April 2016 Newsletter

We're winding down our time in the US and gearing up to return to the mission field. (Yay!) You can read our latest newsletter below--or download a printable copy here. In this edition, Bill shares about worshipping Jesus by serving the poor and about our plans to return to Peru in July. Enjoy! 

Thanks for sharing the blessed adventure with us! Jesus said in Mt. 10:42, “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” May the Lord bless you for blessing us and Peru!

To join our ministry team and help us transform Peru with the power and name of Jesus, please click here. To sponsor a child with Latin AmericaChildCare, please click here.

Bill and Lena's March, 2015 Newsletter

Thanks to everyone who has helped us proclaim the Gospel in Peru and the Andean region. Thank you! Please find, below, our latest newsletter. You can read it here -- or click on the caption to open it as a printable PDF. In this newsletter, Bill writes about ministry in the Amazon and about our upcoming return to the sttaes to connect with our friends and support team. There's also a few prayer requests. Enjoy!

Click here to read Bill and Lena's March 2015 Newsletter

We'll be returning to the U.S. at the end of June to let those on our support team know what they've been supporting! We're looking forward to it but moving back to the states for a year involves a lot of logistics and questions. For example, where are we going to live and what will we drive? How will the kids handle the transition? For all of this, we ask for your prayers. When we get back, we'll need to share the story of what God is doing here. As such, we'd love an invitation to share in your church or home fellowship group!

Bill and Lena's Peru Update - March 2014

Lena and I are grateful to serve as missionaries to Peru. We're also grateful to our friends who've partnered with us in this great adventure. Thank you!

Please click on the picture (at right) to see our latest update.

Bill and Lena's Peru Update - click here.

Update on the Belen Fire

Thank you to all our friends who have asked for an update on the fire in Belen, Iquitos! On December 20, a fire broke out in the neighborhood surrounding our Latin America ChildCare school (Victoria de Jesus) in Belen. Over 150 homes were destroyed and over 200 families were displaced. We began feeding the people on the first day, using the food from the children's feeding program (provided by Feed My Starving Children).


The people had nowhere to sleep, so we put them up in our school and in the Assembly of God church associated with the school. We also bought bedding, mattresses and housing supplies.

In January, the rains came. Every year the pueblo of Belen floods when the Amazon river rises. This year, the flooding came too quickly for the families to begin rebuilding their homes (which are really shacks on stilts).

Now, the rains are receding. Thankfully, it is early in the season to see dry ground in Belen. Normally, the flooding lasts through April. But, as you can see below, the waters are going down and we can once again see the first floor of our school.

That means it is time to work. The school lost part of its roof, all the furniture and the bathrooms. So, there is much work to be done. Unfortunately, we won't be able to get it all done before school starts next week (the 2nd week in March). But, as you can see below, Pastor Jose is already preparing the walls for paint.

Please keep us in prayer as we try to recuperate what was lost in the school, while continuing to bless the community. Also, if the Lord leads you to help in the cost of repairing the school and purchasing new furniture, please send your offering to Assembly of God World Missions, 1445 N. Boonville Ave., Springfield, MO 65802. For Bill Shrader - Peru, Acct # 248382.

Thanks, also, to Peoples Church (Cincinnati, Ohio) and the LACC emergency fund for their generous support!

Belen fire thoughts

Here are a few random thoughts about the fire in the neighborhood of our LACC School in the Belen district of Iquitos.

1) Ironically, Belen is Spanish for Bethlehem. As I shared previously, I was in Iquitos to give Christmas gifts to the kids in our LACC schools. The gifts were supposed to arive four days prior, but were still on a river barge when I landed in Iquitos. The shipping company said they wouldn't be available until Monday (Christmas eve). We begged and prayed and the gifts became available on Thursday. We were at the shipping company when we got the call about the fire. If the kids in our school in Belen had received their gifts that morning, as was planned, the gifts would have burned in the fire.

2) The day before the fire, I took photos of the street because we were in negotiations to buy some of the houses next to the school. Then the fire struck. After the fire, I took hundreds of  photos and various videos of the site. I wanted to show everyone the before and after shots, but they were all lost. Something happened to corrupt the files on the card (perhaps the security X-rays in the airport?). I was (and still am) really upset. I've never had anything like this happen before and feel doubly frustrated by such a loss at such a critical time. By God's grace, I had copied photos from Pastor Jose's camera and also had photos on my phone. I definitely feel that the enemy does not want to bless the people of Belen. Destroying my pictures was just one more way to hinder our mission work there. May the Lord turn their ashes into something beautiful that gives Him glory!

