Archive for the ‘Church Planting’ Category

God is Advancing His Kingdom on the Big Island!

Posted: August 9, 2022 in Christianity, Church Planting, Ministry, Missions, Prayer, Video
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Faithful to Pray for Our Needs
Our familia loves to worship

Much to my chagrin, I found out recently that I need to have surgery on my prostate. Dawn and I told the pastors that we work with in the US, Mexico and Cuba and they all have been concerned for us. They are praying that God will heal me. Some of the pastors have called me and prayed for me via phone or video calls. It encourages us a great deal that so many people love us, and they show it through their faithful prayers.

Our friends in Cuba are some of our most faithful prayer warriors. They’ve had to live with so little. Every time I talk to them things are worse than the last time. Prices continue to climb, and they are often without electricity. They can go anywhere from 5 hours to 20 hours without electricity during these very hot summer months.

The Church is Growing and Lives are Being Transformed
Sharing the good news of the gospel in season and out of season

One of my friends, *Ernesto called me recently and he told me how they are faithfully praying and fasting. He shared some wonderful news about how the gospel is advancing. They have shared the gospel with more than 120 people and 34 of them have given their lives to Christ and they are now involved in discipleship.

One of the people that came to Christ is *Hilda. God brought Hilda out of witchcraft, which is very common on the Big Island. She was without hope until she found Christ. Her dad recently passed away, but God set her free and He is helping her get through this trial. Now she is faithfully worshipping the Lord and serving in the church.

God’s Faithfulness to Sustain His People
Pastor Ernesto with the piano that we helped them buy, bags of food for people in need, and the church benches

Another woman, *Diana was involved in a serious accident in her home, and her two year old son was completely burned. A few days after the accident he passed away. Instead of blaming God she’s looked to Him to strengthen her as she walks through the valley of the shadow of death. It is not easy, but the Lord is comforting Diana and He is strengthening her.

Ernesto thanked me for the financial support that we have sent them which allows for people in his church to buy food and basic needs. Last year they were able to buy a piano for their worship services. Before they worshipped without any musical instruments. They also bought nine benches so that people had a place to sit during their worship services. I always wish we could send more, but I’m encouraged by how the offerings that we are sending go so far in helping them.

Pray for Our Familia
Prayer in Camaguey. These people are warriors!

Prayer in one of the churches that we partner with.  Our familia is committed to pray!

One of the other pastors that we are working with on the Big Island, *Rolando said, “thank you very much for your prayer support for all of the challenges that we are facing. We pray that God will give us wisdom and strength to continue advancing the Kingdom of God on the Big Island. We also ask for protection for each pastor in our country, we know that the times are difficult. Another prayer need we have is to ask God to provide workers for the harvest. Every day it’s harder to find people willing to serve the Lord.”

“We want to deeply thank you for all the love and support for the advance of the Kingdom of God on the Big Island. God is using all of you who are praying and supporting us financially to participate in the good work of the gospel. You are participating in all that God is doing and will do in the future in our country.” Praise the Lord for His marvelous work!
*(The names have been changed for security reasons)

Extend Your Hands to Help Our Familia
Some of the people and families that we are helping 

We are still sending funds every month to help the pastors and families on the Big Island. We would like to raise $18,000 this year to cover these needs.

Since the COVID-19 hit in March 2020, we’ve been able to help more than 2,000 people in 9 different cities, because of the generous gifts of many friends like you.

It is true that we will not be able to help the more than 11 million people on the Big Island. It is a nation with tremendous needs that are difficult to meet, but where your feet cannot reach, your prayers can reach! Your offerings of love can reach!

God is working on the Big Island. You can be part of a team in the hands of God, and TOGETHER we can make a difference! Pray with us and extend your hands to help our familia. Make a Donation Today.

Thank you for your prayers and for your support for this work on the Big Island!

Click to Donate…
Video: A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities 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 Church is on Fire in Mexicali

Posted: August 4, 2022 in Christianity, Church Planting, Ministry, Missions, Prayer
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The Heat is on as God is Building His Church
Pastor Federico and Blanca Muñoz ministering in the park

I just spoke to Pastor Federico Muñoz and he said that it’s been up to 122 degrees in Mexicali this summer. That’s hot 🥵! The church doesn’t have a building, so they are meeting outside in the park. They have started meeting a couple hours earlier during the summer to beat the heat, but it still has effected their attendance.

