Convinced of His Calling
It has been a whirlwind year, or couple of years, for our family. From the Pandemic, to lockdowns, to changing governments, to a growing family, and a growing ministry it has been a lot. Then the big hit knocked us back last October when I was told I had liver cancer. It was hard not to see the diagnosis as death sentence and there were many tears. After close to a year of testing and recent follow ups we are confident that I do not have cancer, and we are back in Peru. PRAISE THE LORD.
We had a great time in the states and were able to attend the pastors conference at CC Philadelphia, visit CC Greeley and attend a pastors conference in Brazil among the doctor's visit. It was a very fruitful time, and my oncologist was very happy to say there was nothing he could do for me at the end of the visits.
After the doctor visits and the traveling, Danielle and I have become more convinced than ever of our calling to minister in South America. To teach the Bible, plant churches and help expand the kingdom throughout Latin America. We are excited to come alongside the churches in Brazil, I am starting a discipleship group with Bolivian pastors in August, and we are hosting the International Missions Conference for Calvary Chapel South America at CBI Peru in November.
With that, Calvary Trujillo continues to grow in number and maturity. We have new families, many getting saved, and an overflowing kids ministry. Our leadership team continues to grow and TODAY we are going into the Amazon Jungle with 26 people to train pastors, evangelize and hopeful start the process of starting a mission base in the jungle!
Here are some pictures, updates and prayer requests!
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Into the Amazon
I went into the jungle with a group of young people about 5 years ago and had the opportunity to work with indigenous pastors. Since that time, God has grown us a lot and we want to teach the Bible, train others to do the same, and expand His kingdom in South America and beyond. Our heart for Moyobamba is to start a training center that will teach pastors and leaders how to study and teach the Bible. I have had the privilege of learning from Dan Finfrock on a few occasions, and we love what they are doing in Africa and hope to apply some of those things to the Amazon jungle.
We are going with a group of 26 people today, and the group will be doing numerous outreach and construction projects, but my focus will be on the Inductive Bible Study seminar we are doing with indigenous pastors. We will be ministering to the Awajun tribe along the Moyo River.The goal is not only pour into the leaders on this trip, but identify those who have a hunger for God's Word, and the capacity to study and teach others. With that, I will be looking at properties to buy that could serve as a future training center and missions base.
There are many villages along the rio Moyo with little abandoned church buildings. They have had some kind of missionary endeavor in the past, but there is usually a small group of believers and a very under trained leader who is trying his best. We want to find those leaders and help them build healthy, bible teaching churches that appropriately fit their culture and context.
They may not be able to leave their families for two years and come to CBI Peru, but if we have a training base nearby we can take pastors and leaders there for two week blocks, and intensively train them in the Word of God and the Inductive Bible Study method. One of our graduates, Andrew Weakland, is going on the trip and praying about moving there to lead the work full-time, and we hope to build a team around him if the Lord wills.
Please pray, as our entire family is going on the trip, and that includes a 18 hour bus ride and then a 3 hour boat ride.
Also, pray as I am scheduled to look at a property as we arrive tomorrow. It is almost 900 square meters (9,500 sq ft) and costs around $7,500 US dollars, If you would like to donate to the building fund or the jungle trip, please click the button below.
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A Growing Church
It has been absolutely amazing to see what God has done at Calvary Trujillo. Even with the pandemic and ensuing lockdowns, God has been so faithful. He has used it all to reach people and allowed us to make disciples and raise up workers for the harvest.
Our easter service this was year was amazing as we had it at the Municipal theater and around 20 people made professions of faith after the service. It was a miracle how God provided an even better theater for a special service, and we have developed a good relationship with the city as well.
The kids ministry continues to grow and grow, and we truly need more space again for all the kids. Some days we have around 50 kids and only two small areas for them.
God has also raised up amazing leaders, and we have several men teaching different services, and a wonderful national ministry team that just blows me away.
We ask for prayer as the ministry continues to grow, and as we pray about where to send our leaders who are called to plant churches of their own.
