Author - Mark Cote

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A Gift to Share – Part 1
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Preparing for Intercultural Life and Ministry
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Boys Baptized!
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Mark graduates with his Doctor of Ministry
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Join in our family’s mission!
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Sent of Love
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Missionaries with a Message
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Passing through the Thorns
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Follow Me
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Welcome!

A Gift to Share – Part 1

We have completed the four-week equipping course on intercultural life and ministry at the Center for Intercultural Training in Union Mills, NC. Now we begin a two-week Second Language Acquisition course. This entire experience is a gift to our family that we will share with others in Peru and all of you joining with us. We will highlight takeaways from this training through a series of posts, beginning with this one. A very special highlight includes the CIT community of couples, families, and individuals, who have shared life this summer in preparing to go into the remotest parts of the world. Just as we have been sent here by our special family of partners, know that we have been equipped alongside a special family of missionaries. The pictures below capture many of their faces. May the world know the stories God is writing through those of you sending and those of us going!

Many in this summer’s CIT family are pictured here20140731-CAC_1604

 

 

 

 

 

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Preparing for Intercultural Life and Ministry

We moved out of our house on July 5 and traveled to Union Mills, NC, where our whole family is being trained at the Center for Intercultural Training!

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The next day, we celebrated Rachel’s birthday and began a four-week course called “Equipping for Intercultural Life and Ministry.” This will be followed by a two-week course called “Second Language Acquisition.” Both courses prepare us for our next move to receive Spanish language training in Arequipa, Peru before we begin serving with Kids Alive in Pucallpa, Peru…

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Boys Baptized!

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A few weeks ago, Caleb and Jacob both expressed a desire to be baptized. On June 25, after discussing this with each of them and giving them some time to think about it, they decided to be baptized as followers of Jesus! We rejoice in this step they have taken as our family steps out to follow Him into this next season. Mark and his dad baptized them.

 

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Mark graduates with his Doctor of Ministry

View pictures from Regent University’s commissioning and commencement along with visits with friends during graduation weekend. Don’t miss the singing benediction performed by the Austin children!
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Join in our family’s mission!

Dear Family and Friends,

Six years ago, the short life of our daughter, Victoria Grace, opened a new chapter in our life. God’s victory by His grace has since characterized our family’s journey through brokenness into blessing the “least of these” with the good news of the kingdom of God. Our family’s heart has been transformed by a revelation of God’s justice, and now another chapter is beginning. Read More

Passing through the Thorns

In Luke 8:14-15, Jesus explains the parable of the soils to His followers. When He tells of the journey of the seed “among the thorns,” he indicates that though they “have heard…as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life…” Our family feels these thorns snag at us like never before as we “go on our way” like never before. Read More

Follow Me

On Sunday morning, March 2, 2014, Kristin played an organ postlude combining “Victory in Jesus” and “Amazing Grace” to celebrate the sixth anniversary of Victoria’s week of life on this earth. Before Kristin began playing, my dad invited the congregation to sit and reflect. I found myself sitting and staring ahead with my imagination fixated on Victoria’s little white casket in front of the follow mealtar. Then in a moment, my vision opened to see beyond her casket to the white words on the purple and white altar cloth that I was staring at the whole time: “Follow Me.” Above the words sat the bread and the cup.

This experience captures the past six years for our family since Victoria’s birth and death. At this time, following Jesus means moving our family to Pucallpa, Peru, where Victoria’s Little Lambs Fund began. We will soon have our final interview to become missionaries with Kids Alive International. As when we learned about Victoria’s condition, we are overwhelmed but peaceful. Our hope is in God’s victory by His grace as He uses all of us for the least of these to bring glory to His name. All we can do is belong to Him that He may bless others through us. Thank you for joining us in this belonging and blessing in Christ, as broken bread and poured out wine.

Welcome!

Welcome to our website! We trust that Victoria Grace’s life and legacy will encourage your stories with the hope of God’s victory by His grace. In addition to updates on Victoria’s Fund through this site, we look forward to providing updates on our own family’s goings in this blog (thank you to Mike Shirley for coining the term, “glordinary”). Feel free to comment by clicking on the title of a post. A huge heartfelt “thank you” to Scott Dienner for his expertise and leadership in making this website possible! Victoria’s story has changed ours, and we trust it will be a part of your story. Most of all, we are grateful that it is a part of God’s redemptive story, and for this reason we ask you  to share it with others!