Hello friends and family! It’s been a little over a month since I last wrote and a lot has happened. When I last wrote I had just arrived in Yorba Linda, California for a missions training program. (We’ll call it MTS from now on.) Without further ado, let’s get into it.

An Inner Burning

In my last newsletter, I talked about how I spent 3 months in Israel. During that time in Israel, I had an urge to reach the Israeli people, yet I had such a hard time when it came to sharing the gospel because of the cultural and language barriers. Though Israel is very Westernized compared to the rest of the Middle East, it still is very culturally different. Not only that but though many Israelis speak English, it often isn’t their first language. Understandably, since I don’t speak Hebrew and am not an Israeli, it was difficult to share the gospel effectively. All this to say that when I got back to the U.S. I was eager to share the gospel in my native language and a culture I understand. During the first month of the MTS program, I decided one Thursday that I would join Pastor Nick (one of the pastors at Calvary Chapel Saving Grace) in his Cal State Fullerton outreach. When we arrived I spent hours sharing the gospel with college students. It was very exciting meeting people of all different backgrounds. Through a long set of divine appointments and stories for another time, I met a girl we’ll call Jessica and a guy named we’ll call Kyle. Kyle had been a believer when I met him, he was a believer for 2 years and was hungry to grow in the Lord and evangelism as well. Since meeting him, he has joined me 2 times to go evangelizing! Jessica is not a believer but is seeking after the Lord. A couple of MTS students and I spent a few hours with her and at the end of our conversation, she told us she wanted to learn more about God and has been faithfully attending Young Adults Group and Sunday services and best of all, 2 of our MTS ladies are pouring into her. All this is to say that the Lord is working amongst the young people.

What Else is Happening at the Missions Training Program?

So what else am I doing in the MTS program? Well, I’m glad you asked. The program consists of classes such as a preaching class, missions class, discipleship classes, and various others. In our preaching class, I am learning how to handle God’s Word to instruct others. I am really learning to love the Word and how it really comes to life when you teach it. It seems that every week of teaching through Philippians, God gives me opportunities to apply what I’m studying at work. The week I was studying Philippians 4:4, I had a rough day at work. It was during my shift that I knew I needed to rejoice in the Lord always even when things weren’t good and so I did. All that to say, God is growing and shaping me throughout the process.

Prayer Requests/ Praise reports

• Please join me in praying for my coworkers for their salvation and that God would open a door for me to share the gospel with them
• Please pray for the Cal State Fullerton campus outreach that the Lord would open up the door for us to establish a good bible-teaching club on campus
• Pray for Jessica and her salvation/ Pray for the ladies ministering to her that God would give them wisdom
• Pray for Steve and Misha that God would bless their work in Israel
• Praise the Lord for the work He’s doing in the young adults
• Praise God for the salvation of Kyle
• Praise God for His Word and how it truly changes lives

Thank you all for your prayers and your support. If you would like to hear more about the things God is doing, feel free to message me and I would love to share with you. If you would like to support my ministry there will be a link below. If you have any questions, please message me. Thank you again. God bless you all.

It has been a little while since my last newsletter, right before leaving for Southeast Asia; I have been back for a few weeks now and I am excited to share all that has happened! I want to first thank all of you for reading my newsletter, praying, and partnering with me as I continue to seek the Lord and train for full-time missions work.

BALI and EAST JAVA

Getting to visit these islands in Indonesia, seeing the culture, interacting with those in local ministry, and witnessing the darkness of the dominant religions has altogether left me with quite a lot to process in this season. A lot of people have asked me what I thought of the region, if I feel called or if I want to go back. The one thing I can say for certain is that there is so much spiritual darkness there, and the gospel is needed; Jesus Christ is needed.

In Bali, where the team spent the majority of our time, we witnessed more Hindu statues than I could possibly have guessed coming into the trip. Quite literally every single corner (every single household) had a shrine or a temple of some kind. The architecture of these is always eerie and off-putting, and as you can see below, the statues are blatantly horrific and demonic. The people on this island most likely do not realize that they are enslaved to these rituals and practices; they live in fear of these ‘gods’ and nearly every aspect of their lives is dictated by this fear. The spiritual darkness is so evident.

In spite of the darkness, the Lord opened so many doors to work with local ministries. Though many of them differ in their approaches to missions, there was an opportunity to share the vision that Saving Grace World Missions takes straight from the book of Acts, aptly called “The Purpose of the Church.” I first heard this in the School of Missions, and through it God has given me a theological, and more importantly, Biblical conviction of my role in fulfilling the Great Commission. I’d love to share this vision of evangelizing and discipling the nations, through church-planting, if any one of you has questions!

