Read new updates from Peru and Mexico, plus an update on the short term trip to China. These posts are on the password protected section of the website, so if you don’t have an account to view this content already established, please send an email request to missions@brbc.org.

• Peru
• Mexico
• China

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Arequipa! This will be the last update before we arrive in West Virginia on March 12. We are looking forward to hearing from our churches about setting up meetings as well as visiting with our individual supporters. We will need to raise $530.00 a month before we can return to the field. We have lost 30% support because of the drop of the dollar, but we are confident the Lord will raise it up.

We are in the pains of packing up our house and getting ready to head back to the US. Zack and Caleb are having a very difficult time going back to the US, so we would ask you to pray for them. This is the life they have known for a long time and now, at least for Zack, it is a more permanent good-bye. The majority of his friends are here and he is more Peruvian than American, so please pray for him. He turned 18 the 14th of January. Pray that he will be able to find work once we arrive back in the US. His plans are to attend Liberty University in the fall, providing he receives some financial aid. He wants to come back to Latin America and work in youth missions. Caleb will be attending a Christian school while we are in the US. He too is having a difficult time with the packing and getting ready once again for all the sad goodbyes that are soon to come. As for Debbie and I, we are struggling with leaving but are looking forward to fellowship and ministering in the US. We are hoping to serve in our home church and that some friends will allow us to have Bible studies in their homes. If anyone would be interested in hosting a home Bible study using the “Story of Hope”, please let us know.

Yes, we are planning on returning to Peru, Lord willing, once our furlough is up and our funds are raised. However, we are open to do the Lord’s will be that in Peru, the US or another country. For now, the plan is to return to Arequipa.

December was filled with a lot of activities and opportunities to share Christ. There were church dinners as well as our Christmas cantata. We opened up our home on Christmas Eve and had several people stop by for food and fellowship. We also had a special New Years Eve service that was filled with fun, fellowship and praises to our God.

The home Bible study that Aaron has been involved in is going great. He is hoping to finish the “Story of Hope” before we leave for the states. The Bible study is a highlight for Aaron because he believes some of the people have given their lives to Christ. Two weeks ago one of the ladies just came out and asked “What do I have to do to be saved?”. That was like saying “stick-em” to a bull dog. When Aaron finished the presentation of the gospel she said “I believe”.

Willy and his wife have still not made a profession of faith. Aaron took them the “Fire proof” video and the “Love Dare “ book, but obviously they need the Lord first before they can work on their marriage. Their salvation is a huge burden.

We hope to complete the discipleship classes we are currently holding. The students are so full of questions that at times it is hard to get through a lesson. Debbie actually spent 3 weeks on one lesson because of all the questions. We should be able to finish the “Way to Joy” with both of our groups before we leave.

The first Sunday in January, the church held its annual business meeting and elected the first deacon ever in the church. Pastor Abraham has been doing a great job with the transition, stepping up to the job of pastor while we take the role of assistants. We are still meeting with him and his wife offering discipleship and counseling. We are confident in his ability to take the church forward.

The 2nd week in January we had our annual field team meetings and Bible conference with our missionary partners. It is always a blessing for us to see and fellowship with our colleagues from all over Peru. Our conference speaker this year looked at the 7 miracles of Christ in the book of John. It was so refreshing to hear English preaching/teaching as well as singing praises in English.

Right after the Field team meetings, we took a group of five teens to Lima for the Word of Life camp. They made some wonderful decisions for the Lord that week and came back and shared their hearts with the church. We trust that the teens in the church will carry the youth ministry forward since Zack will no longer be here to lead them. José, who has been working with Zack for the last year, has taken over the responsibilities of the youth group and has done a fantastic job so far.

Next week, our church will be joining with another church for family camp in Camana. Aaron will be teaching on purity in the life of a teen as well as on the armor of God. Debbie will not be going with us this year as she is overwhelmed with the packing and final details that need to be done before we leave.

Before we leave, we have planned three weeks of baptisms. We are so thankful for all that the Lord is doing in the church and other ministries we are involved in.

Aaron had the privilege of speaking to a group of ladies at our coworkers’ church on overcoming depression. He does not feel that he is an expert, but having learned so much through his ordeal, he is anxious to share it with others. There were 28 ladies present and the study was a big success. Aaron would love the opportunity to help other people with what he has learned on the subject.

Pastor Julio, who was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago, is doing very well considering. The Lord has actually given him the strength to preach in his own pulpit the last couple of weeks. We pray that the Lord will continue to give the whole family strength to deal with this trial.

