Glordinary Goings

God's glory in our ordinary

1
Oranges, Opportunities, and Obstacles
2
In Pucallpa!
3
Sights (and Sounds) from Arequipa
4
Q & A with Mark
5
Q & A with Kristin
6
Our Wet Wildlife Encounter
7
Playful and Painful
8
Our Peruvian Plunge Continues…
9
Countenance of Christmas
10
“Moving” Traditions

Oranges, Opportunities, and Obstacles

For two months now we have IMG_0190lived in our new home at Mission TEC, the name of the Kids Alive Care Center here in the community of San Jose, about a half hour outside of the city of Pucallpa, Peru. This has been a rewarding time of discovering different routines and seeing our roles begin to develop.

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In Pucallpa!

To all of our friends who have opened your hearts to join with ours in extending the hospitality of God to our neighbors in Peru…we are in Pucallpa!

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Sights (and Sounds) from Arequipa

IMG_5189We have moved from our home in Arequipa, where we lived and studied since September 2014. Enjoy some pictures from the second half of our stay. Remember to sign up here to receive e-mail notifications of new posts on our Glordinary Goings. Read More

Q & A with Mark

IMG_5052Favorite food and drink?

“Lomo saltado and a variety of fruit juices.”

A special memory so far?

“Our recent 15.5 hr round trip to Colca Canyon was a very special family experience. We also had a very meaningful time in February at the Kid Alive Missionary retreat in Lima. On both occasions, observing the simple delight in our children at play in God’s creation was a gift. Other memories that I will carry with me from Arequipa include the normal pains and pleasures of learning and loving together in a new culture.”

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Q & A with Kristin

Favorite food and drink?IMG_4798

“Lomo Saltado, Kola Escocesa (local red soda), Chicha Morada (purple corn drink).”

A special memory so far?

“Singing ‘Happy Birthday’ in several languages with our friends at the language school whenever anyone has a birthday; being the daughter of a choir director and now going to choir practice only in Spanish – and being part of a fun alto section! On a serious note, walking by a little boy everyday for two months who seemed scared and was selling candy by himself on the pedestrian bridge and trying to show him that someone cares even though my vocabulary was limited.” Read More

Our Wet Wildlife Encounter

IMG_3654This past Sunday, we joined with two families we have studied with (one from Germany and one from Sweden) in our language school on an outing to the zoo in Arequipa, Peru. It was a a wet day, and not just because it was raining (read to the end of this post)!

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Playful and Painful

Our last post featured a video of our family’s playful plunge into a pool as a reminder of the “play” that characterizes God’s children in His redemptive missionDSCF2441.  This is a photo of Jacob with a bandaged chin, which he cut his very next time down the slide. Both our plunge and Jacob’s mishap occurred moments apart several months ago, and they symbolically remind us that serving in God’s kingdom is simultaneously playful and painful.

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Our Peruvian Plunge Continues…

After traveling to the states for a special family wedding and extending our stay through Christmas, we have returned to Peru with one-way tickets to take a deeper dive into our language studies and life here in Arequipa, Peru, before moving to Pucallpa in April. The short video below captures our family at play on a Peruvian red and white water slide, which like wisdom playing before God in His creation in Proverbs 8:30-31 (where “rejoicing” can be translated “playing”), symbolizes life in the mission of God in His new creation. Thank you for joining with us in the playground of His new creation mission which has made what is broken and dying whole and new through the death and resurrection of Jesus!

DSCF2439 from Mark Cote on Vimeo.

Remember our first “family plunge” video? View it here.

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Countenance of Christmas

IMG_4429As you enjoy these pictures from our first few months in Peru, may our smiles speak of the thankfulness in our hearts for your friendship and encouragement as you have joined with us in this journey. Even more, may we all reflect the countenance of Christmas in gratitude for our Lord and Savior – the firstborn of the New Creation –  Jesus.

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“Moving” Traditions

On this eve of Thanksgiving, from the conversation around our dinner table to once again hearing Linus’ reflections at Charlie Brown’s table of friends, I (Mark) found my thoughts trailing back to the realities of the first Thanksgiving feast. In taking a break from peeling a big pile of one of the 500+ varieties of potatoes in Peru, I would like to share some of these thoughts in this space with the hope that we all might be “moved.” Read More