Where Jesus’ Name Has Never Been Spoken – Pastor 11 Update December 2024

Posted on December 11, 2024December 11, 2024 by Administrator

Dear Pastors, Leaders, and Supporters,

The passion of my heart is to reach the places where the name of Jesus has not reached.

We did a 5-day outreach by motorbike in two different states to 5 new villages that are about 400 km (250 miles) from my home.

As we know, this is the end times. Billions of people are leaving the earth without hearing the Good News. I thank God that He gave me the opportunity to go to such an area where no one has heard the name of Jesus Christ before. It is far from my home.

I began praying for a this village area about 3 months ago. Because of the floods, I could not go right away. As soon as the floods subsided, I planned to go there and spread the Good News in two villages.

As soon as I reached there and saw the love of the people and their hospitality and hunger and thirst for God’s Word, I decided to stay for 3 more days. I showed the Jesus film to them. I also read the Word of Jesus Christ to them, distributed New Testaments and 4 page Gospel tracts, and gave chocolates to the children.

While I was on the trip, I entered another state where I met tribal people. I talked to them and told them about Jesus Christ. They invited us to come and show the film of Jesus Christ on our screen. After talking to them, I felt that they were very hungry and thirsty to hear the Word of God. All of the men, women and children were roaming around only half-clothed. I did not take their photo because they might have gotten angry, since it was the first time I went.

On the way back, I had to ride my motorbike for about 400 kilometers (250 miles), which should usually take about 12 hours. A boy from my church came back with me on my bike. I drove the bike for 6-7 hours, then I let him drive the bike for a while. He drove the bike into a drain, and I got a slight injury on my right hand. By the grace of God, the swelling is going down now. The pain has also gone away.

May God bless you all!

Pastor & Mrs. 11*

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

A Gift of God – Solorzano Update December 2024

Posted on December 10, 2024December 10, 2024 by Administrator

In my last letter, I shared how God has placed eternity in our hearts; the longing for something more, an eternal hope. To be reconciled back to God is what we truly long for, but this is a gift of God, for we have been saved by grace and grace alone.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9

Love of Christ

During my last couple of weeks in Japan, I experienced this very thing and was blessed with several opportunities to share my testimony. On one occasion, a Japanese friend from the church invited me over to her bible study and asked that I share my story with her group of unbelieving friends. She has been wanting to share the love of Christ with her friends, and because of this she started this group once a month where they read through the Bible and share stories. What an amazing opportunity to share about God’s redemptive love!

While sharing, I instantly could see it in her eyes that God was running after her and I shared how it was the same for me. There was absolutely nothing I did in my own strength or power, definitely not my own abilities, that allowed me to draw closer to God. It is He who does all the work! It was almost like a lightbulb clicked in her mind as well. After praying for her, she was in tears knowing that Jesus was running after her. Please keep her in your prayers, along with her two kids. I pray that she continues to experience the love of Christ– a love that is patient, unfailing, and a love that runs after us.

Seeking Truth

I also had the blessing to share my testimony during one of the Women’s bible studies at Abide. Leading up to my time of sharing, I began to feel unsure how the women would respond and started to feel shame and guilt from my past. The Japanese are a shame and honor culture, and I didn’t want them to see me in a different light. In prayer I realized this fear was from the enemy, but God allowed it in order for me to get a glimpse into their burden of belief.

Doing anything that is outside of the “norm,” outside of the “order” of society, is thought to bring shame and dishonor to not only the person, but their family and society as a whole. And yet there I was, exposing all my wrongs, all my sins, all of my life. Towards the end I could see one woman with tears coming down her face, in awe of what God had done. After sharing, I encountered another woman who had been coming to the study for a couple of years and was seeking truth similar to my own journey, but has yet to accept Jesus into her heart. I pray that her eyes are opened to the truth, may she also know that God is drawing her close.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

Divine Appointment

Leaving my new friends and family at Abide Osaka, wasn’t a goodbye, it was a ‘see you soon.’ My time back in California has been such a blessing as I have been able to see my friends and my family after a couple of months away. Just this past week, I had a divine appointment with three of my family members.

It was unplanned, unexpected, but I knew that God had me there for a reason. One evening, my cousin began to ask me questions about my faith in Jesus. He mentioned he was agnostic but was trying to understand and seek why we put our faith in God. We talked for more than three hours! It was during this time that I found out his dad (my uncle) also does not believe in God. This always breaks my heart to know that people, especially family members, are living without the blessing of knowing Christ, but I know they will continue to seek and find the truth in the same way I did. God is long-suffering, faithful, and so so kind to us. Please keep them in prayer, may they also accept by faith the best gift of salvation!

