Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I hope you are doing well! Thank you for your prayers and support. I am doing good by God’s grace.

In September, I got the opportunity to visit Thailand. We had a conference for those who are serving God in Asia. I had a blessed time hearing the stories and ministry updates of all of the people I met. 

It was such a blessing to meet those who have been doing ministry in difficult places for many years. It challenged me when I learned about their perseverance in the ministry of the Gospel in spite of all the difficulties that they face. I was really encouraged when I met the young adults who are just getting into the mission field. It was encouraging to see their passion to reach the un-reached.

Last month we had an annual convention organised by all of the local churches in our town. Together they invited unchurched people to attend the services and hear the Gospel. We had a three-day meeting and the Gospel message was preached. I am grateful that I got the opportunity to be a part of the choir and to lead the worship on the first day during the evening meeting.

The pastor taught against prosperity Gospel preaching. The topic of his message was “We need only Jesus”. His emphasis was on coming to Jesus only to get Jesus (not material possessions). On the third night, the last night of the convention, many people who heard the Gospel surrendered their lives to Jesus. They asked me to pray for them so that they may grow in their personal relationship with Jesus.

Along with the young adults of my church, I organised a one-day youth meeting. We invited young adults from our town and the nearby areas. We were expecting 60 to 70 people. 96 young men and women showed up for the convention! One of our graduates (who leads worship at our church) and I taught on four different subjects.

At the end of the meeting, we handed out a feedback form for everyone to fill out. We got positive feedback on all of the forms. They shared that the meeting helped them realize their need to grow in the Lord and be His witness to young adults who are living a worldly life. Many of them shared that they want us to do one-day youth meetings more often. 

Prayer Requests:

• Pray that I will continue to grow in the Lord.
• Pray that God will continue to use me for His glory as I teach and disciple these students.
• Pray that I will be a blessing to the young adults and teens whom I disciple.
• Pray for the people who heard the Gospel. Pray that those who decided to follow Jesus continue to grow in Him and that they stand firm during difficult times.
• Pray for God’s protection upon us. Persecution is increasing in our area.

God bless you,

Pastor 9

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

(Español abajo)

I (Brittany) was able to go with about 9 other ladies to a women’s conference at Calvary Chapel Texcoco. It was a time of refreshing encouragement. The teachings were about healing our hearts and how we can help others through that healing process as well. I also got to pray for the ladies at the conference alongside the other pastors’ wives who were there. It’s always such a blessing to have a time of fellowship, worship, teaching, and prayer together with other ladies.

You may have seen some pictures on our social media that we were able to go to Loreto in southern Baja California for Brittany’s best friend Claudia’s wedding. We are so grateful that we were able to be there to celebrate their special day with them! But as it always is, when everything seems to be going well, Satan starts pushing in discouragement and worry. As soon as Brian’s flight landed in La Paz, as he was traveling north for the wedding, he received messages that the church property had caught on fire. Luckily some of our church members were able to get there and put the fire out before it reached the church building and the event tent. We are not sure how the fire started, or if it was on purpose, but we are grateful that there was no damage. Another thing that happened while Brian was gone is that one of the neighbors put up a brick wall on the other side of our fence, permanently blocking one of our two entrances into the property. Praise God though that after Brian got back and was able to talk to the person responsible, he was very understanding about what he had done. They came to an agreement that we would let him keep his wall there for now as long as he paid for another entrance to be built for our property. So praise God that this next week we will be able to finish fencing in the rest of the property along with another entrance!

We are also very grateful for an answered prayer for our family. Praise God we were able to find a new house that is perfect for what we wanted for our growing family. It is also close to the church which is a bonus. Praise God I (Brian) was able to take the owners of the house to our church, introduce them to some of our church members, and even share the Gospel with them a little bit. They are not Christians, but we hope to be able to be a good testimony for them to come to know God’s love and salvation that He has for them.

The kids (Joshua & Kimmy) and I (Brittany), are now here in Rosarito staying with Ron & Kristy (Brittany’s parents) until our baby girl is born. We are grateful to have family that live close to the border, that way I can go to my doctor’s appointments and be near for when baby girl decides to make her appearance. Baby girl is healthy and growing well, we can’t wait to share photos with you all once she arrives!

Brian returned back to Calpulalpan for a few weeks, but will come up to Rosarito for Christmas and then stay until baby girl arrives. In the mean time, he is painting our new house and moving our belongings over so that it is ready for when Brittany returns with our new baby girl. He is also planning and doing the Christmas events at our church. We will be having a youth Christmas party, ladies Christmas party, men’s Christmas retreat, family Christmas movie night, servant’s Christmas party, and a special Christmas service with a time of food, fellowship, and testimonies afterwards (we will be sharing the photos with you all in our next newsletter).

