“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”
ROMANS 15:5-7 (ESV)
Hello family and friends,
It has been a busy and blessed past month since I last updated you all. We have made it back safely from Mexico and I am so excited to share all that the Lord did in our last few weeks there. Thank you for your constant prayers, messages, and overall partnership; not only in what the Lord is doing in my life, but in this calling He has placed on all our lives to reach the lost with the hope of the Gospel.
Kuaré Tribe
As you may know, our team had the opportunity to join other Calvary Chapels from Sinaloa and travel a total of about 15 hours down to the state of Nayarit. From there, we then journeyed up the mountains through the night till we reached the Kuaré Tribe. These church groups have been visiting them the past few years, creating relationships, providing for their needs, and sharing about Jesus. These beautiful people welcomed us with open arms and treated us so kindly; it was amazing to experience how stepping out with the love of Christ breaks down barriers and connects even the most far off people. We got to spend 3 days amongst them, which consisted of going house to house in groups passing out clothes, medical supplies, and praying for each family; we also put on kids’ VBS style outreaches and ended our time with the tribe’s first ever church service in their language, translating from Spanish to English and Kuaré. These people know that there is a God because they see the evidence through the mountains, trees, and weather, yet they worship creation instead of the Creator because they did not know who He was. It was incredible to watch them hear that the God who created nature, also created them and that His name is Jesus and He wants a relationship with each one of them.
The Most Generous Kuaré Sisters
While going house to house, I approached two sisters to give each of them a pair of new shoes. With the very little Kuaré I learned, I asked them, “Iñe pua ęn ta pua?” (what is your name?), and discovered that their names are Alma and Evangelina. After we spent some time with their family and prayed for them, we departed to the next house when I saw some bright colored figures following behind us out of the corner of my eye. These sweet girls began following us as we made our way to the other houses in their village, and remained with us even as we went back to our camp to play games with everyone. It turned out that they also spoke a good amount of Spanish, as the majority of the younger generation does. This allowed us to get to know them more and they also wanted to help with translating to the other families we met. These girls are 11 and 12 years old and the older sister actually has a Spanish Bible that she has been reading. While on our journey, the girls began taking off their jewelry and gave me their hair clips and rings, so I exchanged my bracelets and rings with them as well. It was such a sweet moment to bond and connect over such a simple thing, but it truly took me aback and made me emotional. This people have so little, yet exude much joy and generosity. These young girls were so excited to give me something that meant so much to them and I pray that I can be open-handed with my possessions to bless others as they do.
Please join us in our prayer that the Lord would call a couple to live long-term amongst these people to disciple those who have decided to accept Jesus and put their trust in Him as their Savior. We hope to see the Lord raise up a pastor from this tribe who can eventually plant a church. The church is also working on translating a Bible into Kuaré! God is truly at work in this place and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for them.
Since being back from Mexico, I have switched gears and now I am preparing for the 5 months I will be overseas in Asia. During that time I will be training, ministering, and seeking the Lord as to where He would have me serve Him longterm. I don’t leave until the end of October, so I would love to get together with as many people as I can before I leave. If you would like to call or grab coffee and catch up, please respond to this email and let me know!
Praise Reports:
- The rest of our time in Mexico was fruitful and we have all made it back safely
- Our time amongst the Kuaré Tribe was such a blessing, we got to create many relationships, provide for their physical and medical needs, and people are starting to come to Christ
- The students of School of Missions had great experiences this summer and some plan to continue on with the missions training school through Saving Grace World Missions
Prayer Request:
- For the work being done in the Kuaré hearts and lives; that the Lord would send a couple to live in the tribe and disciple the people, that a pastor would be raised up, a church would be planted, and that the Bible would be translated into their language
- For the students of the School of Missions and the ones joining the Missions Training School, that God would continue to work in and through them and equip them for whatever He is preparing them
- That I would be able to connect with as many people in this preparation season and be a blessing to all I come in contact with
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,