Report From Shaun Wissmann – June 16, 2009

Hello from Peru!!!! Thank you for taking the time to stop by and check to see how we are doing!!! Here is just a little bit of what God has been pressing on my heart lately:

We have definitely seen Satan try and attack us as we have been doing the work we were called down here to do. I would be remise not to start out by letting you know that we have been attacked. And my guess is, is that we will continue to be attacked. And sometimes in the weakness of my flesh, in the past, I have succumbed to those attacks and feared doing any type of work.

Not this time.

God has shown us time and time again that He is so much bigger than the obstacles that have been thrown up to try and stop us. Our God has provided from the onset of this trip, and in the day-to-day activities. He has provided when we have been weak. He has provided when we have been confused. He has provided when we were sleeping, and when we felt like we need to sleep but could not. For example, I have never felt so awake and alive with only five hours of sleep in two days. (And that is just a start).

Every single step of this trip has been an unbelievable experience. Chincha was amazing, and I cannot wait to work there with my wife on a long-term basis. There is so much work to be done, and we are just beginning the work.

Today we were afforded the opportunity to go to a public school and put on a little exhibition of our talents. That was a wonderful experience, as they all have been. As time went on and the exhibition portion wrapped up, we began to hear from a Director of the school and the young leaders that will be graduating this year. My passion is youth leadership, and God kept on pressing in my heart to talk to them specifically, so I did.

I was able to speak to them, and encourage them to be true leaders in Christ. I was able to let them know that my life before Christ was a life of wrong choices and deep sorrows and that they don’t have to make mistakes like I did.

That moment is a moment that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Basketball is just something we do, but talking about Jesus is what we are “about.” I am so glad that some new guys are on this trip so that they can come back home and talk about Peru to all that would want to know.

A few prayer requests:

• Peru is in a revival period, and I pray that unlimited numbers would come to know Jesus.
• I ask that you pray for our protection from attacks, and protection from injuries.
• We also need strength physically, mentally, and spiritually because as each day goes by more and more gas runs out of the tank.
• Finally, I ask that you would pray for the unspoken prayers that none of us know about. Ask that God would work where we could not.

Thank you again for your support! Because of readers like you people are coming to a place of Everlasting Life. Praise is to God!

--Shaun

Report From Roland Heddins – June 16, 2009

Things are going really well on this basketball outreach in and around Lima, Peru. Our guys are playing really well, most days playing one or two full games with established teams, but also "performing" in grade-schools. At each event one or two of our team members have given personal testimonies and encouraged the people to trust in Jesus. While we haven't had traditional "altar calls," many people have filled out forms indicating they wanted to know more about following Jesus, and several have made commitments to the Lord. Pastor Pepe and his church members will be doing follow-up; he has already been receiving calls from new believers.

On Saturday we spent the day in the town of Chincha which was destroyed by a massive earthquake last year. We had a good time of ministry with children most of the day. On Monday we had three different events. The first was at a Catholic school and the kids were so excited and treating all of us like celebrities (crowding around us for autographs & photos). Some of the ladies from Pepe's church did a drama presentation and one young player on our team gave a testimony. In the afternoon we played a team from a nearby university. The drama was performed there again and a couple of guys shared. Then Monday evening we had an intense game with a professional basketball team who won by one or two points. There we also had a time of giving testimonies about the Lord. The report we got back at the end of the day was that about 80 people made commitments to Jesus that day. On Tuesday our team went to two large grade-schools, one a public school and one a Catholic school, and we had activities for the kids at each. Again, more testimonies were shared. Also on Tuesday a few of the guys went to a TV station to be interviewed. Their personal testimonies of are supposed to be aired on national TV and even throughout Latin America.

We received a report earlier this week that after hearing a couple of the testimonies one evening, two different men confessed that they were planning to commit suicide that night until they heard the testimonies, and two other men were planning to leave their wives & children for other women, but decided not to.

Thank you all for your prayers. The schedule has been intense with little or no rest, oftentimes skipping meals and much needed sleep because of the full schedule. We'd appreciate your continued prayer support for strength, anointing, good health, divine appointments & protection from the attacks of the enemy. View some recently posted photos & read our blog at our team's website: www.easttexaschampions.org.

--Roland