December 1, 2002

Dear Friends,

Anita and I rejoice in the Lord for His continued blessings. Souls have been saved by God's grace. Many of the poor have been fed and clothed and received medical attention. The churches and mission works are growing numerically and spiritually. 

We hope that everyone there in the United States had a happy Thanksgiving. Here in Peru, Thanksgiving is not a holiday, so we spent the day working as usual, but we were praying for family and friends. We heard that the Thanksgiving Conference in Detroit was a great blessing. As some of your missionaries, Anita and I thank you for your participation in the offering that was given at the conference.

November was another month of traveling for us. Anita traveled with me to the city of Cajamarca, located in the Northern Andes Mountains of Peru. It is a beautiful city with a rich history that goes back to the Inca Empire. I was asked to speak to the First Baptist Church on Baptist History for four nights. We had a great time not only teaching history but also telling of God's love manifested in Jesus Christ. One week later I had to take a trip to the Northern jungle town of Iquitos to take care of some legal matters for Baptist Faith Missions. I met with several of the pastors while there and enjoyed the time with them.

During the month of December we hope to finalize the purchase of two properties. One is for our mission work in Huariaca and the other is for the Jordan Baptist Church in Lima. Huariaca is about one and half hours from Huanuco up in the mountains. We were trying to buy a piece of property with a house on it but found out the owners did not have their papers in order. Now the Lord has shown us an even better place. We are negotiating to purchase a lot in the center of town and on the main road; an ideal location since the people here walk to church. After the purchase we hope to begin construction on a two story building. Please remember this project in your prayers.

We started and organized the Jordan Baptist Church in the Capital city of Lima, eleven years ago. The church has grown so much that they put benches outside the doors into the street during the morning and night services. Pastor Jorge Dianderas is doing a tremendous job with the church. A three story building that adjoins the church building has come up for sale. This is answer to prayer. The Lord always knows and provides our needs. The price is $20,000.00, twenty thousand dollars. This is a very good price. We are entering into a contract with the owners to pay it off in two years. It can be easily modified for the church's needs. I hope many of you will want to have a part in this blessing. If you would like to help in either of these projects you can designate your funds for "Stanton building fund."

Write us when you can, and come visit us in Peru. 

Serving Jesus in Peru,

Sheridan and Anita Stanton