The sessions were taught by missionaries, pastors, a financial planner, the office bookeeper, a medical doctor and a lawyer. We had a good mix of very practical sessions as well as spiritual enrichment. Classes included “Writing a prayer letter,” “Putting your important paperwork in order,” “Overcoming anger,” and “Understanding what a pastor expects from a missionary.” We were in classes from 8 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon. It was like being back in school! Somehow I enjoyed this much better than I ever enjoyed school. Maybe the coffee and cookies all day helped with that.

I want to give a public welcome to the new missionaries with BIO. We had none who was completely new to the BIO team, but there are a few who have been with us right about a year. I was serious when I said you are welcome to contact me any time about some of the things I taught. Also, if you just need a friend to talk with, please give me a call or send me an email. I don’t guarantee I will have the answer to all your questions, but I can try to point you the right direction, or listen patiently to your needs. I am excited about my new position with the board that allows me to just be a friend to you.

Over the next couple of weeks we will be in many churches as well as a week of camp in Pennsylvania. Then we go home for a couple of days while getting ready to drive to our camps in Mexico and also pack up our things to prepare for our time in Argentina. We appreciate your prayers as we travel and minister.

Though we are home currently we will be leaving tomorrow for another long trip. We will be in a couple of supporting churches as well as several new ones.

It is hard to believe that our camp season is coming up soon too. We will get home from this trip just in time to head out 3 days later for the camp in the northern part of Mexico. We will be in Mexico for a month for the 2 weeks of camp and have time to sell and pack up the things we left in Merida. It will be good to be with friends in Mexico once again. The church is going well and we are eager to see the members.

I know many of you prayed for my mother earlier this year. She had pancreatitis and has had a rough time getting her strength back. However, she was progressing well. She had a physical setback a couple of weeks ago when she got an infection that sent her back to the hospital for a few days. She is home now and recovering slowly. We would appreciate your continued prayers for her.

We will be in Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York on this trip. We covet your prayers as we travel.

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.

We are finalizing a list of items stolen to give to the police, but they have a short list they are working from right now to check pawn shops.

Somehow we expected this to happen in another country, not right here at home. We were initially shaken up a bit and very saddened at the loss of some items. Thankfully, with the exception of Stephanie’s computer, most everything taken we consider to be tools. There was nothing of sentimental value taken (that we have discovered so far). However, we did lose some valuable tools. We will be adding up the value of everything in the next day or two. But initial estimation is that they took between $2000 and $3000 worth of equipment.

We are praying that we will get the computer back with the data. While we have most things backed up, there were some items that were not.

The big items taken were the computer, two LCD monitors, a DVD player and a bicycle. Some of the “jokes on them” items taken were some computer equipment that I keep around for parts. They may be surprised to find that all the things taken from the laundry room were actually broken. The funniest (yes, we can laugh at some of this) thing taken was our $20 bathroom scale. I guess they wanted to work on a weight loss program.

We do appreciate your prayers over the next few weeks as the police search for our items. Our personal best hope of tracking down the criminals is through the stolen bike. While it is not unique, it will be easy to see and may lend a clue as to who the theives were.

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

My (David) mom has been in the hospital since just before Christmas with pancreatitis. Though she was able to leave for a few days she had to return for some emergency surgery. She is getting better daily and we expect that she will be back home within another couple of weeks. We would appreciate your prayers for her physical needs. We are able to be with her during the week when we are not traveling.

My grandfather on my Dad’s side passed away early in the month of January. Dad and I attended the graveside service. It was a blessing to meet the people in Grandpa’s church who have actually had a  closer relationship with him than we have been able to over the last few years. They were encouraging to us and gave wonderful testimonies as to Grandpa’s salvation and how he lived out his love for others.

Most of February we will be traveling close to home. We won’t have to be away for more than a week at a time until March. We will use this time to help Dad prepare to take care of Mom over the next few weeks.

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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I volunteered to help out. Terry Childers, one of our missionaries to Kenya, is home during this time. Initially he came home because of the political unrest in the country. The Lord has used him to supervise the construction of the building since this was the type of work he did before going to the field. He is doing a marvelous job overseeing the construction. He will be headed back to Kenya sometime in January and will hand over the next phase of construction to someone else.

I worked at the site from Monday to Friday of last week. Mostly I was doing work on the rafters and laying roof sheathing. The goal is to have the roof ready for shingles in a few more days. Getting the building dried in is the ultimate goal before Bro. Childers leaves in January.

If you are interested in providing labor or money towards the project, you can contact BIO directly. Even if you can only spend a day or two, that would be a tremendous blessing. You can contact the office for more information at 865-992-0999.

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.

Stephanie was ill part of this trip. We took her to a doctor to get some medicine for the illness. When he checked her blood pressure, his concern for the illness was lessened because of immediate concern for her high blood pressure. We were sent to the emergency room to get started with some long term care. I was able to take her home and get her scheduled in with a doctor. She is undergoing some tests and treatment to take care of the blood pressure. In the process the doctors have found some other issues that we are going to be checking into. Pray for her health.

After leaving Stephanie and the kids in Pensacola, I returned to Atlanta for two more meetings before going to east Tennessee. Our mission board holds a conference each November in which the board of directors meet for planning and business purposes. The missionaries who are home and pastors who are very closely associated with the board attend this time of fellowship and preaching. It was great to be with some old friends I have not seen in at least 4 years. Some I have not been with for almost 8 years.

I have returned home and will be home for a few more days before heading to another church this weekend.

We appreciate your continued prayers for our traveling safety. Also, please pray for Stephanie’s health issues that the doctors will be able to care for her. I will keep you posted with any significant news about her health.