Greetings Friends!

Featured

It’s truly a pleasure to have you visit my blog, so allow me to give you some insight into my life. I grew up having a reverence and general understanding of God, but no real relationship with Him or His Son Christ.  I knew He was there for me to come to in times of need, and had prayed for help from time to time, but sin and a lack of spiritual guidance kept me from seeking Him until a particularly challenging time of my life. Once God eliminated that obstacle I began attending church regularly and even joined groups, but lack of accountability kept me bound in some deep-rooted sin.

Since a young age I had been incredibly introverted, and at church I felt as if it was easy to fall through the cracks. I felt God calling me to volunteer at my church’s Glitter Glam, a weekend dedicated to serving young ladies through activities such as painting faces/nails, crafts and dancing. However I got sick the week of the event, which was then canceled due to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time it was difficult not physically attending church, as it was the community I had always wanted and had finally felt ready to fully participate in.

But amid the pandemic, God brought an amazing blessing into my life and introduced me to the family I was meant to be a part of, Calvary Chapel Saving Grace. When the Lord opened doors from work for me to begin attending services the topic was the purpose of the church, which is to go and make disciples of all nations. I had never been introduced to such a passion for this Great Commission. When this new season of Calvary School of Missions was introduced to me I prayed for God to confirm and he did so through a dear brother! God has been so faithful throughout and consistently pours His grace upon my life, how could I not put myself in a position to be used by Him and to help others come to know this amazing grace.

God has blessed us all with wonderful giftings and I look forward to fine-tuning mine for God and the Kingdom. It is when we put ourselves out there and use what God has given us that we will see the increase from our works, thus deepening our faith and further emboldening us to go forth and make those disciples.

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – 2 Peter 1:10-11

I am excited to share the journey which God has ahead of me with you all. It’s so exciting to be the hands and feet of Jesus in Mexico! I pray the Lord leads and guides me in the purposes He has planned for me. To be immersed in the word of God daily and receive training from seasoned missionaries from around the world will be life changing. Again, I look forward to sharing all the ways God will be moving in and through me. I know it’s going to be beautiful! If the Lord so leads you to partner with me in furtherance of His Kingdom you will see a link below where you can do so. Thank you in advance, may God shine His face upon you all!

 

Faithfully Present

Hello family! I want to begin by saying it was a pleasure celebrating another Resurrection Sunday with my Saving Grace family! I am so thankful to be praising with you all the One who made a public spectacle of sin and death by rising on the third day; and because of that the tomb is empty and we are full! To those of you who joined us for our Easter breakfast, I am thankful for the opportunity to have helped fill your bellies. It has been a tremendous blessing how God has used my passion for cooking to serve my brothers and sisters in the Lord. As a brother had told me so much fellowship takes place around the dinner table, and it’s a joy to fill the plates and create those opportunities. The idea has been put on my heart of using this as a ministry opportunity overseas, especially regarding the highly relational Muslim culture I’m praying about serving in.

For our mission studies I continually try to add new cuisines to my skill set, and three of our last four studies I made Middle Eastern dishes. I love how it has me shop at Fresh Choice, a Middle Eastern market, and has given me the opportunity to connect with a Lebanese woman while picking out grape leaves, and with a Palestinian checker by responding to his Arabic greeting in Arabic. Besides the cooking I have been blessed with the stewardship of our Middle East care team in place of our dear brother who will is now on the field! I’m so happy to be organizing a monthly family meeting where we talk to “Dad” on behalf of our dear brothers and sisters breaking ground on this amazing new work. Prayer is so powerful for the empowerment of God’s angelic armies, and we want to support them as best we can considering the spiritual strongholds over this part of the world. I also am excited to see how God moves through this stewardship regarding my own calling to the Muslim people.

Our departing brothers and sisters recently had a yard sale to get rid of more of their belongings and earn some money in the process, and it has stoked my own fire to do likewise. I’ve had thirty plus years of things I’ve acquired in a small storage unit and have begun clearing it out. I cannot justify paying rent for things I cannot hold onto, especially with what I’m feeling called to do. I’m looking forward to further downsizing and hopefully making some money in the process, especially to help clear up some credit card debt which is certainly an obstacle to any further steps.

Regarding daily life work has been good! It’s definitely a blessing to be at a company which is so lenient with requesting time off for any and all trips I take, the last of which was Israel just a few weeks ago! It was amazing to spend the time touring the Holy Land and to have the Bible open up to me in new and marvelous ways! There were definitely special moments with the Lord and with the team that I’ll have to share in my next update. As for special moments here at home, God gave me such a sweet word in my morning devotions. I got caught up reading Esther (too good to put down) and stopped about five chapters later finishing in chapter 8. Then right after I had the Messianic Psalm 110 where something struck me profoundly, and that was, yet again, the message to GO! Psalm 110 describes how Christ will judge among the nations at His second coming, and Esther 8 says:

“The couriers who rode on royal horses went out, hastened and pressed on by the king’s command. And the decree was issued in Shushan the citadel.”
‭‭Esther‬ ‭8‬:‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

If the couriers had not gotten the message to the Jews in time, they would not have known that they could defend themselves from their impending doom; and the king hastened them. Christ our king, in his final commandment and great commission, tells us to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observes all things that He has commanded us. When we know that people are dying without Christ and going to hell every second this Old Testament story is a great illustration of how dire the situation really is. People across the globe, especially in the 10/40 window, need to know that there is a means of deliverance from their impending doom. Just this morning in my quiet time I had a vision of an ominous shadowy figure, mostly amorphous but with a distinguishable evil grin and clawed hands. It was flying through the air and parallel to innumerable Muslims on their faces praying, as if eager to snatch them. After praying for the people I saw a veiled skeleton looking up and disintegrating, with the veil falling to the ground. My first impression was the fate of the people, but then I felt the Lord tell me it meant that death is fading and the veil will fall.

