We’ve prepared a short video to help you to pray for and consider medical missions.
Please watch here. 

Maybe you say “I’d love to help, but I have no medical training”.

I have good news for you: We need both medical and non-medical people on these trips!

If you are interested, please email us for more details.

 

November 18, 2021

The darkness enveloped us as we sleepily loaded ourselves into the car. More than one tired voice asked what time it was, as we prepared for another long road trip. The children surmised that it looked like midnight, while it was actually nearly 7a.m. What a difference from the jungle! One of the things that we’re still not used to is the amount of daylight in the northern hemisphere. The Peruvian jungle is so close to the equator that we experience full light (soon followed by full heat) shortly after 5 a.m.

God gave us some great meetings and conferences in NC, SC, GA, FL, and OH during the months of October and November. We were thrilled to receive many warm welcomes and cheery reunions! Many people were surprised by the efficiency of our team: Our children have their own presentation and run the kids program at many of the churches we visit. Isaiah does the scripture reading and teaches a song. Abigail shares her salvation testimony. Joseph preaches an age-appropriate message. They show their own video, which gives a glimpse into their lives in Peru, and they all answer questions about the jungle and life as missionary kids. I’m very thankful for their God-given gifts, and we rejoice in the opportunities God has given us!

We just finished our last conference this week.  Now, we will be making weekend trips, since we have nearly every Sunday filled until the end our furlough. We will drive, Lord willing, from upper NY to lower AL during the next few weeks to share what God is doing in Peru. Our family is thankful for every visit, but also for the rest.

We praise God for the hard work of our furlough replacement missionaries and the faithful believers in the jungle. You can imagine the trials and temptations while living in such a dark place, but God continues to work. I just finished a phone call with one of the deacons who shared about some setbacks and lower attendance recently. Please pray that God moves and brings true repentance, revival, and conversion to our town!

The Lord has moved in wonderful ways, providing for so many needs. One church is donating an entire streaming set up, including a professional camera, computer, and tech support. A new friend is locating the best auditorium projector for us, and has donated the hardware to mount it! Other friends have paid for Loren´s doctor visits and meds to try to help her auto-immune disorder. Trinity Baptist, of Westfield, IN, has recently voted to support us, bringing our support level up to 85%. Although we have extra occasional gifts coming in, our committed support is lower than normal due to budget adjustments and cost increases. Please pray with us about that, and praise the Lord for always supplying for our needs.

Please praise with us about:

1. God’s provision for us and the ministry
2. A new supporting church
3. The faithfulness of many believers in the jungle
4. A nice place to stay when in Greenville over the last two months

Please pray with us about:

1. Spiritual strength and stamina
2. Church kitchen equipment $2000
3. Church furniture and security system $3000
4. Church sound system $1000

Earlier this week some friends invited us to go to the lake for some jet-ski fun. While riding around I was struck by the massive and beautiful architecture of a house on one side of the water. Anyone would immediately notice the size, but I had no idea of the true expanse. The house itself is over 36,000 square feet of luxury. It has a bowling ally, a go-cart track, a massive workshop, a 20 car garage, an equestrian center, and the list could go on. The estate sold earlier this year for 16.7 million dollars. You can see more here, if you like.

The world knows that we are all looking for something. There are countless “life coaches” who make a living helping people realize what they want and how to get it. A group of “influencers” will trade some of their YouTube/instagram/Facebook/twitter “voice” for some benefit from you, offering you the possibility of greater popularity, and often: more wealth. Social media and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) experts promise you greater reach with your limited marketing dollars. “Health experts” write innumerable books, blogs, and articles to help you have a longer, more fulfilling life.

All of these people and fields are offering you some things the Lord has already promised in certain circumstances.

Money… fame… longevity.

Where do we get those?

“The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.” Proverbs 22:4

Riches 

Honor 

Life

Exactly the same things that so many marketing schemes, influencers, coaches, and social media accounts promise. Worth taking note.

May the Lord help us remember that He rewards those who fear him, and humbly seek him!

