Edward & Esme in Peru

Dear Praying Friends,

Greetings from a very wet Arequipa. The whole region of Arequipa has been declared in a state of emergency after at least a week of torrential rain. The situation here is devastating as more than a 1000 people have totally lost their homes, everyone is affected by the rain flooding their streets (including us) as the drainage and sewage systems are not adequately built for such quantities of water. The River Chili which runs through Arequipa ( and passes the bottom of our road) has burst its banks and is causing havoc throughout the province with many thousands of hectares of crops having been destroyed.

The situation further up in the mountains is even worse as whole communities have been cut off by landslides and impassable roads. There is no way in or out of Chachas at present (Edward’s parents are keen to come to Arequipa to welcome back Edward’s sister Lili from the UK next weekend but it is not looking possible as things stand at the moment). The rains are forecasted to get worse. With this we are experiencing power cuts and water cuts too. Please pray for us all as we face the challenges of daily life with the cuts, dirty tap water,  the potential health hazards on the streets due to the sewage and drains and additional dangers of flooded footpaths and roads. Many bridges are being closed as they are deemed unsafe too so getting about is becoming more problematic with the build-up of traffic on alternative routes.

Tomorrow, Sunday, we are commissioning one of our church members who is going to China with OMF long-term. A visiting pastor from Northern Ireland was supposed to arrive this evening from Lima but due to the torrential rain (which continues to hammer down now), the plane was not able to land either here or further south and has had to return to Lima. Please pray for the commissioning service that it will be a special time of dedication despite the weather and whether or not the pastor makes it.

With our love and thanks

Edward, Esmé and Luis

“And my hope is in you,…and all I want to do is to Know you more Lord Jesus”