Prayer Requests

  • That the light of the gospel would tear through the darkness of the Islamic stronghold, and that the veil would indeed fall
  • That the Lord would bless the roots being placed in the Middle East, and that I would be sensitive to the guidance of His Holy Spirit for the perfect will He has for me
  • That I would be diligent and faithful with all the stewardship He has blessed me with here and now
  • That the Lord would provide should He desire me to go to Peru in September to help with and attend the mission conference

Praise Reports

  • I’m an uncle! My sister Nicole and brother-in-law Arron had a precious little boy named Maddox (also please pray for their salvation, that God would use parenthood to draw them near)
  • The fifth year of the Calvary School of Missions is about to begin! (Please ray for full surrender from the students, clear direction from the Lord regarding missions, and blessing and refreshment for the saints who will be assisted and served)
  • I will be in the wedding of a dear brother who moved to the east coast. (Please pray for all to go according to plan and for a blessed time of fellowship and reuniting)

By Faith

Hello family and partners in the gospel! It’s been far too long since my last newsletter. God has been doing so much and I will have to catch you up in subsequent correspondences as to keep this one a modest length. So let me dive in and catch you up on the more pertinent parts of these last several months.

This past April I was blessed with the opportunity to take a vision tour to the Middle East where we have finally broken ground on what I am confident will be an amazing new work of the Spirit, following the success of the work in south Asia. While we were there, we got to spend a good amount of time with one of the few evangelical churches in one of the few “Christian“ cities of the country. I put it this way because Christian is a label given to any non-Muslim faith, so Christianity there includes Catholicism, Orthodoxy, et cetera. These denominations are in fact against what the evangelical church is doing, even to the point of notifying secret police, nevertheless God is moving through them.

Just while we were there, a group of ours got to meet an imam living with his large family in the middle of the desert. That local church has been developing a relationship with him, and after six years our team was blessed to witness him accept an Arabic Bible from their translator who himself is a Muslim born believer. What a beautiful thing to witness, and what amazing things God could do through this man, a mosque leader, and this Bible. This is how it’s done. These people are extremely relational, their society functions as a close-knit community. This calling, as our beloved worker in North Africa says, is not a sprint it’s a marathon. Who knows if reaching just one man in six years could produce an Arabic Billy Graham. We need to be faithful to plant our seeds, trusting that others will water, and to allow God to bring the increase.

While that group was there in the desert visiting with the imam, the rest of us got to visit some sweet Iraqi refugee families. The first I visited was right across the street from the church. They lived very modestly with bare minimum furnishings. As is custom, the mother eager to feed us, bringing a large platter of dolma, which are stuffed grape leaves, as well as stuffed potatoes, onions and tomatoes. It had such a perfect sourness, supposedly a characteristic of the Iraqi style. Now her husband hosts a weekly Bible study out of their home, an amazing and encouraging thing to see in this part of the world. They had one child, at least with them, a daughter named Rose. She works at a stationary store, but prior to that worked for a baker who hardly paid her for days often lasting twelve hours. As non-citizens they are legally not able to work, putting them at the mercy of abusing employers. A book I read, Defying Isis, really put my visit with them into perspective. Isis came into Iraq in 2015 and either killed or drove out multitudes of Christians, which may very well have been part of this family’s story.

Now a ways north of this city there is a retreat center, where we had the opportunity to worship, pray and wait on the Lord in a beautiful garden. I chose a short little wall overlooking a small city a few miles below us, and near the one small road leading into it. As I sat there I saw a bus drive by with a few teenage girls at the window. They were wearing hijabs, head coverings, beginning their journey of concealment as a Muslim woman. I pictured this as a prison bus, likely taking them to the mosque in that town where the call to prayer was about to sound. When it sounded, this was my first time hearing it on our trip, and instantly a strange vision came to me. This town had many buildings with many windows, and all at once I saw black hooded figures, women in full burkas, jumping from every visible window as if to their deaths. It was an interesting thing to visualize, I didn’t know how to feel about it, at least not until we worshiped at the local church later that night. They opened worship with two small girls and a small boy, and I couldn’t make out anything other than “Yesu,” Jesus. These children were worshiping Jesus. But what really struck me, and brought the prior visions full circle, were the little girls. These little girls, in their context, could easily be those teenage girls beginning their life of bondage, ultimately being led to their deaths by a false, manipulative religion. But they’re not. They’re free. They are loved by, and love, the One who came to die for them; and it showed so beautifully in the way that they were loved by His body there in that church.

The Lord has been continuing to encourage me in this calling through scripture and conversations within the body. Several of us were taking Arabic lessons with a brother in the Tuesday night Arabic Bible study at church, and he made promising remarks about be sounding like a native of where I’m seeking to go. Our prophetic prayer last month was also quite encouraging, as I was envisioned preaching and teaching among a slew of other visions. This continues to align with the call I felt to teach in Mexico, and with the same couple’s words from last year. And praise God I have been receiving increasingly better remarks regarding the preaching portion of our internship. For a while I felt like Gideon, feeling like I needed more and more confirmation regarding this call, but through encouragement from the body and scripture I believe God has given me enough to act upon in faith. One passage that stands out to me is found in the amazing hall of faith of Hebrews chapter eleven:

By faith Abraham, when he was called [by God], obeyed by going to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as a foreigner in the promised land, as in a strange land, living in tents [as nomads] with Isaac and Jacob, who were fellow heirs of the same promise. 10 For he was [waiting expectantly and confidently] looking forward to the city which has foundations, [an eternal, heavenly city] whose architect and builder is God.