In spite of these obstacles the gospel is going forth and lives are being changed. Federico and Blanca are some of our most committed pastors. I’m always amazed by their faith and their willingness to make sacrifices so that the gospel might advance. Their faith is a great example to me and they encourage Dawn and me a great deal.

They wrote me this week and shared some testimonies from their ministry. I think these will lift you up as you read them.

Rene – Freed from Witchcraft
Rene far right worshipping the Lord

Rene, who is a boxer and the brother of one of the leaders in the church has been involved in witchcraft. He had made a vow with the saint of death, which is a thing in Mexico. He actually worshipped this “saint”.

Federico and Blanca prayed for him and through prayer they broke off the vows Rene had made so that he would be free. After they prayed, he felt peace and he started sleeping well at night after months of nightmares and fear. They continue discipling Rene and you can see the difference in him. He is very happy for the change that the power of God has brought in his life. Praise the Lord!

Katia – Freed from Drugs
Blanca praying with Katia

Katia, a single mother suffered greatly as she was addicted to drugs for a number of years. Some friends from the church, Anibel and Miriam were helping her care for her baby. They began to share with Katia about the love of God. She recently came to one of the church services so that Federico and Blanca could minister to her. As Blanca prayed for her, Katia began to cry. Blanca hugged her and told her that God wanted to strengthen her and heal her of all her wounds. She told her, “God loves you and your baby.” Katia is beginning to grow as she experiences of the love of the Father.

Alberto – Physical and Spiritual Healing
Blanca praying with Alberto

A little over a week ago Alberto’s brother was in a terrible accident. He was fighting for his life. Anibel and Miriam the same women that ministered to Katia and brought her to church are friends of Alberto and his family as well. Anibel y Miriam asked Federico and Blanca to pray for Alberto and his family. Last Sunday Alberto and his brother, Jonathan came to church to give thanks that their brother who was involved in the accident was doing much better and that he was no longer in danger of dying.

We can see in these testimonies that each of these people, Rene, Katia and Alberto are experiencing a real living God who has the power to change and transform lives. It’s thrilling to see the Father work through his children and his church.

Every week Federico and Blanca are seeing the fire 🔥 of God touch the lives of people in need. There’s a spiritual fire, the power of God as they worship in a place where there is much heat.

Join us in Prayer
From left to right: Daniel, Federico, Blanca, David, Damaris, Paola, Junior, Maykela and David

Pray with us for Pastor Federico and Blanca and their team as they continue to share the love of Christ in Mexicali. We are praying for a more permanent, cooler place for them to meet. Pray with us for the funds for a building or some land where we can build a church.

Video: New Life in Mexicali
Extend Your Hands to Help Our Familia
Some of the people and families that we are helping 

We are still sending funds every month to help the pastors and families on the Big Island. We would like to raise at least $18,000 this year to cover these needs.

Since the COVID-19 hit in March 2020, we’ve been able to help more than 2,000 people in 9 different cities, because of the generous gifts of many friends like you. Although we cannot help all 11 million people on the Big Island we can help some. It is a nation with tremendous needs. Where your feet cannot go, your prayers can go! Your offerings of love can go! You can extend your hands to bless these men, women and families who are waiting for a miracle every day.

Help us help the church and our familia! Will you join us? Please prayerfully consider partnering with us to help us bring aid to these beautiful people.

Thank you for your prayers and for your support for this work on the Big Island!

Click to Donate…

In His Grip, Dave

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

God’s Healing Hand in Oaxaca

Posted: July 26, 2022 in Christianity, Church Planting, Ministry, Missions, Prayer
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Stories of God’s Goodness & Grace

Angel, Damaris, Sarah and Amelie

One of the joys that Dawn and I experience as we minister is the wonderful people we meet. We love hearing their stories. Many of them have amazing testimonies of God’s goodness and grace.

On our past trip to Oaxaca we met new friends. It was so good to get to know the team that Pastor Eliel and Jessica have assembled to work with them on their church plant. We enjoyed meeting them, and hearing all that God has done and is doing in their lives.

