August Newsletter

Praising God, from Lima.

It is August. Spring is just around the corner.... in another month. The sky will turn from gray to well.... less gray. The rain will.... continue to mist occasionally. Dark colored VW bugs are the closest thing we have to black flies. We live in one of the driest places on earth. And yet, like David did in the land of Israel, we praise God in this midst of this driest of places on earth, with songs of praise from the heart. It is a real desert experience. Sometimes, as in Fr. Mike Chapman´s trips to Ayacucho or Mtr. Julie´s trips to Arequipa, it can be a real mountaintop experience, as well. Alleluia!

The students continue to study. Students are an exciting part of our lives, right now. Students are the living praise reports of the Lord's work through the seminary. It is not easy juggling their lives to make room for seminary studies. But they do. They do it because they have a vision for the Kingdom of God in Peru. Praise God! We have a great group of students studying New Testament and Church History with us. We are teaching them about God´s Word and the Church, and how to apply these courses to a parish setting in a way that they might be able to teach others, to the glory of God. This is great! Alleluia!

The Albany short-term mission trip has come and gone. It was a great two weeks in July, and there are relationships that plan to continue between the dioceses. Praise God! It was a great mission team, and we enjoyed being part of the team. If you have the opportunity, you might invite one of the team members to your parish to talk about their time here. If you have the opportunity, you might join us in Peru. Alleluia!

The near death experiences that I have daily in taxis draw me closer to God. Sometimes they are like thrill rides in an amusement park, except that it is deadly serious. One difference: in an amusement park, you are fairly confident you will come out alive. Here, there is no guarantee. But, praise God, we just keep going. Alleluia!

Praise songs help focus my attention on the Holy Trinity, in this earthquake zone, just as they did in Paul's and Silas' days in Philippi when the earthquake shook their prison cell when they were singing praise songs (except we are not in prison). We had a small shake about 8 hours before I wrote this. Praise God! Alleluia!

Prayer Requests:

• For our students and our work at the seminary over the next few months.
• For our relationships, priorities, ministries, and finances.

God bless you, and thank you for your continuing support! I pray for you every day. Alleluia!

– Shaw, and on behalf of Julie and Lydia