“Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.”

Psalm 37:3

It has been a whole year since moving from our home in Adak Village to our “new” home in Gulu City. Believe it or not, it is a little painful to think of our time in Adak. All the hard things that made us leave are intermingled with precious things. There were many relationships forged in the fire of trials, many friendships made with little neighbors after years of struggling to establish boundaries, many tasks accomplished on the “work” side of ministry, and countless testimonies of God’s mercy, grace, healing, provision, and overall goodness to those who called on His name. It has been hard to remember that God created us as emotional beings, and that mourning a loss is normal. Taking time to thank God for the good things He did and is still doing in Adak has kept me from swinging to the other end of the pendulum, feeling overly justified in leaving because of all the hard things that happened there. However, it seems an appropriate time to share how we have been doing, especially in the areas that led us into moving.

In Adak we were constantly sick. For our entire 6 years in Adak, the longest our family went without a case of clinical sickness was 6 weeks. Our time in town has been drastically different, all praise to God! Our health and physical strength have improved, and sickness is now very rare for us. We are no longer waiting for hours on end, multiple days each week to get blood test results and treatment. And despite living away from Adak, I am able to be more intentional with relationships when I go back because I now have the energy to walk through the “bush” to visit friends. We have the energy (and time!) to carry out our tasks, as well as do fun things. We even decided to get bikes for our family as everyone’s birthday presents this year. We have been able to ride as a family to and from church, something we would not have had strength for in Adak!

Other than being healthy, another benefit we have enjoyed here in town is uninterrupted homeschool time. In Adak we wore many hats, from ambulance driver to construction manager, clinic administrator, Bible teacher, clothes patcher, and cake baker. All of these hats we wore with patience, knowing that one day it would be passed on to someone else… once someone else knew how. But all of those hats kept knocking on the door, often without notice, and normally when you were least prepared. It was easy enough to bear it all, even while we were sick. However, it had begun to interrupt our humble beginnings of homeschool, and every knock at the door meant 20 minutes of trying to get the kids back into the rhythm of school. I am very thankful that at that time the kids were still young and school could be more flexible. Now Emma and Maddie are in 4^th grade, Noah is in 1^st, Cynthia is in 1^st and Special Ed., and Charlotte is trying to force me to teach her how to read (she turns 4 in October). During their standardized testing this year we found that they are doing very well. I would not have been able to keep up with all the different levels if there was still so much traffic at the door.

We look back in amazement and thankfulness over what God has done in the last year. We are excited and prayerful over what God will do here in the years to come!

In Christ,

Matt & Noelle & Family

Greetings! Jai Masih ki! (Praise the Lord!)

I want to thank the Lord for taking care of you and us and giving good health to us all. Thank the Lord for blessing us all. Thank the Lord for blessing all of you who are constantly praying for us and supporting us!

Lately, most of the women are coming to our Sunday service. I am teaching them from the Gospel of Luke. A few new people are also coming to my church who are from our village. They used to be against me, but they have been coming to church for some time now. They are not believers, but I trust that the Lord will soon change their hearts.

On Sundays we fellowship together first. Then I pray for everyone’s prayer requests. Thanks to the Lord, there has now been a lot of improvement in my village. There was a little persecution before, and a few people were against me. Gradually those people are also beginning to know the truth of the Lord. Pray that the Lord changes the hearts of all those who are still resisting me.

I am now also going to another village every week. It is the village where my eldest sister lives. This village believes in a lot of idol worship and gods and goddesses. I preached the Gospel of the Lord to my elder sister, but she lives a life of compromise. Pray to the Lord that my sister will fully believe in the Lord.

One day, when I went there to visit, two or three people were sitting at my sister’s house talking. They asked me about my occupation. Praise the Lord, as I was talking about myself, my sister said, “He is a Christian.”

They started asking me if I was a Christian and I said “Yes, I have come to know the truth.” I preached to them the Lord’s Gospel, but they said that it was not true.

Then they asked me many questions which I answered. I told them all about Jesus Christ, they kept nodding “Yes” to me. Then they said to me, “You have left your gods, it is not good.

I answered them about the Gospel of the Lord. Pray against all their superstitions. May the Lord use the words I preached to them. May the Lord change their hearts. Since that day, I have kept going to this village to tell many people the Gospel of the Lord at my sister’s house. Pray that these people may come to know the Lord in the time to come and that the Lord will use me more in this village.

