Tag Archives: Jesus

Merry Christmas Update

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Merry Christmas everyone,

Christmas Card 2014

Christmas season is upon us, and Danielle and I can hardly believe this is our second straight Christmas in South America. We recently celebrated our first year in South America, and we are looking forward to what year two holds for us.

We want to say thank you for all your prayers for us, the church in Chilete, and the Bible College. We have several praise reports, recent news, and some prayer requests since we sent out the last update.

First of all, Danielle and I went to see the doctor today. Our baby is about 3 1/2 inches long and very healthy. Also, Danielle is into her second trimester and has been feeling much better. We are still planning on having the baby here in Cajamarca, and we are figuring out the dual citizenship and embassy process. Thank you for praying!

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Secondly, a large container of supplies and materials was sent from Florida to the Bible College here in Peru several months ago, and after much work and patience we finally received the contents last week. Getting the approval of the Peruvian government was very trying, but the container was finally released and we praise God for His provision and answer to prayer. Again, thank you for praying.

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Third, the church in Chilete is continuing on. I went to a Lima for a conference last month, and the group that took over for a weekend did an amazing job. I was actually able to make it back to Chilete for the service and see the different young people from the Bible College minister in different ways. The teaching and worship was excellent, and the sunday school was run well as usual. Now, all of the students here at the Bible College are either on Christmas break or have returned to the United States, but we have been so blessed by the faithful servants who have helped us so much in Chilete. One of the most rewarding parts of the ministry at La Cosecha is seeing young people grow in the Lord, and to be able to watch them learn ministry and serve faithfully.

Last week, I traveled to Chilete on my own as the journey is still difficult for Danielle, and I had a great time with the kids. It was so cool to see different children see the needs of the church and start helping. I had 9 and 10 year olds wanting to prepare the sunday school worksheets, help me wash dishes, set up chairs, and more. I didn’t say a word, and our little church was operating beautifully and many children got to hear the words of Jesus. God is good!

This week we are preparing to a traditional Peruvian chocolate and cake celebration for Christmas. We will have chocolate milk (Instead of hot chocolate because it is really warm in Chilete, and we don’t have a stove to make the normal hot chocolate) and the Peruvian Christmas Cake, Panatone. Please be praying that many families will be ministered to, and that God will be glorified.

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Finally, Danielle and I are really missing our family and friends back in the States and all over the world, but we are very blessed to be spending Christmas with the Bonners and Bauers here in Cajamarca. Our apartment is becoming more and more homey as we continue to work on it and add things. Today Danielle actually put up some Christmas lights, and thanks to the container arriving, we now have couches and a bookshelf. Praise the Lord!

We are also really looking forward to the team coming from CC Fort Bragg and Ukiah. Lord willing, Danielle and I will get to see both of our dads, one of our littles sisters, and several other people we really love. Not to mention the blessing the team will be to the Bible College and the church in Chilete. We can’t wait, and please be praying!

Thank you all for your support and prayers. We are so blessed by how faithful God has been to us, and the amazing family in Christ He has given us.

Please continue to pray for our growing family, the ministry in Chilete (especially with almost all of our help no longer here), protection over the Bible College (there are only seven us here now, and robberies are very common around Christmas), the class of Nehemiah I will be teaching next semester, and the ongoing construction project here at the Bible College. Thank you all so much!

With love,

Cory and Danielle

Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” – John 11:40

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Update and Exciting News

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Hi everyone,

It has been a little while since we wrote something for an update, but we are very blessed here in Peru and we are getting more and more accustomed to life in Peru. Danielle and I are in our own little apartment now, and continuing with classes, construction, and Chilete.The construction project and classes are continuing on day by day. Right now we have Doug Bennett teaching a creationism class and it is amazing. He is a scientist and geologist who is currently working on creating a creation museum in the Pacific Northwest.

Doug Bennet 1Manolo Excavation

You can visit there site here: http://www.northwestsciencemuseum.com

Danielle and I are closing in on our 1 year anniversary in South America! Amazing how time flies. I am almost done with my third semester as a student, and am looking forward to my final semester as well as teaching the book of Nehemiah at the Bible College. Your prayers are appreciated!

