Grace

May-June-July 2008

Where to begin?   Thank you all for your continuing prayers and support.  Please forgive me for not keeping you updated as I should.  I know that without information from me it is hard to pray specifically for what is going on. 

 

Well coming home from Peru was a very big culture shock, as I was expecting.  Even now 2.5 months later I miss my dear friends from Peru everyday! 

 Going from the beginning of winter to the beginning of an Arizona summer was shocking as well.  It took me about three days to be able to breath properly as in Lima it is extremely humid and in Arizona is very DRY! 

  It was a great blessing to see my mom and family and especially the people from church that I know have been so faithful throughout this past year.  

  The Lord blessed me with the opportunity to be able to share a video presentation that I made of my time in Peru with several different people and groups.  I love being able to show everyone the fruit that the Lord brought through my time in Lima, Peru . 

BECOMING A MISSIONARY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA !

  The Lord put it on my heart to return to the USA to work on starting a Christian ESL School here in Arizona just like I had done in Lima .  There is about 45% Hispanic population in Bullhead City , which is where I live, and virtually no one reaching out to this culture within our culture. 

     I have been teaching for the last 6 weeks two nights a week teaching ESL at the Community College here in my town, all of my students are women and they are all very receptive to the Lord. 

  I had no intention of teaching Spanish in coming home, but several people from church have had a desire to learn Spanish to be able to reach out to our community.  So for the past two weeks I have been teaching 13 people Spanish.  We meet twice a week, and they are learning scripture in Spanish and also worship songs in Spanish.   Two of my Mexican students from the college are even coming to the class and helping me teach.  Please pray for them their names are Silvia and Bertha.  They are here in the states for only 4 more months on working visas but are both extremely receptive to the Lord. 

  I pray that in the future we will have a Christian ESL school a Christian Spanish school,  also that we will have a Spanish Church service too.  There are limitless possibilities with our God! 

  Please pray that the Lord will give me more opportunities to reach out into the Latino community here in Bullhead, and that He will put this same desire on more people’s hearts. 

   The Living water Ministry is going great.  We have given out about 1,000 water bottles in the last 3 weeks and talked to many people about the love of Jesus.  This is also a way that the Lord is using us to reach out to the lost in Las Vegas and Laughlin, NV . 

   I am also continuing to work on making a Christian ESL Curriculum.  It is coming along really well and I am so excited to see what the Lord’s going to do with it.

  Once again thank you for your prayers and continued support.  

God bless you and keep you! 

I would love to hear about what the Lord’s doing in your lives, or if you would like to get together and fellowship.  Please write to me at gracehensley@hotmail.com

p.s.  If you are interested in supporting me as a missionary here in the USA please donate online at this site. 

http://www.sgwm.com/missionaries/php?id=143

"But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." 2 Tim. 4:5

I have experienced so many different emotions this month. It is hard to believe that my year in Peru is now over. It was such a life changing experience that I will cherish and continue to learn from in years to come.

During this month I was able to invite several families over for dinner. It was a great blessing to get to know my students and their families on a much more personal level.

They have all lived such interesting lives. I can't even imagine experiencing the hardships that some of them have gone though. Through the Lord they have overcome all these things and have such joy and peace. They were a great encouragement to me.

This little lady's name is Sofia. She has a fruit shop around the corner from the Bible College. Her son Carlos has been coming to the English classes for the last 4 semesters. He has learned a lot of English, but most of all He has drawn closer to the Lord. It was so great to hear about their lives, where the Lord has brought them from and where the Lord is leading them. 

                                                                                                                    


In coming to Peru it was never my intention to create a school that was dependent upon me. The Lord gave me His wisdom in order to organize and start the school. It has been my prayer that the Lord would be the center of everything and that He would remain in complete control.

All of the students completed their final exams and almost all of them moved up to the next level. They are all growing in their confidence and enjoying the classes. The best part however is that they are inviting their non-Christian friends and neighbors to come to the English school, and to church.

