One More Course Finished - 27 More to Go!

Bible Institute students L to R:  Francisco, Jilton, Nilton, Francisco Jr., Maria

     Our Bible Institute is going very well with our new church plant in San Francisco as we have already completed 6 of the 33 courses just since September.  This is a very small community but are neighbors to villages very close by and so Nilton, who will be the main pastor, is already reaching out to them with the Gospel and inviting them to church.  Jilton, his brother-in-law, will be the Assistant Pastor and will help with teaching and evangelizing as well.  All of the students are showing strong interest in the course material and are very dedicated to complete the institute.

     The subject matter is very anointed and is already bringing a much clearer understanding of the Lord and their relationship with Him according to what the Bible says.  I am very excited to see these changes because with the knowledge of the Truth through the study of the Word they are empowered to seek God on their own, stand in faith and take strong initiative in prayer that they simply could not do before due to lack of experience in the Word.  This Institute is designed to equip church leaders to grow in their faith through the study of the Word and apply what they learn to their lives.

     I will be starting another Institute among the Ashenika Indians in April of next year to train them as well in their growth and development in the Lord but also to prepare them to reach the lost in their area with the Gospel.  Please keep these Institutes in prayer so that the participants will complete all the requirements and be able to fully absorb the content.

Bible Storying Conference

Sharon teaching at last year's Bible Storying Conference

          We will be having another Bible Storying Conference at the end of this month to teach those who don't read or don't read well the stories in the Bible.  This is a very important method of teaching the Word to the illiterate because it gives them full command of their growth and development in their relationship with the Lord.  As they memorize the stories that are taught the Holy Spirit can then begin to bring application to their lives personally.  

     We had great success last year especially among the Shawi Indian women since culturally they don't speak in public settings.  Through this format though they had the chance to listen to the story two or three times, answer questions and then break off into small groups to listen and repeat the story again.  We found that in the beginning most of the women did not speak in the small groups but by the end of the conference all of them were sharing confidently the details of the story they were learning.  One woman commented to us saying that normally Shawi women don't have a voice among the community but with this they are encouraged to speak and be heard.

     The conference is coordinated by an Assembly of God missionary and involves all of the American missionaries in Yurimaguas (there are about 8 of us) from three different mission organizations.  It is such a blessing to be able to work together and combine our ministries in this way to reach the Shawis that all of us are working with in the study of the Word.

     The dates of the conference are November 28 to December 2.  Would you join with us in prayer so that all of the participants will understand and retain everything that they are learning and have strong enthusiasm to share what they've learned with those back home?  We, as missionaries, cannot reach all of their communities but they can and with these stories they can reach the unreached much more quickly and effectively than we could.

Certificates of completion were given out at the close of the conference
during a church service specifically dedicated to this purpose

Conference participants with American missionaries

     Thank you so much for standing with me in prayer for this work and I pray that you can rejoice with me in all that the Lord is doing among the Shawi communities.  May the Lord bless you in every way as you enter this holiday season.

Forever in Him,

Sharon Malcolm

New Ministry Explored Among the Condosi Indians

Nine hours on the Nucuray River to visit two village churches and three non-Christian villages

     We made an exploratory trip to the Nucuray River to visit two Assembly of God village churches and three non-Christian villages in order to start a work in this area.  An American missionary, who is head of the Assembly of God in the state where I live, set up the trip through a contact he had that knew the river.  It was an exciting time as we ministered the Word of God in all five villages that were visited through children's programs and evening services.  Several people accepted Christ for the first time or rededicated their lives to Him.  All of the villages that we visited requested that we come back for more teaching of the Word and one village that we did not have time to visit requested a visit from us as well.

     Although drunkenness and strong superstition is very prevalent among the non-Christian villages the desire for the Word of God on a regular basis is what the majority of the people wanted.

River dock in the village Puerto Alegre, a non-Christian village

Sharon doing a children's program in Puerto Alegre.  Her clothing is still wet from the boat ride.

