Missionary Update: The Stantons

July 9, 2009

Dear Friends,

June was a wonderful month of great blessings from the Lord.  In my last letter I spoke of Anita’s and my anniversary of thirty-five years on the seventh.  One week after our anniversary I traveled into Lima to meet our first summer mission team.  This group was from the Berea Baptist Church of Hiddenite, NC and it was their second trip to Peru. There were nine of them and they worked really hard on the mission project of helping the Grace Baptist Church of Huánuco build a security wall around the property. Digging ditches and then filling the ditches with concrete and rocks was exhausting work but they really seemed to enjoy it!  After the work days we took them to Cusco and Machu Picchu.

While in Cusco they helped to paint the newly rented mission building for our Baptist Missionary friends Jason and Rebecca Reinhardt.  The group was in Cusco on Sunday the 21^st and during the night service I had the honor of translating for our good friend Jim Miller.  At the close of the service three teenage girls accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior.  What a blessing!  That was better than the trip to Machu Picchu (which is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World).  After Cusco we traveled on down to the coastal town of Paracas where the group traveled out to the Ballesta Islands to view some thirty thousand or more sea lions.  From Paracas they traveled on down the coast to Ica, Peru to the Huacachina oasis.  This is where the sand dunes stretch for as far as the eye can see, and where they had an incredible time sand surfing and dune buggy riding.  Anita and I certainly enjoyed having them with us and we thank the Lord for their love for the Lord’s work here in Peru.

Another great blessing for the month was the purchase of our new double-cabin, four wheel drive truck!  Thanks to the Statesville Baptist Bible Institute for their generous donation of half the cost.  The other half came from the sale of my old car and the BFM car fund.  It is a rugged vehicle and should do well for many years to help get up into the mountain and jungle works.  Praise the Lord!

Last month we mentioned the passing of Brother Wallace York and Sister Betty Creiglow.  This month we were saddened again to hear of the passing of our old friend, Brother Homer Crain.  Brother Homer taught me a lot about mission work here in Peru.  He loved his Lord and he loved to preach the gospel.  He will be missed.

The greatest blessing of the month came on June 15, when our newest granddaughter, Elizabeth Claire Stanton was born to our son and daughter-in-law, Joshua and Cheri Stanton.  The baby and mother are both doing fine.  God is good!   Until next month

In HIM by HIS grace,

Sheridan and Anita Stanton
Apartado Postal 140
Huanuco, Perú, South América
sestantonperu [at] hotmail.com / arstantonperu [at] hotmail.com

Mission Update: The Stantons

May 7, 2009

Dear Friends,

The month of April marked twenty-six years completed in Peru for Anita and me and thirty-one years since my being ordained into the ministry. However, the month could best be described as TRAVEL for me and TEACHING for Anita. One weekend I preached a three day meeting in the jungle town of Cayumba on the theme of marriage and family. It was a real blessing with several couples asking for baptism. One of the highlights was learning that Anita’s series of Sunday School books she has written over the years are now being used as textbooks for religious education in some of the public schools in that region. You just never know how the “small things” you do will be used of the Lord one day!

The following weekend I was out in the Central Jungle town of Pucallpa where we lived for seven years. I was asked to help coordinate the organizational services for the Hebron Baptist Mission. The organization service was very well attended with many sister churches being represented. David Olortegui is the pastor/missionary there. I had the joy of pastoring him for several years (he is from Huánuco), conducting his marriage ceremony and ordaining him to the gospel ministry a few years ago. The Lord has blessed his ministry and his hard work. The new church is now officially called “La Iglesia Bautista Monte Horeb” – the Mount Hebron Baptist Church.

I finished out the last weekend in the town of Huariaca, nearly two miles high up in the Andes Mountains. It was a three day evangelistic meeting with one of our Baptist missions and the Lord blessed with two trusting Christ as their Savior and two “cold hearted” church members repenting and asking for the church’s forgiveness.

Anita stays very busy teaching her literacy classes four afternoons each week. So many of the people in this region of Peru cannot read or write; have no math skills and are taken advantage of all the time by unscrupulous merchants. Teaching them is very slow, repetitive work (and sometimes aggravating when they don’t practice at home)! But she is dedicated to this ministry and loves the ones she teaches. It thrills her to see her students get excited over such simple things are learning to read and write their names.

