“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith…”

Hebrews 12:1-3

“…So You Will Not Grow Weary.”

We are currently in the middle of Cambodia’s hot season until the monsoon rains come in June. Temperatures have risen as high as 104F with usual highs around 100F with high humidity. We are blessed that this year the electricity has been pretty stable, but even the Cambodians are struggling with the heat. In addition to the heat, the spiritual climate is challenging for all the believers here and can lead to a sense of spiritual/emotional/physical weariness.

April has been a challenging month for us in various ways. Benjamin had a severe ear infection and other health problems but has recovered fully/quickly. The bathtub in our rented townhouse broke mainly because it was not designed for American people’s weight. It took three weeks to for the renovation project (jackhammering/drilling/dust) to be completed instead the expected one week because of the Cambodian New Year holidays and a leak from the neighbor’s house. We also had some stresses with our car.

“…Run With Endurance the Race…”

Despite the above stresses and frustrations, God has strengthened us to keep going and in some ways even thrive.

In April, I started volunteering part time to help teach English at True Education School about an hour outside of Phnom Penh. In my career as an English/Apologetics/Christology teacher I have spent 95% of my time teaching university/seminary/Bible school students. I only spent one year teaching K-12 ESL in northern Missouri from 1999-2000. Despite being rusty, I was able to teach them a few things including the “Head and Shoulders…” song. When they have more students, Kayo will also volunteer at the school part time.

Because of the Cambodian New Year holidays, many other ministries were paused for a while, but Kayo and I continue to volunteer at Precious Women Organization’s office in various roles from video production (Darryl), devotions/Bible studies, life skill training, and administration/board (Kayo).

We also continued to work with the international church. I lead the men’s ministry, help with the Chinese ministry, help with visitation, and speak around once a month. Kayo leads the women’s ministry, helps keep everyone organized, and helps with the worship team as needed.

“…Lay Aside Every Weight…”

As of this moment i have lost 82 pounds in the last 6 months (October 21, 2023). God has opened all the doors for me to completely change my health and lifestyle by providing the knowledge, technology, and support that I have been looking for 20 years. This process has greatly improved my spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional health. It has also really given me the strength and energy to be more active and engaged in ministry and revolutionized our family dynamics and relationships. Others are starting to reach out to me for recommendations and it is a blessing to encourage and equip them.

As I mentioned last month, I continue to be available to help encourage those with mental health challenges (and those who care for them) from my own challenges and victories in this area. I continue to monitor, encourage, and visit (from time to time) a Cambodian man and his family and help them connect with the resources they need in partnership with the international church and Light Association.

In Christ’s Love,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

Soldiers for the People of the Himalayas

We are given the assignment to share the Gospel all over the world by Jesus. There is not anywhere that is excluded. We are to share the Gospel in the easy places and in the hard places, in the Himalayan mountain range and in the flat land, in the closed areas and in the open areas, to Hindu people and to Buddhist people.

We are thankful to God that many years ago people of God came to our country with the same mind set. We have heard the Gospel and we were saved. Now God is building the same mindset in us. There are so many people in our country who haven’t heard the Gospel. One of the places where people live is in the Himalayan mountain range. A lot of people who live there have never heard the Gospel even once. God allowed us to go last month in March to the Himalayan mountains to share the Gospel. This area had hard trekking routes. Because of this, people do not want to go these places and the Gospel has not reached there. As a soldier of Christ we went there, not because we are strong, but because our God of love compels us to do so. Please pray for these Himalayan people to come to know God.

Soldiers for the People of the City

“For I have much people in this City”-Acts 18:10.

This verse remind us to do Gospel outreach in the city. We know street preachers are caught and sent to prison, but we preach in our Bible college courtyard. We ask our students as well as church believers to invite their family members, friends, and neighbors who have not received Christ as their Savior. Last week many people showed up in our courtyard to hear the Gospel. Our Bible school students did a skit, dances, and songs. We shared from God’s Word. One of the teenage girls received Christ as her personal Savior. One woman said that she will begin attending church every week. We see the harvest in city and it is ready. We pray that God pours His Spirit on us more and more. We see our students as future soldiers. They are trained for this war and believe that they will be doing the same things in their communities. We believe this verse, “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. “-Acts 26:18. Please pray for our city. There are 6 million people here, but only about 200,000 are believers. God may bring revival to this city and country.

