Hi everyone,

2015 is here! The new semester has already started, we are 4 months away from being parents for the first time, and we are still traveling 2 hours down the mountain every weekend to minister in Chilete. Our schedule is full, but God has continued to give us the grace necessary to do what He calls us to do. Thank you all for continuing to remember us in prayer. It is greatly appreciated!

We have now been in Peru for over a year, and it is pretty amazing to look back and see all that has happened. When we first arrived Danielle spoke no Spanish, and mine was very limited, I burned up my computer and charger because I didn’t understand the different electricity voltage here, we couldn’t call anywhere or go to the doctors without a lot of help. In reality we were like fish out of water, just struggling to get acclimated.

A year later we are having doctor visits in Spanish on our own as we get ready to have our first child in Peru. We are ministering in a Spanish only church, and I am even teaching in Spanish. Little by little we are becoming more and more comfortable in South America, and we can see how faithful God has been to us along the way. We have had our share of difficulties and frustrations with language, culture, and other things, but God has taught us more and more to trust Him and depend on His grace daily. The grace of God has held us up, and kept us going when we could not. I think learning to live daily by the grace of God has been the most important lesson we have learned in our first year.

So, now 2015 is here with all the new promise and excitement, as well as new challenges. There are times when we are cast down, but the Bible says hope in God. When we remember He is on the throne and His plan is perfect, we have exactly that. Tangible hope in our all-powerful, yet intimate, God.

So here is what we are up to, and what we are looking forward to this year:

– The semester has started and I am taking my final 3 classes of Bible College before graduation in May. Bill Holdridge is here as the interim Director while John and Pilar take a working Sabbatical in Germany. I am taking both Genesis and Theology with Bill and the classes have been excellent. We have grown so much at Bible College, but we are looking forward to graduation and the next season of our lives.

– I am also teaching my first Bible College class this semester: The book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah has long been one of my favorite books in the Bible, and I can remember holing up in my office back in California and just pouring over the life of Nehemiah. We had our first class last week, and I absolutely loved it. There are 17 students taking the class: Peruvian, American, and Brazilian. Please be in prayer that God uses the class to shape us more and more into people and leaders of God.

– We are continuing to minister in Chilete, taking teams there very weekend and holding both Sunday school and Bible studies. We had two teenagers at the Bible College for Youth Summer of Missions last month, and I think the Lord really used it in their lives. We also have a young women from Brazil here getting to graduate the Bible College in May, but also staying to help throughout 2015. God is so faithful!

– We also are very excited that a team from CC Fort Bragg and CC Ukiah will be here in May to help with the construction project at the Bible College as well as the outreach in Chilete. A couple of guys we really love will be on the team as well (That would be our dads). We can’t wait for the team to come. They are going to be a blessing and a refreshment for all.

– Finally, we are going to graduate in May, have the baby in June, do all the citizenship paperwork in July, and hopefully come back to the states for a time in late July/Early August. It is hard to put into words what our time in South America has meant to us, and what it has taught us. We are excited to finish this season well, see our families, and then continue in the work God has for us here.

Prayer Requests:

– Please pray for Danielle and baby Abigail. That they would both be healthy and that we would have a healthy delivery. We believe we have a good doctor and the costs are very reasonable, but everything is a bit of an unknown.

– Also pray for our workload as we are studying, teaching, traveling, and ministering every week. The load can be tiresome, but we are finding Jesus in the middle of it all, and HIs grace is sufficient for us.

– Please pray for wisdom and vision as we close out our time as Bible College students, and prepare for full-time missionary work in South America. We are trying to take things one day at a time and be faithful to what we have right in front us, while planning for the future as well. God is good to those who patiently wait on Him.

– Please continue to pray for the construction at the Bible College. We are making a lot of progress currently as we have a second floor in our main building now. Praise the Lord we have several teams coming to help, and the Lord continues to provide for all our needs!

Thank you so much for keeping up with us, and thank you again for your prayers. Until next time!

With love,

Cory, Danielle, and Abigail

“I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.” -Job 42:2