Arriving home from our travels across Eastern Asia began a time of reflection, restoration, reassessment, and re-engagement. We first hit the ground running on MTS (Missions Training School) and re-engaging in church and classes. It was so wonderful to reconnect with our family and the church family. 6 weeks away brought many changes but of course the biggest was seeing our granddaughter and her growth, her being less than a year old there are a lot differences in her. We feel so blessed to be able to have some of our children living so close to us during this time of preparation. It’s a blessing to be able to enjoy this time with them, for we know it won’t always be this way.

We then prayed and reflected on what and where our next year would be leading us. We realized we would renew our lease for another year here in Southern California. While we still feel led to Japan, we are not likely to be leaving before this next year is out. With that commitment we are now in the process of job searching. Expenses for training and living in Southern California are high as you can imagine. So please be lifting that up in prayer.

As we are praying for when we would be ready to leave, we are having such a sweet time of restoration and growth in our relationships and time with the Lord. He has been teaching us so much through the trainings and classes in MTS. Then the Lord gave us another opportunity. We got to head to Rosarito, Mexico for 4 weeks, from April to May, to attend the Church Planting classes with Calvary Rosarito and serve there.

MEXICO

While serving in Mexico we reconnected with the Vincents, our old next door neighbors in Yorba Linda from over 20 years ago. Mike and Sarah Vincent felt the calling to start a church in Mexico and now Mike pastors a thriving church that focuses on church planting all across the world. We were so blessed and made so many new friends during those four weeks of serving and being a part of the community of Calvary Rosarito. Carrie got to work in the nursery and love on the babies and Sven worked the parking lot security and greeting. We learned some new styles to serve and experienced it in a new culture. What really impacted us was the way the Lord used the church to spread the Gospel. We got to be there for baptism weekends and see so many, from so many different ages, profess publicly their decision to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

We love how at every service at Calvary Rosarito, the Gospel of Christ goes out and many came forward to accept it. The Gospel remains the same no matter what language it’s spoken in.

Carrie met a couple of families who were new believers and after hearing their stories she was blown away by the work of the Lord in their lives. For one family, the husband first came to the Lord then his wife had just accepted Jesus the week we got there. When Carrie met Maggi she also met her daughter, Aleah (yes, her name is the same as our daughter). That night during service Aleah came forward to accept the Lord and they both got baptized on baptism weekend. Praise God!!

“For the promise is unto you and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

Acts 2:39

Our son, Joshua and a fellow MTS student Marcelo, came to share about Calvary School of Missions, and then Marcelo taught at CBI Mexico in Ensenada. We got to enjoy our time there and go along with them to the CBI. We can’t describe how amazing it is to see your children walk with the Lord and serve Him.

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,…”

Philippians 1:3

Thank you for all your prayers and support. We have felt them during this time of preparation and changes in our lives. We would greatly appreciate your continued partnership with us in prayer as the Lord is leading us to long-term, cross-cultural ministry, as well as through financial support, if you feel led to give. Please let us know if there is anything we could pray about for you.

Praise Reports

• We are enjoying our time here with our family.
• We are staying in California for another year.
• We were so blessed by our time in Mexico, we left a little of our hearts there.
• We love being home and serving on the Welcome team at Calvary Chapel Saving Grace.

Prayer Requests

• Answers in our job search. Sven is studying for some certifications; pray that he can go through it quickly and retains what he needs to pass.
• Our family unity and growth in the Lord.
• Our Missions Training Schooling as we look for jobs. Our desire is for a job that would fit in our classes and ministry responsibilities. Also please pray that we would absorb and learn all we can during this preparation time.

It’s been a bit since I have returned from my last trip, and God has opened many wonderful opportunities for us to serve Him.

I continue to lead a weekly Bible study every Sunday morning in King’s Beach, CA. It’s a small home fellowship, but the group is so loving and desires to go deeper in the Word. It’s been such a blessing to meet with them. We recently finished teaching verse-by-verse through the Book of Acts and have started the Book of Romans. One of the great blessings to me has been when God has called me away, either to teach or share in other churches about the ministry that the Lord has given us, reaching out to the unreached, Bryan, our son, has stepped in to lead the group. It’s such a blessing to be able to trust the Bible study to him, knowing that he cares for the people and is able to teach them the Word faithfully, without error. What a blessing!

