Read about what God is doing in each of these places here (France) and here (Peru via West Virginia).  Please also pray for sufficient monthly support for Aaron and Debbie to return to Peru to continue their ministry there.

Both of these posts are on the password-protected section of this website.  If you haven’t yet registered to view posts on the secure site, please send an email to missions@brbible.org requesting authorization and identifying yourself as a member or friend of the BRBC community.

Dear Friends,

Let us tell you how grateful we are for your prayers and financial support.  We want to share with you about our family and what is happening with our home ministry assignment (furlough).

We have been involved in several ministry opportunities.  Aaron has been involved in setting up meetings in supporting churches as well as new churches to present the ministry we are involved in.  While the winter months have been pretty slow, we did have a meeting in a supporting church in Gallipolis Ferry, WV and a meeting in a new church in Ashton, WV.  We had a great time in both churches, meeting the pastors and getting to know the people.  Debbie also ministered to a group of ladies at a retreat, speaking 3 times.  The Lord worked and there have been reports of changed lives.  During February we ministered in two churches for their valentine activities.  We also spoke in two more of our supporting churches.  Aaron had an opportunity to share the gospel at an Upward basketball league where many heard the gospel and some responded by taking information home to read.  Aaron is also a leader of a small group Bible study in our home church that meets every Wednesday evening.  He is teaching a class on making disciples and the small group study has really been a blessing to him.  Debbie has been teaching a Spanish class twice a month, helping a group of ladies prepare for a missions trip later this year.

While on furlough, we have been blessed to participate in our home church, sitting under wonderful preaching and Bible teaching.  Aaron has been participating in a small group bible study called the “Truth Project”.  He has been quite challenged as they look at the world views of our culture and is looking for more ways to reach the non-Christians with the gospel.  Debbie has also been involved in a ladies’ Bible study on Wednesdays and has recently joined the choir.  It has been many years since she has had the opportunity to participate in a large church choir and she is thoroughly enjoying it.

During the months of March and April, Aaron will be traveling a lot.  He will be speaking at a “critter” dinner close to home and has one other meeting in Huntington, WV.  However, he will be speaking in a missions conference in Danville, WV, speaking in a missions conference in Buffalo Valley, WV, visiting a new church in New Jersey, and visiting two to three churches in Tennessee before the end of April.  We are currently about $600.00 a month under supported, so we are trying to get into new churches and raise our support back up to where it will be possible to return to the field.

Please continue to pray for both of our boys.  They are quickly becoming young men and seeking God’s direction for their lives.  Caleb has really done well adjusting to the U.S.  He loves his school and is a part of just about every aspect and activity.  He has been skiing with the ski club and was part of the debate club.  He also loves spending time with the youth group at our home church.   We are proud of both of our boys and pray they walk daily with the Lord.

Zack is now a Soldier in the US Army Reserves!  He is so excited about it and we are so very proud of him.  He is still attending Liberty University where he is preparing for the ministry and plans to finish his schooling before going active duty, but he is anxious to serve his country.  He will be going to basic training and job training over the summer and into the fall.

Believing that God is leading him to work with teenagers on the mission field, Zack would love to take a mission trip this summer, but his Army obligations prevent him from doing so.  He called us a couple of days ago about an opportunity that the Lord has opened up for him and we would like to give him this space to share it with you:

Dear Friends,

I am now in my second semester at Liberty University majoring in Youth Ministries and International Studies.  I believe the Lord is calling me to work with teenagers after graduation, probably overseas.  This week has been Missions Emphasis here at Liberty and the Lord has opened up an exciting opportunity for me over Spring Break in Miami, Florida.  A group of students from Liberty University will be traveling to Miami to learn and then do Open Air Evangelism.  After training in the mornings, we will be ministering to children in the afternoons.  In the evenings, we will go to the night spots and try to reach teenagers and college students on Spring Break.   Since I have a burden for teenagers, I feel like this ministry could be a real learning opportunity for me.  Also, one of my spiritual gifts is in the area of evangelism and I have always wanted to learn the Open Air techniques of evangelism.  The trip is going to cost about $485, which includes food, a place to stay, and my transportation there and back.  Please pray that God will provide the money for me to be able to participate in this ministry opportunity.  If you would like to give toward this trip, I would love to hear from you. You can write me at zkarr@liberty.edu.  Otherwise, you can send a check to me at the address below.  I will send an update after the trip to let everyone know how God worked.  Thanks for your prayers and consideration.

Sincerely,

Zackary Karr

If the Lord leads you to help Zack in his Spring Break project, you can send a check to the following address:

Zackary Karr
MSC Box 80295
Liberty University
P.O. Box 20,000
Lynchburg, VA  24506-8001

We thank you again for your prayers, support and love.  We are looking forward to what God has in store for our family this year.  While sometimes we do not understand the whole picture or know what our future holds, we know Who holds our future.

Resting in Him,
The Karr Family

• Peru
• Mexico
• China

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.

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

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

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

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

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