3) Since we didn't have the gifts to give out on Thursday, I took some of the High School Seniors and teachers out to lunch to celebrate their graduation. When we got to the restaurant, I saw that some of the Seniors hadn't come. It was because they didn't have 30 cents for the taxi ride and they were too embarrassed to tell me. I would have paid for their transport, but they don't have cell phones so there was no way to tell them that. I felt horrible. Nonetheless, with those who did come, we had a great lunch at a Chinese restaurant. I sat with the Seniors and talked with them about their dreams for the future. It felt great getting a chance to talk with them personally. I've watched them grow up over the past five years. We had no idea what was about to unfold.

4) For those who are able to help, donations can be made payable to "Peru ChildCare"
in the check memo line, please write 8481046 Class 46
Send to: Assemblies of God World
1445 Boonville Ave.
 Springfield, MO 65802

Feeding Program Success Stories

An omelet made with egg, rice, dried vegetables,
soy protein and vitamins.

This from Bill:

For a couple of years, we were able to feed up to 1000 kids three to five days per week in our poorest schools. Thankfully, the food was generously provided by two ministries: Fire Peru and Feed My Starving Children. Last year, while we were in the states, we had to close the feeding program. The mission of Latin America ChildCare is to transform the lives of children in need with the Gospel of Jesus Christ through education and ministries of compassion (like the feeding program). Closing the program down felt counter to our mission.

Saying Grace before eating lunch.

When we returned to Peru, we received good news. A container of food was available. It would be  enough food to feed the kids in our two schools in the jungle—but it would cost $4500 to get it out of the port. How were we going to pay for it? 

We received a $500 donation last year, specifically marked for the feeding program. Ironically, when we received the donation, we had already closed the program. So, it was a prophetic faith-seed donation. But that left us $4000 short. We did the only prudent thing to do in that situation: close our eyes and jump. That’s right, close our eyes and spend money we don’t have on an expensive program we can’t afford. The reason I was willing to go out on a limb is that I know these kids personally. They’re not just pictures on a television screen. These are the kids that scream “Missionary Bill!” and run to hug me when they see me walking down their muddy jungle streets.  

Three stories haunt me and motivated my decision to spend the money. The first is of a boy who grew two inches in two months. (That must have hurt!) The families in the jungle town of Iquitos only earn 71 cents per person daily. They are literally starving. 35% of the children in Iquitos suffer from stunted growth as a result of extreme malnutrition. He was one of them; but when his body got the nourishment it needed, it took off like a weed.

The second story is of a girl who gained ten pounds in one month. After finishing her own lunch, she went around eating the leftover food off of the other students’ plates. The teachers realized that she wasn’t eating anything at home. It reminded me of my father, who was a prisoner of war during WWII. He spent nine months in a prison camp on the island of Singapore. When the war ended, he weighed less than 100 pounds. He said that for years afterwards, he never felt like he could eat enough. That is what this young girl was going through. As soon as she got the chance to eat, she couldn’t stop.

The third story comes from Doris—one of the teachers in Belen, the poorest neighborhood in Iquitos. She spoke with me as we were installing a computer lab in our school there. Doris thanked me for the feeding program and told me that before the program, the school did not have any behavioral problems with the kids. She said that they all sat in class quietly listening. But, when we started the feeding program, their behavior changed completely. They became like wild animals. They would not sit still. They talked in class. They were disorderly. She realized that before the feeding program, they did not have enough energy to be rebellious. They didn’t have enough energy to move. Once they started eating, their behavior changed and they became kids again. Her face was filled with tears and a smile as she declared, “Now they’re acting like kids are supposed to act!”

Kids are supposed to smile and play

When we returned to Peru, I asked God to get the feeding program back up and running. As such, I was excited when I heard that we could have food this year, if we could pay to get it out of the port. A $4000 expense ($4500 minus the $500 I’d already been given) was not in the budget. But, what could I do? I thought about the kids with stunted growth and the ones who are too tired to play, and I made the decision to pay the money and feed the kids for one more year. On top of that, we paid another $3000 to buy Christmas gifts for the children who don’t have a Latin America Childcare Sponsor. The outlay of cash was making my Midwest conservative head spin right off my body! Having said that, let me now ask for prayer—that God would pay for it all. Pray that He would open the windows of heaven and confirm our decision to spend the money. And, if you feel God calling you to join us by making a special gift, please do so! You can make a special donation by clicking the donations tab on the top-left of the blog. Please send me a note, also, to let me know what the donation is for. Thanks!

