Struska Missions Update November 2020

Family

After several postponements, we recently held a small graduation ceremony for William by the beach. We are very proud of him for graduating with honors and we look forward to what the Lord has in store for him! He is continuing to work at Chick-fil-A in California. Recently he fixed up and sold his first car, and has purchased and started fixing up a second one. Please join us in praying for him as he decides his next steps in life.

Brian, Brittany, and Joshua are doing well. We praise God that they have been able to continue to work during this unstable time of shutdowns and quarantines. Unfortunately, they have had a recent string of vehicle issues – including various repairs, their car getting hit twice while parked, and a part being stolen off of a vehicle. Please pray they are able to find a good vehicle, as they are currently in the market for a minivan. 

Ron’s most recent back surgery was in September of last year. It alleviated a good amount of pain, however a few months later that pain started to return and got significantly worse. This has seriously impacted his ability to consistently work 8-hour days (which is difficult for someone that is used to working 12 hours a day). After waiting a year to see how his back would heal as his doctor suggested, a recent MRI has shown that he has another herniated disc. This is the fourth time this disc has been herniated and Ron has had three back surgeries in total. For these reasons, and also because he has degenerative disc disease, Ron has decided to go ahead with fusion. This means that one or two discs will be removed and replaced with a metal plate and rods. The good news is that he can’t herniate this disc again because it won’t be there. It does mean he’ll have limited mobility, which he already has due to the pain he experiences. Unfortunately, it also means more stress will be put on the discs above, and up to 12 months of recovery time. His surgery will be in California in January. Please pray for Ron’s doctors and also that there will be a considerable amount of pain relief from the surgery.

Giving Tuesday!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you that have given financially and donated materials for our 3rd floor project! God is good and He is so faithful! As we prepare for spring teams, please pray with us that travel restrictions and quarantines would not impact people’s decision to come and serve here in Mexico! Our calendar is filling up, but as 2020 has already proven, this can change quickly. 

We watched the Lord provide amazingly faster than expected and finish the exterior of the dining room/kitchen building before last summer. After witnessing this, we excitedly set a goal to have the kitchen and dining room mostly completed and ready to be used for their intended purposes by March 2021. However, due to the Coronavirus, we have had a lot less teams, resulting in less ministry and fewer donations. When this project is completed, we’ll also have space to remodel and add more beds to the first floor, bringing our total sleeping capacity to fifty-five. 

On December 1st, “Giving Tuesday”, we are looking for 150 people to partner with us and donate $30 to Connections House in order to help us reach our goal. This would make it possible for us to finish the bathrooms and hopefully more. We know that the Lord can do it! Please pray that He would move the hearts of 150 people to join us in this endeavor! Here is how to give:

Go to: give.connectionshouse.org and be sure to put your dollar amount next to, “for Connection Ministry House”.

If you would like to write a check, please make it out to Connections House and send it to 340 W. 26th Street, Suite K, National City, CA 91950

Connections House 3rd Floor Project

Guadalajara Missions Trip

We wanted to share some photos from our August mission trip to Guadalajara, Mexico. Kristy, most of our Connections staff, along with our daughter, Brittany, and her family, had the opportunity to serve at one of our church plants – Calvary Esperanza Viva. We were blessed to spend a week and come alongside our friends, Pastor Lalo and his wife, Linda, to minister to the local people there. Ministry was a little limited due to the quarantine, but praise God, the church had opened back up just before our arrival. We were able to hold a simultaneous men’s/women’s event, a carnival outreach, do worship along with testimonies and sermons for Sunday & Wednesday church services, put up some new lights and backdrop in the sanctuary, and more! Our team also got the chance to do a little sightseeing in this beautiful city! We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to serve and be able to bless the pastor, church, and community. We give all the glory to God for the many seeds that were planted, watered, and sown!

We’ll leave you with some more photos of our Guadalajara trip. We appreciate each and every one of you for your prayers and partnership! Please contact us if you have any questions about giving or serving with us here in Mexico. 

Kevin*, Pastor Lalo, Aldrin*; Brian, Brittany & baby Joshua; Jasmine (Jesse’s daughter);
Kailyn (summer staff), Nadia (Intern), Kristy, Yajaira (Intern), Jesse (staff) – *Brian’s brothers