Not My Plans, But YOURS LORD

Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. Psalm 86:11

Dear friends and family in the faith. We are happy to be able to greet you in the love of the One who unites us and who gave His love for us, Jesus Christ our Savior.

A long time has passed since we left McAllen, Texas. Of course, our plans were to arrive here in Vermont and begin a great adventure of visiting churches and raising support to return to Peru as missionaries. But God’s plans were different and perfect, as He always is. Up until now we have been here, working and being available to help out with the Somers family as 2019 and 2020 brought many challenges and changes in the family. This time has been a blessing, and God is using it to teach us and we are thankful to Him that we have had this time to honor, love, and care for our family.

In March 2020 we had tickets to Peru, as it was our plan to travel and see what the Lord would have for us there. It was to be a time of gathering details and finalizing the fine points for our return there as missionaries. However, we were unable to enter the country due to the shutdowns produced by the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic. We are thankful to Him for His care for us during this time. We are also thankful that during these difficult times, we can learn to depend more on Him.

We have tasted and seen the goodness of the Lord throughout our lives and we know that He has not abandoned us. He cares for us in every area of our lives. Now that Peru as currently re-opened its borders to the USA, we would like to attempt our travel plans again this year in April. We realize that this is dependent on many things now, and that sometimes situations in life are outside of our control. It has been 9 years since we left Peru to come to the US. At the time, our travel was based on medical care for Mattie, as she had health issues. However, we didn’t know at the time that God had great blessings and much for us to learn in our ministry and personal spiritual lives. We do not deny that as humans and as parents, we are unsure, and sometimes fearful of the future and the changes. But we pray God will continue moving us forward as we embrace his will.

We are excited to share this with you, and we invite you to participate in this new chapter of our ministry. We appreciate and covet your prayers for our family as we make transitions this year. We especially think of our children as they will be exposed to what is for them a new culture and way of living.

When we travel to Peru on this trip that we are calling, “A Leap of Faith”, we pray that God will confirm many things for us. The main things on our list for our next trip is to determine where in Peru we could live, and also that that place be apt for our center of ministry as church planters.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, and for praying for us. We are thankful for every way in which we have felt all your love and support for our family, and we pray to be a blessing in your lives as well.

In Christ,
Daniel and Mattie Melendez