Hello everyone,
Hope you're all doing well. This week I taught a Bible study in Colossians 2 and was super blessed by verses 9-10 that say, "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." I was reminded how amazing Jesus is and that my relationship with Him gives me all I need to be completely fulfilled--I can't find that anywhere else. Jesus is everything!
God is moving in many ways within our family, with the ministry at UACH and with ministry at the church. There are so many little details that I could write a huge update that just lists off short descriptions of everything that's happening. HOWEVER, I think that would be super-boring. Therefore, I just want to share more specifically about two really cool things that have happened in the last week or two in both arenas of our ministry--one at the university and one with the church.
At UACH, God has been opening doors with one-on-one discipleship, a Bible study, the conversation clubs and my English classes. I have been praying a lot for more opportunities to share Jesus to my English students that I have classes with all week long. I obviously can't open the Bible and preach to them, but last week I got the chance to ask them about their opinions about Christianity and church. It was really insightful listening to them for a few minutes and it gave me the opportunity to share a little about Jesus. The coolest part is that in the two days after that, I had two different students approach me after class to ask more about Jesus. One of them, Luis, had some great questions and we had a really good talk about the Lord. We have been texting back and forth and I'm praying that I get the chance to take him out for coffee and share the Gospel more in-depth. This semester I've really been praying that I get more opportunities to clearly share the Gospel with more students--and that many of them decide to surrender their lives to Jesus. Please join me in praying for that.
As part of my role at Capilla (our church), God has continued to do cool stuff with the home groups. On Wednesday, I had the privilege of sharing at one of the other groups of our church in Spanish. On a personal level, the Lord has been challenging me lately to step out and start leading more Bible studies in Spanish instead of using a translator. It has been a little difficult at times and I've worried that the message wasn't as clear or impactful as it could be because the focus was on my poor Spanish and not on the message. This Wednesday, however, I was so blessed by what God did at the study. I was able to teach the Scripture and lead awesome discussions without it being awkward. It was so encouraging for me to feel like I was finally able to speak from my heart about Jesus and see the people being truly impacted by His Word. Please continue to pray that God would speak through me as I teach and encourage others--and that everyone listening would hear what I have to say and leave with a deeper passion for Jesus. Have a blessed weekend.
-Tim, Priscilla, Josiah and Hannah
Eph. 3:20-21
Praise Reports
- God has given me the opportunity to lead four conversation clubs located at both campuses of UACH where I can talk with the students about life and share about Jesus!
- God has really been blessing the home groups!
- Josiah started school and is thriving spiritually, socially and academically--we are so excited for him!
- Hannah has started attending a dance class and is doing great. She is also doing wonderful with her home-school work with Priscilla.
Prayer Request
- For more opportunities to share the Gospel at the university and that we would start to see many students giving their lives to Jesus.
- I have started discipling three young men, one-on-one, on a weekly basis. Pray that I will be able to point these guys to Jesus and help them as the Lord forms them for current and future ministry.
- For the home groups of our church--that we would experience genuine fellowship and grow closer to Jesus together.
-That the Lord would touch our family physically. Priscilla has been feeling a little sick and I have been feeling really tired
-That the Lord would continue to guide us to say "yes" to the things He wants us to do and say "no" to things He isn't asking us to do.
August Update--Two Years in Chihuahua!
Hello everyone,
We hope you've had a great summer! It's unbelievable that it's already coming to an end. The summer marked a big milestone for us as a family--TWO YEARS IN CHIHUAHUA! The years have flown by and they have been both very blessed and very difficult at the same time. We are as sure as ever that God has called us here and that He is moving in and through us. May He receive the glory through our lives!
Next week is a big week for our family as Josiah and I both start school. Josiah will be going to a new school for 2nd grade and he is excited (and a little nervous) to transition from home-school to a regular school environment. We are very excited for him and know that he is going to thrive. Priscilla is looking forward to continuing with home-school for Hannah as a pre-schooler--it will be good for them to have precious time together to bond and enjoy each other. I am starting the semester with my English classes at the university--so we'll be back into the swing of things with a busy schedule. :)
Even in the midst of summer vacation, God has continued to move with ministry at the UACH. I have been meeting with two students consistently, Eric and Marvin, to encourage and disciple them. It is a blessing and honor to spend time with these two guys who love Jesus and yearn to be used by Him. I look forward to seeing how God continues to use both of them. We have also been doing a weekly Bible study with about five university students. The studies have gone well as the students have been built-up and encouraged to reach their peers with the Gospel. Finally, we have begun contacting students throughout UACH that either a.) are leaders of prayer groups within their schools or b.) have a desire to start a prayer group within their school. (UACH as a university has two campuses in Chihuahua that are composed of 15 different schools). As of now, we have student leaders in about 5-6 of the schools with another 2-3 that want to start groups in their schools. My prayer is that we can begin to meet consistently so that these leaders may be trained and discipled in how they can more effectively reach the students in their schools. Our first meeting is set to take place tomorrow evening--please pray that they would all come and that God would unite our hearts with a passion to grow closer to Jesus and be used mightily by Him!
Another thing that God has been doing that I want to share real quick involves the Home Groups at our church. Along with hosting and leading a Home Group ourselves, I am also serving as the leader of the Home Group ministry. This means that it is my responsibility to encourage and support the current Home Group leaders as well as recruit and equip new Home Group leaders. We had a great leadership meeting a couple weeks ago and I just can't express enough how encouraged I was with it. God has blessed our church with great leaders for the four Home Groups that meet throughout Chihuahua. I could write an entire email just about how blessed and excited I am to see what God is going to continue to do with these various Home Groups--ours included. We are also praying about starting another Bible study in our house next month to be able to equip and encourage couples in our church. The hope is that God raises up a few of these couples to start groups of their own. I give you that small amount of info regarding the Home Group ministry just to give you insight into another way that God is using Priscilla and I and to hopefully spur you on to pray for these groups and their leaders.
