Meet the Team!

Finally, here is the blog I´ve been promising. I wanted to introduce you to my new team mates and what we are doing here. 

It all started when 2 people fell in love. 

(Well, it started somewhat before then, but this is where we´ll start)

Anna and Mark are from England and felt God calling them to Peru shortly after they were married in 2003.

They moved to Peru permanently in 2007 when Daniel, their first-born, was only a year old. 

Joel (3), Anna, Caleb (6 mos), Daniel (5), Mark




Through the four years they´ve been here, God has been brought them through many challenges and victories and eventually called them to Chorrillos in Lima, Peru, which is a middle-class district located in southern Lima. 


They, along with Shaun and Amanda are the leaders of our team and God has given them a vision and passion to see over 100 house churches/ missional communities established in Peru. To find out more about the Burgess family, check out http://theburgessfamilyblog.blogspot.com/. 


Anna also has a fantastic blog that will encourage the soul. http://www.sittingunderanopenheaven.blogspot.com/






Meanwhile, another couple fell in love and found that God was calling them to Peru. 

Amanda and Shaun Wissmann moved to Peru in 2008, and in 2011, they joined Anna and Mark in Chorrillos.

Amanda and Shaun

My dear friend Lauren, who is also a missionary here in Lima (www.laurenservinginperu.blogspot.com) and Amanda actually met over the internet. And, in time, I met Amanda and Shaun. I never dreamed that God would use them in my life the way He has. I would not have met any of the wonderful people on this team had it not been for Shaun and Amanda. I am so deeply grateful for their friendship, their desire to see me succeed and their genuine love, even when it was tough. 

Now, on a lighter note, I want to talk about what happened after Amanda and Shaun joined Mark and Anna. 

And, that´s where MY STORY begins. 

Don´t worry. I didn´t fall in love...yet. 

However, God DID call me to Peru. So, strap on your seatbelts, because now that you know who the leaders are, I´m going to introduce you to some of my teammates. 

Me, Amanda, Shaun and Daniel at Daniel´s superhero birthday party. 

You already know who Daniel is. He is Mark and Anna´s oldest son. But, what you don´t know about Daniel is that he is secretly a pirate, a river pirate to be exact. His name is Lookout Matthew Daniel Burgess, or LMDB as we sometimes call him. Together with Joel and whoever else happens to be on our boat (the hammock in the backyard), we protect the open river and keep it safe and useable for all respectable citizens. 

This is Joel. Yes, you already know him as well. Joel and I go flying together (flying being launched into the air while laying tummy-down on my shins). 

Nancy and Angela

This is Angela. She is Mark and Anna´s neighbor and also a part of the team. She leads a small group Bible study during the week. She is always wearing something adorable, even if she´s just going out to pick up a few things from the store.

Nancy and Rosa


This is Rosa. She is from Pucalpa, a city in the jungle, and she is studying nursing in Lima. She is also leading a small group (staring this month) and she and I always end up challenging eachother to do the goofiest things...and then doing them together. Somehow our ages go down from 26 and 19 to 6 and 4...don´t know how that happens...

Lili, myself, and Silvanna. 

Lili is such a blessing in my life. She has been through many of the same things that I am going through and God has brought her through it. So, as you can imagine, she is not only an encouragement to me, but also someone who just ¨knows¨ what I´m feeling without me saying a word. 

Silvana is fantastic because we can laugh about the goofy stuff, but then have a conversation about something serious. She is my personality twin, which would make you think we might clash, but we actually get along just swell. Everyone loves Silvana, and she is so great about making everyone feel loved and welcome. She is sincere, yet able to take and give some serious humor, which, of course, I love....

And, apparently, for whatever reason, no pictures will upload to this blog. So, I will just have to give you a word picture of Ronald, Karina, Stevie, Jessica and Anna Lu.

Ronald is a blast to hang out with it. We have the same musical tastes and we both enjoy talking in Peruvian slang, which always gives one or both of us a good laugh. It is so neat to see his heart too, because he´s seeking so fervently after God and has such a soft and teachable heart. He and Lili are brother and sister, and it´s so cool to also see their relationship with each other, and how much they care about the other. 

Karina, is genuine yet practical. She is very solution-oriented and would go as far as to give you the shirt off your back. She actually lives in Ventanilla where I lived before coming to Chorrillos, and she to loves to talk in Peruvian slang as well. Her dedication is like non I´ve ever seen. She is a woman of purpose and determination and she is an encouragement to me. 

Steve, or Stevie B as we call him is our resident Canadian =). I am still getting to know Stevie B as he just recently joined the team as well. He is a talented blogger and podcaster as well as the general editor of fire press online magazine. Check out his website at http://stevebremner.com/

Jessica has such compassion for those around her. She is easy to talk to, and fun to be around. We sat together on the bus to and from Pucalpa (the jungle), so we had about 40 hours together and I got to learn a lot about her life and passion. She has recently come to know Christ and lives in one of the areas where our team has been ministering. It is really need to see God work in her life. 

Anna Lu is just lovely. She arrived about three weeks ago, and will be here about 6 months as an intern. Where to start with Anna Lu...she is someone who, even though she is six years younger than I am, I deeply admire. Not simply because of her sweet smile or her simple yet gorgeous beauty both inside and out, but because of the way she is able to relate to God as her Daddy. She knows who she is and her life is based on this reality. I love the way I can talk to Anna Lu, and all of a sudden, the conversation just turns into a prayer being offered up to God...then after we are done praying we just keep on talking until the next time we lift something else up to God. 

So that´s the team. Our vision is to teach and disciple the people of Peru in a tangible way through Biblical principles. I will post an example of the type of stuff we are teaching in a future post. Blessings.