Sorry that it has been so long since you have heard from me. I have not really been traveling incognito – just traveling and resettling. A lot has happened since last Wednesday.

Buddy, Loren, Joseph and Isaiah left at 5:45 am for Cusco to pick up Lorena (Loren´s mom). Due to the fact that the car was very small – and I was very sick – I stayed at home (i.e. the seminary). It was first thought that I had contracted the flu that had recently devastated the area, but the fact that I would start to look better when I was out of the apartment for a while – and then get worse when I went back in – led nurse Beth Rojas to conclude that I was having an allergic reaction. Whatever – the sinusitis and bronchitis symptoms were really laying me low. Nothing seemed to help.  I slept very little due to an old foam mattress and the fact that I couldn’t breathe lying down. Last Wednesday Loren finally was able to arrange to move me to a new room, due to the fact that a few people left that day.  Again, nothing changed.

On Thursday Buddy decided that we should leave on Friday for Puerto Maldonaldo because there was no reason to stay any longer in Urubamba – we had a new baby and Buddy had finished teaching his class. So we spent the day packing multitudinous suitcases.  Buddy checked the plane flights and found out that it would cost all of us about $1200.00 to fly to Puerto. Bus tickets would cost less than $60.00. Guess which option we picked?!

At 7:00am on Friday we went to the Rojas house for breakfast and farewells. It certainly was an unexpected bonus for me to spend time with Beth while we were in Urubamba. They are doing a good work in the church there. However, due to the fact that they only have 60% of their support, their mission board says they have to come home in October to try to raise the rest. I hope they will be able to do it quickly.

We returned home, loaded everything (but Buddy, Joseph and the stroller) into the Rojas car and were driven to the taxi station. There we rented a taxi no larger than the Rojas car. Somehow, Buddy was able to get everything in. Of course, all of our laps were full (except for the taxi driver’s of course). I didn’t see how the car would make it up the mountains to Cusco, but it did. We unloaded everything at a church and spent the rest of the day doing errands (e.g. getting Isaiah’s Peruvian ID card).

At 5:30 we left for the bus station – in 2 vehicles.  From the outside the bus looked fairly decent – and even the inside did too. I was assured there was a bathroom on board for the 12 hour trip. Our assigned seats were in the second to last row. We discovered that the last row was assigned to 6 people – with only 5 seats. The lady without a seat let her dog down in the aisle to roam about under our seats while she proceeded to lean against Loren and Lorena. The next 12 hours were not ones I would care to ever repeat.

Thankfully, early that morning the Lord had put a verse in my mind as we were driving to Cusco. “As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people.” I reminded the Lord – and He reminded me – of that many times during the trip. The snakelike road up in elevation was a reminder of what happens to the person on the end of “the whip”. It was comforting to realize that the closer we got to the jungle, the straighter the road would become.

I didn’t count on the “off roading” that our bus would do in the black of the night.

After the first five mile jaunt over unpaved roads, I was extremely thankful to hit pavement. After doing this 2 more times, though, I began to realize it was going to be a regular experience for the rest of the trip. I also began to sympathize with those ancestors of ours who rode buckboards across country.  Poor Isaiah – it was impossible for him to nurse. He didn’t complain too much though. I think he rather favored the jolting – he had been doing it for 9 months after all. Joseph was so tired from our full day’s activity that he slept most of the time in Buddy’s lap.

The “roads” continued to be treacherous – most of the time I could look straight down to the valley below – but see no road on which our bus was traveling – no guard rails either. Snow blanketed a lot of our ride, so I assume most of the “roads” were also blanketed. At 3:00 am the bus lights were suddenly turned on inside and several police boarded the bus, shouting for everyone to show their papers. Fortunately we didn’t have to unload, as Buddy and Loren had to do once, costing them 5 extra hours.  I couldn’t believe, though, that we still had 3 more hours to go. The constant jolting continued for the rest of the trip.

Needless to say, we were extremely thankful to arrive safely at the bus station. Buddy took a moto-taxi home and came back with the truck. When we got to the house, there was no food, and everything – and I mean everything – was inches in dust – even the things inside the cabinets. It’s the dry season here, and the dust is horrible.  We started cleaning while Buddy went for food. Loren was able to find some Amoxicillin for me, which has definitely helped my sinus problem. I still have a bad cough, which wears me out though.

Joseph and I have become fast friends. He invited me today to “Come play” and he took me by the hand and led me back to his bedroom. We played for a long time.