To update you on the recent past, I have been invited to share at a number of different churches. A few months ago, Tina and I were in Columbia, TN sharing at Calvary Chapel Columbia. Last month, Tina and I were at the West Coast Pastors’ Conference in Diamond Bar, CA. It was a great opportunity to meet with other pastors and give them a taste of what we, and Saving Grace World Missions, have been doing around the world. A few weeks ago, I was invited to teach at Calvary Chapel Reno Sparks. That church is pastored by a good friend of mine, pastor Phil McKay. It’s the largest Calvary Chapel in Northern Nevada. I was able to teach on the Great Commission given to the disciples and followers of Christ. I was invited to share the Word at Calvary Chapel June Lake on June 23rd. It’s a small church full of dear saints who welcomed the teaching on the purpose of the church. Pastor Damian Martinez and his wife blessed Tina and I with their hospitality.

Immediately after Calvary Chapel June Lake, Tina and I will be flying to Knoxville, TN to meet and share with the pastor there the ministry God has called us to and the open doors that are set before us in the 10/40 window. We’re really looking forward to meeting Pastor Mark Kirk, we’ve heard such good things about him and Calvary Chapel Knoxville.

A day or 2 after we return home, I’ll be heading off to Mexico to co-lead the Calvary School of Missions with my good friend, pastor Tim Pappas. It’s a 6-week school put on by our sending church, Calvary Chapel Saving Grace in Yorba Linda, CA. The school is designed to help direct, inform, and equip young men and women who are feeling a call to full-time missions. It’s taught by Calvary Chapel pastors and missionaries who are serving all over the world. The students are instructed in various topics concerning reaching out to the lost and unreached of the world. Topics being taught include cross-cultural ministry, God’s heart for the nations, the current state of the unreached in the world, cultural immersion, evangelism, discipleship, church planting, and much more. This will be the 6th year for the school, but the 1st year that I have been able to be part of it. The dates are July 6 through August 18. It’s something that I am really looking forward to. For those students who feel called to go deeper in missions training, a Missions Training School is offered as well. It’s a one-year program that prepares each student for the work of the ministry in a foreign field.

Shortly after the Calvary School of Missions wraps up, I will be headed to Thailand to attend a conference there. We will be flying in some of our key leaders from the 10/40 window. It will be a great time of fellowship and encouragement for our leaders who are laboring tirelessly. After the conference, we’re planning on having our own little conference in order to reconnect with all our leaders in one place. It gives us the opportunity to pour into them, encourage, strengthen, support, and hold their hands up. When the conference is finished, our stateside team will be headed in different directions. One of the pastors I’m working with will lead a team to the Middle East. Another to Japan, and I will head back to the 10/40 window to continue to meet with our guys and disciple them. I will be in country for about 2 months before I return home in November.

I would ask you to please be praying.

• Please pray for the teaching opportunities that are ahead of me. That the Lord would be glorified and magnified in the hearts of those listening.
• Pray for the travels ahead of us. That there would be no delays and that we would experience the mercy and favor of God.
• Please pray for the school and the conference. That ears would be open to clearly hear God’s voice, and that hearts would be ready to receive, and lives would be impacted for the glory of God.
• Please pray for our family while Tina and I are away, in Tennessee. Then, while I am away for an extended period, please pray for Tina and the boys. God has blessed us with a close family and it’s always difficult when any member of our family is gone for any length of time. It always creates a void.
• Pray for more opportunities to share in churches what God is doing among the unreached through Saving Grace World Missions and our ministry, which the Lord has entrusted to us..
• And please be praying for our little home fellowship in King’s Beach, that God would bless the teaching of HIs Word and that He would reveal His heart for this little fellowship.

And most importantly, if there is a prayer request that is on your heart, would you please share it with us? We would count it a privilege to do battle in the spiritual realm on your behalf.

Thank you for all your prayers, love, friendship and support. It’s a tremendous privilege for us to partner with you in equipping the saints to take the Gospel where it has literally never gone before. Praise the Lord.

God bless,

Gary and Tina

Someone once told me, “don’t expect anything and you won’t be disappointed.” I understand having expectations on people, places, and things isn’t the best. We will be disappointed by them. BUT there is One who will never disappoint us- Jesus Christ. He is God and with Him we can expect the unexpected.

New Life, New Creation

I had the blessing this past month to share my testimony at a Women’s Conference at Calvary Chapel Saving Grace, unexpectedly. I woke up that morning unsure if I was still on for the day- I didn’t even curl my hair! I get to church and sure enough during prayer I was reminded I was going to be the first one to speak. During my testimony, I couldn’t help but fix my eyes on a lady sitting at the table right in front of the podium who was weeping and weeping. After the event, I went up to her and asked her if everything was okay. She shared about her son and how he currently isn’t walking with the Lord but because of my testimony she was encouraged to know Jesus could do the same for him. It is because of this that I’m grateful to be able to boast in the rescuing, redeeming, and freeing power found only in the name of Jesus Christ. He gave me a new life, made me a new creation, and I believe He will do it for her son as well!