Visiting East Java provided our team with such an awesome opportunity, in that we not only were we able to see a predominantly Hindu culture in Bali, but also a predominantly Muslim culture. As soon as the ferry pulled into the East Java harbor we could see multiple mosques from which we would soon hear incessant calls to prayer. In all honesty, the darkness in this island was more palpable than what we encountered in Bali, despite the fact that we spent only three days in Java. On a personal note, I developed some kind of an infection that hit me full force while on this island, as I came down with a fever, sore throat, and strange ankle pain. Though the warfare was happening, I had a peace and a sense of gratitude for my team and my calling. This trip was just a taste of what cross-cultural missions is like, of what culture-shock feels like, and of what my everyday world may eventually look like! Don’t worry, I am not deterred.

The darkness of these places and the lostness of these people does not dissuade me but rather emboldens me in the LORD. If I could summarize what I saw in one word, it would be bondage. I encountered so many people in bondage; whether it was a local Balinese woman whirling and breathing in incense to a ‘god’ at a food altar on the street, or a Javanese Muslim wailing a call to prayer in the streets with incessant and depressing repetition, or even if it was the tourists coming to indulge and seek empty lusts and thrills. Yes I encountered bondage, but I’ve never felt so free in Christ, in a unique and strange way. There was a time in my life when the bondage of these people would’ve either gone over my head, or it would’ve been rationally compartmentalized as something other than exactly what it is; they are enslaved to their sin nature, as I once was. They need to hear the gospel! They need to personally know the victory that is in Jesus Christ, a victory that remains always and resounds forever.

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

– 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

IN OTHER NEWS

Upon returning from Indonesia, the Lord has guided me in taking an exciting new step of faith. This past weekend I got engaged! I met Araceli over a year ago and together we have sought the Lord in our relationship, and have both felt it confirmed that we are called to reach the nations together; where and when we don’t know, but we trust Him and His plans, which He and He alone has always been faithful to guide us through. In each other, the Lord has given us both a helper, as Eve was given to Adam in Genesis 2. Please pray for us as we seek the Lord together in this season of engagement and with the missions program as we seek to spread the gospel, by the power of the Holy Spirit. God is faithful!

Thank you for reading this; I hope to continue to connect with you all, and please reach out to me with any questions about the trip, the next steps, or anything!

PRAYER REQUESTS

• For myself and everyone on the teams, both to Japan and to Indonesia; that we’d continue to unpack everything with the Lord and that He’d burden our hearts for these specific countries, if it be His sovereign will.
• For continued growth in His Word and in the work that He has for me as I continue to seek to be used by Him in ministry.
• For my fiancé and I as we enter into this season of engagement, seeking the Lord, and eventually planning our wedding with Him in every detail!
• For a job, as I am currently looking for the best option given where I’m at and what the future holds.

PRAISE REPORTS

• For the victory that we have in Christ, always and forever!
• For God’s continual guidance and provision through my anxiety; He has shown His sovereignty so many times, I am learning and re-learning that He gives me no reason to doubt His love or His promises.
• For the amazing and eye-opening trip to Indonesia.
• For this new season of engagement!

How great are His signs, and how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation.

Daniel 4:3

Last month we mentioned that we wanted to “Be Still” and wait upon the Lord. Well, we did that and heard Him saying to continue being faithful to what is in front of us. Jenn is itching to “GO,” however, we are to STAY for now.  There are many opportunities and privileges God has put in front of us. The sheep need us, MTS (Missions Training School) & CSOM (Calvary School of Missions) need us, the missionaries overseas need us…and of course we couldn’t do any of this without each and every one of you and most importantly our Father! We need Him! Amen?!  

We are in our Father’s Business!!

Here’s what we have been up to since our last newsletter, hold on to your seats:

We had an awesome time at the Church Planter’s Conference in Mazatlan.  We took one of the MTS students with us, Marcelo. Let us tell you about him. He is a Mexican national, who has graduated from CSOM and is now at our church training to go over seas to the Middle East to join 7 other missionaries that have been sent already in the last year. Marcelo has a huge serving heart and has a passion for the lost.  His uncle is the senior pastor at Calvary Culiacan.  We are so delighted to have him with us for the time being, he helped us in Mazatlan with promoting the school and helping us with translation.  He is an excellent interpreter.  

