Arabic Classes

I want to thank all of you for praying for me and supporting me as I take Arabic classes. I started my classes about a month ago, and it has been an amazing experience. Though it has been one of the hardest things I have done, I have also been overwhelmed with God’s grace in these classes. In my weakness God has shown Himself strong, and every time that I have thought, “There is no way I can do this class, or that I can retain all this information and progress forward,” God has provided me with strength, wisdom and even a deeper desire to learn this language. I have had to get up at 3am, 5 days a week for these classes and there have been multiple days when, because of Missions trips or other ministry events, I only had 3 hours of sleep. Some days even less. Yet, even then, God heard my prayers and helped me to not only stay awake in class, but to have the wisdom and strength to learn.

I am fully aware that I cannot do these classes without the Lord, but I praise God that He is both the reason I am taking these classes and the only way I can. I am halfway through the first of five phases of the class, and I am excited to continue to learn this language so I may use it for God’s glory. Please continue to keep me in prayer as I keep laboring to learn Arabic so that I may be able to minister, to evangelize, and to teach God’s Word in it. Please pray that I can have the ability to learn this language quickly and use it for God’s glory

Mexico Missions Trips

In my last update I mentioned that the young adults of the Rock were going to be heading out for a mission trip to Mexico in June. Well, I just got back from Mexico a few days ago from an amazing trip. We had so many different opportunities to serve, to minister and to share the gospel. I’d like to share one story with you that I had near the end of the trip.

A group of us went out to invite people to a special church service, and as we did, we looked for opportunities to share the gospel. We went out with flyers from the church and began to invite people. We had several great opportunities to invite people, to pray for them and to share the gospel as we walked around. But the one that had the biggest impact on me was the last one. Because we had to meet back up with the other teams, we were beginning to rush back to the place we had agreed upon. As we were heading back one of our teammates started a conversation with one of the guys they handed a flyer to. We were already late at this point so I was going to tell them we needed to end the conversation and meet with the other teams.

At that moment a man walked up to me holding one of our flyers which had the information for the church in Spanish. He then told me that he didn’t speak Spanish, and he asked me what the flyer was for. As soon as I told him it was a flyer inviting him to church he then told me that he was a Muslim Atheist. A Muslim by birth, but of his own decision he was an atheist. His name was Muhammad and he was born into an extremely religious and strict Muslim family, which seems to have given him a distaste for religion, leading him to reject God. From what he told me, it seems that he had grown to detest religion because of how extreme his family had been, and also because of the corruption found in many religions.

I am still in awe of how God works and how He orchestrated my conversation with Muhammad that day. How amazing is it that God brought me to that specific village in Mexico, had me walk down that street at that particular time, when a Muslim Atheist who spoke English and not Spanish was walking around. Then, had him walk right up to me to ask what we were doing. Immediately he began to debate me and explain why he doesn’t believe there is a God. So I addressed the things he said and explained how we know that there is a God. He listened and didn’t argue with what I said, but instead he started to change the subject and begin talking about the mind, and how religion is used to control people and other things. I realized that I wasn’t going to get anywhere by addressing the things he said because he would likely keep changing the discussion to a new topic. So instead I told him my testimony of how the Lord saved me and transformed my life. I told him how about the love of Christ. Of how Jesus humbled Himself, was born into the world as a man, died on the cross for my sins, then rose from the grave and now offers eternal life and relationship with Him forever to all who call upon His name and put their faith in Him for salvation. I told Muhammed how I put my faith in Christ and how He radically changed me. How because of Jesus Christ’s love for me now I live my life for Him. Not because I have to for salvation, or because my family pressures me to, or because of fear, but because of love. It was as I was sharing that God brought this passage to mind;

“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
2 Corinthians 5:14-15

These verses came to my mind as I shared with Muhammed and they hit me in a powerful way, because I was telling this man that because Christ died for me I no longer lived for myself. In fact, I was willing to give my life and lose it to go to people like him and his family with the Gospel that they may be saved. I looked at this man and told him that I was there because God loves him enough to send our team to come share with him the message of salvation.