Brian finished up the second semester of the church planting class with the students. We are so blessed to see how they are growing and maturing spiritually. The class will start up the third semester in February. Also the ladies were able to have there final Bible study for the year and have a little Christmas party as well. They had a time of teaching, gift exchange, food, and more. I (Brittany) would have loved to be there with them but it just wasn’t possible for this year. The youth also had their Christmas party and had a blast together! They played games, had prizes, did a gift exchange, had food, and sweet time of fellowship. We are so grateful for Esme & Esau (the couple in charge of the Youth Group), and everything that they do. They have helped us so much and we are excited to see what God will do in their lives! (Click here to see more photos from the last church planting class).

Also if you would be able to help us out with anything on our baby registry that would be much appreciated! There are a few things we would like to have for our new baby girl who is almost here! Please click here to see the registry.

Praise Reports:

• That we were able to attend Claudia & Alejandro’s wedding
• That we were able to find a house for our growing family
• That Brian has been feeling much better with his knee
• That Brittany and the baby are good and healthy

Prayer Requests:

• For Brittany to have a safe delivery and the baby to be healthy
• For the church to do well on its own while we are in Rosarito for the birth of our baby
• That God will provide a 15-passenger van for the church to use to transport our church people and teams
• That God will give us grace before our neighbors so that we don’t have more issues with them
• That God will continue to provide for our family and church going into this new year with financial support changes happening
• That the home groups would be able to start in January with our church planting class students

“The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him.”

Psalms 28:7

Terminando Fuerte y Emocionados por el Futuro

Yo (Brittany) pude ir con otras 9 mujeres a una conferencia de mujeres en Calvary Chapel Texcoco. Fue un tiempo de animo refrescante. Las enseñanzas trataban sobre sanar nuestros corazones y cómo podemos ayudar a otros a través de ese proceso de sanacion también. También pude orar por las damas en la conferencia junto con las esposas de otros pastores que estaban allí. Siempre es una gran bendición tener un tiempo de compañerismo, adoración, enseñanza y oración junto con otras mujeres.

Seguramente habrás visto algunas fotos en nuestras redes sociales de que pudimos ir a Loreto en el sur de Baja California para la boda de Claudia, la mejor amiga de Brittany. ¡Estamos muy agradecidos de haber podido estar allí para celebrar su día especial con ellos! Pero como siempre sucede, cuando todo parece ir bien, Satanás comienza a presionar con desánimo y preocupación. Tan pronto como el vuelo de Brian aterrizó en La Paz, mientras viajaba hacia el norte para la boda, recibió mensajes de que la propiedad de la iglesia se había incendiado. Afortunadamente, algunos de los miembros de nuestra iglesia pudieron llegar allí y apagar el fuego antes de que llegara al edificio de la iglesia y a la carpa. No estamos seguros de cómo comenzó el incendio o si fue intencionado, pero estamos agradecidos que no haya habido daños. Otra cosa que sucedió mientras Brian no estaba es que uno de los vecinos levantó una pared de bloques al otro lado de nuestra cerca, bloqueando permanentemente una de nuestras dos entradas a la propiedad. Sin embargo, gracias a Dios, después de que Brian regresó y pudo hablar con la persona responsable, fue muy comprensivo con lo que había hecho. Llegaron a un acuerdo de que le permitiríamos mantener su muro allí por ahora, siempre y cuando pagara la construcción de otra entrada para nuestra propiedad. ¡Alabado sea Dios que la próxima semana podremos terminar el cercado del resto de la propiedad junto con otra entrada!

También estamos muy agradecidos por una oración contestada por nuestra familia. Gracias a Dios pudimos encontrar una nueva casa que es perfecta para lo que queríamos para nuestra creciente familia. También está cerca de la iglesia, lo cual es una ventaja. Gracias a Dios, yo (Brian) pude llevar a los dueños de la casa a nuestra iglesia, presentarles a algunos de los miembros de nuestra iglesia e incluso compartir un poco el Evangelio con ellos. No son cristianos, pero esperamos poder ser un buen testimonio para que conozcan el amor y la salvación que Dios tiene para ellos.

Los niños (Joshua y Kimmy) y yo (Brittany) ahora estamos aquí en Rosarito quedándonos con Ron y Kristy (los padres de Brittany) hasta que nazca nuestra niña. Estamos agradecidos de tener una familia que vive cerca de la frontera, de esa manera puedo ir a mis citas médicas y estar aquí para cuando la niña decida hacer su aparición. La niña está sana y está creciendo bien. ¡Estamos ansiosos por compartir fotos con todos ustedes una vez que llegue!