There is a man from our village whose name is S*. He used to live in the capital city. He and his wife (pictured right) rent a room in a small town that is nearby. I used to run into him ever two or three days. He was very upset because he wanted to open a shop in the market, but he was not able to. I told him the Gospel of the Lord each time we met, but he and his wife did not believe. I used to pray for them daily. Each day I met them, I told them about Jesus Christ. They kept ignoring my words. It went on like this for a while, and the shop still was not able to be opened. One day he and his wife and I were sitting down together. He said to me, “If your Lord can do anything, then why is he not helping me?”

I told him, “You have not believed all the things that I told you. The Lord can do anything, but we have to believe in the truth. You have to believe in the Lord completely and give your life Him.” I prayed for him in his room and helped him, and his brother opened a shop in the market only four days later.

I prayed for S* every day and the Lord heard my prayer. With the Lord’s help, he opened his shop in the market. On the day the shop was inaugurated, he told me, “I prayed to the Lord and said, ‘If you really are the Lord, then help me.’ and I got my answer.”

From that day on, I have visited him at his house every day. He and his wife have both given their lives to the Lord and have come to know the truth. Thanks be to the Lord for changing their hearts. They are new believers. Pray that no one will deceive them, that they will grow in the Lord, and that the Lord will continue to change their lives.

Prayer Requests:

• Pray for the believers in our village and for the women to become stronger in the Gospel of the Lord, not be misled by anyone, and grow in the Lord.
• Pray for my sister’s village. It is a very big village and the people there consider themselves to be high caste. There is a lot of untouchability and discrimination there. There is also an extreme amount of idol worship. May the Lord change the hearts of those to whom I have preached the Gospel of Lord, so that they may know the truth and many souls will be saved in the village.
• Pray for me as I visit the new village. May no demonic force stop me, and may I spread the Lord’s Holy Gospel with boldness so that everyone can know the truth.
• Pray for the new family (S* and his wife B*) who have just opened a shop in the market and given their lives to Lord. If anyone brings trouble into their lives, then may the Lord take care of them and help them through all of their sorrows. Pray that they will continue to believe in the Lord and that no satanic force will mislead them.
• Next to our village is a small village. There lives a woman whose husband died young. Her children are still very young. I preached the Gospel to her and she believes in the Lord. Pray that she will fully believe. Pray that the Lord will handle all of the problems in her life (health-related and financial) in every circumstance.
• Pray for me. Pray that the Lord will open new doors for me and give me new villages to serve in. Pray that a lot of souls will be saved. Pray for my health. Pray that I may be fully healed so that I can perform my ministry well.
• Pray for our church building. It is not yet complete. Some things like lighting, doors, and tiles still need done. May God remedy these things so that they can happen quickly.
• Praying for the our region. It is raining a lot right now. Landslides are happening everywhere. May the Lord take care of us during this time and help us spread the Gospel to all those who are superstitious so that they can know the truth.
• Pray for my mom. She was admitted in the hospital for 9 days for typhoid fever. She is still not completely well. Pray to the Lord that He will heal Mom completely.
• Pray for my elder brother and his wife, who is a believer. Both of them are not in good health. May the Lord will heal them. My elder brother is currently working towards being able to do civil service and also working a job. Because of his poor health, his preparation for doing civil services is not going well. My sister-in-law has a heart problem. She takes medicine for it every day. My whole family is sick. Pray that the Lord gives good health to my family.

Pastor 10*

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

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.

Matthew 28:19-20

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy Anniversary!

You might be wondering, “Happy Anniversary to who?” I have just celebrated my 25th anniversary in Uganda. I cannot believe how time flies. I am overwhelmed with emotions of thankfulness and awe as I reflect on all the Lord has done in those years. While I doubt I can fit the multitude of God’s work in this one newsletter, I do want to share some of what has taken place in those years.

I felt called to Africa pretty much from the time I was saved. It was in 1996 while finishing Bible College at the Campus in Austria that God spoke to me specifically about ministering to South Sudanese. Three years later, I landed in Africa to serve amongst Sudanese refugees in Uganda.

I arrived in Uganda with just a backpack, a sleeping bag, and a knife. This has really become a joke now amongst the team I was a part of. I really imagined I was going to have to get off the plane and hike though the jungle. In actuality, I landed in a pretty big city. The refugee camp was 4-5 hours north of us and while the roads were not good, we were able to drive there.  In the refugee camp, my team and I did many things. We taught many Bible studies. I taught women and children, as well as helped teach a women’s school of discipleship. We taught English as a second language.  Most of the women we ministered to knew little to no English. It was eye opening to see how women were treated and how much work they did for their families, and also how common polygamy was.

