Diana's Story - by Mike Bukta

This month we want to share one of the first of what we hope are many success at the Women’s Village. I want to share a bit of the story of Diana. Diana is 31 years old (we will leave her last name out for confidentiality). Her 12 year old daughter was also abused. They were both abused by the father of her 1 year old daughter. Both Diana and her daughter had black eyes, swollen faces and lips. They were scared and felt alone.

After her abuse Diana took and her children went to the Commissioner of Women Department where they were not properly attended to. They didn’t know where to go or what to do so they went to the police station where they told them about the Women’s Village. When they arrived at the Village they didn’t have any documents, clothes, or money. The daughter was crying a lot and they were all in great desperation, very lonely and sad. We took them to seek medical attention and started their therapy.

The mom works at Totus, which is like a Target here. Mara, the director of the Women’s Village, accompanied Diana to her work and talked with her boss. He was very pleased that she was getting help and has now asked us to do seminars for their employees on abuse. The abuser also works for the same company but in a different location. He was fired. She was only working part time but now her boss gave her more hours so she is now working full time. In order for her to work fulltime, Danitza who is in charge of the volunteers for the Women’s Village, found an orphanage that will take care of the baby. And because it is summer vacation here the grandma picked up the oldest daughter and brought her back to live with her until school starts again. Diana only stayed at the Village for 3days, but has continued her therapy as an outpatient. Danitza started the Peace Treaty (our evangelistic tool) with her. This family came into the Village frightened, scared and feeling unloved. They left the Village with hope for their future.

This story is one of many about women who are abused, violated and suffers in silence. They do not report their abuse for fear of retaliation by the abuser, not knowing what their rights are, and not having anywhere to go. Our goal is to have a culture that says no to abuse!

Beginning Our 5th Full Year

As we close in on beginning our 5th full year in Trujillo, Peru I want to share something that I have shared with many already.

Mike and Danell went to Peru at the beginning of 2005 and spent the first year studying Spanish. They were going to help our team with visiting groups from the U.S. That was pretty much it. Little did we all know what was in store for them or PNHI.

A year ago we did something we never imagined would have happened, for a number of reasons, when they first went to Peru. We made Mike the team leader of PNHI in Peru. We never imagined that we would do that because we never thought we would have to let our former team leader go. Also, we would have never guessed Mike had the ‘metal’ to become a team leader. His resume doesn’t look like someone who would be the leader of a team of 35 people in another country. Little did we know 5 years ago, but God knew.

I told Mike in the beginning that his role would be like that of a coach taking over a professional hockey team that had a dysfunctional relationship with their previous coach, and that it would take at least a year to rebuild the team, develop a good spirit, and find out who really wanted to work. Mike took up the challenge and has done an amazing job. The transition has NOT been easy. It has been stressful. But Mike and Danell’s commitment, drive, faith, openness, fairness, integrity and perseverance have helped them through the tough times, making tough decisions, facing the fallout, and still keeping their eyes on the goal of a new effective team reaching people for Jesus and planting churches all over Trujillo.

Mike and I are convinced that the numbers we currently have should have been 2 or 3 times larger - IF all had gone right. But it didn’t. As of February we will have had a team on the field 4 years and as of June of 2010 our team will have been in the barrios working for 4 years.

Right now we are averaging 1500 people active in our ministry. As I said, that is less than Mike and I believe it should have been but it is still pretty good considering all that has happened this year. Here is what is very encouraging to me. Since the first part of the year the attendance of adults in Oral Bible story groups in homes has grown 100%. That is amazing considering all the changes that have been taking place. They have grown from about 375 average attendance in these groups, just counting adults, to 746 and that is during a time when we have had to deal with rebellion and divisive actions by some previous team members which resulted in losing some people. There are 75 home groups. That’s up 200%. On top of that we have 600-plus children and 140-plus youth involved. I’m so grateful to God and our key people in Peru, for their hard work and dealing with all the challenges they have without throwing in the towel or losing site of the goal.Now, let me talk about evangelism. Mike and Danell have started getting the remaining people plus the new people coming on board really focused on bringing people to Christ. They are doing it by training, encouragement and personal example.

Over the first many months of 2009 the team was experiencing 2 to 4 baptisms a month. With a renewed emphasis on training, insistence on using the Peace Treaty and seeing the natural excitement of those going out and sharing the Gospel, things have turned around.

You need to know that most of these people who were baptized in the recent months were taken through the Peace Treaty. That means someone had to meet with them FOUR times to teach the four lessons. These weren’t just people who raised their hands at a rally and then were taken to be baptized. They were reached, taught, discipled and then baptized.

Here are the baptism numbers for the last four months and 10 days of 2009:

August - 14

September - 33

October - 32

November - 29

December - 9 (the first 10 days or so – Dec/Feb is summer in Peru)

Total = 117

Now that is more like it should be.

Our team is rebuilding.

They are focused on reaching people for Christ and sharing the Gospel using the Peace Treaty.

They are training people in planting churches using Oral Bible story telling.

They are opening new barrios working with Life Winds.

We are on track. We will still have challenges, but we have the nucleus of a team that GETS IT and are doing it.

PRAY FOR THEM. This is a very crucial time. With a renewed emphasis on training trainers and doing evangelism, we pray that 2010 will be a powerful year for Christ.

God bless you all - and have a wonderful Christmas,

John and Carla

Beginning A New Year - Tim Coop

Beginning a new year is always a refreshing thing. This is going to be the most effective one for PNHI. We have learned much, have made mid-course corrections - and with all of that this project is one of the most effective and creative approaches to mission I have ever seen in 49 years of ministry.

I want to pay tribute to the pioneer of PNHI today. Those who have worked with John Hendee say that he has more new ideas by noon than most of us have in a lifetime! It was just a few years ago John shared his dream of finding a city in Peru and developing a city-reaching strategy that would include work in the barrios, the city, and creating businesses. This dream included finding Big Sisters to support the work for 6 years. He went to work, traveling all over the country, enrolled a wonderful group of Big Sister.

The work began with the most vigorous approach - going to seven barrios with seven families - all at one time! The activity coming out of those barrios is amazing to me - the house churches, the baptisms, and the increased quality of life.

And then the work proceeded with the beginning of business in a way I have never seen. And while we are learning at lot I salute the experiment and the continuing effort. We can't wait to see what happens.

And now the effort to start a church planting movement in the city has gained momentum. Mike tells me there are six house churches meeting now and this is with just a few months of existence.

But the steady hand behind all of this is John. He works tirelessly for PNHI, so much so that his board has to beg him to take time off. And through all of the challenges he continues to keep his focus and his passion for lost people in Trujillo. He is truly an evangelist. And God just keeps giving him ideas! So if you get a call from John at 7:30 in the morning and he is gushing with exciting Kingdom things to do, just thank God for a man that is wired like him. He is a Kingdom man, and I am glad to be impacted by him. And next to him is his wife, faithful Carla, who hangs in there with it all. God bless you, John and Carla.