Hebrews 11:8-10 AMP

God has never once given me a specific location, but I cannot deny the burden He has put on my heart regarding the Muslim people. Along with the uprooting and the amazing circumstances which brought me to and kept me in this special body, I cannot help but see God’s hand in all of it. I will be going on an Israel trip with our church in April, where I pray God would open the scriptures to me like never before. In March there is also an intense overseas security training in North Carolina which our two couples moving this spring and more will be attending. I believe this training will be of utmost significance, and I would love to take it with a good portion of those I am praying to live with on the field. This trip/training would total about $1800, and the remaining payment for Israel is $700. I would love if you would join me in prayer for God to provide should He desire me to be there for this training. And if the Lord so leads you to provide a one-time or recurring monetary gift, there is a giving link button below! Thank you so much for reading and praying, if there is anything you’d would like to ask me, be it prayer or a question, fell free to reach out!

Praise Report

  • God is moving in the Middle East!
  • God is continuing to confirm His call on my life!
  • Seven to eight moving to Middle East this year!

Prayer Requests

  • That God would strengthen and embolden believers in Middle East
  • God’s provision for the team moving to the Middle East
  • God provision for that which He desires me to be a part of
  • Continued growth in the Word and the wielding thereof

But the Lord Directs His Steps

Hello again family, friends, partners in the gospel! It’s been quite a busy season, but busy in the best possible way, as the Lord continues to bless me with responsibilities and leadership opportunities. It brings to mind the parable of the talents. The servant who received five talents traded with them and received five more, likewise the servant with two traded and made two more. However, the servant who had one talent buried it; he failed to be a good steward of what he was entrusted with. Upon the master’s return, the latter servant was scolded and had what he was given taken away, whereas the two faithful servants received praise:

Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.

Matthew 25:21

First, I was chosen to help with the BBQ ministry at Calvary Chapel Saving Grace. In case you did not know, I absolutely love cooking, especially for others. It started when I was a child, being my grandmother’s little helper in the kitchen. Growing up in Italian households I developed a strong sense of hospitality, ensuring everyone was served and taken care of before the cook even sits down. After I had been helping cook at the church barbecues, and even at the men’s retreat in Tahquitz Pines, I was entrusted to lead the meal prep for the missions Bible studies at Pastor Trent’s house. We just had Thai at the last one and it went well, praise God! I was a bit concerned we would run out of food. I made a soup called tom kha gai, and Pastor Trent’s wife Debbie was handing out numerous bowls; I took a look and it hardly looked touched, the Lord must have multiplied! A similar, but far greater, experience happened at our Thanksgiving potluck. Many shortages of food were estimated, especially for turkey and ham, and as we were boxing leftovers for the homeless it just kept coming and coming; we actually ran out of to go containers first! It’s amazing to see the Lord’s hand in such marvelous ways as we faithfully serve Him.

My Lil’ Garlic Crusher

Besides serving at these reoccurring events, I had several opportunities to serve during the Christmas season. I got to help serve my lovely sisters at the women’s Christmas event at the community center. It’s always a blessing to help the ladies out whenever possible. They do so much for the body and they deserve to be served. Our sister Tori also organized an opportunity to volunteer at Samaritan’s Pure for Operation Christmas Child. This amazing program not only provides shoe boxes filled with goodies for less fortunate children around the world, but aims to bring the gospel to them and their families as well. Finally, our sister Iziz shared an opportunity to serve at an Arabic Christmas outreach in Long Beach. I was blessed with the opportunity to help with the children’s ministry. Loving children, it’s a great feeling to put a smile on their little faces and that’s just what we did, along with paint. I painted this sweetheart Luciana to look like a bee, and the last face I painted before the end of the night was a little boy named David, who wanted a dragon. After trying to make him look like a dragon, he wasn’t quite feeling it, so we looked through Google for inspiration. He liked a tribal style dragon, so back to the canvas, well face, I went. He left a happy camper, and it was nice being able to share a bit about the mighty King David, of whom he did not know much about.

It was especially nice serving at this event because the Lord has continued to put the Muslim people on the my heart. At a secret church night at Calvary Chapel West Grove, I envisioned scissors cutting through a black veil; and recently at a prayer meeting for our upcoming vision tour to the Middle East, I envisioned a sword cutting through a black veil, and after the two halves fell away Jesus was the one wielding it. Last week we had baptisms at church, and when the one young woman Sarah got into the baptismal, I momentarily pictured her as a fully veiled Muslim woman. Tears began to well up. It’s a beautiful thing when Muslims come to faith, because they are a living embodiment of these words of Jesus to His disciples:

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Matthew 16:24-25

Death is a very real possibility for Muslims who leave the Islamic faith. And if not death there are other various punishments which would greatly impact one’s life, such as imprisonment, fines, as well as loss of children and inheritance rights. I’m praying that God would continue to reveal what He has for me as far as helping these people, and just this weekend God moved mightily in my heart. We were at a missions conference hosted by Calvary Chapel West Grove, and the first night I had a vision. I envisioned a late afternoon sun, then the silhouettes of a boy holding his mother’s hand, a fully veiled Muslim woman; they were walking towards the setting sun. Immediately following I received this verse from the book of Romans:

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

Romans 10:14

The following day messages were given regarding the unreached, and one in particular really provoked me. In closing, the prompt was given to wait on the Lord after being given the statistic of 3.2 billion lost souls perishing, tears already started welling up. Then he ended with Romans 10:14 and it brought me right back to my vision from the night before; I broke down. I took this as confirmation not only to my vision and word but to the burden I have been feeling increase for the Muslim people. This was especially awesome as I felt called to teach at the Rosarito church planting conference, and during my prophetic prayer I was told God wants me to preach the Word. I look forward to God continuing to speak as I prepare for and embark on our vision tour to the Middle East. Regarding this tour, God has been providing! First with plane tickets a few hundred dollars cheaper than expected, and now with COVID-19 testing requirements being lifted. Personally I also saw His hand provide in unexpected ways after faithfully taking out the initial deposit, which was a bit of a stretch, especially after deciding to join the team serving in Central Mexico. We will be in Culiacán and Mazatlán for the first two weeks of March, refreshing the saints and witnessing the opening of a new church plant. This is exciting as we are aiming to be church planters ourselves one day, as well as the fact that I simply love Mexico; the people, the culture, the food, all of it! I’m praying that God would move in and through us in amazing ways while down there!

I thank you all for reading my newsletters, and for coming alongside me in prayer as I diligently seek His will for my life. It’s amazing what can happen when you surrender your own will and simply present yourselves available to be used by Him and ultimately to glorify Him. I’m excited for God to continue speaking as we serve Him in Mexico and seek Him in the Middle East, and as you can expect, trips such as these are a bit costly. Upon returning from Mexico I plan on selling jars of homemade pasta sauce at church, so be on the lookout for that! There is also a giving link below, should the Lord so lead you to partner with me in the gospel. More than anything I would love if you would pray with me for God’s provision, and as always feel free to reach out with any prayer requests of your own. Thank you and God bless!

Be encouraged to cheerfully offer intercessory prayer, by remembering that such prayer is the sweetest God ever hears.

C.H. Spurgeon

Prayer Requests

  • Continued outpouring of the Holy Spirit and His giftings throughout the body
  • That God would move mightily in and through us in Mexico
  • That God would protect and anoint us and the faithful servants holding down the fort
  • God’s provision for myself and the rest of the interns
  • Housing for myself and a few other interns in the near future

Praise Reports

  • The Holy Spirit is stirring within the body
  • God provided cheaper airfare for the Middle East and removed COVID-19 testing requirements
  • Seventeen of us going to the Middle East
CCA Pastors and Staff Conference
Thanksgiving with the Sedillos’
Operation Christmas Child
Interns Christmas Party
Cutest Lil’ Bumblebee Luciana
First Service with BBQ Ministry

Abide in Me

Friends, family, partners in the Gospel, how time has surely flown by. As I was writing my last correspondence in Mexico, I came down with COVID-19 and had to leave early as we had less than a week remaining. It was difficult leaving the amazing fellowship of my brothers and sisters and the opportunity to debrief together, especially knowing I was facing solitude in quarantine. But Christ alone is sufficient. One word from the R family that will always remain in my heart, is considering what might be propping up our faith. What blessings might we have in our relatively affluent lives that, if taken away, would affect our relationship with Christ? The opportunity for endless fellowship for instance, with numerous events for men, women and the body as a whole. We have families living in difficult areas of the world, areas that are oppressive and ultimately do not want them there. They cannot worship or speak of Jesus freely, and fellowship with other believers is slim to none. Like David, who for years was running and hiding for his life, God alone is their sole means of comfort; and He is more than enough.

Surrendering these potential props is of immense importance, especially as we are training and praying to go into these areas, into the harvest that is ready and in need of laborers. Surrender was the theme for us in Mexico. After writing down our hopes and dreams and watching them burn in a fire, we professed surrender of them to God, to the Holy One of Israel who can do exceedingly abundantly more than we ask or think. Personally, however, this surrender was merely lip service until I asked Him for help. Like the good, good Father He is He helped me in an entirely necessary way. It certainly has not been easy, but just last week there was a turning point. I woke up early in the morning to particularly strong spiritual warfare after an unnerving dream. After momentary disorientation, I went straight to prayer. It felt like I had claws in me that would not let go, I had even envisioned a single talon. After crying out to God for help a few times, I simply uttered, “Jesus.” I instantly felt a peace wash over me. God told me He did help me, and that help is Jesus Christ.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid – John 14:27

Broken down, I apologized to God for my struggling and surrendered my will and my life like I had never done before. It brought to mind Jacob’s wrestling with the angel. For so long Jacob relied on his own strength and cunning, he had to ultimately be crippled to come to a place of dependence on God.

LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps. – Jeremiah 10:23

Amidst all of this, it has been such a blessing to hear God’s voice and feel His presence as He gently guides me through the plans He has for my life. It’s amazing to perceive Him establishing my steps as He reveals the pieces to my puzzle little by little. I have been feeling an increasing tug on my heart for the Muslim people. Hearing Jorden Skiles’ vision again, of people walking into a mosque but going into hell, really provoked me, even to the point of tears when discussing with a pastor. My heart especially breaks for the children, so helpless in their indoctrination and if orphaned, with little to no protection. God first put children on my heart when I was twenty and began working in parks and recreation, being surrounded by them regularly. And just this last Saturday I was blessed with the opportunity to serve at a trunk or treat for Voice of the Refugees. It was such a precious sight seeing their faces light up through engaging and devoting time to them. This little Egyptian girl in particular, Merola, absolutely stole my heart. I was talking with a brother, contemplating the eternal fate of children like her, and it was crushing.

Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. – Mark 10:14

I have been diligently praying through these emotions as well as prior words and visions, and am praying about an upcoming Jordan vision tour. Your support for this trip as well as my remaining School of Missions balance would be a tremendous blessing, and like Paul told the Philippian church, I am excited to see the fruit that will abound from it. Your prayers, though, are of utmost importance. We have confidence that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us, and He will make a way. As always, feel free to reach out, perhaps with prayer requests of your own!

Prayer Requests

  • Continued surrender and complete dependence on God
  • Continued revelation of His will for my life, with clarification of visions and words
  • God’s provision for basic needs and trips to seek His will
  • Further understanding of the Word to improve my teaching

Walk By Faith, Not By Sight

Hello friends and family, partners in the Gospel! Or shall I say, hola amigos y familiares, companeros en el Evangelio! We had yet another amazing week, seeing more and more people accepting Jesus into their hearts, and hearing amazing stories of faith and miracles. It’s incredibly inspiring to see how God has moved in the lives of fellow believers, serving as a reminder that God has not changed; the God who performed numerous miracles in the Bible still performs them to this day!

We started our week serving the newest Calvary Chapel church plant, La Mina, cleaning out the building and reaching out to the local neighborhoods. Myself and a few others went out in two groups to hand out COVID-19 relief bags and church invites. Our group met people who were relatively unconcerned with their impending eternal judgement, either due to ignorance or trauma from organized religion, as we saw with a man named Mando. Mando grew up in Los Angeles as a Catholic, and already struggled with religious tradition as a young man. Confusion gripped his mind as he tried to learn the beliefs and practices of his ex-wife, who was a Jehovah’s Witness. Contempt then entered after going to a church which demanded money on his first visit, a church which even sent him nearly a year’s worth of envelopes predated for weekly donations. He struggled to hear that he needed to get right with Jesus, not only because of these horrible experiences, but because years of apparent drug abuse has rendered his mind less capable of handling stressful situations.

While we spoke to these people, we also had questionnaires to gauge the needs of the community both physically and spiritually. Most said more security was needed, but it was one man’s answer that gave tremendous hope for this community. This man, Vicente, said the people of La Mina need the Gospel. Vicente is a believer, a leader even, at Principe de Paz (Prince of Peace), another Christian church here in Rosarito. While we were at La Mina for Sunday service, we saw the Gospel starting to transform lives, one life being a lady by the name of Dolores. Dolores literally means sorrow or pain, which she had plenty of, as she was considering killing herself and her quadriplegic son. She felt it would be merciful for him, and that their family would be better off, removing the burden she perceived her and her son to be; but the Lord touched her and convinced her otherwise. The enemy kept her from attending church for a month or so, but Sunday she made it and with tears of joy accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior! We pray Pastor Reuben of Calvary Chapel La Mina would continue to address this need, and fulfill his calling, to see the transforming power of Christ spread like a wildfire through this community.

Our new sister Dolores, from Capilla Calvario La Mina

Stories like that of Dolores are incredibly inspiring, and we heard plenty more this week as we heard from speakers at the church planting conference and guests speakers Cory Kilgus and Yaron Sachs. Mario Medrano, or Super Mario, shared extraordinary miracles of the old testament in his appropriately named class, Big Faith. After going over amazing acts of God performed through faithfulness, like Moses splitting the Red Sea and Shedrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego in the fire, he shared some personal miracles he has experienced through his own faithfulness. After leaving a well-paying job in California to church plant here in Mexico, Mario struggled, having as little as a single peso. One day after he had acquired fifty pesos, or about two and a half dollars, he went to the market with the intention to purchase himself some food. But he came across a man with an infant in the parking lot, and God told him to buy them some milk. The milk cost forty nine pesos, leaving him yet again with a single peso. Mario then argued with God, asking Him if he wanted him to return to the world and his well-paying job, but he woke up the next morning and promised to stay faithful. Almost immediately after, he received a phone call from a pastor friend back in California. This particular friend wrestled for two years whether or not to support him, and in that moment God put it on his heart to do so; another friend called shortly after to do the same. It really goes to show you that big faith produces big results!

For we walk by faith, not by sight - 2 Corinthians 5:7

Another incredibly inspiring and miraculous story was that of Yaron Sachs, a Jew who came to faith because of his dog. Yaron was in Lebanon while he was in the Israeli Defense Force, and some children began to yell at him and throw rocks. He scared them off with his well-trained dog, which had them beckoning for their mothers. Soon after, him and his dog were surrounded by adults prepared to stone them to death. His dog, who would never run away from him, did just so, and he walked through the angry mob like the Israelites through the Red Sea. She proceeded to zigzag through the neighborhood, waiting for her master at each and every corner. He was led to a Christian church, where a woman told him he was not going to be saved and asked if he believed in Yeshua. After protesting, claiming Jesus was only for the gentiles, the Holy Spirit had her give Yaron John 14:6. This pierced the veil of darkness that was over him, and he has been a believer, a Messianic Jew, ever since.

