A Must Have Prayer Resource

As many of you already know, Operation World is a must-have missions resource. The book contains prayer guides for individual countries and is set up to be used on a daily basis. Through the course of a year, you can pray for all the countries of the world by following Operation World's format. It is a great tool to help you and your family pray for the nations. If you don't already have a copy, you really need to get one!! It is available at the Operation World website or from Amazon Books.

We hope to see you on Sunday night!

Next Peru Trip

The next Ninth and O Peru trip will be April 5th-13th, 2008. The deadline for the trip will be here before we know it. There are a few things to think about if you are interested in going:
- Complete the mission trip application
- Apply for a passport if you do not already have one
- Be thinking about support-raising opportunities
- Pray!

In the coming months, there will be more information available regarding the trip, so stay tuned.

Prayer Topic for Sunday November 11th

This Sunday, we will be praying for a long-term presence on the ground in Peru. Specifically, we would like to see a person or family commit to being in Peru for an extended period of time. This person or family would be able to facilitate the work of Ninth and O in between trips.

Thi is, of course, a sizable request. It would mean that someone's life would be completely uprooted and changed. But, if we want to see a long-term impact in Peru, this is what needs to happen. So, join us this week and this Sunday in praying for God to raise up someone to go and live in Peru for however long He sees fit to send them there. And please continue to pray for this request even after this Sunday!

As always, join us this Sunday at 5:30 to pray for Peru.

Prayer Topic for Sunday November 4th

This Sunday, we will be praying for the evening service. The team from the last Peru trip will be giving their report, and it promises to be an exciting night.

So, this week be in prayer for those guys as they prepare to speak. Also, be in prayer that we will have good attendance Sunday night. It would be great for a lot of people to show up and hear about the work in Peru.

Thanks for your faithful prayers. As always, join us on Sunday evening at 5:30.

Prayer Topic for Sunday October 28th

This week we need to be in prayer for Walter, our man on the ground in Ancahuasi. In November, Dr. Sills will have the opportunity to travel to Nazca, Peru to do some training with pastors and other leaders. We would like to have Walter travel to Nazca and be apart of the training. It would be a good opportunity for Dr. Sills to talk with Walter more and for Walter to receive some hands-on training.

The issue is getting Walter down to Nazca. It seems that it would be a very long bus ride from Cusco to Nazca. Flying would probably be the best option. But all of these options require money. So, join us in praying for wisdom in how to best approach this situation. Pray that Walter would be able to travel to Nazca and benefit from the time with Dr. Sills. Also, pray for Dr. Sills as he prepares for this trip.

On another note, Walter has been seeking to finish an addition to his family's home. He was in need of some tin to complete the roofing of the addition, but he lacked the funds to purchase it. In His providence, God led someone in our church to provide the funds for Walter to purchase the tin and finish the addition. Praise God for His provision and for the generous servants that He has given to our church!

As always, join us this Sunday at 5:30 to pray for Peru.

Prayer and Missions

Since this blog is devoted to praying for missions, we thought it would be helpful to occassionally post some resources on prayer and missions. So, check out this sermon from John Piper on the relationship between prayer and missions.

Hope you enjoy it and are encouraged to pray for the nations.

(HT: Desiring God Blog)

Trip Update at Ninth and O Website

Thanks to the guys in Peru for posting the baptism video! That was great to see, and praise God for His work! Over at Ninth and O's website, the team also posted a short update on how the trip has gone so far. Click here to check it out.

Again, thanks to the team for taking the time to keep us updated. We look forward to hearing your full report.

This is a video clip of the baptism of a young man in Ancahuasi named Jose. He is seen here sharing his testimony after a prayer and Quechua hymn. Please pray for him as he continues to grow in the Lord!

Testimony and Preaching - Thursday

Tonight will be the last service in Ancahuasi on this trip. Please pray that it will be used by God for His glory and the good of His people. Chris Sills will be sharing his testimony, and Don Miller will be preaching the message. Again, let us pray that God may give them words to boldly proclaim His gospel. Also, we should remember to pray for those who are doing the translating. May God give them the physical strength necessary to do their job well.

Soli Deo Gloria

Testimony and Preaching - Wednesday

This evening, the team will hold another service at the church in Ancahuasi. Please be in pray for the service. John Dalton will be sharing his testimony, and Larry Buchanan will be preaching a message from God's Word. Pray for these men that words may be given them in boldly proclaiming the gospel (Ephesians 6:19-20).

We trust that God is being glorified by the work of the team in Peru. May we continue to pray for them faithfully.

Testimony and Preaching - Tuesday

We are thankful for the safe arrival of the Peru Team in Cuzco! Praise God for His grace given to these men. Also, we trust that the services on Monday night went well, and that Philip's message went out with power. Guys, we are praying for you all!

Today (Tuesday), Craig Wilson will be sharing his testimony and preaching at the church service in Ancahuasi. Please be in pray for Craig as he speaks and preaches. Also be in pray for those who will hear Craig's message. May God use these messages to bring glory to Himself and draw many into His kingdom.