Sometimes we complain about rules. Imagine a person so ridiculous as to complain about the legalism of lines on the road. This imaginary person not only resents the lines, but decides to ignore them entirely. This fool soon becomes known for causing accidents and hurting himself and others.
I share with you some rules from a wise man. Not to cramp your style, or ruin your fun, but because they are actually helpful, and could end up saving a life.

7 RULES
In 1894, missionary Jonathan Goforth wrote these 7 rules for daily living on the fly-leaf of his Bible:
1. Seek to give much—expect nothing.
2. Put the very best construction on the actions of others.
3. Never let a day pass without at least a quarter of an hour spent in the study of the Bible.
4. Never omit daily morning and evening private prayer and devotion.
5. In all things seek to know God’s Will and when known obey at any cost.
6. Seek to cultivate a quiet prayerful spirit.
7. Seek each day to do or say something to further Christianity among the heathen.

May they be a help for you, as they were for me.

The pressure…the stress…the last minute things… the to do list that appears to get longer rather than shorter. We have all felt this as we prepare for a long trip or a big presentation. 

If you have ever left your home and work for a few weeks you have felt the stress. Imagine that you were leaving for half a year to travel halfway across the world, and you know better how we felt as we were preparing to leave for furlough. Missionaries leave house, friends, ministry, job, church-family, outreach opportunities, and evangelistic contacts. However, all of that pales in comparison when we take a moment to reflect. 

Imagine how Jesus felt, humanly speaking, as he was not just leaving the ministry for a few months, but leaving 11 sinful and selfish men with the future of Christianity in their hands. 

How could he do that? What is the key?  The Holy Spirit.

The Spirit came to dwell here for incredibly important reasons! 

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

John 16:7-8, 13-14

The same comforter who came alongside those early believers is with the believers that we left in Peru. 

He will strengthen them to do the work. He will comfort them in their trials. He will make them fruitful. He will draw souls to himself, even using the testimony of fallen people. 

The same reproof that the Spirit works as we study the Bible with unbelievers is the Spirit who continues to convict and reprove the unsaved as our church body carries out the work of the great commission. 

The same Spirit that drew people to Jesus 2000 years ago continues to work in souls today. 

May we be thankful for the Holy Spirit who is in us and pray that the Spirit would glorify Jesus through us and those we disciple. 

 

 

 

 

We started out with two vans stuffed with kids. There were nearly 50 of us total!

\

We enjoyed some fellowship and food.

Hamburgers and Hot dogs!

Maybe one small project.

 

More field fun!

A flat tire or two.

Great water games!

Even more field games!

And of course, preaching the WORD!

What a fun day!

I recently did a brief interview for some friends, and thought others might be interested in the answers as well!

Please tell us 

-About the area you are in:

o   What is the weather/climate like where you live?

Here we have two seasons: hot and hotter! We actually have rain regularly for about half the year. It is very different from the SoCal desert. 

o   What’s the population like (farmland, cities, rural tribes, etc.)? 

We live on the edge of a small city (around 80,000) There are lots of tribal villages and farmland in our state, as well as many smaller cities and towns. 

o   What do people enjoy doing for fun that may be different than the US?

We don’t have as many entertainment options as you do in the US. There are no go-karts, or putt-putt, or bowling allies. Here many people love to go to the river when the water is lower (specifically during dry season). 

o    Is there any odd food that is eaten where you live? 

One of the locals favorite foods is Suri – this is a large grub that grows in certain local trees. They eat them raw or grilled. We also eat all sorts of animals here that you might not recognize. 

o   What are some unique animals of the region? Any fun stories of how you interacted with some of the animals? 

Here we have sachavaca – tapirs, añujes – daytime jungle rodents, picuro – nighttime jungle rodents, Taricaya – river turtles, all sorts of monkeys, and lots of other animals. – all of these are eaten here locally.

o   Any fun stories of how you interacted with some of the animals?