Angel and Damaris Ocampo – Leading Worship
Angel and Damaris

One of the special families that we met was Angel and Damaris. Eliel and Jessica recruited them to lead worship for the church. They have wonderful gifts in music, and their love for the Lord is evident. We loved worshiping the Lord with them.

After church on Sunday we went out for lunch with the leadership team which included Angel and Damaris. While we were eating our Tlayudas, which is like a Mexican pizza, we got to know them better. Dawn told Angel and Damaris that I was having some problems with my prostate and that my doctor wants to perform a surgery to improve my health. We asked them to pray for us, and specifically for God’s healing hand.

Damaris’s Amazing Testimony
Angel and Damaris leading worship in Oaxaca

When we finished our meal Damaris wanted to pray for us. She believes that God can heal my prostate. In the process she told us how God had healed her.

A few years ago Damaris had some fibroids growing in her uterus. The doctor felt like they needed to perform a surgery to take them out. when they went in to surgically remove her fibroids they discovered that the problem was bigger than they first thought. For this reason they had to take out Damaris’s uterus. The doctor told her that she would never be able to have children.

Damaris is short of stature, but she is mighty of faith. She believed that she would one day have children and she prayed for God to bless her in this way. Even when she recounted this story to us we could see the strength of her faith.

She never lost hope and Angel and Damaris prayed together. Damaris said that friends and some family members began to tell her that maybe she should accept the fact that she couldn’t have children by natural birth. Yet, Damaris was determined, she believe and she continued to pray.

After some time she thought that she might be pregnant. Damaris took the the pregnancy test and it came out positive. She went to the doctor, and told the doctor about her test. The doctor said, “that’s not possible, you don’t have a uterus.” Damaris insisted that the doctor check. Finally, they did an exam, and said in surprise, “we don’t know how, but you are pregnant!”

The doctor couldn’t believe it! He said, “it’s not possible since you don’t have a uterus!” When he performed the medical exam he noticed that her uterus was perfectly healthy. God does good work when he heals! Angel and Damaris had a little girl, who they named, Sarah. Since then the Lord has given them the gift of another little girl, Amelie.

Damaris with Sarah

Damaris’s testimony strengthened Dawn and my faith. We hope it might do the same for you! After she shared her testimony she prayed for us. She prayed that God would do a miraculous healing work in my life. As she prayed we felt the presence and power of God. God is so good! He does indeed hear and answer our prayers.

I did have my prostate checked this week, and I’m not healed yet. The doctor said that I need to have surgery in the next 6 weeks. We are praying for God’s healing touch, while realizing this might come through the doctor.

Damaris and Angel’s testimony encouraged us a great deal, and we hope it will strengthen and encourage you as well.

Join us in Prayer
Dawn in Oaxaca with Eliel, Jessica, Tirsa (she’s a little tired from the day out) and Sarvia
  • Pray for Angel & Damaris and they lead worship and minister with Pastor Eliel and Jessica.
  • Pray with us for Pastor Eliel, Jessica and their team as they plant the church in Oaxaca.
  • Pray for a more permanent place for them to meet where they can make the best impact.
  • Pray for more lives to be transformed by the gospel.
  • Pray that the Lord will provide the funding for the land and for this church planting project.
  • Please prayerfully consider making a donation today to help Pastor Eliel and Jessica reach Oaxaca for Christ.
Extend Your Hands to Help Our Familia
Some of the people and families that we are helping 

We are still sending funds every month to help the pastors and families on the Big Island. We would like to raise at least $18,000 this year to cover these needs.

Since the COVID-19 hit in March 2020, we’ve been able to help more than 2,000 people in 9 different cities, because of the generous gifts of many friends like you. Although we cannot help all 11 million people on the Big Island we can help some. It is a nation with tremendous needs. Where your feet cannot go, your prayers can go! Your offerings of love can go! You can extend your hands to bless these men, women and families who are waiting for a miracle every day.

Help us help the church and our familia! Will you join us? Please prayerfully consider partnering with us to help us bring aid to these beautiful people.

Thank you for your prayers and for your support for this work on the Big Island!

