True Hardship in Isolated Areas
May 18, 2020
Dear Brethren,
On March 18th, exactly 2 months ago, we held our last service. There were still no cases of covid-19 in our city and we would not have any for over a month, yet they shut us down anyway. Since we are so isolated and way behind the rest of the world in all things including the virus, we have a long wait ahead of us before we will be able to meet together again. That is bad enough news, but before I can give you some good news it must get worse.
On March 18th, exactly 2 months ago, we held our last service. There were still no cases of covid-19 in our city and we would not have any for over a month, yet they shut us down anyway. Since we are so isolated and way behind the rest of the world in all things including the virus, we have a long wait ahead of us before we will be able to meet together again. That is bad enough news, but before I can give you some good news it must get worse.
Our most isolated mission point is actually in Peru. Our missionaries at Tipisca, Peru are José Maia and his wife Silvânia. They are on the Juruá River, which has its headwaters in Peru, but flow to Brazil. The town there is mostly supplied by goods from Brazil and a little that can be flown in from Pucalpa, Peru. As soon as the pandemic hit Europe, the border (Brazil/Peru) was closed and all flights were cut off. That really caused instant suffering. There are still no cases of Coronavirus in Tipisca, but the authorities won’t allow the natives to fish or hunt. The order is to stay home! The population is mostly made up of people from 4 indian tribes. They can no longer sell or trade. There is nothing to buy in the 2 stores in town, even if they had any money. Now they can’t even fish or hunt? José Maia is ok for now since he does his shopping just twice a year and had just stocked his shelves in February. They are feeding 7 indian children. This is true hardship.
Our people here are used to being together all the time. Very social. This shelter in place stuff is very hard for them. In fact, even after the first 2 cases appeared here, the couple that brought it in let their teenage son throw a party with his friends. Even now with hundreds of cases, folks who have the illness continue to defy the authorities and mix and mingle, wandering all over town. We have a few members who are infected. These are being responsible.
Feeling the yearning that our church folks have to at least see each other, Bev and I decided to try to help a little. We put out the word on Facebook and Whatsapp that on the next Sunday morning we would be at one of the main doors of our building to wave and throw kisses to those who wished to drive by on the their motorcycles or in their cars. They showed up with banners, signs and even a ton of presents! We had some of policemen from church to be there, just in case. Of course, we all had to pull down our masks to see one another’s grins. The thing became an event and was even in the newspapers. The following week the bishop of the Roman Catholic church announced that he would be in front of the cathedral to sprinkle people with holy water as they drove by. We all got a good laugh out of that. Those Baptists still ahead of all the rest!
Greeting people at the front of the church. 
Greeting people at the front of the church.
I have been recording all of our regular lessons and messages to feed the folks and share the gospel. The lessons and messages go out over YouTube, Facebook and our radio programs. One of our pastors also does a live on Instagram. It seems to me that I am busier now than before.
Besides all the preaching and teaching, I have been able to continue some other projects. Jobs are under way at the new church property, camp, church and the shop. Maintenance is being caught up on all my equipment. A few projects I have farmed out to help some of our guys who have already lost their jobs. Bev and I are trying to help as many folks as possible. We are in good health and continue to have as much fun as can be expected. We are closer than ever.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. God bless you as much as He has us.
In Christ,
Mike Creiglow
Mike and Beverly Creiglow
Caixa Postal 24
Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil 69980
mdcreig [at] hotmail.com
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online
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Missionary Update: Sheridan & Anita Stanton in Peru [November 2013]
Sheridan and Anita Stanton have served the Lord in Peru since 1983. Their main ministry is church planting and they have helped establish churches all over the country. Sheridan also works to train pastors and Anita works with the ladies’ ministry and developing children’s material.
November 8, 2013
Dear friends,
October was a very busy month for the Stantons here in Peru. I mentioned in my last letter being with the Central Baptist Church of Jauja, so I won’t go into details there; just that it was a great meeting where the Lord moved in the hearts of so many.
A group from South Carolina came to do some exploratory mission work and delivered some equipment for new endeavors.
On the 10th we received a small group of five from Columbia, South Carolina. These dear folks came down to some exploratory mission work up in the mountains about two hours out of Huánuco. We had the privilege to house them and feed them for the week they stayed with us. Anita and I enjoyed their fellowship very much. This group was also able to bring down a good supply of Bibles and also some of your video equipment we will be using for taping our Bible Institute Classes.
