I hope you all had a blessed Christmas and Happy New Year! I want to bring you up to speed with all the Lord has been doing in and through my life and also in the world through Saving Grace World Missions and the wonderful missionaries we have a privilege of partnering with.

Church life

I am so grateful to be a part of such a loving and supportive church family. To see their love for Jesus and their dedication the Word of God is truly encouraging. If you don’t already have loving, Bible teaching church I invite you prayerfully consider joining us, for more information visit the website www.ccsavinggrace.com, or feel to just respond to this email. We have been going through 1 Corinthians and I have been getting so much more out of it then I ever have. If you want to be inspired read chapter 9, more specifically verses 24-27, what an awesome illustration of enduring and pressing forward. Having my life built on God’s love and studying His word has truly been life-altering also having a church family has been instrumental to my growth.

Spread of the Gospel

With all the chaos going on in the world, lockdowns, division, and so many things that can depress even the strongest person. I have been comforted that God has been so gracious and he is very present help in time of need. There are countless stories of people coming to the knowledge of Jesus even in the midst of lockdowns. Churches getting creative and broadcasting Bible studies on social media and Youtube to reach those that are isolated. The national missionaries continue to be bold, but wise, about how to get the Word of God to those who are seeking truth. What an honor it is to be able to be administrative help to come alongside by brothers and sisters all over the world. Continue to pray for God to continue to open doors for His Gospel to spread. To read about what the Lord is doing through these amazing missionaries please click here.

Expectant

In this upcoming year I look expectantly toward my Heavenly Father in all that He has for me. More than anything my prayer is to drawer closer to Him and be sensitive to His leading. Often times I overthink everything and my “resolution” this year is to pray more and then be moved to action. There are some awesome changes going on in our Accounting department, Stacy Cook is our new Accounting director and she has so much experience and knowledge that I know will be a great asset to our team. I anticipate more teams being assembled to go out in the field and with that a lot more administrative tasks, so I am grateful for God’s provision of laborers here in the office. As much as I enjoy the work I do, I am also looking forward to going to Jordan at the end of April. Would you join me in praying for all those that will be a part of that vision trip and that God would set apart those He is calling to be a part of that work.

Thank you for taking the time to read about all the Lord has been doing in my life and for joining me in prayer for what He has in store for 2022!

• Prayer Requests:
  • Missionaries around the world
  • Borders to be opened
  • Jordan Vision Tour
  • Salvation of my family members

• Praise Reports:
  • God bringing Stacy Cook to our team
  • God’s provision and protection
  • The blessing of serving Him
  • Souls that have been saved

The Situation

We have never experienced an earthquake like this one before in our life and we’re from California!!! Thank God nobody in our family, church or community was hurt. Unfortunately, one life was taken. We aren’t sure about the details but our prayers go out for the family.

Even though this was a tragedy, I am blessed to say that the church responded quickly. The very next morning we received phone calls and messages asking how they can help. At that moment in time we still hadn’t evaluated the ramifications and couldn’t say where the immidiate need was. Today we have a better grasp on the situation.

The Need

Some families from our church cannot go back into their homes because the structures have been condemned by city officials. Their apartments will be torn down due to the danger they will cause. These families literally lost their home. One of those families is our assistant pastor Jose and his wife Keyla. 

Stacy and I took in another family that is currently in the same situation. Others are still waiting on the officials to review the damage and give the approval or not. Unfortunately, the Mexican government will not help.

The Plan

We will be setting up a fund to help these families find a place for the time being. Rent can vary from place to place but the average rent is between $6,000 and $7,500 mxn pesos per month. Converted to dollars it is $300-$375 U.S.

We know this isn’t cheap but if we can at least help them find something with a 3-5 month lease that would be huge.

Our immediate need would be for the family that is living with us right now. Rossy is a widow who cares for her mom and son. This week we will be looking at apartments. For the time being they can stay with us as long as needed. We don’t want to rush anything rather wait on the Lord. Any support would lighten the burden.

Pastor Jose is able to afford his own rent but could use a little help with moving costs and replacing some household items. They will be staying with another family from our fellowship.

Thank you for all your prayers!! We are so thankful for God’s protection. If you want to send money click on the link below and please specify in the comment “Earthquake help” God bless you all! 

Hello there!

I don’t even know where to begin, the Lord has been doing so many amazing things in and around me. A lot has happened since my last newsletter in March. How about I start by telling you about what happened in April. Hope was still in the office downloading all her knowledge in me to equip me for the work before me. Thanks Hope! We were hard at work administrating all the prep work that goes into Calvary School of Missions. Which I can’t believe I get to be a part, to think it’s been a year since I myself started as a student at CSOM.  

Now let’s move on to May where a lot happened, as I continued to work in SGWM headquarters, while diligently studying to able to teach in our internship class alongside my amazing brothers and sisters. (Side note, I like to call them brethren and sisthren. 😊) We also are serving on Sundays in different capacities, and it is such a joy to be a part of such an amazing church like Calvary Chapel Saving Grace. I am eternally grateful to the Lord for leading me into such a loving body of believers.  

