Teaching, Testimonies, and Tools
“What is Jesus Worth to You?”
Wow! I can’t believe it has been two weeks. Time is flying. The Lord is continuing to work and move here in Mexico. This week has been packed with classes, testimonies and outreaches.
Monday started out with classes on the purpose of the church. These have been such impactful teachings sharing about how missions ultimately starts with the church. We as a church have been given so many tools and resources in order to spread the gospel. If the church does nothing, then how are people going to be sent out? We also had the privilege to hear from Heather Gaona who taught a class on “Building Healthy Partnerships.” We went over the importance of raising support and communicating with those who are supporting us via newsletters. :) Once again, I am so thankful for all your prayers and support this summer. It means so much to me.
Tuesday, we partnered with Calvary Chapel Home X for a park outreach. It was packed! What a blessing it was to see the people of Mexico fellowshiping together. We started out by going out and inviting the neighborhood to the park. We did face painting, crafts, skits, and served food. It was so sweet to see the joy on their faces as we passed out hot dogs. They were so thankful and blessed even to just have a simple hot dog. It was an awakening and reminder for me to be thankful for all that the Lord has blessed me with.
Throughout this week, we started reading the book “Radical” by David Platt. This book is so eyeopening and inspiring. I highly recommend this book. The book challenges us to think about whether we are truly following Jesus or simply living a comfortable version of Christianity. Are we shaping our faith around the “American Dream” or are we shaping our faith around the teaching of Jesus?
Thursday and Friday we had the privilege of hearing from Brian and Andrea, missionaries who serve in the Middle East. Brian taught two classes that informed us about the Muslim culture and practices. He shared with us about the importance of learning the language and culture in order to be prepared before entering the mission field.
Saturday, we did another outreach in a park by the beach. Like the outreach on Tuesday, we had face painting, games, crafts, and food. We went out and invited the people who were out and about to come fellowship at the park. The location was perfect because of the park's closeness to the beach. We broke the activities up into adults, youth, and kids. I had the opportunity to use a translator to teach a message on being fishers of men. The little kids were so attentive and it was sweet to see how much they wanted to hear.
That day, I also had an amazing opportunity to share the gospel to this young man who was walking in the park. I was walking with a friend and we kept noticing this young man who seemed like he wanted to approach us. He finally worked up the courage to come over and talk to us. He started opening up right away. He said that he was Catholic and was struggling with some of the doctrines. He had so many questions about Christianity and about faith. Throughout this week I have been battling some difficult food poisoning, so I was nervous to talk to this man. However, God had different plans. The Lord was able to speak through me to answer this man’s questions. The young man wanted to talk for hours. He was struggling with the fact that he needed to pray first to the saints in order to reach Jesus. I shared with him that the joy of Christianity is that we are able to pray directly to God. Together we read Hebrews 4:16 which says, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” He finally began to understand and asked us to pray for him. Just seeing the joy in the man’s face after we prayed was worth everything. Please continue to pray for this young man as he learns more about Christianity.
We ended the week with a church takeover at Calvary Chapel La Mina. This church has been struggling with helpers and leaders to run their church. We were able to help with worship, kids ministry, and any other needs. The Lord allowed me to help with worship and it was such a sweet time. The church would appreciate your prayers.
Though there have been struggles and hardships this week through being sick, the Lord is not letting that stop what He wants to do. Seeing people come to Christ and their lives changed has been such an encouragement. I thank God that He has strategically placed our team in Mexico to minister to a hurting people group. Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
Prayer Requests:
Unity for the team
Health and no injuries
Brian and Andrea and their work in the Middle East
That God would move and work through the students at CSOM
That the Lord would continue to provide the rest of the funding for the school
I need to raise $733 to be fully funded
Blessings,
Savannah Barsh
Romans 10:13-15
“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved…And how are they to hear without someone preaching?… As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"
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