Archive for January, 2023

Miraculous Multiplication on the Big Island

Posted: January 30, 2023 in Christianity, Church Planting, Ministry, Missions, Prayer, Video
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God’s Wonderful Work
Some of the pastors that we are partnering with – Our Familia

God is doing a wonderful work on the Big Island. I’m amazed by how much the church is growing despite the skyrocketing prices of staples like rice and beans. We think inflation is bad here, but what would it be like to live with a 500% increase in prices? Our familia has had to live without electricity for long stretches. Last year some families were without power for up to 20 hours a day. The other big challenge our familia is facing is that there is a shortage of medicine.

Yet, even with all these difficulties the pastors have remained faithful to serve, and people are responding to the gospel. They frequently send me photos of when they are out sharing the good news of the gospel with people that live in their neighborhood.

God’s Work of Multiplication
Evangelistic teams faithfully sharing the good news!

Last year the pastors that we are partnering with shared the gospel with 21,215 people and 5,223 of them came to faith in Jesus. In 2022 eighty six new churches were started. The aid that we sent helped 9,302 people. God is building his church and he is multiplying the gifts that we are sending.

Pastor Justin’s Testimony
Pastor Justin sharing the gospel with his team of faithful friends

Pastor Justin shared this testimony with us, “I want to thank David for his life and ministry. He not only supported our church and my family with training and mentoring, but also during this period of great scarcity. The economic situation of the pastors who live on the Big Island is complicated. Pastor David has raised love offering to support us for the last 3 years. He and his wife, Lety (Dawn) have demonstrated a beautiful ministry on the Big Island supporting many pastors.”

It’s so encouraging to hear from the pastors that we are partnering with. They truly become like family to us, and we give thanks for each one of them. They are very gifted and some of the most committed people to the cause of Christ that I’ve ever met in my life.

Pastor Rolando’s Testimony

Another pastor that we are working with, Pastor Rolando had this to say. “God is working in a supernatural way in our ministry, because we work as a network of churches that are multiply more each day. Last year my team shared the gospel with more than 1,000 people and we planted 26 new churches. We also gave food and aid to 452 people. All of this work requires pastoral care for the church planters. We have to travel to all parts of the country to help support the movement. Even though I struggle with often being sick and diabetic God has strengthened by wife and me to continue the work.”

Extend Your Hands to Help!
Some of the families that we are extending our hands to help

God is doing a great and mighty work on the Big Island. Your prayers and your gifts are essential as the gospel goes forth. Thank you for the vital role that you play. TOGETHER we can make a difference! Dawn and I would like to ask you to prayerfully consider extending your hands to support our familia on the Big Island. You can support one family for $25 a month. Make a Donation Today.

Click to Donate…

A Tale of Two Cities on the Big Island featuring Jessica’s prayer for toothpaste 

Thank you for joining us in prayer, and for considering making a gift to help our precious familia.

In His Grip, Dave

P.S. Help take the gospel to the Border, the Baja and Beyond
BeyondBordersLife.org

The Ever Expanding Kingdom

Posted: January 19, 2023 in Christianity, Church Planting, Ministry, Missions, Prayer, Video
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God is Building His Church in Mexicali
From left to right: Daniel, Federico, Blanca, Dave, Damaris, Paola, Junior with Mykela, and David

In my last post I wrote about Pastor Jorge Alvarado and his wife, Lucy who are planting a church in Mexicali. Dawn and I give thanks for them and for how the Lord is using them to shine the light of Christ in a dark place. Today I would like to highlight another church plant in Mexicali that we are excited about. The church is called, Verdad y Vida, “Truth and Life” and it’s led by Pastor Federico Muñoz and his wife, Blanca.

Federico and Blanca were renting a nice hall for their Sunday services, but the church wasn’t growing. They thought they were in a good location, but when you are a new church plant and you are not reaching new people that is a problem. Federico realized that they needed to do something different. He and Blanca prayed and they found another community where there wasn’t a church, and there was a need. They left the building and started meeting in a park. The weather isn’t always ideal in Mexicali, because it is a desert climate similar to Phoenix.

Even though it seems like a park wouldn’t be ideal they did start to grow. In a few weeks they doubled in size. This month they just completed one year of meeting in the park. The church has left the building!

The Gospel is Changing Lives
Fun during the ministry event at the park in Mexicali

Last weekend Federico and Blanca held an outreach event on Saturday afternoon. Initially we had a church from Southern California that was going to join them and help them with the event, but the church ended up not being able to come. The Muñoz’s felt like they should hold the event anyway. That is one of the qualities that I love about them is they are very committed and they will work through adversity.

