When I was in the island of Java, there was a lady who was outside her home and I was really intrigued by her. I stared at her for a minute and she gave me a big smile and I smiled back and waved at her. I wanted to go up to her but I knew we were soon leaving the location. Later, I found out that her two grandchildren were possessed. I felt a heavy burden come over me and my heart was broken. The image of her smiling wouldn’t leave my mind. I had no idea that behind that smile was a dark, heartbroken life that she was living. It made me reflect on how the gospel is very needed in places where people have no idea who Jesus is.

GREETINGS

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. I am grateful for your partnership and being able to go to Indonesia. God is faithful even when I am faithless. It was unbelievable when I got out of the airplane that I was in Indonesia, considering the prior weeks of not knowing if I was going.

BALI

Bali was not what I expected. When you google Bali you get these beautiful images of the beach, of resorts, and all these adventure type photos. I didn’t see anything like that because it felt like most of what we saw was poverty, financially yes, but more so spiritually. When we got out of the airport and drove to our hotel we saw many demonic statues and temples and I was appalled. I had no idea it was going to be all over and in your face. There were also many offerings on the streets to their gods. Over and over throughout my time in Bali the Lord gave me a burden for the people.

I took this photo above as we were driving to a restaurant and I had no idea if my phone captured the image; when I checked my phone I was shocked at what I saw. There was another photo that I took where you could see there were kids behind the float and on the side.

One night after a woman’s bible study we went to the hospital to pray over someone’s father from the congregation. Barek and I sat outside and waited for our turn, when all of the sudden we heard loud sharp music. As I sat there, I felt this heaviness come over me. I felt like time paused and I couldn’t move. When I stood up to go see what this terrible noise was I saw these men across the street playing different instruments. Barek talked with a security guard at the hospital and asked what it was; and he told him they were preparing for a parade called “The Day of Silence.” The noise was horrific and again my heart was broken for these people.

JAVA

Java was like I stepped into another world. Going from Bali, a place that is filled with so many demonic statues, to Java, a new region that is entirely muslim with so many mosques and calls to prayer, was quite interesting. This area had a different heaviness and darkness. I remember sitting at a restaurant and feeling very overwhelmed and I quickly wanted to return to Bali. A gentlemen who has a ministry in this location shared with us that the people who live there don’t know Arabic yet they claimed to be muslim. It made no sense why the people claim to be muslim if the calls to prayer and the Quran are both in Arabic. The only answer is that the enemy has a stronghold on them. The people are living in spiritual blindness.

OVERALL

On both of these islands the enemy has a stronghold on the people and it breaks my heart. The need is great and so more prayer is needed to see if this is a location the Lord wants to use us in a new work. I am open to whatever the Lord wills. I feel like there is still more to process from everything that I have experienced.

I’M ENGAGED

I am engaged!!! I met Barek a little over a year ago and after much prayer and seeking the Lord we decided to take a step of faith and start dating, and now we are engaged! Barek is a man who is after God’s own heart and I am grateful for the Lord bringing us together. We were able to go up north and see my family. He met my family for the first time and asked for my hand. I am excited to see how the Lord uses us both in our calling to missions.

Praise Reports:

• Praise God for the opportunity to go to Indonesia
• Praise God I got to visit my family, it had been serveral months since I last saw them
• Praise God for working in the ordinary and bringing Barek and I together

Prayer Request:

• Pray for the grandchildren of the lady in Java
• Pray for Barek and I as we step into a new season of engagement
• Pray for God’s will to be done as I am considering going back to school and getting my teaching credentials as the Lord has been showing me I can use this when I move overseas.

Several things fell into place this month. The Lord is faithful and He has blessed us beyond anything we could have imagined and in His perfect timing. It’s easy to look back and write that now. It doesn’t mean that we didn’t have our share of anxious days and stress-filled nights. We haven’t always had peace since arriving in Japan (visa delays and plan changes and team leading etc.), but we have always had access to the Peacemaker. We didn’t often have confidence in the Japanese government, but we did have confidence in our calling. So those moments of doubt and anxiety were hard, but thankfully were few and short-lived.

Since our last update, our change of status was approved, and we now have our three-year visas. Once those arrived, we were able to register with the local city office and look for a place to rent. We had been praying for the right place for several months, but it’s still difficult to rent as a foreigner in Japan. Alishia had been using a website to see what rental units were available in the area around the church, but nothing quite fit our list that we had been praying about. There was a surprisingly low number of places that were open, and it looked like we wouldn’t have many options. However, the day that our visas came through, and we could officially start looking for a place, one came available. It was the place we had been praying for and met every one of our needs. We moved in this week, and it already feels like home.