I know this summer wrap-up email got a little long, but thank you for taking the time to read it and pray for us. Things are going great here in many ways, but there are also times of discouragement and spiritual warfare. Your prayer and support mean so much to us. Have a great rest of the week!
-Tim, Priscilla, Josiah and Hannah
Eph. 3:20-21
Praise Reports
- God provided Josiah's entire tuition for the upcoming school year!
- Priscilla celebrated her 30th birthday last weekend!
- We have seen our kids really start to settle-in here in Chihuahua and embrace it as home.
- God answered prayer in regards to my schedule and class-load at the university this semester. The schedule I have should leave me plenty of time to focus on other campus ministry and ministry at the church.
- In the last two weeks I led my first all-Spanish meeting and my first all-Spanish Bible study. I had had opportunities to minister to people in Spanish in a one-on-one environment, but these were the first group meetings I've led without any translation.
- God answered prayer in regards to the inspection and renewal of registration for our car this week.
Prayer Request
- For a great first week of classes next week!
- That Josiah would thrive with friendships and the things he learns at the new school he will be attending.
- That our student leadership discipleship study at UACH would take off.
- That God would grant me many opportunities to share about Jesus with students in my classes and in the conversation clubs and that many of them would respond to the Gospel and follow Jesus.
- That God would grant us vision and power to reach UACH with the Gospel.
- That God would give us wisdom and guidance with how to disciple Home Group leaders in the church and raise up new Home Group leaders.
- That God would continue moving in our church--spurring us on to great unity, a passion to reach Chihuahua with the Gospel and intentionality in regards to discipling and equipping those within the church.
- That we would consistently keep our eyes on Jesus as the reason and goal of all we do instead of getting caught up focusing on circumstances or our own expectations.
June Update--Summarizing a Great Semester
Hello everyone,
Summer is here! I'm not sure how things are where you are, but here in Chihuahua we're already dealing with many days over 100*F and it's not even the hottest time of the year yet. The good news is that the heat has also brought a little bit of rain--which is very welcomed.
The semester at UACH came to an end last week. My classes and the Conversation Clubs both went well. (How do I sum up an entire semester in one short email?) Well, the Lord opened many opportunities throughout the semester to share my testimony and other tidbits to point the students to Jesus. On the last day of my classes, we had a party in each class where we were able to talk freely--and the Lord was faithful to direct the conversation to Himself in each class. I also invited all of the students in both my classes and the Conversation Clubs to an informal hangout at a cafe where they could hear more about Jesus and ask questions about the Bible. We ended up having five students show up and were able to have some great conversations about the Gospel, Jesus and the Bible. One student even wanted to stay after the meeting to ask more questions and by the end decided that he was ready to accept Jesus--it was awesome! The student, who goes by Bob, is friends with Erick who is a student I have been meeting and praying with. Erick has shared a lot with Bob about Jesus, so I was just blessed to be there and join in with the work that God has been doing through Erick for so many months. Please keep Bob in prayer moving forward.
God has been moving in marvellous ways to birth ministry at UACH. I have met a few different students in different parts of the university that I have continued praying with and encouraging in the Word. A few of us have met together the last few weeks and we decided that we think the Lord wants us to start a discipleship study this summer to train up and prepare students in different parts of UACH to reach their peers. It seems to be gaining momentum and it's looking like we will have a pretty solid group of students as part of the discipleship study. A few of these students are already leading prayer groups within their schools and have a heart to minster to other students. My prayer is that we can mobilize, unite and train these students to really begin to intentionally reach their specific schools next semester. If this happens, the ministry of CRU at UACH will take a huge step forward--much faster than I imagined it would! God's plans and methods blow my mind sometimes--so I am just excited to be a part of something that He is clearly doing! Please pray for our summer discipleship group--that God would bring the students that He wants as part of the foundations of the ministry, that these students would grow in maturity and passion in their walks with Jesus and that we would have the wisdom and boldness to move forward with the plans God has for the university.
Finally, we are very excited for our trip to California later this month. It has been a crazy and challenging last few months and we are really looking forward to relaxing a little bit and spending time with family. If you are out in California, we hope to be able to see you as well. We are praying that we come back from the vacation rested, rejuvenated and ready for all that the Lord wants to continue to do in and through us. Have a great weekend and we hope to be able to talk to you soon!
-Tim, Priscilla, Josiah and Hannah
Praise Reports
- We celebrate two years in Chihuahua next month!
- God is doing a work at UACH and opening up doors for CRU!
- The end of the semester meetings for classes and the Conversation Clubs went great!
- The cafe hang-out where we met with students to talk to them about Jesus and the Bible was awesome--God did an amazing work in Bob's heart!
- Our home group has been going great! God is moving in a fresh way as we are seeking to be open to the moving of the Holy Spirit and minister to one another as a body.
Prayer Request
- For our vacation to California later this month. That we would be refreshed and receive renewed vision for what God is doing in and through us in Chihuahua.
- For the summer discipleship study with students from different schools within UACH. That God would draw the students that He wants to participate and raise up an army of students that are in passionate pursuit of Him and focused on reaching their friends with the Gospel.