God used this experience to remind me in a powerful way of His love and to once again stir up a passion to bring the Gospel to the lost. My heart is heavy knowing how many people are going to hell thinking they know the truth and are serving God, but are greatly deceived into worshiping a lie. That is why I am learning Arabic, and preparing to go to the Middle East so that when the doors open I can go and bring the truth of the Gospel to those who are in darkness. Sadly Muhammed didn’t choose to receive the Lord after I finished sharing with him, at least not to my knowledge. Yet, my prayer is that Muhammad will humble himself and call on the name of the Lord for salvation. Not only Muhammed but all those who are lost and need to hear the Gospel that they may be saved. Please continue to join me in prayer for the Muslim world and all the 10/40 window, that God would send laborers to bring them the Gospel and that their eyes would be open to see the truth.

If you would like to partner with me in the work of the Gospel financially, either on an ongoing basis or through a one-time donation, you can do so by clicking the “Become A Financial Partner” button below, OR you can mail a check written out to Saving Grace World Missions with “Jorden Skiles support” in the memo section to the Saving Grace World Missions office at 17451 Bastanchury Rd., Suite 203, Yorba Linda, CA 92886-1873.

Praise Reports

• Arabic classes are going very well.
• An amazing Mexico Missions trip.

Prayer Requests

• For wisdom, strength and ability to quickly learn Arabic.
• For Muhammad to be saved and for God to open the eyes of Muslims around the world to the truth of the Gospel.
• For God to raise up a team to join me in the Middle East.
• For the doors to be open so I can move to the Middle East.

”You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” (James 5:8)

April was an extremely busy month as the Lord provided a lot of new opportunities that will help prepare me for the missions field. It is truly amazing to see how God continues to answer my prayers as I seek to prepare for the ministry God has called me to. I was praying for more opportunities to teach God’s word, for wisdom and direction in finding classes to learn Arabic and to serve the Lord. I am currently waiting to hear back from a school in the Middle East that I hope to start classes with in a couple weeks. If I am able to begin classes with them I will be doing class 3 hours a day 5 days a week from 4am-7am. So please keep me in prayer as it will be difficult both in terms of the workload and timing. I was also asked to help teach a Romans class to a Bible College in India so every week I am getting the opportunity to teach through a translator over zoom. In addition to that I had the opportunity to go share and teach at a local Calvary Chapel. Then in June the Young Adults of the Rock are going on a mission trip to Mexico so we are excited to see what God has planned and are currently preparing for that and raising funds. In this season as I am waiting for the doors to open for me to go to the Middle East I am grateful for all the opportunities I have here to be involved in ministering to others and in teaching the Word. Please keep praying that the doors would open so that I can be sent out. 

Romans Class

I am scheduled to help teach a class every week through the book of Romans. This is a great opportunity for me to be able to grow in the area of teaching and in a different setting then when delivering a sermon. Teaching to the Bible college requires me to teach for longer periods of time, with translation and in a class setting all of which I will be doing in the future especially when we start the Bible College in the Middle East. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to pour into these young men with a calling on their lives to go out and reach the lost. My prayer for them is that God equips and sends them out to preach the gospel, plant churches and disciple others who will continue the work. Please keep them in prayer as they continue to labor in the study of God’s work.

Calvary Chapel Willits

Close to seven years ago was when I first started attending Calvary Chapel The Rock, where I am currently serving. It is amazing to look back and see all that God has done in that time and through those at the Rock. During that time I have been able to go to Bible College, School of Missions, do several different internships and go out to the Middle East on my vision tour. I am so grateful to all of those who have poured into me and discipled me over the years. One of those people that has had an impact on my life is Jim Semich who was the young adults Pastor when I first began to attend the group. Right before I left for Bible College God had called Jim and some others from our church to move to Willits and plant a Calvary Chapel there. It had been a while since I had seen pastor Jim and then out of nowhere God reconnected the two of us. Jim happened to see a video of me teaching and reached out to hear about what the Lord was calling me to. Then he was able to attend the last missions dessert gathering that I spoke at. After hearing what God has put on my heart he invited me to come share on missions and teach at Calvary Chapel Willits. It was amazing to see how God orchestrated it all and such a blessing to see the work God is doing at the church there. During my visit to the church it was so clear that God is doing amazing things in the hearts of the people. I am excited to see how God continues to bless the church there and work among them.