And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed - Deuteronomy 31:8

Thank you all so much for reading yet another update! I hope these stories were as inspiring to you as they were for me, it’s so encouraging to see that God has not changed. I pray that we would all have a biblical faith, always believing in God to do the impossible. I am excited for this week to come and what the Lord has in store as we continue to seek Him. My time here has been so edifying, I can’t believe four weeks has already passed. The Lord has been clarifying a vision for my life and I am excited to walk in the good works which He has prepared for me. As always I thank you so much for your supportive prayer, intercession and finances, work such as this would not be possible otherwise. I look forward to our continued partnership in the Gospel, and as always feel free to reach out if you would like any prayer requests of your own! May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Prayer Requests

1. That Mando would be freed from the confusing and blinding strongholds in his mind

2. That Pastor Reuben of CC La Mina would see many more souls, like Dolores, saved

3. That we would be rid of all illness and be safe during the rest of our time here

4. That we would strengthen our faithfulness and see God perform miracles in & through us

How Shall They Hear?

Hello friends, family and partners in the Gospel, it feels like I was just writing you; these weeks are just flying by! It’s true what they say, time does fly when you are having fun, and it’s been such a delight serving the Lord and sharing the love Christ with the local communities. This week we had the privilege of loving on the community in Otay Mesa and serving with Pastor Ros Solis and his church plant there. The entire week wasn’t all fun and games, however. Pastor Rob Douglass came and gave us a sobering look into the realities of the unreached people groups, those who have yet to hear the Gospel and are therefore perishing every moment. It was a slower week, but as always God moved, bringing more people into His fold and stirring our hearts for a commission far larger than ourselves.

Our new friend Salmaeli playing Jonah hopscotch

Much of our week was focused on the wonderful little community of Otay Mesa, which is located near the American border. Led by Pastor Ros Solis, it’s the smallest church plant we’ve been to yet, but the people there are big on love. Tuesday we had a special student led church service, and we went into the neighborhood a half hour prior to hand out invites, which we did for our Saturday outreach as well. The schedules for many people oriented cultures around the world are far looser, and inviting them the day of lessens the likelihood of them forgetting and expresses a greater love for them. Coming from a culture which prioritizes planning ahead, it was awesome to see God sending divine appointments in such a small window of time. One such appointment was a man named Pedro in front of a laundromat.

Branden and I were handing out invites and we were led to a busy laundromat storefront; it was a prime location as people were waiting with little to do. We were talking to one man, but it was Pedro who God had appointed to meet with us. He overheard the conversation, asked for an invite, and proceeded to join us for both the Saturday outreach and service on Sunday. After service Sunday, Pedro shared about guilt and strife within his family, at which point we prayed for and encouraged him. I see God doing a great work in and through him, as he already expressed a desire to serve at the church, only a day after accepting Christ into his heart. The way God brought him to us reminds me of how He encouraged Paul and his work in Corinth through a dream:

Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people - Acts 18:9-10
Lily, Branden and I Praying for our new brother Pedro

For the Saturday outreach, I partnered with Adam to create Jonah themed games for the children of Otay Mesa to play. Along with a sharks and minnows spinoff, we created a game of hopscotch with fish squares; if one of these squares were touched, the child would be sent back to the start, or “Nineveh.” We also looped the board around, so even if the child made it all the way through, he or she would end up back at that wicked city where God told the disobedient prophet to preach. The kids had a blast. It was awesome to be able to put a smile on their faces, and a few in particular really put a smile on mine. Salmaeli, who I met on Tuesday, melted my heart as she was climbing and loving on her dad. It was such an innocent scene, and it painted an image for me of our relationship with our heavenly Father.

Another child was a boy named Liam, who was so sweet and kind despite having a difficult upbringing. Besides sharing his food with Adam and myself, he did not want to eat without his sister Mia, who had gone upstairs momentarily; his story seems to explain the reason behind this well. Liam had shared with another team member, Vanessa, that he and Mia were abandoned by their parents, left to be taken care of by their aunt and uncle. He expressed feeling like they don’t have a family, at which point Vanessa was able to share about their heavenly Father who loves them and will always love them.

Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me - Mark 9:37
Liam and his sister Mia

The more somber moments of the week, however, were filled with eye opening and soul stirring realities for nearly half of the world. Approximately between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude, the 10/40 Window is often called “The Resistant Belt” and includes the majority of the world’s Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. Many of these countries are unreached because they are hard to reach, yet there is an enormous shortcoming of the modern day church. In biblical days, there was 1 church for every 12 unreached people groups. Now, there are 650 churches for every single unreached people group. This is happening because many churches are more concerned with seating capacity rather than sending capacity, and to raise that number comfort has to be the priority. It’s uncomfortable to talk about hell, and it’s certainly uncomfortable to talk about half the world going to hell, but this is the reality. Much of the world is in heaven going to heaven, while the rest is in hell going to hell, and cruise ship churches such as these are turning the great commission into the great omission.

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? - Romans 10:14
The 10/40 Window. Darker countries have denser unreached populations.

Once again I thank you for reading my update, you and the body are vital to the work myself and others desire to do here and elsewhere around the world. I look forward to partnering with you in the furtherance of the Gospel, because yes, how shall they hear without a preacher? Wherever the Lord leads me, I am answering the call of Jesus to fulfill this great commission, and your support helps and will always help tremendously. And thank you so much for your replies, it’s a pleasure to hear what God is doing here edifies the body back home. Feel free to reach out with any questions, concerns or prayer requests of your own!