We were also able start serving at the church. We do set-up and tear-down for our church gatherings on Friday nights and Sundays, we help out with English class on Fridays and Saturdays, and Alishia goes to the ladies’ bible study on Tuesdays. We are preparing for the church’s Easter outreach as well as doing discipleship with some of the other volunteers at the church. And of course, now that Alishia has a kitchen, she is inviting anyone and everyone over for meals or tea. Please keep all of these interactions in prayer.

We will be making a ‘short’ trip back to the States in May for Alishia’s American citizenship ceremony, as well as Daphne’s high school graduation. We’d love to spend time with you then if you’re free and we’re in your area. We’ll only be able to be in Montana and California this time, so let us know. Thank you so much for your prayers, they mean so much to us.

Prayer Requests:

• Praise the Lord that we have an apartment and that we are getting it set up!

• Pray for our ministry opportunities, especially our upcoming Easter outreach.

• Pray for our trip back to America that is coming up in May.

“Jesus said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

Matthew 22:37

The phrase “with all your mind” has been very important in guiding and inspiring my ministries in the areas of apologetics, evangelism, Bible teaching etc, for many years. Despite reading and thinking about this phrase many times over the decades my view is beginning to expand beyond “intellect” to the “whole mind.” I will explain how this new mindset is leading to an expansion in ministry.

Education/Intellect

Sonshine Kids International School/Faith Family Church Cambodia: Since last month, I have been involved in teacher training at Sonshine Kids International School, which is connected to Faith Family Church Cambodia, where I also have been teaching Apologetics/Evangelism in partnership with Ps. Dara to equip his church members. Please pray for wisdom and guidance.

Precious Women Organization/True Education International School: Kayo and I have been working with, supporting, encouraging, and partnering with Precious Women Organization (PWO) since before it began around 14 years ago. Kayo serves on the advisory board, helps with administration, and does some teaching. I have mainly been helping them produce videos and leading staff devotions from time to time. PWO is in the process of starting True Education International School in a rural neighborhood outside of the city. They have started classes for primary students and Kayo and I will be helping them with their English classes. Please pray for us to be salt and light before the students, their families, and the community.

International Fishers: Christian Evidence Ministry: Even though I haven’t been able to produce any new videos for a while and allowed the subscription for the website to expire, IF continues making an impact on Facebook/YouTube as an evangelistic tool that Cambodians can use to reach other Cambodians. Please pray for wisdom and guidance about the future direction of IF.

Expansion into Mental Health/Whole Mind

It seems that God often leads me to minister out of my own trials and pain. My apologetics ministry sprung out of finding answers to my doubts about the truth of Christianity/God/Jesus/the Bible. Now God is opening new doors and giving me a new passion to reach out to those who struggle with mental health issues and their families from my own struggles/victories in this area since 2003. I am pursuing this new aspect of ministry in partnership with Light Association (the parent organization of Light Times Magazine) and the local international church.

So far I have been encouraging a Cambodian Christian man who is struggling with depression and paranoia and helping his family connect to mental health services/referrals through Light Association. I have also been studying and helping other missionaries and Cambodian Christians to better understand mental illness/brain disorders so that they (we) can better minister to those who are struggling and their families. The biggest challenges so far have been overcoming fear, shame, and misunderstandings about the causes of/treatments for mental illness/brain disorders. Please pray for wisdom and favor in this new area of ministry.

Financial Concern

We are blessed and encouraged by the generous and sacrificial giving of our faithful senders in the USA and Japan! We have encountered some unavoidable (some unexpected) large expenses (Benjamin’s tuition, major car repairs, moving expenses, visas/work permit, insurance, etc.) that have significantly impacted our accounts. The economic situations in the USA and Japan are also concerning. Please pray that God will bless and prosper our senders and also help us to connect to additional senders in both countries. We are planning to visit senders/churches/and family in Japan this summer so please also pray for blessings on this time.

In Christ’s Hands,

Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin

We have had an exciting couple of months here in Oaxaca. In January we had a team of amazing women come from Calvary Rosarito. We had a 2-night women’s conference that was a huge blessing for all who came. It was so fun to spend time with our friends, old and new, from Rosarito. For those of you that don’t know, we spent a year doing the church planting course in Rosarito.

In February we had a married couples dinner to celebrate Valentine’s Day, and about 27 couples came. The youth helped serve the food and had a fun timing hanging out while the married couples listened to a message from Jon, played some games, and ate an amazing meal prepared by one of the ladies from our church.

At the beginning of March we celebrated FIVE YEARS of Calvary Oaxaca and all that the Lord has done. There are really no words to express how grateful we are that God called us here to Oaxaca and has given us a love for this place, and especially for the people. We have seen God’s hand in people’s lives in such amazing ways over these past 5 years including restored marriages, new faith in Jesus, baptisms, amazing friendships grow, and so much more. We have also seen His hand on our lives as He has made this our home, among many other things.

