Volunteer Profile

Settling in
After nearly a month here in Pucallpa, we are finally settling into some sort of routine. Ryan is very busy with both his new job as a Cluster Supporter and his old job as the IT Officer. In addition to his technical duties with our office headquarters in Arequipa, he is working on getting things ready for our 40/40s who will arrive at the end of April. He is also collaborating with the local pastors to visit each of the people who were seen at the medical clinics last month. It is our prayer that these people will form the foundations of the 18 new church plants in Pucallpa. AND he has been asked to preach twice already! At least he has his "air conditioned office" to keep him comfortable all those hours at the computer :)

I am also very busy - learning how to live in this new city! For those who were concerned, I have found a place that sells chicken breasts so I haven't had to cut up whole chickens - yet. I've begun teaching one of the Sunday School classes at our church and really enjoy interacting with the children. It stretches my Spanish, but that is a good thing too! This week, I've also been VERY busy getting the boys ready for school. All their supplies are purchased and labeled (including every single pencil and crayon!!)

The boys will begin school on Monday, March 8 and are very excited to start this new year! They've already made a couple of friends who will be attending their school so it's not quite as scary as it could be. They have been enjoying their last weeks of vacation - playing outside with friends nearly 10 hours every day!

God is so good to us and, even in the struggles, we know that He is in control. We are so blessed to be serving the One who holds all things in His capable hands!!

Day at the Laguna
The final day of the Pucallpa project was set aside for some much needed R & R! Our family was able to join the team as they participated in some sightseeing on the Laguna in Yarinacocha. We first took an hour boat ride to a small village, San Francisco, where the local Indian women make beautiful beaded jewelry.


On the way back, we saw several other boats loaded with bananas, chickens, and villagers headed to the city.


After we returned to the port, we had a quick lunch then got back on the boat and headed across the laguna to a small zoo. Isaiah and Landon enjoyed looking at the stuffed crocodile and pet Tucan but then we saw the anaconda!! Of course, Ryan and Isaiah HAD to hold it :) Landon stayed safely tucked away in Mommy's arms!

It was a fun and relaxing day. We are all refreshed and ready to get back to work now :)

Pucallpa project
About a week after we arrived in Pucallpa, a group of 22 short-term missionaries from the States and 10 long-term missionaries from Arequipa also arrived. This team of medical professionals and other volunteers were here for 2 weeks working and ministering around the city. The project was divided into two groups - one group provided free medical care each day in various sites where we will soon be planting churches. The other group worked here on the compound where we live preparing the housing for our 40/40s who will soon be joining us in Pucallpa.
Sarah was able to participate as a translator in the medical clinics several days. It was both challenging and rewarding. Between 80 and 130 people were seen each day and received vitamins, pain medication, and help for infections and parasites. It was humbling to see the length of time these people would stand in line for the chance to see a doctor. Several non-medical members of this team were available to play with the children and talk to the parents as they stood in line. It was a great opportunity to show them and talk to them about Christ's love. Everyone was also invited to a Jesus Film showing in the evening and many decisions were made for Christ!
We were also able to see, first-hand, the hard work of the construction team. They completed tiling the boys' showers, painted the sleeping quarters, added drop ceilings in the sleeping quarters and began work on the girls' bathrooms. As this work was done right where we live, Isaiah and Landon were able to participate some and enjoyed being around all the action!
We are so grateful for those who gave of their time to come and begin preparing the hearts of those we will be serving in the following months!

Pucallpa arrival
After more than 24 hours of travel, we finally arrived at our new home in Pucallpa last Sunday morning. It was a neat surprise to have not only the pastor and his family at the airport to meet us, but also many people from our new congregation (and an old friend from Argentina!) It was raining when we landed but stopped shortly after lunch and we have yet to see much more rain (praise the Lord as moving in is difficult enough without the rain and red, claylike mud!)
Our house was nearly complete and (another praise!) all our household items made it safely from Arequipa to Pucallpa. The final worker completed his part of the house on Thursday and we truly feel that this house is a blessing!
Another huge blessing has been the pastor's family with whom we share this compound. Pastor Dario and his wife, Veronica, have three children. Two boys (Albert is 8 and Jordan is 6) and a baby girl (Jasmina is 4 months). The boys have been GREAT playmates for Isaiah and Landon and kept them happily busy while mom and dad work on unpacking and setting up the house.
The boys beloved dog, Cali, arrived two days after we did and is settling in pretty well, although she is one HOT puppy! She keeps trying to find the coolest place to sleep and has discovered that the shower works well :) Mom and dad are happy because the heat has considerably lowered her energy level.

