Pieces of the Puzzle ~Part 4 The Finale

The last week has been an amazing time of seeing what God has been doing behind the scenes. So full of confirmation that what we are working on is what God wants us to be doing. But first let me tell you what God did to bring us to this point. The story is long so we will be breaking it up into parts. To start at the beginning go here

After our initial trip to Lima, one of Jose's spiritual son's Victor came to us and said he knew his calling was linked to ours and he wanted to come with us. Our Pastors agreed that he should go with us. The 5 of us took a 2 week road trip to visit some friends and family and tell them about our mission to Peru. We flew out of Miami, FL the end of August. Between the 5 of us we had 23 bags filled with books, clothes and toys. 18 were to be checked. Jose's dad flew out the day before us so we checked at the counter to see how much our 8 extra bags would cost (we each had 2 free) The lady told us $60 each so we planned accordingly. The next day we arrived and one of the first things out of the desk agent's mouth was to tell us the cost was actually going to be $120 each, almost $1000. Me and victor started trying to figure out if we could make some of the bags carry-on's instead when the boss came over and told Jose that since it was their error in communicating, our excess bags would be free. God was bringing things together.

We got here and got busy but I'm not going into detail on that right now. In November we had planned a trip to Piura. The day we left was a Sunday we went to church that morning and there were some guest ministers who operate in the Prophetic. They called Jose and I up to pray and prophesy over us. Everything they said was confirmation of things Jose and I had been praying about and living out. The main things that stood out from the prophecy was that God is protecting us, will supply all our needs, is sending us out as church planters and will continue to pass this mantle on to the next generation. He also said that our calling has been confirmed over and over and God will continue to confirm the work he is doing in and through us. 

For the next 6 months Jose and Victor saw the need for spiritual fathers and affirmation everywhere. It was made so apparent that the message we carry is needed here.  

Fast forward to last week. 

We had 4 key meetings that brought all the pieces together. On Monday we had a meeting with Jose's cousin's best friend who has been a pastor in Lima for the last 4 years. In that meeting he said (among other things) "There are people in Piura that are waiting for their pastor to arrive." When we told him we are planting a church there next month he got so excited.  

Tuesday Jose flew into a city halfway between Lima and Piura to meet with the director of Surge church planters in South America, Brother Bob Finke. Jose also got to meet the pastor of the strategic church plant in Peru, Pastor Jhonatan Boulangger. There God confirmed the vision he had given us to plant churches. Our vision continues to be expanded. Pastor Jhonatan also told Jose that there are people and connections in Piura waiting for us when we go. 

Jose got back on Thursday and attended a mini conference La Casa Del Padre was hosting for Ministry Fellowship International (MFI). He and Victor had dinner that night with Pastor Reuben and his wife from Chiclayo (a town 2 hours south of Piura) these pastors also mentioned people in Piura who are waiting for a pastor (notice a theme?) They have encounters and other events and people from Piura come to their to church to be involved then go home where they have no church to plug into. 

Saturday night was the last night of the conference. Pastors Danny and Giselle Bonilla are the apostolic covering for the Aguayo's and were the speakers at the conference. Jose and I attended and at the end the Bonilla's prophesied over some of the pastors. They called us up last. They started out by saying that God had called us, sent us and will provide for us. He has confirmed the calling over us and it will continue to be confirmed. They said there are people waiting for us to be their pastors. That God meant for Jose and I to be together and the enemy has tried to take us out and take us apart but He has protected us because he has a greater purpose for us than we can even see now. There was so much more in that time that our hearts are full of encouragement and excitement about the things God is showing us and doing.
The Bonilla's were so excited about what God had shown them about us that they came up to us to talk about it afterwards. In that conversation they shared with us even more. Little personal details that they couldn't have possibly known without God telling them. 


We just want to encourage everyone that reads this blog to continue praying for us. Even with everything here our story is just beginning and you are a part of it. Through trials, stretching, test's and triumphs God continues to be faithful.  

Pieces of the Puzzle ~Part 3

Part 3

The last week has been an amazing time of seeing what God has been doing behind the scenes. So full of confirmation that what we are working on is what God wants us to be doing. But first let me tell you what God did to bring us to this point. The story is long so we will be breaking it up into parts. To start at the beginning go here

For the next several years the missionary thing got put on the back burner and all but forgotten. We had babies and jobs and ministry work. Life was busy and good. Every once in a while Jose would mention to someone that we wanted to be missionaries and I would nod and smile and think it was never gonna' happen. 