- For our home group and all of the home groups at our church that I am in charge of. That God would draw us deeper in our relationships with Him and with others. That we would be open to Him moving in a fresh way in our hearts so that we may be protected from just "going through the motions."
- For our car situation. We need to find a way to sell our car and buy a Mexican car. We could use a bigger car but want to make sure that we're able to get something that is also reliable. Please pray for the Lord to provide for this financially.
- For wisdom with my schedule (Tim). I want to make sure to say "yes" to the right things and "no" to the right things next semester so that I may spend my time in the way that most glorifies the Lord.
April Update
Hello again everyone,
We pray that everything has been going well with you as Spring is in full-swing. The last four weeks have been quite the whirlwind for us--and the craziness is not over yet! In three days Priscilla leaves for a 5-day women's retreat for missionaries. Please join me in praying that she is blessed and refreshed on the retreat. This, of course, means that I will have the kids for the week. Please pray that I am able to balance the responsibilities I will have with the kids with my responsibilities at UACh and at the church. Also, pray neither of the kids end up in the hospital with a week of dad's cooking and supervision. :) They can't get too hurt with grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, frozen food and take-out right?
Before I share about all the things we have been doing over the last four weeks, I want to share with you some truly amazing things God has been doing at the university. The first things is with the English Conversation Clubs. Their start was delayed longer than I had hoped, but we had our first meetings this week. Lots of students came and I think they really enjoyed themselves. As we all discussed the most important things in our lives, myself and other Christians that were there were able to share a little bit about what Jesus means to us. I look at this as just the beginning stages of building relationships with the students, showing them we really care and bringing Jesus into the conversation. I have included some photos below if you want to check them out. Please pray with me that God uses these clubs mightily to reach the students of UACh. With the regular English classes that I teach, God has also given me opportunities here and there to discuss the Bible and Christianity. I'm praying for wisdom and vision on how I can best share Jesus with these students without over-stepping my bounds and getting in trouble. Another amazing things has happened. God used a haircut--seriously, ask me about it sometime!--to get me in contact with a student in my faculty named Marvin. He has been meeting and praying with other students. I have been joining them and God is really stirring all of them up to reach the school with the Gospel. On Tuesdays we have been meeting for prayer and on Thursdays they have been inviting unsaved friends to a super informal gathering where we hang out and eat food together. We know that God is calling us to build the foundations of a ministry at the university and we are blown away by all that He is doing to make that happen. These are exciting times!
I have to fill you in on what else has been going on during our last four weeks. First, God provided and I was able to go to the CRU conference in Cholula, Puebla! It was awesome! I was able to meet a bunch of like-minded people serving Jesus on campuses throughout Mexico. I was also really encouraged and challenged by many of the sessions and workshops that I attended. After getting back, the very next weekend brought the Calvary Chapel Regional Leadership Conference in a nearby city called Delicias. It was also a great conference that really blessed Priscilla and I. Finally, last weekend we helped plan and run a marriage conference that ministered to over 20 couples in our church. Priscilla's dad and step-mom came to help with the teachings, so it was wonderful to have their help with the conference and also spend time with them during the week.
Finally (if this email isn't already long enough), the new season of Home Groups for our church starts next week. As I've said before, I am now serving in the church as the leader of the Home Groups. The main thing that I am currently focused on is training and supporting the current Home Group leaders. It is something I am really excited about. I can't wait to see how God uses our Home Groups to build up and grow the people in the church. Please also keep those Home Groups in your prayers as well. As always, thanks so much for your encouragement and support. We love you guys and we'll talk to you again soon.
-Tim, Priscilla, Josiah and Hannah
Praise Reports
- There are many open doors at UACh!
- The first week of Conversation Clubs went great!
- God provided the finances for the CRU conference and it was awesome!
- The Lord really ministered to many couples in our church at the marriage conference last weekend.
Prayer Request
- For Priscilla's women's retreat next week--the she would be ministered to and refreshed.
- For the English Conversation clubs at UACh--that we would get many opportunities to shine Christ.
- For the other doors the Lord is opening up at both campuses as we seek to share the Gospel with unbelievers and disciple the believers on the campus.
- For the kick-off of the new season of Home Groups at our church--that God would give me wisdom and vision with how to support, train and encourage the Home Group leaders.
- For the Home Group that meets at our house--that God would give us a deep fellowship as we seek Jesus together.
- For God to give us rest and unity during this busy season in our lives.
March Update
Hello everyone,
How are y'all! We're praying you're doing well and becoming more obsessed with Jesus each day. Before we begin with our update, I want to encourage you to check out our newest update video on our website if you haven't already (there's a beautiful lady and some super cute kids in it, so you won't regret it). Also, if you haven't liked our Facebook page yet (so that you know when we post things like this), you can do so here. Finally, we also recently posted a vision update on our website that will catch you up on where we've been over the last 18 months and where we feel Jesus is leading us now. You can check that out here.
Man, where do I start with updates? As always, thanks for the prayer for our family. We had a great trip to Colorado last month and really enjoyed the time we had there with family and friends. The kids are doing great--I feel like the trip was really good for them. They started swim lessons yesterday and did awesome, so they are excited about that. On a personal note, the last few weeks have been difficult for me--probably the most difficult I've had since moving here. I feel like we are really being attacked spiritually as a family. I've been thinking often of 1 Cor. 16:9. It says, "For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries." We know that God is doing a great work and so it shouldn't surprise us when there are attacks from the enemy. However, that is much easier to say and recognize after the fact than it is in the moment. Also, the months of March and April will be super crazy for our family with lots of traveling and different events. Thanks for keeping us in prayer for all of this.
