We made it to Ica

So we made it.

Lastnight was our last night in Laramate and it turned out to be really quite a great good bye. The pastor got to Laramate on Tuesday, without problem. He was really an encouragement to us all, as we were burning out a bit as the summer ran out.

Through the past week we just have been having as many Bible studies as we could with the people who wanted to have them. We have also been having a lot of meetings with Lourdes and Adrien, trying to encourage them as we left. Pastor was the biggest help in this area, just encouraging Lourdes in her future work in Laramate . I believe she feels a lot less afraid and able to keep a ministry going after talking with Pastor.

Also, during one of the Bible Studies we had with Alex ( 2), he brought his friend Jonathan, and Jonathan came to accept Christ during that time. I believe that was on Tuesday. Praise God for that. Him and Alex continued to meet with us everyday until we left, and they seem really on fire despite only being 13-14 years old. They can definitely be leaders amongst the youth in Laramate.

The lastnight in Laramate, Thursday night, we had a get together in the plaza. It was a time of worship, a message by Pastor, and some games. It turned out really well and we had a better showing than any of us thought. It was a great way to end our time in Laramate, and to see the people come out who we had been working with throughout the summer and praising God with us in the square. After that we said our goodbyes, got pictures and what not. It really was sad to say bye to many of the people there . We all have grown to love the village and the people there a lot.

We left early this morning and arrived in Ica without problem. The rest of the day will be spent relaxing and tomorrow we are planning to go see some penguins and partake in the youth service at the Pastor´s church here. Sunday we are heading to Lima. Thanks again for all your prayers throughout the summer. We definitely saw God move in Laramate.

- Matt