One of the hardest things in sharing the gospel with them was eliminating some of the harmful traditional practices. I still want to weep at some of the deaths that were the result of such practices. One of my favorite memories was the first time I taught the women about Christmas.  As I was teaching, one of the ladies interrupted and was quite surprised that Jesus “happened” to be born on Christmas.  Some of the ladies never had known that the reason we celebrate Christmas is Jesus.

We had a feeding center for malnourished children. This was a very tough part of the ministry; to see starving babies and children, and the sickness and death related to that. The blessings and miracles we saw God do for these children outweighed the difficulty of the situation. To see a child’s life and body transformed through prayer and good nutrition was a wonderful experience to be a part of.

We had a child sponsorship program for over 500 children.  I would make sure they stayed in communication with their sponsors and do home visits. I also got called into the principal’s office to assist with bad behavior correction and to the clinic when someone was sick. I was single back then and people would always ask me, “don’t you want to get married and have children?” I would respond I already have 500. I do not know where all of those children have ended up but I do know 1 is now a doctor, a couple are teachers, and quite a few have resettled to Australia where they were able to finish school and attend university.

When the war was over and the refugees began to return to Sudan, I wanted to go with them. At that time my team had returned to the States.  A missionary pastor who also worked with Far Reaching Ministries asked me to come to Kampala to help establish their women’s ministry. I was torn because I really had been trying (but unsuccessfully) to go to an unreached people group in South Sudan.  In my devotions, God spoke to me from Galatians about doing good to all, especially the household of faith. I knew then I was supposed to move to Kampala. Little did I know God had my husband and future children planned through that obedience. As I taught the women at the church, I also taught at the Bible College.  Lo and behold God brought me Kudamuch, a Sudanese man from the very tribe I wanted to reach. He eventually graduated and returned to his people to share the gospel with them and plant a church. He has since passed away but the ministry there continues.

Almost 10 years ago my husband, Brian, was called to minister to the market people, people from the slums, people who are poor, and those who suffer with addictions. That outreach turned into “Arise Christian Fellowship,” the church where we currently serve.

It has not all been easy, there has been much sickness, betrayal, robberies, terrorist attacks, and sometimes fear/doubt, but more than that, there was and is God. I know Him better and trust Him more because of all the good and bad experiences.

I am amazed He has allowed me to be a part of His ministry here for this long and I still look to each day with wonder at what He is going to do or call me to do next.

I am thankful for all of you whose prayer and support has enabled me to serve these 25 years.  While God has done so much, the work is not done.  Let us continue to run this race together knowing we will receive the prize.

In Him,

Brian, Jill, Luke, Laylee, and Liana

PRAYER REQUESTS

• I am so thankful for the many ways the Lord has blessed me in serving Him and for everyone who supports me and the ministry in Uganda.
• We are still praising God for our safe return to Uganda and for finding the ministry well taken care of and thriving.
• Pray for the many different ministries taking place in Uganda and South Sudan.
• Pray for the Kanyike family as they continue to serve the Lord in Uganda. Pray for their spiritual life as well as their physical needs.
• Pray for Jill as her women’s bible study resumes and for the children as they get back to a normal homeschool schedule.
• Pray for Brian as he pastors and leads the ministry team at Arise Christian Fellowship.
• Pray for the Kanyikes as they prepare for a large team coming next month.
• Please prayerfully consider becoming part of the Kanyike Family support team.

“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬

   Hey family, we are on month 7 here in Iquitos, Peru. It has been full of ebbs and flows. We have some great news to share and are excited for these next couple months as we anticipate the Lord really challenging us. Nothing of any lasting value comes without a cost and we expect there will be some sacrifices as we head down the river. We are so thankful for the people and churches we were able to fellowship with during our time in Iquitos.

     The first bit of good news is that we have received our “Carne de Extrangeria,” which loosely translates “flesh of the foreigner.” Not sure if that is on any menu here in the jungle, but what it means for us is that we are legal temporary residents and can proceed to receive full residency over the next couple years. It has been quite a process but it is done. 