Things have continued moving forward at UACh. Beyond the classes I teach, we are also depending on Jesus to move powerfully so that we can bring CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ) to the campus. We were told by the administration that they aren't comfortable making CRU a university sponsored group. However, they did tell us that we can talk with each individual Faculty (School) within the university about meeting and handing out fliers. If they give us the ok, then we are able to move forward with meeting. Also, although the Conversation Clubs have been delayed longer than we had hoped, they are set to kick-off next Tuesday and Wednesday. We have also begun meeting together once a week to pray at each campus. God is moving in many different areas and we are just seeking to jump onboard with His plan for UACh.
Speaking of CRU, the Mexico branch of the ministry is having their national conference in Puebla, MX March 25th-29th! I get excited thinking about connecting with others serving Jesus on campuses throughout Mexico as well as being encouraged and trained in how to reach the university. I would ask you to join me in praying for the finances for the conference. It's beyond what our budget can cover right now but I'm also confident that the Lord wants me to go--so I believe that He will provide. The cost for everything will amount to around $250-$300. If the Lord lays it on your heart to support us with that cost, let us know--it would be such a blessing. If not, no worries! Please just join us in prayer that God will provide.
As always, there is so much more that I would love to be able to share but this is already getting long. I have begun serving more in our church--specifically focused on growing church-wide discipleship through our home groups. We are also in the planning stages of developing a School of Discipleship. (We are hoping to kick that off somewhere around August). Hopefully I can expand more on what God is doing in those areas in a future email. Thanks as always for your prayer and support. We love you guys!
-Tim, Priscilla, Josiah and Hannah
Praise Reports
- Our CO trip was great!
- We got the final ok to start the Conversation Clubs on both UACh campuses next week!
- We helped with a Marriage Conference in Juarez on Feb. 16th-18th. It went well, with God really encouraging and challenging the couples that were there.
- I have been meeting and sharing Jesus with a student named Brian for almost a year. A few weeks ago he joined us for church for the first time! I see God doing a work in his heart as he moves closer and closer to surrendering his life to Jesus.
- We have prayed a lot about direction as far as serving more at our church--Capilla Calvario. God has answered those prayers and we are excited to begin serving more there as we focus on church-wide discipleship.
Prayer Request
- For our crazy schedule over the next couple months. That we would still carve out plenty of family time in the midst of it.
- For the Marriage Conference that we are helping plan for that will be at our church on April 13th-14th.
- For the Home Group that meets in our house every other week.
- That God would continue working in Brian's heart so that he would finally surrender his life to Jesus and be saved.
- That the Lord would guide us to walk in His plan to reach UACh. Also, that the Lord would provide for me to go to the CRU Mexico conference.
- That God would lead us as we develop the home groups in our church and seek to disciple leaders and potential leaders in the church.
Procrastination and Empty Good Intentions
(Editor’s Note: I actually wrote this about a month and a half ago, when God first spoke to me through this passage. When I came across the almost finished draft, I realized that I should finish it and get it posted. And I promise, the faucet has finally been installed).
I was in a Bible study this week that really blessed and challenged me. The study was led by a friend of mine and was through Haggai chapter 1. It got me thinking, “What are some reasons that we procrastinate and how can we overcome those pitfalls?”
To sum up the context of the chapter, the Jewish people began returning from captivity after being conquered by Babylon 70 years before. When the first group got back to Jerusalem, they were gung-ho to rebuild God’s temple and quickly got the foundation laid for it. However, circumstances came up and they began putting off the work the Lord was calling them to. Before they realized it, more than 15 years had passed and nothing had been built on the foundation. Then Haggai entered the scene with a word from the Lord for the leaders of the Jews. “This people says, ‘The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built’...Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins? Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Consider your ways!’”
As is often the case with each one of us, the Jews began with excitement and passion but the steady and merciless pull of human nature soon led them to procrastination and empty good intentions. So let’s delve into some of the reasons that we fall into putting off that which the Lord is calling us to do.
#1.) Opposition and difficulty—Sometimes we have this idea that following God’s will for us will be smooth and easy. If people have told you that, they’re lying. Following God is hard—it’s completely worth it—but it’s hard. Jesus has been the only man to ever live that has followed the Father’s plan for His life perfectly, and it led him to the cross. If we seek to follow God’s plan for us, the path will include pain and great challenges. Ezra chapter 4 tells us that the neighbors of the Israelites began to oppose them in the work of building the temple. Rather than overcoming the opposition and moving forward in obedience to God’s call, they chose the path of least resistance and began putting off the work. We are all tempted to laziness, to choosing the easy and pain-free path. Yet, God is on the lookout for those that have the courage to obediently follow Him—even in the face of opposition.
#2.) Search for the perfect circumstances—If you’re like me, you often fall into the line of thinking that says, “I know this should be done today, but the circumstances aren’t ideal today. I’ll just wait until tomorrow because I’m sure my circumstances will make things a little easier then.” It’s that kind of thought process that explains why the new faucet that I bought a month ago for our leaky bathroom sink is still sitting in a bag next to the sink. Now, obviously there are times when wise planning calls for accomplishing a task at some point in the future. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the consistent deferment of a task because we imagine that one day we will wake up and we will magically have a completely open schedule, with all the motivation in the world and no opposition whatsoever. I’m talking about putting off something God is calling us to do because we have created this imaginary and impossible set of “necessary” circumstances that will allow us to step into God’s plan for us. There are people who have spent their whole lives waiting for those set of circumstances to come to pass. They never took a step of faith to do something for the Lord because it was never the “right time.” I don’t remember where I read it and I’m sure that I will butcher the quote, but I remember reading something like, “One of the enemy’s most successful attacks on Christians is to whisper in their ear, ‘Just do it tomorrow.’” Too many of us are putting off what God is calling us to do today, because we are somehow convinced that it will be easier to do tomorrow. It seems like that is what happened with the Jews that returned from exile. I’m sure they had intentions of rebuilding God’s house someday when the circumstances were right, but they were lulled to sleep waiting for someday to come.
