Greetings from Mexico. As you are reading this update, we have just finished hosting our 10^th annual international church planting conference!

The theme of this year’s conference was “Church Planting Essentials” and we had close to 600 people in attendance at this free event. In this monthly update I want to tell you about the great things God is doing.

We had an amazing and gifted lineup of speakers this year, and each one of these men are not only Pastors, but they Pastor churches that have planted other churches as well! (The idea of the local church being a “Sending Hub”! ) This year’s line-up included three church planters we have sent out, and four pastors from out of state that are experienced church planters.  

Our speaker lineup included three of our church planters; Aaron Smith from The Rock Church in Punta Gorda Florida, Tony Carranza from Maranatha Calvary in Mazatlan, and Hugo Limon from Calvary Culiacan in Sinaloa. We were also blessed this year to have four Pastors traveling to Mexico for our conference which included my good friends, Pastors Bruce Zackary, Trent Douglas, Al Pittman (from Colorado) and Juan Domingo, who planted the very first Calvary Chapel church in Mexico over 40 years ago!

This year we are offering eighteen workshops over the two-day conference that cover a wide area of church planting and ministry. This year these workshops included a special women’s track (three teachings taught by women), a church ministries track, and a Bible teaching track.

The highlight of the conference each year is the blessing we have of sending out church planters at the conference. And this year’s batch of new churches did not disappoint. To start off the conference, our church sent out a church planting team to the large border city of Tecate! (50 miles East of Rosarito). Our 2^nd church plant from the conference was a 2^nd generation church plant from our 3-year old church in Michoacan. (Camino Viviente Quirga)

We will also be making Calvary Rosarito church planting history as we plant our first fourth generation church plant together. This new church will be located in a city called Santa Rocio Sinaloa, and I want to tell you the exciting testimony of how God brought these four generations of church planters together.  

First off, our family planted Calvary Rosarito back in 2002. We then sent out Pastor Hugo Limon and his family to plant Calvary Culiacan North in 2015! Hugo sent out his assistant, Pastor Valerio, to plant a church called Calvary Culiacan South (2^nd generation) in 2018. Valerio sent out Pastor Antonio to plant Calvary AguaRuto (3^rd generation) in 2021. And now Pastor Antonio is sending out Pastor Cruz to Santa Rocio Culiacan to plant Calvary Caminando Por Fe! (Our first 4^th generation church plant, “Walking by Faith”) What a great church planting heritage God has given us, and precious friends, this is your spiritual fruit!  

Also in July we unfortunately faced a defeat in our ongoing court battles over the land we legally own and purchased. Sadly, this defeat was in criminal court, and because of the corruption in the legal system here, there is now a local warrant out for my arrest! (Please don’t panic, but trust God with me!) I don’t believe that the police will follow up on this warrant, as it would not be in their best interests to have the Pastor of the largest Christian church in the state get arrested over a phony criminal case. I share this bad news with you to ask you to pray for my protection, which I know you have been doing.

We also have a couple of pieces of really good news on the church side of things! First off, our church has been growing rapidly recently, and we have been averaging over 100 first time local guests every month. To facilitate this growth, our church is going to four weekend services at the start of August, so please keep that in your prayers!

Also in regards to the building, we are moving close to making an offer to purchase our church facility.  (We own the two parking lots, but not the church building yet!) We believe our future agreement will be well north of one million dollars for the beautiful 15,000 plus square foot facility that we use for the church. YES, that is a lot of money for a church in Mexico, but NO, that is not a lot of money to our God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Please pray that we can come to a fair purchase agreement with the owner, and then pray for God’s favor and blessing as we begin a fund-raising campaign with our church family and ministry partners.

Finally, I want to thank you once again for your partnership with our family here in the ripe mission fields of Mexico. It is through your prayers, that God meet’s our spiritual needs, and through your financial giving that God meet’s our physical needs. We love you and are praying for you.

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

Mike, Sarah, Grace, and Daniel

Prayer Requests!

#1- Pray that God will provide a financial miracle and allow us to purchase our church facility.  

#2-  Pray that God will bless our church planting conference coming up on August 1-2.  