I had the honor of hosting a table at our Women’s tea– what a great time of fellowship! Also I had the joy of having my mom with me at tea and also on Mother’s Day. In that same week I had a surprise birthday party which was so much fun! Nancy and I were given the privilege of coordinating a Taco ’bout Jesus event. We went to LA to get some décor and piñatas to make the event as authentic as possible. In other news, my nephew Mateo was born on May 30th. He is a true testimony of God’s grace as he was born two months premature but he is now home and doing very well. 

The Taco ’bout Jesus event was so much fun, we had a great time eating tacos, breaking piñatas and so much more. But the greatest part of it was hearing from Deanna and Kristin Wilkinson “taco ’bout” Jesus and His loving hand guide them through truly difficult times in their lives. Isn’t it amazing how God comforts His children in times of darkness when everything seems so hopeless? The Bible is full of so much hope, one of my favorite scriptures is, Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” I pray that God would be a comfort to you through any difficult season you are going through or will go through in this lifetime.

As we see hear about so much turmoil going on around the world it breaks my heart to see how people are suffering in the midst of this pandemic. While restrictions are changing on a weekly basis here in America, just stop and think how difficult it must be living in other countries that don’t have the same resources we do. Please join me in praying for the those that don’t have access to so many resources, but most importantly for those who don’t have access to the Gospel. You see there are too many people going to hell on a daily basis who have never heard of the salvation offered through Jesus. I have the honor and privilege of coming alongside missionaries around the world to pray and help in whatever they need to accomplish the work of the Gospel. We are not all called to go but we are all called to care.

As I write this, CSOM is going strong into it’s 4th week and I have been able to see God’s hand working in an awesome way. The Lord has opened a door for CSOM to go down to Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. I am excited as I will be joining them starting this weekend at the Church Planting conference and then traveling with them to Monterrey. I am so grateful that I am to help administratively, but also be able to be on the frontlines to encourage the churches we will be visiting. Pray also for divine appointments to be able to share the Gospel with whomever the Lord leads us to.

If you would like prayer or to just chat please reply to this email, I would love to hear from you.

To learn more about what the Lord is doing through the various parts of the world through SGWM missionaries please click here. Also if you would like to receive a quarterly newsletter from SGWM and read about the amazing work the Lord is doing please click here.

Praise Reports

• Souls being saved through out the world
• Baby Mateo!
• Great time with my family
• A new place to live
• So many blessings!

Prayer Requests

• That eyes would be open to the truth of the Gospel
• Those suffering during this pandemic
• CSOM and the trip to Monterrey
• SGWM staff and the spiritual warfare

By His Grace,

Maribel Blanco

Hello friends and family! I pray that you are all doing well and flourishing this spring season. I have been a busy bee working here at SGWM, attending life group, being a part of the Women’s event planning team, and growing in the Word of God with my fellow interns!

As I write this newsletter I am enjoying the beautiful view from my office. I’m so excited that Spring is here and there is so much life blooming all around. The plant life around me brings 1 Corinthians 3 to my mind, it is awesome how God uses creation as a way to illustrate spiritual truths. It has been such a blessing to see answered prayers of salvation. Knowing that there has been many people praying, planting and watering seeds of the Gospel. But ultimately praising God for the increase he has produced. I am rejoicing at the privilege of seeing people saved. 

Youth Mission Trip in Rosarito

So as I had mentioned in my newsletter I would be sharing about the Youth trip to Mexico. The youth did such a great job of interacting with those around them even if they didn’t speak the language. But they did know how to speak the universal language of love by showing genuine interest and interacting with those around them. One of my favorite parts of the trip was translating for some of the youth and helping them step out of their comfort zone to share God’s word. I look forward to seeing how God will continue to use the Youth of our church for His glory!

The Body of Christ

Having Godly, wise, and fun women of God has been such an answer to prayer. There love and genuine concern for me and my walk with the Lord blesses my heart. If I just simply need someone to talk to or learn how to make amazing dressing(thanks Julie!) I have the blessing of knowing so many amazing women.

Living in Yorba Linda has been great. So many diverse cultures all around me and not to mention the food choices. We were able to enjoy some Samosas(thanks Lacey!) and great fellowship before we handed out flyers for Easter service. It was a great learning experience as we stepped out in faith not knowing what reactions we would receive. But ultimately God knows what fruit will come of our efforts. Please pray for the seeds that were planted. If you ever want to eat some great food and be exposed to diverse cultures don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

• Praise Reports:
• Answered prayers of new believers
• Increase of applicants to Calvary School of Missions
• Growth of the body of Christ

• Prayer Requests
• Salvation of my family members
• Unreached people to have access to the Gospel
• My administrative role in preparing for Calvary School of Missions (July 11-August 22) and for the new students

Can you believe how quickly January has come and gone! At Calvary Chapel Saving Grace we started off the year with prayer and fasting as a church. What a better way to start off the year than to wage war in prayer. As chaotic and difficult this past year has been, I truly believe the Lord has used it to strengthen us individuals and as a Church body. I love what is says in James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” At the end of verse 4 the word “let” stands out to me, because often times the testing of my faith is not fun and I don’t “let” it do the work in my heart. Life will always have trails and I want to “let” this time of testing work perseverance into my character.  