Sunday of course we went to church. It was a little discouraging to find that most of the people who had been coming didn’t come on Sunday. I suspect though, that once they find out that B&L are back in town, they will come back. After church we went to a community chicken grill out at B&L’s new neighborhood. (They were required to buy 5 tickets for the event.) While we waited for the chicken to grill, Buddy was able to talk to a small group of men who labeled themselves as great sinners once they found out Buddy was a pastor. He feels like some good relationships were started. Those of us who were waiting at the tables were a little overwhelmed when they set up a new speaker tower for their music band, which was 2 feet behind us. As we sat there cringing, nothing happened. Turns out the town of Puerto had lost its power.

That was a good thing right then. However, by 10:00pm when the power had not returned, we were not quite as joyful. However, somebody had power, because we were able to share a very good pizza with some missionary friends, Jim and Sue, here at the house after church.

I returned to my hotel room, only to discover my room’s air conditioner only went on or off. The desk man tried to assure me that if it got to cold for me during the night, all I had to do was call the front desk and he would come up to the room and turn it off for me. Right! Through Sue’s translating for me, I finally convinced the man that there had to be an empty room with a working ac. He finally and reluctantly got me the key for the room next door.

I arrived back here at B&L’s at 6:45 this morning. Cleaning was already in fully swing, because there was to be a meeting at the house at 9:00am.  Loren and her mom cleaned everything else in the house today, washing piles and piles of towels mostly, and of course, dishes, shelves, etc. I took care of Joseph, took a few pictures of Isaiah, went with Bud to one market this morning, fixed 3 meals, washed dishes, and walked to another market this afternoon with Buddy and Joseph (the truck suddenly showed up with a flat tire, which Buddy had to fix before dinner – turns out somebody let the air out of the tire).

At 7:00 tonight the Peruvian team showed up here to fold tracks and make plans for evangelism – hence I can’t get on Skype but decided I could write this epistle.

As of this writing, I am still planning to leave here Aug 3. Buddy hasn’t yet been able to look up a flight for me from here to Cusco and then to Lima. I have missed not having Dad here with me, and I know Buddy has too. Loren had a bad experience during her C-section, but her recovery has been great. She had her stitches out after 10 days and weighed in – lost 22 pounds in those 10 days! She continues to look like she is losing weight – it seems that Isaiah has really caught on to this idea of eating and he likes it a lot! Joseph is adjusting pretty well to Isaiah – only occasionally now will he tell Loren to put Isaiah down and hold him.

Well, you are probably tired of reading, so I’ll sign off now. One more thing – there is supposed to be another strike tomorrow. No one really seems to know much about it and there are no extra police in town, so it may turn out to be a non-event. The report is that it’s supposed to turn cold, which would effectively squelch the strike. Anyway, please continue to pray. I have been well reminded this trip of those things which B&L have given up for the sake of the gospel. Pray that their labor would not be in vain.

Love you all,

Mom

1. the dozens of people to whom we presented the Gospel this week will
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. the thousands of Gospel tracts we passed out this week would not
return void.
3. some new contacts: Segundino, Salomon, Jose Luis, and others would
come to know Christ as Savior

Please praise with us about:

1. the great Peruvian mini mission team that helped our team in the
work this week.
2. the opening of an abused girl’s shelter where we are able to minister.
3. the first-time visitors who were at the services on Sunday.

In Christ Alone, Buddy and Loren

Our home church, Faith Baptist in Taylors, South Carolina, sent an
excited and enthusiastic crew of 12 members, along with a very
generous donation, to help us renovate our recently-rented church
building. After spending a day and a night traveling, the group
arrived Monday, May 10 at noon. They jumped right in and got to work,
totally astonishing our Peruvian coworkers. The team worked long and
hard each day, starting at 6 a.m. and laying their tools down well
after dark each day for the entire week! I believe their example
forever changed the lives of the people whom we have been discipling
here in Puerto Maldonado. We’re also thankful to my parents, Bern and
Gail Fitzgerald, also from Faith Baptist in Taylors, for coming two
weeks before the team arrived to help us prepare for the team’s
arrival.

The church had been meeting in our home, which Peruvians tend to view
as a sign of instability. This spring we were able to rent a piece of
property within two blocks of the town’s main plaza. The main
structure on the property needed a lot of renovation but would provide
a large meeting place for the church. The property was completely
enclosed by cinder block walls and also had space for youth activities
in the yard. The Faith team did an amazing amount of work,
transforming the main structure into a pleasant place to worship,
built a structure out back for children’s meetings, and turned our
jungle into a playground. (Okay, so that still needs work, but in
time….) They also built a small apartment in the main building for
Richard and Magda, our Peruvian coworkers.