Update — Feb. 4

First off, Pastor Julio was given just 3 months to live in November, 2009. The cancer had spread to all his vital organs as well as his bones and the end looked imminent. He took three chemo treatments and yesterday went to the doctor for a progress report. To the amazement of the doctors the cancer that had metastasized is gone, his kidneys are clear and his liver is clear. The large mass he had on one side of his backbone is gone. They are not sure about his bones so they are doing tests to see how they are. There is still some residual cancer so they are going to continue the chemo for a while longer. The doctors told Julio’s wife that there was no way the chemo could have done this and she simply replied “I know it wasn’t the chemo, it was the prayers of God’s people and God who did it”. Churches all over Peru have been praying for his healing and God has answered in a powerful way! ALL things are possible with God. Julio has felt so well, he has even been able to preach the last three weeks without coughing, although he is exhausted when he gets done.

Secondly, the Bible study Aaron has been doing with The Story of Hope has brought much fruit. Last Saturday, three of the four ladies in the Bible study placed their faith in Christ and are now part of the family of God. While they had believed for a long time, they realized that they had never received Christ’s forgiveness, like the thief on the cross did, and confessed Christ as their Savior. So right there in their home, they bowed their heads and prayed for Christ to save them. It was such an awesome time to see them repent and to be used by God in this way. I have prayed for their salvation for months and the Lord brought in the harvest.

Third, Sunday was a very special day in our church. We had a missionary from Chile in the morning and a missionary from Columbia in the evening service. Sunday morning after the morning service we baptized a teenage girl that had received Christ some time ago. We are planning 2 more baptisms before we leave!

The boys left for camp in Camaná on Wednesday and Aaron is leaving to join them today. Pray for Zackary as he is a counselor this year and there are at least 2 unsaved boys in his room. Debbie is staying home this year to finish packing and supervise the painting. We only have 24 more days here and are trying to make them all count for the glory of the Lord.

Can I get an Amen! Glory, hallelujah!!

In His Grip,
Aaron, Debbie, Zack, and Caleb Karr
Vonage (304) 521-4330
Skype name is aaron_karr

Please only use our akarr@abwe.cc from now on.

This post includes updates on Willy, several financial needs, news of a pastor friend’s cancer diagnosis, and much more.
Holy is the Lord God almighty. We say Holy, Holy, Holy is He.
It is with mixed emotions that we end November and begin December because our time for furlough is coming up very quickly.

That makes us both happy and sad. We love the people and the work, so it is bittersweet now that we just have three months left. It is also bittersweet as we think of Zack graduating this month. Where did the time go? Zack and Caleb are not looking forward to going to the states, but they know it is necessary. We still have no vehicles or housing lined up, but know that “the just shall live by faith” and that God will provide in His time. We are beginning to book meetings so if you would like for us to share with your church, please contact us. Our Vonage phone number is (304) 521-4330 and our email is akarr@abwe.cc. You can also contact us through Facebook. As of right now we are $150 under supported.

November was a wonderful month of service to our God. We started out the month with an evangelistic campaign followed by our church’s third anniversary. We had a special speaker from Lima who challenged our people and shared the message of hope in Christ. The Saturday before the anniversary service, we held our first sports tourney among the churches. Eight sister churches participated in volleyball and soccer competitions all day. It was amazing to see the fellowship among all the different churches and what was more amazing was that we, as missionaries, had nothing to do with the planning or carrying out of the event. On Sunday, we were excited to have an attendance of 90 people celebrate our anniversary with us.

The second week of November we had a retreat with our ABWE co-workers to Arica, Chile. Arica is just across the border from Peru, only about six hours from Arequipa. However, like so many of our stories this trip wasn’t without its adventure. When we arrived at the Chilean border, we learned that there was a country-wide strike and as a way of protest, the border agents were working extremely slowly. After nearly three hours standing outside in a line along with our luggage, we finally made it across the border. The time in Chile was a great time of fellowship, prayer and Bible study with our co-workers.

On the 19th we hosted a group of fifteen people arrived from Pennsylvania. They were here for 10 days working with Peruvian pastors on work projects and ministering every night in different churches. It was a blessing to have this group here since their leaders were our friends and former co-workers, John and Aimee. Two of their kids were also with them so Zack and Caleb had a great time catching up with old friends.

On November 21, the pastors’ fellowship planned a men’s conference for both single and married men. The theme was “purity”—purity in marriage as well as before marriage. We had 90 men, young and old, come from about ten churches. Aaron taught a seminar on purity to the single men, ages 14-30. It was a great blessing and he has been asked to come and teach the same in another church to all their teens.