It has been such a blessing to study God’s word alongside my fellow interns. Week after week I can literally see Hebrews 10:24-25 being lived out, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” We have served together by attending the Calvary Chapel Missions Conference and encouraged others to attend Calvary School of Missions. I have also had the privilege of serving through Voice of the Refugees and delivering food to families in need.  

As I have mentioned in past newsletters I have been fervently praying for God’s leading as to where He would want me to best serve Him. Well my prayers have been answered! I have officially started working as an Administrative Assistant at Saving Grace World Missions. Initially I was apprehensive to even consider the position because I was convinced that I would be launched out as a missionary this year. But the Lord spoke to my heart through Proverbs 16:9, “A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.” He also used prayer and confirmation through others that I needed to use the giftings that he has given me for His glory. I encourage you to pray about the giftings the Lord has given you and how best they can be used to further His Kingdom and build up other believers. 

Paul illuminates a truth in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 which has been resonating with me lately. The truth is simply every part of the body of Christ is absolutely essential, whether we are the “face” whose function everyone can see or the “liver” whose function no one can see. Administrative work is a very internal and an unseen part of the body just like the liver, but is it not essential for the body to function? God has used this truth in my life to set a fire in my heart to walk confidently in the calling He has put in front of me.   

Praise Reports:

Working at SGWM Headquarters!

My families good health

Saving Grace having in-person services

Prayer Requests:

For all the missionaries around the world

That my work would glorify the Lord

Divine appointments to share the Gospel

I would ask that you pray for the Lord to meet my financial needs and consider partnering with me financially as the Lord leads. If you would like to support me financially either on an ongoing basis or through a one-time donation, click Become A Financial Partner button below, OR send a check written out to Saving Grace World Missions with Maribel Blanco Support in the memo. Address: Saving Grace World Missions, 17451 Bastanchury Rd., Suite 203, Yorba Linda, CA 92886-1873. 

I don’t know how to express my gratitude for your prayers and financial support, seeing your love for the Lord through your giving is so encouraging.

“A generous soul will be made rich, and he who refreshes others will be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:25

Wow! How time flies, I cannot believe we are already in December. Since it has been quite some time since my last update, I wanted to give you a recap of what the Lord did at Calvary School of Missions. What is of the upmost importance is the burning in my heart to pray for the unreached people of the world. To be sensitive to His leading as to where He would want to use me is what was on the forefront of my mind. The Lord began to reassure my heart by hearing about His faithfulness through several missionaries and how he led them in their calling. We also read missionary biographies to gain a perspective that serving the Lord will have its trials. With a great balance of studying and serving we put feet to our faith and hit the streets to share the Gospel.

Now that I am back in California there have been many changes. As much as I don’t mind change I found myself with a heaviness that I had never experienced. Talk about walking by faith and not sight. I started a new job as a Behavioral Technician providing clinical skills instruction and behavior reduction protocols for children. God has relocated me from Riverside to Yorba Linda with an amazing sister from Saving Grace. Also, I commute back and forth every morning to Riverside to work as a preschool teacher. Do not get me wrong all these things are a great blessing, but this much change all at once has been stretching. Now that I have settled into my new normal, I see how the Lord used all of that change to show me that my self-sufficiency needs to be cut out of my heart more and more each day.

Also I have had the privilege of being a part of the Internship team through Saving Grace World Missions (www.sgwm.com). What an answer to prayer! The Lord knew I needed more fellowship with believers with the same calling on their lives. My fellow interns can attest to what a great blessing it has been to learn from Pastor Trent who takes exegeting the Bible very seriously. What brings great assurance to my heart is when he says, “It doesn’t matter what I think, let the Word of God speak for itself” (loosely paraphrasing). In a day and age where some “will not endure sound doctrine and are heaping up for themselves teachers” (2 Timothy 4:3b) I am so grateful to be a part of Calvary Chapel Saving Grace. I feel at home being surrounded by believers who are devoted to rightly dividing the word of truth.

What a blessing it has been to be in fellowship with amazing sisters in the Lord who have a passion for the lost. A church that is fully committed to fulfilling the Great Commission, reaching the nations with the Gospel and having a passion for God’s word is what I have been praying for. The Lord has been so faithful to lead and guide me in uncertain seasons in my life. Debbie Douglass has been so kind and taken me along on home visits with female Palestinian and Iraqi refugees. I have been learning so much about their culture and their amazing hospitality. They have expressed their need for someone to just spend time with and practice their English. As soon I heard that I have been staying in touch with some of these ladies and hoping to build a relationship with them. Please pray for God’s wisdom and discernment as to how to love on them and build a bridge to share the Gospel.

• Praise Reports:
  • God’s provision while in Calvary School of Missions (through you!)
  • Reassurance of God’s calling on my life
  • Gaining knowledge of missions and cultures
  • God’s sovereignty and guidance on my life

• Prayer requests:
  • Salvation of my family members (psychological concerns)
  • God’s guidance and my sensitivity to His leading
  • Time management and discernment
  • Understanding of God’s Word historically and spiritually