We heard from some GREAT bible teachers & pastors. Hugo Limon from Culiacan spoke on, “Creating a Sending Hub” to reach big cities. Wes Bentley founder of “Far Reaching Ministries” taught on “Planting Churches to reach the World.” Bruce Zachary, pastor and author of 17 books, taught on “Raising up Leaders.” Pastor Mike Vincent from CCR who has planted 39 churches and 20 church planting schools taught, “The Sending Hub,” an overview of Acts 1:8. “But you will receive the power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And finally, Pastor Tony Carranza from Calvary Maranatha, a bilingual church that sent out 6 new church plants. Tony taught on, “Creating a Sending Hub through a Church Planting School.”  Tim also taught a workshop on serving as an assistant pastor and closed out the conference with communion. Jenn helped out in the children’s ministry, her wheel house.

So many other workshops were taught by missionaries serving on the field, Pastors & Pastors wives Q & A.   Sooo encouraging and stirring for the Nations.  We are in awe that WE get to be a part of the Great Commission!! 

Romans 10:14 – how then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 

Here are some quotes that stayed with us when leaving the conference:

**Engage, equip, encourage, empower.

**The gospel is of the world, the world needs more gospel centered churches.

**Be relational.

**Learn the culture.

**Identify future disciples and church planters.

**Prepare yourself for the opposition.

**Continue to be faithful and count the cost.

**Make prayer a priority.

We were blessed by some divine appointments in getting to know some new sisters and brothers with a possibility to partner with them and helping them use their ministry for the Great Commission AND catching fireflies for CSOM. One of the things we love the most is meeting new people in Christ.  

Tim and I continue to love on the students by training, debriefing, discipling, fellowshipping, and walking side-by-side with them on the road the Lord has for them to reach the unreached and fulfill the great commission. 

Jenn was able to attend the Calvary Curriculum Children’s Ministry Conference this past month along with one of our missionaries who is here on furlough. Thus was Jenn’s first time attending this conference, in prior years she was not able to attend because of work. Jenn was able to take away so many important ways to teach the kiddos about Jesus.  As she leads up the Nursery/ Toddlers Ministry, her main focus is to teach the kids how to pray, read the Bible, & worship.  Kids are smarter than we think at this age. Jenn truly enjoys ministering to the kiddos at Saving Grace and hopes to take this to the unreached God willing this year!  

Tim also had the opportunity to take/drive the high schoolers up to Big Bear for their annual retreat.  The theme of the retreat was God pursuing you. He was asked to teach so he shared on Psalm 139 bringing out the truths of how intimately God already knows you, how much He loves you, and how it doesn’t make sense to run from somebody you can’t get away from anyhow. 

Jenn also had the opportunity to teach an encouraging devotional to the group of wives in S. Asia over FaceTime. 5 wives showed up and it truly was a fruitful time praying and sharing. She taught a short lesson on, “It is Well With My Soul.” I’m sure you have heard of the song.  No matter the storms and/or persecution that come our way, our GOD is greater. No man can separate us from HIM. (Due to security, we are unable to post any photos) We continue to meet monthly. 

Tim and I are amazed by God’s grace and faithfulness to us.  We are truly blessed beyond measures that we get to be a part of the Great Commission at Saving Grace World Missions. We see so many times God confirming to us our calling since I quit my job. God continues to provide for us! This is our God! Loving, faithful, sovereign, compassionate.

Prayer Requests:

1. Please pray for the 2024 Calvary School of Missions and for us as we get to lead this wonderful work of God’s.
2. Please pray for us, as we are implementing some personal disciplines that will enable us to serve the Lord in this capacity for many more years.
3. Please pray for our son Andy as he is still wandering in his wilderness and desperately needs Jesus. Praise Jesus we are able to minister to him and see him frequently. We pray for our Father to renew his mind. 
4. Please pray for wisdom as we navigate this new year in a way that honors God and brings much glory to Him.  This year’s calendar for missionary care and equipping is quite full and opportunities are not lacking.