The home bible study that Aaron is doing is going great. Every Saturday evening he meets with six ladies to teach them “The Story of Hope”. They are soaking up the teaching like a sponge and we believe they are close to making a decision for Christ. Please pray for them. The other Bible study that Pastor Abraham is leading is also going well; they have about 6 in attendance there as well.

The news about Willy is basically the same. He had an operation to clean out the infection in his hip. Aaron visits with him weekly but he still has not made a decision for the Lord. What a huge burden – knowing a dear friend is still without Christ. We still have three more months; Lord willing he will be saved before we leave for furlough.

The ladies ministry is going well. The retreat in October was a great time of fellowship and learning. Debbie is about to finish the course “The Christian Family” with 6 ladies in the church. She is also continuing to disciple two other ladies. The ladies are planning their last outreach of the year, a Christmas outreach with the theme “God’s Gifts to Us.” Please pray that many unsaved will come and hear the gospel.

It is hard for us to believe that Zack will be finishing high school on December 18. We plan to have a small celebration with his friends here before we leave. He is excited to finish, but he knows that this means his time in Peru is getting shorter. He has a great burden for his friends in his tennis academy. He is trying to set up a Bible study with one of his friends, Sebastian, who is not even sure God exists. Please pray for Zack as he tries to reach his friends. He is also still helping to lead the youth group. This month they will begin a study on how to apply God’s principles to everyday decisions. Steve, our co-worker, will be heading up the study for them.

Caleb will be finishing 10th grade and is very excited to be almost done with school for the year. He is also playing tennis and just played in his first tournament two weeks ago. Caleb loves working with the children at church and is a great help in Sunday School and Bible Club. We are beginning to see more of a desire on his part to reach out to his unsaved friends as well.

One of the national pastors and a dear friend, Julio, has been diagnosed with stage four cancer. The cancer was very silent but very aggressive; there were no major symptoms until the cancer was already at stage four. After several tests, they concluded that the cancer has mastisized and is in his lungs, liver, kidneys, thigh bone, back bone, and collar bone. They are only giving him between 3-4 months to live. Julio and his family came from the Amazon jungle 25 years ago as missionaries to Arequipa. He and his family have lived in the church for a number of years and do not have much. We are asking that our churches and friends help this godly man and his family with the bills they are incurring. God has raised $450 so far but they will need about $3000 for medical bills and, if God does not perform a miracle, more to help with funeral costs. If you would like to help, please let us know and we will send you the information on how to send a tax deductible gift.

November ended with a time of Thanksgiving with our co-workers. It is wonderful to think about all that the Lord has done for us and how much we have to be thankful for. We are very thankful for the ministries God has given us, for our family and friends and for each one of you and the part you play in our ministry in Arequipa. We pray that the Lord will continue to bless you as you bless others.

In His Service,
Aaron, Debbie, Zack and Caleb

Dear friends,
I know it is not normal to get a letter from us right after receiving our update, but there is a very important matter that I am asking you to take to the Lord in prayer.

My good friend Willy is in bad shape and getting worse. He had run a fever for the last week and this weekend they found out that he has a major infection in his hip where they operated on him in August. They will open his hip back up tomorrow to attempt to and get all the infection out. The wreck happened 2 months ago yesterday and he has been in bed ever since. I spent most of the day with him and his family. He said all he wants to do is be able to walk again. I told him I wanted him to walk again as well, but more importantly I wanted to see him give his life to Christ and become his child. I prayed with him and he wept. I felt like I really needed to share the gospel with him, so I asked him what would happen if he did not make it through the operation and he said he didn’t know. He then allowed me to share the gospel with him. Although he did not make a decision at that time, he wept again and said he was so scared. I am scared for him as well. His daughter and son also heard the gospel; please pray for them. I have developed a great relationship with this family and love them greatly. I am want to see them come to Christ so badly.

Please remember us and our team in prayer as we have all been under a tremendous satanic oppression all month long. There is so much I would like to share with you regarding this, but our Lord knows the details. Please pray for the Woodard family, the Douglas family and, of course, the Karr family. This has been a very difficult month on us personally, on our co-workers and our respective church plants.

God Bless,

Aaron

Dear Friends,
Eph 5:16 – Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Where does the time go? After almost five years in Peru, it is almost time for our furlough.

We will arrive in Huntington, WV in March, 2010. We still do not have a house or a car, but we have faith that the Lord will provide. We are actually going to need more than one vehicle this time. If you have any ideas or leads on a car or a house, please contact us. Zack will also need a job and would appreciate any leads he can get. We are also starting to book meetings for 2010-2011. If you would like for us to come and share with your church, please contact us as soon as you can since we already have some meetings lined up. Our Vonage number is (304)521-4330 and our email is akarr@abwe.cc . We can also be contacted via Facebook.