Waiting for people to arrive for the evening service at Nueva Arica.

     One community named Nueva Arica, had a strong desire to have a church started in their village and already has three men that were formally trained that can help start it.  Fortunately, most of the villages have heard of Jesus Christ and are familiar with what He did.  Now it is just a matter of helping them see why it's important to them.

     The harvest on this river is very ripe and there is great potential to reach many villages with the Gospel here.  In order to do this we will be starting the first of many 4-day training sessions in February with the two Assembly of God churches to help prepare them to take on the task of bringing in the harvest.  Since the three of us that made this trip live very far away from this area it is vital that the people in these churches understand their part in the Great Commission and get trained on how to study the Bible and how to evangelize and disciple this great harvest of souls.

     I will be doing these trainings as I have done with our Shawi Indians in the past and am believing that the Lord will use this material to open the minds and hearts of the people to be aggressive in reaching the lost for Christ.  Would you stand with me in prayer for this huge task in seeing the Body of Christ in this area rise up to their full potential?

     We will also be starting a Bible Institute among the Ashenika Indians in April to help equip them as well for the work of the Lord.  In the meantime we are continuing the Bible Institute among our Shawi Indians in the village of San Francisco to prepare the leadership of this new church to take on their role as pastors and deacons.  The Lord is truly at work in all these areas and is reaching the Christians and non-Christians alike with the power of His Word to transform individuals as well as whole communities.  May the Lord bless you in every way for your commitment to stand with us in prayer for these precious people and for this work.

Forever in Him,

Sharon Malcolm

Bible Institute Going Strong!

Bible Institute students L to R:  Francisco, Jilton, Nilton (he will be the
pastor of the village church) Francisco Jr. and Maria who travels with me. 

         In September we started the Bible Institute to train leaders and pastors for the new church that was officially planted in May of this year.  The village of San Francisco, where the church resides, is a very small village but has great influence with the villages around them.  Nilton, the man in the middle with the stripped shirt, will be ordained as pastor and Jilton, the man to the left in a blue shirt, will be the Assistant Pastor.  The other men will serve as church leaders.

     The woman in the group is Maria who has been serving with me for the last 7 years and she will continue to serve in her village church as one of the leaders.  Upon completion each participant will receive a Diploma of Theology and Nilton and Jilton will be officially ordained as Assembly of God pastors.  The other men will serve as church leaders for this village church.

     This is truly an exciting time for us since we've been working together for the last 10 years to bring this about.  It is an answer to prayer for me to see these precious people so willing and eager to be trained in the Word of God in order to lead and serve their people.

Nilton's house

Nilton's wife Paula preparing a river fish breakfast for us

Nilton and Paula's kitchen

Breakfast at Nilton and Paula's house - a very typical morning meal for Shawis

COMING UP

     I will be traveling this Monday with an American missionary and Peruvian team to visit some villages that do not know Christ yet.  These are the Condonsi Indians and we will be visiting several villages, two of which have churches but are very weak and others who may or may have not heard of Jesus Christ but are still not Christian.  Would you please stand with us in prayer for this trip so that every time the Word is shared it will impact the hearers and lives will be changed?  It is quite a long distance away and so repeat visits may be difficult although certainly not impossible.  The goal is always to prepare and equip the existing churches to go and minister to their people but due to illiteracy or very low comprehension the process is labored.

     I am also in contact with the pastors of the Ashenika villages who want to have a Bible Institute started in their area as well.  The whole purpose of the Institute and the 5-day trainings that we've had is to empower the people in the Word with understanding so that they can effectively and correctly reach their own people with the Gospel.  Please keep us in prayer as we push forward to accomplish this goal as quickly and effectively as possible.  Thank you so much for all you have done in this vital work.  Together we truly are making great strides in establishing the Kingdom of God in these areas.