Besides the literacy classes she also prepares the Sunday School lessons for our church and then teaches the teachers how to teach! This Sunday she has asked me to participate in a skit for the Sunday School children. I get to play the part of Jesus receiving all the little children. I guess having my beard helped me get the role! She continues to feel good physically; she claims she feels better than she has in years. We continue to give our gracious God all the thanks for His healing her of cancer.

We thank the Lord for all of you; for your thoughts and prayers; the cards and letter; your support and encouragement.

Until next month.

In HIM by HIS grace,
Sheridan and Anita Stanton

Missionary Update: The Stantons (Peru)

January 6, 2009

Dear Friends,
Happy New Year!  Anita and I trust that this past year was a year of blessings for you and we pray that this year will be even more! This letter is being written from Florida where I am speaking at the annual Bible Conference of the Jordan Baptist Church, Pastor George Sledd. It is 80 degrees outside and we have the air conditioning going, what a blessing! Anita is traveling with me and we just came from Elliot, Mississippi. From here we head up to speak at churches in North and South Carolina. We take our time and make sure she gets her rest, but she really does enjoy visiting with all of you. December was a very busy month for me; I had the opportunity to travel in Ohio, West Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, and two churches in Kentucky and give a report of the mission work in Peru. All of the churches have been very gracious in their hospitality and love offerings for which we are very thankful.

One of the high-lights of the month of December was having both our son and daughter and their families with us for a few days. It was the first time we had all been together since the grand kids were born. Anita and I enjoyed so much our time with them. The added bonus was finding out that our daughter-in-law is expecting our third grand-child in June.

But the best news of all was when Anita went to the doctor for her final visit the last week of December and he told her that her tumor marker count was down (even below the accepted normal level). For this great news we are still rejoicing! She does not come back to see him again until September. Sooooo, we are heading back to Peru the 12th of February. Even thought 2008 was a difficult year because of Anita’s cancer treatments we count it a year of blessings for the many life lessons learned and for having our faith strengthened. We thank all of you for your never ceasing prayers and for your generous support during the year. Anita and I are both anxious to return home and get back to the work God has called us to do. May God bless you for your love and concern for the lost souls of Peru.  Until next month.

In HIM by HIS grace,
Sheridan and Anita Stanton

Missionary Update: The Stantons

Dear Friends,
What a blessing it is to be chosen to serve our Lord in such a beautiful country as Peru, South America! Anita and I miss being in the work there and we are very anxious to be able to return home soon. But first we must be sure the Lord has used the doctors to do all they can do to help cure her of the breast cancer that she is being treated for. As you all know she first went through months of chemo therapy, then she had the operation and now she is being prepared for the radiation treatments. We have had a two week setback on the radiation treatments due to a small spot where the incision has not healed as quickly as it normally would have. Thankfully, the place has healed up and now she is to return to the radiologist on Friday the 10th to prepare her for the treatments that will probably begin on Monday the 13th (her birthday!!). But Anita takes it all in stride and continues to maintain a strong faith in the Lord, knowing that HE is in control.

I have been able to travel some this past month and share with a few churches about the work in Peru. Calvary Baptist church of Richmond, Kentucky; Grace Baptist Church of Milford, Ohio; Chapel Hill Baptist Church of Nicholasville, Kentucky were all very gracious hosts and we thank them for giving us the opportunity to share with them about the work in Peru. I was also blessed to be able to participate in two mission’s conferences recently: The First Baptist Church of Science Hill, Kentucky invited me to speak on the 30th and then I spoke five times at the annual mission conference sponsored jointly by the Lake Road Baptist Church of Clio, Michigan and Grace Baptist Church of Holly, Michigan. I had a wonderful time with them all.

Anita and I were saddened to hear of the passing of Sister Elizabeth Crain. When we heard the news a lot of memories flooded back in our minds of how the Crains helped us when we first arrived in Peru twenty-six yeas ago. They taught us some very valuable lessons about how to survive in Peru during those early years. Sister Crain will be missed by many brothers and sisters in Christ, both here and in Peru.