The Unexpected

The Missions Training School is coming to and end in August and I really wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. One Sunday morning, after teaching the 4-5 year olds, at Calvary South OC, I get a text from Pastor Tony and he tells me to come and talk to him. He tells me that a lady from the church reached out to him about housing someone for a couple of months. I was in awe. He then continues to tell me that they want to offer me an internship position until September (mind you, he had no idea I was praying about going back to Japan in September). I was even more speechless!! I was not expecting things to be this way, this was not my plan. But GOD, He knew. For His ways are higher than mine (Isaiah 55:9). This is a HUGE answer to prayer and I want to thank y’all for praying!! We can pray expectantly, intentionally, and specifically, but ALL the glory goes to God. He is sovereign and His plan for us is greater than we can ever think or imagine! Expect the unexpected with God.

Unexpectedly Evangelized

During one of our Thursday night bible studies, a man named Leslie came up to us and asked us what we were studying. He mentioned that we looked different- that we weren’t like everyone else there and how he was impressed that we were reading the Bible. Coincidentally, we were in John 17 and had just read that we are to be set apart as believers of Jesus and we should walk in a manner worthy of the gospel. In awe, he continued to ask us what we learned exactly (if you know me- you could picture the huge smile on my face). I wanted to give one of my friends an opportunity, so I encouraged them to share what they had learned. You could tell he was thinking about what she said and so I asked him if he believed in Jesus Christ.

His response was, “yes, but I am a Jehovah’s Witness and we believe Jesus was created by ‘Jehovah’ similar to the archangel Michael.” I was even more excited to share and read to him verses 3-5 and verse 26 where Jesus says, “I made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them and I may be in them.” He was speechless. I continued to share about what we believe and encouraged him to read the book of John. This was such a sweet moment for our small group as we unexpectedly evangelized. May we continue to be bold and share about Jesus Christ- the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)! Please keep Leslie in your prayers- may he come to a saving knowledge and revelation of THE Truth!

Prayer Requests

• Please pray for language learning and for clarity on the duration of the trip to Japan in September!
• Please continue to pray for job opportunities and for God’s provision in paying off my debt.
• Please pray for the time as an intern- to continue to learn all aspects of ministry.
• Please continue to pray for the bible study group- for more opportunities to evangelize and make disciples!

The Lord has truly blessed me with an amazing family at Calvary South OC and Calvary Chapel Saving Grace. I’m eternally grateful for you all and want to thank y’all for your continual support! May God continue to strengthen you in whatever He has called you to do. May we be filled with all the fullness of God. May you also, expect the unexpected with God. After all, we live by faith, not by sight <3

-Mayra Alejandra

Hello Saving Grace World Missions Team,

Greetings to all of you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I thank you for your prayers and the unlimited love you shower on us. You stand shoulder to shoulder with us in all kinds of sorrows and difficulties and always pray for us like a warrior.

A woman rears 6 cows. Her son is 22 years old and 70% disabled since birth. Yet she does not stop coming to God’s house.

This woman’s name is R*. I have mentioned her many times in prayer requests before. She has been a believer for about 15 years. She comes to our church on time every week. On Thursdays, we hold another church service at her house. Right now, her society and the people around her are treating her very badly because she will not leave her faith in Jesus Christ. She is being mentally tortured in many ways. People accuse her of many different things. Some says she is a religious convert. Some say she has become a Muslim. Everyone has stopped talking to her. The saddest thing is that due to their belief, people have stopped buying cow milk from her house for a while. Because of this, her family’s financial condition has become very bad. She brings grass from the field from morning till midnight for the cows’ food and takes car of the cows. She also has a young son who is more than 70% disabled. He cannot bathe or feed himself etc. Still she and her husband have complete hope in God that God will take care of them.

People threaten them that if someone dies in their family, no one will even come to lift their dead body. By saying this, they mean that no one will have any kind of dealings with them. They say this because they believe that they have abandoned their religion and adopted a foreign religion.

Now the people of their village will neither buy milk from them nor buy their cow dung cakes as fuel for their fires for cooking food. Because of this, their whole house is filled with cow dung cakes. There is no place to sit. Every Thursday, when we go there to have church, we have to move things around and find a place to sit with great difficulty.

