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Monday, November 30, 2009

Prayer Mail

St. Andrew, Apostle
30 November 09

Dear Friends in Prayer,

Peace be with you.

This is our weekly prayer mail.

Thanksgivings:

1) Thanksgiving for the good healing service on Sunday evening at Ascension, and for my preaching at the service, in Spanish, and mostly without notes for the first time. The sermon was well received.

2) Thanksgiving for our goddaughter's wedding on Saturday in Tennessee.

3) Thanksgiving that the ordination process for the diocese is underway.

4) Thanksgiving for the great thanksgiving celebrations we shared this week.

5) Thanksgiving that Nigel Mumford is doing much better.

6) Thanksgiving for the prayer ministry of Torre and Jean Bissell.

Prayer requests:

1) Prayer for Lydia's visa process. Thanks to the support of Bp. Godfrey, we may actually see a conclusion to the matter on Thursday. It is not over until it is over.... so keep praying.

2) Prayer for fellow faculty member (Arequipa campus) and missionary Ron Robertson who has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this past week. He is currently in hospital in the United States.

3) Prayer for:
a) the presentation that I make on Saturday to an ex-pat teenage youth group who will be meeting in our apartment (presentation in English).
b) I will also be celebrating at the Mission of Ascension on Sunday, and will be preaching and celebrating at the mission of San Juan Evangelista inSan Juan de Miraflores (a district of Lima) on December 13th; both services will be in Spanish.
Pray the that Holy Spirit would move in the hearts and minds of everyone attending both services.

4) Prayer for the planning, preparations, ministries, and finances of the Anglican Diocese of Peru, the Saints Augustine Seminary, and the Mudges.

5) Prayer for the preparations of the Diocese of Albany short-term mission trip to Peru next year.

6) Prayer especially for Julie and for everyone in the Diocese of Peru, as the ordination process gets underway (clergy, lay people, diocesan staff). The process has been formally announced over the past two weeks. Julie has some informational meetings coming up on December 7 and 14 in Lima, and is planning a trip for similar kinds of meetings to Arequipa, either on the week-end of December 12th or the 19th. After that, comes the interview stage. Please pray for the people who are likely to be ordained on May 1.

7) Prayer for students, faculty, and administrators of the seminary in Lima, this week. It is final exam week and the last week of the academic year. The next academic year begins on January 25th.

Thank you for praying for us. It makes a difference. I pray for you every day.

God bless you.

In Christ,
Shaw, and on behalf of Julie and Lydia.
Lima, Peru.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Weekly Scripture Prayer

Psalm 126:3

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

Lord, on this day of Thanksgiving, we give you thanks and praise for all that you are doing through Fr. Shaw and Mother Julie and Lydia Mudge. We thank You for their ministries which are so full of joy. Thank You for the prayer ministries shared by all three Mudges and we ask especially for discernment about Lydia’s special role. We thank You that the Diocesan Youth Leaders’ Retreat went well with the awesome help of Your Holy Spirit. We thank You for progress in the design and implementation of the ordination process in the Diocese of Peru. And we thank You for the special people that the Mudges work with in Peru. All is for Your glory, Lord. Amen.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Weekly Prayer Mail

Dear Partners in Prayer,

Peace be with you.

This is our weekly public prayer mail.

This is Thanksgiving week in North America. If you want to make pumpkin pie from a pumpkin in Peru, you have to ask for "Calabash halloween" (a Halloween squash).

Thanksgivings:

a) Thanksgiving that the Diocesan Youth Leaders retreat went well, this past weekend. The Holy Spirit touched the lives of 20 to 25 youth leaders from across Peru. It was awesome.

b) Thanksgiving for the steps forward being made in the design of the ordination process in the Diocese of Peru.

c) Thanksgiving for our friends, supporters, and family. That would be you. Thank you to Jeanne and Debbie for your part in making sure we are in contact with everyone in various ways. Thank you to Fr. Gus Calvo and the Albany Diocese Mission Commission, members of our support team, and the people at SAMS (our mission sending agency). Thank you for all you do for us.

d) Thanksgiving for what God has done through us because of our willingness to minister in the Diocese of Peru. May you be similarly blessed by what God is doing through your continuing participation in this venture.

e) Thanksgiving for the people who work for Jesus in the Diocese of Peru as missionaries; we have the privilege of working alongside a great group of the people of Peruvian origin, for the Gospel. It is a wonderful team. There is a great bishop in Peru who is our team captain, and we like the seminary Rector and his family. I am glad we are part of this missionary team.

f) Thanksgiving for the diocesan administration teams in the Diocese of Albany and the Diocese of Peru. They have have been very helpful to us.