For another great story about the feeding program, please see Lena’s blog entry: http://billandlena.blogspot.com/2009/11/land-of-living.html

For some pictures of the program click here: https://picasaweb.google.com/103355663653193891711/FeedingInIquitos

https://picasaweb.google.com/103355663653193891711/FeedingTheChildren

Merry Christmas!

Dear Friends,

Four years ago, we celebrated Christmas in our home in Cincinnati. We had a little tree because we had packed our belongings for the mission to Peru. Now, four years later, we’re happy to have the chance to celebrate Christmas with our families and friends, again. We’re back in the states, hugging loved ones and raising our budget for another tour of duty in Peru. It’s been an incredible journey. I’ve attached a Christmas photo from four years ago and one from today. As you can see, the kids have grown—especially Colton! I believe that Lena and I have grown just as much on the inside. I can say with certainty that we’re grateful for what the Lord has done in us and through us in Peru. We feel honored to have the chance to serve Jesus on the mission field.

We have two important prayer requests:

1.     Healing for Lena’s father. He’s recovering from lung cancer and recently had surgery to remove a brain tumor. So far, he’s doing very well.

2.    God’s blessing in raising our budget to return to Peru. We hope to return this summer. Please pray for a full schedule of church services and for new financial partners.

We’re blessed by the many friends who’ve made it possible for us to go on the mission field and for those who’ve welcomed us now that we’re back in the states. May the Lord bless all of you richly this Christmas.

¡Feliz Navidad!

Bill, Lena, Hannah, Colton, Will and Abigail

Prayer Request for 33 trapped miners

Please pray for the 33 miners who are trapped underground in Chile. As I read the news about them, my heart is sad and fearful. The experts say that if they are successfully rescued, it is not humanly possible to do so for 3 months. They're telling the guys that they will hopefully be out by Christmas. It may not be humanly possible, but God is greater than a drill. Let's pray that God sends wise, gifted engineers to figure this out in a matter of days, rather than months.

From my perspective, this is looking like the gulf oil spill, where greedy corporations (the men are trapped in a gold mine) have created a mess that can't be fixed in a minute--and average working people are suffering. Unlike the oil spill, we have videos of these guys trapped underground, while their families hold a vigil 1/2 mile above them.

Here are the names of the 33 men:
Alex Vega Salazar, Ariel Ticona Yanez, Carlos Bugueno Alfaro, Calros Barrios Contreras, Carlos Mamani Solis, Claudio Acuna Cortes, Claudio Yanez Lagos, Daniel Herrera Campos, Dario Segovia Rojas, Edison Penaa Villarroel, Esteban Rojas Carrizo. Florencio Avalos Silva, Franklin Lobos Ramirez, Jimmy Sanchez Lagues, Jorge Galleguillos, Jose Ojeda Vidal, Jose Henriquez Gonzalez, Juan Illanes Palma, Juan Aguilar Gaete, Luis Alberto Urzua, Mario Gomez Heredia and Mario Seplveda Espina. Omar Orlando Reygada Rojas, Osman Isidro Araya Acuna, Pablo Amadeos Rojas Villacorta, Pedro Cortez, Raul Enriquez Bustos Ibanez, Renan Avalos Silva, Richard Villarroel Godoy, Samuel Avalos Acuna, Victor Segovia Rojas, Victor Zamora Bugueno, Yonny Barrios Rojas

Prayer Requests

1.       Our AC/heat pump is dead.
2.       Our daughter (Hannah) is going on a missions trip to South Africa with the youth group from First Christian Assembly. The dates are July 18-30. We’d like to ask for prayer for Hannah, for protection, spiritual fruit, and financial support. She has not had much time to raise pledges for this trip, since she found out about it when we arrived in the states two weeks ago. Lena and I could use prayer, also, for calm nerves. Letting Hannah go on this trip is far more frightening than our trips in the jungle!
3.       Inspiration for me as I write chapter three of my doctoral project. I need big inspiration, fast!
4.       Favor in booking services for our itineration and the completion of our new budget.
5.       Friends for our four kids—Hannah (15), Colton (13), Will (7), and Abi (5). Also that they’re transition into public school (Kings) would go smoothly. May the Lord give them kind and considerate teachers.
6.       Wisdom regarding our auto situation and over all the financial decisions that we have to make to live here for a year. It’s difficult figuring out what justifies an expense.

Preparing to say goodbye -- for a year

Normally, I post stuff here then put it on facebook. Today, it's the other way around. Earlier this week, I was in Iquitos--the largest city in the world that you cannot get to by car. It is in the Amazon jungle and can only be accessed by plane or boat. I was there to take pictures of cute kids, so that we can find sponsors for them when we return to the states for our year of re-connecting with churches and supporters. The year back home is obviously welcomed, but it comes at a cost. We'll be leaving behind the friendships we have here, to strengthen those we left behind 3 1/2 years ago. 