Because of their poor financial condition, her husband rides his bicycle 12 kms (7 1/2 miles) in order to attend our Bible study every Friday. The woman walks half the way to our church and then takes an auto rickshaw the other half the way so that she does not have to spend money on fare. She has another son who has gone to a big city to work. I want him to go to Bible college and become a messenger of God’s good news, but due to their poor financial condition at home, he is not going to Bible college. He wants to work and support his family.

The Son of a Staunch Anti-Christian Gave a Pulpit to Our Church.

A single believer gradually brought almost his whole family to faith in Jesus. His father, who was previously trying to hand him over to the police, also joined us in prayer this week.

I thank God that he has given our church a young man who is always ready to share the good news of the Lord. His name is U*. When I was in Bible college, he also went with me for 6 months for Bible training. At that time he was the only believer in his family. But gradually he brought almost the whole family to faith by the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ and by his good behavior. Everyone except his father. His father has a very short temper. Whenever my father and I used to go to his house, his father always used to come in angrily to fight with us. He used to accuse us of making his son a Christian. I thank God that so far his father has not attacked us physically, because his father is against Christians.

When U* went to Bible college, he wanted to complete the full coarse in Bible training. However, his father, who is a staunch opponent of Christ, did not let him return to Bible college after one semester. But U* did not stop studying the Bible. He studied the Bible by himself every day and came to our church. However, because of a lack of employment in our village, he had to go to a big city in the South to find work. He makes furniture there. Recently, he came to visit our village for a while. He gave a new pulpit to our church that he made with his own hands. Last week, when we went to his house, his father also came. Before his father would rather die than hear the name of Lord Jesus Christ, but this time joined us in prayer and sat quietly and listened! It was a very surprising thing for us! I thank God that He is changing people’s lives!

My younger sister finally got married! She had a Christian wedding.

I thank God that He has chosen every person in my family to spread the Gospel of His kingdom. When we became Christians, people in our neighborhood used to tease us. They would make jokes about who would be willing to marry us. I thank God that He answered all of them. My younger sister served with a youth organization for about 12 years independently, without any financial support. God arranged a pastor’s son for her to marry. On May 16, she got married with a nice big celebration. Many people who hate Christians were trying to create obstacles for the wedding. Thank you for your prayers! God put fear in their hearts and they did not dare to create any obstacles.

This was my youngest sister’s wedding. We invited all of the Christian brothers and sisters in our village and city. People in our city and village were surprised at the huge crowd. They wondered where we found so many people to come to the wedding when we were ostracized from society. I thank God that He fulfilled our every need. The ceremony went very nicely. Even though it was very hot, by God’s grace, no one fainted or had any kind of problem. I want to thank all of you who prayed about this wedding.

We had a great time studying the Bible on Google Meet with our Aunty. I thank God that He provides us with all of the electronics and everything that is needed for His work. Through the internet, we are able to learn the Word of God more deeply, even when we are at a distance from each other. On the first week of the month, I asked Pastor 15’s wife to conduct a Bible study. Most of the people in our church are women, so whenever I ask her to share at a Bible study, the women of our church get very excited. They get a chance to learn many new things. She conducted the Bible study with us on Fridays. We started studying the Old Testament chapter-by-chapter beginning in Genesis. Now we have reached Exodus 15. We also share God’s Word with others.

The Holy Bible was given to the women who were baptized last month.

I thank God that He never lets us have a shortage of Bibles and New Testaments. That is why we keep distributing New Testaments to everyone with an open heart. We also give the complete Bible (which includes the Old Testament) to those who want to know the Lord more and are interested in reading the Bible. I thank God that His Word is working in people’s lives. People are reading the Bible and understanding God’s love more deeply.

Points of Thanksgiving:

• I thank God that He has protected me, my parents and my entire family from those who are anti-Christian.
• I thank God that He allowed my younger sister’s wedding to go very well.
• I thank God that despite the extreme heat, He did not let my family get sick in any way.

Prayer Points:

1. Please pray for R’s* family’s financial condition to get better. Pray that the people who have been boycotting them will buy milk from their house again.
2. Please pray for U’s* father who is against Christians. Pray that God will also use him for His kingdom.
3. Please pray that the people in our state and village will find jobs. Because of a lack of jobs here, more than 50% of the people from our church have moved to big cities.
4. Please pray for my mother. Her bones are very weak. The doctor said that she will have to take daily injections for 18 months. Please pray that our Lord Jesus heals her.
5. Please pray. In a few days we will be traveling to have fellowship in the North. May God protect us, and may our time go well.
6. Please pray for the believers in our church to understand God’s Word more deeply. May they be able to face all of the suffering they are facing for the Name of Lord Jesus Christ with courage.
7. Please pray for my wife’s health. She has a health problem for which I am taking her to get treatment in a bigger city in the North. Pray that God will help us.