Praise Reports!

#1- Praise God for the growth He has brought to our church, and our move to four services!  

#2- Praise God for the blessing of sending out three new church plants at our church planting conference!

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

Well… I’m glad you you asked! It was amazing! I got to see some of the places where the Lord first made an impact on my life and was privileged to see people I hadn’t seen in years. The Lord is doing amazing things in Uganda through the different people and ministries Joel and I got to visit on our 2-week trip in June. But before I give you more details, I want to take you back to when I first visited Uganda in 2009.

I had just turned 12 years old and my dad decided it would be a good idea to take his rebellious middle schooler to Uganda to hopefully have a seed planted in my heart. We went to Midigo, a village in the north of Uganda, and then to Kampala, the capital city. It was while I was in Uganda that God made me aware of the blessings I had neglected to be thankful for back at home and that He was real. I didn’t give my life to the Lord on the trip but a seed was planted for me to make that decision just 3 and a half years later. It’s safe to say Uganda has changed my life!

So when the opportunity came for me to go again, I was so excited! We said goodbye to our families and headed on our way to Uganda. Once we landed, we met our wonderful friends Bryan and Jill Kanyike and their 3 kids, Luke, Laylee and Liana. They serve at Arise Christian Fellowship in Kampala where Bryan is the Senior Pastor. 

While we we there, we got to lead a men’s conference looking at what it means to be a biblical man. On Sunday morning, Joel taught and I led worship. We got to take a trip to the market place where we evangelized and shared with a few people. The market place is actually where the church started 10 years ago! We also got to visit some people in the slums and bring them some soap and sugar. We came into their homes and prayed for them.

One man named Vincent prayed for us, that we would be able to share the good news of Jesus around the world because they were unable to due to their situation. It was very moving to see someone living in a slum praying for me to be a witness of Jesus around the world.

As we were making our way through the slum, we noticed that many of the people we had seen at church lived in the slum. They loved God and trusted in Him, even in the midst of their circumstances. It was awesome to see that this church was reaching the poorest people with the Word of God!

But the sweetest time in Kampala was just to simply sit with the Kanyikes, eat with them, worship with them, and fellowship together. This was the purpose of our trip, to care for these missionaries who don’t always get people coming to see them. They encouraged us as much as we wanted to encourage them. Please pray for them and sign up for their newsletters to hear all that God is doing! We were mentioned in the last update!

Next, we went to see the Harris family in Gulu, which is 6 hours north of Kampala. Matt came down and picked us up and drove us all the way there. Matt and Noelle have 5 kids, Apio, Emma, Madi, Noah and Charlotte. They serve at Calvary Chapel Gulu and run the Terebinth Bible School that trains pastors to teach the Word of God instead of emotionalism. 

While we were there we visited all the different places where they minister, spent some time at the church, Joel shared at a widows ministry, we went to people’s homes, and we got to see the Bible college campus as well. Of course we got to spend time with the family and got to hear all that the Lord has been doing in their lives. Pray for their ministry and sign up for their newsletters as well! Matt also sends out a devotional that’s really good!

We were then picked up by the Aniku family. Vincent and Melissa have 2 boys, Zachary and Ian, and they serve at Calvary Chapel Midigo where Vincent is the Sr. Pastor. Before we got to their home, however, we went on a safari! It was a nice break in the midst of all the ministry we were doing. 

We made it to Midigo where we were welcomed by a thriving church! I was asked to share in the youth group (5th-7th graders) at 7am on Sunday morning. Now, my first thought was that 7am is way too early for this age group of kids, as the youth I lead in America probably wouldn’t want to get up that early for youth group. But man was I wrong! Hundreds of kids ran to save a seat at church as the sanctuary filled up before we even started. I got to share about Jesus praying for us in John 17 and encouraged the youth to be bold in their faith. It was an amazing time!

Joel shared the message at church on Sunday morning and then in the evening we went to their church’s soccer game. They started a men’s soccer team to be an evangelistic tool in the community and they have now won the league and will move up to the premier league in Uganda! Praise God!