One time we were with some native people searching for turtle eggs to eat. My son picked up some smaller eggs on the beach, and the bird dive-bombed us for the next few minutes. 

         

-About you

o   Can you tell us about your family (spouse, kids, ages, etc.)?

My wife, Loren, and I have been married for 17 years. 

Our kids are:

Joseph 12.5

Isaiah – almost 11

Abigail – 9

o   How long have you been in the region you are now?

We have been here for 12 years. 

o   Where are you from originally?

I am from Greenville, SC

Loren is from Long Island, NY

o   How did God call you to the area you are in or to mission work in general?

That is a rather big question. The short answer is through: God´s Word, Church leadership, talents he gave us, and circumstances.

-About your ministry and the spiritual atmosphere of the area

o   What is the spiritual atmosphere of where you live? Is it primarily open to God’s word or opposed (or maybe a little of both)?

Most of the people in our city are not from this region. Many of them came for the gold-mining or related businesses. That means that a lot of them are somewhat hard, and not as interested in the gospel. 

Many of the tribal villages that we visit (anywhere from an hour up to 3 days to get there by river) seem to be very open to the Gospel. They are very confused about what it means to be a Christian. 

o   What is the primary focus of your ministry? (church planting, seminary, bible translation, etc.)

We are here for church planting. We are helping a national translator, and teach a couple of Bible-college block courses every year. 

o   Were there any unexpected changes that you had to make when you reached the mission field? 

We planned to move into the remote jungle areas as quickly as possible, but we had a newborn and planned to have more babies soon (thankfully God answered that prayer). Multiple other factors lead to us planting a church in the city, where we still live. 

o   Are there any events over the summer that we could be praying for here at Trailhead (Jr. Camp at Wolf Mountain)? VBS or other evangelistic events?

Please pray for our end-of-June evangelistic training conference, about our VBS mid-July, and about our trip to the States at the end of July. 

o   What are you praying for right now in your life and ministry that we could be praying for as well?

Please pray for a national pastor, for strong church leadership, for our building to be finished, and for the opportunity to take the Gospel to the unreached tribes in Peru. 

Thank you so much!

Grace and peace, Buddy and Loren Fitzgerald

May 25, 2021

In March, we were finally meeting on Sundays again, when the country put most areas under a strict lockdown once more. There were some churches  that literally got to meet in person just one time, before having to return to virtual services. Someone said, “Online sermons are like watching a flame on TV. You can see the fire, but you can’t feel the heat.” In addition to preaching online, I also taught a three-week online hermeneutics class for the Bible college in Cusco.

We are thankful to report that we are allowed to meet once again, even though it currently cannot be on Sundays. We have new visitors nearly every week, although we are still missing plenty of “pre-Covid” regulars.

We are so thankful that we have been able to begin door-to-door visits, youth group meetings, market tract-distribution, neighborhood volleyball, and even discipleship in the yard. Abigail has begun having Bible studies with her little neighbor friends, and she loves doing it!

We are thrilled to re-start our church institute, although this time, I am meeting specifically with about six men as I train them to study the Bible and prepare sermons. These are men who have already shown themselves faithful, and we pray that the Lord would give them a fruitful ministry even while we are gone.

Last month, we had a couple of break-ins at the church, but within a couple of hours of sharing the news, the Lord had provided for the stolen things, and the police were able to recover some items!

We have taken neighbor children to church with us for years now, but one little boy was so violent and naughty that I had to limit his visits on a couple of occasions. Now he is 13, attending our youth group, has made a profession of faith, and is learning to follow Jesus through discipleship. Please pray that Luis would love and follow God all his life.

We rejoiced in our 17-year anniversary, and I was surprised by the church folks who threw us a party to celebrate as well! What a joy to feel their expression of love for us!

I was unexpectedly called to perform two funerals in the last couple of months. They were both relatives of friends. We glorify God that the Gospel was preached to the unsaved folks present, and we are sobered as we remember the brevity of life and the hopelessness of those without Christ all around us.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

 

Grace and peace, The Fitzgerald family

 

 

Please pray regarding:

1. The Sechrests as they fill in for us during furlough.
2. The completion of the church building project.
3. Team members for the needy fields around us.