Click to Donate…

In His Grip, Dave

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

God’s Amazing Story in Oaxaca!

Posted: July 19, 2022 in Christianity, Church Planting, Ministry, Missions, Prayer
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The Church is on the Move in Oaxaca
Pastor Eliel, Jessica and their two girls, Sarvia and Tirsa

Dawn and I just returned from an amazing trip to Oaxaca, Mexico. We are thrilled with all that God is doing in this city through Pastor Eliel and Jessica Osorio.

Dawn and Dave in Oaxaca

Eliel and Jessica have raised up an amazingly talented young team that are helping them plant their church in the northern part of of the city. They began planting their church in the middle of the pandemic, which is no easy task. At first they were forced to meet remotely, but in September of 2021 they launched their services, and the church took off!

Every week they have new people coming to the church. Dawn and I enjoyed meeting a number of them while we were there. God is clearly on the move, and they’ve become our fastest growing church plant. On Easter Sunday 110 people showed up, and they’ve been averaging 82 since then. Pray for them as they reach young people for Christ.

A Birthday Celebration – A Changed Life
Celebrating Irving’s birthday with friends (he’s seated in the middle)

We attended a birthday celebration 🥳 at their house on Saturday evening. One of the young men, Irving celebrated his 20th birthday. When Irving’s mom asked him how he wanted to celebrate his birthday, he said that his friends at church had become like family to him, and that he wanted to have a party with them. The only problem was that Irving’s parents home isn’t big enough to host all the people. Eliel heard of Irving’s dilemma, and said why don’t you have the party at our house.

It was a great time, and so good to see all the happy faces at the fiesta, which included a piñata🪅!

Eliel and Jessica have done at outstanding job of creating a safe, friendly and fun community. The majority of their church is made up of young people in their 20’s and 30’s. This group is under reached in Mexico.

Eliel & Jessica’s Dream
Eliel leading Sunday worship

Pastor Eliel has a vision to create a community center that will be an attractive place for young people to come and hang out. Apart from being the gathering place for church on Sunday it will provide opportunities for outreach during the week. They can come for a cup of coffee with a friend, take music lessons, and play games.

Angel and Damaris are key leaders for the church, and they are gifted musically. They lead the worship, and have built a wonderful group to lead with them. Dawn and I throughly enjoyed worshipping with them. Angel and Damaris are also teaching music during the week, which is something they would like to be able to do at the church once they have a more permanent place to meet.

Eliel took us by one property that they are looking at the possibility of renting. This particular location is ideal as it is just a couple blocks away from a college. This would provide them with a wonderful opportunity to reach out with the love of Christ to the students. It may be possible to buy the property as the church grows.

Join us in Prayer
Dawn in Oaxaca with Eliel, Jessica, Tirsa (she’s a little tired from the day out) and Sarvia

  • Pray with us for Pastor Eliel, Jessica and their team as they plant the church in Oaxaca.
  • Pray for a more permanent place for them to meet where they can make the best impact.
  • Pray for more lives like Irving’s to be transformed by the gospel.
  • Pray that the Lord will provide the funding for the land and for this church planting project.
  • Please prayerfully consider making a donation today to help Pastor Eliel and Jessica reach Oaxaca for Christ.
Click to Donate…

In His Grip, Dave

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

Waiting for a Miracle

Posted: June 28, 2022 in Christianity, Church Planting, Ministry, Missions, Prayer, Video
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My Heart is Saddened

I just got off the phone with one of the pastors from the Big Island. He told me that it’s getting more difficult by the day. Their electricity is being cut off anywhere from 5 to 10 hours a day. That makes it hard to cook, and it’s very hot and humid there so they are going without air conditioning or even fans during all those hours.

Pastor Justin giving a bag a beans to one of the families in need

We are sending aid to a number of pastors and their families. Yet it seems like so little compared to the overwhelming need. It’s hard to imagine, but the conditions continue to worsen.

It saddens me to hear our friends, our familia share all that they are living through. I continue to pray, and hope that we can do even more than we are doing to help.

Pastor Justin told me that thousands of people are leaving the Big Island. Pastors are leaving their churches either for a higher paying job or to immigrate to other countries that offer more hope. Many churches are left without pastors, because of this.

