“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
COLOSSIANS 3:17
Hello family and friends,
I am praying that you are doing well and that these newsletter updates will continue to encourage you as you partner with me in the work of the Lord. Well, the month of February was a busy, but certainly blessed month for me! I look forward to sharing the things God is doing and has been teaching me recently. One lesson the Lord has been showing me and definitely will continue to show me, is what it means to truly live a Christ-centered life. Especially in the midst of the busyness of life, events taking place, and good work to be done for the Lord; if I forget the purpose and reason behind why I am doing it, I am completely missing the point. No doubt, this also carries over into preparing for being on the mission field at some point and all the excitement or even hard times that will come with this, I must remain dependent on Jesus knowing that this can only be done through the power of His Holy Spirit!
At the beginning of the month, I got the opportunity to attend the missions conference at Calvary Chapel Westgrove where we were stirred up for what the Lord is doing around the world, specifically amongst the unreached people who have never heard the Gospel or the name of Jesus. We got to hear from various missionaries and pastors on the importance of being a disciple who makes disciples and so on, as this was the theme of the conference. This conference was such a blessing to be a part of!
Another incredible experience I had was going down to Tijuana, Mexico for the day with my home church, Calvary South OC to serve at Calvary Tijuana’s Valentines Dinner. In addition to this, we were able to visit one of the Haitian refugee camps there, which was a really impactful experience for me. This was the church’s first time meeting these Haitians and working with them, so it was a learning and growing time for all of us. To hear their stories and why they had to flee their country brought so much compassion to our hearts and it was a blessing to be able to share the Gospel with them. I gravitated towards the children, as I usually do, and it was so much fun doing crafts with the kids that were all to glorify God! I am grateful for the time we had with the sweet Haitians, despite it being short, but I am praying that I have an opportunity to go back again!
The last event I want to share from this month is going up to the Calvary Bible Institute (the school I attended last year) with Pastor Trent and others from Saving Grace for the “Purpose of the Church” class that Pastor Trent teaches. It was a 2-day block class with 12 hours total of teaching on missions, sharing the Gospel, and reaching the unreached people groups of our day. I also was able to share in front of the class on my experience at Calvary School of Missions and encouraged the students to take a step of faith if they feel a call towards missions work. The response was great and there are many interested in missions, so please pray for the Lord to open the doors for the students to come to CSOM this summer!
March is an exciting month for me as well, as I will be going on an Israel trip with my family and Calvary South OC, then afterwards traveling up North for one of my best friend’s wedding that I get the privilege of being in. I cannot wait for what God has in store and all I will experience being in the Holy Land! I look forward to sharing pictures and stories in my next newsletter. Please pray for our time there and for my friend getting married.
Praise Reports:
- My friends and I have had opportunities to evangelize and share our faith this month, especially amongst the Jehovah’s Witnesses
- I attended 2 Calvary conferences, one on missions and one for pastors and leaders which was such a blessing
- A successful Valentine’s Dinner at Calvary Tijuana
- Many students at CBI are interested in missions and a few have already applied to School of Missions
Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for the Jehovah’s Witnesses we talked with
- Please pray for the Haitian refugees health, families, and that they would come to know the Lord, as well as for opportunities to visit them again
- Please pray for the CBI students who are interested in missions, that the Lord would direct them and open doors for the ones He wants to go to CSOM this summer
- Please pray for my time in Israel that it would be such a blessing and that God would reveal more of Himself to me
- Please pray for my best friend’s upcoming wedding that it would all be done to glorify the Lord
Thank you for taking the time to read this update and for joining in on the work that God has called me to! It is such a beautiful gift to realize that the Lord doesn’t need our help in fulfilling His plans, but because of His love, He wants us to take part in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth! I would greatly appreciate your continued partnership with me in prayer as the Lord continues to prepare me for cross-cultural ministry, as well as through financial support, if you feel led to give. Any amount of a one-time or monthly donation is an absolute blessing for future mission trips and eventually for being sent out as Saving Grace World Missions requires 80% monthly funding before moving to the field. It means so much to me, thank you all!
For His glory,
Macey