There were so many things happening in Midigo like the new community center they are building to host conferences and teams and to bless the community. They are praying about reaching the surrounding areas where 95% of the people are Muslim. Please pray for the Anikus and sign up for their newsletter!

We did so much more, but I don’t have the space to share everything. If you want to know more, please reach out! And if you’d like to support us as we continue to serve the Lord then click the giving link below. Thank you and may God bless you!

Stay tuned for our next update where I’ll share about the youth summer camp we just finished and more plans for mission trips coming up soon!

“Blessed Be the Flexible”

That’s been the saying at the school—and wow, did we ever get a crash course in Flexico… lol! Flexico is a combination of two words: flexible and Mexico! That’s what the Lord has been leading us to be each year that we’ve been in Mexico.… Flexible.

When we arrived in Mexico for our 7th year of Calvary School of Missions (CSOM), we started out on the “right” foot and then we “left…”

We could hardly believe that we were here with 12 amazing students and 8 passionate leaders. With eager anticipation, we were looking forward to what the Lord was going to do in and through this year. We start the school off with the theme of surrender where we ask the students to be willing to lay down their hopes, dreams, thoughts, and plans in an act of surrender to the Lord, Jenn and I participate in this as well offering Him our lives to do with as He will. We do this very literally and symbolically, after looking into the Word of God and what it says about surrender, we spend some time in worship and prayer and write down the things that are near and dear to us. After that, we take our pieces of paper to the fire and burn it, watching our plans go up in smoke. That’s the right foot to start off on!!

Though we started off on the right foot, we took a major U-turn after just one week—Jenn fell down some stairs and broke her left leg. Ouch! After four days in the hospital and reconstructive surgery, we find ourselves back home.

Trusting God in the Unexpected

The Bible gives us so many examples of flexibility and trust in God’s guidance:

• Abraham left his homeland on God’s Word.

• Moses led an unpredictable people through a wilderness.

• Paul adapted through every twist in his missionary journeys.

And now, we too are learning how to trust God’s plan and adapt to changing circumstances.

Over and over again, God was showing us through His Word how faithful, trustworthy, and able He is to handle any of our problems. I, Tim, was thinking wow maybe this is going to be one wild ride this year… Never even thinking hardship would strike so close to home and I would find my bride laying on the ground reeling in agony. There’s not enough room in this newsletter to tell you how many ways we saw God’s hand upon the situation beforehand, in the middle of, and afterwards, but we happened to have some extra time on our hands and would love to visit with you either in person or over the phone and share more of God’s goodness in the middle of apparent catastrophe.

I Tim don’t normally share what I’ve written on that piece of paper that I put in the fire as an act of surrender to the Lord, I keep it between Him and I but this year I wrote that I’m willing to surrender CSOM. With no idea that resolve would be put to the test the way it has been. I’m happy to report by God’s grace, I’m still in that place and find myself in acceptance to whatever He chooses to do in my life… No regrets, no resentment.

We want to share one more glimpse of God’s fingerprints on our situation. The Lord had set Tim and I up with an incredible team of support staff that have been able to slide right into our roles in such a seamless way that we wonder if we were ever really needed. 

Everybody stepped right up into their instant promotions, and they are doing a great job. Jenn had prepackaged children’s ministry and women’s ministry in such a way that our student leaders were able to take the ball and head down field for a touchdown. Tim is still available and working hard from home in a consultation and support roll along with wrapping up a few of the details handing over the school to Pastor Gary. Along with his home healthcare duties caring for Jenn as God would have it, he has also resumed some of his regular responsibilities around the church. One of them being teaching four of the midweek studies throughout the summer.

We also want you to know we have been truly blessed in serving God in many other ways since our last newsletter, we have been running full speed….As you all know it takes a lot of planning for a 6-week program for CSOM along with the other day to day things we get to be a part of!! Here’s some updates on the wonderful things we GET to be a part of. 

What We’ve Been Up to Since our Last Newsletter – It’s been go time! Preparing a 6-week program for CSOM is no small feat, not to mention the many other ministry opportunities we’re blessed to be part of. Here’s a peek at what’s been happening:

Voice of Refugee (VOR) Outreach – Jenn recently took a couple of students to Friends Church in Corona to help host a VOR outreach event for women in the refugee community. It was a beautiful time of showing the love of Jesus through facials, manicures, food, and fellowship.