Pray for Our Beautiful Familia
God is at work and the church is growing despite all the difficulties

Another one of my pastor friends, Rolando told me that he is traveling 650 miles on bus this week to visit and strengthen the churches that he is working with. I can assure that the buses and roads there are nothing like they are here. I’m concerned for the health of these pastors who are working such long hours. They are not able to eat a healthy diet, and when they get sick there are few medicines available to help them.

The people stand in long lines to get their food and other basic needs

The average salary on the Big Island is 25 USD per month, and the salaries have not increased even though beans, rice, chicken, cooking oil, soap and other basic needs have skyrocketed. To buy anything, they have to stand in long lines throughout the day (5 to 8 hours). To buy a liter of oil costs 10% of a monthly salary. The country is bankrupt, all that is very sad.

You can Help!
Some of the people and families that we are helping

Since the COVID-19 hit in March 2020, we’ve been able to help more than 2,000 people in 9 different cities, because of the generous gifts of many friends like you. Although we cannot help all 11 million people on the Big Island we can help some. It is a nation with tremendous needs. Where your feet cannot go, your prayers can go! Your offerings of love can go! You can extend your hands to bless these men, women and families who are waiting for a miracle every day.

We are sending funds every month to help the pastors and families on the Big Island. We would like to raise at least $18,000 this year to cover these needs.

Help us help the church and our familia! Will you join us? Please prayerfully consider partnering with us to help us bring aid to these beautiful people.

Thank you for your prayers and for your support for this work on the Big Island!

Click to Donate…
Video: A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities 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

Video Update: New Birth in Mexicali

Posted: June 20, 2022 in Christianity, Church Planting, Ministry, Missions, Prayer, Video
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God is Building His Church in Mexicali
Pastor Jorge and Lucy Alvarado

Pastor Jorge Alvarado and his wife Lucy just launched a new church in Mexicali, Mexico. Mexicali is the capital of Baja California. It’s an influential city on the border 2 1/2 hours east of Tijuana.

We are partnering with our good friends, Ministerios Transformación (Transformation Ministries) led by Pastor Daniel Nuñez, who has a God-given vision to plant 50 churches. Dawn and I have enjoyed our relationship with all the pastors and leaders with Ministerios Transformación. We give thanks to the Lord for opening the door for us to train and mentor many of them. It’s one of the most fruitful church planting ministries that we’ve partnered with in all of our years in missions.

We are thrilled to see how the light of Christ shines through this new church and the ministry of Jorge and Lucy. After being saved out of a life trapped in addictions, Jorge and Lucy want to help people break free of the chains of addiction through Christ.

Pastor Jorge and Lucy have an amazing testimony that I wrote about in three earlier posts: A New Birth!; A New Birth in Mexicali; Jesus Brings Beauty From Ashes.

Video: New Birth in Mexicali

We put together a short video about the ministry in Mexicali, which includes an interview with Pastor Daniel Nuñez as well as Pastor Jorge and Lucy. They have a great story, that we are sure you will enjoy.

Help Us to Complete Building This Church!

God is on the move in Mexicali! He is building His church. One of the challenges of ministering in Mexicali is that it is in the desert. It’s hot, and the temperature often exceeds 100.

We’ve raised enough funds to put up the walls and part of the roof, but we haven’t completed the project. There’s a big need to finish the roof and walls and to put in air conditioning as they head into the summer months, and the temperature rises. We are working on raising an additional $6,000 to finish building the church.

Would you prayerfully consider making a donation today to help us finish building this church? We are almost there! Please consider giving a gift of $50, $100, $250, $1,000, or more to plant a new church in Mexicali, Mexico. This will also encourage and help equip Pastor Jorge and Lucy who are bringing the love of Christ to their neighborhood, and this city. Dawn and I appreciate the pivotal role you play!

  • Join us in prayer for Jorge and Lucy
  • Prayerfully consider making a gift today, by clicking on the link below
Click to Donate…

In His Grip, Dave

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

The Tears of a Hungry Child

Posted: June 14, 2022 in Church Planting, Ministry, Missions, Prayer, Video
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How Much do the Tears of a Hungry Child Weigh?
A Beautiful family on the Big Island

Today I’d like to share the testimony of one of the leaders that we work with on the Big Island. This will give you an up close view of what our familia is living through, and help you to understand why they still need our help.