Thank you,

Anand and Usha and Family

Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved

(Acts 2:47)

What a wonderful God we serve! It is amazing to see people coming to Christ and surrendering to Him. Christian baptism is one of two ordinances that Jesus instituted for the church. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19–20). These instructions specify the church’s responsibility to teach and make disciples, and to welcome and baptize those disciples.

Both of the new believers are from a Catholic background and were very much into idol worship. God opened the opportunity to preach the Gospel to them and to disciple them. Before one of them was saved, he was very addicted to alcohol and was also having difficult family problems. But now, having a relationship with Jesus changed everything. God really worked in his life. Now his whole family comes to church and attends Bible study. 

M* Village (Church plant)

It has been 8 months since our dear brother C* began serving in M* village. God is doing amazing work through him. He started tutoring children and teenagers (from the ages of 5-16 years), showing them the love of God and sharing Gospel with them. It really opened doors to reach out to those villagers. 

In my last newsletter, I briefly explained how God opened doors to minister in that village. I also shared about conducting a Christmas outreach program there which helped reach more people with the Gospel. In that village the teenagers and young adults are addicted to alcohol and drugs. Please pray about that. We have now started a Bible study every Sunday in a home in the village (a house church fellowship). Three families are attending the Bible study.

I want to share a praise report about the ministry in M*. There was an elderly man who always used to disturb us during our Sunday Bible study. He would threaten us and using abusive words. So we all prayed together for the elderly man to come to Christ.  All of a sudden he became sick. He suffered so much with his health problems. So the man invited us to his house and to pray for him. We then got to share with him about the love of God and preached the Gospel to him. We praise God that He made a way to reach this man. Please continue to pray for him and for the his salvation. 

Nameless Village:

Reaching Out to the Unreached

For 30 years people have been living in this village, but they have not named it. They call themselves the stone cutters. Their work is to cut stones from big rocks. They then supply stones for building construction. God has led one of our team members to that place to preach the Gospel. Almost 30 families live there. When we visited the second time, we had many conversations about their lives. This village is in the forest. Snakes and scorpions come inside their houses, and there is no water source available.

God put this village in our hearts to reach out to and share the Gospel in. Nobody knows Jesus in this village. Please pray for us as we minister in this village.  

N* Village (Church Plant) 

We are ministering in a village named N* (which is very Anti-Christian). The elders and villagers wanted there village to remain fully Hindu. There is some religious persecution going on, but the Lord is doing amazing work in that village. We started a house fellowship and two families are attending there. The Lord has also opened doors for us to meet five more families. We can see that He is working in their hearts. Now three people are ready to be baptized. Please pray that these people might grow in their faith and stand as bold witnesses even in difficult circumstances.

Thank you,

Pastor 6* and Family

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

Dear pastors, leaders, supporters and church family!

We hope you all had a good Good Friday and Resurrection Day.

My dear sisters and brothers, I thank you for your prayers and love. God is doing amazing work here through your prayers. By the grace of God, house churches are now running in many villages. Although there is a lot of persecution here, people are still giving their lives to the Lord.

A Very Good Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday

Thank God that He is increasing the number of people in our church and that they are growing deeply in the Word of God day-by-day. Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter services were very blessed for us. People of our church went to many other communities who had never heard of Jesus Christ and shared the message of Good Friday and Easter. They invited many new people from the villages to come to the church. About 100 people came and we celebrated the day of our Lord Jesus Christ’s resurrection together. Breakfast was arranged for everyone. After listening to the Gospel, everyone had breakfast and left for their homes.

Good Fellowship and Hospitality

I thank God that He is taking the people of our church deeper into His Word day-by-day. This month, by the grace of God, a believer of our church’s wedding date has been finalized. He has been coming to our church for about 15 years. He is the only Christian in his entire family. I thank God that he is getting married to a Christian girl who is about 20 years old. They have been talking to each other for about 10 years. By the grace of God, their wedding date is June 11th. It was a great thing to fellowship with them as they planned their marriage.