Thank you so much for your prayers about the Lord providing a new director in my place. He did. Her name is Rachel Mach, please keep her in your prayers.

Classes start May 5 so she has a lot to do in order to get everything ready. Please continue to pray for the students that will be coming this semester.




My last week in Lima was filled with such bittersweet emotions. I knew that the Lord had called me to go back to Bullhead City, Arizona and establish an Christian English School there. But at the same time my heart ached to remain with the amazing Peruvians that had become not just my students and my friends but my family!

The Lord is faithful and i know that if it is His will I will return to Lima someday soon perhaps not long term, but like Paul to encourage and comfort the body of Christ there.



About 10 of the Peruvians came to the airport to send me off. That was such a huge blessing to see all of their love to come out so late and be there for me.

My flight left Lima at about midnight and got to Ft. Lauderdale at 6:00 am. I had a layover till 12:00 pm but it was totally God because I had the opportunity to talk with a lady there in the airport and encourage her in her walk with the Lord.

At noon I left Ft. Lauderdale and went to Orlando. I had to switch planes again and left Orlando at 2:00 pm. My plane stopped in Albuquerque for about 40 minutes and then finally to Las Vegas where my Mom picked me up from the airport.

We went out to dinner with my sister and niece. It was a nice time to be with them and share a little bit about what the Lord has been doing in Peru.

This morning I went to church in my Peruvian outfit, and was blessed to see everyone. Some time this next week I'll have a time that I can share with the whole body the great work that has been started in Lima. Peru.

This is a picture of me and my Pastor after church today






Now I am here in Bullhead City, Arizona. I am now a national missionary to the United States of America. The Lord has put it on my heart to reach out to the Latino population here.

During the next couple of weeks please join me in prayer as it is my heart's desire to start an English school here in Bullhead. There is a lot of preparation that goes into starting a school many materials that need to be purchased, and teachers that need to be trained. But the most important part is that everything is covered in prayer.

Perhaps you or your church might be interested in hearing about how to start an English as a Second Language school at your church. I would be glad to come and share how the Lord has used this ministry to bring so many people to Him.

Thank you so much for continuing to prayerfully support me in this new ministry. I know that the Lord will be glorified and that many people with come to Him.

May God richly bless you and keep you. I would love to hear from you.

En Cristo, Grace

(This is a picture of me and my Mom. She was very thankful to have me back home)

I went to the beach today with some friends that are also missionaries here they are teachers at the International Christian School. 

  We drove through the McDonalds and grabbed some lunch...so funny to do that here...then about a 45 minute drive and we were there.  We also went with a missionary family who have 4 children, who are all white with blond hair...they said the funniest things...like

I know why m&m's are called m&m's..."why" I asked?  To which he said,"because when you eat them you go mmmm..mmmm..."  Hehehe...It was cute. 

  Then when we were coming back a song from Phantom of the Opera came on and he asked ..."Is this Ket Green?"  we all laughed....It was so nice to spend time with kids and just soak up their pure joy of the sun and the ocean...being all covered in dirt but loving it!

    Then i went to the Believer's night which is a bilingual service every Sunday night here....it was nice we watched the movie, "The end of the spear"  because the boy in that movie..Steve...He's going to come to the church here next Sunday night and personally share with us.  That's really neat I am looking forward to that.

    Please keep this coming week in your prayers...that the classes will go smoothly and that many students will be ministered to through the Word. 

   God bless you!~

En Cristo, Grace

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

December here in Peru was a very full month. The holiday season is just as rushed as it is in America. Although it is summer here in South America the stores are packed with Christmas trees, reindeers and Santas. They have very different Christmas traditions that I am used to.

I had the pleasure of being invited to spend Christmas with a Peruvian family from the church that I have become very close to. The tradition here is that they wait until midnight and open all the presents and have their huge meal with Turkey, potatoes, hot chocolate and panetone(a fruitcake bread, that absolutely everyone has for Christmas) During all of this there are so many fireworks going off that it sounded as if I was in the middle of a war zone. Even though everything was so different I was so thankful to experience this special time with them. For New Year’s Eve we had a big potluck at the Bible College Campus.