We thank the Lord for each of you, for your prayers during these difficult months and for your faithful support. We hope to be able to see a many of you as possible before returning to Peru. The way things look now we hope to be able to leave around the end of January or some time in February. We need your prayers.

In HIM by HIS grace,
Sheridan and Anita Stanton

sestantonperu [at] hotmail.com
arstantonperu [at] hotmail.com

Missionary Update: Anita Stanton

Hello Once Again.

I haven’t written since I had surgery because it was hard to use the computer. I am so thankful to say that the surgery went well with the removal of both tumors. I have been doing well at home for two weeks now and have gained good use of the left arm and am seeing much improvement in the right arm.

I just got home from seeing the doctor and having the drains removed. It is sooooooo good to move around without the drains! He says the incisions are healing well and doesn’t anticipate any problems with the rest of the recuperation period. I do not have to see the surgeon again until December as long as there is no problem.

I have an appointment for Sept. 24 to do the simulation for radiation. At that time, they will do a CAT scan of the area to be treated and do all the pre-preparation to begin treatment. I will begin radiation about the end of September and hopefully finish the first week of November.

I want to express my thanks to each of you for your prayers and support through these months of treatment. There is still treatment ahead, but I am beginning to feel that the worse is over. I am most thankful to God for His love and care over me during this time.
Love to all,
Anita

Mission Update: Sheridan & Anita Stanton

July 8, 2008

Dear friends,

Greetings to all of you in the precious name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior! It seems that I have felt HIS presence this past month closer to me than perhaps ever before in my life. It is hard watching someone you love so dearly suffer so much with the awful side effects of chemotherapy treatment for cancer. It leaves Anita so weak and sick for about two weeks of the three weeks between treatments. She has only about one week of feeling somewhat strong enough to leave the house. But through all of this her faith in the Lord has remained strong and her passion to return to the Lord’s work in Peru has not weakened. Her love and concern for others has not diminished either; she still finds time to call other cancer patients she has meet to encourage them. Her next and last chemo treatment will be the 15th of July. After about four to six weeks of recuperation the doctors have a mastectomy planned and then possibly six weeks of radiation treatments to follow the operation. We don’t have dates yet for the operation so we will keep everyone posted when we have that information. Thank you all so much for your prayers, cards, e-mails, phone calls and love gifts. It is an awesome experience knowing that you are loved by so many people; every day at least one card comes in the mail with expressions of concern and encouragement. Truly we serve a great and loving God!

We would also like to thank each one that responded to last month’s letter concerning help for my travel expenses. The need was more than met and the surplus will be used to help some of our national missionaries in Peru and also to cover some extra medical expenses that our insurance will not cover. Thanks again for each of you that helped us with this need. The travel expenses are for my upcoming three week trip back to Peru. I will leave one week after Anita has her last chemo treatment and be back before her surgery. When we left Peru in January for a six month furlough, we had planned to return the 9th of July. We made financial arrangements for our utility bills and national workers up until the end of June. So I need to go back and make new arrangements and also to get two new building projects started. Enough funds have been received to help the Grace Baptist church in Huánuco start their new building and also the Jordan Baptist church in Lima is now ready to begin construction on their new meeting house. God has been so good to help us be able to help these works. The work in Peru is growing and maturing for which we are thankful.

Speaking of new works; we still have the need of helping the Faith Baptist mission in Oxapampa with the need to purchase property. The total cost of the property is still $10,000.00. To date I have received $1500.00 designated for this project. Would anyone like to take this on as a mission project? Pastor Carlos Gonzales is the faithful national missionary that started this work and keeps it going. He lost his wife, Maria, last year to stomach cancer, but he and his grown children continue on in the work. Oxapampa is in an area of Peru where we have never had a work before. It is the middle city of three small cities located in a large semi-tropical valley. Just recently the government built a decent highway allowing travel to Oxapampa possible. The small city has no airport or waterways; travel is only by land.
In HIM and for HIS glory,

Sheridan and Anita Stanton
sestantonperu [at] hotmail.com (Sheridan)
arstantonperu [at] hotmail.com (Anita)

Celebrating 25 Years of Serving the Lord in Peru!