LATIN IMPACT MINISTRIES
SEPT. 2006
“IMPACTING LATIN AMERICA SO LATIN AMERICA IMPACTS THE WORLD”
RUSSELL & KERRY BLACK 19485 SW 288TH STREET HOMESTEAD, FL 33030 PHONE: 305-245-6479 RUSSKERRY@LATINIMPACT.ORG
WWW.LATINIMPACT.ORG
Russell, Andres, Victor Logan and Darwin Hilario with the leaders of the church in Chalco. This day we celebrated the inauguration of the new church building behind us.
God Triumphs in Peru Mission Accomplished! It was with great joy and anticipation that we landed in the city of Ayacucho, Peru in September. The airport, at 8,600 feet above sea level, is small with only 2 flights daily. The doctor from the clinic in Pampa Cangallo sent her ambulance to transport us to the town where we are helping to build the new maternity clinic. We had advised the doctor that we didn’t need the ambulance since we were providing our own transportation, but thank God she didn’t listen to us. A few hours later as we began the 4 hour trip up into the Andes
Mountains in the mini-van we had hired, we had 2 flat tires leaving us stranded. We had no choice but to pack into the ambulance, arriving at our destination 2 ½ hours later. Our luggage arrived the next day. Thank you Jesus! Once again the believers in the villages of Yanamarca and Chalco lovingly received us. Their reception alone makes it worth the trip. Usually they have a feast called, Pachamanca, waiting for us and we felt badly that we arrived so late the first day. After apologizing for missing the feast, they told us they had felt we were going to arrive late so the feast would be the next day.
Working with the ladies peeling potatoes for the Pachamanca feast.
It’s always a special occasion. (See our story on the Pachamanca feast.) The first 2 days, we celebrated the 28th anniversary of the church in Yanamarca; the same church that had endured years of persecution by the Shining Path guerrillas. Many people in the church lost family members at the hand of the guerrillas, making every anniversary even more precious to them.
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LATIN IMPACT MINISTRIES
SEPT. 2006
A precious, Quechua grandma passionately seeking God!
Russell, Victor Logan and Darwin praying for & ministering to the precious people of Ayacucho during the inauguration service.
Church anniversaries in Peru often mean 4 days of celebration. This year the anniversary was cut short and combined with the inauguration of the sister church in Chalco, so we could take part in both events. Chalco Inauguration The inauguration celebration of the new church building in Chalco took place on the 3rd & 4th day of our visit. People came from miles around; from other churches and denominations, as well as people who had never attended an evangelical service before. Although less than half of the village is Christian, it became the biggest event in Chalco’s history, including the “not yet Christians.” There was a ribbon cutting ceremony, dedication service, feasts and an all-night prayer vigil. The next day we had another service and then a leader’s meeting. Several people gave their hearts to Christ during the 2 day event.
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We continue to be amazed at this community’s hunger for God. The people of Chalco celebrated the overcoming power of Jesus and His faithfulness and ability to sustain them through great times of adversity.
Andres & Victor leading worship in English and Spanish. Victor plays both guitar and harmonica at the same time.
The inauguration celebration of the new church building in Chalco, Peru.
This church building represents hope to the village as it is the largest and best built facility. Even though the remnants of the Shining Path guerrillas tried to tear it down and place the people under fear once again, the rebuilding of the church has given the whole village encouragement to not give in and to overcome overwhelming challenges.
LATIN IMPACT MINISTRIES
SEPT. 2006
The School Building
Even though this hospital is secular in nature, after seeking the Lord, we felt He Over the past year we were privileged to send funds to help with water and electricity wanted us to use our resources to help build new facilities. Due to the generosity of a projects for the village of Chalco. As the government and some humanitarian organi- Christian foundation in Georgia, we were zations have stepped in and underwritten the able to provide a significant gift, allowing costs of providing these services, these funds the construction to begin on a new maternity clinic. This gift was made in the name weren’t needed anymore. The community of Jesus Christ and through the local church. leaders met with us and asked if they could instead use these funds to help build the first During a meeting with the doctors, 1 dentist and 25 assistants who run the clinic, we let it permanent school building for the community. Of course we said yes, and construction be known that God provided these funds as a tangible expression of His love for the comwill begin soon on the building. munity and that only He should receive the The unexpected blessing of these honor for it. There were many tears of gratefulness from the staff. projects is that the Christian congregation is getting all the credit for providing these funds. None of these projects have been done in the name of Latin Impact Ministries, but have been done in the name of a great God who loves them and wants to provide for their needs.