“With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”
Mark 10:27

Praise Reports!

My time in Japan was a blessing and I’m excited and looking forward to going back, Lord willing.
I made it back home safely and am thankful to be spending time with friends and family during this Christmas season.
I’m eternally grateful for the family at South OC, for housing me, and for their love and care for me. I praise God for them.

Prayer Requests:

Please continue to join me in prayer for my visa approval- Lord willing, I will have my visa in hand by the end of this year and my prayer is to be back in Osaka by January 6th, in order to start language school at the YMCA.
Please join me in prayer for guidance on housing for my time in Osaka- whether it’s a share house, or my own place close to where the team is.
Please continue to join me in prayer for the Japanese- may their hearts be open to hearing the gospel, may we continue to sow seeds in prayer and for more laborers.

Thank you family so much for your love and support. If you are reading this and you have questions about God, please feel free to reach out I would love to chat with you! God sees you, God loves you, and He too wants to give you the greatest gift ever! <3

-Mayra Alejandra

Fall 2024 SGWM Newsletter

Posted on December 6, 2024December 6, 2024 by Administrator

“I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.”
John 12:46

Saving Grace World Missions missionaries are serving in the darkest places of the world. The more workers we send into His harvest field, the more we are made aware of the stronghold the enemy has in these areas. He has shackled these people into hopelessness and darkness. But we have learned that His light shines the brightest in the darkest of places. He is at work and calling many out of darkness into His marvelous light. We are grateful for the many who have counted the cost and gone to where Jesus’ name has never been heard! Please continue to pray for our precious sent ones who are fulfilling the Great Commission by taking the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Missionary Care

Our Dream Come True

We at SGWM have for years envisioned a time where we could gather all our workers in one place. We dreamed of the day we could come from every corner of the earth to a place in the region where we could find refreshment and connection. And that day finally came. In September, 50 workers from America and around the world, gathered together in Thailand for the Calvary Chapel Asia Missions Conference. Watching each group arrive and be received with excitement and love was a sight to behold. We only wish we could have taken all of you with us. The faces shone with smiles and hearts were filled with the comfort of knowing they were with family who loved them and prayed for them. People who were just faces on a refrigerator or a name on a prayer list are now living, breathing personalities. It was a sweet time of fellowship and teaching. We joined with the regional conference for the first few days and heard from missionaries from all over the region. After that, SGWM workers remained at the conference center for 4 days of teaching and connection with just our SGWM family. We heard from many missionaries and were able to pray over each team from every country represented. Please keep all our workers in prayer as they have now settled back in their regions and are gearing up for a busy holiday season of Christmas outreaches.

Women at the conference gathered for a time of sharing and encouragement.

Calvary School of Missions 2025

Please pray for us as we seek God’s heart for CSOM 2025. We are already assembling a team of seasoned missionaries and pastors to be a part of training this next group of students. Please also pray that God would continue to show us ways to let the Calvary Chapel churches know what we are doing at SGWM and we’d find more and more churches who desire to partner with us to send missionaries to share Jesus with the world.

Some of our past Graduates enjoying a day out in Thailand.

Missionary Care and Visions Tours in the Middle East

Pastor Trent and his wife Debbie were blessed with the opportunity to lead a team to the Middle East as they pray about if this is the region God would have them serve long term. Part of their time there was spent with the team on the ground. They were able to visit them in their homes, connect with each family, and encourage the team. This is a season of foundation building which includes language and culture learning. Every team member is doing well and enjoying the learning process.

One of our CSOM graduates praying over the Country that he feels called to in the Middle East.

National Missionaries

October afforded us with the opportunity to send a team of pastors and support people to travel to South Asia in order to bring encouragement to some of our national workers. The report we received when they arrived home was mind blowing. God is providing for our workers as they seek to reach the most unreached peoples of the world. God, by the power of His Spirit, is giving our workers strength and boldness to go out and share in hostile environments. We are seeing many saved and make public proclamations of faith through baptism. Please continue to pray for our national workers as they boldly preach the gospel.

Pastor Gary and Jim were having more fun than the kids. Pray for these kids as our workers seek to reach this village with the gospel.