We love you all so much and thank you for being behind us. You are also part of this ‘Great Commission’!! We are so dependent on and grateful for your prayers and want to say thank you to those who have already joined us in this area. We realize it’s by God’s grace and through your prayers that we are able to serve the Lord the way we do! But if the Lord leads you to partner with us financially, we are in need of additional monthly supporters, and if you desire to increase your already generous support, please know that it would be a huge help. You can do so by clicking on the link below to become a financial partner or mailing your support check to:

Saving Grace World Missions

17451 Bastanchury Rd., Ste.203 Yorba Linda, CA 62886

*Note Pappas support in memo

All for His Glory, 

Tim and Jenn Pappas

We have never seen anything like this before. The category 5 hurricane left Acapulco looking completely apocalyptic. Not one inch was spared throughout the entire city. We went weeks upon weeks without power, water, gasoline, internet, drivable streets, grocery stores, and more. Our church building had all of its walls ripped out; our 3-ton A.C. units went flying like a piece of paper. At home, the sliding glass door to our bedroom was shattered and the storm flooded our apartment with rainwater, dirt, and broken glass. We are still processing this traumatic event and trying to return to normal. However, it will be something that those of us who went through it will never forget.

Opportunity

Acapulco’s biggest need is salvation!! This was the perfect opportunity to share Jesus with our community. With the help of Samaritan’s Purse, we were able to open our doors at the church and be a hub that offers daily meals, give out boxes of food, purified water, medicine, and of course the gospel at every turn. We have also seen an influx of people coming to our Sunday service for the last two months. The hurricane relief put us on the map. It’s always during the dark times when Jesus shines the brightest. Our missionary Lili did an amazing job finding those most in need. So many communities were left by themselves with no government help so when we stepped in, we were received very well. The children were surrounded by disaster and to relieve them we brought games, toys, and a Christian clown who also taught about Jesus. Everything was incredible. The Lord truly blessed us! Lili is also a Saving Grace Missionary.

Things are starting to take shape. By the grace of God and your generous donations, our church building is coming together once again. Our walls have been replaced, we got new A.C. units, the nursing mother’s room has been rebuilt, and much more. All this was done with the help of many Calvary Chapel churches from the U.S. and Mexico. There are too many to name but we are forever grateful and we pray that the Lord richly blesses you all in return. On a side note, the owner of the building has put the property up for sale once again. We all love our church location and building. We have looked high and low for other buildings but nothing compares. Our prayer is that we can come into an agreement with the owner and he lowers the price. Its a church planting factory with so much to give. We believe the Lord continues to do miracles. Please pray!

Calvary Chapel Iguala

The doors have officially opened to our last church plant. There is a great need in this city and we are praying many would come to know the Lord through Pastor Julio and his wife Carla. We are still in the process of getting the building ready with everything that they need. Thankfully the rent has been paid for the year. Only God can do those things. For the time being we will continue to equip our leaders and send them out. The door is open.

Villegas Family Update

Our family is growing. Our son Noah just got engaged and will soon be married (another young lady from Acapulco). We are ecstatic with this new addition. Keyla is an amazing girl who loves the Lord. She is serving at our church in multimedia. Our eldest son Elijah was recently promoted to senior airman in the Airforce and his wife Bianca finally received her permanent resident status that we have been praying for. Micah is still living in Ensenada serving in Horizonte Fellowship. He leads the youth study and God is using him greatly there.

Stacy and I just started a much-needed marriage study with our church. We have around 25 couples in attendance that are hungry for the Word. Please keep this in your prayers as we know the enemy loves to divide and attack marriages. We completely trust in Jehovah-Jireh. He has always taken care of our needs. Starting in April we will be losing some of our support. It was a big help so please keep us in your prayers that God would continue to provide as we serve.

Villegas Family Support

Hey friends and family in Christ, we wanted to share a quick update about our whereabouts and goings on.  As you know we are waiting to leave from the States to Peru on March 16th.  So in the meantime we have been visiting different churches and our family as well.  

      We were blessed to be able to share at Calvary Chapel Rosedale in Bakersfield and got to catch up with my good friend Pastor Gil Garcia.  What a sweet fellowship and neat work the Lord is doing there.  Jaime Jimenez and his family always house us and definitely have the gift of hospitality.  From Bakersfield we flew up to our home church in Idaho, Calvary Chapel Hagerman.  Pastor Dion Douville and His wife Cindy have been such a great support for us over the years as well as many of our friends who are in fellowship there.  We love our church family and it was a great time to catch up.  

     We are currently in Folsom, California, visiting my brother and his family.  This Sunday we will be in L.A at Calvary Chapel Burbank sharing about our vision for ministry in Peru, as well as on the Amazon river as we prepare to disciple pastors and leaders.  We are so excited for this next step we are taking and we know the Lord has gone before us and is preparing the way.  (Deuteronomy 1:29-31)

Thank you so much for praying with us and supporting us through this venture of faith!