News from Peru team

Hello all! This message is coming to you direct from Cuzco, Peru. We trust and pray that the Lord is caring for you all as He has done and is doing for those of us here.

After a long, long, long trip, we finally made it to Cuzco. We were blessed by having all of the luggage arrive in tact. There was at one point a small concern for some of Don´s luggage, as he was carrying sound equipment with him. By God´s grace, there were no big incidents.

While in Lima waiting for our flight to Cuzco, we met up with Orlando Reyes, our translator. Orlando is a wonderful and godly man and an answer to prayers. Continue to pray for him that he might have the patience and endurance to deal with this crazy group of guys from the States.

Once in Cuzco, Walter was here to pick us up and take us to the hostal. We checked in, set our things down, talked with Walter about some of the week´s events, and then ate lunch. Promptly after lunch, we took a little siesta.

Now as we sit here trying to recuperate from the long journey and as we prepare mentally and spiritually for the week ahead, we ask you to continue in prayer for us. We will need a lot of prayer cover. Some topics for prayer might be:

-Language skills
-Patience and a sense of unity
-Direction from the Lord in making wise decisions
-Altitude acclimation

Thank you for your prayers! They mean so much to us. God´s blessings on you!!

In Him,

The Peru Mission Team - October 2007

Discipleship

As you are probably aware, the Ninth and O team leaves this Saturday for Peru. It is an exciting trip for the men who are going, as they will have many opportunities to proclaim the gospel of Christ and advance His Kingdom.

One of those opportunities will be discipleship with the new believers in Ancahuasi. On the last trip, around 25 people confessed Christ as Savior and trusted in Him for the forgiveness of their sins. On this trip, the team will be doing some beginning discipleship with these new believers. Discipleship is something that we want to be committed to as we work among these people in Anta province. We want to be a church that is faithfully fulfilling all of Christ's commission.

To that end, please be in prayer on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week as those are days scheduled for intentional, focused discipleship. The team is using some Spanish language curriculum published by Grace Community Church in California. Please pray that this curriculum will be effective and helpful for the people. If it is not, please pray that the team members would have the wisdom and the skill to amend it as necessary. Also, pray that these times of discipleship will be instrumental in rooting these new believers in the gospel of Christ. It is our pray that these Christians will be the first of many who will turn to Christ in Ancahuasi and the province of Anta.

"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."
- Colossians 2.6-7

May it be so among the Christians in Ancahuasi.

Apologies and Updates

We apologize for the long time between significant posts. We have not done a good job of keeping up with the blog now that the semester has started. So, for this, we sincerely apologize.

But hopefully, all of that is changing. A Ninth and O team leaves this Saturday, the 29th, for Ancahuasi. Throughout this week and next, we will be posting updates. This week I plan on posting about what the team is planning to do while in Peru. And next week, God willing, Chris will be giving us updates from the field!

For now, please be in pray for Chris, Philip, Larry, Don, Craig, and John as they make final preparations to leave. Please pray that all of the travelling will proceed smoothly. Please pray for luggage considerations, as Don will be taking extra gear for his musical presentations. And please pray for reliable transportation once they arrive in Peru.

Thank you for praying for these men and the work in Peru. The gospel is going forth in Peru. May we prove faithful messengers!

Sunday, September 2

We just wanted to let everyone know that for the Sunday of Labor Day weekend there will be no night service. Therefore, we will not have our weekly prayer time for Peru. Though we will not be meeting together, let us still continue to pray for the people of Peru, and more specifically for Ancahuasi.

Peru Prayer Update

Sorry for the short break from posting. Things should be back to normal next week, with the weekly posts resuming. Until then, keep checking the blog for some updates on the format of the Prayer Meeting at church. We are going to be changing things a little bit, so check in here for any news.

Also, CNN is reporting an earthquake in Peru that has caused some deaths. In light of this, please be in pray for the country of Peru - the government, the people, and any relief that may need to take place.

As always, please join us on Sunday evening at 5:30 to pray for Peru.

Prayer Topic for Sunday July 29th

Praise God for the the good report we heard on Sunday night! Thanks to all those who shared about this past trip. Your testimony was encouraging, helpful, and very thoughtful. I pray that we have many more good reports to come in the future.

For this week and Sunday, we are praying for discipleship in Ancahuasi. As the team reported last night, there were around 25 people who professed faith in Christ on the trip. So, we are praying that:
- Those individuals will receive the necessary discipleship in order to grow in their faith in Christ.
- Walter will be strengthened as he seeks to disciple these new believers as best he can and that he will have wisdom in how best to proceed.

Also, please continue to pray for the church in Ancahuasi. Pray that these new believers would become fruitful and faithful "members" of that church. Pray that they are the first-fruits of God's work in building His church in Ancahuasi.

Please pray for these requests this week, and please join us on Sunday at 5:30 to pray over these requests as a group. We hope to see you on Sunday!

Prayer Topic for Sunday July 22nd

While we continue to pray for the work in Ancahuasi, this week we will be praying for the upcoming Peru report at church. This Sunday night several team members from the last trip will be sharing about their experiences in Peru. We need to be praying for these people this week, that God would give them clarity and conviction as they speak. Also, we should be praying for good attendance this Sunday night. The more people to hear about Peru the better!

