Missionary Update: Sheridan & Anita Stanton in Peru [December 2014]
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.
December 20, 2014
Dear friends,
Since my last letter so much has happened. First, the Calvary Baptist Mission of Huánuco was organized into an independent New Testament Baptist Church the 18th of October. We had 43 charter members taking part. Pastor Dr. George R. Sledd from our home church, the Jordan Missionary Baptist Church, came down to assist in the organization ceremony. All of our sister Baptist churches attended. The church voted to call Brother Franz Coba as their pastor. Franz is a fine young preacher, married with two small children. Please pray for him and the church as they embark upon this new ministry together.
Once the church was organized and all the legal details of turning over the property were taken care of, Anita and I gave full time to selling off or giving away all of our “stuff” we had collected over the past thirty-two years in preparation of our journey back to the States. In my last two letters I have informed you all that the Berea Baptist Church of Hiddenite, North Carolina has called me to be its new pastor. Leaving Peru was an emotional roller coaster for us as we went through numerous farewell services where a lot of tears and emotion were expressed by our Peruvian friends.
After leaving Huánuco we went through the hassle of shipping seventeen plastic storage bins back to the States. We were in Lima for several days taking care of paper work for our departure and the shipping. Upon arrival in the States on the 12 of November we immediately drove to Hiddenite to find the church had remodeled the parsonage for us. All new hardwood flooring throughout the house and a lot of new furniture and kitchen appliances. After about a week of waiting our plastic shipping tubs arrived with only a few things broken in route. Praise the Lord for the little things too!
The saints of Berea Baptist have been very gracious and generous in their care for their new pastor. Anita and I have purchased a car and some new “stuff” to replace the old “stuff” we sold or gave away in Peru. We are still getting things put away and organized to our liking. The Lord has been blessing in our services here in the past few weeks. We have seen two professions of faith, three for baptism and one coming by letter. I have also begun my counseling ministry.
Our daughter, Leah, and her family came down to celebrate Thanksgiving with us, and what a blessing that was! It was the first Thanksgiving we had ever spent together since our kids went off to college fifteen years ago. We pray we will have many more holidays to spend with family in the future.
We would again like to thank all of you, our supporters, for your faithful monthly support and prayers during the past thirty-two years of our ministry in Peru. There have been hundreds of souls saved and baptized, numerous churches begun and organized, over twenty-five men ordained to the gospel ministry. So many of you, our supporting churches, contacted me to let me know you were going to continue our support until the end of the year; thank you so much for your love and generosity. I would encourage you to pray and consider channeling the support you have been giving to Anita and me to help support the General Fund of Baptist Faith Missions. It has been an honor and gratifying experience for us to have been aided all these years by the many churches, friends and directors of BFM. The stated goal of Baptist Faith Missions is to help the local churches send and maintain their missionaries on the fields where the Lord has called them to serve. BFM does not send missionaries anywhere, which is the job of the Lord’s churches. BFM will continue to receive and distribute any designated funds for us until it is no longer needful. Again I hope many of you will be lead to redirect your support for us to the General Fund of Baptist Faith Missions; it is sorely needed.
If you are ever in North Carolina, come see us. The saints here at Berea Baptist will treat you with great love and kindness as all God’s children deserve.
Being “in Christ” by God’s grace,
Sheridan and Anita Stanton
New Stateside Address
Berea Baptist Church
350 Berea Church Quincy Road
Hiddenite, NC 28636-8221
Home: 828-471-5105
Cell: 828-962-0149
sestantonperu[at]hotmail.com – Sheridan
arstantonperu[at]gmail.com – Anita
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Missionary Update: Sheridan & Anita Stanton in Peru [October 2014]
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.
October 5, 2014
Dear friends,
Well, the dedication of our new meeting house for the Calvary Baptist Church here in Huánuco, Peru was a great success. We invited our sister Baptist churches to come and celebrate with us in the dedication on Thursday 18th of September. The picture you see was taken a few minutes before we started and many more came in shortly after; packed out with many standing.
In just a few weeks we will organize the mission into an autonomous Baptist church on Saturday the 18th of October. Pastor George Sledd of our authorizing church will come down to oversee the proceedings. We are excited about this latest milestone in our ministry. I mentioned in last month’s letter that the church needs to call a pastor before we can proceed with organization. Last Sunday, 28th of September, the mission voted NOT to call my assistant pastor, so we have allowed two weeks for prayer before we vote on another, younger, candidate. The church needs a pastor so, once organized, we can get their legal non-profit organization status they need to own the new property. We would very much appreciate your prayers in this matter.
This past month I had the unique experience of counseling with a 50 year old man from London, England. To make a long story short, he came to me in a severe state of depression and left with the joy of Christ in his life. Andrew Lord, has been traveling around the world on a BMW motorcycle for the past seven years. He has been in India, Pakistan, all over the Middle East, Africa, and the past three years has traveled from Alaska, through Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, and now is in South America. Some missionary friends (with a motorcycle ministry) met Andrew and recommended he come see me about his depression. Hope is the best therapy for depression and since the 2nd coming of Jesus is our “hope of glory” I always present the gospel to non-believers that come for counseling. He has several more months to go traveling to Chile, Argentina and Bolivia, but now he knows Christ and has peace. Remember Andrew in your prayers please. He has some very weighty decisions to make in the near future, and if you see him on the road somewhere, encourage him in his walk with Christ and tell him Sheridan says hello!
Last month I told you all about the Saints of Berea Baptist Church in Hiddenite, North Carolina calling me as their pastor. Anita and I are busy selling everything we have accumulated in thirty-two years on the mission field and making preparations for returning to the United States sometime in November. We are very excited about this new opportunity to serve our Lord with such a dedicated group of God’s choicest Saints. I ask you to pray especially for us that our Lord will continue to give His peace and encouragement as we go through the difficulties of what personal things we must leave and what we can take. It is hard because so many little things have so many memories attached.
Being “in Christ” by God’s grace,
Sheridan and Anita Stanton
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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