Maria’s Testimony

The island I am from is surrounded by sea. The place where both Christians and unbelievers raise their eyes to heaven hoping that the God of heaven will work a miracle in favor of a people who feel imprisoned by the sea that surrounds them. They cannot escape, but many still prefer to jump into the sea in a small boat with the hopes of finding freedom. They would rather die trying than to live in a place with so much repression, persecution, hunger, and lack of medicine.

Someone has said, that the tears of a hungry child weigh more than the whole world. 

The Precious Seed of the Gospel to those Without Hope
The Gospel is going forth through faithful Ministers who love Jesus

Yet what can I say about those who cannot flee. Those who choose to stay because of their commitment to God. There are Pastors, workers, leaders, missionaries, and church planters who even in the midst of these difficult situations, walk and cry, carrying the precious seed of the gospel to those without God and without hope. They realize that the only true hope for this island is to hear the good news of salvation.

They are encouraging and discipling those who are surrendering their lives to Christ.  They cry with those who cry, sharing the little bread they have with the hungry, although this often means going to bed without eating just so that another family or a small child does not go to bed on an empty stomach.

Bend Your Knees to Pray
Prayer in Camaguey. These people are warriors!
Prayer in Camaguey. Our familia is committed to pray!

Today I call on you friends, people committed to pray, to bend their knees for my people on the Big Island. Pray for every man and woman who, despite going through persecution, opposition, hunger, nakedness, do not stop to bring the Word of hope and Salvation to a people who have had their dreams stolen and their desire to live wains.

I call on all of you generous people in Christ to extend your hands to bless these men, women and families who are waiting for a miracle every day.

My daughter, Zoe recently turned 9 years old. She has suffered from a fever for a number of days. She’s endured a very dangerous flu.  It has lasted a long time not only because of the lack of medicines, but also because of the little medicine that one can find on this island it has to be bought in dollars. Dollars are expensive, because that is not our national currency. This makes it expensive and more difficult to obtain what is needed not only for Zoe but by most of the children.

Extend Your Hands to Bless Families in Need!
Some of the families that we are helping on the Big Island

It is true that we will not be able to help the more than 11 million people on the Big Island. It is true that it is a nation with tremendous needs that are difficult to meet, but where your feet cannot reach, your prayers can reach! Your offerings of love can reach!

God is working in on the Big Island. You can be part of a team in the hands of God, and that way we can to do it TOGETHER. Pray with us and extend your hands to help our familia. Make a Donation Today.

Click to Donate…
Video: A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities 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

Your Gifts are Changing Lives

Posted: June 6, 2022 in Christianity, Church Planting, Ministry, Missions, Prayer, Video
Tags: , , ,
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Christ’s Love is Shining Brightly on the Big Island
The Church is growing and making a difference on the Big Island

This week I’d like to share the testimony from one of the pastors that we are working with on the Big Island. This will give you a taste of what the pastors we are partnering with are doing, and how the Lord is using the donations that you are sending through Beyond Borders.

Pastor Marco’s Testimony
Pastor Marco with one of th elderly couples the church is giving aid to

Hola my name is *Marco, and I am the pastor of the church in Cabaiguan in the center of the Big Island. Our goal is to develop the multiplication of new churches. My wife and I are ministering to more than 80 people, and we have 4 churches that we’ve started.

We have been able to help more than 60 families with food and toiletries. This includes 15 elderly families and 20 single mothers. These families have expressed immense gratitude for the donations of love that they have received.

An 18 year-old woman, *Diana who is 8 months pregnant, and also has a 4 year old daughter cried with joy when we visited her and shared the blessings and gifts we brought. Her husband is in prison, but she told us that she was confident that God would send her help in a similar way to how the Lord helped the prophet Elijah when He used the ravens to bring Elijah food. Now Diana’s faith is much stronger and she keeps looking to the Lord each day.

We were also able to help another young single mother, *Jacquelin finish building her house (photo above). She lives alone with her 2 children. She was in great need.

We thank God for the gifts that you have sent. God has done many great things in our ministry!

