Restructuring SGWM

I have been a part of SGWM since 2004 and have been blessed to be the Director of SGWM since 2006. I have watched God take a small missions department and turn it into an international missions agency working in over 35 countries. For many years, our administrative staff consisted of just myself and maybe an assistant or two. It was overwhelming. However, after years of praying and years of growth, God has provided a fantastic support staff to help me run SGWM. However, there was a need to restructure and spread the overwhelming amount of administration and leadership needs. I found myself inundated and unable to keep up with all the needs. Over the past ten years, I have watched God birth 20 plus churches, three Bible colleges, a US-10/40 window Skype teaching program, and almost 30 national missionaries in the 10/40 window, along with nearly 65 US missionaries sent out through our organization, and a new summer school of missions and year-long internship program. It was too much for me to manage, which is a fantastic reality. Therefore, I approached the board with a plan to restructure our entire leadership and to open up three distinct departments with three individual directors overseeing them. The board was enthusiastic about this plan, to say the least. So I created a Director of International Relaships (10/40) and placed Heather Gaona as the director, a Director of the SGWM Missionary Sending Agency and placed Joel Garcia as the director, and a Director of our School of Missions and Internship (Missionary Training) and place Tim Papas as the director. As a result, the board promoted me to the Vice President of Saving Grace World Missions and commissioned me with the direct oversight of these three directors and departments. This change has brought in such a breath of fresh air to my life and ministry as these three individuals are stepping up and taking a much-needed leadership role. I truly believe that God will take SGWM to new heights and expand our reach even farther.

A New Year #done

SGWM successfully completed our second annual Calvary School of Missions (CSOM). It was touch-and-go with COVID and all of the lockdown restrictions, but the Lord opened up the door and we brought 12 students down to Mexico for a six-week intensive missionary training program. We also brought down a plethora of qualified and experienced missionaries to come and teach almost 150 hours worth of classes. They were also able to do over a dozen COVID food/supply relief outreaches to some of the most hurting and affected communities in Northern Baja. I was also able to travel down twice to teach and was even blessed to bring my whole family down.

Upon graduating from our CSOM, the students are offered one of our one-year internship openings. This internship program aims to give each student hands-on ministry experience in church planting and continue their biblical and missional education. The final goal is to launch them out to the mission field as qualified and trained full-time missionaries. In fact, one of our 2019 CSOM and last year’s internship program graduates is preparing to be sent out to the country of J.S. by next spring.

Thank You

I could go on and on with all the great things that God is doing. This only barely scratches the surface. This morning I met with our national directors in one country of the 10/40 window and the ministry there would blow your mind! We also have amazing things happing in Pakistan, Jordan, Mexico, Nepal, South and Central America, and Africa. I am so thrilled that from my desk in Yorba Linda, CA, I get the privilege of impacting so many placed with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you would like to connect with me or question what the Lord is doing through SGWM, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

Lastly, please remember to pray for myself and my family. We have served as full-time US-based missionaries for fifteen years. In this, we do live off of missionary support. So if you are supporting us, I would like to say, “thank you” and remind you that you are a part of this ministry and all the fruit that is happening in and through my ministry here at SGWM accredited to your account in heaven. If you would like to support us, please click on the giving link below.

God Bless,
Pastor Mike