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Nehemiah

We are also continuing the ministry and church plant in Chilete. We travel about 3 hours each way every sunday to have service and sunday school. A week ago we had an outreach movie night, followed by Sunday service and our first baptism.

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We arrived in Chilete around midday and after a time of prayer, we went into the city inviting people to the movie and sharing the gospel. We had an amazing group of about 15 people, and the people of Chilete were very open to the gospel message. Please pray the seeds planted would bear fruit. Later that night we showed the movie “Dios No Esta Muerto” and had a good turn out from the town, and many people coming by with curiosity. After the movie, we were able to share God’s message of salvation and pray for the people. God was glorified!

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The next day we set up for service, and after working out all the details we walked about 20 minutes to the near by river in Chilete. It turned out the only person who would get baptized was our brother, David, from the Bible College, but we celebrated what the Lord has done is his heart and had a great time as a family. Thank you for all your prayers for Chilete!!

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Oh, one more thing… We are having a baby!!! Danielle and I went to the doctor with Bonner’s last weekend, and received the wonderful news that we have a healthy 8-week old baby on the way! We got to hear the little heart beat, and could not be more thankful or happy! Danielle and I have been praying and waiting for a long time, and we are so excited the time has finally come to add a little baby to our family. Please pray for Danielle and the baby’s health, for the right doctors (we are having the baby here in Peru, and think we have a good doctor), for citizenship in both countries, and for the Lord’s provision in it all. Thank you!

First Photo Baby Kilgus

 

Thank you again for all your prayers and support. Life is not always easy on the mission field, but we are always blessed. Right now our plan is to have the baby here in Peru and then return in the summer of 2015, and prepare to move to Chilete full-time a couple months after. We love you and miss you all, and are praying for you as well.

“For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to theLord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord. So they worshiped the Lord there.” – 1 Samuel 1:27,28

P.S. We have had some people ask how they could help, and obviously with a growing family and ministry, the costs are also growing. We have seen the Lord provide every step of the way, and are confident He will continue to do that. If the Lord puts it on your heart to join the mission by helping financially we have created a support page that you can link to from the front page or visit here: https://gospelsouthamerica.com/support/

Thank you so much, and may God bless you!

Calvary Chapel Bible College Peru Video

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Hi everyone,

We wanted to share the latest video update from CCBC Peru. There are several interviews of people sharing what it is like to be a part of the college here in Peru, and also Pastor Kevin giving his take on the ministry here. Please have a look:

God bless you all, and please be praying for the Bible College!

Also, if you wouldn’t mind praying for me that would be greatly appreciated. I will be teaching my first Bible College class, and actually I will be teaching Nehemiah in two separate classes: One in English, and one in Spanish. It will be a big challenge, but by the grace of God we are hoping for the best. Thank you!

In Christ,

Cory and Danielle

Chilete Soccer Recap: Prayers Answered!

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Chilete Soccer Team Bus

 

Well, we made it back safe, tired, but very blessed. The whole experience was so crazy, but so good at the same time. There were times when Danielle and I were completely overwhelmed, and there were times that were so sweet they are hard to put into words. I know we have all heard it before, but we truly could not have done this outreach mission trip unless God was behind us, strengthening us, encouraging us, and providing the help we needed. We had an amazing group of loving servants that included 8 from CC Silverdale, several from CCBC Peru, and awesome man of God from CC Lima. We couldn’t be more grateful for all of God’s goodness, and I just want to touch on a few of the highlights.

We arrived in Chilete Saturday morning and the craziness began. We are in Peru, so of course we were an hour late, but everyone was so quick to help and things got going quickly. We had faithful people doing sign-ups, others setting up, one good friend locating electricity and working with the municipality, and our brother from Lima doing whatever he could fresh off a 12 hour bus ride throughout the night to come help us.

Chilete Arrival PicPeru Bus Image

As things started we had people coming and going, playing soccer with team, and beginning to have their faces painted at our face painting booth when CC Silverdale busted out their 5 foot high planet sized soccer ball. We then immediately broke the pump… but thanks to the help of a few a local kids we were able to inflate it at the local gas station. We then proceeded to roll the ball through town, and make quite a scene. In a small Peruvian town with no “gringo” residents, a group of Americans rolling a gigantic soccer ball down the street was a sight to see. Everyone had a great time, especially the kids, and we kicked the tournament off shortly after.