An Attempt to Establish Conversation with the Village Again

About 25 years ago, my parents accepted the Lord Jesus Christ. At that time, due to the name of Jesus Christ, the people in our village stopped talking to us. They stopped inviting us to any function. They also imposed a fine on anyone who talks to us of ₹ 10000. Because of that, no one has talked to us for all of these years. But God recently opened the hearts of a family that have started coming to our church. They are sending their children to our house to be tutored in school. Through them, gradually other children are also starting to come to our house. My niece, whom I have raised since childhood, teaches free school classes to these children. She also teaches them Christian action songs and Christian songs. I believe that in the coming days more children from the village will come here and learn about Jesus Christ.

Points of Thanksgiving:

• Thank God that He has kept us safe till today.
• I thank God that He is fulfilling our needs.

Prayer Requests:

• Please pray that God keeps me and my family safe.
• Please pray that our church remains firm in their faith through crises and becomes knowledgeable of God’s word.
• Please pray. There are many festivals in the coming days in which Hindu people go on processions. Pray that they will not attack any Muslims or Christians.
• Please pray that our church can buy land for a Christian graveyard. This will make it so that the people who are leaving their homes, villages, societies, and relatives to accept the Lord, can be given a respectable funeral after doing so.
• Please pray for my wife, may God keep her safe from every kind of disease.
• Please pray for my mother, her bone density is very low due to which she has to take injections daily. May God heal her and fulfill our financial needs.
• Please pray for my sister’s wedding on May 16th. May God fulfill all of our needs for this, and may there be no hindrance in the marriage.

Thank you for your prayers, supports and Christian love and partnership for the Gospel.

God bless you all!

Pastor & Mrs. 11*

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

Praise God for another semester! God has added more new students this season as well. It is always a blessing and a lot of fun to spend time with these young men, teaching and learning from the Word of God. The students are from almost all four corners of our country. 

We try to equip our students with everything we can. We teach the students basic English, worship & music, and basic computer along with teaching them God’s Word. It’s our desire to teach them all possible knowledge and skills. It fills us with great joy as we see them growing in the Lord and in other activities.

Sometimes we organize hiking with our students. It is a great time to get refreshed with them. 

Medical Camps in four different Churches

Last month, we had a short term mission group from a church in the U.S. There are many hospitals in our country now, both government hospitals and private ones. The private hospitals are too expensive for ordinary people. People have to go through a long process that takes many days to go to the government hospitals. For this reasons, it is beneficial to have short-term mission trip medical camps, especially for villages.

The government of our country has been issuing new restrictions against Gospel preaching, however, by the means of such camps we can build relationships between local churches and their neighbors and invite them to the churches. Thank God for the kind-hearted doctors and for all of the members of the entire team. All together, over 500 people were benefited by the medical camps. 

Medical Camp at the New Church in a Village Area

Over 200 people were treated. 

Prayer Stations

Along with the medical camps, there were prayer stations. This was to have an opportunity to offer prayer and the Gospel to those who came after they got their medicine which is also our goal.

Medical Camps at a Calvary Chapel in a Village Area

Almost 80 people were treated. At the end of the camp the doctor offered a medical workshop to the local volunteers.

Children’s Outreach after the Camp

We had a good opportunity to share the love of God with students from the school after the camp.

Medical Camp at the Leper Colony

A camp was held at the Lepers’ hospital. The hospital opens twice a week. However, according to the people there, the medicine from medical camps works much better than the medicine usually offered. So people are attracted to come to the camp. 

Gospel preaching and Hygiene Kit Distribution 

After the medical camp, the Gospel was preached, and hygiene kits were distributed.

Nepali & Chinese Food Cooking Exchange 

At the end of the mission trip, there was a cooking exchange between the Nepalese and Chinese teams. It was a fun, quality time to interact with each other. The students were especially happy.

Blessings!

Prakash & Muna

There are times in life when everything goes smoothly and other times when it feels like the Holy Spirit has just dragged you onto the scariest rollercoaster ride of your life.  For me, February and March was one of those rollercoaster rides here in Culiacán.  Here are some of the highs and lows.