In the past, this property has served as a club, a dance hall, a gym,
and several other things. We are thankful that God is now using it for
His glory as a place for the young church to meet, as a site for
encouragement and training of believers, and as a counseling center
for the lost of our town. We will be posting more team, work, and
ministry pictures on our website: www.fitzgeraldmissions.org.

We praise the Lord for answering many prayers. He brought over 100
people to our first service in the new building! Some of those people
were unsaved and unchurched, maybe hearing the Gospel for the first
time. We were privileged to have our field administrator, Jesse Garza,
and his wife, Laura, visit us during this time. Brother Garza preached
the first services in our new location.

During the month of May, we saw two men, Alfredo and Feliciano, make a
profession of faith. Also, it seems that several of the older children
in the kid’s club have been born again as well. Please pray that each
one grows and shows the fruit of a true believer. Many of these
children have tender hearts, and we want to reach them while they are
young.

It appears that our current church property will be a tool that the
Lord is going to use to help us win many of our neighbors and business
contacts. Much interest has been generated as people have observed the
renovations and meetings. Many people have stopped to talk to us as a
result of their piqued curiosity. We want to be faithful and take
advantage of every opportunity!

Finally, we ask you to pray about two other things. We arrived here in
this jungle town about 1 1/2 years ago and have been renting a house.
Last month the Lord gave us a piece of property on which to build a
house as a base for our jungle work. We would like to get started on
it as soon as possible. Also, the vacant lot next to ours has become
available, and we feel that it would be advantageous for us to have
that lot as well.

We are praying that a permanent property will become available before
our two-year contract is up on the church property we are currently
renting. Please pray with us concerning the financing of these
projects. If anyone would like to come help us build, we would
appreciate the investment of your time and talents. Time is getting
short, and we are seeing the Lord begin a good work here in Puerto
Maldonado. It would be great if you could be a part of it!

In Christ alone,

Buddy and Loren – along with Joseph and soon-to-be-born Isaiah

In Christ Alone, Buddy and Loren

Do you know what it is like to hear a young couple tell you they have been convicted to rethink their vacation time? They now want to think about it as a mission trip and ministry time rather than a relaxation time. This was just one of the many joyful moments we have experienced since beginning our furlough about one month ago. We have been excited to challenge adults and young people in Bethel Baptist Church, New Port Richey, Florida; Faith Baptist Church, Taylors, South Carolina; Catawba Springs Christian Church, Apex, North Carolina; Hillsdale Baptist Church, Tampa, Florida, and Iglesia Bautista Tabernaculo, Taylors, South Carolina, to think about the great mission.

It has been a tremendous joy to minister in these churches during the past few weeks, but the truth is that each church body has ministered to us in a tremendous way as well. We have left each church even more thankful for the friendships, prayer warriors, and support that each is giving. We, too, have been challenged and encouraged through the biblical preaching we have heard since being in the US.

We have also been able to distribute many tracts, witness to numerous people, and counsel on various occasions as we spend time with these church families and with our own families.

Finally, we are thankful once again for our faithful Peruvian coworkers who continue laboring in the jungle of Peru during our absence. They continue to work toward planting Grace Baptist Church, which currently meets in our living/dining room. The church is growing, and we are hammering out the details for a building lease, which will begin when we return in March, Lord willing. The building that we plan to lease is very centrally located and is near the plaza, but needs renovation, which we estimate will cost up to $10,000. Please pray for church growth and for funds to renovate and eventually build. You can send funds to Baptist World Mission, PO Box 2149, Decatur, AL 35602 designated Fitzgerald Building Fund.

In Christ alone, Buddy, Loren, and Joseph

Prayer Requests

1. that God would build His church: we are in the process of planting a church in the city of Puerto Maldonado, the largest city in the southern jungle of Peru
2. that God would open the doors to allow us to reach one of the totally unreached, Christ-less, pagan tribes in the jungle near Puerto Maldonado.
3. that God would provide more laborers for the needy field of Peru

Praises
1. God has begun to build his church: we’ve seen well over 60 first-time visitors in the 10 weeks since the official beginning of the church.
2. God has allowed us to visit a number of semi-evangelized, but needy tribes in the jungle near Puerto Maldonado, and we have seen numerous salvation decisions
3. God has provided a team of four Peruvian National co-workers with whom we are laboring, and whom are continuing the work during our field absentia.

Thank you again for your prayers.

In Christ alone,
Buddy and Loren (& Joseph)