Thank You So Much...

Dear Friends,

We pray this letter finds you well, with a heart full of thanks to Jesus, the One who has held us through the highs and lows of the year.

As 2023 draws to a close, we look back with gratitude for your partnership with us in the gospel as we remember the faithfulness of God, from the beginning of the year when we said goodbye to Iquitos as our home and moved to Trujillo via Piura. Dave drove 10 hours with a friend from Lima to Piura and though it was tiring, he had a very special experience, observing this wonderful part of God's earth by road. We were planning on attending the National Assembly of the Baptist Union of Peru in Piura, however national political unrest caused that to be postponed, and we ended up visiting some churches to learn and teach, enjoying a rest and having a Peru Team reunion with the Clarke family and Laura-Lee Lovering. (See the photo below)

After a two week stay at a lovely hostel, whilst waiting for our home to be vacated, we finally moved into a beautiful house and began the task of unpacking and settling in whilst preparing the children for school. Uniforms and school supplies were bought alongside knives and a chopping board for the kitchen. As expected, it has been a big adjustment. Trujillo is a more affluent city than Iquitos, has a coastline, and is also full of stark contrasts. The divide between the rich and the poor is remarkable, and we continue to intercede for that gap to be reduced both here and in the UK. Our heart's desire remains, to see the people and places we are connected to, experiencing the abundant life that only Jesus can provide through our interactions with them by the grace of God.

Thank you for helping us through the school year, which has been a rollercoaster with some fun bits and some scary bits! However, we have arrived at the end of the year safe and sound, thankful for the experience and wanting to have another go next year. Helping the children to adjust to learning in school after home-schooling for three years, making new friends and dealing with bullies has stretched us and helped us to grow, as we have revisited again and again our identity in Christ individually and as a family. Who are we? We are children of God. God loves us and we love God in return; therefore, we are secure. This lesson is a daily one and helps us to keep going and keep growing.

We have both (Dave and Michele) completed a semester as teachers at Trujillo Baptist Seminary, Michele taught about cults and Dave taught on ethics in ministry. We have enjoyed these assignments and the opportunity to help develop church leaders in this region.

Thank you for your prayers for the ongoing ministry in Iquitos and Nauta. Pastor Luis has faithfully continued to teach pastors in remote river communities of the jungle in partnership with other church leaders. He has struggled with his health recently and we would appreciate your prayers as he recovers from having a pacemaker fitted. He will be off for three months while he recuperates. Sadly, we have had to let Felix go as we could not sustain his salary with local funds, though Kairos School have been renting the Nauta Integral Mission Training Centre. When Pastor Luis returns, he has plans to keep building the team of pastors who can teach and mentor other pastors, as well as renting out the space at the centre to churches as a retreat venue.

'Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus', 1 Thess. 5:16-18.

We appreciate your prayers and giving throughout 2023. We have been encouraged and reminded of God's love for us, and our response is to love and serve Him in return. We pray for you as you enter 2024; may you stay full of hope and confidence in Jesus and rejoice in God's goodness always. God bless you!

Happy New Year!

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

The Mahon Family