Blanca praying for Kimberly while Federico is leading the group

They had a great response as many showed up for the games and food at the park. After the fun time Federico presented a gospel message to the people and thirteen people said “yes” to following Jesus. Pastor Federico and his team invited them to join them for church on Sunday and ten of them returned. Now they are busy following up and encouraging these friends in their new found faith. It’s so exciting to witness God changing hearts and building his church in Mexicali. We have six churches that we are working with in Mexicali and five of them are recent church plants. Eight years ago only one of these churches existed.

Join Us in Prayer and Extend Your Hands to Help
Isabel working with the children who came to the outreach in the park

One of my goals for this year is to raise the funds and find enough partners to come alongside us to buy some land for the Verdad y Vida church. I also would like to be able to build at least the initial building for the church. My prayer is that we can begin building the church by this Fall. Join Dawn and me in prayer that this dream will become a reality. We’d like to invite you to prayerfully consider giving towards the construction of this new church. We will need $25,000 to put a down payment on the land, and build the church.

Thank you for joining us in prayer, and for considering making a gift today.

Click to Donate…

Video: Jesus is Bringing New Life to Mexicali
We Give Thanks for how the Lord is Building His Church in Mexicali

In His Grip, Dave
P.S. Help take the gospel to the Border, the Baja and Beyond
BeyondBordersLife.org

Giving Thanks for New Life

Posted: January 12, 2023 in Christianity, Church Planting, Ministry, Missions, Prayer
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Helping Start New Churches in Mexicali
Pastor Jorge & Lucy in front of the new church building as it was being built in April of 2022

I hope that your year is off to a good start! One of the things that I enjoy doing at the start of the new year is to think back over all the good things that God has done in the last 12 months. One of the highlights for us was helping to start new churches. It’s always encouraging to think of the good news of Christ being proclaimed in a new neighborhood. I love that we are able to change the atmosphere and bring light into a dark place.

In 2022 we helped build and start a new church in Mexicali, Mexico. We are actually involved in a number of church planting projects in Mexicali. Today, I would like to highlight the church that Pastor Jorge & Lucy Alvarado are leading in this capital city.

The Light of Christ is Shining Brightly Through His Church
Worship in Mexicali as the church was being built. Lower left: Dave & Dawn with Lucy & Jorge on the property before construction had begun.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts Jorge and Lucy have an amazing testimony. Jorge was saved out of a life of addictions. He was also literally brought back from the dead. God rescued Jorge and Lucy’s marriage. They were divorced, and the Lord used their daughter to bring them back together. It’s amazing that they are now ministering together to people in the community where Jorge lived with his parents when he was younger. These neighbors have seen a huge change in Jorge’s life over the years. What a difference Jesus makes! Hallelujah!

God brought them back to this neighborhood to reach all the hurting people. They are reaching a number of men and women who are struggling with addictions. The Lord has given them a heart to see these people’s lives transformed by Christ. Men and women who are caught in some of the same addictions that Jorge used to deal with, before God set him free.

Children’s Ministry in Mexicali
Children’s ministry at the church in Mexicali, Mexico

Jorge and Lucy love to send me photos about the people that they are ministering to. There are also a number of families and children that live in the community where the church is located. Just this last week they were able to bless the children with gifts provided by Samaritans Purse. If your church participated in Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child your gift might have blessed one of these children.

There is always a lot of good life giving activities going on in Mexicali through the ministry and outreach of Pastor Jorge and his wife, Lucy. They live very simple and humble lives. They have demonstrated that are willing to make sacrifices and give the little that they have to make a difference in the someone else’s life. It’s one of the many reasons that we give thanks for all that God is doing through them. (See video: New Birth in Mexicali below)

Extend Your Hands to Help Reach the Lost in Mexicali!
The new church building

Last year we helped raise almost all of the funds needed to build their church, and buy the property that the church sits on. Just yesterday I met with Pastor Daniel Nuñez the leader of Ministerios Transformación (Transformation Ministries). Daniel told me that they just need $2,000 more to finish paying off the property. I told Daniel that we would like to cover the remaining $2,000, so that the church owns the property, which will take a huge burden off of Pastor Jorge and Lucy.

Dawn and I would like to ask you to prayerfully consider giving to this need. Help us pay off the last $2,000 that the church owes to pay off their property. You can make a difference by making a donation today. Click on the donate button below.

Thank you for joining us in prayer, and for considering making a gift today.

Click to Donate…

New Birth in Mexicali, Mexico

In His Grip, Dave
P.S. Help take the gospel to the Border, the Baja and Beyond
BeyondBordersLife.org