Thank you for your love, prayers, support and participation in the Gospel.

May God bless you all!

Pastor & Mrs. 11*

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

Dear Ministry Partners,

Greetings to you all in the matchless name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

According to the “The Times News” of our country, many areas in our state continue to suffer from a sever heat wave. On Friday, major cities across the state experienced scorching hot weather. The intense heat and heat wave-like conditions have led to the deaths of three people so far. Our state’s capital city experienced its hottest day of the decade on May 30. The temperature reached a record 46.8°C (116 degrees Fahrenheit) in the afternoon.

Even though there is record breaking heat outside, we are protected by God’s mighty wings and blessed with His provisions. We highly appreciate each one of you for your valuable prayers and financial support for the expansion of God’s ministry. Because of your financial help, we are able to move forward with the Gospel of Christ Jesus to the unreached without worry. As a family we have been praying for you, for your family, ministry, job and businesses. May our good God bless you with all resources and good health.

Our one week mission trip was wonderful and blessed. We went to A* (the area where Pastor 2* minsters). It takes one night on the train or bus to travel there. We met all the believers and their families. We listened to their problems and about the things they were going through in their lives. We then encouraged them through the Word of God and prayed for them. We visited different villages including S*, K*, A*, M*, and T*. We had wonderful prayer fellowships, encouraging them from the Word of God and praying for them.

We could also motivate and pray for Brother A* (above). He was previously a student at our CBI in the mountains.

We met a young man named A T* who is a student (above). He had a lot of questions regarding his faith. By God’s grace we could counsel him and encouraged him to study the Bible and grow in the Lord. Overall the trip was very blessed.

Prayer Requests:

• In our area the temperatures is very high. Please pray for the field workers (who live on day-to-day wages). May God protect them. Also pray for God to change the weather soon.
• Please pray for those who we met during our mission trip to A*. Pray that God will strengthen in their faith. Also pray for Brother A* and A T* to grow in the Lord.
• Do continue to pray for the growth and need of our local Church.
• We are recruiting students for our next semester of Calvary Bible Institute. Pray that God will bring good students.
• Kindly pray for me and my family. May the Lord use us for the expansion of His kingdom.

Thank you very much for your prayers and support!!

In Him,

Pastor 3* and Family

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

Hola Familia, we are heading into our fourth month here in Iquitos, Peru. It seems like we have been here for a year, but time is a strange master. This last month was a difficult one as we were all sick for about two weeks. The whole city was fighting something with flu like symptoms, but we are back on our feet and running.

     We visited two local churches whose pastors are in the Friday night Inductive study class. At one of the churches, Ebenezer, Ryan taught a message and they sang a special song in their native tongue for us. It was a sweet little fellowship in the outskirts of town. The second church, Iglesia Cristiana Gloria de Christo, is a new church plant and they had a two-day conference to celebrate their one year anniversary. Victor and Ryan both shared messages to encourage the congregation. It was a great time of sharing the Word and breaking bread with the body of Christ.

Victor and I have also had the opportunity to teach at Calvary Chapel Iquitos for the last 3 weeks while the senior pastor is on furlough. I have been teaching in Spanish only and it has been tough! The people have been very gracious with helping me find the correct words to say when they evade me. I have found myself playing charades sometimes to come up with the right words or phrases. It works well, the people are forced to stay attentive, praise the Lord. We will teach two more times and finish up the book of Colossians. On Thursday nights we are also doing guitar lessons for some of the youth at CC Iquitos. It has been a blessing to get to know the people at this sweet fellowship. 

     On Friday nights, the inductive study is going great! We are in our sixth week and people are starting to catch on. It is fun watching them get excited about interpreting Scripture within its context. The people are so excited to learn and we have great hope for their future as Bible students as well as teachers.  

     Karen and I recently took a trip to Cusco for our visas. We are in the process of getting our residency visas so we don’t have to leave the country every six months. The process promotes patience in the inner man, but we are topping the hill and should be starting the downhill run this Monday when our last document should be filed. We went to Cusco for the last steps of the Interpol process and now everything is in the hands of the Lord. While we were there, we did some sightseeing and we went to a mid-week service at Iglesia Calvary La Semilla. It was a great time of prayer, worship, and fellowship!

