Special thanks to Christ Presbyterian Church!

Our home church is Christ Presbyterian in New Braunfels, Texas. These dear saints have been very kind to us over the years, and indeed have supported us from the beginning of our work in Peru. They have demonstrated their generosity once again, by providing us a home while we are on HMA. The church's campus includes about 12 acres (if I recall correctly), with a comfortable, quaint, farmhouse that they now use as a mission house. It is in the middle of a rapidly growing part of town, but it is situated in such a way that it still has the feel of an old farm. Notice in these pictures the pre-civil war stone building that apparently served as storage and root cellar. The windmill is also situated over an old hand-dug well that must date to about the same time.

New Braunfels is one of my favorite places in Texas. Located on the Comal and Guadlupe rivers, it was settled by German immigrants in 1845. Wikipedia has a brief article on the city.

Home Missionary Assignment

The Bakers are back in the US for about a year on HMA. We're sad to leave Peru but very glad to see family and friends, and very much looking forward to visiting churches and telling what the Lord is doing in Northern Peru through your prayers and support.

One of the reasons we are sad to be gone for a year is simply because we will miss our Peruvian and North American brethren who are working so fathfully there (and having too much fun without us :-), but also because this is a key time in the life of Peru Mission. After many years of slow advance, and many years of foundation laying, we are beginning to see significant growth and development in almost all areas. We have many new faces around the mission (~10 families and 12-14 interns, if I count correctly) and a growing group of Peruvian leaders. Our hopes are that the next four years will see the Trujillo foundations sufficiently established that we can begin work with full force (committing substantial human and financial resources) in Chiclayo, Piura, and elsewhere in the north of Peru. We hope to be anouncing a major capital funds campaign soon, with the idea of completing our major financial obligations in Trujillo. Please pray for all of the administrative details that need to be wrapped up for that to take place.

And finally, please pray for us to have a good and succesful time in the US. Pray for our family's stamina (spiritually, emotionally, and physically) throughout this year. I enjoy traveling, but it takes a great toll on the family.

Thank you all for your faithful partnership with us in the Gospel! May our Lord richly bless you all.

Stockdale Watermelon Jubilee Rodeo

Last night Wes and I went back to our old stomping grounds. We went to the Watermelon Jubilee in Stockdale, TX. The rodeo was alright, but my favorite part was the "mutton busting". Mutton busting is an event for kids about 5 to 6 years old.. They suit up in a bull riding vest and helmet and are placed on the back of a sheep. The shute opens and they hang onto the back of the sheep for dear life as the sheep runs out across the arena. The kid who rides the farthest is the winner. As you can imagine there were lots of laughs! We also got to catch up with some old friends from school, Michael and Michelle Hartman. It was a fun night!

Back on Line!

After a very long time without my own computer and without a digital camera, I am back! I got a new computer a couple of weeks ago and also a camera, so please stay tuned for news and updates from the Bakers!

Things Happening In Arevalo

The ladies in Arevalo have been meeting every Friday afternoon for Bible study and fellowship. This past Friday we were taught how to make greeting cards. They are always excited to learn new hand crafts and are eager to learn more about the word of God. They are an encouraging group of women!


It's summertime here in Trujillo and the kids are looking for things to do. The church in the Arevalo neighborhood has been helping out with this. They have started a turtoring program with about 120 kids attending. This Saturday they plan to take a break from the books and take a trip out to the beach to enjoy some fun in the sun!

Ladies Bible Study

Every Tuesday we wives get together with our girl interns and study God's Word. We have just started a new study by Beth Moore. Todays topic was entitled New Starts and Barren Hearts. We talked about the manna and all that it represented in Exodus 16. The point that struck me most was that it was training for daily dependence on God! I am already looking forward to next weeks lesson!

Alive and Kicking

I know many of you are shocked to find new information on the Baker Family Blog Spot! I am so sorry I have not kept up lately. Life has been incredibly busy with seven kids, husband, dog, and hamster! The kids are doing great. Of course we are staying busy with the usual: school (now 6 out of 7 homeschool), violin, tennis, biking, running around in the park with all your friends, and swimming! We also like to try and go out and help with the short term teams while they are here.

This is our latest picture of all the kids. I know you can tell they have all grown a lot in this past year. Lauren is busy working full-time at SALI and taking all her classes. She is so smart and works very hard. Cullen has finally past Wes in height and beat him at arm wrestling the other night! He is becoming a young man. Noah is almost as tall as I am. He is a big strapping boy! He just had a birthday and got a new bike. So he has been spending all his free time out riding with his buddies. Abby and Katheryn are enjoying having so many friends to play with everyday. They are really tired at the end of the day! Olivia and Millie are becoming better friends each day. They like to play with their dollhouse and practice being mommy! Olivia is also happy she is learning to read. Wes is busy with teaching and short term teams. Right now we are enjoying the team from All Saints in Austin, Texas.

The kids enjoyed a ride with Mr. Sonny House not too long ago. It was a real treat to go down the streets of New Braunfels in this really old car. The kids worried about us getting in trouble because Millie wasn't in a car seat. I told them I couldn't imagine us getting a ticket because we looked so cute! It was a blast!! Thanks Mr. House!!!