     Now that we have our residency in order, we can head down river to our Swiss Family Robinson home in San Jose de Cochiquinas. As I have written before, we have an awesome jungle home awaiting us. It is a beautiful home built by 414 Missions, and you can check them out on Youtube.  We have already moved our belongings down to Cochiquinas and we will be heading out on the 17th of September. We have a home, a church building, and a piece of land we will use for chickens, a garden, and whatever else we can grow.  

Our plan to start a Discipleship Ministry is going to be put on hold for a year. We were planning to start March 2025, but realized that might be a little ambitious or crazy (however you want to nuance it).

We realized that there is a lot of work to do getting to know the community of 3,000 people, building relationships with the town leaders, setting up infrastructure so we can house and feed people. We will not be able to get that done by March, particularly because it will rain everyday from December to February. March 2026 will be the goal for the Discipleship Ministry to begin.  

Prayer Requests:

• The water level is really low here in the Amazon; please pray for rain so the “Peke Pekes” can navigate the river and barges can bring much needed supplies.

• Purchasing a piece of property next to the church to build dorms for students.

• Connections for ministries who set up filtered water systems; the drinking water situation is bad.

• Solar power for the church

Blessings family, may the Lord continue to guide you on the path to His eternal Presence.

Love,

Ryan and Karen Gause

August Update — 2024

Already another month has gone by. Time has been absolutely flying and I find the Lord calling me closer and deeper than ever before. It’s so easy for all of me to get wrapped up in what I’m doing. I’ve been seeing the Lord reminding me of His goodness, gentleness, kindness, and of His thoughts toward me more and more. A Scripture that comes to mind is in Luke 10:38-42:

“But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (v.40-42)

It’s so easy for me to get caught up and distracted in the work that I’m doing that I don’t stop and connect with the Lord in the depth that I would like to. This passage is something that the Lord has hidden within me over the years. In my seasons of busyness (aren’t we all busy?), He lovingly reminds me to be still and sit at His feet. The things that often preoccupy my mind are far better handled in His care— He knows far better. His ways are higher and it’s okay when things go differently than planned—He knows far better. There is nowhere that feels more at home than Jesus. In my busyness I want to press in deeply.

August:

So much has happened in this last month, and here we are in September. Wow! From weddings, to grocery trips, to new dorms, and being reunited to good friends—life is full and the Lord is good. I was asked to be in my first Peruvian wedding (for a Venezuelan couple from our church). It was a blessing and an honor.

I spent a lot of time planning and doing construction with a lot of the guys on campus. Our dorm has come a long way and we’re getting much closer to being done. We have the bathroom to finish, some finishing touches in our closet, and the clothes hanging area to do. Wherever I can, I’m teaching the guys what I know, as well as picking up new skills along the way. We’ve been working on the plumbing quite a bit. We were able to have someone come out and put in a float sensor that will automatically turn on, fill our tank, and turn off the pump when it’s done. Putting in new manifolds to all of our water piping, figuring out vents, and finding where everything goes was a process, but it was a great learning experience too. It’s been a few years, but it takes me back to my landscaping days.

The Lord has been growing my Spanish abilities and I have been able to help at different times with worship in a bilingual setting! A highlight to the kick-off of the semester wasn’t just seeing returning students, but also getting to see one of my pastors and his family for the first class. It was so good to have some family from back home come out and represent the Rock, but also to reconnect and talk about what’s coming next too! We’ve even got a new student representative from the Rock as well—God is good! In August we started up our “House to House” groups and I’ve been given the opportunity to lead our Bilingual Casa a Casa, and it’s been a blessing! Between daily tasks, the Church Planting class that restarted up, dorm stewarding, discipleship, leading the Argentina prayer group, and Casa a Casa, my time is well filled.

What’s Next:

Right now I am in the process of getting ready to teach our final class on Isaiah, where I will be teaching chapters 56-66, and I’m excited to see what the Lord is going to do. It’s been a great opportunity and the Lord has greatly grown my own understanding and perception of the book in the process. Please pray for me to handle my time well as I am studying for three different teachings this week (one for Church Planting, one for Casa a Casa, and the book of Isaiah). As for the school and the church, we’ve got our big South America Missions Conference coming up in a couple weeks, and there’s a lot of work to be done. We’re going to have quite a few more people on campus, and it’s going to be a really exciting time. Please continue to pray for everything going on with the property in Argentina as we are in the process of purchasing it. Coming up in October we’re going to have a student missions trip down near Lima and the whole school is going. Not all of the staff are going, but I will keep you posted as to whether or not I will be.