 Please pray for us as we are heading out to a river community called Oran. We are going to be able to teach and fellowship with them as they celebrate their 50th anniversary.  We have done studies there before and they have been such a great church and are very much on fire for the Lord.  

   We will be moving out to Cochequinas in August. Everything is still on course. We have a jungle home ready for us, a multi-purpose church building, and a couple other properties we will use for ministry. Jim and Chrystal Boothe, who run 414 Missions, are letting us use all of the property and they notified us we can use their big boat as well. Praise the Lord, we are set! What a miracle.  

     The plan is to teach a two-week pastoral training course to the surrounding jungle communities throughout the year. We will also start a Bible College in the jungle where local river pastors can send men who would like to be trained for ministry. It will be an 8-month course with an optional extra year for pastoral training. Please continue to keep that in prayer. We would like to make it free, so we are praying for the Lord to provide!  

If anybody has any connections with organizations who do water filtrations systems in the mission field or reading glasses distributions, please contact us. There is a great need for both in the jungle river communities. 

We continue to be overwhelmed by the Lord’s guidance and provision in our lives. 

“And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.””

(Deuteronomy 31:8)

Thank you for your love and support! 

A Poem comparing a life of a butterfly and being a new creation in Christ!

When I am cocooned in a wrap of silk

You begin to feed me more than milk

Your word so fulfilling

It’s creating every wing 

So that one day I may fly

And I won’t feel the need to ask why

This new life I couldn’t have known

Without my God, in whom I have grown

A new creation more beautiful than before

I can’t wait to fly, and learn about Him more.

New creation! That was the theme of the Women’s Spring Brunch we had here at CCSG. It was themed around butterflies and how they transform from a caterpillar to these beautiful butterflies with such a new look! A few ladies shared their testimonies and it allowed me to reflect on my own transformed life and the lives of those around me. The poem in the beginning references the process (metamorphosis) of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly! And I love the idea of how all the food the caterpillar eats is saved for later, so that when they are cocooned they use that food and energy to grow into a butterfly. It may not look like much is happening in that cocoon, but so much is being grown. And although I know I am already living in that new transformed life, the Lord showed me another way to look at this analogy. All the studying and preparing I am doing here at CCSG has a huge purpose! And when it feels mundane, or may not “look” like a lot is happening, the Lord is doing some awesome stuff in my life and to those around me and it’s all to prepare me to fly(literally and metaphorically) somewhere else one day! To live in that transformed life unrecognizable to my old self. And because of that foundation of trust I have in the Lord, I won’t feel the need to ask “why this, or why that?” Because I know He has a perfect plan for my life and I can trust in that.  I encourage you to take a moment today and reflect on how God has transformed your life! And let it evoke worship, because our God is so good!! And so worthy!!

Any other pictures come to mind when you think of a new transformed life? Baptism. Oh how beautiful it is. I was beyond blessed to witness our baptism we held this month. Every baptism brings me to tears, but this one was quite special. One of the youth girls I have been discipling had gotten saved during our last winter camp. And her desire for the Word and a relationship with Jesus has been growing rapidly. Her parents were actually baptized at the last baptism as God has been moving in this family’s life like crazy and I have been blessed to walk alongside her during it. I have always been convicted with the saying “if you aren’t doing it here, you won’t do it there” regarding discipleship and sharing the Gospel. And if we are not doing it where we are at now, we won’t do it when we move overseas either. And that has stirred me recently to spend more time with these youth girls one-on-one more often, and share the gospel whenever I can in conversation. It’s been awesome and encouraging just getting to know the girls and study the Word of God in a deeper way with them.

Ultimately, that is making disciples. Living life with people and encouraging them in the Word. All Christians have this call to make disciples. As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I was starting a Young Adult Girls bible study! And it’s been AWESOME! I was so nervous wondering who would show up…and how would my teachings go…and what if I don’t have time? And the Lord has led the whole thing and I’ve been blessed to watch this group of about 6-7 girls consistently come and study the Word of God on their Saturday mornings. God is moving! Some have shared how timely the teaching has been, and just expressed how they had been hoping for a study just for the young adult girls. So I am beyond grateful for God’s hand in this study. God has really been moving in our young adults group overall and I see those my age around me becoming more bold in their faith and just in love with Jesus!! So please continue to pray for me as I teach God’s Word that I would be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading in topics to teach on and how I can best serve those around me through the study and display the powerful love of Christ! Maybe God is leading you to step out in faith somewhere a little intimidating? I pray this testimony of God’s leading hand in this step of faith would encourage you to go out and take that step today! You never know how God wants to use you in the lives of others.

