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Dear <<First Name>>,`
We serve a gracious and loving God. He has blessed, and continues to bless us, in many ways. Thank you for your faithful prayers for our family, for our ministries, and for our country. We have seen many challenges this year (and more are brewing), but we continue to see God's grace and strength each day. He gives us many reasons to be thankful ... and you are one of those reasons. Your faithful participation with us in God's work is a tremendous encouragement to us.
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It's hard to believe that 4 years have already passed!
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4 years of challenges, blessings, and growth
This past Sunday we completed 4 years of life in Peru. What amazing changes have happened in our family over these past 4 years. The children are taller...a lot taller. Caleb has a lot more gray hair. Ecko's hat looks a little more worse for the wear. More importantly, while Peru has been our desire for a long time, it is now our home. We are comfortable with the food, the language, the people, the crazy driving, the hot sun, the cultural differences. It's not always easy, and many days we encounter frustrating circumstances, but we are thankful to be here.
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Family Update
The kids are excited (kind of) about the start of the new school year. Isaac is starting Kindergarten; Isabel, 4th grade; Jack, 7th grade; and Joe, 8th grade. They are getting taller and smarter at a pace that is far too quick for our liking. But we are thankful to see their love for God and excitement to be here and participate in the ministries God has given to us.
Our family will soon be growing in number!!!
We have been working as a family for some time towards adopting some Peruvian children. We have initial approval from the Peruvian government and are working on getting all of our papers in order to proceed. We are very excited as a family, but we have encountered a number of hurdles in the past few weeks. Just today we found out that we have 40 days to get legalized copies of our birth certificates and marriage certificate, get them all to Peru, get them legally translated, and turn them in to the adoption office. That seems like an impossible hurdle, but we are trusting God to provide wisdom and help. If all goes well, we should be able to bring our children (hopefully 2) home in the next few months. Please pray with us that we will proceed in God's strength and make wise decisions.
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Flooding Update
We praise God for His tremendous goodness through all the difficulties our country has seen with rains and flooding. There were, and still are, many families affected by the floods. Thanks you for your generous and quick response to our plea for economic help. Most of the money that we received has been disbursed to help dozens of families and churches that were affected by the flooding.
Life has largely returned to normal. The roads are still full of potholes. There is still lots of extra dirt on the sides of the roads and in the city parks. Most houses now have rain spouts to drain water from the flat roofs. We had a once-in-a-lifetime plague of crickets and locusts that lasted about 6 weeks (they still occasionally hop around during church, narrowly missing Caleb's mouth while he is preaching). There are still many buildings that suffered external damage and others that are permanently damaged. But, overall God has given us peace following the incredible devastation.
Here is a small glimpse of unexpected consequences of the flooding. The lime is a key part of everyday life and eating on the coast. Just this past week the cost of limes soared here on the coast, just like it did during the rains. During the floods, the trucks full of limes from the northern coast could not leave their fields because the roads were closed. Millions of limes rotted in the backs of those trucks. During the floods, the prices raised from $2.00 a kilogram to 2 limes for $1.00. This past week the cost has returned to that exorbitant level. Why? Because the heavy rains damaged all the flowers on the lime trees and caused the loss of another harvest season. Lack of limes for a few weeks/months...probably not the end of the world for most people. But for those whose livelihood is based on the growth and sale of limes this is a double blow. They lost their crops in March and have now lost another crop. Pray for the many who are still suffering from damaged and lost homes and goods and lost income.
Want to see a bit more about the flood relief efforts?
Click here, here, and here to read testimonies and see photos.
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When the floods came, they left behind almost 4 feet of dirt on the street and in the buildings around Berea Baptist Church.
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One of the homes washed away across the street from Berea Baptist Church.
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One of the homes constructed with Flood Relief funds.
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Health Update
Thank you for your concerns for our health challenges. We praise God for His healing and continued help. It appears that Ecko's health concerns were related to some abnormalities in her circulation system and hormonal balance. She continues to visit the doctor every few weeks to monitor the situation, but she is returning back to normal levels slowly but surely. Her energy is back to normal and we are thankful for God's provision of good doctors and medical care. Thank you for praying for us and for continuing to pray. We are conscious every day of the fragility of our strength and the necessity to rely on His.
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Church Update
We are advancing on the construction of our new church building. The first floor is relatively complete and the second story should be finished soon. We are hoping to enter the building for services later this month. We are thankful for the generous participation of many folks from the States who have given to help with the construction and for our Pastor, Jesús Altuna, who is working many hours each day supervising the project. Be sure to check out our Steins in Peru Facebook page to see videos and photos of the progress. And, while you're there, check out the story about Hector and pray for his salvation.
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Seminary Update
This week is the first week of 2nd semester. We have several students that did not return this semester, but there is a good spirit among those who are here. Pray that our administration and teachers maintain a positive, unified, Christ-like focus during these weeks of classes. May God continue to be glorified through our lives and the lives of our students.
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Thank you for praying. Your prayers are a tremendous encouragement to us.
Until all have heard,
Caleb, Ecko, Joe, Jack, Isabel, and Isaac Stein
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