This move has present unique and different challenges from our previous moves. It took me about a week to find somewhere to buy bread and fresh fruits and veggies. Now I'm looking for a place that sells meat that's not still in "animal form". Ryan keeps saying I may just have to bite the bullet and buy a chicken with its' head, wings, and feet still on (which I will promptly chop off!)

Another unique difference is the "wildlife" - only here a week and already we've seen an iguana, monkey, and, gasp, TARANTULA (in my house!!!!!) The boys think they are in heaven :)

We are so thankful for your prayers and support! I know that many of you are daily lifting us up in prayer and that makes all the difference to us. Please continue to specifically pray for us as we settle in - things move ALOT slower in this jungle heat, including me, so the moving process is not going as quickly as I would like! Also pray for our project team as they are in the middle of a medical mission trip here in Pucallpa. We are helping as needed and expect to see God do wonderful things through this time.

Ready to head home....
After 2 months in the States, traveling from Kansas to Oregon and Washington to Idaho and finally to Alabama, we are definitely ready to head back "home" and settle down! Prior to our departure from Arequipa in November, we packed up our house and had all the items shipped to Pucallpa. At that time, there was no home for us - just the plans for a small, 2-bedroom structure next to the church on the District grounds there. We have received the following pictures and are pleased to see that our home is close to being finished and should be ready for us when we arrive there on February 7.

Three days after we arrive, we will be joined by the Project staff from Arequipa and 30 short-term volunteers as they work to jump-start the evangelism in Pucallpa and prepare the housing for our 40/40 missionaries. The missionaries will be living in a dorm-like building on the same property as our house so we'll all be nice and close :)
We are so excited to begin this new chapter of ministry! Please join with us in prayer as we transition to a new city, make new friends, and have new experiences (BIG bugs and LOTS of rain!) We believe God is preparing to do amazing things in this city and we are blessed to be a part of it. Thank you to each of you for your support!

Our new missionary family!
We wanted to "introduce" you to our new missionary family:) We will be living with and supporting this group of 12 in Pucallpa after they complete 5 months of site training in Iquitos. We have had a wonderful time getting to know the 6 North Americans here in Arequipa and look forward to meeting the 6 Peruvians in Lima on November 19. Please pray for our group as we continue to learn more about each other and especially during the important weekend in Lima when we will all come together for the first time. God has chosen this special group of people to bring His Word to the jungles of Peru and we are so blessed to be part of this outreach and each of their lives!
Click on each picture to learn a little more about these missionaries. Although the Peruvians are not yet on the website, keep checking back as they should be added soon!



Gary Crites





Daniel Rojas Villena





Tim Mong





Jose Abran Jara Torres





Katie Anderson





Emperatriz Castillo Rodriguez





Kristina Andrews





Nancy Aracely Tocto Llacsahuanga





Laura Benson





Esmith Julissa Davila Tanta





Tabetha Pinks





Julianna de los Milagros Garuffi Dioses

Here we go again!


We will be living on-site with the 6 North American and Peruvian 40/40 pairs and supporting them as they work to plant a total of 18 churches. When we return from the States in February, Ryan will head to Iquitos to spend the last 10 weeks in Bible training with the 40/40s while Sarah takes the boys directly to Pucallpa to start their school year there.

An ending and a beginning

Arequipa 0
Extreme Peru's first project, Arequipa 0, was a great success! 30 short-term volunteers came to Arequipa for 13 days and were involved in many construction and evangelism events. Although busy with the new group of 40/40s scheduled to arrive at the end of August, the boys and I were able to participate in two outreach (evangelism) events. One of these events was held several blocks from our Peruvian church, Alto Libertad.

We arrived on-site at 9:30 in the morning and began walking around the neighborhood with a bullhorn and Rico Cuy. We let all the children and parents know that we were having a puppet show, face painting, and games in about a half hour. When we finally made it back to the main area, many people were already there.

Several of the volunteers were painting faces while others were setting up the puppet show. Once the show was set up, we started. The puppet show involved Sunday School songs and a story about a little girl who received salvation. At the end of the show, we divided up and jumped rope. Then we returned to the puppets who showed how to make "salvation bracelets". These bracelets have different colored bead representing our sin, Christ's death, our purification, growth in Christ, and our eternal reward. Each child and adult present was given a kit to make their own bracelet. There were 100 people there and several decisions made for Christ this day!!!

After the bracelets, we passed out hot chocolate and bread. It was a wonderful day and a great experience! Throughout the 13 days, 175 people accepted Christ as their Savior!!!!!!

Daddy's day at home - in pictures
Due to the craziness of our schedules - and the boys' prolonged vacation - Ryan and I have had to start sharing childcare duties during the week. He does a great job keeping the boys, well, alive and happy, but not so great with the house :) We have one more "scheduled" week of vacation and have been hearing rumors of another week due to the swine flu, so pray for Mommy's sanity and Daddy's safety!