Prayer and Needs:

If you could also be praying for the school, we always have a need for help with scholarships (for South American students) and for food. We have a direct link for the new Gospel South America website that I will try to post soon if you’d like to look and see or even if you would like to help financially in some way. 

• To draw closer to the Lord more and more

• Strength for teaching

• To grow in my Spanish abilities

• Provision for the school and everything for the conference

• Scholarships—and room and board

• Favor and smooth transitioning with everything in Argentina

• That the Lord would bring all who He wants in the Argentina prayer group this semester

• For the Lord to begin preparing hearts for the new campus

• For the teachings and all those who are coming for the conference

• The health of everyone on campus, as most of us have been sick

• The new church plants and works the Lord is leading towards

• That we would trust and watch His faithfulness

• For evangelism here in Trujillo

• Please pray for my family right now as my grandma just passed about a week ago

• That my unsaved family would come to the Lord. Pray that the Lord would bring His hope and healing to their hearts

Thank you so much for partnering with me to be here and walk in the gifts and calling the Lord has placed on my life. I could not be here without your prayers and support. You are a blessing!

-Jordon

“…Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature…”

(Mark 16:15 NKJV)

In my last update, I shared that God has been opening new doors of ministry for us here in Cambodia. One of the open doors is increased partnership with Bethel Mission Organization. BMO/BGM evangelizes and educates children who live on top of the tombs in a graveyard (and their families/communities) and has expanded to minister to those living in the garbage dump, other urban poor communities, and prisons.

We have known and partnered with this family and organization for several years, but now we have the resources and strength to become more active. I have shared various aspects of the Gospel with the students at the monthly chapel services in May, August, and September in the main office and the graveyard location. Rather than risk false-conversions and other misunderstandings, I always help connect the children with Brother Sirvith for follow up and discipleship.

Kayo was able to join and sing in September and is facilitating future projects with BMO/BGM with churches and individual Christians in Japan. In September, BMO/BGM celebrated their sixth anniversary. We were blessed that a Christian retired judge who is currently an attorney and law school professor from Japan was able to visit the celebration. He encouraged the staff by playing and singing in Japanese and by sharing his testimony about never giving up on God’s plans. He came to Cambodia for six days to train Cambodian judges as a Japanese government foreign-aid program. We met him at one of the churches we visited this past summer during our trip to Japan.

And Beyond…

I have been attending an international Christian fellowship (400+ from arond 40 nations) in Cambodia much of the time since I first arrived in Cambodia in 2000. I continue to help evangelize and disciple Chinese in partnership with the Chinese ministry. In August, more than a dozen people made professions of faith through the ministry of a visiting pastor. That spurred me on to connect and equip the new believers, the curious non-believers, and the believers who struggle with doubts and questions after the meetings. So far I’ve made connections with a Sri Lankan (and I could share my Christianity: Reasons for Faith book), a Cambodian via email/text messages only (I could share my Cambodian language evangelistic/apologetics YouTube videos), along with other oportunities to pray, encourage, and provide counsel. I also continue to speak around once a month to encourage other missionaries, expat workers, and Cambodians. I also lead the men’s ministry. Kayo leads the women’s ministry, assists with keeping everyone organized, helps lead worship in the prayer meetings, and more. In partnership with this fellowship and the Light Association (Light Times) organization, Kayo and I have been encouraging a Cambodian man and a Filipino woman in the area of mental health. More doors are opening in this area as well… There are many other related opportunities to serve and bless others from Apologetics, English curriculum development, and to helping people find jobs.

Lifestyle Change Journey: Phase 1 Completed (Major Weight Loss) PTL!

I have struggled with my weight and fitness my whole life, especially during the past 20 years. I tried and failed to control or lose weight but I kept gaining until I reached 315 lbs. I started having knee pain on stairs as well as getting up from chairs, had difficulty putting on socks and shoes and so on… To make a long testimony short, around October 19, 2023, I felt led to start wearing and using a fitness watch a friend had given our family during our summer visit to the USA. Then, on October 21, Benjamin asked me to buy a scale for him and then “tricked” me into weighing myself. I was shocked that I was 315.4 lbs. Benjamin then showed me how to count and control my calories using an app, and so my lifestyle change journey – Phase 1 began. Now I am in Phase 2 (Weight Maintenance – 195-205 lbs). Lord willing, Phase 3 (Strength and Fitness) will begin in October.

