“The Church exists by mission, just as a fire exists by burning. Where there is no mission there is no Church; and where there is neither Church nor mission, there is no faith.”
EMIL BRUNNER
Hola familia y amigos,
As I am writing this, we are beginning our fourth week here in Rosarito, Mexico. It has been such a blessing to come back again this summer with the Calvary School of Missions to oversee the children’s ministry outreaches, as well as come alongside the students of this school. I want to thank you all for your continued love and support through prayer, encouragement, and financial partnership. As we approach the halfway mark of our time in Mexico, we have no doubt this has been a fruitful experience. As leaders and students, we get to not only receive from the School, but also witness the work of the Lord in the lives of the Mexican believers and unbelievers we have come across.
Catching The Fire
One of the joys of coming back to this school as a leader has been getting to witness God at work in the lives of the students. During classes, outreaches, and conversations with one another, they are truly getting stirred for reaching this lost world with the Gospel of Christ. It is such a blessing watching them individually catch the fire as they learn from pastors and missionaries from all around the world. They have not only caught the fire, but that fire is growing and spreading in their hearts and in the lives of those around them as they share what they are experiencing.
The reality is that there are still over 3.2 billion people who have never heard the name of Jesus, have access to a christian, or a church within their community. We know that, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37). Please keep the students in your prayers that God would continue to speak to them specifically about their call in missions and that they would keep their hearts surrendered to His plans for their lives.
Learning To Resurrender
A theme of CSOM is surrender; surrendering all hopes, desires, expectations, comforts, etc to the Lord in order to be a blank canvas that He may lead and guide in His perfect path. This act of laying down my will in order for God’s perfect will to be done in my life is something I must constantly and, in fact, daily commit to doing. Through worship and being in the Word while in Mexico, God is teaching me the balance of being submitted to Him and waiting on the Holy Spirit, while also living by faith and taking steps towards furthering His kingdom.
“May not a single moment of my life be spent outside the light, love, and joy of God’s presence and not a moment without the entire surrender of myself as a vessel for Him to fill full of His Spirit and His love.”
ANDREW MURRAY
Let the Little Children Come
As one of the children’s ministry outreach directors, I have had the privilege of coordinating the events and VBS style services for the kids, as we partner with the Calvary Chapel church plants throughout Mexico. It has been a blessing getting to choose the lessons for each outreach, then step back and see the students fulfill their roles. Whether it be face painting, balloon animal making, worship, teaching, or performing a Bible skit; these students give their all week after week and the kids have truly been ministered to. I have also been able to make connections with the sweet children, pray with them, and simply tell them that Jesus loves them!
“Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
MATTHEW 19:13-14
Rosarito and Beyond
This coming week, to close out our time in Rosarito, we will be attending the annual church planting conference at Calvary Rosarito. This year, the theme is on the Sending Hub Church; a church that trains, sends, and cares for missionaries. Please keep this conference in your prayers that many come out with open minds and hearts to learn about the importance and need of sending out missionaries and church planting because disciples make disciples; it is meant to be a multiplying process.
After this conference we will be packing up and flying to Sinaloa, Mexico where we will be spending the remainder of our time this summer with more pastors and missionaries at other Calvary Chapel church plants that have been sent out from Calvary Rosarito. It is encouraging because we not only get to hear about this beautiful and biblical church planting model, but we also get to witness the effectiveness of it, as many have gone out and accomplished this through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is God’s heart, and it is possible!
Finally, one opportunity the Lord has opened the doors for is to take our team 8-10 hours up the mountains of Sinaloa to an unreached Mexican tribe known as the Kuaré tribe. Calvary Culiacán has been recently working with this people group and we have the blessing of joining them for the first ever church service in this language and with these people. We will be trekking through mud and water to get to them, sleeping in tents, and spending a few days pouring out the love of Jesus to these people. I am expectant for all that the Lord is going to do in this time and I cannot wait to bring back reports of His faithfulness and His Spirit at work. Please pray for good health and safety in this time, as well as the Gospel to take root in the lives of the Kuaré people.
Praise Reports:
- We have made it to the half way point at the School of Missions and the Lord is doing a mighty work in the hearts and lives of each student and staff member here
- The sickness that went around the school has stopped and the Lord has been protecting us physically
- The Lord is continuing to speak to me and take me deeper in important aspects of my walk with Him, like surrender and stepping out in faith
- The children’s ministry has been running well and the kids have been blessed as we share the Gospel and teach them the Word of God
- We have seen people come to faith in Jesus and profess Him as Lord and Savior
Prayer Requests:
- For the Lord to continue leading and guiding each student of CSOM towards His will for their lives
- That I would remain present during my time in Mexico, while also planning and preparing for my upcoming missions trip/training in South Asia at the end of this year
- For the families we have encountered and the ones who came to salvation to get connected with their local church and begin being discipled through the Bible
- That the church planting conference would inspire more people to plant churches throughout the world, in order to reach more with the hope of Jesus
- For the Kuaré tribe and our time with them in the mountains; for protection, unity, and bonds with these people
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,