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One of my favorite parts of the whole weekend was watching the CC Silverdale team perform the “Everything” skit in front of a couple hundred people from Chilete, and then listening to my good friend Aron Diaz explain the play while weaving in his testimony of how Jesus changed his life. I had planned on being the one to invite people to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but as Aron and I were watching the skit I felt God had brought Aron to Chilete for a reason and asked Him to do it. Little did I know that God had been speaking to Him through Isaiah 25 and Matthew 28 about preaching the gospel all day. God put his hand upon Aron, and we got to see the Lord bless His Word and several come to the Lord.

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I also loved seeing the group interact with the kids at the face painting booth and during the games, and a super cool part of the tournament was that both the kids and adults championship games went to penalty kicks. If you didn’t know, South Americans are passionate about soccer. To have both tournaments come to 3 kicks apiece after 4 hours of soccer was very intense and a lot of fun. Each team represented a country as we did a World Cup style tournament, and our winners were Peru and Argentina.

Penalty KickWinning Adults teamWinning Kids Team

Next, Sunday morning was great as Danielle and Suelene led the Sunday School with the help of many from CCBC and CC Silverdale, while Aron led worship and translated the study for me so both Peruvians and Americans could understand the Bible Study. It was a new step to have separate services for the Adults and children as so far we have ministered to mostly children in Chilete, and we look forward to what God has in the future!

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Finally, I loved hearing what God did in the hearts of the team from CC Silverdale when we returned. One high-school aged girl told be that she had the best experience of her life, and when she finally had to leave for the states she started to cry because she missed everyone so much. She believes God has confirmed her call to be a missionary, and we are hoping to see Rachel again soon.

Another young man shared how blessed he was to share the Word of God with a little girl who has become a faithful part of our church, and how he loved seeing her cherish the Bible we were able to give to her. He said he realized there was no other Bible teaching church in Chilete, and he was just so glad we were going to Chilete to teach the Bible and love these kids. He said he realized if we were’t going, that girl wouldn’t be holding her Bible with a big smile on her face. That comment was the biggest encouragement to me of anything that happened all weekend.

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To close, God truly blessed our weekend and truly answered all of our prayers, and I thank you so much for remembering us in your prayers. We are so grateful for everyone who was a part of this outreach all over the world, and I truly believe those who pray back home are just as important as those who go out here in Peru. Please continue to remember us in you prayers, and we will try to do the same. God bless you all!

With love,

Cory and Danielle

But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 19:14

Prayer Request: Chilete Soccer Outreach

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Hi everyone,

Well, we are about a month into our freshly planted church in Chilete, Peru and we have experienced many difficulties, but many more blessings. Danielle, myself, and a group of faithful servants have been making the 2-3 hour journey each way every weekend, and our ministry has been mostly kids. We have memory verses, Bible songs, Bible studies, and different activities with them every sunday service, and little by little the Lord has been opening up doors for us to minister to the adults of Chilete. We are the only gringos in town, so I think it will take some time for them to trust us and know what we are doing, but we hope to gain that trust through love, service, and the teaching of the Word of God.

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Today, we are very excited to welcome a group of 19 from CC Silverdale (Bremerton, WA) that will be helping build at the Bible College, and 8 of them will be traveling to Chilete with us to help us put on our coming soccer tournament outreach this weekend.

Chilte Campeonato Poster Final

We have invited all the kids and young adults of Chilete to join in, and the Lord opened a door for us to come to the local school and hand out invitations to every kids in school. As we have gotten very close with a lot of the kids they were very excited to see us at school, and we stopped P.E. class for a little while, but it was a lot of fun.

We plan on having a tournament for both the kids and teenagers along with face painting for the little kids, some refreshments, and a time of evangelism with dramas, testimonies and worship. The Lord has been so faithful to provide help as we have people from the US, Lima, and many from the Bible College coming to serve alongside of us and help us. The Lord knows we could not have done this on our own, and He truly has been the Lord who provides throughout our whole ministry in Chilete.

Prayer Request:

If you would please keep the outreach in prayer that would be greatly appreciated. We are hoping the Lord will use our little effort to touch the hearts of many in Chilete with His love and His gospel.

