Faith Story - Arthur & Mary Alice Ivey

Challenge: Use this May 09 letter as a prayer guide for missionaries Arthur & Mary Alice Ivey, Huancayo, Perú

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. We praise the Lord Jesus Christ for all He is doing in our lives and in the ministry here in Peru, for filling us with His Holy Spirit to guide and direct each of our steps, and for pouring out His grace upon us...

In April, Billy, Genaro, and Arthur traveled to Panao to make preparations for the upcoming medical campaign that will take place in July. A team from Asbury United Methodist Church in Kentucky will be coming to work with us on this project. Panao is a small town in the middle of the Pachatea region outside of Huanuco. The people of this area are Quechua Panao speakers. We currently have ten to twelve discipleship groups functioning in this area, and the ministry is growing. We have been working to translate the discipleship materials to the Panao dialect, and hope to have the first small book ready for use in this medical campaign. This is very important because the Bible has not yet been published in this language, and is due to be released in late 2009 or early 2010.

These medical campaigns require months of planning, but always result in a great harvest. We are expecting to treat between 1500 and 2000 patients, and based on past experience we expect to see around 500 or more professions of faith. Three churches in Panao and the discipleship groups will all be involved in the event and the follow up of these new believers. Please be in prayer for us for everything to be planned and in place for this event, and for the Lord Jesus’ will to be done. Please pray that God will prepare the hearts of the people in Panao to receive Christ as their Savior and Lord. Please also pray for our local workers in Panao: Manuel Villar, Pablo Villogas, and Edmin Leon.

We were also blessed to have John Pearson, and Chris and Angela Mitchell from Roswell United Methodist Church with us to conduct a workshop on micro enterprise. We taught 13 students the basic concepts for analyzing a micro business idea, writing a business plan, and starting and running a small business. A number of the students were some of our national missionary workers. We are hoping that this will help them to find ways to sustain themselves in the ministries in their respective areas. Three of our national workers are already involved with us in two small businesses. One is a restaurant in Lima, and the other is the soft drink bottling plant in Puerto Bermudez. Please be in prayer for each of these students, that the Lord Jesus would lead them and guide them though this process, and that he would bless them with means to support themselves in the ministry.

Pastor Alberto, Karen, Arthur, and Mary Alice held another leadership retreat for the discipleship leaders in San Ramon. The participants received the teaching well, and seemed to grow in their relationship with the Lord. They were excited about continuing the work of discipleship. Please pray God will give wisdom to these leaders as they lead their discipleship groups, and that Christ will change the lives of each person involved in the groups.

Please give praise to the Lord for bringing us additional persons called to be part of the missionary team in Peru. Covenant with us to continue in prayer for the young adult leadership team and their continued ministry to the spiritually lost and dying youth of Huancayo. Please pray for the leaders of the churches in Peru, and for their spiritual protection and growth in the Lord Jesus. Also be in prayer for Billy and Laurie Drum, Ash and Audra McEuen, Martin and Tracy Reeves, Louise Reimer, and their families. All are missionaries with the Mission Society that currently or will soon be working in Peru. Pray also for Obed and Cynthia Alvarez, the head of NEWMA, as well as their other leaders and national missionaries. Please pray for our safety as we travel, and that we will boldly speak God's Word wherever we go.

We pray that Jesus will continue to give you hope to live each day for Him, and we also pray that God is drawing you closer and closer to Him every day. God bless you. We love you.

Yours in Christ,

Arthur, Mary Alice, Benjamin, Joshua, and Mary Beth Ivey

Write for a picture and prayer card of the Ivey family: The Mission Society Missionaries to Peru, P.O. Box 922637 Norcross, Georgia 30010-2637

"Take the teachings that you heard me proclaim in the presence of many witnesses, and entrust them to reliable people, who will be able to teach others also." 2 Timothy 2:2 (Today’s English Version)