February 2024 Newsletter
Joshua Vanrenterghem
“having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”
Ephesians 1:5-6
It’s 2024! All I can say is THANK YOU! Thanks to all of you who have supported and followed me this crazy year.
The sad part, this marks the end of my bible training season in Peru. But the fading of one season buds the flower of a new one! God graciously led me to return to the states after a year of study in Peru to continue my training with Saving Grace World Missions in California. Since December I have been studying missions and the Word in their Missions Training Program. It has been a very joyous experience.
In this new season of training I have been attending regular classes throughout each week preparing me to be a full-time cross-cultural missionary. I have also been serving as an assistant to one of the pastors, which has been a fun experience. I fill my time with projects, homework, outreaches, and the such. God has been blessing and teaching me so much! Specifically, He has been speaking closely to me about the depth of Ephesians 1:6, that I am accepted in the Beloved, and the closeness of my relationship with the whole Trinity of God! I pray He gives you a deeper understand of it as well, and the depths of His love for you!
The Flying Family
My awesome family has been busy this new year! And I want to share some exciting updates. One of my sisters and her husband have officially flown off to live full-time on the mission field in the Middle East! My parents are currently about halfway through a vision tour in Japan, praying if it is His will for them to serve there full time. Finally, my brother has made it fully out of rehab and is doing school at Calvary Bible Institute in Joshua Springs! God is doing an amazing transformation in his life, a huge answer to years of prayer.
Week of Prayer and Fasting
To kick off the year, we began with prayer and fasting. As a church we took the week of the 8th to the 12th to seek the LORD. It was such a sweet time with the Lord, seeking how He wants me to serve Him this year, and to intercede for others
A Wet Vision
During the week of prayer and fasting I had the opportunity to pray with two brothers gifted with words of prophecy. This was a time just to wait on the Lord and seek Him for anything He wants to say to me. I can be generally skeptical of what people say, so I was coming in with an open heart but very hard judgement. When I sat down, one of the guys had to take a quick phone call, so he left me and the other man there. While we waited, he asked me some questions about myself, and shortly the other man returned. During the prayer, the other man who gave words of prophecy was the one who left to make the phone call. And everything he spoke about were personal things I mentioned to the other guy while waiting. He could not have heard us talking because he was outside on the phone, and I had never met either of them in my life! Clearly, the Lord was making it obvious that the man was speaking supernaturally to me about what God has.
Specifically, during the prayer he had received a vision of a kiddy water sprinkler with kids playing around it. He said that I was the sprinkler giving the water of the Word, and that God wanted to fulfill my desire for kids. It was a little hilarious because the man mentioned multiple times that he didn’t understand why he would receive a vision about kids for someone who didn’t have any kids, nor is married (he had asked if I was). But, as some of you know, I have been praying for God to do a work in South America to help house and raise kids rescued from sex/organ trafficking. This vision was something I was not expecting but a very clear confirmation for something the Lord wants me to be part of in the future.
Kids House Trip
I want to share a special trip I have been praying for. My friends at FRM support a kids house in South America, and want to invite me and a pastor to come stay there and learn from the man who runs it, whose named Gabriel (which is a cover name for security). This would give us some vision and experience in how they practically run and start a work like this.
I want to give a special request for prayer and wisdom in this. I am still fully involved in missions training, making it difficult to find the time and resources.
I hope this has been a blessing to read and gives you a glimpse of the next year. God is so good, and I am excited to share His work with all of you throughout the year!
Financially Partner
If you would like to financially partner with me and share in the blessings of my future mission work, you can do so at my giving link below.
