Meet Pete and Abby Dockery and their children: Eden, Charlotte, Ezra, Solomon, and Samuel. Pete has just been named the acting Director of Guatemala after serving as the Director of Juárez for three years. Pete has faithfully served in many roles at Casas since he came on staff in 2001. He looks forward to moving with his family to Guatemala in the near future to oversee operations there.
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1. Tell a little bit about yourself and where you're from.
- We both hail from the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. Our families still live in the Atlanta area, and we still love Waffle House and Chick-fil-A. We both attended Point University to pursue studies in cross-cultural mission work. I graduated and began serving in Juárez for Casas por Cristo in 2001. I married Abby in 2005, after which she moved to El Paso and finished a degree in nursing from UTEP. We both love ministry and kids and felt the call to adopt after our second child was born. We now have five children, two of whom joined our family by way of God's grace through adoption.
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2. What made you choose to serve at Casas por Cristo?
- I grew up attending church and from an early age felt a call into full-time service. In college, that call became louder and more clear after a week long trip to an Apache Indian reservation in Arizona. It was the intermingling of a life's passion, construction, with serving God that really lit the fire. Growing up working with my hands alongside my father I learned all about construction and really loved making things. After learning of the Casas por Cristo internship from a college friend, I knew that I had to give it a shot. Now, over 16 years after that first internship, I am preparing for the next chapter of ministry with Casas.
- Abby knew from a very young age that she wanted to be involved in cross cultural missions. Before marrying me, she spent a summer in Costa Rica and Venezuela doing ministry, helped build a house with Casas, and also spent seven months in Ivory Coast, West Africa working in a clinic. What made her choose to serve at Casas por Cristo was that she fell in love with a guy who was in love with Casas. She is thankful to have married into a life of service with Casas and loves being a part of bringing Jesus to people in México, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala.
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3. How have you seen God through your ministry at Casas por Cristo?
- There is no way to quantify the ways we have seen God through the ministry of Casas por Cristo. What seems like such a small, insignificant sacrifice for us is a blessing beyond measure for the families we serve and the pastors we partner with. God has shown up innumerable times in our fifteen years here at Casas. We have seen hard-hearted Mexican men break down at the gift of love and hope. We have seen single mothers explain how they didn't know where their next meal was coming from or how they were going to make it through another cold night. God is big, He is our provider, and He loves His children.
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4. What has been your biggest challenge so far?
- The biggest challenge is the dichotomy of living in the United States and serving people just a few short minutes from our home who are living in poverty. Knowing that only by chance we were born in the country we were born in with the freedoms we have versus the circumstances of the families we serve weighs very heavy on our hearts. We know and believe that ALL people are created by God and in His image. We know that ALL people have value and worth. That is why we do our best to serve these families through Casas por Cristo.
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5. How do you feel about moving to Guatemala?
- We are really excited about the opportunity to serve in Guatemala as a family. Since Casas first began serving in Guatemala in 2011, God has been tugging on our hearts to move there and serve the pastors and families in San Raymundo. Life situations have temporarily slowed us down, but now we feel like God has re-opened that door for us. We are looking forward to serving as a family, meeting the needs of the families in our own community. Our kids love working and serving every time they can, and this will allow us to more fully engage as a family.
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6. What are some things people can pray for on your behalf?
- We've had a crazy few years with some major changes in our family, primarily adoptions. God has seen us through without a doubt. We know that he has called us to Guatemala, and we are relying on Him to meet our needs there. We have so many mixed feelings about leaving the place we love, our friends and church family, the teams we have served with faithfully for the last sixteen years, and the pastors we have shared in ministry with. We are praying that our time in Guatemala will also yield those same fruits. Our biggest prayer is for the adjustment our children will be making to a new culture, new language, and a new life.
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