#3.) Fear of what might happen—Fear can be a formidable enemy. It can paralyze us and keep us from the victorious life of faith God is calling us to. We know fear is not from God. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 1 John tells us that “God is love” (4:8) and “perfect love casts out fear” (4:18). And yet, fear can so quickly put a halt to the steps of faith that we were once so passionate and excited about. May we fix our eyes on Jesus and the wonderful mix of power, love and wisdom that is contained in His character. When we do that, fear has a way of dissipating right before our eyes.
#4.) Focus on the physical/temporary instead of the spiritual/eternal—In 2 Corinthians, Paul writes, “…while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (4:18). Our perspective has a huge impact on our actions. Because of our sinful nature and the fact that our senses are bombarded by the physical world we live in, we often find ourselves more focused on living for the physical instead of the spiritual. However, we know from what Paul says in that verse (as well as many other biblical references), that living for this world makes no sense. We are spiritual, eternal beings and what we do in this life has an impact on eternity. Therefore, it makes much more sense to devote our efforts to those things that will have an eternal impact. The Israelites got caught up focusing on the physical needs right in front of them to the detriment of their spiritual needs that mattered much more. Are you and I following their example?
#5.) Excuses—Have you heard the saying, “Excuses are like belly-buttons. Everyone has one and they stink”? It’s true, making excuses started in the garden with the fall and our expertise in the area has only grown since. I’m not pointing fingers at anyone either—I can be one of the worst. It just comes so naturally. And yet, making excuses helps us accomplish nothing. It doesn’t help us grow spiritually and it doesn’t help us accomplish God’s plan for our lives. In fact, I would go so far as to say that you can measure a person’s spiritual maturity and usefulness by simply looking at how much time they spend making excuses. (Ouch! That one hurts me just as much as it hurts you—I promise)! I’m sure the Israelites had lots of good excuses for not building the Lord’s house all those years. Their excuses didn’t help them. They just kept them from accomplishing God’s will.
Well, if you’re like me, the example of the Israelites that we see in Haggai 1 is challenging. I see myself in them much more than I’d like to admit. But there is good news. As we see with God’s people towards the end of the chapter, we are just one step of obedience away from getting right back on track. It may be difficult and scary, but when we do so, God will bless our step of faith. And, as He promised in verse 13, He will be with us each step of the way. Bless our obedience Lord and be glorified!
Vision Update (Where We've Been & Where God's Leading)
As we head into this new year of 2018, we have been spending a lot of time thinking about where God has brought us since moving to Chihuahua about a year and a half ago. It is probably long overdue to record a more comprehensive update of what God has done with us thus far and where He seems to be leading us moving forward.
Before leaving the U.S. in July of 2016, we launched this website and included a written record of the calling the Lord had on our lives and the vision He was giving us. You can reference that HERE if you didn’t get to read it before. We also shot a video as a family (which you can find HERE) explaining more about what we believed the Lord was calling us to.
Where We’ve Been
Although the last 18 months haven’t played out exactly how we thought they would, we can still clearly see God’s faithfulness, guidance and providence in all of it. We reflect on those updates and chuckle a little at our naivety. We knew we were called to plant a church and thought it would be something the Lord would do rather quickly. We still believe that the Lord has called us to plant a church at some point, but He has made it clear to us that now is not the time for that. As we have experienced time and time again, His ways are so much higher than ours (Is. 55:9).
For our first four months or so here in Chihuahua, we focused primarily on our family’s transition to a new country and culture—especially with the kids. We wanted to transition as well as possible. We began to get involved at a church here called Capilla Calvario but purposely took it easy in regards to ministry. At the end of the year, I began taking intensive Spanish classes at a school called Interaction. Since she grew up with parents from Mexico, Priscilla already spoke very good Spanish. For me on the other hand, my college Spanish classes and Rosetta Stone experience didn’t leave me nearly as prepared as I thought I was. I knew I would need to work hard to be able communicate with people clearly in Spanish—something very important to me since I see no higher calling than communicating God’s Word to others. I spent around five months devoted to a nearly full-time schedule studying Spanish. I loved it and hated it at the same time. I love the Spanish language but learning to be completely fluent in a language is hard!
During my Spanish studies, God really began to stir my heart for the university near our home—Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua (UACH). I came to find out that the school had over 25,000 students but had no Christian ministry happening on any of the campuses. I began praying for God to move powerfully at UACH and to show me how to get involved with the campus in some way. Not long after, a young man in our church named Mario asked if I could meet him for coffee. In our meeting he asked if I would be willing to disciple him—to which I gave a hearty, “Definitely!” I also found out that he is a student at the Medical School within UACH. Over the next few months, we spent a lot of time praying at UACH and even began bringing coffee and donuts once a week in order to bless the students and start conversations with them. God blessed it and we had some really great conversations about Jesus. In fact, I still meet with one of the students from that semester and have been able to share a lot of God’s Word with him. As my Spanish classes were coming to a close, it was an anxious time for me. We didn’t have any peace about starting a church-plant but we also didn’t know what God had in store either. As God often does, He waited until the last second to give us clear direction on the next step. Through a series of events that I can only chalk up to God’s amazing providence, I was offered a position at the university as an English professor. I officially got the job on the last day of my Spanish classes. For Priscilla and I, God made it clear that He was calling me to focus primarily on reaching UACH with the Gospel.