The people of Chilete have had no Christian church and they are bound by much alcoholism, but we are praying that Jesus will transform many lives, and Lord willing this weekend will be a great way to reach out the people of Chilete.

Please also keep the traveling to and from Chilete in your prayers as over 20 of us will be making the trip through the Andes mountains in Peruvian combis or little busses.

Also, please keep the whole group in prayer that we would have attitudes of love, service, and sacrifice so that our actions would speak louder than our words, and we would really demonstrate the love of Christ to the people in Chilete.

Thank you so much for your prayers, and I wan’t to close by sharing a little story from last weekend.

As we were leaving one of the little girls of Chilete, I think her name was Alvina, asked one of our helpers, Sue, if she was leaving.

Sue responded, yes we are leaving. We live in Cajamarca.

Alvina responded by asking if there were people in Cajamarca that needed us?

Sue responded, yes. We have a lot to do in Cajamarca also.

Alvina asked, Are you coming back?

Sue said, yes. We will back soon.

Alvina then said, good because we really need you too…

I think Sue almost broke down crying right there on the spot. We know these kids and these people truly need Jesus, and we are so blessed the Lord has asked us to go to Chilete and share His Word and show His love to these people because Alvina was right. They need it… and so do we.

Exciting News!

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Well, how do I start. At times, it seems God is making us wait forever, and we can’t understand what the Lord is doing in our lives. I remember when I first moved back to Fort Bragg after attempting to go to Bible College for the first time back in 2010. I told my pastor, Kevin Green, I just wanted to serve the Lord and I didn’t know what I was doing back in Fort Bragg. He told me I was serving the Lord as I walked with Him and served in whatever way possible at the church… It was hard for me to understand at the time. I would go on to work different jobs, got married (the Lord knows what He is doing), and had my share of difficulties and trials.

Then the Lord opened the door for us to come to South America as we believed he was calling us to study, prepare, bless the Bible College in Peru, and ultimately serve Him as missionaries in South America. We have been more than blessed as we traveled through Chile, and then landed in Cajamarca, Peru at CCBC Peru. The plan was to study and serve for a year and half, learn Spanish, graduate, stay open to the Lord’s plan, and return to Fort Bragg in 2015 to weigh our options and see where the Lord was leading us.

It seems the Lord had a different plan. After doing several fruitful mission trips to a little town called Chilete in the middle of nowhere Peru, Danielle and I are going to plant a church in little Chilete with the blessing of our pastor here in Peru and back home in CA.

When we first started going to Chilete I was able to share my testimony and the Word of God with the  people, and we saw people come to the Lord. As a group, we saw our children’s festivals grow and grow, and each time more people were interested in the things of the Lord. Danielle and I knew Chilete needed a pastor, and as we prayed for the Lord to bring the perfect person we wondered which Peruvian it was going to be. We were sure that Chilete was not our calling because we were still learning Spanish and we had a different plan.

Yet, as time passed Danielle and I made stronger and stronger connections with the people, and the Lord continued to use us to minister to people there. Then we began to question if the Lord could be leading us to Chilete, but the thought was so crazy we kept it quiet. Then on one of our most recent trips the Lord gave us the opportunity to really get to know a group of people and connect with them, and unknown to us our Pastor here in Peru, John Bonner, was keeping an eye on us to see how we interacted with the people i Chilete. Both pastors here at the Bible College began to ask me if I was praying about Chalet, but I was reluctant to answer because I still was struggling to believe God’s will for our life. As Danielle and I began to really seek the Lord, He more and more put it on our hearts that we were to go to Chilete. After meeting with our pastors here, and talking to Kevin and Dan back home we were sure that the Lord was leading us to Chilete.

The response we have received in Chilete is nothing short of amazing. We have already been blessed with a little building where we can hold services. When I have been there getting things ready different people and children have recognized us and opened up to us incredibly. Just two days ago we were settling the details of the church building when a little girl came up to us and said, I know you. John and I played volleyball with her and her friends, met the parents, and just had such a blessed time with them. They are excited for us to come back, and what to come to our church.