On the 15th I traveled to Lima to receive Pastor David Pitman and his dear wife Kimberly. For the first several days, they got to see some of the natural beauty of Peru. Then we flew to Huánuco where they were a tremendous help to us in our ministry. Pastor Pitman preached many times while here and also taught my Monday night Pastor’s class. Sister Kim also taught Anita’s Thursday Ladies Bible Study. We worked them pretty hard while here, and they were such a great blessing to us. The folks here are already asking when they will return to Peru!
The Stantons were blessed with a visit from the Pitmans!
On the 20th we were blessed to baptize two more into the fellowship of the Calvary Baptist Mission. This work is growing and showing good signs of spiritual maturity. The Pitmans also helped us decorate and prepare for a wedding I performed on the 26th.
I mentioned in my last letter that we had finally bought a piece of property for this work; attached are some pictures of the property being cleared. Next week we start construction. After all the estimates have come in we are still short about twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00).
A few churches shared with me while on furlough last year that they were happy to help us with the building cost. I told them I thought we had enough to buy the property and get it under roof. I was wrong! So I’m asking all of you to pray about helping us with this endeavor. The saints here are giving special offerings and donating a lot of the labor cost, but we still need help to get it under roof. When times are tough is when God’s people shine the brightest!
Until next month.
Being “in Christ” by God’s grace,
Apartado Postal 140
Huanuco, Peru
South America
(614) 500-8823 – Internet Number
sestantonperu[at]hotmail.com – Sheridan
arstantonperu[at]gmail.com – Anita
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Missionary Update: Sheridan & Anita Stanton in Peru [February 2013]
Sheridan and Anita Stanton have served the Lord in Peru since 1983. Their main ministry is church planting and they have helped establish churches all over the country. Sheridan also works to train pastors and Anita works with the ladies’ ministry and developing children’s material.
February 5, 2013
Dear friends,
Anita and I arrived back in Peru, safe and sound on January the 9th. It was a long day with several memorable events. First, our commuter flight from Lexington to Chicago almost collided with a bus on the tarmac at the Chicago airport. I did not know airplanes had brakes that could stop so fast. Never unbuckle your seatbelt before the plane is completely stopped at the terminal. For our next memorable event we flew from Chicago to Houston and only had a forty minute layover to catch our international flight to Lima, Peru. We did not know what gate had been assigned for our next flight. We knew we had to hustle to get to the next gate (thinking we would probably have to go through a security check again). So we get off the plane in Houston and quickly check the large “departure board” and found that the assigned gate was E21. It was then we realized we had arrived in Houston at gate E20, the gate for our departure flight was right behind us! How often does that happen? First time for us.
Our last unforgettable experience was when we arrived in Peru, and while going through immigration I realized I had lost my wallet on the plane. Though I had our passports, the wallet contained our Peruvian visas. I was not allowed to go back to the plane and could not go through immigrations without the visas. So the airline agreed to search around the area where our seats where and thankfully they found my wallet. This ordeal took about an hour but worked out okay because all the luggage from the plane arrived at the carousel five minutes after we finally cleared immigrations. All the other passengers were hopping mad wondering if their luggage would ever arrive. It seems the truck that pulls the luggage carts had broken down and it took them an hour to replace it. Then, the icing on the cake was that we got the “green light” going through customs; nice finish for a long day. Thanks for all your prayers.
Bro. Sheridan with Bro. Roosevelt Hermitaño, missionary pastor of the mission work in Cayumba Grande. [View Video]
[Click here to view a video of Bro. Stanton introducing 3 missionary pastors in Peru]
Paolo, a young Peruvian police officer who just trusted Christ!
Several days ago, a young Peruvian police officer came to my house and asked to speak with me. His wife used to be a member of a church I had pastored before. His name is Paolo and he serves his country in a very dangerous capacity. He had vacation time and asked to come every day and let me teach him about the Bible. On the fourth day of teaching him through the course “Basic Bible Truths”, he trusted Christ as his Savior. Paolo is a very quiet person and shows little emotion, but when he said with great confidence, “Yes, I believe Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again the third day,” the biggest smile broke out on his face. He told me that now he knows if he is killed in the jungle fighting the drug cartels, he knows he will go to heaven. Please pray for this young police officer, Paolo, serving his country.
SPECIAL PRAYER REQUESTS
- Hilda Bayhi (Anita’s sister) continues to battle with brain cancer and is now home with Hospice Care.
- For the Calvary Baptist Mission of Huánuco, Peru and all the churches and pastors of Peru
Apartado Postal 860
Huanuco, Peru
South America
(614) 500-8823 – Internet Number
sestantonperu[at]hotmail.com – Sheridan
arstantonperu[at]gmail.com – Anita
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