“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
~ Matthew 5:14 ~
Time Spent Well
After finishing our time in Nepal, we traveled back to South Asia to serve with our brother, Pastor J.E. who shepherds Calvary Chapel H (for security purposes we’ve abbreviated his name and place). We stayed for a few weeks in this town and jumped right into their weekly schedule at the church.
During the mornings, Aaron would have daily Bible studies with Pastor J.E. and his right-hand man, A.M. teaching through Romans and pastoral leadership. In the afternoon & evenings, we would attend different house fellowships and have Bible studies. Many of the believers were from Calvary Chapel H, but they would also invite their family members or friends who are unable to attend Sunday church service due to family persecution.
Spending our time with the church, we also hosted a two-day evening conference where Aaron taught the men and Jena taught the women. It was a great opportunity to share with the believers and to get to know them more while being encouraged through God’s Word.
To end our trip, we drove a few hours outside of town to meet and visit with J.E’s and A.M’s village to meet each of their families. It is always a blessing to connect with the national pastors on a deeper and more personal level as our friendships grow throughout the years. We spent the day being a part of J.E’s sister’s engagement ceremony and celebrated with their whole family. Then we ended our night at A.M’s family home with what we thought would just be a last-minute, small prayer meeting, but turned out to be a full house of 40 people who came to pray, worship, and have a Bible study! It was an encouragement to be there with all of these families, who loved us, hosted us in their home, and treated us like we were a part of their very own.
Walk By Faith
Next, we traveled southwest to visit W.J. (name abbreviated for security reasons) again and serve alongside him at the new Calvary church plant in his hometown. This past month, W.J. stepped out in faith to start classes at the new Bible College, and we were delighted to jump in on the class schedule. Aaron taught a two-week block class through the book of Acts from 9 am to 3:30 pm and Jena taught English to the students for an hour every day.
During our time there, we got to join the all-night prayer that W.J. and his family host on a monthly basis. Believers from the local town and neighboring villages from that region come to spend the evening (9:30 pm) to early morning (6 am) together to share a meal, worship, pray for one another, and listen to Bible studies.
City On A Hill
Our latest move this month has been to our third and last location here in South Asia. This time we traveled north up to a town in the mountains to spend time with another Bible College and Calvary church here. We’re learning how things go around here as far as living: getting to live in a home surrounded by mountain jungle, hearing the monkeys run on our roof or watch us as we walk outside, and living so high up that at times we’re completely covered in the fog of a cloud. We’ve been able to hike into town and become undercover locals around here, thanks to our brown skin.
Aaron joined in the class schedule and has been teaching through 1 Corinthians and Exodus. The group of nationals has grown very close to each other, and we’ve appreciated our time spent with the students and the leadership. Currently, we have two guys that are third semesters and have taken initiative to help the new students get settled in this new place, this little “city set on a hill.” Our heart with the students, especially the returning ones, is to encourage them to begin praying about starting up ministry back in their home places after they graduate.
Thank you so much for your prayers and partnership with us!
In Christ,
Aaron & Jena Garcia
aaronjenagarcia@gmail.com
Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for Pastor J.E. to be able to find a bigger building to host the church meetings since they have outgrown their current building.
- That God would provide financially for us and for the ministry in Nepal & South Asia
- For those divine appointments to share the Gospel with people
- Endurance to be faithful in the work of the ministry