Brian regresó a Calpulalpan por unas semanas, pero vendrá a Rosarito para Navidad y luego se quedará hasta que llegue la niña. Mientras tanto, él está pintando nuestra nueva casa y moviendo nuestras pertenencias para que estén listas para cuando Brittany regrese con nuestra nueva bebé. También está planeando y organizando los eventos navideños en nuestra iglesia. Tendremos una fiesta de Navidad para jóvenes, una fiesta de Navidad para damas, un retiro de Navidad para hombres, una noche de pelicula familiar de Navidad, una fiesta de Navidad para servidores y un servicio especial de Navidad con un tiempo de comida, compañerismo y testimonios después. (Compartiremos las fotos con todos ustedes en nuestro próximo actualizacion)

Brian terminó el segundo semestre de la clase de plantación de iglesias con los estudiantes. Somos muy bendecidos de ver cómo están creciendo y madurando espiritualmente. La clase comenzará el tercer semestre en febrero. Además, las damas pudieron tener el último estudio bíblico del año y también tener una pequeña fiesta de Navidad. Tuvieron un tiempo de enseñanza, intercambio de regalos, comida y más. A mí (Brittany) me hubiera encantado estar allí con ellos, pero no fue posible este año. ¡Los jóvenes también tuvieron su fiesta de Navidad y se divirtieron mucho juntos! Jugaron, recibieron premios, intercambiaron regalos, comieron y disfrutaron de un tiempo de compañerismo. Estamos muy agradecidos por Esme y Esaú (la pareja a cargo del Grupo de Jóvenes) y todo lo que hacen. ¡Nos han ayudado mucho y estamos emocionados de ver lo que Dios hará en sus vidas! (Haga clic aquí para ver más fotos de la última clase de plantación de iglesias)

Además, si pudiera ayudarnos con algo en nuestro registro de bebés, ¡se lo agradeceríamos mucho! ¡Hay algunas cosas que nos gustaría tener para nuestra nueva bebé que ya casi está aquí! Por favor haga clic aquí para ver el registro.

Reportes de Alabanza:

• Que pudimos asistir a la boda de Claudia & Alejandro
• Que pudimos encontrar una casa para nuestra creciente familia
• Que Brian se ha sentido mucho mejor con su rodilla
• Que Brittany y la bebé estén bien y sanas

Peticiones de Oracion:

• Para que Brittany tenga un parto seguro y la bebé esté sano
• Para que a la iglesia le vaya bien por sí sola mientras estamos en Rosarito para el nacimiento de nuestro bebé.
• Que Dios proporcione una camioneta de 15 pasajeros para que la iglesia la use para transportar a la gente y los equipos de nuestra iglesia.
• Que Dios nos dé gracia delante de nuestros vecinos para que no tengamos más problemas con ellos.
• Que Dios continuará proveyendo para nuestra familia y nuestra iglesia al comenzar este nuevo año con cambios en el apoyo financiero.
• Que los grupos base pudieran comenzar en enero con nuestros estudiantes de la clase de plantación de iglesias.

“Jehová es mi fortaleza y mi escudo;
En él confió mi corazón, y fui ayudado,
Por lo que se gozó mi corazón,
Y con mi cántico le alabaré.”

Salmos 28:7

Dear Friends and Family,

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

We would like to thank all of you for blessing us with your prayers and support that led to the amazing gift of the children finally getting their American citizenship. Thank you also for praying for our family and ministry in Uganda. This year has seen many events and outreaches take place at Arise Christian fellowship and in the community. As always, it has been exciting to see God move in the hearts of the Ugandan people. The church body has enjoyed meeting together for church and fellowship to pray, worship, and to be filled with the teaching of God’s Word. We look forward to this coming year to see what new things God may do. You are in our thoughts and prayers as we enter this new year. God Bless You this holiday season as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus!

In Him,

Brian, Jill, Luke, Laylee, and Liana

Greetings to you,

Thank you for your prayers and support!

By the grace of our Lord l am doing well. Right now, in my personal study I am going through the Gospel of Matthew. In our family devotions, we are reading 1 Corinthians.

Thank you for your prayers for a man maned S* who I asked for prayer for before. The Lord heard our prayers and opened his heart to receive Christ!

Prayer Requests:

• Continue to pray that the Lord will use me in ministry.
• Please pray that the Lord will open new doors for ministry.
• Please pray that the Lord will add new souls to our church.

Thank you!

Pastor 2*

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

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient as ministers of the New Covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.

2 Corinthians 3:5-6

Dear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,

This month was absolutely non-stop! Before I share anything, I first want to thank you for your support. The support I have received this month through prayers, encouragements, and financial partners was incredible. I had 2 great opportunities this month to share my testimony and to share what the Lord has called me to in Peru. First, I shared at the beginning of the month at Calvary Chapel North Texas, and then on December 1st, I shared at Calvary Chapel Saving Grace.