Thank you for partnering with us as we seek to fulfill the Great Commission by raising up and sending out!

Summer 2024 SGWM Newsletter

Posted on December 6, 2024December 6, 2024 by Administrator

“As the Father has sent Me, I also send you”
John 20:21

God is moving all over the world, and He has given us at Saving Grace World Missions a front row seat to see His work accomplished amongst the nations! Thank you for your partnership and prayers as we together seek to fulfill Jesus’ final words, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”

Missionary Care

Whether they are from Calvary Chapel Saving Grace, or a sister church, whether they are American, Mexican, or Asian, all our missionaries need love and care. We at SGWM know that these precious brothers and sisters have left all to GO and follow the call to see the nations won for Christ, therefore we make it our aim to be available to them and find ways to minister to them. We often remind ourselves and our staff that these workers have left what is familiar and comfortable, to what is foreign and sometimes extremely challenging. So we just want to make sure that they know they are not forgotten and that we are here for them. Please continue to pray for all those who have been sent, that they would feel encouraged and receive the care they need so they can be effective where Christ has called them to be.

Bryan and Jill Kanyike were overjoyed as they shared about their ministry in Uganda, Africa at an all church luncheon.

Trent teaching our national workers. These brothers and sisters are so encouraged when we come and provide more training with them.

Calvary School of Missions 2024

We just completed our 6th year of the Calvary School of Missions and God has radically met the students and is transforming hearts and minds. Each student came to Mexico for this six-week training program to learn and grow in their calling to fulfill the Great Commission in their life. Every class and every outreach are strategically designed to help these students learn what it means to be a long term, cross cultural missionary. This training is exposing these students to the great needs of the nations, both physically and spiritually. They get to see first hand how true biblical missions is church planting. We are called to GO and make disciples of all nations, and God has set up His church to do that very thing, and the gates of hades will not prevail against His church!

Some people have asked…why all the training?

Saving Grace World Missions has been involved for over 25 years in missions. We primarily focus on long-term cross cultural church planting within the 10/40 window. This area of the world is the most unreached area of the world, and it is unreached for a reason, it is difficult to reach. In this context, the need for deeper training and longer preparation has proven to be the difference between long- term success or short-term failure. Also, having been in close contact with a plethora of missionaries from different countries, different churches and different organizations, we have seen first hand the terrible effect that untrained missionaries have had on those they have been sent to help. Not to mention the many who have gone out untrained and have returned from the field burnt out, discouraged, and disillusioned. Many times those coming home from the field because of infighting, cross-cultural stress, or spiritual warfare, come home and crash and burn. We’ve seen divorces, families separating, depression and even some have left the faith altogether. Time and time again we have seen that good training in cross cultural ministry, navigating spiritual warfare, as well as healthy team building and team dynamics, has insured the success of those that are sent out to live long-term overseas. That’s why our Calvary School of Missions, as well as our Missions Training School is so encouraged for anyone planning on going to the field full time. This year we have had 12 students from CSOM show interest in continuing their training through our MTS program. Please pray for each of these students as they seek the Lord on what He has for their next steps.

Church Planting in the Jungles of Peru

Andrew Weakland

We love to see God leading His people and putting them right where He wants them. In 2019, Andrew traveled to Peru to do a short term trip. He ended up staying in country and serving under Pastor Cory Kilgus at Calvary Trujillo. Last year he was sent out to plant a church in the jungle area of Peru called Moyobamba. God is moving and people are being saved and baptized. Please pray for Pastor Andrew that God would raise up leaders to assist him in the work and that God would be glorified.

Pastor Andrew baptizing new believers in his church with the help of his sending pastor, Cory Kilgus.

National Missionaries

Did you know that SGWM has over 35 national full-time church planters and 3 Calvary Bible Institutes in South Asia? These men and women live under extreme cultural pressure and persecution is quite normal in these areas of the world. Yet these faithful Pastors and their wives work hard to make the name of Jesus known. Many of them are involved with outreach weekly, sharing the gospel at the risk of their own lives. They are passionate about the word of God and seek to find ways to equip their people in God’s truth. One of those ways is through the CBI. There have been well over 100 graduates from our CBI’s and many of those graduates are church planting and seeing a harvest of souls. Please pray with us for these brothers and sisters, for boldness to proclaim the word of God and wisdom on how to most effectively do that.

One of our national workweek meeting in his house church studying the word of God.

