I Have Been Praying for This for 2 Years!
Some photos from past years at CSOM
Hello friends and family!
First, I just want to thank you for signing up for my newsletter! This is where I’ll be sharing updates while I am in Mexico. A lot of you already know what I’ll be up to this Summer, but I want to share more of what got me here. For those of you who don’t know, Calvary School of Missions (CSOM) is a six week program located in Rosarito, Mexico. It is designed to help students seek God’s heart for the nations and provide a starting point for those who feel they may be called to full time missions work. This looks like weekly outreaches that will provide us with a practical taste of ministering cross-culturally, as well as training on how to plant churches through Calvary Chapel Rosarito. We will have classes daily that are centered on understanding God’s heart as well as the reality of living on mission. This will include hearing from veteran missionaries, learning how to write newsletters and preparing a care team, and studying through the Bible together.
The first time I visited Calvary School of Missions was my first time out of the country. It was July 2024 and I remember being so culture shocked that first weekend even though we were only 30 minutes from the border. The second your American bubble pops is the second your life changes, at least that’s how it was for me. Being me, I was cautious and observant, watching the interactions around me and trying to get a feel for what was familiar and what felt different so I could learn and respond. Me and my three friends tagged along with the students to a church-planting conference and to an outreach that was kind of like a VBS day for the children in the area. My Spanish pretty much starts and ends with hola and como estas (although I’m doing my best to pick up more haha!), but I didn’t need language to connect with the kids. Serving them and their families intrigued me and gave me so much joy.
The night that stuck out to me most was a worship night at the Connections house where the students stayed. We were singing We Praise You by Brandon Lake and I remember looking around the room during the bridge. “This is what living looks like, this is what heaven sounds like, this is what freedom feels like, we praise you, we praise you…” As we sat around maps of the world, our voices and hands were lifted together, the acoustic guitar almost lost under it all. I remember feeling that was such a pure moment, declaring this truth that Jesus is life, Jesus is freedom, and this is a shadow of the kingdom of heaven. I was a little surprised at the peace and the contentment I felt sitting there, surrounded by people I didn’t know very well, in a different country and feeling a little culture shock. Extremely outside of Jadyn’s comfortable, protected and predictable bubble. But I began praying then that God would allow me to come to this school in Mexico and be a part of all of this. Not just the experience, but the heart behind it. A heart that is completely surrendered to Christ and awake to what it means to make the Gospel your life. Because if you are awake to the Gospel, you are awake to the great need of the lost.
So I began to ask, “God, what do you want me to do about this?” I am still sitting with this question, especially considering the great call of cross-cultural, long term missions. My one agenda is to bring Him this question again as I sit at His feet around maps of the world once more. I look forward to the six weeks ahead of me with so much gratitude to the Lord for allowing me to be a part of CSOM this Summer. I have waited for His timing and His gentle prodding and I know He has amazing things in store.
So, I ask for your prayers. I want a heart of fertile soil for the Lord to use, a moldable vessel in His hands that He can shape, pour out and fill as He desires. I don’t want to be caught up in my own hopes and plans and ambitions. More than anything, I just want to be available and open to what God wants to say. So please pray for that. Pray for humble hearts for the whole group, as well as unity, protection, and provision.
I would also ask you to pray about partnering with me financially as I take this trip. The total cost for the Summer is $2,700. I am so grateful to the people who have already supported me generously, but I still have a ways to go and we’re almost a month out! I do trust that God will provide every penny.
I want to thank you again for reading this newsletter and being so supportive of the things going on in my life. It’s truly the biggest blessing and encouragement. I am looking forward with anticipation and I can’t wait to share what I’m learning as I go along.
In Him,
Jadyn :)
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