Imparting The Vision

Being intentional about spending my last few weeks living in the States has given me a whole new view on my relationships. While I had a blessed time sharing the vision the Lord has given me with the churches, the greatest blessing I have had was spending time with friends and partners. The blessing of getting to know each one of you more deeply and personally has only invigorated me more as I get ready to move. To know I have the blessing of praying for all of you and keeping y’all up on what the Lord is doing on the field, and then receiving the physical and spiritual support to serve on the field is something I could never really imagine until now. I hope all of you understand how much I love you. Although I will miss living and visiting with all of you when I move, there is a special kind of fire that burns in my heart when I think about the fellowship we will share in eternity as partners in bringing the gospel to the most vulnerable and unreached children. I still plan to come back and visit at least once a year though!

Ministers of the New Covenant

Because I have been so busy working, studying online, being in the Mission Training School, and preparing to move, I have not had as many opportunities to minister. When I flew back from Texas though, the same day I was able to go on a regular Thursday evangelism outreach to Cal State University Fullerton with Pastor Nick and my friend Caleb. I spent the whole day at the university talking with students and sharing the gospel. I often look at evangelism as the icing on the cake of my week when I get a chance to go. It is one of my favorite things to do. Having been in Texas the last two weeks, it was funny to me how different the views were of people between the two states, Texas and California. Especially right after the elections. But what really piqued my interest was as we packed up and began to leave for the day, we saw a table for the “Revolutionary Communists of America” handing out pamphlets. I couldn’t help but stop to talk with them. Although they were pretty unreasonable, we ended up being able to share the gospel, as well as strongly warn them of tragically fatal consequences of communism. You should have seen the guy’s face when I ended by saying, “Ultimately the hope your searching for is not in a human government, but a theocracy.”

What was extra special and exciting was the next day I also had work off, so I joined some friends and went with a group that evangelizes to local Muslims. We arrived at a mosque before one of their services and as everyone came out at the end, we handed out tracts and talked with whoever was interested. Although I normally am very bold in evangelizing, for some reason I always have a little hesitancy sharing Jesus with Muslims. However, at this Mosque, God gave me a great example from others in the group, and I had boldness and kindness in trying to give out the fliers and contact people. As one guy was driving out, he was clearly very agitated and started yelling at me as he drove away. Eventually he drove back to an alley right next to the mosque, and jumped in a car with his friend, whom one of the guys from the group was sharing with. He ended up getting out and talking longer with him, my friend, and eventually I joined the conversation as well. He turned out to be a very nice man and heard a lot of what we had to say. Pray for Abdullah! That whole experience reminded me of 2 Corinthians 3:5-6, that I am not able to be a minister of Jesus in myself, but my strength, boldness, power, wisdom, and ability all come from God!

A Special Thanksgiving

This month I also had a very special time with family in Oregon for Thanksgiving. Because I will be moving, this was probably one of the last big family events I had the opportunity to go to for a long time. I stayed in Grantspass, Southern Oregon, and had a fantastic time enjoying family, food, and the beautiful forest!

Calling All Partners!

I will be moving to Peru on January 18th. In order to move to the mission field full-time as a Saving Grace World Missions missionary, I need to have at least 80% of my monthly budget provided for through regular monthly giving to ensure I am able to meet all my needs on the field. I still have need for support, so if you believe the Lord is calling you to be a part of this work He is doing through me for the children and church in Trujillo, you can do so through the Financial Partner link below! It is my honor to connect you, my sisters and brothers of the American Church, to all God is doing on the mission field, and to show you the fruit of your work through me.

Praise Reports

• The blessing of being able to share at different churches, especially in Texas, about what the Lord is doing in Peru and the new ministry for the children’s home.
• All the prayer, encouragement, and financial support I have been receiving.
• The deep conversations and openness in people’s hearts to hear about Jesus.

Prayer Requests

• God to be glorified in the calling of rescuing children, and that many children will be saved and able to grow up in a Christ-Centered home.
• Legal and financial provision for a property that will have space for the church, Bible school, and children’s home.
• Abdullah, the students at Cal State, and the communists would come to know Jesus as Lord, God, and Savior.
• The Lord to bring more monthly financial partners before I leave in January.

Dear Pastors, Leaders, and Supporters, 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

May God bless you all!

Pastor & Mrs. 11*

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

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

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

Ephesians 2:8-9

Love of Christ

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

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

Seeking Truth

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

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

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

Romans 6:23

Divine Appointment

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

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

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

Mark 10:27

Praise Reports!

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

Prayer Requests:

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

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

-Mayra Alejandra