Wounded in Action

Macedonia World Baptist Missions on the field preaching the word of God and planting churches are often confronted with difficult circumstances.  This happened to the missionaries in Arequipa, Peru on May 7, 1997. Pastor and Missionary Austin Gardner after having been hit by the aggressors leaving a wound that needed 12 stitches in three different places.

We were on the Bible College land with about 15 of our Bible College students when over 150 Peruvian Invaders began to attack us. Several of our guys were injured. We had been warned for days that something was going to happen but our lawyer told us not to worry because he was sure that it was just threats. After we had retreated and they had taken our land they began destroying everything that we had built over the last few weeks. Then I decided to go for help. They had blocked the road with large rocks and so I went up and politely ask them to allow me to remove the rocks and go to the Police station. With that they began hitting me with large sticks and I did not even know how I escaped but the Bible College students and pastors charged in and drug me out causing many of them to be injured as well. About nine of us were sent to the emergency room once the police came and helped us to get off of the land.

We own the desert land on top of the mountain and the valley is farm land actually a long ways off.  Here we want to build a Bible College that will train hundreds of young men and women for the gospel ministry.  Please pray with us that God will make that a reality. This is the reason we are building a Bible College.  There are many young people willing to do something with their lives.  They desire to study and prepare themselves.  We need a place to serve them.  These are the young folks and pastors that were with us on the land building what we needed before the attack.