The Fall Semester of 2017 was a crazy one for me. I had no experience or training in teaching English, so I spent countless hours of study and preparation—and lots of prayer in borderline panic/desperation. J I had to depend greatly on Jesus, which was exactly where He wanted me. I had over 100 students spanning all four levels of English classes. Ministry-wise, God did some really cool things. I was able to talk about Jesus with some of my students outside of the classroom. On the last day of classes, I invited all of my students to our church and was able to share more in-depth about Christianity with a couple of the classes. I also started an English Conversation Club and continued doing the coffee and donut ministry with Mario at the Medical School. In both of those arenas, I was able to share about Jesus on multiple occasions.
Where God Is Leading
This winter break, one of my biggest goals was to choose and connect with a campus ministry in order to establish a solid ministry on the campus. I decided to reach out to CRU (the college ministry branch of Campus Crusade for Christ). It is an awesome and theologically solid ministry that is well established and has a ministry philosophy that really resonates with my heart. Plus, CRU already has a ministry presence in Mexico, which is actually not very common among campus ministries. After speaking with their leadership, I was connected with a student in Chihuahua named Erick that is connected to CRU and started a CRU meeting on one of the UACH campuses last semester. He and I have begun speaking, praying and planning for what ministry on UACH will look like this next semester between the two main campuses in our city. We believe that God’s plan involves intentional evangelism and discipleship through English Conversation clubs, meetings and Bible studies. God is moving at UACH. I believe we are in the beginning stages of a powerful movement of God that will result in the salvation of many students. If God starts a revival at UACH, it will impact the entire city of Chihuahua and I believe even the entire country of Mexico. God is truly able to do much more than we could ever ask or think and we’re praying that He gets the glory for all of it (Eph. 3:20-21). Please join us in praying for a mighty move of God on the UACH campus and in the city of Chihuahua. Thanks for joining us in this journey. We’re excited to see what He does!
“Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified…” -2 Thessalonians 3:1
January Update
Hello everyone,
Wow, we haven't sent out an update in a long time. First off, Happy New Year! We hope your year has gotten off to a good start and is one in which you grow closer to Jesus than ever before.
Our holiday season was a good one, although also a difficult one. We got to spend time with friends, continue with some of our favorite family traditions (like making pizzas and building a massive New Year's Eve fort in the living room) and have some good family time together too. On the other side of things, deaths in the family and being away from our family in the U.S. made it a difficult season for us as well. God is so good though and we are doing well. Following and serving Jesus isn't always easy, but it is so worth it!
Last semester finished well at UACH. I was able to talk about Jesus with many students in my classes, in the conversation club and at the medical school ministry. Please pray that God would water those seeds and bring those students to salvation. I am very excited about what God has in store this semester. After much prayer and research, I decided to pursue a connection with CRU (the college ministry branch of Campus Crusade for Christ) in order to develop a ministry on the campus. Through conversations with CRU Mexico leadership, I found out about a student at the other main UACH campus in town that is connected with CRU and started a small meeting with some of his friends last semester. We have met a few times and really believe that God is starting an amazing work on the campus. We are praying about how God might use classes, meetings, English conversation clubs and Bible studies on both campuses to reach the students. They are so open to Jesus and in such need of the life-changing offer of salvation that He wants to give them. The new semester starts in less than two weeks, so please be praying for us, for the students and that we would follow God's perfect plan for reaching the university.
Finally, we are also praying a lot for the Lord's guidance in getting more involved in our church here in town, Capilla Calvario. Right now, the only consistent thing we do in the church is helping with the kids' ministry. However, we feel that the Lord may be calling us to be more heavily involved in the church and we're asking for wisdom, guidance and unity for what that looks like.
Thank you all for being with us in this. We really appreciate you. For those of you that offer consistent encouragement, support and prayer--we can't express our gratitude enough. We couldn't be here, offering ourselves to be used by Jesus to help reach this city, if you weren't on the journey with us. We love you guys.
-Tim, Priscilla, Josiah and Hannah
Praise Reports
-The semester ended well at the university and I had many awesome opportunities to share about Jesus with the students.
-God connected us with the CRU college ministry and is starting to give us vision and direction for ministry this semester.
-I received my Mexican Permanent Residency
Prayer Requests
-For encouragement, growth, unity, guidance and nearness to Jesus for us as family as we move into a new year.
-For God to give clear vision and direction for the CRU ministry at UACH. That many students would be reached with the Gospel and discipled to become multiplying disciples themselves.
-For God's anointing as I teach my classes and speak with students inside and outside the classroom.
-For the Lord's guidance in regards to further involvement at Capilla Calvario.
-For our upcoming trip to Colorado in February.
October Update
Hello everyone,
I can't believe that Fall is already here and the weather is beginning to cool down. Priscilla reminded me yesterday that there are only ten weekends left until Christmas--which is crazy! We hope and pray that everything has been going well with you over the last few weeks. There are some of you that we haven't talked to or messaged in a while--if you are one of those people, please contact us because we would love to catch up.