The men and women finished the book of Colossians a couple of weeks ago. This has been such a blessing to be studying the same book of the Bible. Each week we have worship together and then I (Allison) teach the ladies and one of the men teaches the men. It’s a huge blessing that Jon has some men who can teach so he can be part of the study. I am praying for some ladies who might be able to teach too. We would love prayer for that.

Jon has been teaching 2-3 times a week in Spanish. Each week I see more and more improvement in his Spanish! I think we’ll be learning Spanish for the rest of our lives. Haha! Please pray for all 4 of us to continue to grow in this area. Jonny and Noah have lots of friends here who only speak Spanish and somehow they make it work, but they are still shy. Maybe they just don’t speak it in front of Jon and me and are speaking it when we’re not around.

The church keeps very busy during the week. Right now we are doing a Navigators class, prayer night, midweek study, men’s and women’s bible study, Jon has his church planting class on Friday nights, and youth group on Saturday. It’s so fun!

We continue to go to the casa hogar each month to spend time with our friends there. They have become more like family than anything. I have also been teaching some of them how to drive once a week or so. It’s been an adventure.

We also have the exciting news that we will have another granddaughter in August. Austin and McKenna are expecting their second daughter and we can’t wait. Myla is already almost a year and a half, and it’ll be so fun to see them become a family of four. Another exciting thing is that Jonny will be turning 18 in April. I can’t believe we’re going to have two adult sons, and Noah is only a year behind Jonny.

Please continue to keep us in prayer as we serve the Lord here in Oaxaca. We are so grateful for all of you who keep us in prayer, reach out, and support our family and the ministry here financially. If you’d like to support us, please click the link. And please sign up for our email updates. We also continue to post a lot of updates on Instagram and Facebook.

Jon, Allison, Jonny, Noah

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

Psalm 107:1

And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 

2 Timothy 2:2

Dear Friends and Family,

As the church grows not just in size but in maturity, it seems to be a natural result that ministry and the responsibilities of doing the ministry increases as well. To help keep the ministry flowing and to keep the leadership from being spread too thin, it is important to train up and share some of that responsibility with mature church members.

Recently at Arise Christian Fellowship we announced we would like to train up more volunteers to help with the ministries at the church. We were pleasantly surprised with the amount of interest that was shown. To my delight, the majority were interested in children’s ministry. This was a huge blessing because our children’s ministry can go from 65 when school is in session to 200 when school is on a break. The next largest interest group was worship.  Our worship leader was happy about this because recently she lost 2 of her team members due to their having to relocate because of their jobs. The new worship volunteers are quite young but very motivated.  It is a great discipleship opportunity for us with them as well as training them in worship.  We also had interest in ushering and cleaning.  One man who Brian has been discipling expressed the desire to present announcements for the church services.

With all of this interest we held a volunteer training for anyone interested.  We also had a specific Sunday school training for those interested in teaching, with some practical, hands-on workshops. The training for the Sunday School teachers was done by a co-laborer of ours, called Paul.  He serves with an organization that trains Sunday school teachers all over the world.  He travels all around Uganda training Sunday School teachers.  He also has gone to our compound in Nimule to train the teachers there. Some of our Christmas and Easter productions have been directed by Paul as well. He is very gifted with children.

“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.”

James 5:14

One of the biggest ministries we have had as of late is helping the many sick chaplains who come through the Far Reaching Ministries.  Most of the chaplains have common tropical diseases but have not been able to receive the proper medicines where they are deployed deep in the bush.  We had one chaplain who had been shot seven times up near the border of North Sudan. We praise God that he was not killed. The doctors here even were amazed at how every bullet missed vital organs or arteries. 

This year I am still homeschooling the children.  I homeschool Liana fully and Luke and Laylee are in online school as well so that they can have permanent records for highschool and eventually university.  For extra curricular activities the girls are in ballet and Luke takes karate as well as playing basketball.

Thank you for praying for our family and for the ministry in Uganda.

In Him,

Brian, Jill, Luke, Laylee, and Liana

PRAYER REQUESTS

• We are so thankful  for the many ways the Lord has blessed us and for everyone who supports us and the ministry in Uganda.
• Please pray for all the volunteers at Arise Christian Fellowship, both old and new.  Pray for them to be filled with the Spirit and gifted for the ministries they are doing.
• Pray for all of the chaplains who are ill or injured. Pray for their healing and for the testimony they are to so many.
• Pray also for Scovia who works for the FRM guesthouse as she just had surgery to remove a large lump from her neck. Pray all the biopsies come back negative.
• Pray for Jill and the children as they continue homeschooling. Pray for patience for Jill and a desire to learn for the children.
• Pray for Brian as he pastors and leads the ministry team at Arise Christian Fellowship
• Pray for the Kanyike children to get called for their citizenship interview.