As we finish this term, we want to redeem our time so that we can reach as many souls as possible. As the verse above states, the days we live in are evil; however, we are grateful for the privilege we have of serving the Lord in Peru. It is amazing to see what the Lord has done and is doing in our lives and the various ministries that we are involved in. He is to be praised and glorified. We are learning is to give thanks in everything, for this is the will of God. We have much to be thankful for as we look back over the last month.

Ps 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
First and foremost, two people put their faith in Christ—a teenage girl and an adult man. We are planning a special baptism service for the last weekend in November so these, and hopefully others, will be baptized.

It is amazing how God works. Aaron met Willy, a Peruvian business man, 7 years ago. He is a very rich man and sees no need for God in his life. Aaron talked with him about the Lord and how he could have a new life in Christ over the years. He would always make fun of the “new life” in Christ but Aaron still kept up the friendship. Aaron tried to get in touch with him in September and found him in the hospital—he had had a major car accident and had been in the hospital for 3 weeks. He had had several operations and still has a crushed hip which is trying to heal. Aaron immediately went to the hospital to visit with him and took him the book “The Story of Hope.” While visiting with him and his wife, Leonora, he asked if Aaron would pray for him. Aaron assured him that he had been and would continue. Before leaving, he asked that Aaron come visit him at his house as often as possible since he will be in the bed for at least 2 months. Aaron has been to visit him at least once a week since he arrived home and has begun to share with him and Leonora about God’s plan of salvation. Two weeks ago, we invited his daughter, Viviana, to the youth group and she came. We didn’t realize until the following week that he was upset that his daughter went to a Christian church. His wife reminded him that his daughter was with us, and “We can trust Aaron, he cares for us.” Praise the Lord! Please pray for their salvation; we have a tremendous burden for them—the kind that makes you weep for their souls.

Paola and Maybet started coming to church about 6 months ago and were baptized in August. They are so excited about reaching their families for Christ. Paola asked if Aaron would start a Bible study at her home for her family because they will not enter an “evangelical” church. Saturday evening we met at her house with 4 other ladies that are all unsaved and pretty skeptical. What a tremendous opportunity! We expect 2 to 3 more in the coming weeks. We started with the video “The Hope”, which leads into a chronological study of the Bible, and then shared how the Bible is the word of God. We will be working through the Bible chronologically using the book “The Story of Hope.” Our prayer and burden is that these ladies will put their faith in Christ very soon. The co-pastor, Abraham, will be starting another home Bible study with Maybet’s family in September.

The seminary is going well. Aaron loves teaching and this semester he is teaching Evangelism and Discipleship from a chronological point of view. Zack, a senior, has decided to take this class. It is fun for father and son to be studying together.

The youth ministry is doing great and growing. Zack has spearheaded this ministry and is doing a great job. The teens are inviting their friends and taking an interest in helping out. They have many ideas about how to make the meetings more exciting and appealing to the youth. Several of them are working towards camp in January and February. Pray that those who want to go will be faithful and will have the funds needed.

Zack is doing well. He has had many opportunities to share his faith with his friends and seems to have a real burden for missions. We can’t wait to see what the Lord has planned for him. Zack has applied and been accepted to Liberty University for the fall of 2010. Pray that he gets some scholarships.

Caleb continues to amaze us with his ability to work with children. As soon as the kids arrive at church they ask, “Where is Caleb?” He is really special in that area. He is also making more friends at tennis and starting to invite people to the youth meetings.

The ladies ministry is going well. We had an informal meeting in September where we all got to know each other a little better. It was amazing to hear how some of the newer ladies came to Christ. The Bible study is going well—we are studying the Christian family—and there are always many questions. Our next ladies meeting will be in a couple of weeks with the theme, “God Speaks to Me”. Our emphasis will be how God speaks to us directly through His word, since most Catholics are taught they cannot understand the Bible therefore, they should not read it. Pray that this will be a blessing to those who come.

The New Life Baptist Church has invited our church ladies to a retreat on October 30 and 31. The theme is “What do I do with My Feelings?” Pray that many will be able to go and it will be a blessing to all. Debbie will be sharing a devotional and is also in charge of preparing a craft for the ladies to do.

In November we have a full schedule. Nov. 5-8 we are having an evangelistic campaign, ending with our church anniversary. Usually the anniversary is the most attended service of the year. The church members are again doing most of the planning and work. The 10th-15th, we have a retreat in Chile with our missionary partners. The 19th-29th, our friends from Pennsylvania are coming for a missions trip. The 21st, the national pastors are hosting a purity conference for men. Of course, we will also be celebrating Thanksgiving. Please pray that we will be able to get everything done and that the Lord will be glorified in it all.

