October Newsletter

Hello!
 

Here is a link to my October newsletter. Hope you enjoy, and thank you for your prayers!

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B76ndXiIqQBwN2MyNzllNDgtMGE1OC00MDI2LWE2NTgtNTZlZWQ1MWE5NTE5&hl=en

Heading in a different direction

Dear friends and family,

Apologies for the tardiness of this update! For those of you who have check this in the past couple months, you will realize this blog has become neglected. Due to the fact that internet is often scarce in the villages, I decided to place the majority of my efforts into creating a monthly newsletter that updates on what has happened the past month. I have found them an effective and unobtrusive way of keeping people in touch with what has been going on. Please email me at Rockchalkryan@gmail.com if you would like to receive these updates!

I had a bit of time off to recover during August from this past summer and was in Lima for the majority of my time (save a few days hiking the Inca Trail at Machu Picchu). That time of rest will be coming to an end this Sunday. I will be traveling out for a month to do research, heading out with Mandy Bush (L) and Jess Sorrell (R) to map out villages in the Apurimac region in southeastern Peru. Our goal will to find out as much as we can about the area, including services offered, population data, who the officials are in the area, and what the religious climate is to name a few things. The goal will to be able to sort through this research and determine which of these areas could benefit from having a church adopt the villages.

Mandy, Jess, and I will be traveling in one of the poorest regions of Peru. We will be going every day, taking buses, vans, livestock trucks, and when none of these can be found, setting out on foot. I would like you to ask for your prayers during these coming weeks. Please pray especially for safety in travel and that the Lord would guide us with His timing. Pray for our bodies to be refreshed each morning, as traveling for many hours each day can quickly wear one
down. Please pray for good team unity.

Your prayerful support is the essence of successful ministry and your efforts are the foundations of the Lord beginning a movement here. Thank you for your love, supportive emails, and updates during my time here in Peru.

Awaiting His Return,
Ryan Northup

P.S. Here is a link to the album from our time along the Inca Trail!
Enjoy http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2362281&id=16805052&l=47d6b8220a

New Assignments!

Hello all!
Here is the latest! I will be heading out to the town of Vilcas Huaman to train leadership there in a couple of the surrounding villages! My new team is composed of Cristen Nelson, a semester missionary, and Claudia Puente, a Peruvian national who has worked with REAP South a LONG time!

We will training three different men in different villages. Please be praying for Miguel, Lino, and Hector as we train them one on one in how to story the Bible. In addition, please pray for my team as we travel out tomorrow night for a loooong ride!

Here are the photo links for the past two months! Hope you enjoy them!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2320942&id=16805052&l=d7c91a8098
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2321108&id=16805052&l=c663ce9e90

Awaiting His Return,
Ryan

Heading Out

Hello friends and fam!

Tomorrow at noon, I will be leaving for the Andean mountain villages of southern Peru for two months to live and breathe the Quechua way. My partner Steve Reams (or "Remus") and I will be traveling about 23 hours to the Ayacucho region to work in villages around the town of Pausa.

Steve and I have been given the task of focusing our efforts for the next two months in the tiny "pueblo" of Aulla (population 125). The mayor of that town, Victor, is the leader of the group, so we will be evaluating the health of the church, teaching Victor and other leadership there, and encouraging them like Paul did with many of the New Testament churches. Our goal will be to have the church in Aulla start another indigenous church in the village of Pararca. Please pray for discernment for both Remus and I over the next two months as we evaluate our plan of action based on the circumstances that we find there.

Village life is going to be challenging, but it is one that I am looking forward to meeting. One motivation for taking this task over others was the opportunity it provided to be stretched in new directions, to be tested in new ways, to be put out of my comfort zone, to become consistently conscious of the people that we share this world with, and to grow in dependence upon the Lord. From the inevitable stomach issues to altitude sickness (we will be working anywhere from 8,000 to 12,000 feet), this is a new type of adventure that will continue throughout the next year and a half I will be in South America.

I will have internet access maybe once every two weeks, so check the blog every so often as I will send out prayer requests for the work the Lord is doing here!

I thank you for your prayers during this time as they are needed now more than ever.

Ryan