Have you ever read Genesis 1:31a?
“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.”
Most likely you have, but have you ever imagined it? Everything He had made and everything He saw was good. There was no sin, there were no sinners, it was all good.
Hiking through the mountains we were able to see some spectacular sights. It was hard to image that the beginning was much more beautiful that what we saw. It was all good. If God’s creation can still appear so beautiful after sin has marred it so, how great will eternity be when once again “it is good.”

Ps. 63:1 sinks in a little deeper when you travel through the Atacama Desert. It links Peru and Chile, is 50 times more arid than Death Valley, and should be a reflection of our thirst for God.
Ps. 63
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. 5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, 6 when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; 7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. 8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. 9 But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; 10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals. 11 But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

The past few weeks have been pretty busy, but we have enjoyed them thoroughly. We have been visited by my sister Heather, our friend and co-Arriba-Team-member Caleb Gates, my little brother Ben, and Crystal’s parents Bernie and Cheri. At the beginning of our trip we wrote down some key goals that we would like to accomplish, one of them being to encourage others from the States to see the mission field in a different way. We really enjoyed this time of visiting and pray that it accomplished that goal.
The next few weeks I would like to add a photo/thought for the day, so check back in regularly!

Where Pastor Subieta and the congregation meet.


What used to be the main Catholic church in town. During the earthquake, several hundred people lost their lives when this church collapsed.

Titus, Cody, Ben and I took off for a two day trip to Pisco. Our goal was to meet local pastors and see the needs for more church plants. On August 15, 2007 a 8.0 earthquake shook the city, and made a majority of the city uninhabitable for some time. Most of the rubble has been removed, but very little rebuilding has been done.

We were able to visit Pastor Subieta, pastor of the only Baptist church that we know of in the city.

Pastor Subieta has been working with many children and families, and during our brief visit we were able to meet many of them.

Knocking on doors takes on a new meeting when many are living in tents donated by World Relief Funds.

Here is Ben and Caleb (aka “Phil”) and their beautiful sleeping quarters. Our apartment has been full!