In His Service,
The Karr Family

Prayer requests:

Willy, Leonora, and Viviana – salvation
Virginia and Catiana – salvation
Maycol – young father & husband fighting cancer
Scholarships for Zack’s college
A job for Zack
A house to live in during furlough
A car for furlough
We need to raise about $400 a month in support

September, 2009
Dear friends,

Just a quick update to let you know about the ministry and what is happening in our lives.
Aaron has been burning the candle at both ends for a long time and we didn’t see the warning signs of burn out, exhaustion and depression until they hit full force the middle of July. With the help of our home church we were able to get away for a much needed time of rest, relaxation, counsel and family time. We can’t thank our pastor enough for his help and counsel help during our rough time. We had not had any time away from the work in over a year. We believed we could hang in there until our next furlough which starts in March of 2010. However, the burnout and depression got to be too much, so the Lord provided a way to get away so we could be refreshed for the next stretch of ministry opportunities. Our prayer is that we will finish well.

We would like to thank Pastor Jerry Lancaster of the Starkey Road Baptist for his counsel during our weeks in St. Petersburg. He met us on three different occasions. Aaron has also been reading some great books on depression, especially one called “Winning the Battle over Depression” by Tim LaHaye. He will continue to work through this as well as other books and workbooks. We were shocked to learn the facts about depression, what causes it, and how it can be dealt with. After a lot of reading, we found that there are a lot of great pastors that have struggled or are struggling with this same problem. There are even men of God in the Bible (Elijah, David, etc.) that struggled with depression. The good news is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

The ministry side of things is going great. The first week of August, the co-pastor Abraham baptized 4 people that had been saved and gone through the baptism classes. This short break that we have taken has given the people, as well as Abraham and Viviana, a taste of what life will be like once we leave for furlough next year.

The ladies ministry has been going great. Before we left for our break, Debbie and the ladies held an outreach and had about 30 ladies there. The theme was “Focusing on Christ”. Our partner’s daughter, Stephanie Douglas, brought the devotion and challenged our hearts to keep our focus on Him.

The first semester of seminary finished up in July. We had the highest number of students enrolled since we began the seminary. Aaron will be teaching the Good Soil evangelism and discipleship course this semester, which will begin as soon as we return.

We flew back to Peru August 31 and spent two days in Lima renewing Debbie and the boys’ passports. We arrived back in Arequipa Wednesday night. We are looking forward to seeing our church family and finishing our current term well.

Some things to pray about:

· Zack’s decision about college

· Setting up meetings (starting in April 2010) for furlough

· Health for all of us.

· The church’s transition from Aaron as pastor to Abraham as pastor.

We praise God for each of you and thank those of you who have called and prayed for us during this time, and always.

In His Service,
Aaron Karr and family

Dear Friends and Family,
We want to thank every church and individual that supports the ministry here in Peru.

We consider it a privilege to have you on our team. Philippians 4:17 says, “Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.” When we share our praise and prayer report, we want you to know that the fruit God brings here is spiritual fruit that abounds to your account in glory.

May was another month filled with many opportunities to get out the gospel. The Lord continues to bless the Abundant Life Baptist Church. The first Saturday of the month is our Kids’ Bible Club. In May we had a great number of kids come and as always the gospel was taught. Our whole family is involved in this ministry as well as many people from the church, especially the teens.

Like last year, the Mother’s Day banquet was a huge success. There were over 40 moms that came for the banquet, and several from right around the church. The single girls served the meal and participated in the program. The church ladies were in charge of the program, the decorations, invitations and food. This year our special speaker was our co-worker Melanie W., and we were all challenged by her devotional on Lois and Eunice. This is usually the second-biggest event of the year; our anniversary celebration service being the biggest.

The youth continue to grow and they are reaching out to more areas. Zack, along with the other co-leaders, is doing a great job. Currently they are involved in a mission project, gathering clothes for the people living high in the mountains who are freezing this winter. The weather has been very cold this winter, and many children have died already from pneumonia and exposure. It has gotten down below freezing many nights and of course no one here has heaters or a furnace. There was a swine flu scare here, but the cold and pneumonia has claimed a lot more lives than the swine flu.

The 17th of the May we had a special Sanctity of Life Sunday and laid out a plan for the church people to be involved with a new ministry. Some Arequipa Christians, along with ABWE missionaries, are planning to open a crises pregnancy center in the city of Arequipa. It will be the first one in this whole area. We are so excited that God has raised up a godly Peruvian man to head up this ministry. It is amazing how God has already opened doors to provide a location for the center, as well as many supplies and volunteers. There was a great response from the church people who want to support this ministry with their time and resources. There are 7-10 churches that we are praying will participate in this all important ministry.