There were over 60 people and it was a great celebration we prayed and sang worship songs to bring in the new year. I have to tell you that I was a little sad even though there was celebration going on all around me. Almost all of the American Missionaries had left to go back home for the States so I was practically alone for the holidays and I missed my family very much. But I want to say thank you so much for your prayers and e-mails as they were a huge encouragement and the Christmas cards that you sent really blessed my heart. Thank you!

During the second half of December and all of the month of January the cook for the Bible College is on vacation. I love to cook and was given the opportunity to cook all of the meals for the 10-15 people that are on the campus everyday. I have learned so much. As there aren’t very many things that are packaged here mostly everything is fresh and you have to make it from scratch. So if you have any good recipes that you would like to share with me that would be awesome  I will be cooking all the meals until the end of January and then when the students come I will only be cooking breakfast.

Also the English classes just started this last week. There are about 90 students enrolled in the classes. Many more non-believers are coming so please pray that the Holy Spirit will minister to their hearts. Every class begins and ends with prayer and there are memory verses every week. I am not only having them memorize them but study them, as so many times we can repeat a verse by heart, but if someone were to ask you what does that verse mean, or how can I apply that to my life, we wouldn’t know how to respond. Something new that has started is a Conversation Club which is on Friday afternoons for 2 hours. This is an incredible platform for the students to use their English and practice how to share the gospel.

I have also moved off the Bible College campus. One of my students had an apartment that is right next to hers and was having it completely remodeled. She was asking the same price that I was paying to stay at the Bible College and it is fully furnished and only a 15 minute walk from the Bible College. I love it! I have been here for a week. I really enjoyed living at the Bible College, but there was always constant activity and at some points I felt as if I wasn’t even in Peru as there were always so many Americans around. But now I am living out in the community and have the opportunity to talk to and get to know the Peruvians here in my neighborhood. Please continue to pray for divine appointments.

Lastly this last weekend I went on the outreach to the park where we street witness to people and I met an older man named Peppy. He didn’t have a bible of his own but he wanted to know more about God and his heart was so open to the Gospel! I shared with him the truth of God’s love and gave him the bilingual bible that I had. I invited him to come to church and he came and even brought a friend. Please pray that he will continue to come and that the Lord will speak to his heart.

There is so much more that I could share with you about what the Lord is doing here... Your prayers are being answered. May God bless you and keep you…thank you for your support. En Cristo (In Christ) Grace

"I will love You, O LORD my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:1-3

I have seen the Lord give me His strength this month as I have seen such devastation and at many times felt so helpless.

First as all of you know there was a huge earthquake here. I canceled all of my classes for a week and teams were sent out everyday to different villages and towns that have been badly affected by the earthquake. Entire communities are now living in the streets as they are scared to death to go into what is left of their homes. We have given food to thousands of people, and blessed people with blankets and water and helped take down and build up where possible. Sometimes the only thing that they need is just someone to be there and hold their hand while they cry. I can't even imagine the despair that so many of these people must feel as they have lost their homes, their loved ones and virtually there very existence. But praise the Lord as we had great news to share with them. That they can have a sure foundation in Jesus Christ, and that He will be their stronghold when everything else has crumbled He will always be faithful.

Secondly all of the Bible College Students arrived this last week...almost 40 of them! It has been great getting to know them and see what the Lord is going to be doing in their lives. One of them even asked me about the ESL class as she would like to teach ESL in the future.

My ESL classes are going well. I give all of the students a verse that they have to memorize each week and the majority of them had it memorized. It was such a joy for me to hear them using the word of God as a tool to learn English. I am teaching 4 days a week from 10:00- 6:30, there are five different levels. Each level has two parts that are 8 weeks long. In only five weeks the first part of the levels will be completed and many of the students will move to the next level. Please pray that the Lord will provide someone to come alongside and teach as right now I don't have the time or energy to create a place for these upcoming classes by myself.