Prayer requests:

a) Lydia´s visa process is in another delay because of a signature that is needed. Pray for the content of the letter, that it would be signed by the department chief shortly, and for the visa process from that point, onward (whatever may be left to do).

b) Pray for the development and unfolding of the ordination process in the Diocese of Peru. The development process has gained momentum this past week, and an important presentation will be made Wednesday morning to the Diocesan Council. Julie is doing a fantastic preparation job. The exam process is unfolding well, for my part.

c) Pray for the winding down of this semester and the planning and preparation for the next cycle of classes which begins in February. We are having meetings to prepare for the next round. Preaching and Evangelism are our teaching prospects for the next cycle. We just finished teaching an Introduction to the Old Testament and a course on the Nicene Creed. I like team teaching with Julie, and she is really good as a faculty member.

d) Pray that lives will continue to be transformed through our prayer ministry. It seems that everytime we get together with others to pray in a prayer ministry it is just awesome. All three of us are involved: Julie, Lydia, and myself. There was a word from the Lord Saturday night by a priest in the Diocese that Lydia would have an important role to play. Please keep Lydia in prayer, for that role, whatever it may be.

e) Pray for the priorities, ministries, and finances of the Anglican Diocese of Peru, Saints Augustine Seminary, and the Mudge family. We could not do it without your support. You all are a God-send. Thank for praying for us. I pray for you every day.

f) Pray for the planning and preparation for the Diocesan short-term mission trip to Peru, in July, next year. We are in the design phase of the mission trip: what project(s) to do, etc. I just saw the guest list. Wow. What an fantastic group. Please keep Fr. Gus Calvo and the team in your care, and also our counterparts down here in prayer, that we would all do what Jesus wants us to do during that time together.

One additional item of note:

I felt led to look over some of my favorite psalms in Spanish, Saturday, and I came across a verse which is kind of a pun for the short-term mission trip to Peru next year, and also in general, for people in the Diocese of Albany. It goes like this:

NIV, Psalm 127:1/NVI, Salmo 127:1
Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
Si el Señor no edifica la casa, en vano se esfuerzan los albañiles.

God bless you.

In Christ,
Fr. Shaw, Mtr. Julie, and Lydia,
Lima, Peru.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Weekly Prayer Mail

Dear Friends in Prayer,

Peace be with you.

This is our public prayer mail for 17 November 09:

Thanksgivings:

1) We hear that Lydia's visa process may be finalized as early as Thursday. One day at a time.

2) The Hari-Krishna restaurant has been silent this week.

3) This week, Julie has made great strides in developing an official ordination process in conjunction with the plans of Bp. Godfrey for the Diocese of Peru.

4) This week, I have made great strides with the help of Bp. Godfrey and the Rector of the seminary in developing a process for Diocesan Anglican Assessments (type of General Ordination examinations).

5) I believe that my preaching was fine at the parish on Sunday. I hope that people were blessed by it.

Prayer requests:

1) For the seminary students, and for the people in the ordination process. Particular weeks to keep in mind: the week of Nov 30 (exam week), the week of December 6, and the week of December 13. Ordination meetings will be taking place in the cities of Lima (central coast) and Arequipa (southern highlands).

2) For the priorities, ministries, resources, and finances of the Anglican Diocese of Peru, the seminary, and for us.

3) For the Provincial Youth leader retreat this coming weekend (that Lydia will be attending), and the Life of the Spirit seminar during that retreat with which Julie and I will be helping.

4) For the remaining two weeks of classes and the mentoring groups that we lead.

Thank you for praying for us. Your continuing prayer support really makes a different. I pray for you every day.

God bless you.

In Christ,
Shaw, and on behalf of Julie, and Lydia.
Lima, Peru

Friday, November 13, 2009

Details about Lydia's Visa Process

Dear Friends in Prayer,

Peace be with you.

This is a bit detailed in parts, but it gives you an idea of the visa process phase we are currently in, so you can be praying. I was not originally intending this for general circulation, but if you have prayer partners and friends that you want to share this with or if the missions committee wanted to circulate it, that is fine with me. Lydia would like as many people praying as possible about this.

Your continued prayers are appreciated for this process, and also for the Norton´s antivirus protection program that I am trying to arrange for Julie´s computer (we paid for it, and it should arrive as download by Internet in the next day or so).

In general, we are back on track with incremental progress for Lydia´s visa, but it is not over, until it is over.

1) Yesterday, we went to El Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores del Perú, in Central Lima with Lydia´s birth certificate to get a signature notarized, and we were to return this morning to pick up the document at 8:15 am, en punto.