The big news – The Vida Abundante Baptist Church formed a committee to help select a co-pastor. This has been an exciting time in the life of the church and a new step of faith and obedience as they call a Peruvian co-pastor. This man will help in all the ministries as well as be in charge of the work while we are on furlough next year. The committee interviewed two men for this position. Both men have been leaders in our church work for the past 5 years and both seemed quite qualified for the ministry. After much prayer, fasting, and the interviews the committee decided to present one of the men for the co-pastor position. On May 24, the church voted in favor of calling Abraham Gonzales, our song leader, to be named co-pastor. This is great news! The church actually called a man out of the church where he has served and been a member for the last 6 years. Last Sunday we had a special ordination service and presented him to the church as the co-pastor. What a great way to see the Lord lead and work.

Debbie has had many opportunities to speak to the ladies in a couple of churches this month. It is great to see the Lord open many doors for her to serve in this way.

Teaching in the seminary this semester has been exciting for Aaron. He has been teaching a class on false religions. They have compared the beliefs of many different religions to the Bible. He has pushed his students to really know what they believe, why they believe it, and how to prove it Biblically. The end of July, Aaron will be teaching a module course on Evangelism/Discipleship methods. It will be 3 hours a night for 8 nights.

Zack will be graduating from high school in December this year. He took his SAT on June 2nd and is seeking God’s will for his life as well as where he should study. Please pray for him and with him in these areas. He has been such a big help in the ministry here in Arequipa and will be missed greatly by the whole church. We know the Lord has big plans for him.

Caleb is also very involved in the ministry and is a big help especially with the young kids. Both he and Zack watch the kids Sunday afternoon during our discipleship classes. Caleb finished his karate classes and was awarded his black belt. He is now beginning tennis classes with Zack. Caleb, Lord willing will be attending Grace Christian School in Huntington, WV while we are on home ministry.

Our furlough, or home ministry, begins in only 10 months. We plan on being back in West Virginia the beginning of April. We would ask you to pray as we want to finish well in the ministries we have here before we head to the U.S. We will need to start booking meetings with our supporting churches to give an update on our ministry, as well as book new churches to present our work. If your church would like to have us visit during our home ministry, you can contact us either through email (akarr@abwe.cc) or by phone (304-521-4330 – local West Virginia number that rings in Peru). While in the U.S., we will need a place to live and a car to drive. If anyone can help with these needs, we would also love to hear from you.

As we close this letter, we thank you again for your prayer and financial support. We know we could not do the ministry without all of you holding the rope.

In His Service,
The Karrs

Prayer requests:
Health for our family
Our furlough needs house car etc.
Zack for the decisions he needs to make about college and his future
Our Co-Pastor and his family Abraham and Viviana and their children
The crisis pregnancy center
Groups that will be arriving in June and July

Dear Friends, April, 2009

The last month has been filled with proof of God’s awesome power. Despite satanic attacks and even near-death experiences, many have heard the gospel, people have been saved and baptized, and Christians have grown in the Lord.

The month started out with a group from Liberty University. The first night, we had a youth service at Vida Abundante. The group sang, performed mimes and shared the gospel and one young man trusted Christ as his Savior. The next day the group shared in our church and a young man from our home church preached while Zack translated for him. After a quick lunch, we boarded a bus for the Colca Canyon, a 4 hour drive from Arequipa, to minister in the town of Chivay. We arrived at the town, which is at 12,000 feet, and held a worship service with songs and puppets. That afternoon there were several decisions for Christ.

The next morning, one of the girls told us that she had had an asthma attack during the night and was still struggling so the hotel provided some oxygen to get her stabilized. That day, the group ministered to around 3,500 students in 4 different schools and saw many salvation decisions. That night Debbie and Aaron ended up at the hospital with one young man who was having breathing and stomach problems. At the hospital, they discovered that his oxygen saturation level was only 70% and needs to be at 95-100%. He was much better after receiving oxygen for close to an hour.