Valentine’s Day Marriage Event

On February 3, we held our first couples’ event of the year.  We were blessed to have Pastor Hugo visiting us as the “guest” speaker and took advantage of the date to celebrate Valentine’s Day, or “The Day of Love and Friendship” as it’s called here in Mexico.  The theme was, “A Holy Covenant.”  At the end, there were very few dry eyes in the room as 40 couples renewed their vows and two couples professed faith in Christ for the first time.

The Death of a Saint

The Bible tells us that the death of the saints is something beautiful to God.  It marks the beginning of that person’s eternal life with him.  However, it often marks a very painful ending for those left behind.  On February 5, one of my best friends lost her mother.  It was a loss felt by many in our congregation, and we pulled together to love on Patty and help her through her grieving process.

Experiencia IDÓNEA #7

Just 5 days later, we held our first women’s conference of the year.  This was a huge leap of faith for us, because after Pastor Hugo and Brenda’s departure, we had completely restructured the women’s ministry, and this was our first event.  The theme was “New Beginnings: Women of Faith and Determination.”  Three days before the event, we had less than 20 women registered, but by faith, we printed material for 60.  Thank goodness for that step of faith, because nearly 60 women came, many of them first-time visitors to our church!  Several made professions of faith, several others have now become regular attendees of our church, and all were ministered to.  I was most touched watching Patty help host the event with a genuine smile on her face.  What an example of Faith and Determination!

Reaching Valle del Agua

One week later, we held our first outreach in a very poor community known as Valle del Agua.  When building the homes in this community, there was a problem with the water services, causing all construction to cease.  Almost immediately, squatters moved into the area and took up residence in the abandoned construction projects and unclaimed lots.  Now, as a result of the ministry we plan to start there, these people will be given new hope for a bright future.  Please pray for all the children who attended, and that God will move the hearts of their parents to attend as well.

Beach Bungles and Microphone Troubles

We finished February on a high note with the annual church-planting conference in Mazatlán.  On the 3-hour drive to Mazatlán, home to Calvary Chapel Maranatha and its 4 church plants, we stopped at the beach for an hour to relax, enjoy, and take some pictures.  The picture below was taken just moments before a huge wave surprised us from behind, soaking my shoes and leaving me barefoot or in borrowed shoes for the rest of the weekend. LOL!  (Thanks, Jenn!) 

The conference was amazing! I had the privilege of translating for two of our Culiacán pastors and several workshops.  In addition to the amazing worship, food, and fellowship, pastors and teachers from nearly 20 churches taught us about the necessity of church planting and its Biblical base, how to strategically reach large cities and unreached peoples, how to reach adults through children’s ministry, and the importance of faith, perseverance, discipleship, prayer, integrity, and above all, intimacy with Jesus in order to make all those things happen.   

In the midst of all my translating, however, I was reminded of my limitations.  Apparently, holding a microphone was too strenuous for my injured neck and shoulder, causing me a lot of extra pain and loss of mobility for several weeks.  Thankfully, renewed and intensified physical therapy has made a huge difference in the last two months, bringing me almost back to normal.  PRAISE THE LORD!!!

“The Best Camp Ever!”

Camping, swimming, volleyball, soccer, food, worship, teaching, devotions, teams, games, relays and rallies, the reenacted Bible stories, talent show, bonfires, bonding…  Our annual Family Camp the last week of March did not disappoint!  As a matter of fact, it was declared by many to be “the best camp ever!”  More than 300 people from 14 different churches in 4 different cities loaded up their tents and ventured out to Hacienda Lago Encantado campground to spend 4 days playing and praying, eating and competing, working and worshipping together.  Many people made professions of faith or were baptized, and many marriages and families began the process of restoration with Christ as their center.  But since a picture is worth a thousand words, I’ll leave you with these…

More Twists and Turns

We also attended or participated in women’s conferences in Calvary Culiacán East and Calvary Santa Fe, one of our newest church plants, went to a homeschooling conference at Calvary Maranatha Mazatlán, had a baptismal service in Calvary Culiacán North, started a new discipleship class for new believers, and watched a total solar eclipse!