The Lord is so gracious to continue to provide ways for me to serve Him and prepare for going to the Middle East. I am thankful for the time I have had back in my hometown and the opportunities I have had. I know that the Lord is at work in my life at this time to equip me for further ministry and that in His time I will be sent out to the Middle East. However I am ready to a go as soon as the Lord opens the door and until that time I am seeking to be faithful and diligent here where God has me. Please keep praying for the Lord to open the doors for me to go and make it clear when It is His time so that I can go to begin this work in the Middle East that God has called us too. 

If you would like to partner with me in the work of the Gospel financially either on an ongoing basis or through a one-time donation, you can do so by clicking the “Become A Financial Partner” button below, OR you can mail a check written out to Saving Grace World Missions with “Jorden Skiles support” in the memo section to Saving Grace World Missions, 17451 Bastanchury Rd., Suite 203, Yorba Linda, CA 92886-1873.

If you would like to receive these updates straight to your email, please click here. Thank you and God bless!

Praise Reports

• Answered prayers
• Reconnecting with Pastor Jim and the chance to visit Calvary Chapel Willits
• For the opportunity to help teach a Bible college class

Prayer Requests

• That I can start Arabic classes soon and for the ability to learn quickly 
• That the doors would be opened for me to go to the Middle East
• For diligence in ministry and teaching

“Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.” (2 Cor. 5:9 NKJV)

In this chapter of 2 Corinthians Paul is speaking of how we long to be present with the Lord and that as Christians we are to live looking with eager expectation to the hope we have in Christ. This hope in Christ of being with Him should affect and change the way that we live on this earth. In everything we do our desire should be to please our king and our God. As Paul goes on to say in verse 14 “for the love of Christ compels us…” meaning that when we consider the love of Christ for us it should result in a life lived to please, honor and glorify the King of kings. This past weekend I was able to go on a young adults retreat with Calvary Chapel the Rock and the theme was “Compelled”. We spent the weekend looking at chapter 5 of 2 Corinthians, a chapter that has been extremely impactful in my own life. It was verse 14, as well as verses 18-20 and many others like them throughout the Bible that God used to transform me. It was the Word of God that gave me a passion to serve Him. God especially used verse 20 in a very powerful way to change my heart and cause me to pray for God to use me to magnify His name. In verse 20 Paul says, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor. 5:20) For all Christians this is our purpose to be Christ’s ambassadors to implore people, to be reconciled to God. We are to be witnesses of Christ and to proclaim His love and desire for all to be saved. To proclaim to the lost the gospel, the message of salvation. Yet God used this in a special way to stir my heart for the lost and lead me into the calling I have now of being sent out to reach the unreached with the Gospel. This is one of many passages that God used to prepare my heart and confirm to me that I was called to go to the Middle East. I was so thankful to be a part of the retreat and to have the Lord reaffirm and encourage me in the calling He has given me. 

The past few weeks God has been doing so much in my heart and in my life. On March 7th I was given the opportunity to speak at a Missions night at my church to share the calling God has given me. The whole week before I was preparing and praying that God would use it for His glory, to encourage those there and to give all of us there a greater passion to reach the lost. I was grateful for the opportunity and blessed to see God answer my prayers. It was amazing to see how God brought people, encouraged them and stirred them up for missions through what He has done in preparing me to go and through the calling He has given. As many of you know I have been serving, teaching, studying and preparing myself for ministry in the Middle East as well as raising support in order to be sent out. Recently God put it on my heart to begin learning Arabic online and to commit time to that each week so I can be further equipped for when I leave. I am hoping to start that soon so please keep me in prayer as I begin to labor to learn the language. Also please keep praying that I would continue to grow in teaching God’s Word and in my understanding of Arabic, Islam and the culture of the country I will be going to so I may be better equipped for ministry there. 

If the Lord has put it on your heart to partner financially with me to reach the Middle East with the gospel and to reach those who don’t know the truth of who God is with the truth of His Word. To see people turned from darkness to light, from the power of satan to God you can do so through a one-time donation, you can do so by clicking the “Become A Financial Partner” button below, OR you can mail a check written out to Saving Grace World Missions with “Jorden Skiles support” in the memo section to Saving Grace World Missions, 17451 Bastanchury Rd., Suite 203, Yorba Linda, CA 92886-1873.

