Adriana and I moved to the US in 2013 to pursue the training we needed for a life of vocational ministry, equipping ministry leaders and supporting church plants. We planned on returning to Peru as quickly as possible—five years tops! We were anxious to be home and to get to the work to which God has called us. God had different plans!
Very quickly, God helped us realize that we needed to live and invest in the journey and not focus solely on the destination. We decided to do that, trusting that God would bring us back to Peru at the right time. Over the past thirteen years, we welcomed our four children as gracious gifts. We made friends that have become family. We found a new home in Grand Rapids. And, as they do, things also took some unexpected turns (e.g., we never imagined that I would pursue a PhD).
As we look back, we see more of what God was doing. He grew us in unexpected (and sometimes undesired) ways. He gave us not only educational training but invaluable life experience: parenting, dealing with conflict, managing finances, working with people very different from us, saying goodbye to friends and family, moving (twice!) without any idea how we would make ends meet or even where we would live, and much more. God made us (and continues to make us) into the people we needed to be for a life of vocational ministry.
In 2026, we finally return to Peru. We both leave home and return home. We both begin the labor—vocational ministry, training leaders and supporting church plants—and continue the labor—faithfully living as Christian people in every circumstance.
Nonetheless, in 2026, in an important sense, we arrive at the culmination of thirteen years of hard work.
We plan on moving to Peru in July. I’m so excited to begin serving with Centros Teológicos Bautistas (CTB) as the Director of Academics and OT Professor. This seminary meets a crucial need in Latin America, where most pastors have no formal training, by providing high-level theological education. Last year, CTB served 550 students and not just in Peru, but in 20 countries! I can’t wait to take part in what God is doing through this seminary.
Asi es la vida... 