When corona virus hit, there were so many unknowns in the world and in our lives personally. Would we be able to travel from S. Asia to Nepal for graduation as planned? Would we have enough food to endure the extended lockdown? Would we even be able to get out of S. Asia? Would we get selected for the evacuation flight back to the USA? Where would we stay when we returned? What would our lives and ministry look like moving forward? We know each of you have your own list of schedule changes, canceled plans, disappointments and questions about what the future holds in the midst of this pandemic, since it has literally effected the entire world and we are right there with you.
Thankfully, we serve the God who SEES (El Roi). He sees our needs, our hearts, our struggles, our burdens, our future and He sees what is best for us. He sees it ALL! In a world of uncertainty and ever-changing mandates from an unseen virus, the Lord has gone before us and opened a door to serve stateside while still engaging in overseas missions (and travel internationally when that becomes possible again).
Calvary the Rock has been a long-time partner and friend to us, so when Pastor Ross and Barb contacted us about an opportunity to serve with them in Santa Rosa, CA we prayed and the Lord confirmed that He is calling us into a new season. The God who SEES, saw our need to establish a stateside hub / home given a worldwide pandemic, saw our hearts to continue the ministry overseas that we have invested our lives into for the past 10+ years together with you and saw it best for us to sojourn into a new season in our lives.
What Does This Mean?
We have been blessed with a guesthouse to stay in Santa Rosa for the time being as we transition. Bond will serve as an Associate Pastor, Heather will serve in Admin at Calvary the Rock and our family will establish a home base in Santa Rosa (Northern CA) by which we will minister in the local church / community and establish a hub to continue to reach the unreached throughout the world!
We will continue to serve with Saving Grace World Missions. Bond will be teaching online classes via skype into Asia, disciple and have ministry meetings by zoom, and host online prayer sessions. It is so perfect how the Lord prepared everyone to move online because of the pandemic, so everything is in place moving forward to make this possible now. Heather will keep working remotely as has always been the case, administering the bible colleges, outreach, national missionaries, trips and relief efforts throughout Asia and Africa. We also look forward to investing in others who desire to be sent to fulfill the Great Commission in unreached parts of the world and to mobilize a larger army of senders, prayer warriors and engage even more people to GO!
We do not plan to stay in-country for long, seeing as how next week we will travel as a family to Mexico to teach at the Calvary School of Missions hosted by Saving Grace World Missions. We are excited to invest in a group of young people who have a heart to be sent to bring the Gospel and hope of Jesus to the nations. We also plan to travel overseas, once international travel opens up again (Lord willing this fall). The plan is to travel overseas several times a year to continue to equip and train up pastors to plant churches, encourage and oversee the 40+ churches that have been established by national pastors, teach at the various bible colleges and take others with us to preach, teach and serve as the Lord leads. Moving forward, the length of travel will be weeks each time and not months, but we trust that God will maximize and bless our time in-country.
While we sojourn into this new season, please do not take our prayer card off your fridge. In fact, now more than ever….keep praying, keep supporting, keep giving, keep expecting monthly updates, keep partnering with our family and the ministry the Lord has entrusted to us. The ministry needs remain massive and we need your prayers and financial partnership to continue the ministry overseas. The past 10+ years have been a miraculous work of God’s favor and that has only been possible because you have faithfully stood with us, sacrificially gave, faithfully prayed and we trust that will continue. We would ask that you keep believing with us that God is going to do even greater things in the future through our lives as we co-labor together for the sake of the Gospel.
The beautiful part of the vision God gave to us in the beginning is to equip the nationals for the work of the ministry, as they will go further than we could ever go and reach more people than we could ever reach. Now given the status of the world, we have seen many of the pastors, students and partners overseas rise up and lead in their places. It is a beautiful thing to see that the work has not stopped during lockdown, but quite the opposite…..as it flourishes under tremendous persecution and against much opposition. The churches are growing, the bible colleges have national leaders, and the outreach is happening as food relief is in full effect as nationals stand bold for their faith.
In a world of uncertainty, we want to continue to obey God, to take radical steps of faith, to share the hope of the Gospel, and to reach the unreached and fulfill the Great Commission. Thank you, thank you, thank you! We have the best family, friends and partners on the planet.
Love from Nor CA,
Bond, Heather and Breanna Gaona
