Kegan … Singing in Spanish … and Preaching?!!!

I’m sorry it’s been a while since I’ve had time to sit down and blog. The reason I haven’t been able to write is because we are in the mountains doing training. Like Geoff said, we cooked chicken. It was fun! Yesterday we cooked trout. That was really fun. (For those who know me really well, you will understand that this is crazy … that I actually cleaned the fish then ate it.)  But I enjoyed it. 

Our schedule is a grueling one. We eat breakfast, then have 2-3 hours training … stuff like bible studies and evengilism tips … and then we cook.  After that we have been prayer walking or going to service.  Sarah (the team coming down here will meet her … she’s on my team) and I sang, “Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord.” In Spanish!!! it was amazing! Tonight I’m going to a church down the hill … to preach!!! ME!!! It’s my first time in front of a church. I’m excited.

Well … gotta go. We have to be back to the hotel for more bible training.  I love and miss everyone. Kegan

 

Kegan … the Chicken Man!

I haven’t heard much from Kegan over the past few days.  I talked to his mom today.  She told me that she had just talked to him on the phone this afternoon.  He has been sending me some e-mails which have not made it through.  I’ll try to work all of that out so that we can get regular updates.

Meanwhile … I learned today from missionary Katie Holder that Kegan is with his entire team of summer missionaries at a location about three hours outside Lima.  He will be returning to Lima this weekend to get his team assignment and travel to Panao.  But I have learned that one of his interesting tasks yesterday was to learn how to cut up and cook a whole chicken.

I have included pictures for your viewing enjoyment.

 

Training

¡hola! ¿como estas? Estoy bien. Hello! how are you? IM well here in lima. Tommorrow we leave for canta. It’s about cuarto horas (4 hours) away. we will be doing hands-on training for about a week, so I wont be able to update until we’re finished. But I do know that while we are in canta we will all have to lead a Bible study, so this will be very interesting (especially if I have to do it in Spanish. ) I´m going to do mine on David and Goliath. I cant thank my church enough for the support and prayers. Love and miss everyone. Kegan

 

Hola! from Lima

Hey guys, its Kegan … all the way from Lima, Peru.  I was about an hour late getting here last night (we sat on the runway in Newark for about an hour).  But I’m here, safe and sound.  We haven’t done anything yet, so  don’t have an update on how the missions part is going yet.  Today will be orientation and training.

I just wanted to take this time to thank those who donated funds to make my mission possible. Also, I want to thank you for you prayers.  I am going to need them. I’ll write more as time goes on, so keep checking here often.

Kegan

 

Sad Face?

This is a precious little Quechua boy in the village of Chaglla, Peru.  He came with family to our veterinary clinic last week.  His face looks so sad to me.  And the boots on backwards is a classic touch!

 

Gettin’ Piggy With It

This is Dr. Stan Rogers, a member of Crossroads Fellowship, and an international missionary. Here, with a little help from Anibal (one of our Peruvian translators), he is administering de-worming medication to one very loud, squealing pig.

Who would have thought that pigs could be effective in cross-cultural evangelism?

Well, we discovered that they can be quite effective. Our most recent team to the village of Chaglla in Peru had an on-site veterinary clinic as its primary strategy for establishing relationships and sharing the Gospel. Over the course of two days the team de-wormed about 300 pigs, and an unknown number of sheep, cows, horses, burros, guineas, chickens, and cuy (guinea pigs … and they were not kept as pets, if you know what I mean). The clinic was sponsored by the evangelical church in Chaglla. Everyone in this mountain community knew that they were the ones who brought the gringos to town. The team had many opportunities to witness on their own, but their very presence drew a standing room only crowd to the evangelistic meetings in the evening.

So … God can use a pig, a sheep, a burro, and even a guinea pig, as a Gospel bridge. The question is … will we, as God’s people, choose to build and cross these Gospel bridges.

 

Change of Plans

Matt Ladd phoned in a report last night.

The team had to leave the field (Panao / Pachitea) a day ahead of schedule.  The brother of one of their interpreters died unexpectedly on Wednesday.   So the team got together and decided to get him home to his family.  They left late Wednesday night and drove through the night.  It was a perilous trip because of the winding roads, heavy rain, and mud/rock slides.  But the team made it back to Lima … safe and sound.

The team lost a day of “scouting,” but they were able to minister to this man and his family.  They have an entire extra day in Lima, and they are working on plans to make the most of it.  They will be checking into doing some work in and through the Peru mission office.

Please continue to remember the team in your prayers.  They will be home on Sunday…

 

Team 1 Mid-Week Update

Matt Ladd and the other members of Team 1-2008 have managed to make limited contact since their arrival in Panao, our village “headquarters” in the Andes Mountains.

Matt reported that everyone is doing well.  Tulsa appears to have overcome his motion sickness from the trip.   (Interestingly, the news that Tud was sick on the road trip has been processed through the Trigg County rumor mill into, “He ate something that made him sick …”  Too funny.)  The team has made great contacts and they have already arranged for the veterinary clinics for team 2 (Deploying at the end of February).

The trip has not been without difficulty.  Matt reported that the area had been without electricity for over 24 hours and that it has been raining non-stops, making many roads unstable and road travel unsafe (the area is very prone to mudslides and rock slides).

But … all things considered, the team members are having an awesome experience.  Things can’t be too bad … Kegan has been trading messages with everyone through his MySpace page.

 

Team 2008-1 Daily Prayer Guide

All of the people of Crossroads should use this guide for their daily prayer times while the first team of 2008 is on the field.

• Saturday (Jan.12) – Pray for Matt Ladd as he leads his team to the mission field.
• Sunday (Jan. 13) – Pray for team safety and health, and that they will “keep their spirits up” as they make the perilous 10-hour journey to Panao. It is a long, arduous, and depressing journey.
• Monday (Jan. 14) – Pray for Kegan Davis, our only youth on this mission team.
• Tuesday (Jan. 15) – Pray for Jeff Hunter
• Wednesday (Jan. 16) – Pray for Tulsa Lewis
• Thursday (Jan. 17) – Pray for Kevin Terrell
• Friday (Jan. 18) – Pray for team safety and as they make the trip back out of the Andes Mountains into Lima.
• Saturday (Jan. 19) – Pray for the team as they discuss the week and chart a course of action for the next team.
• Sunday (Jan. 20) – Pray for the families as they anxiously await the return of their men.

 

First Team Deploys on Saturday

Team 2008-1 departs Saturday morning at 06:00. They will return on Sunday, January 20.

Team members include (l to r): Tulsa Lewis, Jeff Hunter, Kevin Terrell, Kegan Davis, and Matt Ladd (Team Leader).