Gerry & Ruth Gutierrez' Prayer Letters & Requests
April 2003 Gutierrez Update
April 2003
We have much to be thankful today.
- This morning I baptized my first grandson as the first member of our new
church.
- Tonight I just hear a good sermon from Ruben Pino; one of our orphans. Ruben is taken one year off from College to do community service in upper Huanta.
- Every Sunday we break the record of attendance in the mourning service our four months old new congregation.
- We have a new Presbyterian Seminary in Huanta lead by a Dutch Missionary, and Ruth Mora, Karina, Freddy Figueroa and Cesar Araujo; four of our orphans who have just graduated from High School are now, First Year Students of the Seminary.
- Mariela Mora, (one of our orphans) graduated from a Bible Institute last year and is now happily serving the community of Maynay for one year as part of her agreement.
- Maruja Mora (one of our orphans) has taken one year off from the Seminary and now is helping in Church Planting as part of her agreement with Project Nehemiah.
- Richard Naupa and Edgar Araujo will be graduating from High School this year.
- The Saturday morning Mayor's Prayer Breakfast is doing just fine.
- The mentoring program is starting two new groups.
- Ruthie's Ladies group had a successful weekend in Maynay.
- The Saturday night young people's ministry is growing out of control. We need space.
- The Little Great Group of the twelve year olds is now under the care of the members of the mentoring program.
- The Vacation Bible School was a complete success: Over two hundred in attendance.
- The Wednesday night prayer meetings are unusual in attendance and spirit. Everyone prays and they do it with unknown excitement.
- The daily meetings with the mentoring group, is still the "apple of my eyes".
- Mentoring Keila and Caleb (our children) during their summer vacation was more than rewarding, it was a true joy to see the results of a Christ centered teaching in word and deed in the real life along with the mentoring group that I lead.
- Ruthie's trip to Lima, to see a capable cardiologist was a good idea. Now we know that she has a heart murmur and high blood pressure. The treatment is given good results.
- My diabetes is under control; but the hypoglycemia is not fun at all.
- Nathaniel is doing find at Covenant College and we are expecting him to come to help us this summer with a team of his classmates. Enclosed you shall find a letter that Nathaniel is sending to his friends to seek help for his summer missionary trip. Should you feel lead to help him, please send your support to MTW to the enclosed address.
We are grateful to you for letting us represent you here in the Andes Mountains of Peru.
In His loving care,
Gerry and Ruthie Gutierrez
- April 15, 2003
Letter From Nathaniel Gutierrez
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus! My name is Nathaniel Gutierrez,
and I am the son of Mission to the World (MTW) missionaries Gerry and
Ruthie Gutierrez. I am a student at Covenant College with a Biblical
Studies major and Spanish minor. My desire upon graduation is to move to
a seminary where I pray the Lord will prepare me to pastor a congregation
in a third world country.
Since May of 1996 the Lord has given me the opportunity to live among the
peoples of Peru. During that time, I was given the privilege to be the
youth leader of a group of 60 young people in our church. After four
years of working in the church, the orphanage and the mentoring group, I
returned to the U.S. with my family and witnessed the Lord's hand opening
the doors for me to enroll at Covenant College. This confirmed my hopes
to serve him as an educated missionary, and now I look forward to see how
the Lord will open the doors to seminary and the mission field when the
time is appropriate.
This summer break I have been given the opportunity to assist the mission
work in Huanta, Peru for three and a half months under Mission to the
World. The work in Huanta is threefold in its main objectives:
ministering to orphans, mentoring college-age men and women and
establishing a base church that could disciple and send out these men and
women into the surrounding Quechua-Indian villages. My responsibilities
this summer will include heavy involvement in the mentoring and
discipleship program, traveling to the Quechua villages, aiding with
musical instruction for church worship, mentoring a group of the young men
in the orphanage and leading a short-term mission team of students from
Covenant College through MTW.
The work in Huanta is quite overwhelming and I look forward to seeing the
manner in which the Lord will enable us to reach these ambitious goals. I
am confident that the Lord will use me to assist the work in Huanta (I
Cor. 15:58), yet I realize that a great part of this internship will be
for my learning, and so in essence I am asking you to invest in the
groundwork that the Lord is doing in preparing me for his service.
I am so eager to begin the work this summer, and am excited to return to
such needy people who literally beg to be taught more about Jesus, and
need teachers. It is truly a blessing to me to be able to use the
understanding that the Lord has given me (as through being the child of
missionaries in this area) in order to reach out to a hurting and
desperate people. Through family, friends and the preaching of his word,
I have gained a renewed realization that my beliefs must be lived out in
my life. A sermon this Sunday impacted me powerfully. In essence, 85
year-old, Old Testament-Caleb requested to settle down and asked for the
Anakim hill country - where the giants that scared the 10 Israelite spies
lived. Caleb could have asked for any other portion of the promise land,
for he was old and was one of the only two faithful spies that had
originally brought the Israelites to the land. Caleb, however, did a very
strange thing. Instead of asking for the beautiful valley land, he asks
for the giant-infested hill country. Here Caleb demonstrated his faith.
This passage has encouraged me to actively pursue missions as my vocation
in faith. I long to serve the Lord with all my being deep in the Andes.
He is taking me to Huanta with a heart that is ready to serve and be
broken, knowing that the Lord is shaping me to further his image.
This summer I would ask for the opportunity to return to this needy and
starving town for which I share a tremendous passion and calling to serve.
My vision is focused on serving His people in Peru. I have been accepted
to work with Mission to the World and the total cost of this internship
and trip will be: $3,277.39. I would ask that you prayerfully consider
supporting me (in prayer and/or financially) in being a servant to our
brothers and sisters in Peru.
Representing you in the Andes,
Nathaniel Gutierrez
If you feel led to be a part of my ministry, please return this pledge
card to the address on the card:
Yes, Nathaniel Gutierrez, I/we want to be part of your ministry in Huanta,
Miss/Mr./Mrs. ______________________________________
Please include this slip with your check, made payable to MTW and mail to:
MTW Donations
All gifts are tax-deductible; you will receive a receipt.
Nathaniel's phone number is (706) 419-4319
*Please feel free to call or write if you have any questions or comments. |