Newsletters
Week 4 – July 2024
Are You Going to Trust?
Hi! Thank you again for following me and my 6-week journey here in Mexico.
This week we had multiple missionaries come and speak to us about how the Lord called them to missions and their ministry. One of the couples went onto the mission field at the age of 63! All of these speakers had one thing in common. They all repeatedly recognized that the Lord was so worthy to be served and praised. They emphasized that the reason they went out onto the mission field was to glorify the Lord. They also emphasized that we need to have faith in the Lord and not question his character. A lot of times we begin to question whether He will come through whether that be financially, mentally, physically, etc. But we must have that stable faith and trust in Him. James 1:6-8 states “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” When we come to the Lord, we must do it in full faith that He will work in our life whether it be what we want or something completely different, but that He will work in our life. We cannot be double minded and constantly questioning Him, His faithfulness, grace, love, etc. I must have complete faith in Him. Hebrews 11:6 communicates, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” He is pleased when we have faith in Him when we are dependent on Him. But sometimes it’s so hard to give up control of aspects of our lives. However, if I want my faith to increase, I must give Him room to work. We must have faith and ask Him to move greatly in our lives.
We also had a couple of outreaches, and we attended the church planting conference hosted at Calvary Chapel Rosarito! We took over a local church. I was able to play Peter in the children’s ministry skit, the disciple I relate to the most. In the play we reenacted the Jesus walking on water. We were able to tell the kids about this story and spend time with them. We also helped at the church conference and were able to learn a ton about church planting.
Thank you so much for the continued prayer and if you would like to support me financially, I am still working on raising support! You can use the link below if you feel led to contribute. You can also support me through prayer! Please continue to pray for the following!
- Discipline: That I may be disciplined in taking my thoughts captive and reminding myself that I am here for the Lord. Furthermore, that I may not allow myself in selfishness to take away from this opportunity to serve and learn about the Lord.
- Direction: That the Lord may give me direction in this season as there is much change going on. That I may continually surrender my life to the Lord and not allow my flesh to get in the direction the Lord would like me to go.
- Outreaches: That the Lord make hearts tender as we go on outreaches and share the Gospel with individuals.
Week 3 – July 2024
A Cow is Worth More Than Your Life.
Hi again! I genuinely cannot explain how much it means to me that you are signed up for my newsletters and read them.
This week we focused on learning about the unreached, culture, language, and worldviews.
We learned about how influential culture is on people groups all around the world. For example, imagine growing up in India and being surrounded by Hindu gods every day. Being told that these little idols are all gods. Being taught that to have an okay life, you should praise and please the idol placed in front of you. Living life being scared into submission. Imagine everyone confirming this fact every day. Growing up with different standards, and different values. Growing up in a culture that values the life of a cow more than your life. I’m not kidding. In India, cows are more valuable than people. If you were born there you would probably be a Hindu as well, worshiping false idols, and having those same values. On top of that imagine having no access to the Gospel. This is the reality for many people all around the world, not limited just to India. Their worldview establishes their belief, their beliefs establish their values, values establish their actions, and finally, actions establish their culture. So, we must not judge these people groups for their beliefs.
Here are a couple of facts to get you thinking:
- Only 1.7% of funds in the church is given towards reaching the unreached.
- A little over 3 billion people worldwide are considered unreached.
- 1 out of 30 missionaries goes to the unreached.
- That means that for every missionary that goes out to the unreached, they are responsible for reaching about half a million unreached people.
The limited number of resources and people going out to reach the unreached people groups of the world is discouraging, but we can change this! We can say “Lord, here am I send me!” or we can say “How can I help?”.
“To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.”
1 Corinthians 9:22
When we go out into other countries and share the Gospel, we must be sensitive to their culture. We must be willing to lay down our established worldview and trade it in for a new one to better reach these people. This is what Paul is communicating in 1 Corinthians 9:22. Once again we have come back to the idea of SURRENDER! Not putting ourselves first, but first considering our brothers and sisters. Dying to self, but not through our own strength.
“God must do everything for us. Our part is to yield and trust. We must confess, forsake, repudiate the self-life, and then reckon it crucified.”
– Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer
On another note, I want to let you know about the various outreaches we participated in this week. We helped host a park outreach, with various activities for children and adults. The church we partnered with in this outreach communicated that this was the first community outreach they had hosted. In this outreach I was originally scheduled to translate and be a part of the children’s skit, however, we decided to add a youth service last minute and hence I had to translate for the adults due to the limited number of translators. After translating I was discouraged because I did not think that I did the best job translating. However, even in the discouragement, someone on our team was able to encourage me and remind me that regardless of how I did the Lord used that. All I had to do was be faithful to obey and help in sharing the Good News. We also went to the beach and invited people to church, prayed for them, and shared the Gospel.
Lastly, we helped a local church host a carnival and helped invite the community. In this event, I was tasked with sharing my testimony. When writing out my testimony I was reminded of the Lord’s faithfulness in my life. Sometimes I think my testimony is boring, grew up in a Christian home, got older realized I needed the Gospel, and then gave my life to the Lord. The fact that I had the opportunity to grow up in a Christian home and be immersed and saturated in the truth of the Gospel is what impacted me this week. That is the hand of God on my life and just demonstrates His goodness and loving-kindness for me. While I was His enemy, He was still so kind and loving towards me.
I am excited to see what is next! Please continue to pray for the following:
- Provision: That the Lord would be faithful to provide for me to go through this program. As I am here this summer learning about missions, I am support raising to pay for the tuition. I am so thankful for your prayers and support that way, but if you feel led to partner with me financially to help pay for my tuition costs you can click the link below.
- Discipline: That I may be disciplined in taking my thoughts captive and reminding myself that I am here for the Lord. Furthermore, that I may not allow myself in selfishness to take away from this opportunity to serve and learn about the Lord.
- Direction: That the Lord may give me direction in this season as there is much change going on. That I may continually surrender my life to the Lord and not allow my flesh to get in the direction the Lord would like me to go.
- Outreaches: That the Lord make hearts tender as we go on outreaches and share the Gospel with individuals.
WEEK 3 – JULY 2024
Sacrifice Yourself.
Hi! Thank you so much for keeping up with me on this 6-week course of time! Once again there was so much to learn this week and so many outreaches to be a part of.
This past week we had the opportunity to hear from multiple missionaries from different countries. We got to hear what it is like to live in those countries and how to Lord is working. One thing that struck me that a missionary communicated was that “counting the cost” never ends. It is a daily thing. Following Jesus is not an easy thing, but it is worth it. I challenge you to read Luke 14:25-33, herein Jesus states that we must count the cost.
Another thing that struck me when one of the missionaries was saying what that there is always something in us that needs to die. We need to see this as an opportunity of death. Embrace the season of death. That we need to squirm in our weakness so that we can rely on Him. They shared about how even though when they were going through tribulation, and they could not verbally communicate to the Lord but were in pain and anguish they felt the Lord there with them in the fire. While they were sharing, I was reminded of the following scripture, Romans 8:26:
26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Lastly, I was faced with the fact that everything that we do is ministry. You just have to see it like that. That in my day-to-day life everything can be ministry I just have to be a willing, obedient, and surrendered vessel.
Overall, the fact that I must die to myself is becoming more and more amplified. Moreover, the fact that it is not of my own strength, but that the Lord through me.
“It is Christ Jesus who can rid you of it; none else but Christ Jesus can give you deliverance from the power of self. And what does He ask you to do? He asks that you should humble yourself before Him.”
Andrew Murray in Absolute Surrender
We also took part in various outreaches. We partnered with a local church and were able to host a park event. We had face painting, balloon animals, a jumper, coloring stations, a soccer game, a skit, and food. Most importantly we were able to as a team share the Gospel message to the kids and adults who attended. I was tasked with teaching the kid’s lesson. I was asked to teach on Samson and tie it back to the Gospel. It was nerve-wracking! I was discouraged but, in the end, I reminded myself that that my only responsibility is to share the Good News well and accurately. After that, it’s God’s task to save them. When I was reminded of this, my nerves settled down because the God of the universe had it under control, I just needed to be a willing vessel. In the end, a lot of kids raised their hands to accept Christ, which was super encouraging!