Thank you for partnering with us as we seek to fulfill the Great Commission by raising up and sending out!

Spring 2024 SGWM Newsletter

Posted on December 6, 2024December 6, 2024 by Administrator

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations”
Matthew 28:18-19a

The Harvest is Plentiful

Did you know that today there are 3.2 billion people who are still waiting to hear the name of Jesus for the first time? Out of the 17,000 ethnolinguistic groups in the world, there are 7000 who have yet to hear the gospel shared with them. The harvest is plentiful, there’s lots of work to be done, but there are few who will obey the call to “Go!” We here at Saving Grace World Missions feel a calling to train, mobilize, and send people who have a burden to reach the lost and feel called to full-time missions work. Over the years we have come across many who felt a calling at one time in their life, but had no clear path to fulfill that calling, so that vision faded away. We know there are many called out ones, right here in the Calvary Chapel movement, who just need a clear path and people who will come alongside them and help them fulfill their calling as missionaries. This is why we at Saving Grace continue to reach out to our Calvary Chapel community of churches, letting them know about our Calvary School of Missions summer program in Rosarito, Baja California, as well as our year-long Missions Training School in Yorba Linda, California. We are here to come alongside churches and individuals who have a passion to go but may need assistance to fulfill that call. Please continue to pray for our missions equipping programs as we seek to raise up the next generation of world changers.

Missions Training School at Calvary Chapel Saving Grace, learning the Word and hearing from missionaries

The Roots in Japan

In January, Jeff and Alishia Root packed their bags and headed to Osaka, Japan to live as long-term missionaries. Because they were able to join an existing Calvary Chapel work in Osaka, they were blessed to have instant fellowship and a community of like-minded Jesus-followers. But although they are able to come in and have plenty of people to be with and plenty of ministry to do, their first priority is learning language and culture. So we checked in with them to see how their transition has been so far and our conversation was eye-opening for sure.

Question: We’d love to hear more about your transition to Japan. Is there one thing that you can say has been the most surprising for you guys?

Alishia- The way that the Lord has been so gracious to us in revealing His love towards us, beyond what was expected or what I thought I needed.

Jeff- The level of understanding of the Word and the maturity of the Japanese Christians has really been a pleasant surprise. And the level of teachings being taught at the church are very similar to America.

Question: What do you miss most about America?

Alishia- Intimate relationships with other believers who speak the same language.

Jeff- I miss the convenience of everything being in our own language, like packaging and transportation.

Question: What has been the most challenging thing you have faced so far?

Alishia- Death of a dear friend in the church. And the grieving being difficult because of trying to minister to the people in their grief, as well as processing my own.

Jeff- Dealing with immigration and getting our visas sorted out.

Question: How has language learning been going? What has been the most challenging about language learning?

Alishia- It’s been fun to learn words and repeat them. And that’s been surprising.

Jeff -Slow and frustrating, like trying to eat an elephant in one bite.

Question: What are you looking forward to most on your return to Japan?

Jeff- I’m looking forward to getting past settling in and moving on to learning language, culture, ministry, and relationships.

Alishia- Growing in relationship with the ministry leaders. And getting back to the young adults group and pouring into some of the younger women in that group. Also seeing and experiencing the transition of going from a single language to bi-lingual.

Please pray for the Roots as they settle back into their lives in Japan and seek to make disciples and be a blessing to the local church!

First church young adults group hosted by Jeff and Alishia in their new home

Pastors Faithful in Persecution

Persecution in South Asia is on the rise due to a government that pushes its anti-Christian agenda and seeks to wipe out the Church by severe restrictions and pro-Hindu propaganda. The escalation of persecution is demonstrated in this recent article published at efe.com. At least 147 incidents* of violence against Christians occurred in 2014, 177 incidents in 2015, 208 in 2016, 240 in 2017, 292 in 2018, 328 in 2019, 279 in 2020, 505 in 2021, 599 in 2022, and 687 in 2023. Here we can clearly see that being a Christian in this region of the world has become more and more difficult. But even in the midst of this cultural pressure, our workers in this region are fearlessly following God’s calling to go and make disciples, even at the risk of their own lives. We are grateful for each church planter who continues the work of the ministry and we rejoice with them that many are still being saved and baptized, and churches are still being established. Please pray for these beloved brothers and sisters as they seek to continue to be bold for Jesus, and walk in wisdom towards those who are threatening their churches.