2) There was additional incremental progress today with Lydia´s visa. At 8:15 am, we picked up the double notarized birth certificate from the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores del Perú in the District of Cental Lima, and headed over to Migraciones in the Breña District of Lima.

Our brief meeting at Migraciones ended with a need for an official translation of the birth certificate, and we were told that for a translator we should go back to the Ministerio de Relaciones building in Central Lima, where we would find a translator outside.

What we discovered was that there are names of translators posted outside of the Minsterio de Relaciones building, by the entrance, with the different languages that people are officially registered for (English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, German, Japanese, etc). Considering the size of Lima, there are not a lot of official translators listed, and we jotted down several names for English in the part of the city near where we lived (we live in the primary commercial section of the city so that may be a reason why are a fair number listed for our part of the city). And we were able to locate one official translator in the Miraflores District of Lima, not too far from our language school. Then, we went to the translator´s office, and arranged for a translation to be picked up tomorrow. A very nice gentleman.

Tomorrow, the plan is to pick up the birth certificate and the translation of it, about 8 am, and head back to Migraciones in the Breña section of Lima.

2) Cultural enrichment (the word choice was not intended as a pun), if you would like to read further:
To give you an idea of fees for this part of our adventure: about $30 for the notarization in Hartford (Connecticut), about $7 (S/. 22.90) for the notarization at the Ministerio de Relaciones, and about $16 (S/. 50) for the translation (which seems to be a standard price for translation of such a document). On top of that are taxi fares (which vary for a number of reasons, including relationships).

In case you were not aware, this is the part of the process where no additional fees would be charged by Migraciones, but they do not tell you about these other fees, you just have to assume that there will be an additional fee in an unknown amount, for every step. So, we are helping the economy of Peru.

While there is bureaucracy, at the same time, the bureaucracy is a bit entrepreneurial, with outsourcing for things like translation work. Official translators are not available in the vicinity of Migraciones, by the way.

Recommended personal preparation for all of this: ability to be a self-starter, organization, patience, perseverance, a sense of humor, and a basic understanding for how a typical government works (in the US or Peru). Familiarity with ordination steps and doctoral degree program steps, can be helpful. Being from an entrepreneurial family helps.

And so, the adventure continues.....

Please keep Lydia and her visa process in your prayers. Thank you.

God bless you all,
In Christ,
Shaw

Weekly Scripture Prayer

Nehemiah 8: 10b

”The joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Lord, we thank You for all the good reports that we are getting pertaining to the Mudge’s mission in Peru. Thank You that the Holy Spirit is working through Father Shaw and Mother Julie and Lydia Mudge. Thank You for your Joy that they spread at the seminary and at the Mission of Ascension and in the Diocese of Peru. Thank You for all those to whom they minister: the seminary students, the ex-pat youth, other clergy and all of the people. May they all experience the fruit of Your Holy Spirit, especially Love, Peace and Joy. Amen.

http://mudgeperureport.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

A Prayer by Liv Hicks

Father, give this family wisdom as to how to deal with everything on this list. I pray for unity at Christmas for them; if there is a way for their daughters to come to Lima and the family to be together please provide it. Thank You for their willingness to serve in Peru and the renewal of their minds in this foreign culture.

Help Lydia's visa to come through rapidly...or more rapidly. Give them each a sense of Your love and direction, and encourage them in their walk with You. Help them reflect Your love to each other and to everyone they meet today. Protect them, healthwise and driving. I pray for the Hari Krishna people to come to know You.

In Christ we pray. Amen

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Newsletter November 2009

Peruvian Holidays

There are two US holiday celebrations we are encountering in a new way at this time of year: Halloween and Christmas.

Halloween is popular. On October 31st, young children go from home to home or from store to store with a parent, or several children go with a few parents, saying something like "Hal-een" and holding out little orange plastic pumpkins, into which merchants or homeowners put several pieces of candy.

Most times, the children were dressed in costumes, and the most common ones this year were: Superman, Spiderman, Snow White, witches, devils, and Michael Jackson. The same costumes appeared all over our area of Lima.

Businesspeople in Peru imitate business practices of the US and Europe. Thanksgiving does not exist here, so the next merchant's holiday is Christmas, and marketing for Christmas begins about the day of Halloween, similar to the practice in the US.

We are in a desert. Therefore, people buy small artificial evergreen Christmas trees at Wong or other "supermercados" (something like Walmart). You are able to buy lights, ornaments, and so forth, all at Wong.

One of Julie's hobbies has been collecting nativity sets, but we gave up much of that when we moved to Lima. However, for her birthday in October, I bought her a ceramic nativity set in Andean motif, made in the Ayacucho area of Peru, complete with shepherd and his vicuñas.