Forever for Him,

Sharon Malcolm

Family Garden Project to Improve Diets

Ashenika village

Amelia in traditional dress for the Ashenikas

     A team from Virginia came to help start 16 family gardens in three Ashenika Indian villages.  It was a project that I had wanted to do for a long time so that the people would have food security and improved health through the benefits of the vegetables grown.  It also has the potential of being a small business to help supplement their income.

     As we worked with the different families there was great excitement and anticipation for their new project and so the people were fully engaged in planting their seeds.  In each garden we planted lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers and cilantro.  Each of these have vitamins and minerals that help improve eye sight, blood, immune systems, muscles and bones.

Children helping to plant vegetables for their school's garden

Sharon instructing how to plant, water and fertilize the plants

Team helping put of roof of leaves over the garden plot to
protect from strong sunlight and heavy rain.  

Man dividing his garden plot into sections and
measuring with his fingers how far apart to plant his seeds.

     Along with this project we also had church services each night to share the Word of God with the people and give them the opportunity to receive Christ.  Gloriously we had five people give their hearts to the Lord and several others rededicate their lives to Him.  Please pray with us that these new converts will learn quickly how to walk in the Lord and be protected from the enemy as they do.

Pastor Dale Hewitt from Virginia sharing the Word of God with the people
and Sharon translating.

What's Next?

   1)  Maria and I will be traveling this Friday to Thursday to the Shishinahua River to start a Bible Institute for the people of San Francisco, the new church that was started in May of this year.  Nilton, one of the village leaders, is ready to become their spiritual leader as well in the form of being their pastor.  Therefore we will be traveling to his village to start the training for him as soon as possible. He has invited others from the neighboring villages to take advantage of this training and so I am expecting to have a great class.

    2)  In October we will be traveling by boat for two days to meet several Condozi villages that are either Christian but very weak in their faith or not Christian at all.  Both need the love of the Lord so please keep these dear people in prayer as you think of them.

    3)  The Ashenika villages where we did the family gardens also want to be trained in the Institute and so we will do our best to bring it to them as well.

    I would like to ask you to please keep us in prayer for all the travel that we do and all the people that we will reach.  Great things are happening as we join together in prayer for the lost and struggling so let us continue the fight to bring people into the Kingdom in full measure!  God bless each of you in every way and thank you so very much for being part of this vital ministry.

Yours in Christ,

Sharon Malcolm

Exciting 3-Day Training!

Participants of the 3-day training

     We had a very full and exciting 3-day training this time in that we had a double wedding and 8 baptisms included in the training sessions!  Since the inauguration of the new church in San Francisco there needed to be concentrated training on what the church is and how each member is to participate.  Along with these trainings two couples of the congregation wanted to solidify their union in the eyes of the Lord and in the eyes of the State by getting married.  In the Shawi culture couples do not have marriage ceremonies as we do and so when they become Christian they have a desire to be formally married in this way and so, of course we honored their request.

        

     This was very exciting because both couples have a strong desire to follow the Lord with all their heart.  The couple on the top left are Sabina (purple dress) and Jitler.  Jilter just rededicated his life to Christ and was strongly with the Lord years ago in the beginning when I was evangelizing the villages of Shishinahua but later fell away.  The second couple, top right, are Nilton and Paula (in the blue dress) and Nilton and his father accepted Christ about two years ago and have shown tremendous change in their lives.  Since then Paula and their children also accepted Christ and have all been water baptized.  Nilton wants to be the leader/pastor of the San Francisco church and so will start training as soon as possible to assume this role.  Please keep him in prayer because he is a bit intimidated by the responsibility.  He is already a village leader and so to take on another role can be challenging.

     Along with these mile-stone events we also had eight people that wanted to be water baptized, four of which were Sabina, Jilter and their two older children.  Along with them were the two children of Nilton and Paula, Nilton's brother and a young man from a neighboring community that Nilton invited.

