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For the Sake of the Gospel

When thinking about my journey to GEM it’s hard to find the best starting point. While there was a momentary decision to step into partnership with GEM, the Lord has so intentionally and intricately worked in my life to lead me to this point. I find it hard to discern what to say because I couldn’t simply state what I’m stepping into without sharing a testament of the goodness and faithfulness of God, and for that, I could write a book.

The past couple of years of my life has been nothing short of amazing. Throughout my time in college, the Lord has used so much to draw me near to Him, grow my faith, and sanctify me. Never have I understood the Gospel more, nor have I known the love and grace of God in such a real way. Time and time again He has revealed to me His faithfulness (2 Corinthians 1:20) and steadfast love (1 John 4:7-21). Time and time again I’ve been reminded of my own brokenness and need for forgiveness, and I’ve been brought to my knees in awe of how He has delivered and redeemed me (Isaiah 53, Romans 5). And time and time again I’ve been reminded of the gift it is to share such a great truth with others, as well as the blessing it is to have received this mission from the Lord (Isaiah 52:7, Acts 1:8)! Through homeless ministry, church outreach, youth groups, and classroom teaching, the Lord has broken my heart for the lost and grown in me a deep love for the Gospel. I have been blessed to see His beauty and wonder through knowing His sons and daughters, and I have had the opportunity to know His character and love more by doing life with them. It was through this time of growth that the Lord introduced me to and called me to serve with GEM after graduating college and to teach in one of their gospel-saturated schools. In all the uncertainty of life and the constant discovery and discerning that takes place in all seasons, the Lord has made one thing abundantly clear:  all my days will be spent building the Kingdom and sharing the truth of His love (Acts 20:24). Of course, this is the call of all Christ-followers, but sometimes it takes time for this truth to really penetrate the heart. Overall I have learned more and more that we are to live our lives on mission to love others as Christ has loved us. Every day we wake up we are stepping onto the mission field, that’s 365 opportunities a year to be a light and share the Gospel. My heart has been heavy with the burden to reach the unreached and follow His will to any and every nation He leads me to. And for the next two years, He has led me to Puerto Escondido. I couldn’t be more excited and expectant for all He will do!! He has never let me down, and in everything He has far exceeded and totally crumbled my expectations, so I know He’ll be faithful to do it again!!

The overall mission of the GEM is to share the gospel around the world through education that is quality, affordable, and accessible. My role within this, most straightforwardly, is to be one of those missionaries providing education. The Lord had equipped me through my time at school to step into this role of educator. However, I believe my role goes beyond that of the classroom because I believe the ministry and mission the Lord calls us into is an all-encompassing one. One thing He has really taught me is that effective evangelism is rooted in relationships and consistency. Yes, the Gospel can be shared in a moment with words and a seed is planted (which is great because His word never returns void), but growth and roots are seen in longevity, in discipleship. The Gospel we share is one of love, yet we live in a world where love is a lost concept, an unknown idea, or a twisted mutation of what it should be. Therefore, it takes relationship and consistency to display the love that we are speaking of. And relationship and consistency will often go beyond the classroom walls. So my role with GEM, in Mexico, and everywhere the Lord has called me is to continue to let Him saturate every area of my life with His love, so that in every season and all moments His love can be found. Whether in the school building, on the beach, or at the market, my job is to share the Gospel.

To share our God.

To be His light.

And while I know I have much growing and sanctifying to do, this is my prayer for how He may work in me and through me, as well as all my fellow missionaries!

This is an INCREDIBLY condensed summary of how the Lord led me to and prepared my heart to serve with GEM, there’s plenty more to be said of His goodness through that journey. I hope you can join us in prayer as we move to our new homes and begin to live and serve here all for the sake of the Gospel!

