and they are great tools to use for evangelism. Many of the testimonies have the option to email to a friend or add to any number of sites like Facebook, blogger ect.

We've also added many great sermons to this page. Scroll down and look to the right hand side where you will find messages from Ray Comfort. Paul Washer and additional testimonies from Illbehonest.com

Please leave us some feedback as to thoughts about what you hear.

Finalamente - En Espanol - Paul Washer Predicando en Parque Kennedy, Lima PE

Paul Washer Open Air Preaching in Lima (English Subtitles) from I'll Be Honest on Vimeo.

BE A MAN!! - Paul Washer

Get off facebook, BE A MAN - Paul Washer from I'll Be Honest on Vimeo.

Loving Losing

"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life."

 ~ JESUS

It is official, the house went on the market just two weeks ago. Eddy is fervently working to complete many a project in the house, there seems to be an endless supply of things that he could improve on but we are trying to determine where to draw the line. We know ultimately that the Lord will bring a buyer when the time draws close that we should be on our way regardless of what we have or have not done. In the mean time I (Lisa) continue to sell and give away all of our possessions that have really done nothing more for us than serve as dust collectors. With each item that disappears out that front door it feels like a weight that has been so desperately grasping to our lives has been cut loose, it feels great!

"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it."

Spiritual Warefare

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

How many of you as you read these verses above did not even feel the need to continue reading them  through because you have all but memorized them? They are very familiar to all of those who have spent any time in a church but how real are they to us? Do we truly understand that we stand in an actual battle against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness? Yes, of course we do you say, who doesn't? I'll ask again, do we truly understand?

If we did, and I know I don't, we would live our lives so much differently. We would react to situations differently and most of all we would PRAY differently.

As of late the Lord has gently been directing us to open our eyes to this realm, to understand that we have not only been walking in the midst of a battle but that the one we are about to enter will be intense. It is our desire to learn and live the principles the Lord has set for us here in Ephesians chapter 6 in order to be equipped, not just for the mission field but for daily life. There is a presence out there that we have long ignored. We have known it existed in word only and we have been ill prepared for the attacks of this enemy. It is our desire to know more, to learn more and walk daily with the entire armor of God in place recognizing just who our enemy is and that his intent is only to tear down and destroy.

Please pray for us as we continue preparing our hearts and lives for the mission the Lord has called us to. We have sensed the Lord's direction in many ways but most of all with regard to how we should prepare ourselves spiritually. The above commentary is just one of the areas in which we feel the Lord challenging us grow in. PRAY THAT WE DO!

We continue on in the everyday preparations, work on the house and sales of the unneeded items. As the weather breaks we will plan a work day here on the house and yard sales to sell off the remaining items that we will not be able to move. We have come to the conclusion that we will be selling our house, thank you for your prayers, the Lord has spoken clearly to us with regard to this decision.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

We would also like to have Eddy posting here more often in Spanish for those of you who are following and would like to hear a bit more from his perspective. Please be patient with us. Continue to pray that the Lord will strengthen us and speak to us continually especially giving attention as to when we will leave for Peru. One specific request that we have is for favor with the Peruvian Embassy here in New York. Eddy has tried without fail to contact them in order to apply for the children's passports. Once he does get through we will have some other fairly high hurdles to jump but nothing too big for our God, please pray for favor here. Myself (Lisa) will have to wait until we arrive to Peru and at some point it seems I can apply for residency but I am not sure how long that will take. Finally we ask you to begin praying for God's provision for this mission. He has already settled our hearts to know that not one thing will be overlooked, nothing will go without notice.

"And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things."But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

Finally brethren, pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel

Initial Preparations

After nine months of serving the people in Lima Peru, three months more than we had expected, we returned home to continue seeking the Lord's will for our lives with respect to Peru. In the last three months that we spent serving in Lima, the Lord opened many doors for us and knit our hearts together with the people there. When the day came for us to finally say goodbye, we did so with hesitancy. On the one hand we felt the Lord's perfect peace about leaving at that particular point in time but on the other hand we felt drawn to stay, to continue on in the work that had begun to bloosom. Ultimately we followed the Lord's direction and returned home to seek Him more diligently concerning His will for us. There were so many unknowns, but one thing was for certain, we desired to return.

For months we have saught the Lord and struggled against our own wills. We have questioned the timing, the provision and an assorted number of other factors with regard to returning to the mission field. All along the Lord continued to speak to our hearts and keep His vision within reach.

As we approach our tenth month here in the States we feel the Lord calling upon us more earnestly to take heed unto His call. We can now say that we are confident that the Lord has called us to return to Peru and to continue in the work that was begun, to build upon that foundation which was laid. The Lord has clearly showed us to commit our works unto Him and that He will direct each and every one of our steps. We are now in the initial stages of preparation and are proceeding with the intent that we must be ready to leave as soon as the Lord provides the green light, at this point it seems to us that it will be circumstantally as soon as we are financially able to do so.

One of the largest decisions we must make will be in respect to our house. Eddy is working very hard to either have it ready to rent, or put up on the market. Please pray for us to have wisdom in this area and to be obedient in whatever the Lord shows us. We ask you to continue to pray for us, that we will be completely obedient to the Lord, even when the directions are difficult to step into.

We anticipate this journey to be one of faith... please continue to ask the Father for increased faith on our part, for we have come to know that without it we can do nothing. We want to see the Lord provide each and every step of the way, we desire that He receive all of the Glory, Honor & Praise!

The Preparation of the House

Commit your works to the LORD, And your thoughts will be established.

Tuning Into God's Will

You may have noticed that this website looks a bit different, we thought it was time for a change. We also thought that it was high time to update all of our followers, that is to say if we have any left. We know it has been nearly nine months since our last post, nine months since we left Peru. We have spent our time praying and wrestling with the Lord for direction and we think the moment has finally come to update you all... stay tuned...