PREPARING THE FIELD FOR GOD’S PROVISION

Hi everyone! Welcome back to my latest update on missions! Thank you so much for your prayers and ongoing support. Next week, it will be 5 months since I got to the USA. Praise the Lord! It has been an altogether awesome, challenging, and fruitful time of growth for me.

In the Bible, we always see how waiting on the Lord always brings fruit in due season. 2 Timothy 2:6 teaches me that the hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops (NIV), but it is evident that the farmer needs to first put in the work. In my time in the US, God has asked me to prepare the field for Him, so when He brings the rain, all preparation may bear much fruit! Meanwhile, I just continue to be faithful to Him, spending time with Him, studying the Word, learning, and doing the work of the ministry. I pray for God to move His hand, but I work to prepare the field for Him to do it! Praying and working hard is God’s way to make His name known! Don’t stop reading! I’m about to share some of the great things God is doing lately!

⁹ And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Galatians 6:9

A couple of months ago, God brought a young man named Tyler to the church through one of our friends. Having a Catholic background, Tyler arrived at our Young Adults group with a lot of questions about God. At the end of the teaching, I shared the Gospel with him and asked him if he was ready to surrender his life to Christ. He answered back, “I will continue to pray to see if I can have enough confidence to do it one day”. So, I said to him, “the only thing you need to do is believe, Tyler. If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and you believe with all your heart that God raised Him from the dead, then you will be saved. You don’t need anything else. Jesus already did everything for you!” Moments later, we were leading Tyler in a prayer to confess his sins before God and receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior. What a night!!! Praise the Lord!

About the same time when this happened, my good friend, Isaac (Youth Pastor at CCSG), asked me to teach the Word in the Youth Winter Camp at Big Bear. Man! I was so nervous I couldn’t sleep the day before preaching! The next morning, I spent 1 hour teaching on John 10, in my second language. Isn’t God amazing? At the end of the session, I was encouraged by some of the guys who approached to tell me that the Word has been edifying to them. It was such a special weekend we got to spend with the teens. We prayed for and with them, we sled in the snow, we had worship nights, fellowship, and listened to many awesome Bible teachers. Such a blessed time!

I want to thank you for your prayers for our trip to Mazatlan last month. On February 22th, I traveled with Pastor Tim and his wife, Jenn, to a Church Planting Conference down in Mexico. This was a fruitful time where I found several Mexican believers desiring to go serve the Lord as cross-cultural missionaries. Now, if you know me, I’m sure I have shared with you how God placed a burden in my heart to encourage fellow believers (specifically Spanish-speakers) to go to the nations. Meeting all these people was a confirmation from the Lord that, in our congregations, there are men and women called by God and willing to GO to all of the world! Amen!

The first day of the conference, I met Andy. Without notice, this young girl came to me and shared how God called her at the age of 7 to be a missionary. Since then, she had been praying to serve the Lord, and she waited to be sent to the Middle East one day. Andy is just 14 years old! Can you help me in praying for her? I was so excited and encouraged by this young girl. Please join us in prayer as we lift up the future generations of missionaries going to the nations to share Jesus!!!

Update for Spanish Speakers: Last month, some fellow believers and I, started a prayer group for the nations via Zoom. The purpose of this group is to support Mexican church planters and missionaries in prayer as they serve God. We pray that this group may grow to be a strong, faithful group that will partner with future Mexican missionaries to minister to Mexico and Beyond! You are all invited to be part of this, just reply to this post, and I will contact you!

I leave you with some of the plans God has placed in my heart in these upcoming months.

Next steps towards the field (Please partner with me in PRAYER!):

• Teaching on “International Church Planting/Missions” at Horizonte Church and CBI Mexico on May 1st.
• Going on a Vision Tour to the Middle East.
• Attending Security Training for closed countries to the Gospel.
• Continue partnering in prayer and finances with different churches.

Prayer petitions:

• For a deep and strong relationship with the Lord.
• For God strengthening Tyler as he grows in the faith.
• For salvation for the people we witnessed to these last weeks: Muhammad (Muslim), Summi and Emma (Mormons), Cathy and Amanda (Catholic), Dilan (Buddhist), and multiple young men and women (Atheists).
• For the Mexico and Beyond prayer meeting every Friday.
• For the Next Steps towards the Field.
• For God to bless me with a Care Team.