During the past 10 months, I have had wonderful times worshiping and praying while walking and exercising, and this has strengthened and refreshed me spiritually. My long-term depression and lethargy have ended and I have more joy and strength for family and ministry etc. My health (heartrate, blood pressure, and sleep apnea symptoms have all gone in a healthy direction). Many people here have been asking for advice to the point that Benjamin wisely recommended that I make a 5-page PDF of my testimony and recommendations. If you would like to receive this document, please contact me by email or social media. I am so thankful to God for His blessings on this breakthrough, and I hope to be a blessing and encouragement to others.

Well, this is getting long. Much more could be written. Feel free to contact me directly. Our family is doing well. Benjamin is gearing up for some major tests but is really growing up rapidly in many wonderful ways. Please keep him in your prayers!

In Christ’s Love,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

This year was our first ever national pastors’ conference for all of Mexico. We had hundreds of pastors from every corner of Mexico come together. The most beautiful thing about it was….we had the honor to host the event here in Acapulco. This year I was one of the guest speakers along with legends like Raul Ries, David Rosales, Bryan Parish and many more. We had a great time of Bible study and rich fellowship. Our team did such an amazing job serving the pastors. They worked very hard day and night as they served, cleaned, took care of kids, drove, and cooked. We are so grateful for the hours our team spent to bless these pastors and their families.

Growing in Grace and in Numbers too

As the church continues to grow, we continue to pray for our own building. We want to be able to build more classrooms on the second floor, as well as extend our sanctuary. However, it’s too big of an investment to make for only being renters. Another option is to buy land and start from the bottom. Whatever the case, we need more space. Finding places with rooms as seen below is very difficult in Acapulco; almost everything is built upwards rather than spatially wide. So please pray that the Lord gives us wisdom and patience and if it’s His will, that doors would open.

Married Couples

We recently concluded our marriage study and it was a blast. We had an intense 3-month study that challenged all of us. By the grace of God, we were able to witness fruit. We believe marriage is an area that needs to be protected, invested in, and given special attention. It is the core of our society, and strong marriages produce strong families. God’s Word teaches us how to love, honor, and respect one another. We look forward to our next marriage course.

Men’s Discipleship

We finally opened our men’s discipleship study. This will be our 3rd generation. The course is designed to raise new pastors and leaders, either to serve here or open up a new work. The group usually starts off with around 30 men but as the course gets more and more intense, we usually end up with 12-15 solid servants. We study 1 Timothy 3 regarding bishops and deacons.

Women’s Groups

One step to Freedom and Navigators

We have two women’s groups. One group is doing a discipleship, while the other group started a class called, “One Step to Freedom.” It is for ladies struggling with addictions and sin or for those who have family members who struggle. Both groups get together to worship, pray, and study His Word. It is such a blessing to have these ladies lifting one another up and sitting at the Lord’s feet together each week.

Hospital Outreach

Our hospitals are overflowing with people. Sadly, when someone visits a loved one at the hospital they usually have to camp out at the entrance. These hospitals never have sufficient medicine, which means a relative needs to be close in order to send them to the pharmacy. Some people are there for days on end. Our ministry, “LOVE in ACTION,” feeds them, ministers to them, and gives them the Good News. We pray that our Heavenly Father would be glorified by these servants shining their light for the world to see.

VBS

We had an amazing VBS as we taught the truth of God’s Word to the little ones. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” This year was based on Romans 12:2 (not to be conformed to this world, but renewing our minds on God’s truth). The truth comes from God, we need to learn the truth, Jesus is the truth, and we need to share the truth with love. We pray the the seeds sown will bring fruit in their lives!

Villegas FAMILY update!

We celebrated 25 years of marriage and 20 years on the mission field!! God has been so good to us! We were able to celebrate with our all our children! We have so much to be thankful for! Our son Noah just started the journey of marriage. He married Keyla, a beautiful girl from Acapulco. Their situation is difficult because she does not have a visa to go to the States. She is currently living with us until everything is ready. Noah is studying at Cal State Fullerton. Please keep them in prayer. Elijah and Bianca are living in New Mexico as he is still serving in the US Air Force. Micah has been in full-time ministry for the last year, but he will be heading to the States in December to go to college.

