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November 2009
Dear friends and family,
I feel truly blessed to be able to write this letter
as Fredy and I prepare to depart for Lima on
December 3rd. By then the family will have been
apart well over three months, as God takes us
through this pruning process so we will be more
fruitful. The LORD is teaching us much as we abide
in Him, and we want to thank you for your prayers.
On November 16h the surgeon saw bone growth in my
ankle for the first time since my injury over a year
ago. This is great news and a definite answer to
prayer. It means that the shattered bone is reacting
and healing can take place. I return to Perú with a
“Cam boot” from my knee down. I am allowed to put
25% of my weight on the foot for the next two
months, and will continue to increase weight very
slowly over the next year. Our continued prayer is
that I will have good use of the foot with only a
tolerable amount of pain, but we trust the Lord to
do what will bring Him the most glory. As most
people, we’re still in the market for a miracle!!!!
One beloved saint who is battling cancer told me,
“Well, Barb, we’ll just keep walking by faith.” His
wife added, “In your case, Barbara, you’ll be
hopping by faith.” And so I will! We all have a race
to run, and by God’s grace and in His strength,
we’ll finish well, even if we are crawling.
Tim has been swamped during my absence, which has
coincided with the furlough of the Lovealls, the
only other family that was previously on the field.
Apart from responsibilities at the Bible School and
often teaching four hours a day, Tim has managed to
prepare the special anniversary meetings of the Arin
church and have them in the auditorium of the new
building! Tim said the four-night campaign was well
attended and a blessing to many. We are praying much
for Pastor Miguel Tresierra and his wife at this
time. Right before the special meetings, the doctor
confirmed that she has cancer. The Tresierras opted
to participate in all the festivities and then began
an intensive round of doctor visits to determine the
extent of the cancer and the treatment that should
begin. They have demonstrated a special burden to
get the church in the new building, giving $1000 out
of their savings one time when we desperately needed
cement. Their prayer is that the doctors would be
wise, and souls be saved.
As for Cesar, Briana, Sonia, and Caleb in Lima, they
are blossoming. They enjoy the church and school
situation at Fetzer Christian Academy. We are so
grateful for Tim’s sister, Becky, housing and caring
for all four of the kids. They have also been
blessed by the presence of their grandparents, Bob
and Betty Whatley, who have greatly impacted many
lives during this stay in Lima. Bob and Betty also
took the kids on a week-end expedition where they
took pictures of a mummy with a dinosaur tattooed on
her hand, and met a man whose father found thousands
of painted stones among other relics. They got to
see some painted stones that showed a man riding a
dinosaur. Amazing news for evolutionists, who
believe they lived in different time periods.
One thing I have been working on during my recovery,
has been damage control on our compromised hotmail
accounts. Over 600 people were on our lists, and
I’ve only re-assembled about 420 of them. PLEASE
NOTE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION: Delete
both Whatley hotmail accounts from your contact
lists and don’t respond to anyone using them. They
are asking for money in my name and managed to hack
into several other hotmail accounts the same day
they did ours. It would be a good idea to change
your password as a safety precaution. To complicate
our communication situation, the government is
making it difficult to continue to use bulk rate
postage. This makes internet contact even more
important. Please write us at
timoteowhatley@yahoo.com.
You may ask us to discontinue the paper letter if it
is not useful to you. Another change in
communication is that Baptist Mid-Missions is
endeavoring to make the best use of God’s money by
doing most of their correspondence with their
missionaries by internet. This means that they will
not be able to get cards or letters to us as they
have before. They must be sent directly to the Perú
address on this stationary. Correspondence with
donors and the reception of checks is not affected
by this change, so you don’t have to worry about
that. Thanks, as always, for the part you play in
reaching the southern Andes Mountains of Perú with
the life-transforming power of the gospel of Christ.
Your fellow servants,
Tim and Barbara Whatley and Family
One of the boxes:
Praise God for His response to prayers concerning
our financial situation. Might we see His mighty
hand respond the same way to churches suffering
economically at this crucial time. Just recently a
new church has taken us on for support, another has
increased their giving, a family has decided to help
and many have sent generous offerings and love
gifts. We are very grateful for God’s channels of
blessing as we deal with the added expenses my
surgery has caused, including the cost of schooling
the children at Fetzer. God’s Work done God’s Way
will not lack God’s Provision. We trust His
direction as we make adjustments in our ministries
and life style. His grace is sufficient!
The other box:
Please Pray For:
-The Tresierra family as they rely on the Lord
during the cancer treatment that is to begin
-The Bible School students, teachers, and budget,
along with Rachel Tarvin , who is struggling to
cover the bases.
-The Rojas and Maddux families as they adjust to
life and ministry in our area, and the Campbells as
they pursue language study and additional support. |