Praise Reports:

• Tyler and some friends got baptized last month at the church!
• I’m almost 50% funded to go on a Vision Tour to the Middle East!
• We are 6 weeks in from the start of our “Mexico and Beyond!” prayer meeting!
• The trip to Mazatlan was greatly blessed by God!
• Missions Training School is going great! Everyday the Lord grows my desire to serve Him in full capacity as a missionary (At the end of this post, you can see a schedule of the things I normally work on throughout the week).

If you want to bless God’s work through my life by taking care of my financial needs as a missionary, you can always press the button at the end of this update “Become a Financial Partner.“ Please do it prayerfully, I would love to get to know you and build a long-term relationship to make Jesus known in the nations. Right now I’m waiting for God to provide long-term support of approximately $1,500-$2,000 USD per month to pay for my basic needs and Language School (Arabic).

Thanks for spending your time reading this update. Love you guys! Thanks for your care, love, encouragement, and support for me. May God bless you and give you according to the riches of His glory in Jesus Christ! I’m praying for you guys.

Jesus loves you,

– Marcelo Ramos

Day	Schedule
Monday	8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Work in Side Jobs & do Reading 1 6:30 – 9:00 PM Culture Class with Rob
Tuesday	10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Church Staff Meeting 12:00 PM – 4:30 PM Prepare Teaching for Preaching Class (PC), Arabic Class & do Reading 2 4:30 – 6:00 PM Babysit Charlie (my favorite baby!) 6:30 – 9:00 PM Discipleship Class
Wednesday	8:00 AM – 12:00 PM Prepare Teaching for PC & do Reading 3 12:30 – 1:00 PM Book Discussion 1:00 – 2:30 PM Preaching Class 2:30 – 4:30 PM Missions’ Class 6:00 – 9:00 PM Spanish Fellowship/Midweek Service
Thursday	12:00 – 4:00 PM Work on Maintenance at church 6:00 – 9:00 PM Young Adults Group
Friday	8:00 – 9:00 AM Host “Mexico and Beyond” Prayer Meeting 9:30 – 11:00 AM Islam Relgion Class and/or Discipleship w/Pastor Tim 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Prayer Meeting for the Nations
Saturday	Rest Day (Something always comes up! Haha.)
Sunday	7:00 AM – 2:00 PM Church Service (9 & 11 AM)

Hello friends and family! It’s been a little over a month since I last wrote and a lot has happened. When I last wrote I had just arrived in Yorba Linda, California for a missions training program. (We’ll call it MTS from now on.) Without further ado, let’s get into it.

An Inner Burning

In my last newsletter, I talked about how I spent 3 months in Israel. During that time in Israel, I had an urge to reach the Israeli people, yet I had such a hard time when it came to sharing the gospel because of the cultural and language barriers. Though Israel is very Westernized compared to the rest of the Middle East, it still is very culturally different. Not only that but though many Israelis speak English, it often isn’t their first language. Understandably, since I don’t speak Hebrew and am not an Israeli, it was difficult to share the gospel effectively. All this to say that when I got back to the U.S. I was eager to share the gospel in my native language and a culture I understand. During the first month of the MTS program, I decided one Thursday that I would join Pastor Nick (one of the pastors at Calvary Chapel Saving Grace) in his Cal State Fullerton outreach. When we arrived I spent hours sharing the gospel with college students. It was very exciting meeting people of all different backgrounds. Through a long set of divine appointments and stories for another time, I met a girl we’ll call Jessica and a guy named we’ll call Kyle. Kyle had been a believer when I met him, he was a believer for 2 years and was hungry to grow in the Lord and evangelism as well. Since meeting him, he has joined me 2 times to go evangelizing! Jessica is not a believer but is seeking after the Lord. A couple of MTS students and I spent a few hours with her and at the end of our conversation, she told us she wanted to learn more about God and has been faithfully attending Young Adults Group and Sunday services and best of all, 2 of our MTS ladies are pouring into her. All this is to say that the Lord is working amongst the young people.

What Else is Happening at the Missions Training Program?

So what else am I doing in the MTS program? Well, I’m glad you asked. The program consists of classes such as a preaching class, missions class, discipleship classes, and various others. In our preaching class, I am learning how to handle God’s Word to instruct others. I am really learning to love the Word and how it really comes to life when you teach it. It seems that every week of teaching through Philippians, God gives me opportunities to apply what I’m studying at work. The week I was studying Philippians 4:4, I had a rough day at work. It was during my shift that I knew I needed to rejoice in the Lord always even when things weren’t good and so I did. All that to say, God is growing and shaping me throughout the process.