I am also enjoying the blessing of cooking breakfast each morning for the Bible college students. This weekend I will be joining all of the girls from the Bible College as we go for a retreat. Please pray that the Lord will speak to me personally and also that He will use me as a blessing to these girls.

Prayer Requests...

- Please keep the people who have lost their homes and loved ones lifted up
- That the Lord would minister to the Arab families in Israel that I was sharing with before coming to Peru
- That He would give me His strength and patience to teach English

Praises

- That I will be able to spend this coming weekend at the feet of Jesus
- That my mom is home safe and sound in Arizona
- That there are people praying for me and supporting me.
- That God is always faithful to keep His promises
- That i was able to speak to and see my whole church in Arizona through the webcam this last Sunday

May the Lord continue to bless you and keep you, I miss you!

Love in Him, Grace

The road to Lima...

July 13th..I left Jerusalem at 2:30 in the morning...it was so hard to leave...i miss everything about it and everyone there that i had to leave behind..(sighs) 

   I got to the airport with my 3 large suitcases and carry on at about 3:45.  British Airlines didn't open until 3 hours before the flight which was scheduled to leave at 8:00 AM.  So i sat there next to my suitcases..and tried to get some rest.  5:00 AM I got into line, passport in hand. 

DELAYED...(sighs)  I was told it was going to be 2 hours late.  Well of course it was much longer, they had to change everyones flights, and of course since i was going half way across the world, i was last...I must have been there for like 4 hours.  So finally...they changed me to a Continental Airlines flight which was leaving at 6:00 PM to go to Miami, where i would be able to catch my original flight on to Peru.  Also there was a $150 fee because of my extra bag...because i purchased a missionary ticket i was allowed 3 bags with British, but the other airlines wouldn't recognize it. 

 DELAYED...the Continental flight was delayed as well a couple of hours and so i ended up getting to Miami 2 hours after my flight for Peru left.  British Airlines had transfered me to Lima Airlines instead of my original flight with American Airlines.  British Airways were the only ones that could change my ticket and they didn't open until 1:30 in the afternoon.  It was 4:30 AM.  (sighs)  So...I got my suitcases and waited...Then the Lord sent me an angel. 

  The nicest British Airways lady...i told her everything that had happened at she gave me a food voucher and told me to go to Lima Airways..she had changed the ticket so i would be on the next flight even though the flight was full and i was originally on standby she got me in there somehow.  Although i had to pay another $100 for my bags.  She even took those reciepts and gave me a credit card that had the $250 that i had spent on the bags.  She was really a blessing!  So finally almost 3 days of traveling i arrived to Lima, Peru.

   The people from the Bible College were there to greet me and take me to the college.  Praise the Lord! 

   So far I have been here a week, and this city is huge there are like 8 million people that live here.  I must say it is nice to be able to speak spanish and understand what is going on..but i have a lot to learn. 

    Last Sunday i stood up in front of the whole church and was able to tell them about the english classes that i would be teaching.  Over 80 people signed up to come and take the placement tests and as of today final count there are 98 people signed up for the classes. 

   I will be teaching Monday thru Thursday from 10:00am - 6:30 pm.  There are 5 different levels and i am teaching them all.  So if anyone reading this has a heart to come here to Peru and teach english with me and serve the Lord...pray about it and come.  *smiles* 

   Well that is life so far...ohh yeah i am Lord willing going with my roomate Darci to Iquitos which is near the amazon river and in the Jungle to minister to some small churches there and well to be honest i am not really sure what we will do but i am sure that the Lord will work that out.  So we're planning on leaving on the 29th and staying for about a week.  Pray that i don't get eaten by bugs, or have to eat anything to umm...well anything to strange. 

Gracias..

In Yeshua, Grace♥