*incidents can refer to entire churches being attacked

Burned out churches are now a normal occurrence

Our State-Side Staff Highlight

Gary Barrow

Gary has been a missionary with SGWM for many years but recently he has joined our team and is living state-side. He has been overseeing Zoom class teachers for our CBIs in South Asia as well as doing missionary care. He recently was able to do a 3-month trip to South Asia where he was blessed to visit several of our workers there and encourage them in their church planting ministries. He is a huge asset to our team and we are so happy to have him!

The Great Blessing of Furlough

One of the most important things for our missionaries’ spiritual health and connection to the Body of Christ is furlough. It is imperative that they are able to come home, visit family, friends, and the church, get some rest, and be ministered to both spiritually and emotionally. Missionaries take a furlough usually once a year or every 2 years. When they come home, we at SGWM make it our aim to give them whatever they may need for their stay here. Because they have sold all they have and moved overseas, they don’t have the things they need when coming home. So we seek to provide housing, a car, a place to share their updates, and a meeting with one or two of our team members for a debrief. These things make their arrival back state side much more smooth and takes away hurdles that could hinder them from having an effective, fruitful, and restful furlough. We believe that because our missionaries have given up so much to move overseas, we want to put out the red carpet for them upon their arrival. Over these next 2 months, we will have 14 of our missionaries home on furlough. Please pray they can get all the rest and love they need to go back and be effective, healthy church planters as they seek to fulfill the Great Commission. Here are some of the families who will be here in the next couple of months.

The Kanyike Family serving in Kampala, Uganda

Thank you for partnering with us as we seek to fulfill the Great Commission by raising up and sending out!

Rivera Family Update October & November 2024

Posted on December 4, 2024December 4, 2024 by Administrator

Our Family

It’s been a lot of crazy days, weeks, months, and years for us as a family and individually. There is always something happening, always new adventures, and God is in each one of them.

Azaff has a high pain tolerance so every time he lets us know something is not okay, we act right away. He continues with the treatment for seizures. On November 5th, Azaff had a surgery for appendicitis stage 2. It was an intense time of waiting for results to know what was happening.

We went to a private hospital for the MRI, tests, and labs Azaff needed. When we received the results, we moved from there to a public General Hospital in Ensenada where they performed the surgery. He spent a few days there because when they did the surgery, it was already stage 3, so it was perforated and purulent. I’m so grateful for this hospital, we only had to pay for the tests and meds that the hospital didn’t have, and the doctors and nurses where so incredible good and attentive to us. When Azaff was home, I went back to thank them, especially the nurse and pediatrician; they were so grateful.

A doctor ordered an MRI for my lower back since February. In July, I finally did the MRI and found out that 3 vertebras are almost with hernias. I’m on pain medication and trying to keep losing weight to relieve pain.

My sister Conchita keeps dealing with menopause and is having so many issues because of it. She’ll be 50 years old next month, and I have learned so much from her. Despite everything she is going through she loves to help with cleaning and giving foot massages to us and the staff at the Mission.

God provides, He is present in every adventure as a family, and we will continue serving Him with our hearts no matter what.

My husband keeps working hard with the locksmith and with the Mission responsibilities to keep providing for Azaff’s medication and treatment, and every need for all of us.

Abdiel and Azaff keep doing homeschool every day.

Our Ministry!!

For two weeks, we have a school of discipleship from Brookings, Oregon, along with the Belt family. It is always a blessing to have old friends and family at home.

Alonso (from the Bastidas, one of the families serving here) was working on the retaining wall behind our house at the Mission. This is the same wall that was ruined 7 years ago because of the rain a few days before Christmas when our house got flooded in. Well, the retaining wall is finished!! We are so grateful for Alonso, Belo, and every person who worked on it and the people who donated to make it possible. God is so good and faithful, I can see Him in everything.

A ministry comes monthly to donate beans, rice, oatmeal, eggs, etc. to support the orphanage. This always bless my heart so much. I thank God for the beautiful ministry of MCCA.

The wheelchairs, clothing, food, etc. that we have extra of or don’t need at the moment, we donate to people who contact us asking for help or to the people at the “ejido” we know are in need.

A group from Edgewater was here and they cooked every day the week of Thanksgiving and some of them helped with the construction on the Ahumada house.

Kaylee is visiting home! She was here for Thanksgiving week, and it is always a joy to have her home. She is a sister-daughter, and she always brings so much joy and fun the days she is here.

