The plan

Several years ago, when Jose and I were still pretty much newlyweds one of us was usually working for our church (first me then him) and we were involved in several ministries. Back then I used to think we spent so much time at the church we practically lived there....fast forward to our 8th year of marriage and we do live in the church, literally in the church. If you have read this blog or known us for very long you probably know this already.

Originally our plan was to live in the house we live in and once the church outgrew it we would move the church and continue living here. That was until things changed. We found a way to grow in the house and extend the use for the church but we need to move out. So for the last 3 months or so we have been looking for a house with the goal to be moved out by August 1st...but we didn't find anything. A part of being missionaries is we are completely dependent on God, and the people who give into the mission being faithful to give every month. Sometimes for one reason or another that doesn't happen. So in an effort to use wisdom we had to set a pretty low price point for the amount we can pay in a country where houses rent for about the same as the US. Realtors thought we were crazy or lying about our financial position because after all I am obviously a gringa. In a lot of peoples minds here white skin=lots of money. Jose actually started looking at houses by himself and verifying the cost of the house because some people even raised the rent price once they saw me. So we kept praying and finally a member of the church noticed one of the houses on her street was empty. She did some checking for us and we were able to rent it! We are going to move hopefully this weekend or possibly next week depending on when the repairs are finished.

We are so excited that God brought this house to us. Honestly I was starting to get discouraged about the whole thing. I knew that we needed to move and that God would take care of us. But sometimes...ok most of the time. I want to control the situation. I want to tell God "OK, I need this thing in my hands by 8 am Monday ok?" As if I could actually be in charge and give God a deadline. But he always comes through. Always.

It isn't without stretching though. A part of our August deadline was because we knew the month of September would be crazy and we need to be out before our conference which is September 18-20.
Jose has been having meetings all throughout the day every day for the past month and since this is our first conference he is only getting busier. So we are going to be moving in the middle of the busiest time of our lives. S--t--r--e--t--c--h. While I'm in the first trimester of this pregnancy. S--t--r--e--t--c--h. Oh, and we are hosting a group from our home church during the conference. yeah that too. Thankfully we have several church members who have stepped up and offered to let some of our visitors stay with them. Plus we don't have that much stuff so hopefully moving will be smooth, quick and easy.


Please pray for us
~that God would continue to work out all of the details of our upcoming Save the Family conference. He has already done some amazing things and we are so excited about it!

~Our move to be seamless and easy

~ the first trimester blahs would go away so that I can be a better helper for Jose and mom for the kids.

~extra funds/support as we continue to grow and expand the ministry here in Piura and as our family expands

If you are interested in supporting us monthly and have questions or even would like to make a one time donation. Please send me a message at jkmission2peru @ Gmail.com
We also have 2 different links to donate on the right hand side of the blog. One is through paypal and the other is a tax deductible donation through our home church

A Rainbow

February 2nd was one of the hardest days of our lives. We lost our sweet baby boy Caleb when he was only 2 days old. While we know he is in Heaven and that gives some comfort it doesn’t completely take away the pain of what happened and the fact that we miss him.  

But God is faithful and has sent a rainbow in the midst of our storm.

"Rainbow Babies" is the understanding that the beauty of a rainbow does not negate the ravages of the storm. When a rainbow appears, it doesn't mean the storm never happened or that the family is not still dealing with its aftermath. What it means is that something beautiful and full of light has appeared in the midst of the darkness and clouds. Storm clouds may still hover but the rainbow provides a counterbalance of color, energy and hope.

~Courtney

This week we discovered we are expecting another baby he or she is due April 7th 2013. Please pray for us that this would be a boring and happy pregnancy. It was a surprise but we are thrilled beyond words.  

6 months

It's usually not this hard. Most days come and go casually with very little thought of the baby I don't have. But then I have days that are fairly catastrophic and even though the struggles and frustration have nothing to do with my missing child, they do. Why am I so edgy today? Oh yeah, Caleb would have been 6 months old today. I would have told him happy half a year birthday at his morning feeding and we would have been quietly, almost without noticing, celebrating the 6 months he was here. If he was like Logan he would have been crawling by now. If he was like Timothy he would be happy to stick to scooting for several months more. But I will never know what he is like on earth because he is not here.

I'm still sad. I still ache to hold my baby and my eyes fill with tears occasionally when I see babies that are about the age he would be. I guess it's similar to a physical wound. Generally it doesn't hurt so much but when something touches it then the pain is strong for a moment.

The good news is God is faithful. He has carried us through this and at the end of the storm there will be a rainbow.


The week that Caleb went to Heaven my sweet friend Johanna sent me an album through iTunes. That whole album (and "Where I find you"by Kari Jobe) has been very soothing for me. I pretty much played them nonstop for 2 months. The words to this song pretty much sum up how I feel and have felt since the beginning.

Under the wings of God
I will rest, and I will lie in wait
Watching the storm go by
From this shelter of His love and grace

His love is strong
And my hope is here, under the wings of God
Where I belong
And in His love I am safe

When the leaves begin to fall
From the trees of happiness and joy
When the season of sorrow comes
Like a frigid breeze over the frozen soil

His love is warm
And my hope is here under His blazing sun
Where I belong
In His love I am safe

When I am weak He is, He is stronger
When I am slipping He pulls me in close
When I am helpless He will defend me
He is with me wherever I go
Who is like Him? Awesome in power
Who is stronger? His strength has no end
If He is for me, who stands against me?
He will hold me safe in His hands

Thank you for those of you who pray for us and send notes and messages. They mean a lot to us. I love to hear how my baby boy's short life has impacted people. I will never get tired of talking about him so please don't hesitate to mention him to me. (if you want to)