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Russian Ministry
We never thought we would have a Russian speaking ministry while ministering in Peru, but God works in amazing ways. Years ago a brother from St. Petersburg began to reach out and communicate with me about evangelism. He attended Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg in Russia, and is an evangelist who simply wanted to encourage me. I don't know how he found me, but he still writes about every 2 months. Then there was a young man in his church from Trujillo who have moved there as a teenager. Eduardo is his name and he studied and became a doctor, married and had 3 kids. Eduardo had lived in Russia for almost 20 years until the recent war broke out.
Instead of being obligated to war, Eduardo and his family fled to Trujillo. We were able to welcome them and become friends with them. Now they have helped 4 more families come to Peru who were struggling in Russia, and we had them all to our house recently (you can see in the pictures). We made a traditional Russian meal where the whole family has to help prepare the food. Even all the kids got in on the action.
Eduardo's wife, Svieta, is now cooking for CBI Peru and we are praying for Eduardo and Svieta to get all their licenses transferred to Peru. We are going to start a Russian translation at church, and we are praying to start a Christian medical clinic in Huanchaco with Eduardo and Svieta (they are both doctors).
We did a medical outreach in Huanchaco this January and had amazing success. We were able to serve the community and more than 70 people made professions of faith. We believe God has a plan in all of this, and Eduardo and Svieta are already living in Huanchaco and we have several ministries going on there.
PLEASE PRAY!!!
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New Ministry in Huanchaco
We have been ministering in Huanchaco for years through Bible Studies, outreaches, Kids VBS and medical campaigns, and I am excited that a couple month ago one of our graduates, Gabriel, started a discipleship group with the youth there. He meets with them once per week for Bible Study and fun, and recently took them on trip around the city and for lunch. This last week, the Russian family hosted the group in their house. Our goal is to disciple the children we have reached in the past, and hopefully plant a church.
We recently bought bibles for them all, and Gabriel is very good with his hands and we are hoping to do an outreach where we can build bikes for the kids.
Please pray for the work in Huanchaco, the children, the medical clinic and the future church. There is a lot happening and you can also pray about helping financially with the youth ministry and the future medical clinic.
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Church Plant Coming Soon!
Angel and Yeni were our first graduates and they are now serving full-time with us. Angel teaches most of the time when I am gone, and they have a wonderful home fellowship in an area of Trujillo called Buenos Aires. After two years of ministering there, I have been meeting and praying with Angel and he feels called to plant a church there!
We ask that you would pray for them, and we are now seeking the Lord's will to possibly officially open the new church in November after the missions conference.
Pray, pray, pray!
If you would like to partner with this new work, it is a great opportunity for churches and people to really be involved in the great commission and have their own national missionaries they support. Please write me and you can give through our ministry account at Saving Grace World Missions!
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New Semester and Conference
We also have two more big prayer requests as we start our new semester at CBI Peru with 17 students and several interns from Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, Canada and the United States.
We have an amazing line up of classes and our heart is raise up the next generation of missionaries and church planters in South America. Our school is open to both Spanish and English speakers who want to know God and be trained for the mission field.
We are also hosting the Calvary Chapel Missions conference for South America, and we are excited to have everyone gather together to be encouraged and edified as we fulfill the great commission.
You can see the missions conference website here and you are invited to come down as well!
www.misionescalvary.com
Above all please pray for the semester and for the conference, that God would do above and beyond what we can think our imagine!
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First and foremost we want to thank each and everyone of you for partnering with us and praying for our family and ministry.
It is a bit overwhelming to think of what God has done in our lives, just a couple of kids from a small town in Northern California. We continue to see God's hand and faithfulness and privileged to serve Him in South America.
If you would like to partner with us financially, it would be a great blessing and be a tangible way to be part of the great commission in South America. You can send a check here or click the button below.
Saving Grace World Missions
ATTN: Cory and Danielle Kilgus
17451 Bastanchury Rd, Ste. 203
Yorba Linda, CA 92886
Checks are made out Saving Grace World Missions,
and you can put "CBI Peru" in the memo.
THANK YOU!
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