Ryan and Karen Gause

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, an glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory

1 Peter 1:6-8

Dear friends, family, and loved ones,

I again thank you for all of your love, prayers, and support. The LORD has been doing amazing things this month (like always), and there is a special thing I would like to share with y’all in this update. I am planning a special vision tour this July! But first, I felt like this would be a perfect time to share about what it is like training in California for missions.

Missions Training

Ever wondered what it would be like to be fully involved as a student in a missions training program? Well I decided to give you a taste of Yorba Linda, California missionary student life at MTS (Mission Training School), I hope you feel encouraged and challenged as I describe the insanity that is training to minister and plant churches in another culture, though it won’t add up to the craziness of the actual work itself!

Classes – Every Wednesday is our main class time to study life skills, discuss our reading of a book on ministry (right now we are going through Calvary Chapel Distinctives right now), give a 15-minute practice sermon, and a class based on topics like Inductive Bible Study, the book of Acts, Hermeneutics/Homiletics, other religions, etc.

Service Hours – Besides a requirement to be serving in some sort of Sunday service ministry, church events, and a life group (I’m in the Spanish group, which is absolute fire), students serve 4 hours throughout the week. I have had the awesome pleasure of assisting Pastor Tim, one of the assistant pastors at CC Saving Grace, as well as helping with administration for the upcoming Calvary School of Missions (CSOM) this summer!

Other Classes – Besides the regular Wednesday classes, I go through a class every Monday on a book called On Being a Missionary in order to gain a better understanding of serving and living in a foreign culture. Additionally, on Tuesday students attend the church’s School of Discipleship and School of Ministry, which are always a huge blessing!

I hope that gave you a good idea of what it is like training here. It is a great blessing and God is using this time as pressure-cooker sanctification. Quick and hard learning and spiritual growth, yet good quality discipleship.

My Little Flood

The LORD has been breaking me down a lot this month. But He also has shown me a lot about His grace, sovereignty, and love. When I was really struggling in the middle of February, the LORD showed me this awesome passage in Psalms 29:10-11: “The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood, and the LORD sits as King forever. The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.” God gave me peace and joy because, if He reigns when the whole earth was flooded, He still reigns in my little flood. Yet, God also put me in some awesome spots to minister and have great experiences.

I was asked to help at the youth Winter Camp, so I got to go with them up to Big Bear Lake February 16th-19th to be a leader for the guys and do a teaching. I was able to really build some great relationships with the guys!

I also went out with a group of dudes hiking recently on this beautiful mountain trail. It is a great blessing to spend time with brothers building each other up.

The next weekend after that, I went with other MTS students to Calvary Chapel Downey for the LA Pastors and Leaders conference to setup a table and share about this summer’s CSOM. My brother Jonathan was there, which was a blessing to see him as well! Then we also had a baptism March 3rd. This was the most powerful and moving baptism I have ever been a part of! The Lord has been doing a great revival at the church here.

July Kid’s House Vision Tour

During February, Pastor Corey was able to go on a vision tour to look at a children’s home for kids rescue from sex and organ trafficking in Costa Rica. The report was very positive, and he was able to learn a lot of how to run one. We are now planning another vision tour with Corey, his wife, possibly one other person, and I in July to Costa Rica for us to receive God’s vision and how to run a kid’s home. As fruitful and positive this trip last month sounded, there is now more clarity on some of the practical risks and security issues with starting a ministry like this. The very real danger of being kidnapped, tortured, and possibly killed by the cartel has been a sobering thought, yet made me very determined. I know the LORD is going to do a work. Please be praying for this upcoming trip, there will be spiritual warfare. Finally, praise the LORD that the major pieces are pretty much in place to begin a home in Peru! We are now just waiting on the Lord and this trip.

Praise Reports

• All the spiritual growth God is doing in me
• Blessing of ministering to the youth at Winter Camp
• Great evangelism encounters at Cal State Fullerton
• The trials that build patience and character

Prayer Requests

• Provision for the upcoming vision tour (budget not made yet)
• Provision for a job until I can be sent out as a missionary full time
• Children to be rescued from sex & organ trafficking in South America
• My continued faithfulness, growth, and humbleness in training and ministry as I prepare for this work in South America.

Dear Pastors, Leaders, Partners and Church Families!

