Visuals Available

For lots of photos of the Mudges in Action in Peru, log on to facebook and type "shaw mudge" in the search box.

For videos, log on to youtube and type "ShawMJR" in the search box.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Prayer Mail

Dear Partners in Prayer,
Peace be with you.
This is our weekly public prayer mail.

Thanksgivings:
1) For the continuing good progress being made by students in seminary classes.
2) For what God is doing, here in Peru. (What He is showing us about Peru and the people of Peru, and what we are showing the people of Peru that the Holy Spirit would like us to do.)
3) For the fine weather.
4) For the support of our friends and relatives.
Prayers:
1) For our relationships, ministries, finances, resources, and priorities.
3) For seminary classes and students this week, and for related administrative matters.
4) For the Diocese of Worcester short-term-mission-trip visitors from England this week, led by Archdeacon Fred Trethewey.
5) For the continually changing plans how to extend seminary studies more effectively, for the benefit of the ministry and to students throughout the Diocese of Peru.
Thank you for praying for us. Your praying really makes a difference, and I pray for you every day.
God bless you. In Christ,
Shaw, and on behalf of Julie and Lydia

Scripture Prayer

Colossians 1:23

But you must keep your faith steady and firm. Don't move away from the hope that the good news holds out to you. It is the good news that you heard. It has been preached to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, now serve the good news.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Father Shaw and Mother Julie and Lydia Mudge. We thank You that they are your servants, serving the good news and proclaiming it to the people of Peru. Thank You for their steady and firm faith and the hope that they themselves have that they share with those to whom they minister.

We thank You for a good start to the new semester. Continue to bless Father Shaw and Mother Julie as they teach and preach. Guide them in their administrative duties and may the Your Holy Spirit be with them mightily in all their ministry. Bless Lydia in all of her studies. Guide her to the college that is best for her. Bless the short term missionaries who are visiting this week.

Thank You Lord for all of your blessings, mercy and grace.

Amen.

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

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Prayer Mail

Dear Partners in Prayer,
Peace be with you.
This is our weekly public prayer mail.

Thanksgivings:

1) Signs of Spring are here. Yea!

2) For the great start to the seminary cycle of classes.

3) That Julie's Commission on Ministry meetings went well in Arequipa.

4) That Lydia has started some classes at the International Christian School in Lima (and she likes them!), in addition to her homeschool courses, and that she has completed a college application form.

5) For what God is doing through us, here in Peru.

Prayers:

1) For our relationships, ministries, finances, resources, and priorities.

2) For seminary classes this week and related administrative matters.

3) For the Diocese of Worcester short-term-mission-trip visitors from England (to the seminary this week), on August 16 and 19, led by Archdeacon Fred Trethewey.

4) For the plans to extend the seminary more extensively throughout the Diocese of Peru.

5) For Julie. She did something that affected a muscle in her back on Sunday morning, and is recovering. Your prayers for her healing would be appreciated. Tuesday update: she is doing quite well. Wednesday update: she is back to her usual self for the most part.

Thank you for praying for us. Your praying really makes a difference, and I pray for you every day.

God bless you.

In Christ,
Shaw, and on behalf of Julie and Lydia
Missionaries of the Diocese of Albany, serving in Lima, Peru.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Scripture Prayer

Psalm 90: 16-17

Let us, your servants, see what you can do.
Let our children see your glorious power.
Let the kindness of the Lord our God be with us.
Make us successful in everything we do.
Yes, make us successful in everything we do.


As Fr. Shaw and Mother Julie begin a new semester at the seminary and Lydia begins her classes, we pray Lord that You bless them with success in everything that they do for you: success in teaching and success in preaching and your glorious power shining through in their healing prayers. May your kindness be with them and may they offer this kindness to everyone to whom they minister. Amen.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Regular Weekly Prayer Mail

Dear Partners in Prayer,
Peace be with you.

This is our weekly public prayer mail.

Thanksgivings:

1) That the Albany Mission Trip to Peru has returned in a safe and timely manner.

2) For everyone who made it a really great mission trip.

3) For the people who helped celebrate my birthday, and for Lydia´s sleepover.

4) That I got a lot of sleep last night.

5) For what God is doing through us, here in Peru.

Prayers:

1) For our relationships, ministries, finances, resources, and priorities.

2) For the next Albany/Peru short term mission trip, whenever that may be.

3) For seminary classes as they get underway this week.

4) For the Diocese of Worcester short-term-mission-trip visitors from England to the seminary, on August 16 and 19, led by Archdeacon Fred Trethewey.

5) For Julie´s CEMO (ordination process) meetings in Arequipa, this week.

6) For Lydia´s college application process, and the beginning of her classes (here) this week.

7) For the plans to extend the seminary more extensively throughout the Diocese of Peru.

8) For the Albany missionary team over the next few days and weeks, as they go through the re-entry phase of missionary life.

9) For my yahoo missionary prayer list. I went to find it this morning, to send you this email, but Yahoo said it did not exist, and yet I have been sending you daily updates about the mission trip using that list. In the end, I recovered the list from an older email. Praise God.

Thank you for praying for us. Your praying really makes a difference, and I pray for you every day.

God bless you.
In Christ,
Shaw, and on behalf of Julie and Lydia

Short Term Mission Wrap-Up

Dear Mission friends and family,
Peace be with you.

This is my final report of the 2010 Albany trip to Peru.

1) They came to change the way things were. They left a lasting impression, and perhaps they were transformed in the process. Everyone on the mission team is a hero of the faith in my eyes.

2) Debbie Gerlach wanted everyone to know that Bishop Bill´s health has bounced back, and keep praying for the occasional residual matter among a few other people.

3) Lydia and I left the team at the airport working their way through the airport process in very good time. We came back to finalize matters here and there. I have two notes and two verbal thank-yous, yet to deliver. Painting equipment will be returned to the Diocese of Peru Diocesan Center in a few days. All remaining clothes and towels that were intentionally left behind have been delivered to the Park residence. The one room-key discovered on the bus has been returned to the convent.

4) The nuns at the convent really liked our group, in part because they really liked interacting with the group.

5) The owner of the bus firm drove us today, but our primary bus driver over the past two weeks and his son accompanied us as well.

6) And I have also had a request for photos from someone who can not get Facebook. It is occurring to me that after the people from the trip arrive home, maybe you could invite them to your church or home to hear what they experienced and show my and their photos on the internet (or via a CD they might have).

7) My regular weekly prayer mail resumes in the next day or so.

8) I am thinking of setting up an ongoing public picture reservoir in Facebook, simply entitled, something like "Peru photos," for people who may be interested.

9) The Albany trip Facebook file contains 145 photos as of this morning. I will add a few more today. To see them, please go to the following link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=230929&id=629731941&l=80ece73599

For a few Youtube videos of the mission trip, go to and search for "shawmjr." The "Albany trip" videos are the ones from this trip.

10) Keep praying for the team as they integrate back into the US, over the next few weeks. Please keep praying for the Mudges and our continuing part of the work in the Diocese of Peru, as well.

This was an awesome mission trip. This was a great group to be working with, every person. Thank you to everyone who helped make it possible.

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

God bless you.
In Christ,
Shaw+ and on behalf of Julie+ and Lydia