We pray for people in Lima at these holiday times of the year, that they may find true blessings in Christ. We pray for our students, that they may pass the gift of the love of Jesus Christ to everyone they meet.

And we pray for, you. May you be blessed during the holidays.

How are we doing?

Present Ministry: We are excited about what we have been doing and what is ahead. We are seeing evidence of the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit in what we are doing, thanks to your continuing prayer and financial support.

Residency process: Hopefully, Lydia's process is nearing completion.

Prayer Requests:
• For our students in their studies.
• Seminary, parish, and diocesan ministries and finances.
• That we spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all that we do.

Blessings! – Shaw, Julie, and Lydia

Weekly Prayer Mail

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Prayer,

Peace be with you.

This is our public Prayer Mail for 9 November 09:

1) Thanksgiving that Lydia´s visa process moves forward. Her notarized birth certificate has arrived in Lima. More meetings ahead.

2) Thanksgiving for the ministries in which we are participating at the seminary, parish, and in the diocese.

3) Thanksgiving for all our supporters, financially, in prayer, and with resources.

4) Thanksgiving that a date has been set up for the coming Albany short term mission trip to Lima next year.

Prayer requests:
1) For Lydia´s visa process. More meetings ahead.

2) For the people we meet and minister to, at seminary, in the Mission of Ascension, and in the Diocese of Peru.

3) For the priorities, finances, and resources (including prayer resources) of the Diocese of Peru, the seminary, and the missionaries here (including us).

4) For Mudge family Thanksgiving and Christmas celebration plans. We will be in Peru (that is one set of plans), and we will have family in the US (that is another set of plans).

5) For the Diocese of Albany short-term mission trip next year. As it turns out, the team would be down here during the national holiday in July, which happens to be my birthday. This is great.

6) For the Hari-Krishna restaurant behind our apartment building which sometimes plays music at such a volume that it is easy to imagine that we are in India instead of Peru.

7) For a Provincial Youth Leaders retreat coming up on November 20. We may be helping to lead a Life in the Spirit seminar for them on that weekend.

8) For the students in our classes as exam week nears (exams begin November 30).

9) For the seminary´s administrative and course planning, and the planning of the diocesan ordination process. We are involved in all of this.

10) I will be preaching in Spanish this coming Sunday at the Mission of Ascension, at 11 am (same as New York time).

Thank you for praying for us. I pray for you every day.

God bless you.

Shaw, and on behalf of Julie and Lydia.
Diocesan Missionaries, Lima, Peru

Friday, November 6, 2009

Weekly Scripture Prayer

Revelation 15: 3b-4

Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, King of the ages.
Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship before you,
For your righteous acts have been revealed.


Lord, we continue to thank You for the blessings that You have bestowed upon the Mudges. Thank You for working along side of them in Lima, Peru. We praise You for the way that Fr. Shaw and Mother Julie and Lydia bring glory to your name and reveal your righteous acts to all those to whom they minister. Thank You for their part in bringing the people of Peru to come and worship before You. Amen.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Dear friends in Prayer,

This is our prayer public mail, for 3 November 09:

Thanksgivings:

1) We have had some great weather here today, perhaps the clearest day in years.

2) We had a great time with "Mudge Sunday" during the All Saints Day service at Ascension Mission in Surco yesterday morning, and we had a great time at a mission last night in San Juan de Miraflores. Both services were wonderful. We sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit at both.

3) Our seminary classroom teaching seems to be going very well.

4) The Diocese of Albany mission trip to Peru next summer under the leadership of Fr. Gus Calvo has been approved by Bp. Godfrey. We look forward to seeing everyone who will be here.

5) Our mission work was mentioned in the current edition of the Trinity School for Ministry publication: Seed and Harvest. They included a photo of us, as well as the now famous Mother's Day octopus that we ate.

Prayer requests:

1) Our daughter Hannah is still in flu recovery, so we would appreciate your continued prayers for her.

2) Continued prayer for Lydia's visa process. The document we are waiting for, is en route from the US to us.

3) Prayer for priorities, finances, and mission work for the Diocese of Peru, the seminary, and ourselves. Pray that we would continue to be a blessing to everyone we work with and with whom we meet.

4) For travel safety as we go out and about. Taxis are very inexpensive here, but there can be a trade-off. I am reminded by the taxi drivers from time to time to make sure that our doors are locked in certain parts of the city. This is in addition to prayers for protection from auto accidents, several times each week. (It can be exciting when our taxi's engine dies in the middle of a busy intersection.) We can sense your prayers, and praise God.

God bless you.
Thank you for praying for us. I pray for you every day.
In Christ,
Shaw, and on behalf of Julie and Lydia
Lima, Peru.