November 2019

Quick Updates and Pictures

Quick Updates and Pictures

We're just a family living in Arequipa doing our best to follow God's lead as God's family experiences reconciliation, new creation, justice, wellbeing, and joy. By the way, the “we” here is: Jeremy, Katie, Adileen, and Kinney Daggett. We work with two small house churches. We try to build community around shared faith and hope in the neighborhood. We work with the Christian Urban Development Association helping vulnerable communities break cycles of poverty in education. And we direct Harding University Latin America.

House Churches: Raising Funds Arequipa Style

House Churches: Raising Funds Arequipa Style

If you read through the book of Acts (as we’re currently doing in one of our discipleship reading groups), you can’t help but notice the incredible things that the Holy Spirit moves the young, small house churches to do in their communities. One of my greatest joys (and part of what gives me constant hope) is seeing the small house churches here serve. At the end of August, they came up with the idea for, led, and implemented a service-oriented fundraiser in order to be able to give food and personal hygiene products for an orphanage with 60 kids.

Women's Bible Study

Women's Bible Study

For about a year I have felt God leading me to begin a women’s Bible study with some neighbors. I finally decided to listen to this leading and lean on God to invite a few neighbors to come over Monday mornings to eat muffins, drink tea, and read the Bible. As I was inviting these women I was praying for God to bring just those women that were open to community with him and with each other, whether that be one other woman or ten.

When a group of soccer-playing dudes throws a baby shower

When a group of soccer-playing dudes throws a baby shower

On any given week, it’s likely that there will be a baby shower listed in the Sunday announcement sheet for your churches in the US. A quick search of my gmail and all I saw was a whole bunch of emails from Central and Cedar Lane. Peruvians also have baby showers, but here baby showers are both men and women, with ample food and drink (usually alcoholic beverages), and a clown who is hired as the emcee of the party, to direct the drinking games, and to make sure everyone has a good time. It’s a far cry from a Sunday afternoon gathering for tea and crumpets and chocolate fountains and sweet gift opening in the US.