Dear Friends,
We bought our plane tickets for Argentina! We load up and fly on March 16. That is less than 4 weeks away as I write this. While we are excited, we are also very aware of how much needs to be done between now and then.

By choosing a date into the middle of March we are able to attend our mission board’s “March Meeting.” This year is special for two reasons; either of which is significant enough to encourage us to stay. We will dedicate the new BIO Office building at the March Meeting. The dedication will be March 8. Anyone in the Jefferson City, TN area who would like to attend is welcome to join us. The dedication service starts at 6:00 PM. There will be an open house between 4:00 and 6:00 that afternoon. You can contact me or the BIO Office for more information.

The second big event that week is we will approve a new deaf missionary. He is a deaf man going to Tanzania to establish a church and Bible institute. This is the first missionary that I have been privileged to work with and bring through the approval process to join BIO.

We are thankful for some very generous offerings that have helped us raise $5700 of the $7000 we need for the trip to Argentina. We still need $1300 between now and the middle of March. Just as important as the large gifts from churches are the smaller ones from individuals. Whether the Lord leads you to help with this need in a seemingly small or large way, the important thing is obedience to what He would have you do.

We have solidified some of our plans for when we get started in our ministry in Argentina. We will work in 2 different ministries at this time. We also plan to work with other churches as the Lord opens doors. One of the two ministries we are involved with is starting a Deaf church with a  national pastor. That pastor has put us in contact with a missionary who  is interested in starting a deaf ministry in another town. We will work with that church to train people in the congregation to minister to the Deaf through interpreted services and church activities. We pray for other opportunities to help as many churches as we can while there.

Thank you for your prayers and support through this furlough. We are excited to get back to the field. Thankful as we are for the time we spent in churches telling others about our ministry, we long to be back to daily involvement with a work on the field. To do this we need more monthly financial support. Pray that the new churches we were in last year will join our team. If you plan to join us in a financial way, please let us know so that we can better plan our time in Argentina. Just $50 a month more can help us do that much more ministry. Will that $50 come from you?

PDF version of the letter.

Categories: Ministry Update, Prayer Letter
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Dear Praying Friends,
I spent the first two weeks of December in Nigeria and was blessed to see decisions made and people accept Christ as Savior. I went to Nigeria to help the pastor of a Deaf church be more effective in his ministry. Though Pastor Wale (Wally) was already the pastor of a hearing church in Lagos, he accepted the pastorate of a deaf church in Abeokuta. The pastor who started the church in Abeokuta also started 4 other churches for the Deaf. Since the death of the founding pastor these churches have wandered a bit from their good doctrinal foundation. Pastor Wale is providing godly leadership to bring these churches back to where they started and take them much further in reaching other Deaf around them.

It was my privilege to preach to both the hearing and the Deaf while I was in Nigeria. Nine people came to Christ during this trip! I also witnessed to a couple of men that Pastor Wale has continued contact with who have not yet made a decision for Christ, but I pray that they will soon.

There is still a need for more monthly support, but we are currently focused on raising the needed money for our move. We anticipate needing $7000 to help get us settled in Buenos Aires. Some of the money has come in for this need, but we still lack more than $6000 to make the move. We trust that the Lord will use you and others to help fill this need so that we can soon be in Argentina working to start the Deaf church.

My trip to Nigeria was my first trip to Africa. I was pleased to see God is at work in places that you and I have never been. Most people will never travel outside of their own country, but through the work of missionaries God is doing a great work in the world. While there is still a need for more ministries in Nigeria, I am thankful to have seen some wonderful works with the Deaf in that country. However, that makes me even more burdened for the need in a well-developed country like Argentina which has so little available to the Deaf concerning the truth of God’s Word.

Please pray for us as we travel over the next few weeks and start getting things in order for our move to Argentina. As you can imagine there are many things that need to be done concerning what we will take and what we leave behind. We are thankful for friends and family who will help store items that we cannot take with us. There are other items that need to be sold and weeded out. As we have experienced with previous moves, this can be an emotionally difficult time.

