“Did I grow any more last night, Daddy?” My brain struggled to register the question as my bleary eyes blinked open. It had to be barely five o’clock in the morning. Landon, our six-year-old, proceeded to launch into his monologue about how he had been eating all his vegetables and protein and was getting lots of sleep. As my eyes wandered back to the clock, I inwardly doubted that last part. But I could understand his enthusiasm. After always being the shortest of my brothers, finally starting to hit a growth spurt was an exhilarating feeling. And what a time of growth it has been this past month, in all respects!    

We are so excited to be planting another church, with a dear friend and fellow missionary from our board, Josh Miller. After Josh returned from his furlough, we had time to pray and talk together, and we realized that God had been putting the same exact area of Arequipa in both of our hearts. After more prayer and counsel, we have decided to move forward with partnering together to reach this incredibly needy area of the city. Papers have been signed to rent the first location, and the first services are set to begin in May! By staggering the service days and start times with those of El Salvador, we are excited to continue working in both churches. Please be praying with us, as God begins to grow this new work.  

What a month of growth we have seen at El Salvador Baptist Church! First, Freddy and Merry both made professions of faith after several weeks of meeting in their house to study the Bible. A few weeks later, as we continued discipleship with Merry and Freddy, their two sons, Alejandro and Edwardo, also accepted Christ as their Savior! Then, Kiara decided to accept Christ into her heart as well after meeting with my wife for several Bible studies. Easter Sunday, we had five more come to the back to speak to counselors and make professions of faith, and one young man decided to get baptized as well! God is working mightily, and we are so excited for all the growth that we have been able to witness. However, with all this growth comes a rather exciting problem. We no longer fit inside our current building. We have started to put chairs inside the kitchen as part of our overflow, and workers are gathering around the outside windows to listen to the services. After praying and seeking counsel, we have decided to move forward in faith and have begun constructing a larger metal structure around our current church building. This will allow us to use the full extent of our property, as well as add a second story on top to move our children’s classes too, so that the auditorium can absorb this space as well. In the meantime, we will continue meeting in the old building as construction goes on around us. However, please be praying with us! To continue construction, we need to raise $4,650 a month for the next six months, for a total of $27,900. We are beyond excited for this opportunity to grow the ministry in Socabaya, but we covet your prayers as we take this next step of faith. 

Your Missionaries to Peru,
Mitch, Jacqulyn, Landon, and Ryan McCormack

---