Prayer Requests

1. That the Gospel would pierce the darkness over the unreached

2. That God would bless those who have accepted Christ thus far

3. That God would continue to pour out His Holy Spirit upon us

Two Are Better Than One

Greetings again friends, family and partners in the Gospel! Our second week here in Rosarito has just concluded, and we have been seeing God move! It’s been such a pleasure not only to serve the various communities here but also to see men, women and children accepting Christ into their hearts at each and every outreach. We have been witnessing the beginning stages of the redemption Christ brings to the lives of those He saves. Redemption from lives plagued with bondage and oppression from the enemy, the father of lies. Christ’s love will always prevail, and new believers here have been inspiring examples of how that will always be enough.

Calvary Chapel Homex park outreach

Tuesday we were blessed with the opportunity to set up an outreach at a small park near Pastor Eddie Mijares’ church Calvary Chapel Homex. We began by cleaning up trash, and almost a week later it still looks great! There was a bounce house, and as with the rest of our outreaches crafts, face painting, games, teachings and testimonies. For this outreach I gave my testimony, after which a sympathetic gentleman approached me, understanding the sin which so easily ensnares us. It was a nice reminder of how God uses our weaknesses to reach those around us; being able to sympathize with those who are struggling makes such a difference in helping with their battles. After serving up pulled pork sandwiches, and getting ready to head out, we meet Victor. Victor was yet another resident of the dump, and he had been waiting patiently so he could accept Christ. He seemed determined to leave his old life behind him, even claiming that although he did not know where he was living, it was no longer at that oppressive landfill. We didn’t see him at church Sunday, but he remains on my heart and in my prayers.

We had a wonderful time with Pastor Arie and his wife Nasiema this week, gleaning from their experience ministering in a Muslim community, and the steps they take to combat the enemy. One way they do this is physical training, which they liken to spiritual warfare; when the enemy, or in this case our flesh, wants us to give up, we keep pushing. This is especially beneficial for them since they are rather isolated where they serve, and the enemy will attempt to use this to discourage them. Arie had a great analogy regarding spiritual warfare: You can’t stop a bird from flying overhead, but you can stop it from nesting on your head. A great reminder to quickly tear down any strongholds the enemy may be attempting to establish in our minds. Interestingly enough, I had an unusual bird experience this week as I was reading Strategies of Satan. A man clearly demon possessed, having had his life ravaged by drug abuse, was lumbering down our street. I prayed for him. Then a mourning dove followed by a white dove flew over him as he was leaving my line of sight. This isn’t my first experience with doves, and I’m not sure what to make of it, but I pray that God brings restoration to his life.

Our biggest outreach prep yet, one hundred COVID-19 relief bags for Saturday’s “Beirut” outreach
“Beirut”
Allie and I teaching the little ones about Jonah

Thursday we were blessed with a couple of special guests from CCSG, one quite special to me in particular, my lovely girlfriend Maribel. It was such a blessing not only to see her after almost two weeks, but also to serve the “Beirut” community alongside her. “Beirut” is a densely populated community down the street from CC Homex, where residents have to salvage scrap materials to complete their homes. Doors of plywood, blanket covered windows, there was even a resident cutting out air holes for a new Styrofoam window. On the outskirts of the settlement there is a small playground for the numerous children, which we enclosed with a tire wall. It was awesome to see residents coming out to help, especially with the digging and transferring of dirt to weigh down the tires. It’s a beautiful thing to see a community come together for the sake of restoration.

This idea was also demonstrated at the CC Homex Sunday service. We saw three men from the dump there, Jorge and Fernando who accepted Christ on our visit two weeks ago, and Pascual who accepted Christ about a month prior. Pastor Eddie Mijares, who blessed us Friday with his redeemed ex-con testimony, will drive to the dump to bring them to church. But on the occasion he cannot, these new brothers keep one another accountable and make sure no one gets left behind before making the trek to the church. A beautiful sight to conclude the week with, one that so wonderfully exemplifies a key point from Sunday’s message:

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up – Ecclesisastes 4:9-10

Jorge and Pascual “Gallo,” residents of the dump attending service at Calvary Chapel Homex

Thank you all, the body, so much not only for reading my update but responding as well. It truly is a blessing. Please reach out to me as well with any questions, concerns or prayer requests. We are all just seeking the Lord here and I would love to be in your corner as well. Again your support is greatly appreciated, ministry such as this would not be possible without your prayer, intercession and financial assistance. I look forward to the future of our partnership in the Gospel.

Prayer Requests

1. For an overflowing of the Holy Spirit, with confirmations of callings and giftings

2. For protection from spiritual warfare against the students, staff and administration

3. That the Lord continues to work in and through us, as well as our new brethren

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Outreach with Calvary Chapel Home X, tending to an emotional resident of the dump

Hello friends and fellow partners in the Gospel! I am proud to announce we have just now finished our first week here in Mexico. It has been an amazing experience serving and seeing God moving in the communities here. Our first outreach was with Pastor Eddie from Calvary Chapel Home X to the dump. The people who live here build shacks with whatever scrap materials they can salvage. We walked up to a man and woman burning a pile of electrical cords to harvest the copper, while being bathed in the toxic smoke. This woman had actually been looking for Pastor Eddie, wishing to leave that life, a life of substance and physical abuse. That day she left the dump to get the help she needs, which is no small feat as addictions to and debts from drugs run rampant. Since then we’ve gotten news of four men from there attending church service for the first time, some of whom professed faith in Christ with us that day, prayerfully on their own road to recovery.