We are going to do a big outreach on June 28th with a team from the Bible College, and then several of the students will spend the night with us and help with the first service on the 29th. We also are hoping to have a soccer tournament outreach at the end of July with a team from the States. We are very excited.

I would not be honest if I said I have not been equally scared as I have been excited. The difference in starting a work in Mendocino form starting a work in Peru is crazy. For one thing I will be teaching without a translator in Spanish with the encouragement of Pastor John. Also, getting all the details together is much different because we just don’t know how things work in South America like we do in the states.

I say all that because I am convinced of the need we have for all of your prayers. Something I shared with the group here is that there is much we cannot do, but something we can do is rely upon the Lord in prayer and ask for HIs blessing. I hope this work in Chilete will be built upon prayer and the grace of God, and I hope you will join us in the work by praying. As a body we are dependent upon one another, and I have never been more convinced of my need for help than I am now.

I am going to be teaching in Spanish, and although I am not perfect, I have been told I am understandable. After a strong exhortation from Pastor John, I have decided to go ahead and try to communicate the Word of God in the language of the people we are ministering to. We pray God will be gracious.

The Lord has given me a verse to strengthen us and remind us of the kind of help Danielle and I have. In Jeremiah 20:11 it says, “but the Lord is with me as a mighty and awesome one…” I especially like it in spanish as it reads, “Mas Jehová está conmigo como poderoso gigante…” Which translates, God is with me as a powerful giant. That is the Lord’s promise to all of us who have put their faith in Him. He has called us all to preach the Gospel, and then know that He is with us even to the end of the age. Danielle and I will fall back on this verse when things get difficult and we don’t know what to do.

Our plan it to continue to live at the Bible College in Cajamarca for the next year and continue our studies, so that I can graduate. Lord willing, I also will be teaching a class at the Bible College in my last semester, spring of 2015. We will be making the 2.5 hour bus ride each saturday and then coming back after service on Sunday. We are trusting in the Lord to give us strength to help us with the travels, ministry, and studies.

We will keep the updates coming, and I hope to have some pictures up soon after the 29th.

We are so blessed by the support we have received from back in Fort Bragg and here in South America. Thank you again so much for remembering us in your prayers.

With a lot of love,

Cory and Danielle

P.S. If you would like to help support us financially you can find more information at the bottom of our “About Cory and Danielle” Page. There is a link on the top of our front page here at gospelsouthamerica.com. Thank you, and God bless!

Missions Radio Interview

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Hi everyone,

A few weeks back we were blessed to have Patricia Spangler from http://www.missionsradio.com/ come to CCBC Peru and see the work the Lord is doing, and take several interviews. Here is a link to her interview with me, and we talk about the work the Lord is doing in Peru, some of my testimony, and how the Lord brought Danielle and I to Peru:

 

I hope it is a blessing to you, and encourages you that if the Lord can use me, He can use anybody!

With love,

Cory and Danielle

San Francisco to Santiago: The First Leg

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Hi everyone, it has now been a little over two weeks since Danielle and I said our final good byes, and were dropped off at SFO by our each of our dad’s. It has amazing how time has flown by! We have seen much of South America’s western coast, met a ton of new friends, and witnessed God’s faithfulness throughout our journey. We have stayed in several cities along the way, enjoyed the culture, seen the sights, shared meals with our brothers and sisters in Christ, struggled with the language, shared the Word of God, joined together in prayer, and much more. I think more than anything God has continued to knit our hearts together with the people in South America, and while we look forward to seeing more of Peru in the near future, Danielle now shares my love for the country of Chile and the people here. I am going to highlight our experiences in each of the places we have visited, and include a few things to pray for us if you would.