We would like to ask you to pray with us that we can complete the construction of a dining room for our church so that we can provide food to many poor families in the community who don’t have enough food to eat. We hope that God will open new doors and provide for this need.

In the last few months we have shared the gospel with 120 people. The Word of the Lord continues touching hearts. We ask you beloved brothers to continue to pray for the work of God on the Big Island.

Greetings and thanks to our mentors David and Lety (Dawn) for helping us in our ministry with love and peace.

DIOS LES BENDIGA Y RECOMPENSE ❤ God Bless You and Reward You ❤
*(The names have been changed for security reasons)

Extend Your Hands to Help Those in Need

Your prayers and your financial gifts are making a huge difference as we sow the seed of the gospel. An example of this is the testimony that pastor Marco shared with us above. Your donations enable us to send monthly aid to families on the Big Island. You can read more about the growth of the church and the challenges that our familia is facing on the Big Island here…

We would like to ask you to extend your hands to help those in need.  You play an important part in seeing the extension of the kingdom of God in Mexico and on the Big Island! 
Our familia is forever grateful for your generosity.

Click to Donate…
Video: A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities featuring Jessica’s prayer for toothpaste

In His Grip, Dave

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

God is on the Move in Oaxaca

Posted: May 23, 2022 in Christianity, Church Planting, Ministry, Missions, Prayer
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God is Building His Church in Oaxaca
Pastor Eliel Osorio

God is on the move in Oaxaca, Mexico. One of the tremendous blessings that Dawn and I have is that we get to work with some amazing people. God opened the door for us to begin partnering with Pastor Eliel and Jessica Osorio about two years ago.

Pastor Eliel Osorio is leading a church plant in Oaxaca which is south of Mexico City. Oaxaca is the capital of the state of Oaxaca. It is the second poorest state in the country with 70% living in poverty. Thousands of people visit the city each year, because of the beauty and rich culture. 

The Great Opportunities for the Gospel in Oaxaca
Jessica & Eliel

Eliel and Jessica are a fun couple and they relate well to people in their teens to thirties. They are among the most innovative and gifted people that we work with. God has given them a heart to reach out to young people. In Mexico 59% of the population is under 40 years old, sadly they are largely absent from our churches.

Their vision is to plant a church that shares the grace, love, and power of God. They launched their public worship services last September in their carport, and are now meeting in a school (photo below).
Even though the church is just starting they had 110 people come to their service on Easter Sunday, and every week new families are showing up.

El Refugio – Connecting People

Their vision includes a more permanent ministry center called “The Shelter” (El Refugio) that will be a point of connection for evangelism and discipleship during the whole week. El Refugio will provide a place for young people to come and hang out. They will be able to get a cup of coffee, study, take music lessons, play ping pong, etc. This will aid them in reaching more people for the gospel.

I believe that the Lord wants to use Pastor Eliel and Jessica to lead the way in reaching this upcoming generation. There is an outstanding opportunity for them to make a difference in Oaxaca, which will have a ripple effect on the rest of the country. Pray with us that God will make it happen for His honor and glory.

Pray for the Osorios in Oaxaca
Eliel & Jessica with their two girls, Tirsa and Sarvia

We give thanks for Eliel and Jessica. They’ve become like family and they have been a breath of fresh air as we partner with them. They have two beautiful little girls, Sarvia and Tirsa. Pray with us for their ministry and that the Lord will provide the place for them to host these activities. Pray that the Lord will guide them and lead them as they work to reach Oaxaca with the good news of the gospel.

Extend Your Hands to Help Those in Need

Your prayers and your financial gifts are making a huge difference as we sow the seed of the gospel. We are continuing to send monthly aid to families on the Big Island. Each time we talk to the pastors, our familia they tell us how it is increasingly difficult for them to buy food, medicine and basic necessities. I hope to write more about the Big Island in my next post. You can read more about the growth of the church and the challenges that our familia is facing on the Big Island here…

We would like to ask you to extend your hands to help those in need.  You play an important part in seeing the extension of the kingdom of God in Mexico and on the Big Island! Our familia is forever grateful for your generosity.