We just finished a crazy season where we moved, sold my car and trailer, did a lot of work to get the registration for Priscilla's car renewed and took care of all of the paperwork necessary to get my permanent residency. Although it was a crazy few weeks with lots of traveling and little sleep, we are happy to have gotten it all done and God was so good to work it all out. Now, we look forward to things slowing back down a little bit for us--we hope. :)
Things have been going great at the university. I have started to settle into the routine of teaching five days a week. I have learned all of the students names and have started to get to know many of them a little more. We start our English Conversation Club this Thursday and I am praying that the Lord uses it mightily for greater opportunities to speak about Him. Over at the Medical School of the university, my friend Mario and I started up the ministry from last semester again. We brought coffee and donuts last Friday and spent a few hours passing them out and talking with the students. They are always so caught off guard as to why we would give them coffee and donuts for free, but it often leads to some good conversations where we can point them to the Lord. Please keep that ministry in prayer.
Another cool thing that God has been doing involves the small group from Capilla Calvario (our church) that meets in our home. We have been hosting it for a few months now and I started co-leading it about a month ago. We have been studying Jesus' seven letters to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3. The study and fellowship have been awesome and we've also had a few new families coming as well. It's been a real blessing to us and we are excited to see what God continues to do in all of our hearts as we seek Him together.
We appreciate you all joining us for this journey of faith as we follow Jesus' lead here in Chihuahua. Have a great week!
-Tim, Priscilla, Josiah and Hannah
Praise Reports
- God has blessed my classes at la UACH and I am really starting to build relationships with the students.
- We are all moved over to our new house!
- I am still in the middle of the process but it looks like I am going to receive my permanent residency! I am only waiting on the final steps on the government's side before I receive the official card.
- We had lots to take care of this month involving our cars. God helped us through it all and Priscilla was able to get her car registered while I was able to sell my car.
- Josiah turned 7 earlier this month! We can't believe he is growing up so fast but we are blessed to see the boy that God has formed him into.
Prayer Requests
- Final details and wisdom as we are starting the ministry at the Medical School of UACH and the English club at the Administration School of UACH. Please pray that we have many opportunities to clearly share Jesus with the students.
- That I would shine Jesus to the students in my classes (even though I can't preach directly about Him). Also, that I wouldn't get caught up in the monotony of teaching English everyday and start to go through the motions without keeping in mind the main reason why I'm there.
- I have been consistently meeting with one of the students that I met last year during our ministry at the Medical School--Brian. We have had many great conversations about Jesus and the Gospel and he has even begun to come to some church related events. We feel like he is very close to giving his heart completely to Jesus. Please pray that he would surrender his life to Jesus, begin seeking Him personally and get plugged in with a church.
- The small group that meets in our home has been going awesome! We have two new families attending and God has really blessed our study and fellowship the last few weeks. Please continue to pray that God would use us to pour into those that attend and disciple them in a way that helps them grow into deeper maturity in their walks with Jesus.
September Update
Hello everyone,
It's been a little while. We hope you all had a great summer and are doing well. Things have been pretty crazy for us! After our trip to California in July, I was in full-on preparation mode for English classes to begin in August. Those first few weeks of August ended up being quite the roller-coaster ride. At first, I was told I would be teaching in the Law School at UACH. Then, I was told I wouldn't be able to teach there because of internal issues they were dealing with. Then, it looked like I was going to teach in another faculty. Then, I was told I would have to wait until next semester. Finally, I received a call from the Accounting and Administration school (FCA) at the same university asking if I would be able take on some classes! The next day I even received another call asking if I could take on more classes in another faculty and I had to turn them down! I know that the whole process with the various faculties and the whole interview process at FCA was totally orchestrated by the Lord. I ran into three or four Christians in positions of authority that helped me in the process and said that they feel like the Lord has called me teach at the university. (This is in a city where the Christian population isn't so high that I would just "conveniently" run into Christians every step of the way). There were so many little stories in the midst of it all just proving God's providence and faithfulness--He really blew us away.
Anyway, I have now been teaching English classes in FCA for almost three weeks. I have four classes and over 100 students. It has been a huge learning curve but I feel like I'm starting to get a feel for it and connect with the students. The thing that's really on my heart now is to start an English club (or maybe a couple) where I can more freely talk about Jesus as I help the students with their conversational English. I've even had a few students and teachers asking me about when I'm going to start one because they are excited to be a part of it. Please keep this in prayer--that God would guide the process and show us exactly how He wants to organize it.
Our family has been doing well. We are really excited because Priscilla just started homeschool with the kids this week. She is super gifted as a teacher and I know this year is going to be awesome! She and the kids are excited for what they will be covering this year. We are also praying about more ways to connect Josiah and Hannah with other kids so that they can make more friends and improve their Spanish. Karate has been awesome for Josiah and Hannah will be starting dance classes soon. Thanks for all of your prayers as they continue to adjust to being in a new culture with a new language.
As always, just let us know if you want to talk more about what God is doing over here or even about what God is doing in your life. We would love to connect with you. Have a blessed week!
-Tim, Priscilla, Josiah and Hannah
Praise Reports
- God's amazing plan and faithfulness to get me into the university teaching English!
- Priscilla and I celebrated our 8th anniversary this week!
- Priscilla and the kids officially obtained dual citizenship for the U.S. and Mexico!
- We were told that we had to move because the owners of our house want to sell it. We were praying for a good house and a move that wouldn't be too stressful. Well, a few days ago we just signed the contract for our new house--right next door to our current house!
- God's goodness and faithful provision.
Prayer Request
- The Lord's guidance and wisdom for starting English clubs at the university.