Trusting in His Plan

God has been faithful to not just cover our needs for the last 20 years, but He has gone above and beyond to bless us! We humbly realize that He has used people like you to bless our ministry and family. We truly acknowledge that our ministry is a team effort in which we bear fruit together. When you partner with us, you are a co-laborer in the work God has given us. Please prayerfully consider coming alongside us. The smallest contribution goes a long way. Thank you all, and God bless you!

By Paul Boubion

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

Matthew 28:19

This year the Lord has really highlighted to us the desire to teach folks how to read their Bibles. At our church we have a New Believers class that encourages folks to daily pray and read their Bible. This practice is called “daily devotions” by many people. We have found that, like everything, we need to learn both the “HOW TO” and the DISCIPLINE of spending time with Jesus by prayer and reading the Bible.

This daily practice is part of required homework for everyone that requests counseling with us! And recently, on Thursdays, I have invited available men to sit in my office from 6:30-8:00pm to learn how to read their Bibles.

Earlier this year, I developed a one-year reading plan in the Gospel of John. It allows the reader to really focus on just one or two verses at a time. Send me an email if you’d like a copy of the plan!

As a pastor at Calvary Rosarito, I get to do a lot of teaching and translating! Here are a couple pictures:

August was a busy month for the family!

Poiema: Something amazing happened with our daughter Poiema! She flew to Peru on her Mexican passport and was only given a 12-day visa! Mexico and Peru on not on the best of diplomatic terms! SO, after she prayed and fasted about what to do, Pastor Cory, the director of CBI Trujillo offered to send her to CBI Guatemala in Antigua!

Cristian is now attending the Universidad Xochicalco in Ensenada!

He is extremely busy studying and making new friends! He started August 20^th after passing the entrance exam on August 19^th! Not only that, the dorm rooms were 100% occupied and in high demand! However, the day we drove down, a student exited the program and 1 room became available! Studying medicine is very hands-on as they are given practical experience in local hospitals and clinics starting the 2^nd semester! 

Stay healthy! I get to ride on my mountain bike a few times a week with Pastor Wilson!

Losses and reunions: On a sadder note, as I mentioned in our last blog, my cousin Adrienne passed away in July. However, funerals give us not only a time to reflect, but to reconnect with our loved ones.

“To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die…”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

Praise Reports

1. Paul’s new men’s discipleship group on Thursdays!
2. We are enjoying good health!
3. Our three children in Mexico are all on track and moving forward! Cristian at University, Poiema in Guatemala, Benjamin studying coding at San Diego Community College.
4. Poiema starting CBI in Guatemala!
5. 45-60 women join Claudia in person and online for the MDVP bilingual study!
6. This year we have been more successful in the Biblical Counseling ministry having trained around 5 more ladies, as well as making Paul’s office available for pastors to counsel in!

Prayer Requests

1. For the ministry at church as well as in the home!
2. For our personal relationship with God to be our #1 priority.
3. MDVP bilingual women’s study
4. Developing a web resource for our counseling ministry
5. Provision for finances for Cristian’s tuition.
6. For the upcoming men’s retreat October 4-6 (I am helping with planning & teaching)

I really want thank God for how He is working through us.

I am sorry that I have not been able to write a newsletter for a while. I am very happy to share with you what God has wonderfully done these few months.

We are serving in many villages around our city. Many people are coming to the Lord. We run house churches in three places. The churches are 10-20 km apart from one another, so it is difficult to all meet together in one place.

The people who got saved during the last few months decided to get baptized. By the grace of the Lord, everything went well. 

My colleagues and I conduct Bible studies in different places during the week. We also host online Bible studies. The Lord is helping those who attend grow in His Word. Thank you for your prayers.

God’s Word says, “He who is faithful till the end will be saved”. There are many people who came to church regularly for a long time, but have now left the Lord and went into the world. I pray that they will one day return to the Lord. 

My vision is to have a church in another district of our state. There are 13 districts in our state, in which we are serving in 3 districts. There are more than 18 hundred villages in these districts. 80% percent of these villages do not have any Christians.

There are 2 divisions in our state. We serve in one of them, but the other one is completely untouched.

There are some tribes in our state among whom we are working. We have learned their languages, I can speak almost all of the languages ​​of these tribes. These include JS*, B*, R*, J*, S*, and T*. Some of these villages are situated near the highest mountains where it is difficult to go. There are not good roads there.

M* is another place near the high mountains. It has about 99 villages. We serve in some of these villages, but most of the villages are still not reached with the Gospel. Our vision is to reach all of these villages. There should be Christians in every village.