Greetings to all of you from my church and family. I will always be thankful to you for continuing to pray for and encourage us to do the Lord’s work with even more enthusiasm. You always meet the needs of our ministry. May God bless you all.

Mental and Physical Torture for Attending Church

To stop her from coming to church, a woman from my church’s husband slapped her four-five times and pulled her by the hair, pulling out two handfuls of hair from her head.

I want to share with you the testimony of a woman who has been attending our church for about 2 years. She is the only believer in her entire lineage. Her name is S*. She is always eager to learn the words of the Lord.

In February of last year, a team from the central government and people from the media went to her house. After that, they also came to our house. Thanks be to God and I also thank you for your prayers — they did not file any false case against us (for doing Christian ministry). At that time, S* was scolded by a lot by the people of the village. The police and people from the media made various allegations against us and put a lot of pressure on S* to give false testimony against us. But she remained steadfast in her faith and continued praying.

Two weeks ago, when she was at our church, her husband was worked up by the villagers against Christ and her. When she reached home, her husband started slapping her. He said, “If you do not leave Jesus Christ, I will kill you! I will get this out of my house.” After that, he pulled her by her hair and threw her out of the house.

She kept crying and praying. She told her husband, “Whether you kill me or destroy me, I will not leave the Lord Jesus Christ.” While sleeping at night, her husband kept an ax under his pillow and said, “If my wife comes to the house, I will cut her down.”

While she stayed at a friends house, through prayer, God gave peace to her husband’s heart. He then allowed her to come home again. I thank God that he has given us such believers in our church who are ready to lose their husband, family, and society and even die for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I cannot send the photo of this woman because the women here feel very uncomfortable getting photographed. A lot of fake news is being spread on social media saying that we send photos of people and ask for money but then spend it on ourselves. People also say that people convert people to another religion by sending their photos and asking for money. That is why I plan to send you only group photos.

Here are some photos of our recent outreaches. They were in my friend’s phone, so I was not able to send them in my previous newsletter.

Thanksgiving Points

1. Thank God that I was able to reopen the churches that had been closed earlier because of the government, and that we were able to open them safely. 
2. Thank God that our institution has started again. 
3. Thanks be to God, people are moving forward in the Lord despite physical and mental persecution. 
4. Thank God for keeping me, my family and my parents safe. 

Prayer Requests:

1. Please pray continuously for our safety. 
2. Please pray for our college friends who believe in Jesus, may God protect them from the coming suffering. 
3. Please pray that God may provide land for a cemetery for Christ’s people. 
4. Please pray that peace can be established between the Hindus and Muslims. There are riots during every Hindu festival which cause the internet to be shut down for three or four days. 
5. Please pray for a 22 year old paralyzed boy in our church. About 60 to 70% of his body is paralyzed. May God heal him completely
6. Please pray for my sister’s wedding on May 16th. May God fulfill every need for this.

Thank you for your prayers, support and for sharing in the Gospel.

God bless you all.

Pastor & Mrs. 11*

*Names and faces have been changed or omitted for security reasons.

Greetings from Mexico! In this update I am excited to tell you about a church planting trip I took to Mazatlan at the end of February! Mazatlan is a historical beach town in the Mexican state of Sinaloa! Almost eight years ago we sent down my good friends Tony and Angela Carranza, along with their son Caleb and a team to plant a church in this famous city of over 600,000!

Tony was one of our assistant pastors way back in the day, and also completed our church planting program with excellence. When I sent Tony out to church plant, he said that his goal was to copy our church down there in Mazatlan! (Not saying that I recommend that, but that was his goal) Over the past seven plus years that is exactly what Tony and Angela have done!

They have raised up many leaders, planted a large healthy bilingual church, and started their own church planting class. They have also planted six churches in those seven years and are planning on planting their next church later on this year in the South American Country of Venezuela.

Another great part of this church is they also host a yearly church planting conference just like we do. This year I was blessed to travel down to this church planting conference with a team from our church (Pastor Oliver and Super Mario) along with my good friend and church planting partner, Pastor Bruce Zackary from Calvary Nexus in Camarillo California!

The title of this conference was “The Sending Hub” (Un Centro Enviador) and our church was blessed to donate fifty of my books to give free to each pastor in attendance. The conference was powerful and convicting and everyone in attendance was encouraged to move forward in the great missions work of church planting. We were also able to send out Pastor Tony’s next church plant together at the conference. Please keep Pastor Pedro, his family, and his new church plant in Chihuahua (A large border city south of Texas) in your prayers.