(You can find all of our pictures here: https://www.facebook.com/cory.kilgus/photos_albums Click on the San Francisco to Santiago Albums)

Fort Lauderdale

No, Fort Lauderdale was not a planned place of ministry or even a city we wanted to visit, but (by the will of God) it did become our layover destination as we flew to Lima. Danielle and I had about 11 hours between our flights at gate F10 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We had barely slept the first night on the plane, and lost 3 hours of the night due to traveling east. So, I had my head covered with a sweatshirt trying to catch up on some sleep when I heard screaming voices seemingly right next to me… I thought who could be so rude to scream right next to the sleeping guy? I took off my sweatshirt, and what did I see but our very good friend and sister, Amanda Picart. As usual, I heard her long before I saw her (with laughs). I won’t get into our relationship with Amanda, but we are as close as family can be. We were able to sit with her, and share for over 2 hours, and it was such a blessing for all of us. We had no idea that Amanda was going to be there, and had not planned on meeting her at all. Danielle had just been thinking how strange it was to know that among all the people around us we were not going to know any of them. Yet, by the hand of God, He arranged for us to meet in the same airport in Florida, at the same time, on the same day, even at the exact same gate as us! The odds of that happening have to be so minuscule that they are basically impossible. As Amanda headed for her plane I told her our meeting was nothing but a miracle from God. Yes, miracles still happen.

Peru

We arrived in Lima International right around 1 am, and got through customs around 2 in the morning. As we walked out the doors we walked into a mass of people, speaking a different language, in the middle of the night, into the city of Lima (roughly 8-9 million population). To say I was blessed and relieved to see Manolo Matos’ smiling face is an understatement. They picked us up at 2 am, gave us a bed, a hot shower, and his wonderful wife Holly had a delicious breakfast waiting for us in the morning. We instantly loved them both. Manolo and Holly helped us get set up for our bus ride that started at 2 pm the same day we arrived (so 13 hours after we landed on the plane), and got us to the bus station ready for the next step (a 20 hours of bus riding to the border of Peru-Chile.) At the church and Bible College Manolo and Holly were very busy with finals and all the ordinary church stuff, yet still took time to help us along our way. I am grateful for their heart of help and hospitality as they were truly like Jesus to us on our way. We hope to see them again soon. The bus ride to Tacna, Peru was long, but the bus seats in South America are surprisingly comfortable. Honestly, Greyhound should be ashamed of themselves. We spent the night on the bus, and then took a taxi across the border stuffed in a small sedan with 4 other South Americans. The taxi driver was a big help with customs, and everything went amazingly smooth. Praise the Lord for his answer to prayer, and faithfulness. We spent the next night in Arica, Chile because we had to wait until the next day for our bus, and to meet up with Ricky and Mayra Plazas in Iquique, Chile which would be our first real destination in Chile.

Iquique, Chile

After skirting the mountains on a road that was washed out in several places, we arrived in Iquique a few hours later than planned, and we were picked up by Ricky, Mayra, and another brother Omar from the local Calvary Chapel. We were very excited to be off the bus, as we arrived late due to the washouts, and we headed to Omar’s house where he and his wife had an awesome lunch waiting for us. One of the differences in culture in Chile, and all of South America, is that lunch is the main meal for the day, while dinner is lighter. So, we had a large meal complete with ice cream at midday, and a nice time of fellowship getting to know Omar’s family a little bit. After lunch, Danielle and I were taken to the house we would stay at with a young couple, Sebastian and Rocio. They were extremely welcoming, and were having youth group at their house that evening. So we were thrown right into the mix as we joined them for Bible Study and worship. Following that, the men and women split up to different houses for men’s and women’s prayer meetings. We don’t speak the same language or always understand each other, but none of that matters when you pray because God understands all his children. It was a sweet time and blessed experience. The following day was Sunday, and we fellowshipped at CC Iquique where Ricky gave a message on 1 Thessalonians that was really good, and a blessing to the people. We had lunch with several of the people from Iquique, and then went off to see some of the different parts of the city. It was a blessing to get a feel for the city and the culture. Iquique was formerly Boilivian and has been the site of some famous battles. Iquique is located right on the ocean, and we spent the evening at the beach with the youth group and some of the people from church. I was asked to share a devotional, and I spoke about King Uzziah and having a pure heart while Ricky translated. That was the first time I have ever taught with a translator and it was a really cool experience, and a blessing to be able to teach God’s Word in another country. We spent another day in Iquique talking with the church, heading out into the desert to see the sights, and then finished the trip with a BBQ with the church. We made a lot of close friends, and fell in love with the people there. We will miss them, and will be praying for them until we meet again. A few of the group will be heading down to the CC Chile family camp we will be attending, and we look forward to seeing them again.