In 2007 the pastor from Lima our pastors had visited 5 years before came to Powerhouse. He spoke about Peru showed pictures of the people. Something inside of me broke. I was in tears the whole time he was speaking. I realized that I had hardened my heart toward missions even though I spoke a good game I had no intention of ever doing it. That was the beginning of the end for me. I told my mentor what was in my heart and Jose and I began to talk about going to Peru in earnest. 

Suddenly the future became crystal clear and for almost a year everything fell apart in our lives. We lost material things, friends and family left our church and relationships changed, and our business failed. The enemy tried to destroy what God had called us to do. This was just another piece of the puzzle. 

At the end of 2008 we were just beginning to recover. We still had embers of our vision burning. Jose invited his dad to attend an Encounter and in the beginning of 2009 he did. Jose was his small group leader and it was an awesome time for them. After the encounter Jose's dad told him that whenever we end up going to Peru to start the work he wanted to go with us and be a part of it.

We started making plans to visit Peru as a family including Jose's dad. Jose says he knew that this would either make the desire unquenchable or put it out. One month before our trip he had a meeting with our pastor. We knew that if this was God it would be confirmed by our spiritual authority. He gave us some direction about who to contact in Lima and asked us to report back after the trip.

In August we took a 10 day trip to Lima. Jose and I fell in love with Peru and saw the great need here. We both knew we could never go back to living the "American Dream."

In Jose's follow up meeting with Pastor he said "this is it, we want to move to Peru and plant a church." Our Pastor said he knew and he had just been waiting for us to level out after the shaking we had undergone the previous year. At that time we said we will leave in one year.

We started planning out how we would get there and what we would do. We planned to sell everything except what we could carry in our suitcases.

In March of 2010 our Pastors invited us to accompany them to the Remnant conference hosted by Pastor Larry Stockstill. One of the speakers was Robert Morris. We had heard of him as the pastor of one of the most prosperous churches in America so our mindset was that he was going to talk about money and how to have a prosperous church. Instead he spoke about the heart and having a heart of sacrificial giving. He had written a book called "The Blessed Life" which was basically about being willing to give up everything for God.

Let me just pause and tell you something about how Jose and I operate. We are both givers. We love to bless other people and are known to be a little bit out there in our willingness to give. However I'm usually quite a bit more reserved than Jose. I know that anytime Jose leaves the house anything on his person is subject to being given away. I'm more likely to figure out what the needs are and go from there.

So when we were sitting in this session God told me we needed to give our stuff away. Not sell it. This does not make sense. We planned to buy our plane tickets and maybe fund ourselves a little bit with the sale of our furniture and other personal belongings. But I knew what God told me to do. So before I could push it back or ignore the thought I whispered it to Jose right there. This only served as confirmation for Jose who had been feeling the same thing for a little bit. So that was it. We were going to give everything away.

Part 4 Tomorrow

Pieces of the Puzzle ~Part 2

Part 2

The last week has been an amazing time of seeing what God has been doing behind the scenes. So full of confirmation that what we are working on is what God wants us to be doing. But first let me tell you what God did to bring us to this point. The story is long so we will be breaking it up into parts. For part one go here 

In October of 2001 I went to Russia on a 9 month mission trip. I thought it was something God had called me to do but in reality I was trying to be a missionary on my strength. It was the the hardest thing I had ever done at that point and because of various situations there I returned home in May 2002. Completely broken and with no desire to have anything to do with God or Christianity. 

While I was in Russia, my parents decided to change churches. I was not pleased. I wanted to go home and hang out with my old friends at my old church. Not start over at a new church. Honestly, the only reason I went was to keep my parents happy. I had no intention of getting involved or even liking it but slowly God started working in my heart. I met real Christians who loved God purely and passionately and as a result showed His love to me when I doubted His existence. I wasn't all the way there yet but I started seeking God again. 

Jose attended his first Encounter God weekend in February 2002. There he was liberated from all addictions, affirmed as a son, understood the true cost of sin, was filled with the Holy Spirit and given vision for his life. The following month our pastors went to Lima, Peru. They visited a church and an orphanage. When they showed the video and gave testimony of what they saw Jose's heart began to race. God was showing him another piece of the puzzle. He couldn't believe a white guy from Katy, TX went to his country to minister the gospel. After that service Jose went up to our pastor to talk to him for the first time and told him "The next time you go to South America, I'm going with you." 