We also did a swap meet outreach in Tijuana. We to the swap meet and invited and prayed for people who were shopping for their daily needs or who were just out and about. I also got a chance to pray for a lady who was wrestling with coming back to church due to the inconsistencies she had seen with people who claimed to be believers, but then compromised on many of their convictions. She mentioned that this is what she had witnessed as Christianity and why she stopped going to church. Although I was discouraged and sad to hear this was her experience, I was encouraged that she said she would check out the local Calvary Chapel we invited her to attend.
Lastly, we ran a church takeover for a local church this past Sunday. This was an opportunity for us to serve the church and those who serve in the church body. I participated in the skit and was responsible for translating the skit and the gospel message given. The message and skit were centered on Matthew 14:22-33, Jesus walking on water. It went well and multiple kids raised their hands to accept Christ.
All in all, the Lord is working! I am excited to see what is next! Please continue to pray for the following:
- Provision: That the Lord would be faithful to provide for me to go through this program. As I am here this summer learning about missions, I am support raising to pay for the tuition. I am so thankful for your prayers and support that way. If you feel led to partner with me financially to help pay for my tuition costs you can click the link below.
- Discipline: That I may be disciplined in taking my thoughts captive and reminding myself that I am here for the Lord. Furthermore, that I may not allow myself in selfishness to take away from this opportunity to serve and learn about the Lord.
- Direction: That the Lord may give me direction in this season as there is much change going on. That I may continually surrender my life to the Lord and not allow my flesh to get in the direction the Lord would like me to go.
- Outreaches: That the Lord make hearts tender as we go on outreaches and share the Gospel with individuals.
Week 2 – July 2024
Extremist? Radical? Obedience.
Hola! Thank you again for signing up for my newsletter, and if you are new, welcome!
So much has happened this past week and I am excited to share with you! In the last newsletter I mentioned that topic of surrender. This past week that word was emphasized once again. In our time here we were tasked with reading the book Radical by David Platt. In the book, Platt communicates the following:
“Radical obedience to Christ is not easy… It’s not comfort, not health, not wealth, and not prosperity in this world. Radical obedience to Christ risks losing all these things. But in the end, such risk finds its reward in Christ. And he is more than enough for us.”
Once again, we can see that we must surrender everything to the Lord, comfort, wealth, etc. because He alone is worthy of everything.
Moreover, throughout our time here we have been learning about the purpose of the church. What is the purpose of the church you might be asking? It is the evangelization and discipleship of all people. While learning all of this we have been faced with the fact that there are more than 3 BILLION unreached people. What does unreached mean? Unreached refers to people who do not have access to the Gospel and have not heard it. Yet in America, we have multiple churches in each city. I encourage you to read Radical and watch the following videos (linked below) to learn more about the unreached:
LEARN MORE ABOUT
THE UNREACHED
Not only have we been reading books and going to class, but we have also been going to outreaches and serving the community. During these outreaches, I have had the great opportunity to work as a translator. It has been amazing to see the Lord use and work through my fellow peers as I translate for them. For example, at the park outreach, one of our CSOM students asked me to translate for them as they gave their testimony to a couple of teenage boys. In the conversation, the boys were curious and engaged with my fellow student regarding his testimony, which was awesome to see.
Another time, we went to the local dump and were able to minister to the dump residents by sharing the Gospel, having conversations with the residents, and encouraging those who were already believers there. In this situation, I had the opportunity to act as a translator for my peers. In one situation, I was asked to translate and pray for one of the residents who was a believer. My peer spoke scripture to encourage the resident and we prayed over them as well. At the end of the prayer, the resident mentioned that he was thankful for the encouragement.
I also had the opportunity to narrate a skit we were performing in the park. The skit depicted the story of David and Absalom. At the end of the skit, we were able to tie together the story to the Gospel. Although no children raised their hands to accept Jesus what encouraged me was the fact that at least the team was able to sow a seed in their minds and let them know who Jesus is and how much He loves them.
Overall, the Lord is working and showing me so much. I am excited to see what is next!
Please continue to pray for the following:
- Discipline: That I may be disciplined in taking my thoughts captive and reminding myself that I am here for the Lord. Furthermore, that I may not allow myself in selfishness to take away from this opportunity to serve and learn about the Lord.
- Direction: That the Lord may give me direction in this season as there is much change going on. That I may continually surrender my life to the Lord and not allow my flesh to get in the direction the Lord would like me to go.