Pastor Isiel from my local church baptizing Sabina and Jilter

Eight people who got baptized except Sharon (pink tee),
Nilton (far back), Maria (with guitar) and Pastor (yellow shirt)

      It was a tremendous time and a great deal was accomplished.  We closed our sessions together with a teaching on the Lord's Supper, taking communion for the first time as a "church" and then praying over each one for the Lord's blessings to be richly manifested in their lives.

     I want to thank all of you that are standing with us in prayer for this work and all that the Lord wants to do with each person that has come into the Kingdom.  I know He has great plans for San Francisco and for all the other villages that will be reached by them.  May the Lord richly bless you for your faithfulness in all you do for Him.

Forever Held Firm in Him,

Sharon Malcolm 

Faith Becomes Sight With

San Francisco's New Church!

     After years of praying and plowing the ground I had the privilege of seeing faith become sight as the final detail of the first church in the village of San Francisco was completed!  This was truly history in the making and the people of the community were very excited about it.  We also had the privilege of having two of the Assembly of God authorities from our area with us to officially dedicate the church building and congregation to the service of the Lord as an Assembly of God church.

Left to right:  Pastor Roger, Pastor Edwardo (Assembly authorities in our area), American missionary
who brought construction team, and Pastor Rodrigo, Assembly Superintendent of his area.

     For our first church service Nilton, one of the village authorities and now church leader, invited people from Santa Rosa to attend the church dedication, which we were very pleased to see preset with us.  This is exactly what we are praying for.  That people from San Francisco will invite people from their neighboring communities to join with them in hearing the Word of God and seeing their lives transformed.  Nilton is a man who has this same vision.  Would you stand in prayer with me for this new Body of Believers that they would become strong in their faith and commitment to Christ and be senders and goers for the Gospel?

     In addition would you please keep me in prayer for protection and a successful trip as I travel to another part of the country to meet with a pastor who is working with the Ashenika Indians?  I have met with him on two prior occasions and am very interested in working with him to reach the lost among this Indian group.  As we combine our resources I believe we can accomplish a great deal in establishing the Kingdom of God in this area.

     God bless each of you for standing with me in prayer and support for this tremendous work of God and seeing the fruit of our labor together.  May you be blessed in every way!

Yours in Harvest of Souls,

Sharon Malcolm

Sun setting over the village of San Francisco

     Our last trip to San Francisco in April was to bring the Assembly of God pastors who will be overseeing their new church to meet the rest of the village and minister in the Word of God.  It was a very special and blessed time because the residents and the pastors got to know each other better and bond more deeply.  We will be traveling again to San Francisco this Saturday, June 10, with an Assembly of God team from the States to build the first church in their village.  While the men on the team are doing the construction the rest of the team, Maria and I will be traveling to the other villages of Santa Clara, Santa Rosa and Yarina to minister in children's and adult Bible studies.  By the end of the trip we will have had baptisms, a wedding, a church dedication and a commissioning of the village leader named Nilton, who has chosen to be the church leader and pastor of his community.  He will be going through a Bible institute which, upon completion, the Assembly of God will ordain him as the pastor of San Francisco.  In the meantime he will be the acting authority in the church leading Bible studies and Bible storying for the congregation.  Would you join with us in praying for this trip from Saturday, June 10 to Thursday, June 15?  We will traveling with a total of 26 people including the boat drivers in three boats full of equipment and people and so safety as we travel is a must.  Also that the Holy Spirit will touch hearts and souls for the Kingdom as we minister.

     ______________________________________________________________________________________

Bio-Sand Water Filters in San Marco

     I had the privilege of having a team from a supporting church in Nazareth, Pennsylvania join me at the end of May to make 12 bio-sand water filters in the village of San Marco.  This is a village made up of Maria's extended family and it was such a joy to meet and work with them in completing this project.  We did have a few challenges though.  Fortunately it rained quite a bit so the water in the river was high enough to travel to the village without having to push the boat over a sandy bottom.  Unfortunately though, because it was so high it completely covered the much needed sandy beaches we needed to make our water filters.  The only option was to dive into the water with a bucket and scoop out the sand from the bottom of the river in order to have enough to properly wash and use to install the filters.  The team, along with the villagers bravely did this until there was enough sand to complete 12 of the 16 filters we set out to do.  Four of the families choose to wait until the water receded before collecting their sand and they will wash and install at a later date.