And as always, God has been extremely faithful to me and my family. After a very rough first job experience, Ruby has a new job. She now has good pay and benefits as well as a healthy work environment. Sammy had his debut as an official children’s ministry TEACHER and celebrated his 11^th birthday.  And, after a whirlwind house-hunting experience, God provided a new home for us that meets and exceeds all of our needs!  We made the move in 4 days’ time with the help of many friends from church, and now, one month later, we are ALMOST settled in. 

In addition, I joined a Friday morning prayer group called “Mexico and Beyond.”  Spanish-speakers from all over Mexico and the U.S. pray together for all of the Calvary churches here in Mexico, all of the unreached peoples in the world, and all of the laborers that God is raising up to reach them.  We also take time to pray for each other and the needs of our particular churches.  It has been a huge blessing to me!

Coming Soon…

The rest of April and May promises to be just as busy as ever!  You can pray with us for the following events: 

• April 24 and May 15 – I will be preaching at our Wednesday night women’s ministry
• April 27 – children’s outreach with Calvary Aguaruto
• April 28 – Children’s Day service in Calvary Culiacán North
• May 2-6 – our next trip to work with the Kuáre in Nayarit
• May 11 – our next EXPERIENCIA IDONEA women’s conference (I am coordinating)
• May 11 – Mother’s Day event in Calvary Culiacán West (I will be preaching)

Final Prayer Requests

Here are some other things you can be praying for in the coming weeks:

• I lead the Wednesday night worship team, and we recently lost several guitar players and worship leaders. Pray that God raises up new people to continue this ministry.
• Pray for our Culiacán pastors and their families. Many are struggling with illness and family- and ministry-related problems.  Let’s cover them in prayer!
• Please continue praying for my neck and shoulder – that I will finally recover full mobility and be pain-free soon.
• Pray for Sammy’s school and upcoming national testing, that he will be able to stay on top of all of his work in the midst of all this month’s activities.
• Pray for Ruby’s continued success in her new job and that she would remain faithful in church-planting school and the other ministries she is involved in.
• Pray for our finances – that God would raise up new monthly supporters and help us to be good stewards of what he has given us.

And as always, if you are interested in receiving my monthly email updates and prayer requests through SGWM, click this link!

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“He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. …”

Matthew 28:6

Dear Friends and Family,

He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!

This time of year is always a great reminder of why we believe what we believe. It is the reason for counting the cost and giving all we are to sharing the Gospel with the world. There are many religions in the world but it is Christianity alone that has a risen, an alive, Savior. The resurrection of Jesus is our proof and our hope in everything God has promised us through his Word, both for this life and the kingdom to come.

As this is the foundation of our faith, we took time to celebrate each part of the resurrection story with our family at Arise Christian Fellowship.  We began with the Triumphal Entry or Palm Sunday. In Uganda, it really starts on Saturday as the street hawkers begin selling palm branches and people begin decorating with palm leaves.  Even the public transport decorate themselves for Palm Sunday. 

Keeping with tradition, at church we also handed out palm branches. It was so amazing as we celebrated Jesus’ Triumphal Entry through song and teaching  to see the church participating with the waving of the palm branches. It made me feel as if I was in the story. The choir had special music as well as singing the very familiar “Hosanna in the Highest” songs. Brian gave a message on Jesus, the Passover Lamb.  He talked about being aware of Jesus’ coming and cleansing our temples, us being the temple of the Holy Spirit.  He walked the church through the week that would lead up to the Last Supper and the first communion.  As a church we were planning to have a Good Friday supper together and he encouraged us to pray and really check our hearts as we prepared for taking communion as taught in 1 Corinthians 11:23-27.

On Good Friday we gathered as a church to remember what Christ did for us by going to the cross and dying for our sins so that we might receive salvation and eternal life if we believe. All the children stayed in the sanctuary to hear the message of the cross. As a church, we took communion and shared a meal together.  It was a beautiful time of fellowship.

On Resurrection Sunday we celebrated Jesus rising from the grave.  The children and some of the church members had special songs prepared and Brian shared about the gift we have been given as believers because of the resurrection.  The worship and message all left me in tears as I reflected both in thankfulness and repentance, knowing that Jesus loved me so much that He died for me and now through His resurrection I also have the promise of eternal life. May we remember these truths all year long. May we always share this precious gift with those we come in contact with so they can have the hope we have.

