Digital Engagement and Winter Updates from Lima

While most of the United States enjoys summer vacation, we're in the midst of winter here in Lima. Thankfully, the winters are mild, with temperatures ranging between 55 and 65 degrees accompanied by high humidity. Although it may not sound cold, living without air conditioners or heaters can make it feel quite chilly.

Focusing on Digital Engagement

Over the past month, Jared has been dedicating more time to his role as Digital Engagement Strategist. Our Lima City team is developing a digital engagement strategy aimed at inviting people to join an online community where they can chat with believers, ask questions, and participate in Bible studies.

Introducing Our Online Community on Discord

Our online community will be hosted on Discord, a platform that initially gained popularity among video gamers. It's free to use and offers a digital space for chatting, hosting activities, and inviting others to join. You can learn more about Discord below.

Our Digital Strategy

We plan to run Facebook and Instagram ads to invite people to join our Discord community. Once they join, they can participate in Bible studies, ask questions, and engage with the community. Our goal is to create a safe space for people to explore their faith, hear the gospel, and eventually form groups that could potentially plant new local churches. We appreciate your prayers and financial support for this project. You can donate on our Team Strategy Site.

Local Church Involvement

We've also become more involved in a local church. Jared recently taught Sunday School in Spanish for the first time. Thank you to everyone who prayed for us; it went better than expected, and we were encouraged by your messages.

Back to School

Amy and the kids started school last week. Joshua is in 7th grade, Elizabeth is in 5th grade, and Caleb is in 1st grade. They have all begun taking an online Spanish class twice a week, practicing conversational Spanish for 30 minutes each session. Please pray for them as they continue learning Spanish.

Upcoming Marriage Retreat

The IMB is sponsoring a marriage retreat for our missionary teams in Peru in September. Amy and I are looking forward to a few days to refresh and focus on our marriage. The volunteer team leading the retreat will also have daily activities planned for the kids. Our children always look forward to these times.

Prayer Requests

This month, we ask for your prayers for our Digital Engagement efforts. Jared is building a website, while other team members are searching for national partners to help with the project. We need Peruvian Christians to participate in the online community and assist in creating Bible study resources.

Please also pray for our involvement in our local church. Amy continues to seek ministry opportunities while balancing her roles as a wife and homeschooling mom. Jared occasionally teaches and volunteers with the sound team most Sundays.

Elizabeth has been learning how to lead a Bible study and wants to start leading a monthly Bible study for other missionary kids in our area. Please pray that she can use her spiritual gifts to serve others. 

Joshua has been blessed with a few other missionary kids his age. Pray that they will encourage one another spiritually.

There are not many boys Caleb’s age on our team, so we are praying that God will help him develop friendships with other boys his age.

Lastly, please pray for all of us as we continue learning Spanish and building relationships with Peruvians.