Our Amazing Arrival in Lima

04 June 2016

Well we are here in Lima!  The Diospi Suyana guesthouse is fantastic and located in a good part of town.  Although Lima is a crazy place (a lot like Cambodia in my experience).

We have an amazing testimony getting through Peru airport customs – after explaining what work we are coming to Peru to do, and staff impressed with Sandi’s mothering capability and our lovely newborn Stacey, the staff at decided to wave us past the checkouts without inspection of our 94 items of baggage.  This was right past everyone else getting their bags pulled apart and strewn everywhere per normal process!  Unheard of for the locals who could not believe it (needless to say multitudes of people are praying for us to realise such incredible favour – thank you for your prayers which are certainly being answered).

We also have many other testimonies, such as the one regarding how our Lord looked after us regarding 3 of our bags that suffered ill fate during our trip.  Sandi is posting this story on her Facebook page now.  And the breakthrough only days before we took off with the provision people and trucks at the Lima end to pick up our luggage which would have otherwise left us stuck with an unmanageable pile at the airport.  Moreover it was at no charge to us as our commitment to Peru has touched the hearts of those involved in Lima.

Below are some photos of our family at the airport and arriving at the guesthouse with our luggage.

Arrival in Lima Airport Immigration

A section of our 94 items of luggage in Lima airport

On the free side of Lima airport with our friends' cousin in Lima managing a team of local helpers moving our luggage

Finally unloading our stuff at the Diospi Suyana guesthouse in Lima

We are thankful to Ursula who travelled down from Diospi Suyana Curahuasi helping us get our Peru legal documentation / working visas sorted in Spanish.  We have undergone the normal process with the local Notary Public to create Spanish certificates and then with Interpol which was an experience in itself (the facility was dated like something from a 1950’s war movie).

It has been full on since our feet touched the ground here and the kids have coped amazingly thus far with all this and our lack of one on one time with them.

Blessings,

Chris & Sandi

Midnight Friends and the Bag Lady

31 May 2016

We are so blessed by our very special friends who have helped us with the not insignificant amount of logistics to move our luggage to Peru.  This included the acquiring of some 18 donated suitcases by our “bag lady” (as we came to affectionately call her J).

And then the friends that came again and stayed back to midnight and beyond to help us get ready moving out of house (including finally departing our house at 4:30am!), packing cases and boxes (one friend coming interstate just to do this), cleaning our house, cooking meals, looking after our kids to free us up, and taking ownership of the endless logistic details needed to see this operation succeed.  The bond of friendship we have with these people goes without saying of the gratitude we have in our hearts.

Then the team of movers with trucks and trollies to store at a friend’s lockup garage and then deliver some 75 items of book-on baggage plus our 19 items of carry-on to the airport on the Tuesday morning.

THANK YOU ALL (you know who you are!!!)

Sandi the wee hours of the morning moving out of our house.

Check-in at Sydney International Airport

Our logistics co-ordinator in action!

Love,

The Welch Family

Our Amazing Supporters

30 May 2016

Here we are at the eve of our departure and have been advised that our support level has been sufficiently reached (Pledge budget at 97%) and we have been given the green light by Pioneers.  This was another faith provision for us as intentionally we had no Plan B.

How do we say thank you from the depths of our hearts with just words?  Our family and friends and especially those in our Life Source Church - you are amazing beyond words!  Not to mention the incredible honouring we received on our last Sunday morning for 3 years at Lifesource.  THANK YOU for sharing in our calling to help the Quechua people, to tell them the good news of Jesus.  They will be impacted eternally as they hear the Gospel over the radio and see it on their television screens.  They will also be impacted physically as health and educational programs equip them with needed health and wellbeing information.

It is written in Isaiah 55:11 – the Word that goes forth out of my mouth will not return to me void.  The Word is true and we know there will be a mighty harvest of souls.  This harvest extends further throughout Peru and potentially beyond. 

We have been overwhelmed with the love, support, encouragement and incredible generosity that you have extended to us.  This has been nothing short of the personified love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ - which is of course what we are going to extend to the Quechua people in partnership with you.

To be honest about this - it has been an exciting but also a difficult and challenging journey for our family as we prepare to go.  But God has been there at the right time with the right people all along the way.  This has given us the assurance that “God’s got it!”.  It has been a faith journey for us from the beginning, as we are convicted from Hebrews 11:6 that we cannot please God without faith and as we fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

We look forward to sharing the journey with you along the way in words and pictures yes, but most importantly - from all our hearts to yours.  We want to be an encouragement to you as to what God has done, is doing and will do not just in our lives but in yours.

