Unexpected Gifts

Unexpected Gifts

In 5+ years in Peru, we have never lacked anything. You have supported us, prayed for us, sent us birthday cards and Christmas treats. You have visited us or sent a representative group to bless us. CUDA, our non-profit, has grown and some of you support that kingdom work there with monthly or end-of-year donations. When it looked like CUDA might not make budget in 2019 and I asked for help at the end of a long newsletter, we had $8,000 by the end of the week. God has been faithful. Your Epaphroditus-style generosity and sacrifice is beautiful and glorifies God. Every so often we get an email that leads to an unsolicited gift.

A Weary Thankfulness

A Weary Thankfulness

It’s hard to summon the energy to write. We have a routine, and we’re doing well, but anything outside of that routine is difficult to reach for. Yesterday Peru’s president announced an extension to the current lockdown situation, effective now through June 30. So for now the plan is to stay here, our home away from home. We pray that in this waiting, God will be at work. Most of our friends are doing ok. But this country is hurting. Many who live life on the edge in regular circumstances are now in dire ones. This collective holding of our breath continues. Our prayer is that God would breathe life, healing, and hope into this place.

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.

10 Years of CUDA

10 Years of CUDA

In 2008 two families, the McKinzies and the Smiths, arrived in Arequipa with the mission of planting churches supported by several people and churches. They also wanted to work in development. Meanwhile, I was in Arequipa working in development as Coordinator of the Peace Corps. As a man of faith I do not believe in coincidences, I believe that God prepares us for what his work should be. That is why everything in my personal and working life worked together to stay in Arequipa and together we started to work to form what CUDA is today.

CUDA: Sowing seeds and kneading dough

CUDA: Sowing seeds and kneading dough

The Christian Urban Development Association works for justice, joy, and wellbeing in the city of Arequipa. Urban poverty is a different type of poverty. We want to break the cycles of poverty that don’t allow kids to have a chance. We’re training teachers to improve reading comprehension strategies so that the kids they teach will know how to read, and who knows, maybe they’ll grow up to be teachers that already know how to read and can teach reading—and many will experience wellbeing because of it.