Antofagasta, Chile

Our next stop was Antofagasta, Chile, and we were picked up by a friend of Ricky and Mayra’s, and a sister in the Lord, Lorena. Unfortunately, her husband Cesar was working in the mines so we did not get to meet him, but he will be visiting us in Santiago in January. Antofagasta is a fast growing city that is being supported by the vast mining being done near by there. Lorena took us out to lunch the first day and shared with us that her husband is teaching a small Bible study in a near by building that has mainly just a few of their family members attending. She said they have been persevering, and they will be in mine and Danielle’s prayers.

Lorena truly has the gift of hospitality, and although Danielle and I were a little travel weary, we really enjoyed tea and coffee time each evening. The meals we shared with Lorena and her brother in law Miguel were a sweet time to talk with them, and get to them. Danielle has had some ear infection problems that we were not able to get diagnosed before we left for Chile, but an unexpected blessing was that Miguel is a very talented doctor. He was able to give us some more info on what the issue was, prescribe some medicine, and tell us what to do next in regards to a specialist. Your prayers are appreciated as Danielle is hoping to see a specialist in Santiago next week.

Lorena also took us to the beach one of the days, and it was really refreshing. The interesting part of the ride was that I was the driver. Lorena’s husband has a car but she does not drive, and Ricky and Mayra don’t have licenses while they wait on permanent residency, so that left me as the only one who had a license and could drive a manual. We all survived.

At the beach, there were young guys diving with snorkeling gear for crab, and they came back to shore with a whole sack full of about 50! I was wishing I had my dive gear. We swam, ate, and talked. It was sweet time of fellowship and fun.
We were in Antofagasta for three days and two nights, and we are blessed to have got spend time with Cesar and Lorena’s family, to the see people and the city, and get a feel for Antofagasta.

La Serena, Chile

Our last stop before Santiago was La Serena, Chile. La Serena is beautiful coastal city with a lot of culture and history, and is a popular place for people to vacation. We were picked up by a brother in the Lord, Manuel who drove us to the lunch and then to the apartment we had rented. We got a really good deal on a small 3 bedroom apartment for only $50 per night for all four us, so that was a blessing. Manuel was very kind, and easy to get along with. He made us feel very welcome.

After we got settled in, he drove us in his taxi to La Serena’s sister city Coquimbo to see Fort Coquimbo, the Catholic Millenium Cross, and a beautiful view of the bay and both cities. Coquimbo is a bit more blue collar and industrious, while La Serena has more of a touristy feel to it. Later that night, we were welcomed to Manuel’s house where is wife prepared an awesome home-cooked meal for us, and we got to meet their two little boys. We got to know their family over dinner, and just have a blessed time of fellowship. We got to hear a bit about the church in La Serena, and really there is nothing at the moment. We will be praying for Manuel, his family, and the people there.

The following day, Ricky, Mayra, Danielle, and I walked the beach and found a quaint little coffee shop to sit at, and just share our hearts for ministry, missions, and the Lord in general. I think that time was a gift from God, and it was a blessing to hear the experiences of missionaries and dear friends as we are just starting our journey in South America. There is much to do in Chile, and all of South America, and we are not sure of our role, if any, but we trust the Lord will reveal that to us in time as we seek Him in prayer.

We were again sent off with a BBQ our last night, and we really enjoyed the family time spent with Manuel and Leticia. I was challenged by the chore of putting on a rather contrary 3 year old’s shoes, while Danielle was kept busy with the baby, but we had a great time, and we will miss them and be praying for them.

Santiago

Finally, after non-stop traveling through different countries and continents we arrived in Santiago. On the plane, Danielle leaned over and said, “I love Chile.” I understood the feeling.

We are settling in nicely here in Santiago. Ricky and Mayra are such a blessing to us, and we love spending time with them and helping them with different things around the Bible College. Ricky and I built a custom Chilean Calvary Chapel backboard for the basketball hoop out back, and Danielle and I have been helping with inventory for the Bible College.
We have been able to catch up with old friends, see different parts of Santiago, and yesterday we went to Vina Del Mar with some of the youth group and spent time at the beach swimming, walking, and sharing in the Word of God.
This morning Danielle was helping with the little kids, while Ricky gave a great message on 1 Thess 2. I was especially blessed to see a little girl I got know about 3 years ago, and talk with her awhile.
Oh, and today was the first official day of summer… 3 days from Christmas. So weird. We are getting ready for Christmas eve service this Tuesday night, and are just so thankful to God for all he has done. We miss and love everyone back home, and you are in our prayers. We are so grateful to be able to spend this time in South America and Chile, for all the wonderful people we have been able to meet, and for the work God is doing throughout South America.
Thank you for keeping up with Danielle and I, and for praying for us. We are so grateful.

