Therefore Go…

The start of a new year!

Hello there

I pray that you are well and that you and your family had a special

time over the festive season. Jaime and I just returned to Lima from a

wonderful two month stay with my parents in Cape Town. We had

initially planned to do divide our time there between ministry and

family, but once we arrived it really became clear to us that the

priority of our trip was to spend time with family and with key relationships in Cape Town. After quite

a difficult year last year, this was a real time of “filling up” for me personally and I believe it was an

important part of God’s preparing me for the new season that He is

leading us in to (more of that to come shortly).

When I first came to Peru in 2007, I received a prophetic word that

God would use me to help build a bridge between Peru and South

Africa, Since then it has been amazing to see how many people

have travelled to Cape Town and visa versa. This year it was a real

joy to have my father-in-law and brother-in-law, as well as two

friends, Andrea and Gabriela,

come and spend Christmas with

us. It was incredibly special to have both families together and a

real blessing for my Peruvian family and friends to enjoy the

beauty and hospitality of Cape Town.

I was also blessed to have the opportunity to preach at the

morning service of His People Baxter . I spoke on the “Blessing of

Brokenness”, a message inspired by the many challenges that

both I and many of those close to me have been through this past year

(if you would like to listen to the sermon you can find it at http://

www.hispeoplebaxter.org/other-sermons/364-the-blessing-of-

brokenness-09h00 ).

An Exciting New Adventure….

As we shared of our work here in Peru and of the exciting new opportunities that God has for us

this year, we were reminded again and again of how thankful we are for the team of awesome

people who partner with us in ministry and help make all that we do possible. At the end of last

year I put together a brief video of some of the main highlights of 2013. Please could you take a

moment to click on the link to watch the video. It comes with lots of love and very thankful

hearts… http://animoto.com/play/6tzc3BUaLSNIt910m1GCJg

A new year is always filled of expectations of what is to come. There are no certainties as to what

might be, but we can be certain that God is good, that He is faithful and that He is working out His

perfect plan both in our lives and in this world. Jaime and I pray that this will be a good year for

you and your family. Thank you for the special part that you play in our lives. We are about to

embark on an exciting new adventure in God and in ministry and it is such a joy for us to know that

in a way, you are coming with us.

Much love, Jaime, Kim and Kai

In July last year Jaime and I were approached by Jose-Luis Ochoa, one of

the directors of a small NGO called Renova and Jaime’s former boss, to be

a part of a new development project in the Andean province of Cusco. The

aim of this project is bring transformation to a local community using

blueberry farming as a means of helping the families increase their monthly

income and at the same time using it as a vehicle through which we can

bring the Gospel.

The town of Cusco is well known as the ancient capital of the Inca Empire and is the access point

to the archaeological ruins of Machu Picchu, one of the new wonders of the world. We, however,

will be working in an area called Yanaoca, which is a two hour drive south of the main town and

over 3600m above sea level. Yanaoca has a population of just over 10 000 people, over 36% of

which are under the age of 13.

Some background information….

Jaime and I really are exceptionally excited about this opportunity to serve and make a

difference! Here is a bit of background information about the area we will be working in so you can

have an idea of the reality we will be moving in to….

87% of the population of Yanaoca lives in Total Poverty

55% of the population lives in Extreme Poverty

64.2% of children under the age of 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition

47.9% of the homes are without electricity, 515.5% don’t have drinking water in their homes

Only 3.6% of the population has a higher education.

It is a difficult reality that we will be relocating to, but at the

same time we know that one of the reasons we as a family

have received so much is so that we can be a blessing to

others. It is our hope and prayer that, with time, we can see

some of these stats improve.

In a nutshell, Jaime and I, will be working with three

local families to help them farm blueberries and then

sell them in the local market. We will be working

together with Jose Luis and a man named Ronal (who is

a local and who has the farming expertise). As we do

this, there are two main things that we are believing

for… 1) that we will gain the trust of the families and as a

result, be able to share the Gospel with them.

What we will be doing….

2) That as other families in the area see the success of the blueberry greenhouses, they will also

want to become a part of the project. We are hoping that by the end of two years we will have 5

families on board and that after three years we will have at least ten families who are a part of the

project and that there will be exponential growth from there. We trust that as these families

receive a greater income and that as we work with them as how to best put that to use, there will

be a lasting change in their community.

At the same time we will also have our own personal blueberry greenhouse where we will grow in

the expertise that we will be sharing with the families that we work with. We are currently renting a

small greenhouse in the area and have around 200 blueberry plants that are due to bear their fruit

in March. This is very exciting as it is a great accomplishment to have fruitful blueberries in that

climate and at that altitude.

Jaime will be travelling to Yanaoca in early February in

order to meet the families that Ronal has identified are

interested in being a part of the project as well as to

check on how our blueberries are growing (the picture

top left is of one of our blueberry plants).

In March Kai and I will then travel up to Yanaoca with

Jaime to look for accommodation and to get to

know the area. We are planning the big move to

Yanaoca for early May, where we will rent for the first

few months as we look for land on which to build our

greenhouse and hopefully later where we can build

a home for us. By September this year our

greenhouse should be ready in which we hope to

plant between 1000 and 2000 blueberry plants.

Our timeline….

With so many significant changes coming up in the coming months, we so value your prayers

for the blueberry project and most importantly for our family.

Please pray for the initial “scouting” trips that we will be taking to Yanaoca—please pray

for safe travels and that God will guide us to the right people and places.

Please pray that God will join us with the right people—the relationships that we build over

the coming months are going to crucial to the success of this project. Please pray that

God will bring the right people across our paths and that we will be able to gain their trust

build significant relationships with them.

Please pray that God will guide us to the right plot of land both for the project and for

where we will build our home.

Please pray that we will find favour with the local community and that they will be willing to

sell us land for the project—Many locals are quite suspicious of outsiders coming into the

community. Please trust with us that we will find supernatural favour wherever we go.

Please pray that God will help us adjust smoothly to our new reality— May God give us the

extra grace, strength and wisdom we need as we get used to living in Yanaoca.

Please pray especially for Kai— may the change of scene and altitude not be to hard for

him. Please trust with us that he will adjust easily to his new surroundings.

Please pray that God will give me creativity and wisdom as I create a new home for our

family.

Pray that Jaime and I will be sensitive to the spiritual

dynamics of the area.

This really is a big adventure we are embarking on and we

need to start it all with prayer! Thank you so much for

standing with us in faith as we trust God that we can bring

His love and Kingdom in Yanaoca.

Please keep us in your prayers….