Prayer Requests/ Praise reports

• Please join me in praying for my coworkers for their salvation and that God would open a door for me to share the gospel with them
• Please pray for the Cal State Fullerton campus outreach that the Lord would open up the door for us to establish a good bible-teaching club on campus
• Pray for Jessica and her salvation/ Pray for the ladies ministering to her that God would give them wisdom
• Pray for Steve and Misha that God would bless their work in Israel
• Praise the Lord for the work He’s doing in the young adults
• Praise God for the salvation of Kyle
• Praise God for His Word and how it truly changes lives

Thank you all for your prayers and your support. If you would like to hear more about the things God is doing, feel free to message me and I would love to share with you. If you would like to support my ministry there will be a link below. If you have any questions, please message me. Thank you again. God bless you all.

It has been a little while since my last newsletter, right before leaving for Southeast Asia; I have been back for a few weeks now and I am excited to share all that has happened! I want to first thank all of you for reading my newsletter, praying, and partnering with me as I continue to seek the Lord and train for full-time missions work.

BALI and EAST JAVA

Getting to visit these islands in Indonesia, seeing the culture, interacting with those in local ministry, and witnessing the darkness of the dominant religions has altogether left me with quite a lot to process in this season. A lot of people have asked me what I thought of the region, if I feel called or if I want to go back. The one thing I can say for certain is that there is so much spiritual darkness there, and the gospel is needed; Jesus Christ is needed.

In Bali, where the team spent the majority of our time, we witnessed more Hindu statues than I could possibly have guessed coming into the trip. Quite literally every single corner (every single household) had a shrine or a temple of some kind. The architecture of these is always eerie and off-putting, and as you can see below, the statues are blatantly horrific and demonic. The people on this island most likely do not realize that they are enslaved to these rituals and practices; they live in fear of these ‘gods’ and nearly every aspect of their lives is dictated by this fear. The spiritual darkness is so evident.

In spite of the darkness, the Lord opened so many doors to work with local ministries. Though many of them differ in their approaches to missions, there was an opportunity to share the vision that Saving Grace World Missions takes straight from the book of Acts, aptly called “The Purpose of the Church.” I first heard this in the School of Missions, and through it God has given me a theological, and more importantly, Biblical conviction of my role in fulfilling the Great Commission. I’d love to share this vision of evangelizing and discipling the nations, through church-planting, if any one of you has questions!

Visiting East Java provided our team with such an awesome opportunity, in that we not only were we able to see a predominantly Hindu culture in Bali, but also a predominantly Muslim culture. As soon as the ferry pulled into the East Java harbor we could see multiple mosques from which we would soon hear incessant calls to prayer. In all honesty, the darkness in this island was more palpable than what we encountered in Bali, despite the fact that we spent only three days in Java. On a personal note, I developed some kind of an infection that hit me full force while on this island, as I came down with a fever, sore throat, and strange ankle pain. Though the warfare was happening, I had a peace and a sense of gratitude for my team and my calling. This trip was just a taste of what cross-cultural missions is like, of what culture-shock feels like, and of what my everyday world may eventually look like! Don’t worry, I am not deterred.

The darkness of these places and the lostness of these people does not dissuade me but rather emboldens me in the LORD. If I could summarize what I saw in one word, it would be bondage. I encountered so many people in bondage; whether it was a local Balinese woman whirling and breathing in incense to a ‘god’ at a food altar on the street, or a Javanese Muslim wailing a call to prayer in the streets with incessant and depressing repetition, or even if it was the tourists coming to indulge and seek empty lusts and thrills. Yes I encountered bondage, but I’ve never felt so free in Christ, in a unique and strange way. There was a time in my life when the bondage of these people would’ve either gone over my head, or it would’ve been rationally compartmentalized as something other than exactly what it is; they are enslaved to their sin nature, as I once was. They need to hear the gospel! They need to personally know the victory that is in Jesus Christ, a victory that remains always and resounds forever.

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

– 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

IN OTHER NEWS

Upon returning from Indonesia, the Lord has guided me in taking an exciting new step of faith. This past weekend I got engaged! I met Araceli over a year ago and together we have sought the Lord in our relationship, and have both felt it confirmed that we are called to reach the nations together; where and when we don’t know, but we trust Him and His plans, which He and He alone has always been faithful to guide us through. In each other, the Lord has given us both a helper, as Eve was given to Adam in Genesis 2. Please pray for us as we seek the Lord together in this season of engagement and with the missions program as we seek to spread the gospel, by the power of the Holy Spirit. God is faithful!

Thank you for reading this; I hope to continue to connect with you all, and please reach out to me with any questions about the trip, the next steps, or anything!

PRAYER REQUESTS

• For myself and everyone on the teams, both to Japan and to Indonesia; that we’d continue to unpack everything with the Lord and that He’d burden our hearts for these specific countries, if it be His sovereign will.
• For continued growth in His Word and in the work that He has for me as I continue to seek to be used by Him in ministry.
• For my fiancé and I as we enter into this season of engagement, seeking the Lord, and eventually planning our wedding with Him in every detail!
• For a job, as I am currently looking for the best option given where I’m at and what the future holds.