Thank you for praying for our family and for the people of Uganda.

In Him,

Brian, Jill, Luke, Laylee, and Liana

PRAYER REQUESTS

• We are so thankful  for the many ways the Lord has blessed us and for everyone who supports us and the ministry in Uganda.
• Please pray for all the people who have heard the gospel throughout this season. Pray that their hearts will be soft and that the Word is deeply planted.
• Pray for all of the  Christmas/Easter Christians who came to service this past month. Pray that they were stirred up to live everyday for Christ.
• Pray for health and safety as there has been much sickness going around as well as terrorism threats.
• Pray for Jill and the children as they continue homeschooling. Pray for patience for Jill and a desire to learn for the children.
• Pray for the Kanyike children to get called for their citizenship interview.
• Pray for Brian as he pastors and leads the ministry team at Arise Christian Fellowship.
• Please prayerfully consider becoming part of the Kanyike Family support team.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:20

Last fall, a prominent member of our community was brought to our church, Calvary Chapel Gulu, by his son, who is a faithful member of the congregation. The man, Walter, had recently had a land dispute with his neighbor and suspected that his neighbor had put some sort of curse on him because of mysterious noises which he claimed were following him and which he had not been able to identify or expel. He came to the church as a last resort to rid himself of whatever spirit may be disturbing him. Matt was able to preach the gospel to him and prayed that if the noises were a result of something spiritual, he would look to Jesus, but if not, they would go away, and the glory would belong to Jesus. That day, a monitor lizard fell from his roof into his living quarters and was chased out. The sounds stopped. The man returned to the church looking for Matt a few weeks later, only to find he was not around. Instead, our senior pastor, Fred, met with him. Walter claimed that birds were beginning to follow him. He thought that Matt had some secret spiritual power to chase away these spirits. Pastor Fred explained that it was not Matt’s own power but that real power is found in Jesus Christ. He prayed with him, and the birds left. Walter came to church for Sunday service that week and got saved. He invited the pastors to go and preach to his household. They also turned to the Lord. Glory to God!

We are happy to report that Walter is now a faithful member of the church and is walking with the Lord. He even hosts a fellowship every month in his home. We have even seen God bring significant improvement to the health of one of Walter’s children, who is epileptic. We are continually blessed to see God pour out His Spirit on the willing, and fill the homes where the doors are opened to Him. Please pray for Walter as he leads his family in the Word so that he will remain humble, sit in God’s presence, and grow in Christ. Pray for Walter’s family, that they would continue in the grace of the Lord, that they would be rooted in the truth of His Word, and that the Spirit would use them to reach their extended family and the community.

In other news, in March, we were able to travel to Kampala for adoption purposes. We are still in the official fostering period. Still, we were required to sit before the National Alternative Care Panel, which reviewed our case and interviewed our family, as well as Cynthia’s biological parents. There was stress involved in the travel and the waiting period before our turn to sit before the panel, but otherwise, it was a peaceful event. Understandably, there is often pressure and tension between the adoptive family and the biological family, if present. But we have been blessed to remove a vulnerable child from a dangerous situation, to assist in raising a child whose parents had given up hope on living, and to turn a very broken situation into a hopeful one. Over the last few years, we have been able to witness to both of her parents, and as of November last year, both have repented and turned to the Lord. We can now walk in agreement regarding the future of their daughter, our daughter, Cynthia. When we went to Kampala with them, there was no fear, tension, or feelings of belittlement on either side. We pray that as their shame is covered by the love of Christ, they can stand up and lead the rest of their family in righteousness.

And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

REVELATION 21:5A

In Christ,

Matt, Noelle, Apiyo, Emma, Madeline, Noah & Charlotte

We have arrived! We landed down in Iquitos, Peru on March 17th.  It has been a wild 3-week ride for us here serving in the Amazon basin.  We are very excited to see what the Lord has in store as He has already given us great opportunities to minister in Iquitos and on the Amazon river.