– Hunter Benson, GEM Missionary–Kindergarten Teacher

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Ms. Kaitlyn’s Class Update

Since being here in Puerto, I have seen many of my students change in behavior–spiritually and academically. When I first started teaching my class of 6th graders in January, I had one student that was very closed-off and unwilling to listen at times. Over time, I really had it on my heart to start a relationship with her and show her Christ’s love in simple ways. I did not know exactly how this was going to work based on her not wanting to be around me all that much as well as not being able to get her to say anything to me even when asking her questions. Later on however,  I learned there were really big things going on in her home that would make anyone seem closed-off or sad at times. After praying many days over the situation myself and with other teachers, I knew that I needed to keep pursuing a relationship to share the Lord with her. I know I needed to simply check in on her everyday, no matter if I received a response or not.
After many months of asking simple questions like, “How are you today?How are you feeling? What did you do this weekend?”, I was able to finally get her to open up little by little. She has now started speaking up in class, coming to speak to us teachers at lunch, and even has started to let me just sit and talk to her about everyday life. Sometimes the things the Lord is working on in your classroom seem small and unnoticeable at times, but when it is something you have seen people pray over for months and you began to see the fruit of those prayers, it is absolutely amazing.

-GEM Missionary, Kaitlyn Summitt

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Teacher Testimony – Jady Whetzel

Jady Whetzel is a 2nd grade teacher at our Manantial school in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. She and her husband Tanner, whom she met through GEM, have faithfully served as missionaries for two years. Before Jady moved to Mexico, she was a teacher in Brazil. She had felt that the Lord was guiding her to use teaching in some sort of capacity for full-time ministry. She wasn’t sure what this necessarily looked like, but she was searching for what God might have in mind. 

One day as Jady was scrolling through instagram, she came across GEM’s page. She had the thought of, “Wow, this is such a cool ministry! I really wish that they had a school in Brazil that I could work for.” The Lord continued to work in her heart and kept growing the desire within her to use her teaching skill sets for full-time ministry. 

In March of 2020 when the pandemic hit, the school Jady was working at closed, so she began working from home. She had already told her boss at the school that she was not interested in working long-term and that she was keeping her mind open as she looked at other job opportunities. The very first weekend of the pandemic, GEM posted a photo on instagram that they were hiring new teachers. Jady felt as if the Lord was opening this door for her to work as a missionary teacher with GEM, but still asked Him to make it clear to her and to shut the door if this isn’t what He had for her. It turned out that two of the positions they were hiring for were for a 2nd and 3rd grade teacher, which was exactly the grades the Jady had been teaching in Brazil the last two years. Everything was fitting together for her to join GEM and serve the ministry using her professional abilities, and the Lord paved the way and showed Jady that’s exactly where He wanted her. Jady moved to Puerto Escondido, Mexico in August of 2020.

Whenever a missionary first moves to a new country, there is a time where they have to adapt to a new culture. Being immersed in a new language and way of doing life can present new challenges and struggles. One of the things that was hard for Jady was leaving the strong community that she had in Brazil and having to form a new one in Mexico with people who did not speak the same language. However, God was faithful in surrounding her with wonderful, like-minded people, who supported her and helped her when she needed guidance and direction, who prayed for her and read the Word with her. She has now formed lifelong friendships here in Mexico, and has also found the man she will spend the rest of her life with, her husband Tanner. 

Jady shares that one of the biggest blessings was allowing God to take control of every aspect of her life and submitting to His direction to come to Puerto Escondido. In doing this, the Lord not only changed her professional path, but He also allowed her to meet Tanner, fall in love, and get married. She came as a single girl and is now a married woman. Jady says that leaving everything behind and in the Lord’s hands, really allowed her to live a life that was far greater than she could have ever planned for herself. She came to serve the students and families here in Mexico, and God has blessed her with seeing the fruit of that labor as well as many more added blessings. Jady expresses that it is an honor to be a tool of God and get to be used by Him to build His Kingdom here in Puerto Escondido. 

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From Heartbreak to Hope

Our school in Juquila, La Luz, is seeing the hand of the Lord work through many of their students’ lives. In the midst of neglect and suffering that many children in this town face, our La Luz school shines as a light on a stand for all to see (Matthew 5:14-16). This school has served as a safe haven for students – a place where they get to learn about the Lord, sing praises to Him, and be discipled by the staff members who work there. 