PRAISE REPORTS

• For the victory that we have in Christ, always and forever!
• For God’s continual guidance and provision through my anxiety; He has shown His sovereignty so many times, I am learning and re-learning that He gives me no reason to doubt His love or His promises.
• For the amazing and eye-opening trip to Indonesia.
• For this new season of engagement!

How great are His signs, and how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation.

Daniel 4:3

Last month we mentioned that we wanted to “Be Still” and wait upon the Lord. Well, we did that and heard Him saying to continue being faithful to what is in front of us. Jenn is itching to “GO,” however, we are to STAY for now.  There are many opportunities and privileges God has put in front of us. The sheep need us, MTS (Missions Training School) & CSOM (Calvary School of Missions) need us, the missionaries overseas need us…and of course we couldn’t do any of this without each and every one of you and most importantly our Father! We need Him! Amen?!  

We are in our Father’s Business!!

Here’s what we have been up to since our last newsletter, hold on to your seats:

We had an awesome time at the Church Planter’s Conference in Mazatlan.  We took one of the MTS students with us, Marcelo. Let us tell you about him. He is a Mexican national, who has graduated from CSOM and is now at our church training to go over seas to the Middle East to join 7 other missionaries that have been sent already in the last year. Marcelo has a huge serving heart and has a passion for the lost.  His uncle is the senior pastor at Calvary Culiacan.  We are so delighted to have him with us for the time being, he helped us in Mazatlan with promoting the school and helping us with translation.  He is an excellent interpreter.  

We heard from some GREAT bible teachers & pastors. Hugo Limon from Culiacan spoke on, “Creating a Sending Hub” to reach big cities. Wes Bentley founder of “Far Reaching Ministries” taught on “Planting Churches to reach the World.” Bruce Zachary, pastor and author of 17 books, taught on “Raising up Leaders.” Pastor Mike Vincent from CCR who has planted 39 churches and 20 church planting schools taught, “The Sending Hub,” an overview of Acts 1:8. “But you will receive the power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And finally, Pastor Tony Carranza from Calvary Maranatha, a bilingual church that sent out 6 new church plants. Tony taught on, “Creating a Sending Hub through a Church Planting School.”  Tim also taught a workshop on serving as an assistant pastor and closed out the conference with communion. Jenn helped out in the children’s ministry, her wheel house.

So many other workshops were taught by missionaries serving on the field, Pastors & Pastors wives Q & A.   Sooo encouraging and stirring for the Nations.  We are in awe that WE get to be a part of the Great Commission!! 

Romans 10:14 – how then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 

Here are some quotes that stayed with us when leaving the conference:

**Engage, equip, encourage, empower.

**The gospel is of the world, the world needs more gospel centered churches.

**Be relational.

**Learn the culture.

**Identify future disciples and church planters.

**Prepare yourself for the opposition.

**Continue to be faithful and count the cost.

**Make prayer a priority.

We were blessed by some divine appointments in getting to know some new sisters and brothers with a possibility to partner with them and helping them use their ministry for the Great Commission AND catching fireflies for CSOM. One of the things we love the most is meeting new people in Christ.  

Tim and I continue to love on the students by training, debriefing, discipling, fellowshipping, and walking side-by-side with them on the road the Lord has for them to reach the unreached and fulfill the great commission. 

Jenn was able to attend the Calvary Curriculum Children’s Ministry Conference this past month along with one of our missionaries who is here on furlough. Thus was Jenn’s first time attending this conference, in prior years she was not able to attend because of work. Jenn was able to take away so many important ways to teach the kiddos about Jesus.  As she leads up the Nursery/ Toddlers Ministry, her main focus is to teach the kids how to pray, read the Bible, & worship.  Kids are smarter than we think at this age. Jenn truly enjoys ministering to the kiddos at Saving Grace and hopes to take this to the unreached God willing this year!  

Tim also had the opportunity to take/drive the high schoolers up to Big Bear for their annual retreat.  The theme of the retreat was God pursuing you. He was asked to teach so he shared on Psalm 139 bringing out the truths of how intimately God already knows you, how much He loves you, and how it doesn’t make sense to run from somebody you can’t get away from anyhow. 

Jenn also had the opportunity to teach an encouraging devotional to the group of wives in S. Asia over FaceTime. 5 wives showed up and it truly was a fruitful time praying and sharing. She taught a short lesson on, “It is Well With My Soul.” I’m sure you have heard of the song.  No matter the storms and/or persecution that come our way, our GOD is greater. No man can separate us from HIM. (Due to security, we are unable to post any photos) We continue to meet monthly. 