We didn’t have the School of Discipleship the church wanted to do for 3 months, but even 2 ladies who planned to be part of that came to the Mission anyway and served here the time they were supposed to be here for the school. Elaina from Ohio and Lisa from Oregon; it was a beautiful blessing for us all to have them here.

It was a blessing to have Gedeon, Cora, and baby Phoebe Delgado at the Mission for a few months. We said goodbye to them recently. They helped do the Mission’s daily tasks with joy, I miss them already.

We celebrated…

Luci’s 25th birthday on October 10th, she wanted to look like Minnie Mouse.

Magali’s 25th birthday on November 15th.

Lupe’s 55th birthday on November 25, she wanted to look like a princess frog.

How to pray:

God’s peace in our hearts no matter what
Health
Ministry and family
Strength for all our amazing staff
Safe travels for everyone visiting home
Wisdom in everything

Thank you for reading our update and for every prayer in our favor.

With so much love,

The Rivera Family

Miguel, Zurisadai, Azaff, Abdiel and Conchita.

Vincent Family December 2024 Missions Update

Posted on December 4, 2024December 4, 2024 by Administrator

Greetings from Mexico,

We hope that you and yours had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving! As we approach the end of another year, this is a wonderful time to reflect back on God’s faithfulness and blessing. In this final update of 2024, I want to give thanks with you and for you as God allowed us to partner together to do some great things here on the mission field of Mexico this year!

#1- We witnessed over 500 first-time professions of faith and over 200 baptisms this past year during our main church services.

#4- We were able to plant three new churches in 2024! *(Calvary AguaCaliente in Tijuana, Calvary Lone Star in Texas, and Calvary Del Lago in Patzcuaro Michoacan!)*

#5 – Our son Daniel got his first full-time job working at Chick-fil-A in Chula Vista and is living in San Diego Monday to Friday!

#6 – I preached sermons in Spanish at 11 of our church plants this year!

#8 – I took 12 missions trips visiting and encouraging our church plants! (On those trips we hosted 8 church planting conferences).

#9 – We hosted nearly 700 guests at our international church planting conference in August!

#10 – Our church was able to once again bless the least of these in our community, as we gave out more then 500 free large family size food bags to those in need during the continual economic difficulties in our area.

We want to thank you for partnering with our family this past year. 2024 was once again one of our most difficult and challenging years ever, as it was for so many of you. Yet in the middle of the difficulties, God was faithful and He blessed our labors together. We look forward to partnering together in 2025 and asking God to do even greater things! May God bless you with a Jesus-filled Christmas and a very happy New Year!

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

Mike, Sarah, Grace, and Daniel

For our personal support, checks should be made out to Saving Grace World Missions with “Vincent support” in the memo section. For special projects, checks should also be made out to Saving Grace World Missions or SGWM, with the project name in the comments section. Use the enclosed envelope or mail directly to Saving Grace World Missions, 17451 Bastanchury Rd., Suite 203, Yorba Linda, CA 92886-1873

What is this Feeling? – Rangel Update November 2024

Posted on December 3, 2024December 3, 2024 by Administrator

This is a question that I’ve asked myself multiple times while being in the Middle East. I had so many emotions, thoughts, and adjustments that made me feel weak, stuck, and left with no joy. Amidst the challenges I faced, I felt like the Lord wasn’t with me. I knew He was, but I didn’t feel it. I wanted to run away to the place that I know, which is home. Where I was comfortable. But the Lord was my help in this time of sadness. This newsletter is off to a good start haha! Nevertheless, God showed me things I’ve overlooked in the past. I needed to go through the thick of it, to know my Father better.

Before I talk more about my time there… hi! I am blessed to know you all. The messages and encouragement I’ve received from you while I’ve been on the field has made me feel so loved. It’s crazy how long I’ve been away. I’m grateful to the Lord for putting people in my life who love and care for me in this way. Truly, it has helped me through my highs and lows. I am praying for you all and hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family!

While it took me some time, eventually I realized that the joy of the Lord is my strength. When I am weak, He is strong. I have the joy of His salvation. He has given me my personality and gifts for a reason. He had been sanctifying me and working on me prior to that moment. He showed me that He had set me apart and called me to be a light in the midst of darkness. That means that even in the Middle East, I was to be the same light in the midst of a very dark land.

Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10

My days consisted of language school, walking around the city, and spending time with the team and learning from them. I got to see what it’s like to live in the Middle East and see how the team shares the love of our Savior in another cultural context. My friends and I took language class together and had such a good teacher! We had many spiritual conversations with her and built a good relationship.

One night as I was praying, I asked the Lord to show me why I was there specifically in the ME. The next day He answered. This is when we had our first spiritual conversation with our teacher. She is very dedicated to her religion but she says she has read the Bible before, so she knows some stuff. We talked about the Holy Spirit and how Jesus left His Holy Spirit when He ascended to heaven. She also shared some things about her religion. It was good conversation. One thing she said, stuck with me. She shared how she thinks it’s good that we share with her because she likes to learn about what we believe. She said most of her friends are believers and they’re really good people. So, when people have their opinions about Christians, she is able to defend them. Many people think Christians to be liars. They say they love God but they still drink and party and live a worldly lifestyle. I wouldn’t blame them. They only see those who confess Christianity, but are not actually followers of our Lord. Our teacher said, “it’s good that you are here so that they know that you are really good people and that the bad stuff isn’t true.” It’s important that people see the love of Christ in us. In order for them to see this, we must BE there!

On to the Next

Now, I am in South Asia. I have been here for a month now. As soon as I got here, I was going through a stomach virus, which took about a week to recover. It really took me out. I am fully healed now and have been adjusting to the culture, the people, and the schedule here. I can’t wait to share more with you all in my next newsletter!

I thank you for your continued support in my calling through your prayers, finances, love, and time. Please send me your prayer requests so I know how to be praying for you too. If you are interested in partnering with me in the work of the Gospel for the first time or in new ways, I invite you to prayerfully consider one or more of the following:

Prayer: As I spend some time in different countries, there can be a lot of fear of the unknown. Not only from me, but my family as well. Please pray for my safety as I come and go from different places. Please pray for peace for my family. Also, as I go, that I would seek Him first and be a blessing to the workers I will be staying with. Please pray that my time on these vision tours are fruitful and that He would be glorified.

Financially: My heart is that you would be a part of what God is going to do in taking the gospel to the Unreached. If you feel led to give a one-time donation or monthly support, that would be a blessing to me. As of now, this financial support will cover the cost of flights, on-the-ground stay, language school, food, etc.

Encouragement: If you are not already signed up for my newsletter, I encourage you to sign up! This is where I give monthly updates and prayer requests, so you know what’s going on. I have started a group chat on an app called Signal. This is where I will be giving day-to-day updates about what I am doing and how you can keep praying. Please download the app Signal first and let me know if you would like to be in this group chat.

I love and appreciate you all!

In His Love,

Alani

I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel – Pastor 11 Update November 2024

Posted on November 28, 2024November 28, 2024 by Administrator

Dear Pastors, Leaders, and Supporters,

Greetings to all of you! First of all, I want to thank God and all of you for your prayers, Christian love, and support. By your prayers and love, we have reached over 500 villages that no one had reached before. In all of these villages, the people had never even heard the name of Jesus Christ before we shared.

During these 12 years, we distributed over 12,000 New Testaments and over 50,000 four-page Gospel tracts. We played the Jesus movie on a screen in over 60 rural villages and distributed about 20 audio Bibles. We baptized more than 200 people.

Together, my dad and I planted churches in over 60 villages at different times. However, because of persecution and a lack of jobs, most of the churches have closed. There are not good jobs in my state, so people move to bigger cities to find work. Right now, three house churches are being held in different villages. We are planning to start another church in a village we did outreach in last month.

Recently, over a hundred people began coming to our Sunday services. We do not have enough space to seat a 100 people. So, we divided the church into two parts. Those who were already baptized, we invite on Fridays. Those who are new and are not baptized, we invite on Sundays. This way we can all sit comfortably. It is all happening because of your prayers.

We had a great time sharing the Lord’s Supper together and having a fellowship meal.

I thank God that He is increasing our people in faith and in the knowledge of His Word daily. The believers of our church are facing pain and trouble. They have a difficult time being able to come to the Lord’s house, yet they are not abandoning the Lord. God be praised!

During our special gathering, we spent a lot of time with the believers of our church in fellowship and Bible study. We prayed throughout the day and also had the Lord’s Supper and a fellowship meal. This was a matter of great excitement for us. We prayed for the whole world, especially for the Gospel to be spread. There are still many places left where the name of Jesus has not even reached the ears of the people. We also prayed for our organization and for all of the servants, preachers and pastors who are imprisoned and persecuted for the name of Jesus. After having a fellowship meal, everyone went home.