The next day we visited the deepest canyon in the world, the Colca Canyon, and saw the condors soar out of the canyon. We were all impressed with God’s power as we watched the giant birds and basked in the beautiful scenery. On our way home, at about 15,500 feet, two of the tires blew on the bus. At that altitude, breathing is a challenge and having to change two tires was exhausting, but God helped us and we were soon back on the road. However, the girl who had had the asthma attack had another severe attack. We were able to get her off the bus, but the oxygen tank would not work. Aaron and another guy worked on the oxygen tank and were finally able to get some oxygen passing through the tube and began giving her the oxygen. In the meantime, the young man who had been sick the night before began having problems again and started throwing up. Just at that moment, God sent another tourist bus our way and we were able to stop them and borrow their oxygen tank for the young man. After about 15 minutes, they were both stable enough that we could start moving again. Both of them shared the oxygen tank every few minutes. Once we reached the altitude of 8,000 feet in Arequipa, they began to recover quickly.

Back in Arequipa, the group ministered in 2 schools and 3 churches. They worked very hard and never complained, but the attack never let up either. As far as we know, every person on the trip had some kind of problem at one point or another, whether it was sickness, severe back pain, nightmares, altitude problems, etc. However, through it all, they refused to give Satan the victory and constantly praised God for His goodness. The last night, we took them out to a nice restaurant and as we were leaving we realized that one of the young men’s backpack had been stolen off the back of his chair. It had his Bible, wallet, camera, iPod, etc. in it. We were all so hurt for him and even angry. However, his reaction was, “My only regret is that I lost my Bible!” Even though they all agreed that this was the hardest trip they had ever experienced, they agreed they would do it all over again.

The biggest testimony to this group was the bus driver. Because they were such a large group (22 young people plus our family), we had to rent a bus. The bus driver watched how they acted and reacted on the trip back from Colca. Even though he was not scheduled to drive for us the rest of the week, he asked his boss to please let him stay with the group. The two young people who had the health problems considered him their hero for getting them back to Arequipa safely and told him so many times. Aaron had the privilege of witnessing to him and he told Aaron that he could see that this group was different; they were always joyful!

The last day the group was here, they held a Bible Club. They did puppets, face painting, animal balloons, games and stories. We had 45 kids and gave an invitation, but there were no decisions. After Club was over, Debbie asked one of the girls who had come several times, when she was going to accept Christ. She said “soon”. Right before Easter, we had Bible Club again. We had 25 kids that we taught the Easter story to, emphasizing the resurrection, not the crucifixion. After the Club, this same girl told Debbie that she was ready to accept Christ. Praise God!!!

The Monday after the group left, we had seminary registration. With 36 students studying this semester, we have more students than any other semester to date. Aaron is teaching False Religions and has been able to use what he is teaching to witness to a Jehovah’s Witness.

The third Sunday of March we had a special baptism service where two young ladies were baptized. We have about 5 more that will be taking this step soon.

The month of March ended with a two day campaign on prophecy. We were privileged to have retired missionaries Don and Vivian Bond here with us. The messages were very encouraging and there were several visitors that week.

Aaron has been doing a series of messages on the requirements of a pastor. In the coming months, our church will be calling a co-pastor to be in charge of the ministry when we take our furlough in 2010. Pray for wisdom.

During holy week the front page headlines read “Arequipa is still the Little Rome of the Americas”. Friday Aaron took a photographer to one of the processions. He was shooting pictures and got caught up in the procession. When he got back, he was pretty upset. He said he could really feel the oppression. He has taken pictures in Africa and other countries, but never experienced the demonic influence like he did here.

The church ladies are studying the family this year and Debbie is trying to delegate her responsibilities in preparation for furlough. Last week, the ladies held a Friendship Tea and 35 women attended.

Zack and Caleb are doing fine. Zack is in his senior year and is preparing to take his SAT on June 6. Zack is taking electric guitar lessons to add more to the church music. He is very concerned for the salvation of his friends in the tennis academy and is still helping to lead the youth group. Caleb is in 10th grade and is doing well. He is taking the test for his black belt in karate on May 2, so watch out! As soon as we can, he will begin taking keyboard lessons again, since the Liberty group gave the church money for a keyboard.

Thanks for your prayers, as they keep us strong in the midst of attacks.

Your Servants,
The Karrs

(From Aaron and Debbie Karr)

Dear Friends,

Ps 150:2 Praise Him for His mighty acts: praise Him according to His excellent greatness.

That is what we desire to do as we share our praise prayer report from January and February. January through March are the summer months here and things have been very busy. January we had our Field Team meetings here in Arequipa. All the Coastal Peru missionaries came together for Bible study, prayer, business, planning and fellowship. We had a great time visiting with our colleagues. During this week, Zack was invited by one of our colleagues to make a trip to the US to take a tour of Christian colleges. After much prayer, God showed us that this was what He wanted Zack to do, so we began planning.