Once again, the Lord has given us an opportunity to take Christianity outside the church walls and into the community. Already, the impact through these opportunities is being felt. Respect for the Christians is growing. People who never thought Christians would do what has been done without requiring something in return are coming to Christ.
Team Advance Effectively Reaching the Poor
Victor & Russell with Dr. Elis at the clinic
The Maternity Clinic God has given us the special opportunity to help build a new Maternity Clinic in the town of Pampa Cangallo. This came out of a chance meeting we had 2 years ago with the female doctor who runs the only clinic that serves over 9,000 people in the region. During our visit with her she showed us the great need they were experiencing due to lack of supplies, equipment and facilities.
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For the last year we have been working with Darwin on a project called Team Advance. The purpose of Team Advance is to help the low income population of Lima help themselves through facilitating small loans to individuals who could not obtain a loan anywhere else. This empowers them to use the loans to start or expand a business that will provide for their needs and those of their families as well. The exciting aspect of this loan program is that recipients agree to accountability groups and business counseling while repaying their obligations.Because of a grant from a Christian foundation, Latin Impact has been privileged to help underwrite this program also.
Leading a seminar for Team Advance.
Using Biblical principles, on the last day of our trip, Russell conducted a seminar on the pitfalls of acquiring debt to a group of 250 of the participants In little over a year, already more than 250 people have benefited from this program. Most of them are not Christians yet, but they are being exposed to Christianity in a tangible way.
Upcoming Events: Hosting team from Home Church. October 10-12, we have the honor of hosting a team from our board and home church for a time of dedication and intercession for our missions base. Trip to Cuba October 28 - November 5, Russell & Andres will be joining Honoring the Father Ministries to conduct the annual ministry retreat for the Sports Ministry. It is expected to be the biggest ever as the ministry continues to grow. Spain November 13 - 20, Kerry and Russell will be attending the largest missions conference in the Spanish speaking world. It only takes place every 10 years. Colombia December, Russell may be traveling to Colombia to minister in drug rehab. ministry.
LATIN IMPACT MINISTRIES
SEPT. 2006
A Pachamanca Feast is a community wide event. Every member of the community helps by bringing meat, potatoes, preparing the fire pit and cooking. After the food is prepared everyone sits around eating and enjoying conversation and friendship. It is much like our Thanksgiving meal. Most eat so much that they can barely walk home. What a blessing it was for us to be honored by such a feast.
Osmani Sosa Osmani Sosa has spent the last 2 ½ months in a training program in South Africa, equipping him to take his ministry to a higher level. This is the first time he has been outside the island of Cuba. His eyes have been opened to what God is doing around the world and what the rest of the world is like. There are athletes from over 20 different countries being trained with him. Recently he preached his first 15 minute sermon in English. That’s quite a feat for someone who only 2 years ago knew almost no English.
Osmani Sosa in the mountains of South Africa
Although what he has learned during this time has been very valuable, he will not have seen his family for 3 months and his second daughter will have been born by the time he gets back to Cuba. He continues to be a great hero in our eyes. Please continue to pray for this Champion for Christ.
Thanks so much for supporting Latin Impact Ministries with your prayers and finances. You are definitely making a difference in many places of the world today. We are a 501 C3, non-profit, missions organization. All contributions are tax-deductible. For your convenience, we can now receive online contributions through our website:
Andres Cuervo with the precious kids of Yanamarca & Chalco Page:4
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