Dear friends,

Greetings in the precious name of Jesus!

We returned to the US December 19 and have enjoyed the holiday season with our families here in Middle Tennessee. We are living in Murfreesboro, Tennessee for our six month home ministry assignment. We will be visiting our partners and partner churches here in Middle Tennessee, as well as in St Louis, Oklahoma, Arizona, Florida and Massachusetts. If you would like to get together, please let us know by email or give us a call at the following numbers:

Home: 615-904-7720
Cell: 615-957-3645

Our mailing address is 2748 Stonehedge Dr. Murfreesboro, TN 37128.

Our email address, mberry@mtwla.org, is the same. Lori now has her own email, lberry@mtwla.org, for anyone who wants to contact her individually.

Our time home has two main purposes: 1) to give us time to fellowship and pray with our ministry partners and partner churches and 2) R & R. Would you please pray that the Father would provide significant spiritual, emotional and physical rest, renewal and strengthening to us, our family and our team's ministry through these six months?

Here are some more specifics:

Praise:

• We prayed for a van, God provided two! When we sold our green Dodge Caravan before going to the field, we never dreamed that our friends who bought it from us would be in a position to let us borrow it while we're here, but that is exactly how the Lord has led them. Another family has graciously loaned us their new Honda Odyssey, choosing to drive an older model car for these six months to make their newer vehicle available to us. We are thankful to the Father for these good gifts and the grace he has shown these dear brothers and sisters to move them to such generosity.
• We prayed for a house, and while God didn't provide two (that would have been a little weird anyway:-)), he has provided a wonderful duplex here in Murfreesboro, close to Kroger's and Wal-Mart and most importantly, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters and brothers, who all live within 30 minutes of our home. Our place is new and we are so thankful to the precious Christian couple who has made this house for the exclusive use of missionaries on home assignment. It has been a tremendous ministry to our family. Especially fun is the yard, with lots of room and nice grass for the kids to run around and play in.
• Great time already with family, nieces, nephew, cousins and old friends.
• Gradually feeling the batteries starting to recharge emotionally, spiritually and physically.
• Cristo Salvador diaconal ministry opened our last day in Lima. I got to preach and our team and church members served lunch to 5 of the 8 needy children who will benefit from the ministry, being served lunch and a snack each day and receiving tutoring.

Prayer:

• Andrew and the Matthews (Frank and Suzanne) as they continue the work in Lima.
• Independent Presbyterian Church sends a medical team the last week of January to minister in Santa Anita and Huaycan.
• EE restarts in the Huaycan church and begins for the first time in the Santa Anita church plant. Pray for Andrew and Adrian who will be sharing teaching in both places, and for the new trainers (last years trainees), who will be in this role for the first time. We hope to train 4 people in Santa Anita and perhaps as many as 12 in Huaycan.
• Pray for new conversion growth in Huaycan and Santa Anita churches. Specifically, I'm praying for 25 new members in each place by the time we return in June.
• Pray for the Cristo Salvador diaconal ministry in Huaycan, which is feeding 6 needy children a snack and lunch daily, and providing tutoring. Pray specifically for Reyna the director.
• Marietta Lessley, our five month intern, returns to the US January 13. Pray for her readjustment and future.
• Julie Murphy, our teammate for 3 years who has finished her term in Lima and is making plans to go to seminary in preparation for full time ministry either in the US or perhaps (hopefully:-)) back with us in Lima.
• Career missionaries Amanda and Jeremy Ross and two year missionaries Becca Bennett and Laura Hoyt who are doing their pre-field preparation and ministry and hoping to head to the field in 2005.
• Our debriefing with the mission Jan. 24-28 in Atlanta, which includes psychological testing and evaluation to help you work through any potential issues arising from time on the field, as well as sessions to help you process what the Lord did in and through you during your time of service.
• Our visit to The Church at West Cobb Jan. 20-23, where we will discuss plans to partner with them to plant another church in Lima later this year or in 2006.
• Our home schooling of Emmett and Anna for three out of our six months in the US.
• Mark as he works on 5, 10 and 15 year plans for the team.

We are super appreciative to each and every one of you for your faithfulness to us and to the ministry in Lima over this our first term of service. Thank you for your prayers, moral support, emails, letters, calls, Christmas presents, birthday gifts and financial support over these years on the field. From Lori and me and our entire family, we want to say a great big THANK YOU to the Lord and to each of you, in whom He is so obviously at work.

We are there as your representatives. This is a collaborative effort in every way, and we want to make ourselves available to any of you who would like to spend time with us while were in the US to fellowship, pray and hear about how it's going in Lima and where we're heading in 2005 and beyond. We're glad to talk informally or formally, any way that would serve you best. Don't hesitate to give us a call!

May the God of all grace fill you with His Spirit in abundance for all that He has ahead for you in 2005!

In Christ,

Mark and Lori
Emmett, Anna, Taylor, Abigail

mberry@mtwla.org