The day after these meetings ended, Aaron and Debbie took a group of teens to the Word of Life Camp just south of Lima. The Lord did a great work in the hearts of the teens and one of the girls, Cynthia, was saved that week. We had prayed for her many years; she would sit in our service and cry because she knew she needed the Lord in her life, but would never take the step of faith to give her life to Christ. Praise the Lord, she finally came to Him.

After camp, Debbie returned to Arequipa with the teens and Aaron stayed in Lima for a special leadership conference. After the conference, Aaron had three days of prayer, Bible study and seeking the Lord’s will for the church and other ministries.

At the end of the three days, Zack arrived in Lima to travel to the US with our colleague. Putting him on a plane to another country and continent was very difficult, but we knew it was time. It won’t be long now before he will be staying in the US for his college education. As parents we had to ask ourselves if we love God more than our children? That is a question we all need to continually ask ourselves. God MUST be the priority, even over our own children.

Zack returned to Peru just last week and had a wonderful time, met lots of people, and had many adventures. The Lord really got a hold of his heart during that time and taught him some lessons he never would have learned otherwise.

Aaron arrived back in Arequipa 4 days before we were scheduled for a pastor’s retreat in Camaná. This was such a special time with the national pastors and their families; ministering to them and being ministered to by them. They are a wonderful group of godly men and women being used mightily by God in this area. being able to minister and be ministered to with the national pastors. We all had a great and spiritually-refreshing time. Wednesday, the pastors left and the campers from our church and our colleagues’ church arrived for 5 days of family camp.

Debbie was in charge of the kids program. She taught them Bible lessons, verses, songs and crafts. Aaron was responsible for the 12-16 year olds and had a great time with them.

One day at lunch, one of the teens called Aaron to their table to help him explain the rapture to a new girl and her brother. We knew that neither of them were Christians, so Aaron changed the subject to salvation. After about 30 minutes, the girl, with tears coming down her cheeks, said that she needed to give her life to Christ. Right around the table, with the other teens watching, she bowed her head and went from being dead spiritually to having new life in Christ. Those around the table were so excited to see this young girl give her life to Christ right in front of them.

Aaron preached the final message at camp on being committed. When the invitation was given, the altar was full of people praying and rededicating their lives to Christ. There were about 80 people at camp that week and there were six salvation decisions and many commitments and rededications.

At the beginning of the summer, Debbie had felt led of the Lord to do a kids’ Bible Club at our church. However, with 3 camps, Zack’s trip and Field Team meetings, it was hard to fit it in. When we arrived back from camp, Debbie really believed we should do this before the kids headed back to school the first week of March. So we made plans that week and printed up flyers. Sunday we canvassed the area around the church.

We have always believed God gave us the building He did so that we could reach the area around our church. It is such a closed and difficult area, but we have to try. Monday we had 10 kids come (8 from around the church), Tuesday we had 20, Wednesday we had 30, Thursday we had 36 and Friday we had 32. The week was great! There were 6 salvation decisions for the Lord and many children from the neighborhood came to the church for the first time ever.

Sunday night, we had a closing program and invited the families. The rain kept a lot of people away, but we had a good crowd nevertheless. We were especially thankful that 3 families from the neighborhood came to the church. After the kids sang and quoted their verses, Aaron gave a gospel challenge. There were a number that responded to the invitation and we will be following up on them in the next weeks.

Most Peruvian schools start classes this week, so summer is officially over, but what a tremendous summer it was. We know that God is not done working and we look forward to this year and what God will do in our lives and the ministries. We finish this update thanking you for your support in the ministry here in Peru. Everyone who gives and prays is participating in the harvest of the lost. For that we, and our Peruvian friends, are eternally grateful.

Blessings,
The Karr family

Prayer requests:

1. Personally we need wisdom and to be more Christ-like
2. For the Abundant Life Baptist Church as they call a Peruvian co-pastor probably in April.
3. Youth workers training workshop March 2-4; the 3rd will be an all-church youth rally and gospel presentation.
4. March 7-14 we are hosting a mission team of 20 students from Liberty University. We have a packed schedule including a trip into the mountains to help with a new church plant. Pray for our safety, as it is the rainy season, and that they don’t get altitude sickness. Throughout the week they will be ministering in schools, churches, retirement homes, parks and having a kids Bible club on Saturday the 14th at the Abundant Life Baptist Church.
5. Seminary begins March 16. Aaron will be teaching Cults and Roman Catholicism every Monday night for the next 16 weeks.
6. March 28-29, missionaries Don and Vivian Bond will be with us, teaching from the book of Revelation.
7. Holy week we are going to have special evangelistic campaign Wednesday through Sunday.
8. April 22-26 we will be having a special family campaign with our colleagues Steve and Debi Douglas, culminating in a renewal of marriage vows on Saturday.