PDF Version of the letter

Categories: Ministry Update, Prayer Letter
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Dear Praying Friends,
Nigeria? Since when did Nigeria become a part of Latin America?

While our ministry is focused on the Deaf of Latin America, we are also helping missionaries and national workers around the world as a broader ministry through our mission board, BIO. As a result of this ministry I will take a trip to Nigeria in December to help national pastor Olawale Orekan in a deaf church in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Pastor Olawale is a hearing pastor who was burdened for the Deaf in Abeokuta and became their pastor this year. I will spend 2 weeks with him helping him to better understand sign language and the Deaf. Prayerfully, my ministry in the church will allow Pastor Olawale to be more effective in his ministry and encourage and strengthen the church in Nigeria as they seek to reach other Deaf around them.

While preparing for that trip we are also making plans for the move to Argentina. We do not have a travel date set yet, but we are planning to make the move at the end of January. To do so we need to raise money for our plane tickets and set-up costs in Argentina. The estimated needed amount is $7000. If you would like to be part of the team that helps us make the move to Argentina you can send a donation to our church or mission board. Simply mark your donation as being for the move to Argentina. This is an opportunity for those who do not support us monthly to join in a financial way.

We have been in some great services recently that have been used to deepen our desire to see others accept the Lord. While we are doing the ministry we are called to, sometimes it becomes more “work” than “ministry” and we lose focus on our purpose. We are thankful that the Lord has helped us get recharged for the ministry He has called us to. Please pray that we will continue to keep our focus on the task.

The main theme of my messages this year has been about praying for your missionaries as if they were normal people going through the same struggles that you face. I want to encourage you once again to pray for us, and the other missionaries you support, in the same way that you want someone to pray for you. When you are struggling in an area, be conscientious that your missionary friends may be going through the same problems you are experiencing.

I have been reminded over the last few months that you and I are doing a work for God as a team. I want to thank you for the part you play in our team. Pray that we will perform the role on the team that God has called us to do.

David

November 2009 Prayer Letter PDF

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Dear Praying Friends,
Thank you for your continued prayers. We really needed them over the last couple of months and we can see that God has provided because of you.

We had two wonderful camps in Mexico. The first camp was our northern deaf camp called Campamento Henson, named for Bro. Ron Henson who was a missionary to the Deaf in Mexico for several years. There were 95 who attended camp and we had 1 accept Christ as his Savior. I was pleased to see some new groups attend this year that I had not met before. I was also very excited to see the future leadership of the camp take over my responsibilities this summer.

Our second camp was in Merida where we lived and worked from 2004 to 2008. It was great to be back at the church after a year and see how much it has grown. There are Deaf who now attend the church regularly whom we never met while we were there. I loved seeing the maturity level increase in many of the church people and to know that they are inviting their friends to church. At that camp we had 26 in attendance. That is a few more than we had last year.

When we left Mexico last year we were not sure if we might be going back to work in another area of of the country. We kept many household items that we did not want to re-buy. On this trip were able to sell off the items that we no longer needed in preparation for the trip to Argentina.

After selling everything and enjoying time at camp with our friends it was time for the trip home to the US. We pulled a trailer with the items that we wanted to take back. The trailer was more than a little over loaded. In the process of the 6 day trip we ended up buying 3 new tires and having the trailer welded twice while sitting on the side of the road. God provided the money and the welders at the right time to get us going again. At one breakdown we pulled off the side of the road where a road construction crew was working and they were able to weld the trailer right there at the edge of nowhere.

Previously our plan for going to Argentina was October. Timing works out better for the pastor we are going to help if we go in January. It works out better for us as well. Please pray that I will be able to fill up our travel schedule with the meetings we need between now and then.

We praise the Lord that the man who robbed our house in April was caught last week. We were able to recover some of the stolen items.

With my new position in the mission board I am able to enjoy some of the blessings that supporting pastors, churches and individuals have long enjoyed. It thrills my soul to get reports from missionaries with whom I work telling me of the spiritual victories and salvation of souls on the field. I know that they are able to do their ministry because of the support I am able to provide. I am a partaker in their fruits. Because of you, our supporters, I get to reap benefits from their work. And you receive fruit to your account (Philippians 4:17) as well. What a blessing to be on God’s team in His harvest field!

