Jose Isabel and Candelaria are involved in evangelising and church planting in villages and towns in the Cajamarca region. One church has grown to between 100 and 120 people, which is large for a small village. There are a lot of new people attending. A number of the young people have left the villages to go to the cities for work.
They have discipled a young man from their home church who has gone to one of the villages they are working in to be a leader there. He is a capable teacher.
They have also established a number of cell groups through friendship evangelism amongst Quechua speaking people of which one has 25 people in it.
Jose Isabel is involved in translation of the Old Testament into the regional Quechua language spoken in their area. This work is being done through the Bible Society.
In addition, they run a mobile Bible Institute in Quechua in four different areas that they visit. It is designed to train leaders and pastors. They use the Quechua New Testament and songs in Quechua.
They are also involved in teaching and leadership in their local church, Calvario, in the village of Porcon.
The carpentry shop project was funded by BHW and has been running for more than nine years now. It has provided Jose Isabel and Candelaria with the means to support their ministry as well as providing employment for two men, one of them being their son Pedro, and funding for their church's local evangelism. Competition has meant that orders for the carpentry shop are currently down to around one order every two months. Pedro therefore now contracts in the mine and they have also had to let the other worker go as there wasn’t enough work.
An idea they have for a future income generating project is to establish a “Pollo a la brasa” - a roast chicken restaurant.
Health is an ongoing challenge. Candelaria suffers from a lung problem and has had it for the past three years. She was bringing up blood, however she is now taking Velomicin which is a medication that stops this.
One challenge they face is what to do with the carpentry shop, whether they change the project to a chicken restaurant or even relocate the carpentry shop to another area of Peru where there isn’t so much competition?
There are challenges within the ministries they have in terms of false doctrines, according to Jose Isabel, infiltrating via the influence of curanderos (witch doctors) in people’s lives, and through other religions.
1) Better health for Candelaria
2) The emergence of suitable leaders in the groups that have been established
3) Wisdom in the translation work of the Old Testament into Quechua
Jose Isabel’s skill and ability to work amongst Quechua speaking people cannot be under estimated. His involvement in the translation of the New Testament into the Quechua language and the start of the Old Testament translation will be and is key in the extension of the Kingdom of God in that part of the world.
Jose Isabel and Candelaria do face some challenges with the carpentry shop project which appears to us has nearly run its course in terms of usefulness. They are looking at other options, one of which we have discouraged as not dovetailing with BHW values.