         

     The team also ministered to the community in beautiful hymns song acappella, skits based on Bible stories, testimonies and preaching the Word of God.  They also had the opportunity to minister in my home church in Yurimaguas when we got back in the same way.  I was so very blessed to have this team and be ministered by them and minister along side of them.

During our stay in San Marcos we witnessed one of the many rainbows in the jungle.

A very rich blessings on all of you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Disaster Relief Efforts in The Coastal States of Peru

Government-issued tents for displaced flood victims

        I had the opportunity to work with a pastor in one of the affected areas in Northern Peru and saw first-hand how extensive the devastation caused by the flooding was.  Whole towns looked like war zones and people everywhere were desperately trying to get their lives back in order. 

     Fortunately by the time I got there the rains had stopped and the water was finally starting to recede but not without leaving huge deposits of mud and debris in every part of the affected areas.  Everyone was trying to salvage whatever they could from the wreckage of their houses but the losses for most families were enormous.  Many, many people lost their homes and farms and are still not able to return to their neighborhood because of standing water or because they were moved to tent communities far from their homes issued by the government to help with relief efforts.

Houses and businesses affected by flooding.  Notice the dark water line running across all the buildings.

Mud being cleaned out of a house but furniture, appliances, clothing and other household items were destroyed.     

    In contacting several disaster relief organizations I learned that many churches have responded greatly to the needs of the people even though they themselves suffered huge losses.  The pastor that I worked with, Pastor Walter, was diligent to reach out to as many communities as he could with bags of food, clothing and medical clinics.  He told me that in the beginning of the disaster he had about 200 people living in his church/school for refuge while the people in his church were taking shifts to cook 3 meals a day for all of them.  When these precious ladies were not cooking at the church they were in their houses trying to clean out the mud that engulfed their property.

Sharon with Pastor Walter presenting the food bags she helped put together
for the pastor of this community.

  

The Pastor of the town (red top in the doorway) handing out food bags to her community 

  

Women filling their buckets with water for their families since the city's water
supply system was damaged.

   

     The tragedy of this magnitude can be so overwhelming because of the quantity of needs that never seems to be met but praise God many churches, ministries and secular organizations across the country of Peru have been contributing to the relief efforts.  It will take a long time for people to recover but prayerfully this will be an opportunity for the Church as a whole to seize the moment and respond with the love of Christ to help as much as possible.  I want to thank all of you that have stood with me in prayer for this very desperate situation.  As time allows I would like to return to this area in the summer to help with reconstruction efforts in any way possible.

Two-Week Trip to the Shishinahua River

     Maria and I will be going to the Shishinahua River to bring our 5-day training to the villages of those who were not able to attend when we had it in Yurimaguas.  On this trip the leadership of the Assembly of God denomination in Yurimaguas will also be joining us to meet with the village of San Francisco to get to know them and be known by them to further the process of bringing them in as an established church under their leadership.  This is truly a momentous event and the community is very excited about this since they have never had a church in their village before.  In June a team from the States will be coming to construct a church building for them led by an American missionary in Yurimaguas who was also instrumental in getting the initial steps under way for them to become a church.  Would you keep us all in prayer as we travel?  

Our dates of travel are:

April 20 - 23 pastors and American missionary will travel with us to San Francisco

April 20 - May 1 Maria and I will be visiting the other communities to bring the 5-day training.

Please pray for:

safety as we travel

open hearts and minds to the Word of God

God bless each of you who pray for this work in every way.  Thank you so very much for all you do for the Kingdom.

In Him Always,

Sharon Malcolm