Sometimes stepping out in faith includes a hair straightener. Allow me to explain. I was given the opportunity to head over to Watts, Los Angeles to help do 5th grade girls’ hair for a “Daddy Daughter Dance”. At the end of the school year, this school will host a dance for the girls graduating to get dressed up and bring their dads and celebrate. The school recognized that many girls didn’t have a dad to accompany them, so the police officers of that community stepped up and escorted the girls to the dance! It’s an awesome outreach that has been running for about 7 years and in that time, the church that helps run this dance “Hope Central Watts” (which is who I served with) has seen father figures in these girls’ lives be provoked to jealousy! Brothers, grandpas, uncles, or cousins started to step up and take these girls to the dance because they realized, “why should a police officer have to take my niece, granddaughter, or cousin? I can do that.” And the church has said it has brought great fruit in that regard of families stepping up for one another and they have had many opportunities to share the gospel at these events and with the families. With that said, I made a friend! Luckily when you are doing someone’s hair they can’t walk away, haha. I was with her the whole time, and because she had a ton of hair all we did was chat it up! I was able to explain how I go to church and work there and love Jesus! She was a sweet girl and we clicked really well. She was willing to hear and I pray that it made an impact in her life. The girls were shocked we would just come out of our day to do hair and nails for them, and I think it really displayed a sweet side of the love of Christ to them.

Above anything else you think I may need, always begin and stay praying. I want to invite you to come alongside me in this work. We have an enemy. He is real. But, our God is greater. And life gets busy, but just as you have taken the time to read this newsletter, I ask you to take time to pray for:

• The finances needed to attend the Calvary School of Missions in July ($2,700 still needed).
• Staying focused on the Missions Training Program.
• Wisdom and discernment on what to teach the young adults girls each time we meet.
• Continual opportunities for me to disciple/connect with the Youth Girls.
• The salvation of my family and that I may be a bold ambassador for Jesus.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read all about what God is doing in my life recently! Please feel free to check out the rest of my pages on my blog for poems and more about how God is speaking to me through His Word in the “hear when near” tab. God bless you! Have a wonderful day!

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 15:58.

After serving the Lord in the northern mountains for many years, we moved back to our home town in 2017. The Lord gave us the opportunity to revisit the northern mountains last month. We met with the believers and had fellowship with them that before we led to the Lord. It was such a blessed time to see them all and to see them walking in the Lord! We thank SGWM for sponsoring our trip to the North.

These three young men, Pastor 10*, Pastor 12*, and Pastor 13* (our first fruits in the North) are serving the Lord. They are being used by the Lord to save the lost. We were filled with joy to see how they are being used by the Lord to share the Gospel with young men and women. We worshiped the Lord with these believers and encouraged them from the Word to continue to grow in the knowledge and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Some of the young men and women, whom we shared the Gospel with and led to the Lord, have moved to cities for jobs. Those who are working in a nearby city came to know that we were here and came to see us. They were children when we were sowing the seeds, but now they have grown up and are working in the city. More importantly, they are following the Lord.

These young women shared their past experiences with my wife. They said things like, “Auntie, you used shampoo our hair and comb our hair. You played with us and used to tell us Bible stories.” They are the girls from low caste families. In their society they are looked down on, but they felt love and acceptance by us. In the mountains, children do not regularly take baths. Because of that, they smell and have lice in their hair. The love and acceptance they received from us made the Gospel effective in their lives.

M* is another girl (now a woman) who together with her three sisters gave her life to the Lord while we were ministering in the mountains. Two of her sisters, who accepted the Lord, have now married unbelievers. One of them (right) was in the village when we visited this time. My wife talked to her and encouraged her from the life of Naomi who had left the house of bread and finally returned to the house of bread.

M* stood firm in her faith and is married to a man who is also a believer (above). She and her husband serve the Lord in a village that is about 40 kilometres from her parent’s village. She came with her family to see us in her parents’ village. What a joy to see them serving the Lord! 

We also visited a family where a young woman is believer in Jesus. She wants to marry a believer in the Lord. All the family members were there when we visited. We spent a few hours with the family and shared the Gospel with them.