The streets are made of sand and mud.

Some experiences are harder to leave behind than others. One of those is my love for the jungle and the friends that I have there. I posted one of those experiences on facebook a couple of days ago: "I had a tear in my eye as I rode through muddy streets on the back of Jose's motorcycle. This would be my last day in the jungle town of Iquitos for at least a year. Close by, half-naked kids were playing marbles in the mud. It began to rain and I looked up to see black storm clouds hanging over the Amazon river. I thank God that I get to serve Him in Peru!"

The sewer ditch in front of one of our schools.

Yesterday, I spoke with one of the pastors I work with in the northern coastal region. Like all the pastors I work with, our friendship is deepened by the need to resolve difficult problems. Trying to build an evangelistic community of transformation in a context of poverty will either make or break a friendship. For the most part, we've made some great friendships. Yesterday, as I spoke with my friend about our return to the states, he understood that our departure was necessary for the ministry to continue, while at the same time lamenting our departure. The conversation ended and I was about to hang up, when he called out, "Bill!"

"Yea?"

"Un abrazo. (A hug.)"

"Egualmente, Hermano! (Same to you, Brother!)"

A taxi-boat.

Motorcycles are the transport of choice in jungle towns. They are shipped in boxes and assembled on-site. This is a great picture for this blog entry, since it has motorcycles in Iquitos and also contains a shot of my friend Tim Wolf (whose last name is wild, like the jungle).

These houses are next to one of our schools and display how the children live.

 

 

Top Ten Shrader events of 2009

Each New Year Lena puts together a Top 10 list from the previous year. Here is the 2009 edition:

1. Hundreds received Christ as Savior and Lord as a result of visiting evangelism and medical teams. Ohio XA went hog-wild and sent us three evangelism groups this year! We had a blast! A special thanks, also, to Timberline Church in Colorado who offered healing and physical comfort to hundreds in the jungle, Dr. Raquel Mullen who treated the kids of Lima, Ralph and Jo Allen who gave their time and expertise of photography to showcase LACC ministry here in Peru, the Belding family, whose balloon art and illusions attracted a slew of kids to come hear the gospel! Through them, Peru was blessed and we received an incredible outpouring of love.

2. Two of the Fabulous Four Shrader children experience a dramatic physical change--morphing into teen bodies ... while the two older Shraders are morphing out of theirs!

3. Will (age 7) learns how to read and discovers that he likes it.

4. Lena realizes how precious her family is as news of her dad’s cancer and ongoing treatment continues. (Dad is doing well, but continues to need your prayers!)

5. Abigail goes to kindergarten and Lena has her first daytime empty nest experience—with all four Shrader kids in full-time school for the first time in 15 years. Lena is recovering nicely from her sudden change of identity!

6. Lena got a surprise invitation to speak to the national women’s conference, with more than 500 in attendance!

7. Productive ministry! Hundreds have received Christ in salvation; wells have been dug--providing water to flush toilets and take showers; and our Latin America ChildCare schools are now able to feed up to 1000 kids per day (3-5 days a week) with the help of friends from Fire Peru and Feed My Starving Children!

8. God’s sovereign hand of protection is evident as the Shrader family counts it all joy, facing trials of many kinds. We have been through many challenges and blessings this year. We understand more than ever what it is to trust God through the storm.

9. The members of the Shrader family complete the honeymoon stage of missions, and finds themselves still loving the country of their calling (Peru).

10. The amazing way our children have become an essential part of our ministry team! We find that wherever we go, and whatever theme we present, the Peruvian nationals are primarily intrigued by one thing and one thing only—our family. That Bill and I publicly speak well of each other and function as a team, that our kids worship and invest in ministry, and that they kiss on each other (even though they wiggle a lot through 3-hour church services), are all very interesting for them. And by the way, many invite us to come and minister primarily because they have heard about Hannah’s voice and want her to sing!

Thank you all so much for your support in every way. So many of you have sent emails, checked in on us, continued to send in your support even in the midst of great economic uncertainty. I know that God is teaching you, as He is us, that He is our certainty. Some of you are even waking up in the morning with a burden to pray for us—how precious you are! We are looking forward with great anticipation to getting home for itineration to tell you all the things a newsletter can’t hold, and to give you all the hugs we have been saving up for you! We’re hoping to return to the states for itineration in July of 2011.