This was the first time this church participated in such an event—praise God for new partnerships and open doors! It’s so encouraging to see more churches coming together to reach the unreached.

Lydia and I (Jenn) sat at the bracelet table and had the opportunity to engage in deep, meaningful conversation with three incredible women: a mother, her daughter, and an aunt. The daughter, a former teacher, had left Afghanistan to give her child a better life. Hearing their stories—full of trauma, strength, and hope—reminded us of the deep need for Jesus’ healing love.

Welcoming Workers on Furlough

One of the greatest blessings of our ministry through SGWM is having the opportunity to welcome and host global workers while they’re on furlough. It fills us with joy and gratitude to open our home—to love on them, encourage them, and share meals and fellowship together.

Recently, we had the joy of reconnecting with Michelle, a missionary serving in South Asia who married a national brother just one year ago. She returned to the States for a visit, and we had the privilege of attending a special dessert gathering at her home church.

It was a powerful evening—Tim shared the Word, and Jenn had the honor of praying over Michelle. It was such a beautiful time of encouragement and unity, seeing the body of Christ gather to support one of our own.

Moments like these remind us just how deeply connected we are, no matter where we serve. What a gift it is to come alongside these faithful laborers, even if only for a short time, and refresh their hearts as they prepare to return to the mission field.

Our very dear friend and sister Lacey from our first year of school has finally been able to come on furlough after two long years from S. Asia. What a joy it is to reunite and share precious time together again, especially to have them stay in our home! It was such a blessing to see her daughter experiencing a new culture and delighting in the company and joy of other children.

Walking alongside the students in discipleship is one of Jenn’s deepest joys.

Prayer Requests:

• Continued healing for Jenn’s foot

• Health, unity, and strength for the CSOM team

• Open hearts and fruitful ministry as the students & leaders serve in Mexico

• Opportunities for deeper discipleship with the students

We love and appreciate all of you who pray, give, and support us in so many ways. We couldn’t do it without your partnership in the Gospel. If the Lord leads you to partner with us financially, or increase you’re already generous support you can do so by clicking here to become a financial partner or mailing your support check to
Saving Grace World Missions

17451 Bastanchury Rd., Ste.203 Yorba Linda, CA 92886

*Note Pappas support in memo

Hi family and friends!

It’s been a few months since our vision trip to Japan and we wanted to show you how the trip went and talk about some things the Lord spoke to us while we were there. In this first newsletter, we want to give more of a general recap of our time and some experiences. But in our next newsletter, we want to go a bit deeper and share some things the Lord put on our hearts while we were there, and explain why we feel called to be missionaries in Japan.

But first, we were able to film some of our experiences so you can get a better glimpse of what we did and the church we partnered with. We created 2 videos below, one “through Lydia’s eyes” and one “through Geoff’s eyes.” They each capture different aspects of our trip so we hope you enjoy watching!

Stumbling Over Ourselves in Japan

The first few weeks of our trip were definitely spent settling in, figuring out our train route, and trying to adapt to the new systems of everyday life in Japan. At first it was a little overwhelming, having to learn many basic things that everyone else already knows and that you feel you should already know too (like how to order at a restaurant, how to use all the toilet buttons, and even how to simply walk down a sidewalk!) And when you do something even slightly wrong or different than everyone else there, suddenly every Japanese head swivels around in your direction in silent judgement. We felt like 2 incompetent people stumbling over themselves several times. However, we knew it was all part of the process of learning a new culture, and we were eventually able to find weekly routines, which helped us feel a little less off balance.

Our Time with Calvary Chapel Abide Osaka

We truly fell in love with Abide Osaka, a body of joyful Christian believers of all nationalities. We really enjoyed jumping into ministry where we could, and getting to know the believers’ unique stories. With our limited knowledge of Japanese, we also tried our best to converse in their language, though we are still at the beginning stages of our comprehension! They were always very gracious and happy to help teach us new phrases here and there.

