THE RAMIREZ FAMILY, CAJAMARCA – PERU, 2008

JUNE-AUGUST STORIES

1. NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOUR WON FOR THE LORD

Mrs. Violeta Díaz has lived next door to our church long before we got there. She is married and has two children. She is a teacher by training and use to be very Roman Catholic. For many years our Pastor has invited her to attend our church to listen to the gospel of Christ but she never did. However, as always se had come to the church to be served by the dentist who came with First Pres team from Jackson MS came last June. So we invited here once again to come and join us in worship to the Lord. This time the Lord touched her heart and began to faithfully attend church worship since last July. She shows her joy of being saved by the Lord and is now part of our faithful attendants morning and evening every Lord´s day.

We thank the Lord for her conversion and also thank First Pres team foe being willing to serve our neighbours with patience and Christian love.

2. LOS ROSALES CHURCH IS GROWING

Last August, the Lord has added eight more members to our local congregation “Los Rosales.” Four of them are college students and the other four are adults. The ceremony of receiving them as members of the church was full of emotion for everybody. We praise the Lord for what the Lord is doing amongst us and invite all our mission partners in the USA to share in this joy and pray for the Lord to continually bless our ministry down here.

3. OUR CHURCH BUILDING

We are adding a new small building on the side of our sanctuary. It is now almost finished. The Lord has blessed us so much with this enterprise which will be used to add more rooms for our SS classes as well us to dedicate one room to do tutoring to the kids of the neighbourhood who are a bit behind in their studies. This way we would get into more homes of our parish so that the gospel will be proclaimed to hem.We would like to thank for their donations for this building to FPC, Jackson MS., to Thompson Memorial PCA of Centerville, MS., the SS of Oak Ridge PCA, TN., to Woodruff Road PCA, Grenville, SC., and to TPC, Statesboro, GA; and to IPC, Savannah GA. Brethren, your contributions have helped us improve our sanctuary with new windows and a nice little garden, as well us with our new building for furthering the ministry of Christ down here. Thanks very much and may the Lord bless you all.

4. CHILILIQUE CHURCH PLANT

Then again, Alonzo and Bill visited there last September 19 invited by a particular family, Mrs. And Mrs., Felicino and Zenovia Tocto, husband and wife. After hearing the gospel all the family praised the Lord, and this couple gave up their lives to the Lord. Pray that this church continues to grow and that the whole village turns to Christ.

5. FAMILY

The most significant development in our family is that our son Samuel Began his college in Cajamarca. He is studying Systems Engineering since last August. He also just turned 18 on September the 26^th.

Ana Elizabeth will turn 25 on November the 23^rd and is looking forward to it as a key event en her life.

Esther continues to teach the gospel of Christ to the children at the school round the corner of our home. She has managed to help the kids improve their behavior and we praise the Lord for that. This school always remembers the ministry of Jackson FPC team, they feel their lives have been impacted by their ministry of last June!!

Alonzo continues to teach in the seminary and in the local university though or Saint Agustin Society. Two conferences on science were held this year in June and the gospel was proclaimed though the ministry of our scientists and brethren Dave Doughty and Gary Whiting from New Port University, VA. We praise the Lord for this ministry as it just had completed five years in August.

During the third week of September Bill Bradford and I visited the city of Piura were Donald Savinsky leads a nice group of 11 young college students and two young professionals. We were able to visit most of them and also held worship and the Lord´s Supper on the Lord´s day. It was a joyful experience at getting to know them and seeing the possibilities of starting a new church plant there. We need to pray for Donald and this group.

6. THANKS

We give thanks to all our prayer and financial supporters for their faithful cooperation with us in ministering to the people in Cajamarca and northern Peru. We value your help and continue to pray that the Lord keeps on adding more members to His Church.

THE RAMIREZ BIO

Several friends have asked us for our short Bio, now here it is.

ALONZO AND ESTHER RAMIREZ

The Ramírez are from Peru, South America. Esther joined the church when she was 12, and Alonzo became a believer during his second year of University in 1976. Both were heavily involved in the ministry of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Peru (EPCP).

Alonzo graduated from the University of Cajamarca in 1982 in engineering while Esther did it in Sociology. They met while in their university days and married in 1986. They have two children, Samuel Dennis (18) and Ana Elizabeth (15).

After Alonzo had worked as an engineer fore eight years in several places in Peru they were called into full ministry, so they traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland, where Alonzo earned a Diploma in theology form the Free Church College (1989-1992). They returned to Peru and Alonzo was ordained as a pastor in the Los Olivos Congregation of the EPP. After working there as pastor, church planter, and seminary teacher, he had an invitation to join RTS for graduate studies. They came as a family to Jackson, MS, enrolled RTS and became associate members of FPC where they worshipped for almost five years.

In RTS Alonzo earned a Th.M (1998) in Old Testament and a Ph.D (2001) in Intercultural Stduies. Upon completing his studies at RTS he went back to Cajamarca taken a team of missionaries from Jackson to begin the PeruMission plan.

Through this plan, which has now seven American families, they are involved in Church planting, seminary teaching, translation of Christian literature, and RUF ministry. Their have taken residence in the city of Cajamarca which is a town of 160 000 people.

Samuel Dennis is in his first year college in Cajamarca and Ana Elizabeth is in her 8th grade. The whole family plans to stay in Cajamarca working for the Lord until He calls them somewhere else.