September 2009 Peach Prayer Letter [PDF]

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Dear Praying Friends,

We are thankful for the Lord’s hand of protection and provision over the last couple of months. As you know from our last prayer letter thieves stole some items out of our house in March. Through generous gifts from a couple of churches and individuals, we have been able to replace the stolen items. We really appreciate the kind gifts that helped us replace the items we needed.

Last week we were in a week-long training school for missionaries. Stephanie and I had a great time learning in the sessions as well as fellowshipping with the other missionaries. I taught a few sessions during the week.

One of the things that was mentioned several times during the training school was that our ministry while we are home is to promote the vision of world missions. This is something that God has been teaching me this year. While we are home reporting to our supporting churches and raising new support, our goal should be to promote the work that God is doing through missions and missionaries. If I can encourage a church to be more involved in spreading the Gospel, then I have accomplished that goal. Even if the church never supports us financially. The particular way that the Lord has burdened me this year is to help churches know how they can pray for missionaries.

We are excited about our two camps for the Deaf in Mexico coming up in the next few weeks. This week I am preaching in a camp for hearing children in Pennsylvania and then we go to Ciudad Mante, Mexico for our first deaf camp. That will be July 20-24. After finishing that week of camp we will drive to Merida (where we lived the last 4 years) to prepare for the camp down there on August 11-14.

There are a couple of weeks between the two camps. We will use that time to pack up the items we still have in Merida that we need to bring back to the US. We will also be selling items that we don’t need to take to Argentina. Pray that we will have wisdom in each decision. Also pray that we will sell the items at a fair price (for the buyer and us) and that we will be a blessing to some people with items that we can afford to give away to other ministries.

When we return from Mexico and our deaf camps, we will be working towards the final preparations for Argentina. There are some pieces of the puzzle still not in place. You can pray that God will give wisdom in each step and that we will know the right timing for the things we must do to get there. Through different missionaries God has given us a much better picture of the need in Argentina and clarified some of the work that is before us. I believe this is the result of your prayers. God has brought us in contact with missionaries from Argentina as well as missionaries who have knowledge of the situation of deaf ministries in the country.

Each day is ministry; whether we are in the trenches, preparing to go, or supporting those who are there.

David Peach

Categories: Ministry Update, Prayer Letter
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Dear Praying Friends,
Thank you for praying. God is working and we are excited to be in His ministry. It is thrilling to report that we have had some great meetings and are excited about the new prayer and financial support we have as we head towards Argentina.

Recently we returned home from some meetings to find that our house had been broken into. We were thankful that the thieves did not take any personal or sentimental items and that they were not destructive. What they took amounted to be tools for our ministry. While the cost to replace the items will be close to $3000, they can be replaced. Because we were traveling, we had all of our jewelry and most precious items with us.

During Easter week I flew to Guadalajara, Mexico to conduct our yearly planning session for the upcoming summer camp for the Deaf in Mexico. Because this will be my last summer as camp director I was pleased to see one of the national pastors take charge during the planning week to help us prepare for the camp in July. Please pray that this summer’s camp will be effective in giving the gospel to many Deaf who have never accepted the Lord and that God’s Word will become more personal to the Christian Deaf in churches across Mexico. The camp week will be July 20 to 24.

After camp this summer we will return to Mérida for a couple of weeks to collect the items that we need to bring back to the US with us as we prepare for the trip to Argentina. While in Mérida we will be selling some items and spending precious time with our many friends in the church. Because of your prayer support we know that this church will continue to reach many Deaf in the Yucatan peninsula.

The Lord has opened many doors and opportunities for us over the last several weeks. Of course we are going to Argentina later this year to start that new work, but then we have been invited to be more actively involved in the ministries of other missionaries with the Deaf through our mission board. I am looking forward to assisting missionaries in other parts of the world as I take on the responsibilities as the Director of Deaf Ministries with Baptist International Outreach. Pray that I can be an effective help to missionaries and nationals around the world who are reaching the Deaf with the gospel.

