New Opportunities Same Mission
Week One: School of Missions Update
Family and friends, hola from Rosarito! We’ve flown from our home in Hawaii, spent a few days with our family in California, and arrived safely in Mexico. Today marks the second day of our six-week training at Calvary School of Missions!
Thank you for taking a minute to read this update from us. We’ve been reminded already in this time, and want to remind you, that our lives are not our own but rather, they belong to Jesus. A verse that represents that truth and that the Lord has ministered to us so far is,
“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:14 . Recently we’ve been increasingly aware of our great need to love others if we are to serve God. We need to have compassion and truly care for other people. How can we make disciples, or build up our brothers and sisters in Christ, without love? God help us love others.
It has been a journey for us to arrive from Kauai to Mexico, and with us expecting a baby, it has only added to our preparations. One blessing we have already experienced is that the doctors in Kauai have cleared Racquell for travel, and they cleared it for the exact time we will be at the school. We also got to do an ultrasound before leaving Kauai and we were pleased to find out that we’re having a girl and that she is perfectly healthy. This is a huge comfort to our hearts as we don’t plan on seeing a doctor until we return home to Kauai.
Currently we are joined by sixteen other students and a handful of staff here in Rosarito, simply opening the Word of God and surrendering to His will. We will be in Rosarito for another four weeks before taking off on a plane to southern Mexico to visit some new and old church plants, coming alongside their ministries and putting on a conference in hopes to stir up Mexican churches for reaching other nations, too. William Carey famously said, “Expect great things; attempt great things.” Heading into this six-week training and looking ahead to the rest of our lives–we expect great things.
This week we’ve been diving into a Biblical foundation for missions, and are also preparing for our outreaches here in Rosarito at a dump and later this weekend at a nearby park. In the weeks to come we will have other classes to further our training, along with hearing from and meeting SGWM missionaries as they teach classes and share personal testimonies from around the world.
It is a privilege for us to come to this School of Missions to be taught, guided and trained up. If we are to go into the world and make disciples, specifically in a country with great need and little or no access to the gospel, we need to be trained, and that is what has brought us here.
We ask that you continue to pray for Racquell for strength and endurance during classes, outreach and travel. Also please pray for our daughter as she is being knit together that the Lord would protect her.
Please pray also for the health of the entire team (staff, students, hosts, guest speakers), that we’d be able to focus on the work God is doing here. Additionally for wisdom with the leadership, and humility for ourselves and the rest of the team.
Most of all, we pray that God be glorified in this time. We are confident that His will is going to be accomplished, and that He will clearly speak to us and direct us as to what’s next after this training — whether it is to serve in PerĂº and other Spanish speaking countries, or to do something altogether different for His name.
Thank you for your prayers. If you would like to partner with our family in furtherance of the gospel please consider donating through the link below.
https://www.egsnetwork.com/gift2/?giftid=01ECF5D0141E43B
By the grace of Jesus and for His glory,
The Stratton Family
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