Not long ago, a mother approached Ms. Betty, wife of La Luz Director, Tito, pleading for the school to accept her son, Eliezr, into their fourth grade class. Ms. Betty told the mother that she and the other staff would need to observe him for a week but would then let her know whether or not her son would be accepted.

The day came for the mother to drop her son off at the school. When she came, without any prompting from Ms. Betty, she began to pour her heart out about what had just recently happened to her son.  With sadness in her voice, she shared that Eliezer had recently been taken to Oaxaca city by the mother’s half sister for what she thought would be an opportunity for a better education for her son. However, after months of Eliezr being gone, she would find out that the half sister had very different plans for Eliezr than what she had shared with his mother. Through Eliezer’s later recounting of the story, she found out that her half sister had abused him the night they arrived in Oaxaca and the following day, sent him off to be with a family who would supposedly adopt him. Although Eliezr didn’t want to be given up to another family, he stayed, knowing that they would treat him far better than his aunt ever had. Months later, when Eliezer’s adoptive family realized that their new son had actually never been up for adoption they brought him back to Juquila to be with his real mom. As Eliezer’s mother finished recounting the story to Ms. Betty, she expressed how thankful she was to the family that Eliezer had lived with for those few months, not only for treating him with kindness, but more importantly for bringing him back to her. 

While observing Eliezr as a potential student at La Luz, one of the teachers mentioned to Ms. Betty that not only did he behave well in her class, but He was also excelling in reading, writing, and math! All the teachers were in agreement that Eliezr would be a wonderful addition to the school! When Ms. Betty shared with Eliezer and his mother that he was accepted as a student, she hugged her son ever so tightly. 

A few weeks later, Ms. Betty had to call a taxi driver to the school. The driver ended up being Eliezer’s uncle. The driver expressed to her his gratitude for the school and complemented how great it was. He shared that his nephew, Eliezr, is very happy and that he loves the school. His uncle also told her the wonderful news that Eliezer’s father was willing to pay his tuition and everything including his textbook has been provided. 

Eliezr has continued to be a respectful and dedicated student. He recently expressed his desire to learn how to play guitar. However, the school had no extra space for students to join in to play music. When Ms. Betty shared Eliezer’s story with one of the teachers without any hesitation, he offered to teach him how to play the guitar. Not only is this teacher now helping him learn how to play guitar, but he is also reading the Bible with Eliezr!

Eliezer and his mother are not believers, but our hope and prayer is that by the power of the Holy Spirit, through the vessel of La Luz, the Lord would open their hearts to receive the Gospel of our saving Lord Jesus Christ. La Luz as a school, and GEM as a ministry, are rejoicing for the work He has already begun in their lives. 

Through your prayers and partnership with GEM, lives like Eliezer’s and his family’s are transformed and impacted for eternity. Global Education Ministries thanks you for your faithful commitment to pray for and support our schools. We hold this ministry with open hands, knowing that all the work done through it is done by the Lord. May all things be done for His glory and His name alone.

*For the protection and privacy of the student, their name has been changed.

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Intentionality Aids Love

Therefore, my beloved as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. -Philippians 2:12-18

Several years ago, Bob Goff wrote and released a book called Love Does. In it, he wrote story upon story that highlighted the power of what it means to do something because you love someone. He was writing on the belief that love forces someone to act rather than sit idle.

As Christians, we are familiar with the idea that love compelled Christ to die for us. Most of us would be able to explain several different moments in our lives when we “felt” His love, when we trusted in it, and when we chose to follow Christ because of His saving love.

When we look at the Gospels, we are able to see how the love of Christ compelled Him to continue to meet the needs of those around Him. Additionally, we can see how it affects us even now. As we look to the Epistles, we can see how the authors continued to encourage the Church to be attentive and intentional with the lives that they led. There seems to be an understanding that while Christ has done the saving work, we are encouraged to do–what I call–the responsive work.