Along with praying, lets be sure to be at church on Sunday night to give our support for the speakers and to hear their excellent reports. As always, please join us on Sunday night at 5:30 to pray for Peru.

Prayer Topic for Sunday July 15th

This week's prayer topic is the next Ninth and O trip to Peru. The dates for the trip are September 29-October 7. Please be in prayer this week for the following requests:

- That God would provide financially for those who are led to go
- That God would call people within the church to pray
- That God would provide in work and school related areas (time off, etc.)
- That the congregation will continue to be well-informed and supportive
- That God would give the leadership of the church direction as to what we should be working on during this next trip
- That God will continue to lead entire families to get involved in the work
- That God would prepare the hearts of the people to hear the gospel and respond in faith and repentance
- That God would continue to give us grace, wisdom, and humility as we continue this work

Thank you for praying this week, and we hope to see you on Sunday at 5:30.

Prayer Topic for Sunday July 8th

For the remainder of this week and this coming Sunday, we will be praying for the school in Ancahuasi. Please pray for the following areas:

- The students who received medical care on this last trip: that the medicines would be effective and helpful and that our service in this area would continue to open doors for proclaiming the gospel to these students
- The students who participated in making the salvation bracelets: that they would remember the meaning of the bracelets
- The administrators and teachers of the school: that we would continue to have a good relationship with these influential people and that our relationship with them would add weight to our gospel witness
- The families of the students: that our work with the students at the school would open doors for us to share the gospel with more families in Ancahuasi

In each of these areas, we want to see the gospel shine through our actions and words. Please join us in praying for these areas this week, and we hope to see you on Sunday at 5:30!

Prayer Topic for Sunday July 1st

This coming Sunday, July 1st, we will have two areas of focus for our prayer time. First, we will be praying for the local church in Ancahuasi. There are just a few families that make up this church. We will be praying for God to strengthen and build this church. Second, we will be praying for the 26 people who trusted in Christ during this trip (praise God for His grace!). We will be praying for these people to grow in their faith, to increase in the knowledge of the truth, and to be protected from the schemes of the evil one. Also, we will be praying that God will raise up leaders from among this harvest of believers. To do so, these people will need solid teaching and training; they will need some sort of discipleship. We will ask God to work in this way in their lives.

Please join us in praying for these areas throughout this week as we lead up to Sunday. This is a strategic area for the work in Ancahuasi. Let us be faithful in praying for this work. Hope to see you on Sunday.

Prayer Topic for Sunday June 24th

For this Sunday, we will be praying for the after-effects of Ninth and O's recent trip to Peru. We will pray that the team's work will continue to benefit the people of Ancahuasi, that the team's work will continue to open doors for the gospel, and that the team's work will create more openness for the next team.

Also, we will be praying that the current team returns safely. When we meet on Sunday, it is likely that the team will be in-transit back to Louisville. So, we will be praying for their continued safe travel. Be sure to check back throughout the week for updates on the team's work in Ancahuasi.

Prayer topic for Sunday, June 17

Throughout this upcoming week we will be focusing our prayer efforts on the government officials and other prominent men in the village of Ancahuasi. We will also be praying specifically for the team that will be gone from June 16-June24. The team members are:

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Nick Basil, Ed Daves, Jennifer Lyell, David Sills, Mary Sills,

Molly Sills, Ray Heck, Patti Heck, Jennifer Heck, Luis Anda,

Brenda Anda, Deanna Anda, Asha Friesen, Becca Brown,

Jeff Love, Joselito Orellano, Lisa Harris, Ginger Hale,
and Josh Whitaker

Prayer Topic for Sunday, June 10

Throughout the rest of this week and on Sunday, June 10, we will be praying for the school in Ancahuasi. This school is responsible for educating about 800 children in the area. We will need to pray for the principal and other administrative employees, the teachers, and the students. We will be praying for their spiritual needs as well as any physical needs that they have. Also, we want to remember Ninth and O as the June mission trip group will be trying to give medical examinations to most of these students. Let us pray that even now at such a young age these children may come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal savior.

So, this is how it will work...

This is how the blog will work in connection with the prayer group at church. On Mondays, either Chris or I will post a prayer focus for the week. This will be the topic that we are praying for individually as the week progresses. It will also be the topic that we are focusing on during that up-coming Sunday's meeting.

This week let us pray for the upcoming trip in June - for the people who are going, for the financial provision, for the logistical needs (like flights, passports, hotels, transportation, etc.), for God to prepare the hearts of those who will hear the gospel.

We hope to see you on Sunday night at 5:30.

Introducing This Blog

This blog is designed to chronicle and update our effort to pray for the work of Ninth and O Baptist Church in Ancahuasi, Peru. As the name suggests, we are praying that God would bring an awakening in Ancahuasi. We long to see multitudes of people come to trust in Christ and the church be strengthened and built up as a result. Over this entire work, we pray that God would be glorified in Ancahuasi.

We meet at 5:30 on Sunday evenings at Ninth and O. Please come and join us as we pray for God's work in Peru.