In my time there in Mazatlan, I was blessed to teach and host their newest church planting class. This class was full of new students who are all praying about being sent out in the future. During the conference I was able to teach on the Biblical basis of this idea of a sending hub which is found all over the book of Acts.  One of my favorite things to do at these conferences where I am not leading, is to meet and encourage pastors I don’t know in this great work of church planting. I was not surprised to see that God had many divine appointments prepared for me.

When Sunday rolled around, I got to lead worship for their congregation of 200 and also teach them a message from John 6:15-21, that I titled, “Jesus in the storms of life!” The good news from that story is that Jesus will always come after us and eventually rescue us. Even when we are getting pounded by the storms and trials of life like the disciples were in the middle of the Sea of Galilee!

Whenever I get to travel and visit our church plants, I keep in mind that I am not traveling alone. I represent a great team of believers who are working together and standing by side to reach people with the saving message of Jesus Christ. I am proud to not only be sent out by our local church, Calvary Rosarito, but also be sent out BY YOU, my precious partners and co-laborers. 

 I never tire of thanking you for allowing us to serve as your missionaries here in Mexico.  It is through your prayers and encouragement that God meets our spiritual needs, and through your financial giving that God meets our physical needs. We love you and give thanks for you!  

Con mucho amor de Mexico,  (with much love from Mexico)

Mike, Sarah, Grace, and Daniel

Prayer Requests!

#1- Pray that God would bless our new batch of church planters that began their new classes in February! (38 students enrolled this year) 

#2-  Pray that God will provide our children Grace and Daniel’s with good jobs.   

Praise Reports!

#1- Praise God for a wonderful missions trip to our church plant in Mazatlan!

#2- Praise God for Sarah’s mom (Diane) moving down to Mexico this month to be closer to us and to join our church family!  

Greetings to you in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We thank the Lord for you all and for your partnership in the ministry of the Gospel.

Here is a brief ministry report of the year 2023.

Despite growing persecution in our state, the Lord kept us safe and gave us opportunities to spread the Gospel. House fellowships and new churches are being attacked everywhere in our state, but the Lord helped us to start a house fellowship in a village 20 kilometers from our town. Two extended families (15 people) are now members in this house fellowship.

Praise the Lord! He added two new families from Hindu backgrounds to our church fellowship in the city. The church is divine institution. Jesus himself is the founder. It is His promise that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

One Catholic man, a retired banker, has also been attending our Sunday Service regularly. He attends Catholic church first in the morning. Then, at 10:00 A.M, he comes to our fellowship. Please pray that he would leave his Catholic faith.

A Catholic girl also started attending our Sunday Services and accepted Jesus as her personal Savior. Despite a lot of opposition from her family and relatives, she stopped attending the Catholic church and became a member of our fellowship. She got baptized in November 2023.

We have eight students in our Bible Institute. They are all from Hindu backgrounds. They are being prepared for the work of the Gospel. Please pray that they would be used by the Lord for the extension of his Kingdom on earth.

The government in our country and in our state is from the same party. This government is anti-Christian. It is the government’s agenda to make our country a Hindu nation by the end of 2024. The media is under the government’s control. The media is promoting Hindu sentiments. The political leaders are openly saying in the media that the Christians and Muslims of our country were originally Hindus and therefore, they must become Hindus or leave the country. Please pray that the Christians would be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and be bold witness of the Lord.

When a Hindu becomes a Christian, he is persecuted and excommunicated from the village and his tribe. Many Hindu families believe in Jesus, but they do not openly acknowledge their faith because of the fear that their children will not be married and their dead will not be buried. Now and then this problem is faced by new believers. They are not allowed to bury their dead. Sometimes, if they do bury the dead, the body is excavated even after many days. But praise God we were able to baptize a Hindu convert! He even got married to a girl who had also converted from Hinduism.

Thank you for your prayers and support for the ministry of the Gospel.

Co-workers in Christ,

Pastor 15* Family

*Names and Faces have been changed or omitted for security reasons.

What an amazing past month it has been traveling around South East Asia. We spent one week in Indonesia and one last final week in the Philippines. Let’s just say- we weren’t in Japan anymore (Dorothy voice). From completely opposite weather, to major culture differences, to even the toilets- they went from heated seats playing music to a hole in the ground with a bucket (haha, no joke!).