We are getting much closer to our goal of 100% financial support before returning to the field. Pray and ask the Lord what He would have you do to help us reach that goal. When you pray, God will provide.

Categories: Ministry Update, Prayer Letter
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Dear Praying Friends,
The Lord has blessed with great meetings over the last few weeks. We have picked up some new support and are excited about returning to the field before the end of the year. We have recently had meetings in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Currently we are on our first big trip of 2009 with meetings in South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. As soon as we return home from this trip I will be going to Mexico to meet with other missionaries and national pastors working with the Deaf to plan our summer camp. It will be a very busy time for us. We covet your prayers for health and safety during these weeks. We will finally be home to rest a few days in April before heading out again.

In our last letter I mentioned that we were planning to start a ministry in Peru. As soon as that letter went out, I got an unexpected phone call from a missionary friend there. He gave me more information about a ministry opportunity in Argentina we had previously considered participating in. The Lord has shown us that, while the need in Peru is great, there is a greater need in the country of Argentina.

Through several phone calls and a lot of prayer over the last few weeks, the Lord has given us peace about going to Argentina to work with a national pastor, Manuel Caceres. Bro. Caceres has already started a church for the hearing and knows how to work with the Deaf. We will be working to assist him in getting a Deaf work started near the city of Buenos Aires. The focus of our ministry there will be to evangelize the Deaf and lay the foundation with Bible teaching. Our goal will be to help Bro. Caceres build a core group with which he can continue the ministry.

We are thrilled in that God has blessed with new support over the last couple of months. We also covet your prayers for our current supporters that they will be able to faithfully support us during our time in Argentina. Also pray that we will raise our needed support as we travel this year.

As we look forward to the upcoming months we know there will be several expenses that will not be covered by our normal monthly support. These expenses will include our camp needs in Mexico this summer as well as our move to Argentina. In the next letter I will know more about what will be needed for camp. If you are able to help with these expenses please mark your donation for the specific project you want to help with.

My (David) mother was in the hospital since just before Christmas. She had pancreatitis and really struggled to beat the infection. Last week she was released from the hospital and will now be under Dad’s care at home while she works to regain her strength. Since we will be gone so much over the next couple of months, we won’t be able to help Dad nurse her back to health. Both Mom and Dad would appreciate your prayers.

David Peach

Categories: Ministry Update, Prayer Letter
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Dear Friends,
It is exciting to think at the start of the new year what God might have in store for us in 2009. Last week I heard a preacher say that God has been faithful to us in 2008 and now we need to commit to be faithful to Him in 2009. That does not mean there won’t be trials throughout the year, but we can have faith in the fact that God has not failed us in the past and we can continue to serve Him in the future.

We start 2009 with decisions that must be made and plans that need to be laid and executed. We have mentioned in the past that we were not sure where God would have us go next to get another work started. He has opened doors for us to work in Peru and has given us a desire to be there. There are still many details to work out, but that is the direction we are now headed. We will know more in April or May, but in the mean time we are preparing as if we will be in Peru by the end of the year.

God has been gracious to us financially over the last four years in Mexico. However, we still need to raise new support. We are thankful for the new churches where we have been able to present our ministry. We are now praying that they will be able to take us on for financial support and help us reach our goal of being back on the field before the year is over.

We have stayed in contact with the ministry in Mexico and are excited to report that the work continues to grow. The missionaries who took over the work, Bill and Jennifer Green, are doing a great job. If you would like to continue to get reports from the ministry to the Deaf in Merida please contact Bill Green and request to be added to their mailing list.

I mentioned in our last prayer letter that Stephanie has been seeing a doctor to take care of some medical problems. We appreciate you praying. Her blood pressure has been up, but medication has helped. We are still seeing a doctor regularly to get things to where they need to be. Continue to pray that we will be able to make wise decisions and necessary changes.

As always, please pray that the Lord gives us safety as we travel. I never want to take for granted the mercies God has granted us in our ministry. We have traveled approximately 450,000 miles in the ministry and are constantly grateful to God for His protection.