We were able to attend the different bible studies they had every week and got to serve in childcare every Sunday. What a learning experience that was! Japanese children are raised to be very independent from a young age and so we encountered a few things that we weren’t used to in our American culture. One little kid who was hanging out in the children’s room suddenly got up mid-service, took his backpack, and walked out to take himself to a test he was scheduled for that day! We didn’t know what was happening at first so we thought we had lost a kid under our watch on our very first Sunday haha.

Goodbye for Now

It was such a blessing to be able to go to Osaka, Japan for an extended time and learn more about the culture, make new friends, experience the beautiful church body of CC Abide Osaka, and learn under Pastor Joseph Totsis and his wife Amy. We also enjoyed being with our dear friends Jeff and Alishia Root again who moved to Osaka as missionaries last year during our first trip! 

By the time we had to leave Japan, we finally felt like we had gotten used to where we were and were sad to leave Abide. But where we came with many questions, we ended up leaving with such assuring clarity from the Lord. We are excited to move forward in preparing to move to Japan as SGWM missionaries. More on that in the next newsletter!

We hope you enjoyed watching our 2 videos and through them were able to feel a little bit more a part of what’s going on in Osaka. Thank you so much for reading this update from us, we are really blessed to share with you what the Lord is doing in our lives! We are so grateful for your love and support.

Sincerely,

Geoff & Lydia

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Galatians 6:10

Dear Friends and Family,

Do you ever have those times when you see someone after a long time, and it seems like no time has gone by or that they have always been there?

This past month we experienced that with Joel and Isaac, leaders from my home church.  Since Arise Christian Fellowship began about 10 years ago, we have been trying to have some of my home church pastors or leaders come to visit.  Every time a trip was planned, something would happen from the pandemic to our kids getting called last year for their citizenship. We have really seen that a man makes a plan, but God directs his steps. Finally, this year we made plans again and it was now God’s timing. His timing was evident in the ministry that took place and the fruit that was produced in the short time they were here.

The day after they arrived, we had a BBQ with all of the church leadership so they could get to know them. All the leaders shared something about themselves, their ministries and how God called them to where they are now. They also shared some of their visions for future ministry. Joel and Isaac shared about themselves as well. One of the blessings was Isaac sharing with Timothy who is our youth leader as well as a teacher when Brian is not able. Isaac shared how he has been serving in his role as youth leader and teacher for 5 years but is not yet ordained.  This encouraged Timothy because he serves in a very pastoral role but is not yet a pastor. The BBQ ended with some worship and prayer for the ministry that would take place over the next couple days.

The following day, Joel and Isaac had a men’s conference at the church. The theme of the conference was “Being A Biblical Man.” When we were advertising the conference, we invited the youth or young men as well since they are the next generation of godly men. It was a surprise that the teens almost outnumbered the men on the day of the conference. Both Joel and Isaac taught. The topics included Being a Biblical Man, The Man Who Loves God, and A Man Used by God. They alternated leading worship with the men from our worship team and teaching a session. Laylee, Liana, and I didn’t get to hear the teachings since we are not men, but we managed to enjoy some of the worship when we came to serve  food to the men on their lunch break. After the teachings were over, they spent time talking and answering questions. The men from Arise have expressed their thankfulness for the one-on-one discussions.

On the same day as the conference but in the late afternoon, Joel and Isaac went to the market to see where the church first began under a tree. While they walked around, they were able to engage in a conversation with some Muslims. At the same time Timothy, our youth leader, also found himself in a conversation with a Muslim.  We pray that the seeds that were planted that day will grow into fruit.

The following day was a Sunday and Joel preached the sermon and Isaac led worship with our worship team. Our worship leader said that it was as if he’d always been a part of their team and very little rehearsal was needed because they all flowed together in worship. Joel taught on the Joy of Repentance from Psalm 51. The timing was perfect for us women as the Wednesday before we had just learned about David and we talked about the sin that had led to this psalm being written.  GOD truly worked out this trip according to His timing.