 

Please praise regarding:

1. We have tickets for furlough, starting in late July.
2. The building funds God has given so far.
3. Jeff and Anna Musgrave will come to teach in June.

 

 

Jesus told us that we should go into all the world, because He has “ALL AUTHORITY” (Mat. 28:18)

That doesn’t mean we should purposefully break laws, or ignore health concerns.

We certainly need to love our neighbors well, and be intentional about not passing sickness.

Peru continues to be one of the hardest hit by covid in South America (and perhaps the world).

However, Jesus still has all authority.

We must continue to give the gospel and teach, even if that is only allowed in small groups or online.

The Peruvian government is in turmoil right now. The two presidential candidates are 1. a criminal, or 2. a communist.

We don’t know what the next few months or years may bring. For now the government has closed all in-person church services in our area once again.

But we ask the Lord to help us be faithful in whatever opportunities we have. 

Thank you for your prayers and support, and being faithful where God has put you.

March 30, 2021 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends,

We are so thankful for your prayers and support. God continually answers your prayers and ours as He sustains us and provides for us. A tremendous example of that has been the church construction. Although materials and labor have risen dramatically here, as they have in the United States, God has continued to supply for the work to advance.

The cement structure and external walls were completed last month! Even before they were entirely done, we began to meet in the first floor of the new facility. Currently, we have four subcontractors at work: the roofing crew, the stucco crew, the electrical crew, and the door crew. We are so grateful for the offerings of God’s people, both here and abroad!

Note the flooding of our church yard.

We began to meet in the new building for the first time, despite the rains, because it is much larger than the old building, and the government required more social distancing at all events. We were able to meet those requirements by changing to two identical services on Sundays and asking people to only come to one service. That certainly was a first for me: encouraging folks to come to fewer services – haha! Our area of the country is once again under total lock-down on Sundays, so we have returned to virtual services for now. I always tell the people “this is not church, but we’ll do the best we can.” We were also thrilled to receive two new members last month. One of them was saved after leaving an apostate church, and the other was saved through a Bible study with his neighbor (who just happens to be one of our deacons.)

Last month, we held our first ever youth camp. We were given a beautiful five-acre property with a creek, so we built a galvanized metal pavilion right there in the jungle. Why metal, you might ask? Wood structures in the jungle often get eaten by termites if they aren’t consumed by the slash-and-burn farming techniques first. We believe that this structure should serve us well for many years. The camp was a definite success! We had some of our college and career class serve as staff, and together, we enjoyed ministering to the saved and unsaved teens who came to the three-day/two- night camp. We continue to follow up with the teen visitors who were there, and some are even doing Bible studies now!

The first college/career group is a great blessing as they run three Bible clubs every week. Many new kids have heard the Gospel as a result of these efforts. The college/career group also hosted our beautiful Valentine banquet this year, and we even had a few unsaved couples come to that.

We were excited to make an overnight tribal visit to one of the nearby Yine villages. It is always encouraging to travel with Segundo, go see the tribe, and preach the Word there. Our boys especially love these jungle excursions, and we rejoice to serve together. 

Some saw photos of the tremendous flooding that happened in our town this year. Locals commented that they had never seen such high waters. We were saddened that many people lost most of their belongings, but rejoice to see some of our church members ministering to them.

Lord willing, we will be going on furlough in late July for about 5 months. You can imagine how nerve-wracking it is to leave your ministry, house, and work for five months to go halfway across the globe. However, furloughs are a great blessing, enhanced by the fact that God has directed James and Joyce Sechrest (BWM furlough replacement missionaries) to come fill in for us while we are gone (another first for us). We are so thankful for their desire to serve and years of experience that they bring. We’re also training our deacons and many other disciple-makers in the church so that the gospel ministry continues regardless.

Thank you for your prayers and support.
The Fitzgeralds