Prayer needs:

• New support
• Meetings
• Health
• Decisions about Peru
• Soon return to the field

David
www.dpeach.com
www.missionarytalks.com
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Dear Friends,
We made it back to the US and have already had several meetings. We have been in supporting churches in North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia. We have also been in a few new churches in Georgia and Indiana. We are thankful for the traveling safety we have been granted.

As soon as we got home we started looking for a house and a new vehicle. We rented a house near David’s parents and it is a blessing to know they are there to keep an eye on things while we travel. Our Suburban, which was a great vehicle on the field, has almost 300,000 miles and is 19 years old. We bought a 2003 Honda Odyssey. It has been a huge blessing in fuel economy and comfort; a wonderful vehicle for traveling.

Most of the churches that we have scheduled meetings in are churches that already support us. We are grateful to be able to report to them. The churches we have been in so far have been fun. It is like going back for a family reunion. They are glad to see us and we are thrilled to be able to share with them what their prayers and money have helped us do. We are not trying to convince them to support us, but share with them the blessing they have been. We do, however, need to raise new support. Pray with us that we will be able to get into new churches this year and raise additional prayer and financial support.

One of the blessings of being back home is the ease of preaching in my own language. In our first meeting I preached a Sunday morning service in which 2 young men accepted the Lord. I spoke with a 13 year old boy about his salvation while another missionary showed his 11 year old friend how to be saved. Both accepted the Lord during the invitation! Last week I spoke in a service in a deaf church and was able to lead a 12 year old deaf boy to the Lord.

Within the last couple of weeks the Lord has revealed to us some medical problems that Stephanie has. We have been to a couple of doctors and are getting long term help with high blood pressure and other matters. Tests have been run and some are ongoing to find out the extent of the care needed. Pray for her health and that we will make wise decisions. I will keep you informed with any significant news.

We are excited to spend the holidays with friends and family here at home. However, we are truly going to miss the great Thanksgiving feast we have come to enjoy with the other missionaries in Merida.

Pray that God continues to bless us with good meetings and that we will be able to raise our support  to where it needs to be during this time.

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Dear Friends,
We have seen several visitors in church over the last couple of months. Many of them have come as a result of a tract distribution program we are doing. It is exciting to see people in church because someone randomly handed them a tract. Of course we know nothing is random when God is guiding our steps.

We are right between our two weeks of camp for the summer. The first week was held July 21 to 25 near Saltillo, Mexico. The village we were in was at 7,000 feet elevation which meant that it was very cool all week. A pleasant respite from the heat we experience in Yucatan.

There were 109 campers for the week. This is the largest group we have had in the last several years. It is exciting to see the camp growing through word of mouth in the churches. We do no advertising except trying to get the churches that currently attend to spread the word.

One lady was saved on Tuesday at camp. It was exciting to see her beaming all week with a clear understanding of salvation. Wednesday night I was privileged to lead 2 ladies to the Lord in my class. I taught a class which contained people who did not know sign language well either because of lack of education or intelligence. There were seven in the class. That same night there were 2 who accepted the Lord in the main service. On Thursday there were again two others who accepted the Lord. In all we saw 7 people saved at camp.

Our next week of camp will be here in Yucatan, August 12 to 15. This will be our first overnight camp here in Yucatan. Last year we did a day camp which went very well. We are expecting around 20 people for that camp. Pray with us that God will give wisdom in preparing for and running the camp.

It is hard to believe that we will be returning for furlough in less than one month. We have booked several meetings with supporting churches to report on the work that God has allowed us to do. If your church has not contacted me about a specific date that you would like to have us, there is still time. I have started calling churches in groups based on location. If I have not called your church yet, I will be calling soon. We are very excited about seeing the many friends we made when visiting your church the first time.

We do need to raise new support while we are back in the US. If you or your church receives our prayer letter but do not currently support us, we would be honored to be part of your team.

Our scheduled return will be sometime the last week of August with meetings starting the middle of September. Please pray with us as we will be looking to replace our vehicle (which has 285,000 miles on it) as soon as we can. If you are aware of a good travel vehicle which gets pretty good gas mileage and is for sale for a very reasonable price, please let us know.

See the previous post about camp for a picture of the seven who were saved.

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