Praise Reports

• For a blessed dessert gathering
• For a great Young Adults Retreat

Prayer Requests

• Perseverance and wisdom in language learning
• For more opportunities to teach the word of God
• Wisdom and guidance in preparing for the Middle East

If you would like to receive these updates straight to your email, please click here. Thank you and God bless!

The month of October has been extremely eventful, even more so than usual. It has been a month of new things, old things, and a month of goodbyes and welcomes home. Three weeks ago I had my last Sunday at Calvary Chapel Saving Grace after a year of doing a Missions internship. Two weeks ago I had my first Sunday back at Calvary Chapel the Rock after many months away. I have been so blessed to be a part of Saving Grace and to be trained for Missions this past year. However, I am very excited to be back at the Rock again serving alongside my church family here. I wanted to share with you all about my last couple of weeks in Southern California and what has happened since arriving in Northern California.

Sent Out

My last week in SoCal was such a blessing. It is amazing to see how God has given me a home in SoCal and family there as well as in Norcal. Because I have been able to build so many relationships in Southern California this past year I spent a lot of the last two weeks there engaging in any form of fellowship possible to get as much time with people as I could. Because of this, my last two weeks were packed full of visits to young adults, youth groups, home fellowship groups, missions fellowship, intern classes, and different people’s homes. All of these were such a blessing as I moved on to the next stage of life preparing to go to the Middle East. Each of these events also opened up opportunities for me to share the vision for the Middle East in different circumstances. 

The biggest opportunity was when Saving Grace sent me off back home to NorCal. The Lord worked it out so that the day I was leaving was the first day moving back inside so that I got to have one day back in the sanctuary. At the end of the service, I was invited on stage, where I was able to thank the church and all the pastors as well as leaders for all they had done for me during the internship and to share about what God has called me to. Then they prayed for me as they sent me to follow God’s leading. It was bittersweet because I love the people there at Saving Grace and they have become family to me so it was hard to leave. Yet, knowing that I was going home to NorCal where I’m from, with my family both by blood and my family in Christ at the Rock filled me with joy and excitement. 

Ultimately, the biggest source of joy and excitement is being in God’s will as I know He has called me to be here for this season. Yet I am longing for the time when God will open the doors for me to go to the Middle East. 

Welcomed Home

Coming back to Northern California, God has already been working in amazing ways. He has already provided a job which means I can put more money towards moving to the Middle East while still having time for ministry. The job works perfectly with my schedule allowing me to continue to do devotions for Saving Grace on Facebook, while also giving me time to do discipleship, Bible studies, and events with Calvary Chapel the Rock. I have also been given certain nights off to be a part of Young Adults. Since I have been here I have already had the privilege to share for a few minutes on a Sunday Morning about the calling God has given me for the Middle East. I have also been able to join and serve at both the Young Adults and the Youth group for different events. I am grateful that God has allowed me to come back to the Rock and be a part of the fellowship here, it is such a blessing. I am looking forward to serving here in Norcal as I continue to prepare for the Middle East and raise support. Please continue to keep the vision for the Middle East in prayer. Pray that God would raise up a team to join me, that I would have the finances in order to move to the Middle East and begin language school to learn Arabic, as well as that God would prepare the hearts of those we seek to bring the gospel to. Please pray that God would open blind eyes and turn them from darkness to light, from the power of satan to God. (Acts 26:18) 

Thank you all for continuing to read these updates and hear what the Lord is doing. God bless you all. 

In Christ, 

Jorden Skiles

Praise Reports

• Safe travels to NorCal
• For God’s provision of a job so quickly
• Opportunities to serve here in NorCal

Prayer Requests

• For open doors to share the gospel here in NorCal
• That I can be a witness of Christ at work, with my family, and in the world
• For continued growth in the teaching of God’s Word
• For the necessary financial support to move to the Middle East

If you would like to partner with me in the work of the Gospel financially either on an ongoing basis or through a one-time donation, you can do so by clicking the “Become A Financial Partner” button below, OR you can mail a check written out to Saving Grace World Missions with “Jorden Skiles support” in the memo section to Saving Grace World Missions, 17451 Bastanchury Rd., Suite 203, Yorba Linda, CA 92886-1873.

If you would like to receive these updates straight to your email, please click here. Thank you and God bless!