- Outreaches: That the Lord make hearts tender as we go on outreaches and share the Gospel with individuals.
- Provision: That the Lord would be faithful to provide for me to go through this program. As I am here this summer learning about missions, I am raising support to pay for the tuition. I am so thankful for your prayers and support that way, but if you feel led to partner with me financially to help pay for my tuition costs you can click the link below.
Week 1 – July 2024
Surrender = STRENGTH.
Hi! Thank you again for signing up to my newsletter and if you are new, welcome!
Even though I have only been at the Calvary School of Missions for less than a week I have already learned and have been reminded of so much. A word to encapsulate the past couple of days would be Surrender. As we studied the Gospels, we continually found that Peter was faced with surrender, not just once but multiple times. I was reminded that I must do this in my day-to-day life not once, but multiple times. Surrender and resurrendering everything to the Lord, whether that be my thoughts, desires, goals, etc. I want to the Lord be the one to write/rewrite my story. However, this is no easy feat, and I realize that I can only do this with God’s help.
I was also reminded of the heaps of grace that the Lord has for me. Sometimes as believers take this for granted as we go about our day-to-day life, but the fact is that God sees who we are, and He knows everything about us, yet He still chooses to chase after us and use us. As we studied Luke 5:1-11 this grace was illustrated as Peter came to the realization that he was not worthy to serve the Lord, yet the Lord still invited Peter to serve. The Lord knew the capacity Peter had even before He called Peter! He still chose to use him. This was encouraging to me as I meditated on it because it means that He can use me.
I want to give you an idea of what life looks like here at the school. In the mornings we have morning devotionals as a group and then go into our personal quiet times as we study the book of Luke and Acts. Then we come together and fellowship over meals throughout the day, which gives us an opportunity to get to know one another. We have class multiple times a day, but this varies, as we also have outreaches to help share the Gospel within the community and serve other churches. We also have multiple missionaries that will be coming to the school and sharing about what God is doing and how He is using them in the region that they are located.
As I continue my time here at the Calvary School of Missions, I pray that I do not forget this mindset of surrender, simply because I get caught up with my day-to-day life; but that I intentionally lay my life and every aspect of it down constantly.
Please continue to pray for the following:
- Discipline: That I may be disciplined in taking my thoughts captive and reminding myself that I am here for the Lord. Furthermore, that I may not allow myself in selfishness to take away from this opportunity to serve and learn about the Lord.
- Direction: That the Lord may give me direction in this season as there is much change going on. That I may continually surrender my life to the Lord and not allow my flesh to get in the direction the Lord would like me to go.
- Outreaches: That the Lord make hearts tender as we go on outreaches and share the Gospel with individuals.
- Provision: That the Lord would be faithful to provide for me to go through this program. As I am here this summer learning about missions, I am support raising to pay for the tuition. I am so thankful for your prayers and support that way, but if you feel led to partner with me financially to help pay for my tuition costs you can click the link below.
June 2024
Thank you for Signing Up!
Hi! Thank you so much for signing up for my newsletter. I appreciate all your support. I am excited to say that I will be going to Mexico for a 6-week program to help me understand God’s heart for the nations! We will be learning about what it takes to become a missionary, do local outreaches within the community, help plant churches, help with church events and conferences, etc.
Since 2023 the Lord had been stirring up my heart for the unreached. As I began to learn more my heart has been eager to share this fact with those around me. In this season, I am open to what the Lord has in store for my life. I am not sure where the Lord is leading me, but in a step of faith and through prayer I have decided to attend Calvary School of Missions. I just want to be used by Him!
As I take a step of faith into this season, I ask that you please pray for the following:
- Discipline: That I may be diligent in my quiet time with the Lord. That distractions may not take me away from what really matters. That I may not allow laziness to hinder me. Furthermore, that I may not allow myself in selfishness to take away from this opportunity to serve and learn about the Lord.
- Trust: That the Lord may increase my trust in Him. That in this season I truly rely on Him for everything.
- Provision: That the Lord would be faithful to provide for me to go through this program.
- Direction: That the Lord may give me direction in this season as there is much change going on.
If you would like to support me financially there will be a link for you to do so! Thank you for signing up and please keep me in your prayers!