Later that year Jose was commissioned to minister to men. At that time God had spoken to Jose to talk to his dad about Jesus. He visited his dad in November and presented the gospel and testified of what God had done in his life.

It took 2 years of God preparing Jose before he accompanied Pastor to South America.

2 months after Jose went to South America we got married. Thinking we would be missionaries in 5 years...

Part 3 tomorrow

Pieces of the Puzzle ~Part 1

The last week has been an amazing time of seeing what God has been doing behind the scenes. So full confirmation that what we are working on is what God wants us to be doing. But first let me tell you what God did to bring us to this point. The story is long so we will be breaking it up into parts.


For Jose before he was saved he knew there was some connection for him in Piura, Peru he just didn't know what it was.


For me I knew I was called to missions at a young age. Surprisingly for me God told me to begin praying for my future husbands salvation in January of 2001. Before that I had just assumed I would marry someone who grew up saved. But when God tells you to do something it's usually best to listen. I didn't tell anyone but I prayed for him for 6 months and in June I felt a peace to stop praying for his salvation. That October I went to Russia on a 9 month mission trip.


In January of 2001 Jose had watched his friend go from a broken life to a much better place in about 8 months. Seeing the change and liking it Jose in his carnal way decided he wanted to be a better person too. That ended up making him double minded and affected him almost to the point of suicide. Seeing this, his friend started inviting him to church. Dr Edwin Louis Cole says "When the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change, you change." This was true for Jose. He began attending church in June and was saved June 18th 2001.


For the next 5 months Jose struggled. Having one foot in the church and one foot in the world. Inside he was saved and was being transformed by God. But he was still pulled by relationships and addictions that made it seem impossible for him to fully change. All his life he had run away from his problems. In November the perfect opportunity for him to run away arose. He could go live with his dad in Florida and start a new life. Before he made his final decision he attended a midweek Thanksgiving service at Powerhouse Church. This service would change his life and add another piece to the puzzle that God was constructing. Pastor GF Watkins taught on Abraham building his altar, pitching his tent, and digging wells. That message spoke to Jose that this church was where his new life would begin. This church is where he would worship, sacrifice and grow deeper with God, no matter what else happened around him.


Part 2 coming tomorrow

How Much is Enough

This morning I have been meditating in the word and saw something that really spoke to me. 1timothy 6:9-10 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Wow, how much is enough and where does it end? Do we give God Glory with everything that we own or do we say this is for God and this is for me and my selfishness. Please understand that God does give us possessions for our enjoyment and to spread his kingdom. Do you desire to be rich? Well then this is what you should expect. 1)temptations--not that we don't already have temptations, but the ones that get you in debt, distracted, and are selfish. 2) a snare--simply a trap. We fill our houses with things to make us feel great or buy things to impress others or think we need, but it's all a trap because in the end none of these things work. 3)foolish and harmful lusts--what we see and think we need, the latest this, that or the other. Foolish, the word in proverbs refers many times acting like a child and in all the cases they do not enter the presence of God. 4) to drown in destruction and perdition-- think about it, if you desire to be rich you will be drowned in destruction and perdition. Your destiny is not heaven it is torment and everlasting hell. Jesus told his men, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:25 NKJV) 5) the love of money has strayed them from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. Do you desire to be rich then expect the piercings of being filled with grief. It comes down to greediness. The question again is, how much is enough? How many cars are enough, how many houses are enough, how many shoes are enough, how many dogs are enough, how many tv's are enough, how much jewelry is enough, how many guns are enough, how many games are enough, how much ______ (fill in the blank) is enough? Please let me help you to understand that it's not that God will not provide for you. It is not that wealth means you are evil or even having money makes you evil. Listen to this verse. Mark 10:29-30 NKJV So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. But the key is this. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33 NKJV) Please listen to what I'm about to say and examine yourself. I have to daily because I have been blessed to have lived in a great country where we have a buffet of liberty and choices and selection of commerce and opportunity to live the American dream. If you make more than $2 a day you are richer than 1/3 of the world. That sounds crazy. You may step outside of your house and maybe not believe it, but you are. I am not saying giving your money to the poor is your ticket into heaven, works can't do it for you; only Christ, his blood and him crucified. If you think about it and look around your house you are probably like most of us and see you got more junk and stuff you don't use and probably pay storage fees for things you will not go through again. God has blessed us to be a blessing to others. Show that today. What can you do with what you already have to change this world and to bring the gospel to the at least 4.5 billion of people who don't know Christ. That is 4,500,000,000 people! It is our responsibility to do it.

JOSE