It can be easy to lose sight of being intentional with our words let alone our actions. Life gets really busy and we get so caught up in what is “next” that we forget that the Lord wants us to enjoy whatever we find our hands to do (Eccles. 9:10). The Bible is full of expressions of that–I am thinking mainly of Ecclesiastes–and we should feel free to do what we want while being intentional in showing the love of Christ regardless of what it is (1 Thess. 4:11). Whether we find ourselves working in ministry or working in a retail shop, we are capable of working well enough to show the love and saving grace of Christ.

When we are able to understand the freedom that we have to do as we please (within reason, of course), we are able to live freer; we are able to love more freely, and, in turn, able to explain the love of Christ. We can bring people into the love of Christ, we can show them grace, and we can shine as lights in the world.

As a Christian growing up in America, it can be easy to compartmentalise our lives and think of our spiritual lives (or our ministry) as separate from everything else, but in reality, they are one in the same. We have a separation of Church and State in American but that shouldn’t be the way that we live our lives.

To be intentional is to be loving. To be loving is to be a vessel for Christ. Be encouraged. We have the means and we have the resources.

– Ashleigh Bender, Missionary Care

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Teacher Testimony – Bailey + Derrick

Bailey and Derrick are missionaries who serve with GEM in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. Right before they left their traditional lives to move to Mexico, they got married. They both serve at our Manantial school–Bailey serves as a 3rd grade teacher and Derrick teaches Bible at the secondary.

Bailey and Derrick saw serving with GEM as missionaries more as an opportunity to practice and live out the great commission rather than living back home. Not that they couldn’t have used teaching in the States as a mission field, but they saw the Lord calling them to something more and wanted them to surrender their comforts, their family, and to start a life living on mission together…that looked like Mexico. Bailey and Derrick knew that this was the calling that God had placed in front of them. They knew that either way, whether it was living and working as teachers in the States or in Mexico, they would have been obedient. However, because of the position they were in as a young couple with no kids, and no true ties that said they couldn’t move, they thought, “why shouldn’t we move to a different country for at least two years to experience what ministry is like outside of the United States?” They wanted an all encompassing view of the gospel.

Both Bailey and Derrick have a passion for discipleship and they longed to be a part of a school that not only wants to build relationships with the students in the classroom, but a school that also invested in them outside the classroom. Moving to Mexico and serving with GEM was more of an opportunity that their hearts wanted to be a part of rather than just teaching anywhere. They wanted to make an investment in the community and learn the culture of Mexico.

Picking up your lives and moving to teach in a foreign country doesn’t come without its struggles. Bailey shared that one of the biggest and most apparent challenges was the language barrier. Any school that they could’ve been a part of would have most likely had ELLs (English Language Learners), but now teaching ELLs is her full-time job. She has been navigating learning how to teach the students and communicate in a way where both her and the students can understand. Through the language barrier, the Lord has taught her patience and love. As she is learning Spanish and the students are learning English, they are able to empathize with each other and support each other through it. One of the most difficult things that Derrick say he has come to learn is the difference in gospel fluency in the culture. In the United States, people at least know some of the books of the Bible. You can reference a story and they have some familiarity with it. In Mexico, it’s different. There are kids who have never heard the commonly known Bible studies before, nor do most of them know where the books of the Bible are. Derrick came in with much higher assumptions with how much of the Gospel they actually knew. He has even had students ask him what the Gospel is and what that word even means. This has restructured the way he has had to teach and share the stories of the Bible. He has to go into class teaching from the ground up, knowing that some of them have no knowledge of God and the Bible whatsoever. It has trained Derrick to slow down, break down the timeline, and dig into the context of each part of the Bible that he is teaching. This helps paint a much broader picture for the students who have never once heard the stories of the Bible.