Similarly, there is J* which has 400 villages. Many people in our church are from this tribe, but we are still far from our target. We pray that doors from these places will open for us and that we can reach them too.

We have been visiting these places for several years. Now, by the grace of God, house churches are being run in some of the villages by local people. Our vision is that people from these places will come to know Christ and serve there. Every two or three months, we give some training to the people who serve there, so that they can do the work of the Lord well.

Prayer Requests:

• The capital of our state is a very big hub for people. People from different parts of of our state live here. Pray that we can share the Word of God to each of them and people get saved! 
• Pray for the places where we are serving. May God bring His glory to these places. Also pray for our vision to have a Christian church in every village. 
• Pray for God to provide all of our needs.
• Pray for our jail ministry. May more people come to know about the living God and may He set them free from darkness. If anyone is interested in serving in jail ministry and wants to teach me and help, please contact me.
• Pray for a peace of land for our church so that we may have our own place where we may glorify God’s name. For a very long time, we have had church in a rented place. Each day it is getting more difficult to run.

Thank you so much! 

Pastor 12*

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

Greetings from Mexico. As I write this update, I just got back from a trip up to Orange County to speak at a conference, and I am preparing to fly out tomorrow to Las Vegas, for another two speaking engagements. I am not a world traveler or even a guy that loves traveling out of town for vacations, but God has opened up the door for me to travel to share about God’s heart for missions, and I am so thankful for these open doors.

When the Apostle Paul traveled on his four missionary journeys, he often revisited the churches that he had planted on his earlier trips. One of my favorite verses (quotes) from the Apostle Paul is found in Acts 15:36, where we read; “Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.”

This year I have had the privilege of taking eight trips so far, and I have six more remaining in the rest of 2024! I have two main types of trips that I travel on, and in the rest of this update, I want to talk about the different focuses of these missions trips.

First off, most of my trips focus on me visiting one of our own church plants. There is nothing more exciting for me than to travel with a small team from our church to bring encouragement, love, and finances as we visit one of our church plants out on the mission field. On these trips we usually fund a work project, spend time with the church planter and his family, and host and fund a conference of their choosing. The conferences this year have included: Basics of the Christian faith conference, a marriage conference, family conference, relationships conference, and (surprise surprise) church planting conferences!

When I arrive at our church plants, for them I am viewed as their spiritual parent. But even though I raised up and sent out the church’s pastor and his original church planting team, many of the people in the congregation have never met me before personally. It is such a joy to me to meet these new believers who have come to faith in our church plants.

Historically, most of my trips have focused on visiting our church plants, but recently, God has been opening up many more doors for me to speak at Missions and Pastors’ conferences. Now, I am not a conference speaker and I have never viewed myself that way. I am simply a local church pastor that God has blessed with the privilege of planting other churches. But with the message of church planting and the release of my book “The Sending Hub,” God has opened up many new doors for me where I get the opportunity to speak with pastors and leaders that I would never have met otherwise.

This year, I have five of these trips planned where I get to speak at outside conferences and bring this missions message to a new audience. I thank the Lord for setting this open door before me, and pray that I am able to present this message in a loving way so that it encourages my listeners to move forward in the great missions work of church planting.

The reason I wanted to tell you about my travels in this update is because when I travel, I don’t travel alone. I am always sent by #1 – our local church, but I am also sent #2 – by you,  our precious ministry partners! Our ministry model is based on the Apostle Paul in the book of Acts and Paul was always supported by a group of spirit-filled believers who sent him to do his missions work. For my family and I, that group of senders IS YOU! There are many worthy causes out there to support, and please know that Sarah and I take this responsibility of representing Jesus and you very seriously!

So once again, I want to thank you for supporting me and my family as your missionaries. It is through your prayers and love, that God meets our spiritual needs, and it is through your financial partnership, that God meets our physical needs.

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

Mike, Sarah, Grace, and Daniel

Prayer Requests!

#1- Pray that God will bless my two trips planned in September to Las Vegas, Nevada and then later to Mexico City and Cuernavaca.

#2-  Our daughter Grace is going through her 2^nd  follow up interview for a job in San Diego, please pray for God’s perfect plan with this job opportunity!

Praise Reports!

#1- Praise God for the open doors He has been placing before me in the ministry!    

#2- Praise God for another (small) victory in our court case against the thieves trying to steal our south property/sports court.   

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