Finally! An Update!
(Carta en Español aquí)
Hey! It has been a minute!
2026 has been a fast start. Somehow, after blinking twice, the calendar already says May! I wanted to start by apologizing for not having sent out a prayer letter yet this year, but I promise that we are still going as fast as the Lord allows us to!
So far this year, we’ve taken over 15 flights across North and South America, been in 10 different churches, and visited 4 of our missionaries on the field. On top of that, we’ve had more than three dozen people stay in our home, and we’ve recorded over 500 pieces of content across 6 different programs, all focused on getting the Gospel out across Latin America!
Those programs have already produced over 12 million views of Gospel presentations this year alone. Even better: more than 8,000 people have written to tell us they have accepted Christ since January.
At the same time, the church is growing! We’ve had Vacation Bible School, summer workshops for kids, and we’ve started a new Bible study about two hours south of Lima that will, Lord willing, become a church plant within the next year.
But if I had to pick one moment out of all the movement, travel, and craziness of 2026 so far, it would be this: our church’s first missions conference. As a church, we support 11 missionary families, something we have emphasized from the beginning of our work here in Lima.
In March of this year, we wanted to take it a step further. We decided to have our first annual missions conference and invited a good friend of ours, a missionary from Mexico, to be the speaker. We did not emphasize decorations or extras. I wanted the conference to just focus on the needs of our missionaries.
To be honest, I was expecting a small response and was fully prepared to excuse it away as, “It’s only our first conference…” Instead, God worked in our people’s hearts in an incredible way. Night after night, we took special offerings for each missionary, and our people got excited. We kept a running total, and by the end of the week, our people, living in a poor district of Lima, had given over $3,000 toward these needs. Watching the walk-up offerings each night was something special. There was a clear joy on people’s faces as they gave toward the Lord’s work around the world.
My favorite story came from a man in the church. When the offering came, his four-year-old son wanted desperately to give, but the only money they had was their bus fare to get home. The man told him no, but the boy would not let it go. Finally, the father gave in and handed him the money, and the boy ran off to give his offering. Later that night, one family gave them a ride home, and another covered their transportation for the rest of the week, neither knowing the sacrifice they had just made. God is teaching our people that He will always provide.
I truly believe that the conference was a turning point for our church in understanding its role in reaching people far beyond the city limits of Lima.
Thank you for allowing us to teach the same generosity that you have shown to us through the years. You make it possible for us to be here, and through that, we are able to help others in other places as well.
We love and appreciate you all.
- Josh, Heather, and Joseph Hedderman