After church, the guys came home with some of the church leadership for a quick lunch then headed out for home visits. Our church members are very blessed when visitors come to their homes. Many live in nearby slums or shanty town area next to the market. When we go for home visits, we of course visit church members but also try to visit people who are shut-ins and those who still need to hear the gospel.  Often when we go, it is with a large team and it becomes more like an open-air crusade because everyone cannot fit in their small homes. But with Joel and Isaac, it was much more personal. We pray for the many people who were touched by their prayers and visit to see their good works and glorify our Father in Heaven.

On their last day with us, Isaac went to play basketball and fellowship with Luke’s basketball team and friends. Some of them are Christian but many are not. We are always praying for them and for Luke to be a light.  Luke, Laylee and Liana were very blessed last year when they were able to be a part of the youth at my home church. All of them connected with Isaac and especially Luke has kept in contact for guidance and support since we returned to Uganda. For them it was as if he came just to visit them. That evening, another missionary from where Joel and Isaac were going to visit next, came as well as our worship leader. After dinner, Isaac led us in worship, some of which were songs from Saving Grace that only we knew but everyone who was there now loves.

They returned the day they had to fly out and our whole family accompanied them to the airport as we were all sad to see them go and wanted every last minute of fellowship. It took almost 10 years for this visit to take place, but it was worth the wait, and we look forward to when they can come again, hopefully sooner this time, but definitely in God’s timing.

We are thankful for the prayers and support you give our family and the ministry in Uganda.

In Him,

Brian, Jill, Luke, Laylee and Liana

Prayer Requests

• We are thankful for Saving Grace and for not giving up on coming to see the church plant, Arise Christian Fellowship, in Uganda.
• Pray for the all the people, both in the church and in the community who were touched by the teaching and fellowship of Joel and Isaac. Pray for fruit to continue to grow from the seeds they planted.
• Pray for safety in Kampala as in 1 month there have been 3 terrorist attempts. The situation is only expected to get worse the closer Uganda gets to elections.
• Pray for health as many people have been sick with the flu, including Brian and Liana.
• Pray for the Kanyikes’ finances as they have had many extra expenses. Luke needed braces and is now recovering from surgery to remove 4 impacted wisdom teeth.
• 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 or giving a one-time gift to help with Luke’s dental expenses.

Greetings from Mexico. We had another busy month of ministry in June, and in this missions update I am excited to tell you all about it. June is a special month for our family, and the reason for that is that was the month we were sent down to Mexico to plant the church!

It was the end of June 2002 when our family left California to move to Rosarito to plant the church. And this month our church celebrated 23 years of God’s faithfulness to us!

We had a wonderful anniversary party together, that included food, fellowship, music and over 600 from our congregation in attendance. I was blessed to share about the beginnings of the church, and for many of our new members, they were hearing that story for the very first time.

A special surprise for me was when they made a 23 year highlight video of some of my most cherished memories. I am so thankful to the faithfulness and kindness of God to our family over these past 23 years.

Speaking of new people at the church, our church has been growing a lot recently. We have been growing so much in fact, that next month (August) we are moving to four weekend services. Even with our 700+ seat occupancy, every single seat in our main (11am) service has been filled recently, so we are adding a new afternoon service.

So starting in August, we will have four services that meet at #1- Saturday 6:30pm, and then Sundays at #2- 8:30am, #3- 10:30am, and #4- 12:30pm! Please pray for this transition as it will be an extra work load on me, our church staff, and on our servant team.

On the church front, we have some more big news. The owner of our church building is finally ready to sell us the building. (We own the two parking lots on either side of the sanctuary, but the owner of the church property was not ready to sell UNTIL NOW.) We are expecting the price to be around $1.5 million US dollars, so we will need a miracle to purchase it. But the good news is our God is a miracle-making God who has told us in Luke 1:37 that, “Nothing is impossible with God!” Please pray with us for the miraculous provision from the Lord to purchase the church facility!

Also at the end of June, I was blessed to take a team of six men to a fantastic Pastors and Leaders conference located in Temecula, California! The focus of this conference was, “The Way Forward, Ministry according to Jesus!” And I was delighted that the headline speaker was one of my all time favorites, Alistair Begg of Parkside Church in Cleveland.

