Definitely Not in Kansas Anymore

Though I’ve never been to Kansas, I did go to India and Thailand recently. Many of you may have heard some funny stories or perhaps know a little bit about the trip. In this newsletter, I would love to share a full breakdown. However, to protect workers from sensitive countries it will have to be vague in regards to names and places. If you’d like more detail, please feel free to reach out to me—I’d be glad to share everything with you. Before I even begin I would love to thank all of you for your financial support and most importantly your partnership in prayer. Only heaven will reveal all the rewards and all the results of your earnest intercession.

Thailand

On the 13th of September, my roommate and I left for our long trip to Thailand. After a few days of travel, we arrived in Thailand. From there, we attended the CCA Conference. The likes of 8+ countries were represented, many of which were believers from the 1040 window and missionaries serving in these challenging countries. During the conference we would start our days with morning prayer. This part impacted me the most. It just amazed me how much the saints from some of these persecuted countries pray. They aren’t much different than us in nature however their fervency in prayer left me in awe. On top of that I was able to listen to one of my favorite teachers expound on the life of Joseph. To top it all off day in and day out we fellowshiped with believers and missionaries over lunch and dinner constantly. I met missionaries from all over and even got to see some old friends. It was such a sweet time. The on Wednesday of that week I started to feel a sore throat coming on. That morning I thought to myself “Uh oh.” Nonetheless, I powered through the day but as they day kept going on it got worse and worse. Soon it was body aches until I was in my bed at the end of the day sick. I’ll spare you the gory details of all the sickness entailed. I remember feeling totally discouraged and utterly down in the dumps. For the next few days I was in my room in a strange country, missing home and my parents especially. I specifically remember reading the story of the woman coming to Jesus with the issue of the flow of blood and thinking what she says in scripture “For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.”” Though I didn’t get a instant miracle. I slowly recovered in time for the SGWM conference. During that conference I got to meet many of the workers from Asia. I got to hear about the work going on in all the various countries that need the greatest efforts to reach.

Canoeing

India

A few flights later we traveled to India to visit some workers. We arrived late at night to our hotel and instantly fell asleep. That morning we met with the workers who we would spend the most time with. We went out to breakfast and got to experience traveling in India. Driving in India reminded me of a game we used to play in school called chicken. It’s a game where you run at each other and swerve out of the way at the last minute. I wasn’t super concerned since everyone else wasn’t worried but I found it fascinating. Then, we took a train which reminded me so much of Israel and taking the rail there. Then from there we took a Tuk Tuk. Truly an iconic vehicle of India. A sort of staple form of transportation. After a few days of being in India we had eaten plenty of Dosa (sort of like a crepe but with curry inside) and all sorts of other Indian specialties. Not only did we eat and fellowship with the workers there, more importantly we got to meet the church. This was truly a awesome experience. Our first meeting with them was for a church worship practice. I absolutely love other cultures takes on worship and theirs was just as good. I can’t comment on the spiritual aspects to the song as I can’t speak the language but as far as musically went, it was stunning. There was one brother who had a set of bamboo flutes that sounded heavenly. After spending some time with them we had a boys day. Our day began early and we started the day as any Indian does with some Chai. Then we ventured throughout the city stopping along strategic points and praying over them. It was a wonderful time to get to see the work needing to be done. Another eye opening experience was getting to spend time with them during church. The church is very young. The median age was probably around 25-30. The interesting thing about the city is that it’s a sort of hub for work and education. This naturally attracts plenty of young people who come for school and work. However, the challenge when ministering here means that people come and go often. Through my time in India I got to see some of the spiritual difficulties there. The most prevalent problem there is idolatry. Certainly, idolatry is a issue worldwide. However in India it is blatant and totally normal. Throughout India anti proselytization laws mean evangelism is difficult and even dangerous. All this goes to say that the work for the church is great. This can tend to seem overwhelming but the work of God is going on and God is still not done with India.

Prayer Requests/Praise Reports

  • Thank God I made a full recovery while in Thailand and didn’t have to go to the doctor
  • Praise God for the time I got to spend with in India and Thailand
  • Please pray for the work going on at Cal State Fullerton
  • Pray for India and the workers there
  • Pray that the Lord would direct me

Again thank you so much for your support and prayers. Currently, I am still waiting and praying for God’s direction in my life. I don’t currently believe that God is calling me to India. However it wasn’t a wasted trip. I was able to learn so much from the brothers and sisters from that part of the world and understand more of their world. I am grateful for the opportunity I was given to go and be apart of what the Lord is doing in Asia. Please continue to pray God would direct me. Thank you all so much again. God bless.

Back To School!

School has started up again for the students of Cal State Fullerton and for Fullerton college and so me and Pastor Nick are back on campus for some evangelism. If you’ve been reading my newsletters for some time now you know that we have been working hard sharing the gospel on both campuses and maybe you’ve even heard some stories from my encounters there. However recently God has been putting on Nick and my heart to do more than just evangelism on both campuses. God has given both of us vision of starting a club on campus in which we have more ability to minister to the students and make disciples out of students who hear the gospel. If we were to become a club it would allow for a number of opportunities. The biggest opportunity would be to host events not only that but this would allow us access to the facilities where we could teach and disciple the students. In order to become a club on both campuses we need 2 students and a professor. However we really are praying for someone we can trust and someone who is a solid believer because on both campuses there are plenty of false disciples and even people from various cults. So while we want to start the club as soon as possible we don’t want to compromise in who is to partner with us

If you’ve kept up with the past few newsletters you would also know that for months I’ve been praying and planning on going on 2 vision tours. I have been praying about going to Thailand and India. At the time which I’m writing this I have been in Chiang Mai Thailand for almost a week now. I have been attending a conference and for the most part it has been awesome. Also at the time of writing I am sick with some sort of cold but am recovering. Please continue to keep me and the team in your prayers. I don’t want to give too much away because next month I will be back in the states and will have a whole segment dedicated to my travels in the next newsletter.

Prayer Requests/ Praise Reports

  • Praise God me and my buddy and the rest of the team made it safely to Thailand
    • Please pray for continued travel mercies
    • Please pray for the Lord to speak to me with direction
    • Pray that I would be full strength for India
    • Please be praying for Godly men and women we can partner with to start a club on one or both college campuses

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. I can’t wait for next time to tell you all about both of my trips. Thank you again for all your partnership in prayer for the colleges. I don’t believe much of the work would go on without your prayers. I cannot thank you all enough for your financial support as well for this trip. It has been such a blessing watching the Lord provide for more than I could ask or think. If you would like to give financially there is a link below labeled “become a financial partner” which will give you the choice of a one time or a recurring donation. If you have any questions or want to hear more please feel free to email me at Calebsanchez0321@gmail.com. Until next time. God bless you all.

Where God Guides God Provides

Exciting news! Last time I wrote you all I was planning on going to India and Thailand and now it’s official! I leave for Thailand on September 13 with a brother from Calvary School of Missions and arrive Thailand. Once the group gets there we will be attending a conference and having a little SGWM Conference with our missionaries from all over the world. Then after the conference I will be flying to India for a short trip to visit some brothers and sisters in Christ out there. During that time I will be praying about what the Lord has for me out there. Some might wonder why go to these places? Well, India alone has over 1 billion people who have not heard the Gospel or have a Christian they can ask or a church they could go to. Thailand certainly isn’t much better having 60 million people who also desperately need the gospel. The reason I want to go on these trips is not just some vacation but to seriously prayerfully consider going and being apart of the work going on to reach these hard to reach people. Part of that requires going and seeing and hearing of what God is doing through our brothers and sisters in those parts of the world. Please be praying for the trip that the Lord would speak to me and show me His will. If you would like to support this trip financially there will be a link below labeled partner financially where you can make a donation. All the money will go directly towards funding the airfare and on the ground costs.

Trip To Ecuador

Some of you know that I had the privilege of going to Ecuador last month for about a week. During that trip me and my family got to visit our dear family friend and missionary Pastor Carlos. Pastor Carlos has spent a number of years in Ecuador now raising up men to lead the church he has been pastoring. I got to visit 2 years ago and back then I wasn’t very good at Spanish and I didn’t have the vision of going beyond my local area with the gospel. This time I still wasn’t good at Spanish but this time I was able to understand and really glean so much more from Pastor Carlos and his missionary experiences. I really felt like a Timothy watching Paul and gleaning from such a faithful servant. I got to see Pastor Carlos raising and discipling men to lead the church for the glory of God. As of right now the church he has been pastoring is looking to buy a property to fit their congregation which has drastically grown in the past two years not just in size but in love. I ask that you please join me in praying for Carlos and the church he pastors for provision for a property and that the gospel would expand it’s reach in Ecuador.

Praise Reports/ Prayer Requests

  • Pray for the church and for Pastor Carlos and the rehab ministry the church is apart of and for the discipleship going on
  • Pray for provision for the church in Ecuador for a building
  • Pray for me and my upcoming vision tour that God would speak to me powerfully
  • Please pray for this upcoming evangelism outreaches at Cal State Fullerton and Fullerton College that God would open the door so we can become a club on campus (more on that next time

Thank you all for your prayers and support. If you would like to support the financial aspect of the trip you can do so by clicking the “become a financial partner” link and make a donation of your choice. If you would like to help support the church in Ecuador financially please let me know so I can get you in touch with Pastor Carlos. Nonetheless please pray for the upcoming trip. I can’t wait to tell you all about it. God Bless

Changing The World One Coffee At A Time

One of the exciting things of the past month was VBS. I absolutely love VBS. You may not know this about me but I love kids ministry and VBS. This year I was privileged this year to be apart of the skit team. While it was a lot of work it also was a blessing when it was all said and done to have been an influence in the kids lives. Apart of why I love VBS is because you get to spend time with the kids you normally wouldn’t get to unless you were their parents. This opens up the door for conversations and teaching moments. The kids and I got to talk during snack, crafts and games and I got to help reinforce the lessons and love on the kids. Best of all the whole church came together to minister to the kids. It was so encouraging to see the body of believers come together all doing their parts to minister to the kids. However, the most important part of it all was that the gospel was preached.

Changing the World One Coffee at a Time

During my time here I’ve come to understand Matthew 28:19-20 in its fullness.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

It may seem strange but over the course of my walk with the Lord I always assumed this verse was primarily a command to evangelism. However, over the course of my time at the Missions Training School I have come to understand this is a call to discipleship. I realized that God wasn’t just calling me to call sinners to salvation through Jesus but also to teach them to follow Jesus. After all what good is it if a person is saved but isn’t taught to follow Christ. How will the world be changed if no one knows how to follow Jesus. This first must start with you and I. We as believers must model for those who we disciple how follow all that Jesus commanded. So this is what I’ve been attempting to do. I definitely don’t feel qualified or the personality type to be doing this but God has called us believers to make disciples of all nations so that’s what I want to do. As I’ve began in this journey I wondered; what do I talk about with said disciple? How does all this work? I still don’t know all the answers but God has provided me with the time I needed to meet regularly with one guy and hopefully soon more guys.

What’s Next

Last time I wrote there was a vague mention of a plan to go on a vision tour. Now that some time has passed more details have been ironed out and now it looks like for sure we are going to Thailand then either Jordan, Japan or India. The purpose of these trips are really to see some places and see what work is being done already or where God could potentially use me in these countries. If you would like to support me all the funds will go towards going to see these countries. At the moment I plan on going to Thailand and India but plans could easily change. Please, join me in praying for God’s provision and direction for me to go on these trips.

Prayer Requests/Praise Reports

  • Pray for our bothers and sisters in Mexico for the School of Missions that God would speak to them
  • Pray for the upcoming school year at Cal State Fullerton and Fullerton Community College for the work that is going on there
  • Pray for provision for me to go on the upcoming vision tours
  • Praise God that He has been faithful to provide financially
  • Praise God for the word that was proclaimed at the VBS

Thank you again for all your prayers and support. If you have any questions, comments or just want to chat feel free to write me at calebsanchez0321@gmail.com. If you would like to support me financially the link will be below. All the funds will go directly towards the upcoming vision tours. Thank you so much. God bless.

What Am I Passionate About?

It’s crazy to believe it’s been about a month since I last wrote. A lot has happened since I wrote last time. There have been ups and downs, events, and fun things to share. I’m excited to share some things God has done in the past month.

Divine Appointments

During my time at the Missions Training School (MTS), I have talked to a lot of people during work and classes and outreaches. One of the most notable ones happened recently at a college campus outreach. At the beginning of our time at Cal State Fullerton, I noticed a girl was standing by some table materials. She was one of the only people in sight who wasn’t looking preoccupied with school or her phone so I walked up to her. I began as usual asking her what she thought about the afterlife. At first, she was a little stunned but responded and we talked about heaven and hell which she believed in. Like most people I meet she was quick to say the way you get to heaven is through good works. During our time talking, I noticed she had a strangely familiar accent. At one point it all clicked when she told me she was Jewish. For those who know me well enough, I’m not a very animated person most of the time but I was thrilled. It was such an open door because I have lived in Israel. I started to share about how Jesus is the promised Messiah. Then she brought up the question skeptically. What does the church think about Israel? This was another awesome opportunity to share that God is faithful to keeping His promises to the nation Israel and not only that but since He’s faithful to His people Israel, He’s faithful to save all those who call out to Him. It was an amazing moment. Yet also looking back at it, it was a sad moment. Here is a Jew who is one of God’s chosen people and all she knows about Jesus is how His followers have been abandoning Israel. Despite all that she heard the full gospel and hopefully, we can stay in contact as she plans on teaching a class on Hebrew which I want to attend. Please keep her in your prayers and pray for more opportunities to share with her.

Teaching/Class

One of the core parts of the Missions Training School is our preaching class. While it’s certainly not easy it is one of the highlights of my week. During my time here I have taught through 2 books, Philippians and Jonah. At MTS each student is required to teach an allotted amount of scripture every week. For example this week all first-year MTS students will be teaching 1 Timothy Chapter 1:12-20. So during the week we are tasked with properly exegeting a passage or drawing out from the text what is already there. Like any Calvary Chapel, we learn to teach verse by verse through the whole book. Once we have prepared a sermon with an accompanying PowerPoint and handout, then we preach in front of the pastoral staff and our peers. Through this, I have learned so much about properly breaking down a text and learning to share from it. Not only that but I’ve watched the things I’m teaching being applied in my own life.

What’s Next?

One of the things I love about the Missions Training School is that there are opportunities to go to unreached countries all around us. Our church is constantly sending out missionaries. As I seek the Lord for what He has next for me, I’m praying about going on various Vision Tours. If you’re not familiar with what a vision tour is neither was I until I got here. A vision tour is simply a trip to another country where we get to go and seek the Lord in said country to see the works already going on and to wait and see what the Lord would want to do. Thankfully there is one coming up in the fall which I plan to go to. Please pray the Lord would show me where He wants me as I plan on going.

Prayer/Praise Reports

  • Pray for the College Campus outreaches as we are praying that God would open a door for us to be established as a club on both campuses
  • Pray for our Israeli friend that God would open her heart to the gospel
    • Pray that God would raise up more laborers to go out evangelizing to the Jews
  • Pray that God would provide for the upcoming vision tours
  • Praise God for our friend Jessica (from the last newsletter) who has been to almost every event Saving Grace has
  • Praise God for our friend Kyle who has had it on his heart to go to France and share the gospel with some of his friends
  • Praise God that He continues to work in our Young Adults group to bring new people

Thank you all again for all the prayers and support. I’m so excited about what the Lord will have in store for the next Newsletter. If you have any questions or want to hear more, feel free to reach out to me via email. If you would like to support me financially there will be a link below. Thank you all again. God bless you.

Put In The Work Put In The Hours

Hello friends and family! It’s been a little over a month since I last wrote and a lot has happened. When I last wrote I had just arrived in Yorba Linda California for a missions training program. (We’ll call it MTS from now on.) Without further adieu let’s get into it.

An Inner Burning

In my last newsletter, I talked about how I spent 3 months in Israel. During that time in Israel, I had an urge to reach the Israeli people, yet I had such a hard time when it came to sharing the gospel because of the cultural and language barriers. Though Israel is very Westernized compared to the rest of the Middle East, it still is very culturally different. Not only that but though many Israelis speak English, it isn’t their first language often. Understandably, since I don’t speak Hebrew, and am not an Israeli it was difficult to share the gospel effectively. All this to say that when I got back to the U.S. I was eager to share the gospel in my native language and a culture I understand. During the first month of the MTS program, I decided one Thursday that I would join Pastor Nick (one of the pastors at Calvary Chapel Saving Grace) in his Cal State Fullerton outreach. When we arrived I spent hours sharing the gospel with college students. It was very exciting meeting people of all different backgrounds. Through a long set of divine appointments and stories for another time I met a girl we’ll call Jessica and a guy named we’ll call Kyle. Kyle had been a believer when I met him he was a believer for 2 years and was hungry to grow in the Lord and evangelism as well. Since meeting him he has joined me 2 times to go evangelizing! Jessica is not a believer but is seeking after the Lord. A couple of MTS students and I spent a few hours with her and at the end of our conversation she told us she wanted to learn more about God and has been faithfully attending to Young adults and Sundays and best of all 2 of our MTS ladies are pouring into her. All this is to say that the Lord is working amongst the young people.

What Else is Happening at the Missions Training Program?

So what else am I doing in the MTS program? Well, I’m glad you asked. The program consists of classes such as a preaching class, missions class, discipleship classes, and various others. In our preaching class, I am learning how to handle God’s word to instruct others. I am really learning to love the word and how it really comes to life when you teach it. It seems that every week of teaching through Philippians, God gives me opportunities to apply what I’m studying at work. The week I was studying Philippians 4:4, I had a rough day at work. It was during my shift that I knew I needed to rejoice in the Lord always even when things weren’t good and so I did. All that to say God is growing and shaping me throughout the process.

Prayer Requests/ Praise reports

  • Please join me in praying for my coworkers for their salvation and that God would open a door for me to share the gospel with them
    • Please pray for the Cal State Fullerton campus outreach that the Lord would open up the door for us to establish a good bible teaching club on campus
    • Pray for Jessica and her salvation/ Pray for the ladies ministering to her that God would give them wisdom
    • Pray for Steve and Misha that God would bless their work in Israel
    • Praise the Lord for the work He’s doing in the young adults
    • Praise God for the salvation of Kyle
    • Praise God for His word and how it truly changes lives

Thank you all for your prayers and your support. If you would like to hear more about the things God is doing, feel free to message me and I would love to share with you. If you would like to support my ministry there will be a link below. If you have any questions please message me. Thank you again. God bless you all.

Surprised to Hear From Me? So Am I…

It’s been quite some time since I last wrote and I have plenty of exciting news. In the past 4 months, much has happened and I will briefly sum it all up so you don’t have to read pages upon pages of information. Let’s get right into the reports.

What Happened after Mexico?

In the last newsletter, I wrote I was in Mexico. About a week later I was on my way to Israel. I would spend the next 3 months in Israel with Study Tour Israel or Calvary Bible Institute Israel (CBI). I was able to connect with a small Jewish Russian congregation in the Golan Heights. During the first half of the trip, we were able to tour lots of the Southern parts of Israel and got to explore all the various biblical sites and experience Jewish culture, as well as daily life in Israel. About a month and a half into my stay in Israel, on October 7th, tragedy struck. Around 1,500 people were butchered in their homes and over 200 men, women were taken captive by Hamas terrorists. Our hearts were broken when we heard the news. Soon after, war broke out and the Lord shifted the direction of our time in Israel. Sadly, the majority of the group was either called home or chose to leave due to safety concerns. I along with the director of CBI Israel and his wife (Spencer and Kylie) and the pastors of the Jewish Russian congregation (Steve and Misha) began to aid another local congregation prepare meals for Israeli soldiers. This group soon began to cook home-cooked curry for the soldiers stationed all over the Golan Heights. It was through this experience that the Lord taught me so many things, I wish I could tell you it all, but for time’s sake, I will keep it brief. One of the most important lessons I learned was truly how great the need there is for people to lay down their lives so that others may come to know Jesus. During my time in Israel, I met a girl on a bus to Jerusalem (and no this isn’t some Hallmark love story) we talked for about 2 hours and I got to share with her about Jesus. We had a long conversation about Jesus and why I believe he is the Messiah. Not only that, but I got to share with her how God has personally transformed me. During this time she told me she lived on a Kibbutz or a farm town of about 100 people. The next day, it dawned on me that I am most likely the only Christian she will ever meet in her whole life. Israel is not like America where there are churches on every corner where she can hear the gospel or be discipled. The point of that story is that the need is so great for people to go to these places where the Gospel isn’t so people can come to know Jesus.

What Now?

Since coming home from Israel I believe God is leading me to the mission field, where the need is so great. I recently began the first step of the process which is to wait. However, this isn’t a passive waiting but an active waiting upon the Lord. About 3 weeks ago I joined the Missions Training Program at Calvary Chapel Saving Grace in Yorba Linda California. This program is designed to disciple those who may sense a calling to the mission field but don’t know how to get equipped. During the time I will be here, I am attending classes and serving at the church to prepare myself for the mission field. It has been quite an adjustment but God works all things out for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose and I am learning to trust that promise.

Prayer Requests / Praise Reports

  • Join me in praying for the peace of Israel and the equipping of the saints for the spreading of the gospel which brings true peace
  • Lift up Steve and Misha for protection and opportunities to share as they are still ministering in Israel
  • Pray for me as I begin working a secular job again that I might have opportunities to share about Jesus
  • Pray that God will transform me throughout the process of this program
  • Praise God that He has provided a place to stay and a job
  • Praise God has been faithful to provide for me financially
  • Praise God that He is already working on my heart and will continue his work

I would like to thank all of you who prayed for me during my time in Israel, I truly believe that if it were not for your prayers and for all of those who reached out I would have lost hope. So, thank you again for all the support. If you have any questions regarding anything please, feel free to contact me. Until next time, God bless you.

Yes. Another Newsletter. You’re welcome…

I know you’re probably wondering why am I getting another newsletter in the same week. What could possibly be so pressing that this guy is writing me twice? We have been to a lot of classes this week that have taught me a lot. This week I’ve learned a lot about culture and how it affects how we as a people group act. We often don’t think about our cultural values until we find ourselves in a different cultural context. One of the things that greatly affects the culture is the beliefs of that culture. The beliefs of culture greatly affect the actions of a culture, for example, in India they believe that cows are gods, and because of this belief they treat cows better than humans. Our teacher was telling us that one time he saw this family come out of their house to offer a cow bowls of rice and because of this belief they passed by children on the brink of death due to starvation. Our teacher told us many other stories to demonstrate how beliefs affect action. Not only do these beliefs affect action, but affect how we share the gospel. For example, when you share the gospel with a Hindu you have to stress the importance of Jesus being the only God. Otherwise, the Hindus will just add Jesus to the list of their millions of “gods”. These cultural differences radically affect how we minister and share the gospel, especially the further away from America we get. This allowed me to appreciate raising up locals even more since they know the culture so well.

!Vamos Iglesia!

The main reason this newsletter is coming out so early is that next week, we will be leaving for Culiacan. We will be going to a tribe that has recently been reached. We will be partnering with a church in Mazatlan to do a 3-day outreach to the Kuare tribe. The cool part of this outreach is we will be a part of the first church service for the Kuare tribe. I have no idea what to expect other than it will be some good mission experience. I’m definitely excited to see what the Lord will teach me while we’re up there. Another reason I’m writing this so early is that we will be attending the Church Planting Conference in Rosarito. This event will be happening Friday and Saturday. I’m excited to see what I will learn from the pastors teaching at the conference.

Prayer Requests

There are definitely lots of upcoming events this week and lots of necessity for prayer. It would be very appreciated if you would be praying, especially this week. Thank you again for all your prayers and if there is any way I could be praying for you send me a message and I would love to partner with you in prayer. These are some of the prayer requests for this week.

  • Pray for the Kuare Tribe
  • Pray for safe travels to Culican and to Mazaltan
  • Pray for safe travels to the Kuare tribe
  • Pray for the Unreached People Groups around the world

Thank you again for all your support. The next time I write, we will be back in Rosarito. If you would like to support me financially, there will be a link below. If you have a prayer request or praise report email me as I would love to pray for it. God bless you.

Learing Some Hard Lessons

Every week has been busy but especially this week. Not only did we have classes and outreaches but this week I got to teach twice and play piano for worship. Let’s just say I was pretty busy. During the first few days of the week, I wasn’t too stressed about making time but as the week went on and the responsibilities and opportunities piled on, I began to stress out. I remember praying and just telling the Lord how stressed I was about having enough time to practice for the worship set and study Daniel chapter 3 for the kids. I must admit I was overwhelmed but I remember reading in Strategies of Satan (our assigned book this week) how the enemy attacks your mind in this way. The enemy loves to get you to doubt the goodness of God. I simply trusted that the Lord would provide enough time for me to be a good steward of my responsibilities. As the week went on the Lord was faithful to give me time to practice the set list, study for the kid’s message, finish my books, and even call my friend and my parents. This small victory was a good reminder that God is faithful to provide in the small things as well as the big things. Just like the Lord can protect Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace how much more can He provide for the little things?

Playing Piano for Worship

This week I had the opportunity to play piano twice. The first opportunity was a disaster. I came underequipped and unprepared. In case you don’t know me well, I play alto sax sometimes for worship and often I just wing it and figure out songs by ear. I didn’t bring my alto sax to Mexico and I was asked to play piano, which I’ve been learning for about 3 months. I said sure and had the alto sax mindset going into it. If you ever play worship, I would not recommend winging it. I forgot to account for technical difficulties, a language barrier between musicians, and unfamiliar music! However, this disaster was how I learned that I need to practice and be diligent to practice with English speakers beforehand. When I practiced and changed my approach I was able to play with confidence, knowing the songs. I’m definitely no Mozart, but I’m not as bad as I was in the beginning. You never know, next time I write I could be soloing on the keys.

Learning to be a Servant

I have learned a lot throughout these few weeks but one of the Most Important Points (M.I.P) of this week was definitely the importance of being a servant. One of the pastors was teaching about why missionaries leave the field and the biggest reason was because of disunity. Sadly, the reason many leave the field is because of divisions over small things. The enemy loves to use small things to set well-meaning missionaries against each other. When these issues are not dealt with or dealt with carelessly they can build up and lead to division and arguing. These small trifles can lead to damage to the witness of the missionaries and even unforgiveness between brothers and sisters in Christ. This is where the importance of being a servant becomes so important. It takes humility to be a servant. This humility removes the potential for competition or jealousy, and better yet, it creates unity and love. Imagine if everyone had this attitude to put others before themselves in everything. The love and unity of that group would be astronomical. That is exactly why being a servant is so important, especially on the mission field. As a Christian, you are an ambassador, and as an ambassador you represent a country or in this case, Jesus. Therefore, how important is it to represent Jesus well to those who don’t know Him? The way we live shows so much more about us than our words. So when we divide over small issues or argue what are we saying about Jesus? This is so vital for us as Christians but especially for missionaries serving amongst the Unreached People Groups who have no access to other Christians or churches or even Bibles.

Prayer

Thank you all so much for your prayers last week. I really appreciate it. If you would like prayer I would love to partner with you in prayer as well. You are welcome to respond to this email, it goes directly to me.

  • Pray for our trip to Culiacan
  • Pray for our time in Kuare and for the Kuare tribe
  • Pray for our teachers that they might have the words to speak
  • Pray that the Lord would reveal His will for my life
  • Pray for the Unreached People Groups

Thank you all for the encouraging emails last week. I love receiving those encouraging emails about what the Lord is doing in your lives. I pray you are all encouraged by this newsletter. If you would like to partner with me financially then there will be a link below. Thank you again. God bless you all.

Becoming a Balloon Animal Artisan For Jesus

These past few weeks have flown by and I’ve had a lot of time to learn this week. Our week started out with the Purpose of the Church and writing newsletters. Writing my Newsletter was a blast, I had a lot of fun putting jokes in it and yet put a lot of thought into stirring up the body of Christ for good works. After writing an absolutely brilliant newsletter (opinions may vary), the whole team got ready for the outreach with Calvary Chapel Home X. It took us about an hour to set up and then the families flooded in. I then got to making balloon animals and boy those kids wanted those balloon animals. Left and right I was making balloon animals with my trusty assistant Jacob. The kids started to get crazy with their orders and it was difficult to know what they wanted without a translator and my approximately 11 words of Spanglish. Let’s just say I got a lot of blank stares. But apart from the confusion it was again such a pleasure to love on those kids and see their adorable smiles when they got what they wanted. But the kids didn’t just leave with balloon animals, they got to hear the story of Noah and the Ark taught by me. Not that my teaching was anything special or rivaled David Guzik or Spurgeon, it was such a joy to teach the kids about how God saved Noah and gave him a promise to never flood the Earth again and how God has a plan to save us through faith in Him. Not only did they learn about how God has a plan to save us, but by what means He plans to accomplish that. Just like God delivered Noah by means of the Ark, God delivers us by means of Jesus’s death on the cross. Just like God made Noah a promise to never flood the Earth again, God makes us a promise that if we believe in Him He will save us (John 3:16). After the time of teaching the kids did some crafts and ended the outreach after we ate nachos.

Class Time

During this week I had the pleasure of listening to many workers in the 10/40 window. Unfortunately, due to the sensitive countries they work in I cannot share names. Nonetheless, God used one of the pastors to remind me of how you and I need grace. This was so refreshing at a time in which I was beaten down by condemnation. It seemed as though everything I did or thought, the enemy used as ammunition to condemn me. This weighed me down for days and days until the pastor began to go off about grace. This may have seemed like a tangent during a class about ministering to Muslims but the Lord used it to minister to me. Not only was my soul refreshed but also challenged to grow in establishing good spiritual disciplines. The pastor called this tool R.P.G and no not a rocket launcher, it stands for Real Plan for Growth. It’s a simple tool for establishing practical disciplines for spiritual growth. I encourage you to look at it and see what the Lord challenges you to grow in. Not only did the pastor teach us how to grow in spiritual disciplines but taught us about our sin nature and how the new nature that Christ has given us is at war with the old nature of sin. The pastor taught me that in Christ we are new creations and therefore we have a new nature however, there still remains the old nature. This is where the conflict comes in. Often times our sin nature will act up and give us sinful thoughts that make us feel terrible. The pastor taught me that because I am a new creation in Christ these thoughts are not from me but from the un-redeemed un-regenerate side of me that all believers have. These thoughts can often be used by the enemy to make us believe we aren’t saved or condemn us. With this information the pastor taught us that the way to combat this is to remember the truth about ourselves as well as surrender these thoughts to the Lord and recognize that the enemy will use it to condemn us but to remember that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Real Plan for Growth (R.P.G)

Prayer

One thing that you and I need is prayer and lots of it. I appreciate all your prayers and would love to partner with you in prayer. If you feel led please share with me some of your prayer requests so I can know how to pray for you as well. With all that said these are some of the ways you can be praying for me and the people around me.

  • Pray for the CSOM team for healing of a stomach bug that’s going around
  • Pray for the outreaches this week
  • Pray for me that the Lord would give me the words to speak at the next outreach
  • Pray for blessings for the Connections house who have blessed us with a lovely place to stay
  • Pray for the teaching of the Word in the 10/40 window
  • Pray that the Lord would raise up people from Mexico and the U.S to go to the 10/40 window
  • Pray for the missionaries who are working in the 10/40 window

Thank you all again for your support and prayers. If this newsletter encourages you then please do reach out, as I love receiving praise reports. If you would like to partner with me financially, there will be a link below you can use to give. God bless you all.