Tim and I are amazed by God’s grace and faithfulness to us.  We are truly blessed beyond measures that we get to be a part of the Great Commission at Saving Grace World Missions. We see so many times God confirming to us our calling since I quit my job. God continues to provide for us! This is our God! Loving, faithful, sovereign, compassionate.

Prayer Requests:

1. Please pray for the 2024 Calvary School of Missions and for us as we get to lead this wonderful work of God’s.
2. Please pray for us, as we are implementing some personal disciplines that will enable us to serve the Lord in this capacity for many more years.
3. Please pray for our son Andy as he is still wandering in his wilderness and desperately needs Jesus. Praise Jesus we are able to minister to him and see him frequently. We pray for our Father to renew his mind. 
4. Please pray for wisdom as we navigate this new year in a way that honors God and brings much glory to Him.  This year’s calendar for missionary care and equipping is quite full and opportunities are not lacking.

We love you all so much and thank you for being behind us. You are also part of this ‘Great Commission’!! We are so dependent on and grateful for your prayers and want to say thank you to those who have already joined us in this area. We realize it’s by God’s grace and through your prayers that we are able to serve the Lord the way we do! But if the Lord leads you to partner with us financially, we are in need of additional monthly supporters, and if you desire to increase your already generous support, please know that it would be a huge help. You can do so by clicking on the link below to become a financial partner or mailing your support check to:

Saving Grace World Missions

17451 Bastanchury Rd., Ste.203 Yorba Linda, CA 62886

*Note Pappas support in memo

All for His Glory, 

Tim and Jenn Pappas

We have never seen anything like this before. The category 5 hurricane left Acapulco looking completely apocalyptic. Not one inch was spared throughout the entire city. We went weeks upon weeks without power, water, gasoline, internet, drivable streets, grocery stores, and more. Our church building had all of its walls ripped out; our 3-ton A.C. units went flying like a piece of paper. At home, the sliding glass door to our bedroom was shattered and the storm flooded our apartment with rainwater, dirt, and broken glass. We are still processing this traumatic event and trying to return to normal. However, it will be something that those of us who went through it will never forget.

Opportunity

Acapulco’s biggest need is salvation!! This was the perfect opportunity to share Jesus with our community. With the help of Samaritan’s Purse, we were able to open our doors at the church and be a hub that offers daily meals, give out boxes of food, purified water, medicine, and of course the gospel at every turn. We have also seen an influx of people coming to our Sunday service for the last two months. The hurricane relief put us on the map. It’s always during the dark times when Jesus shines the brightest. Our missionary Lili did an amazing job finding those most in need. So many communities were left by themselves with no government help so when we stepped in, we were received very well. The children were surrounded by disaster and to relieve them we brought games, toys, and a Christian clown who also taught about Jesus. Everything was incredible. The Lord truly blessed us! Lili is also a Saving Grace Missionary.

Things are starting to take shape. By the grace of God and your generous donations, our church building is coming together once again. Our walls have been replaced, we got new A.C. units, the nursing mother’s room has been rebuilt, and much more. All this was done with the help of many Calvary Chapel churches from the U.S. and Mexico. There are too many to name but we are forever grateful and we pray that the Lord richly blesses you all in return. On a side note, the owner of the building has put the property up for sale once again. We all love our church location and building. We have looked high and low for other buildings but nothing compares. Our prayer is that we can come into an agreement with the owner and he lowers the price. Its a church planting factory with so much to give. We believe the Lord continues to do miracles. Please pray!

Calvary Chapel Iguala

The doors have officially opened to our last church plant. There is a great need in this city and we are praying many would come to know the Lord through Pastor Julio and his wife Carla. We are still in the process of getting the building ready with everything that they need. Thankfully the rent has been paid for the year. Only God can do those things. For the time being we will continue to equip our leaders and send them out. The door is open.

Villegas Family Update

Our family is growing. Our son Noah just got engaged and will soon be married (another young lady from Acapulco). We are ecstatic with this new addition. Keyla is an amazing girl who loves the Lord. She is serving at our church in multimedia. Our eldest son Elijah was recently promoted to senior airman in the Airforce and his wife Bianca finally received her permanent resident status that we have been praying for. Micah is still living in Ensenada serving in Horizonte Fellowship. He leads the youth study and God is using him greatly there.

Stacy and I just started a much-needed marriage study with our church. We have around 25 couples in attendance that are hungry for the Word. Please keep this in your prayers as we know the enemy loves to divide and attack marriages. We completely trust in Jehovah-Jireh. He has always taken care of our needs. Starting in April we will be losing some of our support. It was a big help so please keep us in your prayers that God would continue to provide as we serve.

Villegas Family Support