We do have some prayer requests if you would remember us in your prayers:

Service: Please pray that Danielle and I would have servant’s hearts while we stay at the Bible College, and that we would be a blessing to Ricky and Mayra while we are here.

The Church: Please pray that the Lord would bless his church here in South America, that people would be brought to the Lord, and that the Word of God would be taught throughout. Also, keep Ricky and Mayra in your prayers as they run the Bible College here in Santiago, and lead the church.

Direction: Please pray that Danielle and I would have an intimate walk with the Jesus, and that we would be directed by Him in all of our affairs in South America.

Love: Please pray that God would put a deep love in our hearts for the people of South America.

Ministry: Please pray that we would be faithful and filled with the Holy Spirit in all our work.

Language: Please pray that Danielle and I would be able to learn the language a little more each day, and that we would be patient with the difficulties that can come from not being able to freely communicate.

Health: Please pray for our health, and especially Danielle’s ear as I mentioned above.

Thank you again for your prayers and love.

In Jesus,
Cory and Danielle

The Plan: An Overview

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Our South American Journey

Thank you for your prayers!

Hi everyone,

We leave in less than a week! As many of you know Danielle and I will be serving the Lord and studying the Bible in South America for the next year! We are very excited for this next chapter of our lives, and to see what God has in store for us in South America. We wanted to share our plans and give you this prayer magnet so that our family and friends, brothers and sisters can be a part of our trip, and remember to pray for us.

We are leaving for Lima, Peru on Tuesday, December 3rd and will arrive in Peru late the following night where we will meet Manolo and Holly Matos of CC Lima. He and his wife are housing us for the night, and from there we will bus to Iquique, Chile where we will meet Ricky and Mayra Plazas from CC Kaleo and CCBC Santiago-Chile. We will spend three nights in Iquique, Chile ministering, then fly to Antofagasta, Chile and spend two nights there, then fly to La Serena, Chile spend two nights there, then fly to Santiago where we will spend the majority of our time while in Chile. We also will be attending a family camp for the Calvary Chapels of Chile, and hopefully spend some time visiting the city of Talcahuano. Talcahuano was hit very hard by an 8.8 earthquake and ensuing Tsunami in 2010, and has been a place on our heart to visit for several years. We are so blessed to be able to serve with Ricky and Mayra during this time, and help them with whatever is needed.

On January, 31st  2014 we will fly to Peru and attend Calvary Chapel Bible College Peru-Cajamarca as students for the spring semester. The new campus in Cajamarca is still under construction, and many of the comforts we are used to in America will not be part of our life in Cajamarca. We would ask that you keep us, Pastor John, everyone who is going to be there, and the work at the college in your prayers. There have been many difficulties as John as taken this leap of faith to construct a new Bible College campus with the hope of raising up many Pastors, leaders, and missionaries in South America. We are very excited to help hold up John’s hands in the work, grow in the Word of God, and be part of what God is doing there in Cajamarca and South America.

Our hope is to stay in South America for at least a year and attend at least two semesters of Bible College while waiting on the Lord to see if He would have us stay in South America for a longer period of time or perhaps even permanently. We are very open with our long-term plans as God has only shown us these first steps, and trust that God will reveal His will for our lives as we serve Him and love the people around us.

Also, God has been so faithful to provide for our trip above and beyond what we had planned for, so we are blessed and provided for! Praise the Lord! We just ask that you remember Danielle and I in your prayers, and if possible stay in contact with us from time to time. We are on facebook, but we also have set up this blog so that you can follow along with us, sign up to receive update emails, and get more information.

Thank you again so much for your prayers, your love, and your fellowship!

In Jesus,
Cory and Danielle

Gospelsouthamerica.com

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” –Hebrews 11:8