I have listened to Alistair over the years through his online radio ministry, “Truth for Life” for many years, but the funny thing is that he is Sarah’s absolute favorite Bible teacher. I have the blessing to listening to his online sermons preached almost every morning as my precious wife gets ready for work. To hear this seasoned Pastor teach in person was both motivating and encouraging.

Another aspect of this conference I enjoyed was their focus on church planting. While at the conference, I attended a Cultivate Church planting network meeting, and was blessed to hear their goal of planting 1000 churches over the next 10 years. The cultivate leadership team has a bunch of pastors that are close friends of mine and I feel honored and blessed that they want to partner with our ministry.

Also on this trip, I was excited to bring a team of six men from our staff and church planting program. I have always modeled our mission’s ministry after the ministry of the Apostle Paul. And one thing you never saw Paul doing, was traveling alone. Paul always brought along young men like Timothy, Silas, Titus and others to serve with him and learn from the great apostle. One of my greatest joys in the ministry, is traveling with my own personal Timothy’s as we serve together and I am blessed to pour into them. Please keep the five men who went to the conference with me in your prayers as they pray about their own future ministry opportunities.

Finally, I want to thank you once again for your partnership with our family. Having served on the mission field now for over 23 years, I have seen the prayer and financial support of many missionaries dry up over time. But thanks to you, our support and partnership has remained strong. Sarah and I are so thankful for you, our ministry partners who have stood faithfully with us over the years. We love you and are praying for you.

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

Mike, Sarah, Grace, and Daniel

Prayer Requests!

#1- Pray that God will provide a financial miracle and allow us to purchase our church facility.  

#2-  Pray that God will bless our church planting conference coming up on August 1-2.  

Praise Reports!

#1- Praise God for a wonderful 23-year anniversary celebration at the church!  

#2- Praise God for a wonderful pastors and leaders conference that our team was blessed to enjoy.

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

Summer has arrived in Osaka, and with it come hot humid days. The Japanese put bells in their windows and above their verandas to catch any breezes that might blow through. Our Japanese friend told us that the reason they do this is because the chime of the bell lets them hear the breeze and gives them a sort of Pavlovian effect that tricks their brain into thinking it’s cooler. It hasn’t worked for us yet, but Alishia enjoys the bells anyway. While we may want our bodies to be cool, we want the opposite for our spirits. We want to remain on fire for the Lord and passionate about our calling. Please pray that we don’t cool off in that way.

When it’s not too hot, Alishia has been getting outside with friends from the church. She loves building relationships, and these pictures represent some of the people who bless us each and every week.

Church each week brings several opportunities to connect and minister. It’s amazing to be a part of Abide and worship along these people. Please continue to pray for us as we serve the church and each other. Pictured with Alishia is our friend Miao; she’s a professor at a university here in Osaka. Once a month, a group of missionaries from Abide join her and her husband Matt at her school for what is called a ‘Life Studies Group.’ Like most places, universities in Japan are difficult places to share with people about Jesus. With this group, students and teachers from the university come and share the challenges in their life and we are able to share with them how we use the Bible to navigate the challenges that we face in our lives. Please also pray for this group of students and our meetings with them.

Abide hosted teams from both Hawaii and Chicago recently. Both teams were a huge blessing to us, and it was awesome to meet them. The Chicago team made Chicago-style hotdogs for everyone at our mid-week service and shared their testimonies with us. The team from Hawaii made a couple of meals for the church to share on Friday night and Sunday afternoon. They also put on a Hawaiian theme festival for kids and families and taught hula to anyone who wanted to learn.

We had an Independence Day party on July 5th at our apartment. The young adults group joined us for American summertime foods and a Bible study. As many of you know, Alishia has a great gift for hosting and hospitality, and she outdid herself again with this celebration.

Please pray for our language learning as we continue our studies. Our desire it to be able to communicate with the people here without a translator. The task is very difficult, so we need the Lord’s help to accomplish it.

Please pray for the Lord to meet our needs both spiritually and physically. Please consider partnering with us financially if you’re able.