During our time in Indonesia, we traveled in a van for about eight hours, including a one-hour ferry ride to a village in East Java that is unreached. There we were able to explore the island through a Christian-owned travel company started by David, a missionary from California in 2015. Many doors have opened for him in sharing the gospel through this business. He also started a Child Sponsorship program for those in junior high, since many kids end up dropping out because there is a fee to go to school and many cannot afford it. The families are mostly Muslim or Hindu, and it is through this program that they are able to experience the love of Christ. However, there is a catch. Once they decide to become followers of Jesus, they must pay the government $10,000 and possibly experience death threats and persecution from their family members.

Traveling back to Bali, we were able to meet with multiple Pastors from different church plants. One Pastor shared of his conversion from Hinduism to Christianity. Three nights in a row, he had a dream of a road- one path leading to a cemetery and another path leading to light. During one of his Hindu prayers, he prayed, ‘Jesus if you are really God, lead me’, and sure enough, Jesus did. Since that day, his whole life was turned around- he destroyed three different temples that he had built, and started a church. Other testimonies included Jesus revealing Himself in a vision of His wounded hands to Muslim women, who then cried out to Him, as well as amazing, radical, life-changing testimonies of people with HIV being healed by the power of God. The stories we heard were as if we were reading pages from the New Testament- it all became real and visible. This is the narrow way that leads to life.

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Matthew 7:13-14

Shrine After Shrine

I know in my last newsletter I mentioned the temples and shrines in Japan, but what we saw in Indonesia was nothing close to that. I was struck with even more sadness, that then turned into anger in seeing shrines and idols house after house, corner after corner. In Hinduism, there are said to be thirty-three million gods- with most being apparitions of demons themselves that were eventually made into statues to appease them. The worshiping isn’t so much in seeing their beauty and hope of love and peace, but rather of fear and power. They must give the idol an offering- an incense, food, and/or payment. They clothe it, clean it, place it under the shade of an umbrella to protect it from the scorching heat. It is under more protection than some kids are- most running around barefoot and without clothes. The temples become something of treasure and possession, taking up any resources of time and money. This is all in hopes of this “god” staying away and coming against their family and life.

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.

Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

ACTS 12:24-25, 29-30

Love One Another

Arriving to the Philippines felt as if a weight and pressure had been lifted off. I could breathe normally again. Even though the country is in the 10/40 window, it is considered reached with about 89% of the population being Christian. However, only about 11.3% Evangelical Christians. We visited a Calvary Bible Institute, in Tagaytay, for a three-day Conference on the Purpose of the Church. We were reminded that in the first century, there were 12 Unreached People groups to one church. Today, there are about 1,000 churches to one Unreached People group! Indeed, it is a doable task, and let’s just say the Filipino church is on fire for reaching the nations with the Gospel!

After the conference ended, we traveled an hour and a half by van and an hour on a fisherman boat to Tingloy Island. Many accepted Christ on their first visit, they knew about Jesus but did not fully understand the gospel. Now coming back a third time, we had the opportunity to worship, share stories, and play games with the kids. I have been doing kids ministry for almost three years and these kids were the most attentive, well-behaved, respectful kids I have ever seen. The love of Christ radiated from them. Two kids won a cupcake and you will never believe what they did with it… they each took a bite, and without thinking, without being asked, they passed the cupcake around to all their friends. I was in awe. My heart was filled in seeing this love within the community. It was so sweet and the Lord reminded me of this- “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

Last post I mentioned the peace I had in knowing that salvation comes from God. Yes, that is true. After all, it is God who gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6). But- how will they call on the name of Jesus if they don’t know who He is? Who is going to tell them? Who is going to go? The Church is commanded to go out and preach the gospel (Matthew 28:19-20). That is the true purpose of our lives here on earth. They need someone to preach the gospel in order to hear, in order to believe in their hearts and confess with their mouths, in order to be saved. In every single country, the Lord showed me that a remnant remains. God has created every single one of us for reason. He has placed us where we are for a special purpose. Amongst the darkness, there is hope. There is a light. A remnant still remains.

Please join me in prayer for South East Asia. I pray that the Lord places a specific country, a people, a culture, on your heart, and may you fervently pray for their salvation. For their eyes to be opened and willing to receive the Good News. Please pray for more laborers. For more people to be willing to share the gospel. Pray to be made willing. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for continual partnership in the Kingdom of God!

For, “you are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being.”

-Mayra Alejandra