While I was in another city for a meeting, my neighbor called the police to arrest my father.

I thank God that He is great! He gave me and my wife the opportunity to attend a meeting in another state. We were encouraged by Pastor G* and J*. God also gave us the opportunity to visit a Hindu pilgrimage city. There, my wife and I preached the Gospel to some Hindu priests and distributed candy to the children living in the slums.

While I was gone, our neighbors, who are always against our church, broke the entire water drain in front of our house and church. When my father stopped them, they abused him and called the police. They told the police that my father converts people to another religion. However, because there is no special law here right now, the police did not say anything about conversions. However, the police sided with the people against us and scolded my father and mother.

The police told my parents, “The drain will be built again, so no one should trouble these people.” However, it has been more than a month, and the drain has not been rebuilt yet. Because of this, we and the people of our church have great difficulty coming into our home and fellowship. It is especially difficult when we need to take a motorbike out to do ministry. Two or three people are needed to help push the motorbike out across the area and also to help it come back in. We cannot leave the motorbike outside. It would be stolen within an hour if we did.

Prayer Requests:

Please continue to pray for our church family. May the Lord help them as they face persecution.
Please continue pray for my parents. They both suffer with bone pain and still share the Good News.
Please pray for my neighbors to believe on Jesus. Pray also that they will live peacefully and rebuild the drain quickly. The neighbor who led the breaking of the drain is a village leader.
There are many outreaches that we are planning in November and December. The news about the outreaches needs to be spread in many villages. May God fulfill all of our needs for this. May He also grant us protection from those who are anti-Christian.
Please pray that God gives us protection during Christmas. Many anti-Christians are planning to attack on Christmas.
A very large Hindu festival is being held in our ministry area. So far, about 7 churches have been attacked. Those who do not participate in this festival are abused physically and mentally.

May God bless you all!

Pastor & Mrs. 11*

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

Miracles in the Mundane – Record Update November 2024

Posted on November 21, 2024November 21, 2024 by Administrator

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
~ 1 Corinthians 10:31 ~

“When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
~ John 11:4 ~

I’m encouraged by these verses because sometimes we go through seasons of exciting activities, such as evangelistic outreaches, but there are many other times when we are called to be faithful in mundane activities. For example, I am in the process of making phonics and alphabet videos for True Education School, a project of Precious Women Organization, which isn’t glamorous or exciting at all! Benjamin and I have been teaching their English teachers on Saturdays, so it’s a blessing to work together. The long-term goal is for the school to help Precious Women Organization to become more self-supporting so they can continue to minister to and evangelize Cambodian women at risk of sexual exploitation. So, the whole process brings glory to God, even the many hours I spend staring at my screen and repeatedly listening to the alphabet song 😊.

This reminds me of a quote by Charles Spurgeon, “When William Carey volunteered to be a missionary, he implored those who sent him, “Remember that you must hold the rope.” Since 2000, many faithful brothers and sisters have been faithfully holding the rope for my family and me in many ways. Holding the rope may feel mundane and you may not be able to see the impact. But, from our end of the rope, we have had the privilege of experiencing miracles in the mundane. We also have reason to believe that there have been many lives impacted through our partnership of faith, but we may not hear their testimonies until heaven.

Family and Ministry Highlights:

– Kayo and I had a blessed 20th anniversary celebration on October 16.
– Kayo continues ministering to the staff and clients of Precious Women Organization in various ways including staff devotions, advisory board member, and various administrative/financial activities.
– Kayo also continues ministering to women from many nations includingCambodia through the international church. Recently, she organized and led a two-day retreat.
– I have started researching in preparation for writing a new apologetics/evangelistic book for Cambodian, Japanese, and possibly other languages.
– I also started teaching a new apologetics/evangelism (weekly) class to Cambodians at a seminary founded by Korean missionaries in November. I’m enjoying fellowshipping with the Cambodian students, staff, and the Korean professors there.
– I’m starting the process of renewing our Cambodian visas. Please pray for this process.
– Please pray for Light Association/Light Times Magazine that God will transform circumstances that seem to be dead-end-streets into runways.
– Please continue to pray for our health, strength, and wisdom.

In Christ’s Hands,
Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin