Arrived in Mexico!
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:19-20
Hello everyone!
I hope you are all doing well! I have made it safely to Rosarito, Mexico where I will be spending the next four of my six weeks this summer! We arrived yesterday after spending time worshiping at church with everyone at Calvary Chapel Saving Grace in Yorba Linda. My team is amazing and I get to be led by some wonderful leaders who love the Lord and have a wellspring of experience and wisdom! The hosts and the people serving here have already welcomed us so well. The house that we get to stay in is so perfect for our team. There are classrooms, great facilities, and a few places to find solitude when needed. It is going to be an amazing time!
I have gotten to share with many of you what I get to be doing these next few weeks but for those of you who do not know, here is a little update about my life and all that the Lord is doing: This spring, I graduated from California Baptist University with a degree in Intercultural Studies and a minor in Graphic Design. Looking back, I am incredibly grateful for my time there and for how much the Lord grew me through my classes, friendships, work, and opportunities to serve. Throughout college I discovered more deeply how my love for creativity, people, culture, and ministry can work together in meaningful ways. This last year I had the opportunity to work in marketing for my school doing some photography and graphic design. I gained more experience in branding, storytelling, and bringing campus moments to life through creative meaningful visuals that celebrate student experiences and community. When I was not in class and not working, I was spending sweet time with my friends, church family, and serving in a few capacities. I served as the International Justice Mission college chapter president. I hosted events, weekly meetings, and fundraisers. This year was my fourth year being part of a Bible study called Global and my second year leading it. Global created a space for students from many nations and different religious backgrounds to come together, build community, and learn more about the Gospel. I had so many wonderful pockets of community and am grateful for my time at CBU. As much as I am thankful for my time at CBU I was also excited for the next chapter of my life.
Over the last few years at my church Calvary Chapel Saving Grace and at CBU, the Lord has deepend my love for Him and continually affirmed His call on my life to proclaim the gospel and make His name known among all peoples. He has been teaching me to have a willingness to serve wherever He calls and to make His name known in areas that have not yet heard. I desire to faithfully steward and be obedient to that command. I want to take the next steps to seek God and to where He is leading me. I will be here in Rosarito until August 9th, I will be part of a six-week missions training school here in Mexico. The program is called Calvary School of Missions. It is an opportunity to be equipped and trained as I take my next steps in the process of going to the nations. The program was created for people who are interested in missions and are trying to discern if this is what God has for their lives, as well as for those who feel the Lord has confirmed a heart for missions and want to understand the next practical steps of obedience. We will do this through studying Scripture, reading theological books, learning from current missionaries, gaining a deeper theological understanding from pastors, doing outreach, being surrounded by like-minded people, and ultimately to seek the Lord in deep and intentional ways.
How our time is going so far:
We started our time off with delicious tacos! After dinner we spent the evening in a time of worship and teaching. I am so excited to get to see all that I will be learning throughout this time! I am so blessed to be able to be here. We got to intentionally think about what our vision for our life is. Our vision is about worshiping God. But is it really? Can we truly say that our vision is about worshipping God? Am I following my plan or being obedient to God’s plan? Those are some of the big questions that we thought through yesterday. This time in Mexico is giving us time apart to truly discern if we are surrendered to Christ and His call on our life and to understand what walking in obedience truly looks like. The amazing thing about our God is that He takes our little faith and expands it into something beautiful. All He asks of us is to absolutely surrender to Him. We serve a mighty God who deeply loves us and wants to be in relationship with us. Before the time of worship we had written what our vision for our life was. During worship we took those papers and we put them into a fire. It was a physical act of surrender and allowing God to direct and guide our steps. We are called to have fellowship with Jesus Christ and that means we have to spend time with Him and get to know Him and His ways. We cannot limit God based on our limitations! John 3 and Philippians 4:13 teach us that we can do nothing apart from Christ, but we can do all things with Him. We must abide in Him. It is not about our will, but may His be done. God can and will work with us greatly. I have been walking in a season of uncertainty and trying to hear from the Lord. This was a reminder that all I have to do is to continue to take the next faithful consistent step.
Monday morning, we started off our day with a time of devotions to just meditate and read His Word. This summer we are going through the books of Acts and Luke in our own personal time of devotions. It was such an encouraging read and looking at it in the context of missions and surrender and seeing God’s vision. At breakfast, we spent time sharing what the Lord taught us! It is so sweet to be surrounded by brothers and sisters who are seeking after Him!
After breakfast, we had our first class session, which laid the foundation for the next few weeks and gave us a glimpse of what we will be studying throughout the program. It was a thorough introduction to what the role of the church is and the call to follow Jesus. I know that I have been called by Him and I have seen His goodness. Something we were learning is about when Jesus called the disciples to Him in Matthew 4:18-22 and Mark 1:16-20. Jesus chose the least likely fishermen to be His disciples. We noticed Jesus called them from their fishing boats but it was not until the second time that Jesus called them in Luke 5:1-11 that they truly left their boats, and nets. It took them time to recognize how unworthy they were and how worthy and how great Jesus was to be truly surrendered. This summer I want to truly seek His way and to uncover areas of my life that I have not yet surrendered and places in my life that I have not left behind. It is exciting to think about the freedom found in Christ but also is a pruning process in order to be in a place of full surrender. Through these teachings and times of worship I am reminded of ways I have not surrendered to Him and ways that I have fallen short and ways that I need to let go of.
Thank you all so much for your kindness, prayers, and support throughout the years. I’m incredibly thankful for the people the Lord has placed in my life and for everyone who has cared for and encouraged me along the way in each of the different stages of my life. I’m looking forward to sharing more soon and seeing all that God has ahead in this next season.
Please pray :
-That I have energy and that I can rest well at night
-For unity on the team
-For strong stomachs and staying healthy from any sickness
-That I would continue to trust the Lord fully and walk faithfully in what He has next.
- For encouragement, prayer and financial support. (For provision for the program) I need to raise enough support to cover airfare, in-country transportation, housing, food, and ministry expenses. I would be so grateful if you would prayerfully consider partnering with me in any way possible. The total cost for the time is $2,700 which is due by the middle of August. I am excited to share with you my journey!
Love,
Ella Noyes
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