Love in Christ,

The Welches

Our Lifesource Church Commissioning on our final service there for 3 years – Sunday 22 May 2016

A New FM Site for Andahuaylas

10 May 2016

In April, Diospi Suyana purchased land for their latest FM license (103.7 – see my previous post) – a transmission site above the city of Andahuaylas.  This is a 100²m lot of land adjacent two existing TV/FM broadcast towers.

Andahuaylas is estimated to have a population of 63,654 in 2015, making it the largest city in the Apurímac region.

The below photos below best describe the transmission site acquisition.

Existing TV and FM broadcast towers above the city of Andahuaylas.

The city of Andahuaylas in the valley.

There is a lot more to do now including a significant infrastructure build (e.g. tower, building, power, program link etc.) but this land purchase is off to a good start.

I just need to get there now!

Chris

A Diospi Suyana Broadcast Transmission Update

9 May 2016

An adaptation from the Diospi Suyana website Media News of 23 April 2016 and 3 May 2016:

A Sr. Hugo Orosco showed up at Diospi Suyana Hospital on 29 March and he brought a surprising offer with him: an FM license (normally difficult to obtain in Peru).  On 21 April, Dr John signed a declaration of intent for the purchase.

As soon as the transmission equipment is installed, a program for the district of Curahuasi can be transmitted.

Dr. John and Sr. Hugo Orosco Vivanco, Director of “Red Nacional de Radio y Television”

 The “Gifted” FM 103.7MHz License

This brings the Diospi Suyana Media Centre radio licenses to two, plus one TV license to service Curahuasi.   300,000 people live in the coverage area of these three licenses.   There is more to follow in due course.

By June 2016 it is hoped the entire Diospi Suyana broadcast team should be in place, comprising approximately 10 broadcast workers (as of 3 May, this stands at 5 workers).  In the meantime the studios must be set up and the transmission of the signals from Curahuasi to the city of Andahuaylas (74km line of sight) solved.

However there is a 4.6km (height above sea level) mountain in the direct path.  But a two hop microwave link using existing transmission sites would be the best outcome if possible.  It would initially avoid the higher cost of satellite and the cost and unreliability of a public internet system.  However satellite will be the inevitable final solution to service a wider Peru transmission network.

“Content is king” as the saying goes in the broadcast industry and so is well appreciated by Diospi Suyana that the best equipment is of no use without compelling and professional programming.

The Diospi Suyana hospital school stand for absolute quality.  It is our hope, that our Media Centre can reach a similar standard.  This won’t happen overnight, but this goal is envisaged within about five years.

Chris

Jake - 1 MONTH TIL I GET TAKEN TO PERU!

1 May 2016

Jake's latest “DeJake” video blog instalment: 1 MONTH TIL I GET TAKEN TO PERU, for your viewing pleasure! ☺

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GSz_o2AxjU

DeJake "social presence" logo

We really appreciate Jake’s honesty, openness and perception about his future – thanks Jake!  In fact Sandi and I could not have summed up better ourselves how we are feeling about our forthcoming 3 year term in Peru.

Chris (a proud Dad right now)

Tickets Booked!

11 April 2016

The moment has arrived!  We have now booked tickets to depart Australia on Tuesday 31 May 2016.  Qantas had a half price special from Sydney to Lima which was just too good to pass up, so Lifesource and Pioneers agreed we should book them.

This is despite our support level currently being at 53% with 4 weeks to go!

As I have kept saying all along, this is a faith walk for us and a conviction that God is opening this door for us.  I could not help but find it ironic that today’s Bible Gateway verse was one of my favourites - Hebrews 11:6 which states;

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

I have envisioned Moses standing at the Red Sea with some 2 million+ Israelites and the Egyptian army in hot pursuit to take the people back into slavery.  Moses would have been tested to the last at that point as he stood on the shore.  Some of the similarities are somewhat ironic for me – Red Sea viz. Pacific Ocean, awaiting passage as time runs out with a large audience of onlookers.

However moving forward in time our family of merely 10 and a God who is willing and able to act the same today as he did 3,162 years ago with Moses – no problem!

I met a new friend at a Pioneers’ prayer meeting recently who in follow up directed me to the revelation that Moses had in that moment in time, which in Exodus 14 it reads;

“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

So that is my conviction.  Having done all we can do, we will stand still and wait for the promised passage.  Amen.

Chris