September Update

Family, Home, & Ministry

Absolutely fantastic! There aren’t many words that can do a better job at describing how great it has been to have time to spend together as a family! While there is a lot going on, and always plenty of work to do at the church, we can honestly say that family time is once again high on the priority list. With Kristy’s primary duty is to be a stay-home mom, school is once again a more enjoyable time. Brittany and William are both doing very well in their   studies, most days finishing early as well. Brittany is continuing with piano lessons and is taking a Microsoft 1555296_10152440668383922_2291562360160135942_nOffice course this year, while Will is focusing on Spanish and drums. Our (by which we mean mostly Ron’s) spare time right now is mostly being spent building a new pantry and installing new cabinets in our kitchen. We are thankful that our landlord was willing to buy new cabinets, which were built by our good friends Richard & Noel.

In addition to Ron’s other roles at the church, he has also taken on Audio Coordinator. (It was inevitable!) To give you an idea of how much there is to do in this area, he spent one full day repairing cables and only got about 25%of them done. Kristy has taken over coordinating worship for Celebrate Recovery at CCR (Calvary Chapel Rosarito). They meet every week and begin the program with worship. Kristy and Brittany are both singing and playing keyboard in the band, as well as helping with tech. Will is, of course, playing the drums. If you have not heard of Celebrate Recovery, it’s an amazing, Christ-centered recovery ministry that helps people overcome their hurts, hang-ups, and habits. CCR has the first bilingual program and is translating the materials into Spanish to hopefully begin bilingual or Spanish programs elsewhere.IMG_9270

Short-term Missions Teams

At the end of August we hosted our first team with CCR. This team from Costa Mesa, CA came down to minister to some local children who do not attend church. Normally, every Saturday, these children are bussed over to CCR IMG_9336Cfor the afternoon. This time, however, the bus took them to the beach, which I’m told is something these kids don’t often get to do. The team provided lunch, activities, and a Bible lesson for these 6-14 year-olds. It was hard to keep their attention, as they were anxious to get into the water. However, the team did an amazing job with their illustrations and Bible memorization that helped them to be able to focus better on the message.IMG_9319

We are told that the majority of the teams that usually come down through CCR don’t plan very much in advance. So we are very excited to have already begun planning for some teams for next summer! They will include various ministries, and so far a couple of home builds as well. It is great to have the ability to host teams of all sizes and help them to use their gifts and strengths to come alongside the church here in IMG_9424CMexico! We look forward to continuing this work and seeing what the Lord has in store. Please keep in mind that we’d love to host your family or team!

Upcoming Missions Trips/Church Plants

We mentioned in our last update that we would be taking a team to La Paz in the south of Baja California. This trip has been rescheduled for February. We are excited to report that Calvary Chapel La Paz is doing quite well! The team moved to La Paz in the beginning of July and started holding a midweek service about a week later, which is averaging 15-20 attendees. They have spent a lot of time remodelling their church building. They recently held their first Sunday service and had about 50 people in attendance. We ask that you would keep them in your prayers as they continue their work, and also for their community after being hit by a large cyclone on the 17th. Many are without food, water, and even homes. The church is doing what they can to meet some of these needs.

Our next missions trip is scheduled for November 21st-23rd. We will be heading to Mexicali with a team from our church to Capilla Calvario (Calvary Chapel) Oasis. This church was planted last year by Oscar, who is a graduate and former staff member of the Bible college here at CCR. Our purpose will be to offer support and encouragement. We will give more details when the time gets closer.

Last But Certainly Not Least…

We’d like to thank all of you that have continued to support during this transition in ministry! After meeting and talking with almost all of you, we were incredibly encouraged to know that our support level would not only stay the same, but that some of our partners would be increasing their gift. This is vital to our ministry, as especially our living and ministry expenses have gone up significantly. If you would like to partner with us financially, or you are one of the few that still need to make the switch, just click on the blue “Become a Financial Partner” button at the top, right-hand side of this page.