     Two days after we arrived in Iquitos, a Calvary Chapel from Colorado held a conference for over 200 pastors from the river communities.  Some of these pastors spent days on small boats to get to the conference, it was amazing.  The conference was a great encouragement for the pastors and we were able to share briefly about the “Rios de Refugio” ministry the Lord has given us for the river communities. We had over 150 pastors sign up from 40 different regions, asking us to come and teach the inductive Bible study method, identity in Christ, and teach through 1 Timothy.  Very overwhelming and we know to temper expectations, but praise God, it’s a start.

During the conference week, we went to a local store to do some shopping.  We ran into an American missionary who started sharing with us about his ministry and the 9 years he has been serving in Iquitos.  His ministry is feeding kids from the local river communities. After talking with him, we were invited to go with a group of Peruvian missionaries to Colombia and Brazil to teach the Word in some indigenous areas. It would be a 10-day trip and their pastor was sick with dengue fever, so they needed someone to teach. On the spot we committed and the next day at the end of the conference we were on our way with a group of strangers to some foreign countries to share God’s Word, exciting!

     On our way up river on an 18-hour ferry ride, we met Cam Anderson whose parents had recently finished translating the Ticuna Bible after 70 years. He shared it with us and we were able to share with the pastors we ministered to in the river communities. It was a great blessing because the pastors only had the complete New Testament. Talk about God’s providence. We also met a tourist from France who was atheist and Ryan was able to share the gospel with him. Praise God for opportunities to share the love of Christ! 

     Our first stop was in Brazil where we took a small boat, a “peke peke”, about an hour down a small tributary to a village that was called “Tierra de Paz.” It was a small village of indigenous people who are called the Ticunas. They have their own tribal language but some spoke Portuguese as well. After spending 2 days in that area, we went to another place called Philadelphia, this was another small town of Ticunas as well. We had a conference, were able to teach on multiple occasions, and did some programs for the kids. It was probably the toughest 10 days of our lives, everything in the jungle wants to eat you.  

We returned to Iquitos and have made many great contacts. Pastor Manaces and Pastor Julio have been a great blessing. We are currently scheduled to start the inductive Bible study training with 2 separate groups of 15 pastors and leaders. We are starting on May 5th and are hoping by then we will have more pastors scheduled as well. We are going to be teaching at a couple churches this week and sharing on a local radio station. I don’t know how the Lord does it, but He does. We have started a website called “Rios de Refugio” (“Rivers of Refuge”).  You can check out some of the pictures and stories we will be posting in the future. It is new, so there is not much there yet, but it will be a place you can stay updated throughout the month. 

Please pray for:

1. Future purchase of property. We would like to purchase a small piece of ground to start a base for a school of ministry and for missionaries who would come down to minister.
2. A vehicle for ministry.  A ministry truck will probably be in our future, as well as a boat.
3. Missionaries who would like to come down and help in the labor.
4. For the Lord to magnify himself through the ministry and teaching of His Word.

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Ryan and Karen Gause

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience…”

1 Peter 3:15-16a

Imagine you had invited a Muslim man to join your group going to a site in the Middle East and he excitedly agreed. So, along the drive you all got to talking and he quickly learned you were Christians and proceeded to say, “So, tell me about Jesus.” What would you do?… What would you say?… Well, this actually happened to my friends and me! The Lord gave us an incredible opportunity to share our faith with him. (More of this story can be found below!)

Hello family and friends,

I have been back in America for about two weeks now and let me tell you, I definitely hit the ground running! Before I share what I am doing in this season and what’s to come in the future, let’s take a journey back through the past couple months the Lord has blessed me with. First of all, I want to say a huge thank you to you for supporting, partnering, loving, praying, and encouraging me through the entirety of the 5-month vision tour I just completed. I left back at the end of October and I cannot believe how fast the time went. God has been so gracious to allow me to see so many different cultures, people groups, divine encounters, and even His hand at work through the hardships faced in these places. I want you to know that all of this is “fruit that abounds to your account” (Philippians 4:17) as we are all partners in the Gospel reaching towards the same goal. It is beautiful to see how the Lord has given each of us different gifts and paths to fulfill His will for this world.