Click to Donate…

In His Grip, Dave

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

Jesus Brings Beauty From Ashes

Posted: May 9, 2022 in Christianity, Church Planting, Ministry, Missions, Prayer
Tags: , , , , ,
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God’s Miraculous Work
Pastor Jorge Alvarado and Lucy

God brought one of our church planters back from the brink of death. I’m often amazed by the testimonies of those that Dawn and I partner with in ministry. It’s been so good to get to know Pastor Jorge Alvarado and his wife, Lucy. Jorge is planting the church that we just started in Mexicali.

You can read more about that, and more about his story from my last two posts: A New Birth in Mexicali and A New Birth! In my last post I shared how Jorge was shot three times. He was at death’s door. The doctors told Jorge’s mom, Petra that they had done all that they could and there was nothing more that they could do for him.

The Rest of the Story
Jorge with his mom, Petra

Here’s the rest of the story.

It was at that moment that Jorge, cried out, “Madre!” The medical staff ran back into the room where Jorge was. When they saw that Jorge woke up they all got down on their knees and said it was a miracle! Praise God! It’s not every day that we see a miracle like this.

While Jorge was on the operating table he had an experience with God. He said it was as if his spirit left his body and he could see himself on the operating table. He saw his mom and the doctors. Some angels took him by the arm and they took up to the doorway to heaven. It may have actually been the doorway to heaven and hell. Jorge told me he could hear crying and groaning coming from one of the doorways and the other one was bright, like a light shining.

There was an angel at the doorway and he was leafing through a big book. Jorge could feel the breeze as the angel turned the pages. The angel looked up from the book at Jorge and asked him what he wanted. He didn’t know how to respond. At this point Jorge was still caught in his addictive lifestyle and he hadn’t yet given his life to Christ.

After thinking about it Jorge said that he wanted to make things right with his family. He wanted to ask them to forgive him. At that moment Jorge was ushered back down to his body. Again he could see his body on the gurney and the medical staff in the room.

When he came back to his body he woke up, and cried out for his mom! Wow! A modern day resurrection, like Lazarus. Pastor Alvarado had been in a coma for 3 days. I love the imagery. He like Christ and Lazarus was without life for 3 days and God raised him up and brought him back to life.

Setting the Captives Free

After this life altering experience Pastor Jorge found a Christian drug rehabilitation center. It was there that he found Christ. The Pastor of the drug rehab is Juan Huape, who is one of our church planters. Pastor Juan and his wife, Virginia planted a church in Mexicali a few years ago. They also run a drug rehab.

Dave with Pastor Jorge, Pastor Juan Huape and Pastor Daniel Nuñez at the church planting site

Since Pastor Alvarado was saved out of a life of addiction God has given him and Lucy a desire to minister to people who are seeking to break the chains of drug addiction. This is a focus for their outreach and their work in church planting.

This reminds me of Isaiah 61, which is the passage that Jesus quoted from when he began his public ministry. The gospel is good news for the poor, the broken-hearted and the captives.

““The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,’


‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭61:1-2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

When I first heard Jorge’s testimony last year tears welled up in my eyes as I listened. It was like the Spirit touched me and encouraged me through his redemptive story. His story reminded me of our daughter, Hannah. It was like a glimpse into heaven where our daughter has been for the last 5 1/2 years.

I hope Jorge’s story might encourage you as well. I hope that the Lord will use his testimony to strengthen your faith.

You Can Help!

We just began building the church for Pastor Jorge and Lucy last month.

The partially built church in Mexicali

We have enough funds to frame the walls and put up some of the roof, but we weren’t able to complete the project. We still need $6,000 to finish building the church. That’s where you come in.

  • First, pray for Jorge and Lucy and this vital ministry. 
  • Second, prayerfully consider making a gift today. 

Mexicali is in the desert. It’s hot, and the temperature often exceeds 100. The church needs a finished roof and walls and air conditioning as they head into the summer months. 

Dawn and I would like to ask you to prayerfully consider making a donation today to help us finish building this church. We are almost there! Please consider giving a gift of $50, $100, $250, $1,000, or more to plant a new church in Mexicali, Mexico. Dawn and I appreciate the critical role you play in bringing the light of the gospel to Mexicali and Beyond!

Click to Donate…

In His Grip, Dave

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

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