After visiting the villages we went to the city where Pastor 12* serves the Lord. We spent a day and a night with him. While we were there, one young woman came with her two children to see us. We did not remember her. She told to us that when we would go to villages to share the Gospel she was 12 or 13 years old. At that time, she was looking after the goats for her family. She used to come to our camp site with her goats and listen to the Bible stories that my wife would tell all the children who came. She now lives in the city. She is working and she has two kids. She is following the Lord with her heart. Praise God! None of our labor is in vain in the Lord.

Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support. Please continue to uphold us in your prayers. We need more financial supporters as our monthly income has gone down.

God bless,

Co-workers in Christ,

Pastor 15* Family

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

Dear Partners,

Greetings to you all in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

We express our heartfelt thanks to God almighty for protecting us, giving us good health and enabling us to meditate on His Word every day. We would like to also thank each one of you for your valuable prayers and financial support. We remember you and your family in our daily thoughts and prayers. May our good God bless you with all good resources and good health.

Last month, SGWM Pastors 3* & 16*, came to my home and stayed for a week. It was a blessed time to meet people and share the Gospel. Every Friday I conduct a prayer service at K* village which is just 6 kilometer away. In this particular village, there are 6 families who are believers. On Sunday I conduct worship service at my home. I am now teaching from Colossians. By God’s grace everyone is growing in the Lord.

By God’s grace I am visiting some more villages and sharing the Gospel. I am praying that in days to come, people in those villages will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Prayer Requests:

• Please pray for M* and K* village fellowships. May God strengthen the believers’ faith. May others also come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
• Please pray for my marriage. My parents are trying to find a suitable girl for me to marry.
• Kindly pray for my parents. Most of the time they are not well physically.

Thank you very much for your prayer and support!

In Him,

Pastor 2*

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

I am glad to announce the end of the spring semester, February–May 2024, of our Calvary Bible Institute. It was a wonderful semester to teach and get to know our dear students. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to our Lord for sending such wonderful men and women to CBI. It was another great opportunity to live with them, teach them, and share God’s vision for His ministry.  

Gospel Outreach– This time we ended the semester with Gospel outreaches. It was really exciting. The students showed their great enthusiasm in preparing dances, skits and Gospel messages. We had the opportunity to share the Gospel in two areas. 

One-Day Youth Conference: The local church youth also attended the conference. There were over 80 youth at the conference, including our students. It was a great time to teach at the conference from the book of Jonah: Don’t Try to Run Away from God’s Calling in Your Life. 

Morning Devotions in the Church Courtyard 

Every morning we had devotions as we started the day. The final semester students got to share during the devotions.

Open Air Gospel Outreach in the Village 

This tribe used to be considered an isolated jungle people. They used to not associate with any other people. But the Gospel has been spread among their tribe for many years, and they are becoming social. The Gospel brings everyone together. Our government is also encouraging them to become social. The village we had outreach in is around 8 kilometers from the Calvary Chapel we had the conference at. Some families from that village attending the church. Generally, people in this tribe have many children in their family. They do not like to send their children to school. 

Our Second Outreach:

We did a second outreach. Praise God, there were no hindrances or objections! The Gospel was clearly shared.

At the end of the trip, we had a great time refreshing with our Calvary Bible Institute students. We hiked for 4 hours to a mountain cave. It was full of excitement and fun.

Meeting Pastor Raju’s Family 

Before we headed back to the capital, we stopped at Pastor Raju’s church. We spent time praying with Pastor Raju’s family and the neighboring church believers.  

Our Church in the Capital’s Bible Church Ministry

Along with our weekly worship services, there is a lot of ministry happening throughout the week: women’s ministry, fasting prayer meetings, children’s ministry, youth ministry, weekly Bible studies, house fellowships, and visitations.

Inductive Bible Study Class 

Currently, two of our church leaders, Roshan and Akash, are studying at our Calvary Bible Institute. They have completed their second semester. They have been engaged in ministry in our church. Last month, the church organized IBS training for its believers. Roshan and Akash taught the IBS class.

Bible Study at Rabindra’s Place 

The Bible study has been led by one of our church leaders, Rabindra, for over a year. New people are joining the Bible study.

Calavary Chapel in the South-East

Pastor Nikesh’s family has been serving in the south-eastern part of our country. The city is filled with orthodox Hindus and Muslims. Despite persecution, threats, and employment challenges, he has been serving the Lord. The Gospel has not been stopped; people are coming to their church.

Calvary Chapel in the Middle-Eastern Part of Our Country

Pastor Laxman is serving in the middle-eastern part of our country. The place is filled with orthodox Hindus. Despite social discrimination, hatred towards Christians, and employment challenges, he has been serving the Lord faithfully.

Blessings!

In His Service, 

Prakash & Muna