Indonesia

Back in February, I went to Indonesia for a week with a team as we scouted out the land and possibility of starting a new work in this country. We spent time in East Java and Bali with ministries we have connections with. It was surreal to witness the many temples throughout Bali as its majority religion is Hinduism, while the rest of the country is mainly Muslim. This island specifically is saturated with idolatrous worship. There was an evident spiritual heaviness over this place due to the darkness and lost people. It truly broke my heart, BUT GOD!… I’m so thankful to have been there with an amazing team and to have seen the ministry going on in a country desperate for the hope and freedom found in Jesus. My friends and I have been praying for the country of Indonesia and the needs there for over a year now. I never imagined that within a year He would have opened the door for me to go on a vision tour. All glory to Him! Please keep this country in your prayers, as well as what the Lord desires to do there with Calvary Chapel!

The Philippines

After Indonesia, some of us went on to the Philippines to visit the Calvary Bible Institute as Pastor Trent taught on “The Purpose of the Church.” Pastors and leaders from around the country were also able to attend this conference and it was so exciting to see the fire being lit in these people to go out and reach the world for Christ. This country no doubt has spiritual needs, although it is much more Christianized than it’s surrounding countries within the 10/40 Window. The majority of the people there consider themselves to be Catholic, so the need for religiosity to be broken down is prevalent in light of the personal, loving relationship Jesus Christ offers. It is also known as an open country in terms of the allowance of missionary activity and the fact that the Gospel has spread throughout this place is a huge blessing. This means that the Philippines is in a strategic location to go out and reach the most unreached people in Asia! I believe the Lord has big things planned for His Filipino church and people in this regard. Please pray with me that they would continue to catch vision in training up and sending out their laborers into the field!

The Middle East

The last country I visited on my trip is in an undisclosed location within the Middle East. It was definitely a sobering way to end this season of my time overseas. Aside from the spiritual oppression and heart wrenching reality of the millions of people chained to Islam and false worship of Allah, I was so thankful for the chance to visit my friends who just moved to this place. They recently moved in hopes of starting a new work, as the Lord leads, and are currently in the process of learning Arabic. It was really sweet to spend time with them, encourage them, and learn from their experiences.

So, back to the story I started above! I never would have imagined this opportunity to share our faith would arise in a context like this. This man, let’s call him Sam, was so open to discussing the truths of Jesus and things pertaining to Christianity. During our time with him we were able to share the entire story of Jesus’ life, the Gospel, as well as answered prayers and miracles we’ve seen in our lives. He told us that he has never met Christians that actually know what they believe and are excited to talk about it, let alone, young people… wow! We had him read the beginning of Genesis and the beginning of Matthew in Arabic. He was surprised by how clear it was and said he actually understood the things we shared with him. He mentioned that he has a lot to think about and consider now, but praise God that the seeds were planted. One of the coolest parts was that he noticed we would pray for our food before eating and asked us why. We were able to explain the significance and told him that we love praying together. He asked if we could all pray together before we departed. This very well may have been the first time he has prayed an unrehearsed prayer in his life. What a blessing to be a part of and see some walls start to come down in his heart. Please keep Sam in your prayers that the Lord would bring more serious Jesus followers into his life and lead him to salvation.

What’s To Come…

It has been so sweet coming back to California and seeing family and friends. I have felt such a warm welcome and that is a big blessing in my life. I am excited for what’s to come in the future as God has been so faithful to open and close doors, leading and guiding me in His perfect will. There is still so much to share in terms of my immediate future and next steps, but that is for a later update. Please pray that the Lord would continue to put all the pieces together and work out every detail of the vision and desires He has placed in my heart. Praise God for His constant faithfulness over the course of the 5 months I was overseas. Praise Him for what He is doing globally and how He is using His children to reach even the hardest and “least of these.”

Thank you for taking the time to read this update and for joining in on the work that God has called me to! It is such a beautiful gift to realize that the Lord doesn’t need our help in fulfilling His plans, but because of His love, He wants us to take part in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth! I would greatly appreciate your continued partnership with me in prayer as the Lord is leading me to long-term, cross-cultural ministry, as well as through financial support, if you feel led to give. Any amount of a one-time or monthly donation is an absolute blessing as I prepare to be sent out long-term on the field.

It means so much to me. God bless and thank you all!

For His glory,

Macey