- That I would shine Jesus to the students in my classes and get opportunities to speak more about Jesus outside of class.
- The Lord's protection from spiritual attacks. We know God is doing great things but we have also felt the spiritual attack in a stronger way than we have in a long time. I feel like 1 Cor. 16:9 is really ringing true with us.
- The Lord's wisdom and provision for a crazy month logistically. Not only do we need to move, but we also need to sell my car, take care of registration for Priscilla's car and figure out my citizenship/residency.
- The home group that is a part of our church at Capilla Calvario and meets in our house. We have just been helping for awhile but we are excited to start a new season where I get to co-lead the group. Please pray that we would be able to effectively disciple and pour into those that come.
July Update
Hello everyone,
I hope you all are having an awesome summer! We had a great vacation in California that wrapped up earlier this month. The trip involved family time, birthday parties, time spent with friends at a couple of great churches, the Natural History Museum, the Ocean Institute, a date-time by the bay in San Diego, ice cream and a ferry-ride in Newport and even a failed 4th of July fireworks show in RSM--it was all great. We even had a decent amount of time to relax (which isn't always a given when it comes to our trips back to the States).
We returned home to Chihuahua, not to the extreme heat that we endured in June but instead to the rainy season that comes in July. It seems like we are getting heavy rain almost every day, which is a welcomed development from my angle.
I report to the university as a professor in less than two weeks and my first class will be on August 14! The school still hasn't given me material to study but I have been studying the depths of English grammar on my own and meeting with others who teach English to get some pointers from them. Although my motivation for being a professor at UACH is to represent Jesus and point the students to Him, I believe that the way I can do that best is by being the best English teacher possible. Therefore, I am taking this position very seriously and know that I will need to depend greatly on Jesus in order to excel at it. I am excited, anxious, nervous, hopeful, worried and confident--all wrapped together. I know Jesus is in this and I'm praying He is greatly glorified through it.
This next week is VBS week at our church! We are very excited that our church is doing it this year as we love serving for VBS and neither of our kids have been able to take part in a VBS. Priscilla is extra-excited for it as she was discouraged that Josiah barely missed-out on the VBS at CCSJC in California and she wanted him to have that experience. Now, with our church doing it here, both kids get to experience it next week! Priscilla and I will be helping out with games and whatever else is needed. Please keep it in prayer--that kids and parents would come to know Jesus through it and that others who already do would grow closer to Him.
We love and appreciate you all and pray that you have a wonderful rest of the summer that sees you getting closer and closer to Jesus. God bless!
-Tim, Priscilla, Josiah and Hannah
Praise Reports
- We had a wonderful vacation in California!
- Priscilla received her dual-citizenship while we were in California! This opens so many doors for us living here in Mexico.
- We are blessed and honored to be adopted by a small group from The Home Church in Rowland Heights, CA that will be praying for and encouraging us.
- We're still rejoicing at the what the Lord is doing at UACH and the doors He is opening.
- I have continued meeting with Brian (a student at UACH) and he has been so open and hungry to learn more about Jesus.
Prayer Request
- That God would prepare me and anoint me to honor Him as an English professor at UACH and point the students to Him.
- That everything would come together for the VBS at our church this upcoming week--that the kids and many of their parents would truly encounter Jesus.
- That God would continue to stir in the heart of Brian and bring him to saving faith in His Son.
- That the Lord would continue to bless the discipleship time that Mario and I are spending together. That we would grow more deeply in our love and commitment to Jesus.
- For wisdom on finding a new house as the house will be sold and we will need to move in just over two months.
- For wisdom on when and how to get dual-citizenship for the kids.
- For wisdom and favor with selling my car in the next couple months.
June Update
(Originally posted on 6/21)
Hello everyone,
Como están? I'm finally able to get this email out today as we arrive in California for our vacation. We're excited to spend time with family and hopefully get some rest.
First off, I want to invite you all to a SPECIAL UPDATE MEETING we will be having at Calvary Chapel San Juan Capistrano on Sunday, July 2nd at 4p. This will be a simple time that we can spend together with those of you that have been supporting and encouraging us. We want to share more detailed updates on our first year in Chihuahua, answer any questions you might have and pray together with you for God to move powerfully in Chihuahua. We think it will be an awesome time together--so we are very excited for it. For those of you that are not located in Southern CA (or those that can't make it) we have been throwing around the idea of having Facebook Live set up as well so that you can join in and even ask questions as well. If that is something that interests you, let us know so that we can make it happen.
Secondly, thank you for those of you that have been praying and rejoicing with us over the things that God has been doing at UACH. We really have a sense of anticipation for what God wants to do there. I have been able to spend time with one of the students, Brian, over the last few weeks. I feel like he has such a curiosity and openness to Jesus (like so many other students). A couple days ago, he met Priscilla and the kids for the first time as we talked with he and his girlfriend while the kids played in the play-place at Carl's Jr. Please pray that he and so many other students at the university would come to know Jesus personally!
As always, thanks for staying up to date with us and what God is doing here. We appreciate you all so much!
-Tim, Priscilla, Josiah & Hannah
Praise Reports
- I got the English teaching position at the university (UACH) and start teaching classes in August!
- I finished up the Spanish program that I was a part of.
- God has continued blessing the Bible study in Soledad that Priscilla is a part of.
Prayer Request
- For an enjoyable and relaxing vacation in California.
- For vision and guidance for this upcoming semester as to how God wants to use us to reach UACH.
- That God would continue to use us in the lives of the different people that we are able to meet with and minister to.
- That Jesus would be glorified through our family!