First visit to Calvary Chapel Rosarito for Wednesday evening service
On our way to street witnessing with the Connections House interns and our new friend Jorge

Wednesday evening we attended our first Calvary Chapel Rosarito service, led by Pastor Herman, who will be going to plant a church in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. This is quite a beautiful church, which currently has a body of approximately 1200, after eighteen years of operation and three prior locations. Thursday we had outreach with translators from church, ours was Jorge, and he was such an inspiration. This was his first time street witnessing and it came so natural to him, it reminded me of 2 Corinthians 12:9:

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

You see, like most of us, Jorge has a history of bondage and is on the road to recovery from that which once had a hold on his life. His story beautifully brings this verse to life, as his past has enabled him to sympathize with those struggling with the same bondage. Jorge had also worked as a promoter for Papas and Beer, so he has a great deal of discernment regarding how to approach people, and how to best deliver the Gospel message to them. It’s awesome how God can make our mess our message, and it’s comforting to know that the Lord is at work in our weakest moments and that He has a plan and a purpose!

Me, Tori and Maria giving children a message on the Fruits of the Spirit

Saturday we had a park outreach with Pastor Jose Luis of Calvary Chapel Vista Del Valle. It was set to be a scorcher but the Lord blessed us with clouds and even some drizzling for most of the day. There was a large turnout of children, and I had the privilege of playing sports with them, feigning death via balloon swords, and most importantly giving them a message on the Fruits of the Spirit. It was fun interacting with them and they were eager to participate, answering questions from what are your favorite fruits to how can you show love to one another. It was also inspiring to see their childlike faith when asked if they wanted to accept Christ into their lives, which was followed by each of their hands shooting up high!

Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven – Matthew 18:3

It was such a blessing to show these little ones the love of Christ, and to make new friends in the process. One that captured my heart was a sweet boy name Ulysses, who told me, “Estas bonito,” after arriving back at the church. Of course I told him he was handsome as well! These children were all so sweet. I definitely see myself helping children in the future, sharing the love of Christ with them through the Gospel and through actions.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this update, and I want to thank you again for your prayer and financial support. You, the body of Christ, are essential in helping me pursue this developing calling God has placed on my life. If you would like to partner with me financially to help fund this trip and the ones to come, there is a link below. I thank you in advance for becoming partners in the Gospel with me. May the Lord shine His face upon you!

Prayer Requests

1. That God would continue to work in and through us

2. That God would anoint the teachings from the R family

3. For an abundance of God’s spiritual and financial provision

In Him I Will Trust

Calvary Chapel Saving Grace sendoff with church pastors, elders and past School of Missions Students

Hello friends and partners! I am happy to announce that we arrived safely in Mexico as of Sunday afternoon, ahead of schedule might I add! Thank you so much for the heart warming sendoff, it was such a special moment before venturing off into the beautiful unknown that the Lord has before us. All of you are integral to what we are doing for the Kingdom through the furtherance of the Gospel. We had a wonderful welcome here at the Connections House as well, including a taquero from Tijuana; probably the best chorizo I’ve had! We are definitely spoiled here, but it is such a blessing as we are able to learn with little to no obstacles.

Our first evening we discussed the call of Jesus to Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, where He asks them to surrender their lives as fishermen, to make them fishers of men. This is the theme for School of Missions. Surrender. Surrender what we feel God is calling us to and allow Him to confirm or alter as He wills. When Jesus told the disciples that He was going to be killed, Peter said otherwise and tried to assert his will onto his Lord. Jesus then rebuked Peter, stating that he was not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men. His will be done, not ours.

Afterwards we worshiped, prayed, and shared any words and visions the Lord was putting on our hearts. You never know what word God may give you to edify a fellow brother or sister. I shared Psalm 91:2 which the Lord showed me in Spanish right before coming down here, which reads:

Yo le digo al Señor: Tú eres mi refugio, mi fortaleza, el Dios en quien confío.

I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

After sharing the verse I was approached by a volunteer, teary eyed. She had gone through a difficult time in her life and over the course of several years God comforted her through the Psalms, inspired tremendously by the steadfastness of David in the midst of various trials. By sharing that verse, especially in Spanish, God uplifted her spirit and further confirmed words that He had given her through her trials.

Gleaning from Mike and Sarah Vincent, founders of Calvary Chapel Rosarito

Monday we were taught about building partnerships in the Gospel, and raising support for the purpose of raising disciples. This teaching culminated in an amazing word from Mike and Sarah Vincent and how God called them to the field, and ultimately to establish Calvary Chapel Rosarito. It was priceless hearing about their work here in Mexico, the unique path it took to get them here, and even how the Lord brought them together as husband and wife. One invaluable idea Mike Shared was that of progressive revelation. God progressively reveals His will to us one step of faith at a time. If God so leads you to become a financial partner in the ministry that He is revealing for me here and beyond, there is a giving link at the bottom of this page.

Not that I seek the gift, but the fruit that abounds to your account – Phil. 4:17

Again you are all crucial to what we are doing for the Kingdom here and beyond. I look forward to being partners in the Gospel with you and thank you so much for your prayers and intercession.

Prayer Requests:

1. That God would continue to break our hearts for the unreached

2. That God would reveal His will for our lives

3. God’s provision for this and future trips