In the midst of struggles and adapting to a new culture, the Lord does not hesitate to bestow His blessing upon those who step out in faith to serve Him. Bailey and Derrick share that they have been blessed in some of the most unexpected ways. One of the biggest blessings for the both of them has been the life change in each of their hearts. GEM gave them an opportunity to work and serve with the Lord in a way that they otherwise would not have had if they were just teaching in the States. The main thing that they have taken away from GEM is the fruit of their labor that they have seen and getting to see the impact that the Lord has on these kids through the work that the Lord has given Global Education Ministries to do. God has done a work in both of their hearts, and they feel like they have been challenged and pushed in new ways that they wouldn’t have apart from GEM. It has helped them grow a heart of gratitude and thankfulness in a whole new way as they have been living in a new culture. They express that they have realized all of the blessings that they have, even just in comparison to teaching in the States versus in Mexico. Bailey and Derrick also say they have benefited from all of the practical things they have learned through working within a ministry. They have learned how to steward God’s money well and how to function well with others who also serve within the ministry. They have had so many different life experiences that they never would have gotten without being a part of GEM. Getting to learn a different culture and at the same time growing significantly with the Lord has been one of the biggest blessings.

If you are inspired by this story and want to know how you might be able to serve with GEM, click the link below:

JOIN GEM

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Heart of a Child

For those of you who don’t know me, I am the Mission Advancement Coordinator at GEM. I am 22 years old and recently got married in October. After completing college, receiving a job with GEM, and getting married, I am beginning to feel and experience adulthood in its fullest. Now I know what you’re thinking, “she’s only 22 years old, she still has a long way to go.” Well you’re right. I have just stepped into this stage and it is only the beginning. But even in this early stage I am able to notice the difference in responsibilities, along with much more. All good things, just different. I have to be more intentional with my free time. If I’m not careful I can get caught up in everything I “need” to get done for the day and forget to spend time with the Lord. When I try to plan my life a certain way it becomes clear that I am not the one in control.  As most of you know, life is much busier and complicated when you’re an adult. If we aren’t careful, it can consume us. 

This brings me to Luke 18:16-17 “But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’”

What a sweet reminder. Even as we grow up and get older, we are called to be child-like. When life feels too busy, take some time to rest in the Lord through His word. But do it as a child would, enthusiastically and eager to learn more. Or when things aren’t going the way you planned, be child-like, rely on God for guidance and have a trusting attitude toward your heavenly father. The world tells us to plan our own steps and rely on ourselves. But this couldn’t be farther from the truth. We are called to be child-like in our faith and our day-to-day lives. Children don’t try to plan their lives, they faithfully trust that their parents will provide and care for them. Likewise, we should do the same with our heavenly father. So whatever season of life you are in, remember that God calls us to receive the kingdom of God like a child. 

– Taylor Amey, Mission Advancement Coordinator

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Remembering the Big Picture

Being a missionary is not always easy and even when it feels easiest it is really some of the toughest times. I do not mean anything bad by this but it just takes intentionality to keep your focus on God and not let Satan tempt you. This is especially true when you are working for God in a new country. Working in another country with a language different from what you know is hard and you are far away from your comforts too.

One of the times that it is hard to not be able to speak the same language as my students is when I am teaching Bible. This is a time I really want my students to understand what I am saying although verses from the Bible can be hard to understand in your first language. This means I have to really simplify what I say during Bible time to help my students comprehend the topics we are discussing.

Not speaking the same language as my students has truly pushed me so hard in my teaching and my faith. In the classroom what I do to help my students understand in Bible class and others is use simple English and speak slowly. I also use some hand signals or act things out as well as other visuals like printed off pictures of things. Another thing that I do is use lots of repetition. My students repeat words after me that I believe are important and I repeat my direction many times. Also I review topics from previous lessons at the start of every class. Repetition is something I have found to be so beneficial and valuable for my students and we have done lots of review in our classes but they know it now and I can start them off counting and they will finish counting now.

Not speaking the same language as my students has pushed me in my faith because I am not always sure what they are saying on going through. This is hard because I am not sure how I can help them best or what I can say that they will understand to help counsel them. To help me and my students with this I have started to pray more intentionally. I pray for students by name and what I have noticed about their personality, academics, or their families. I do not know everything they may be going through but I know that God does and He hears even our unspoken prayer requests. I give each student and their worries to God because He knows them better than I will.

As I have been praying intentionally for my students it helps to remind me especially on my hard days of why I am here. I am not here to be far away, I am not not here to take a tour of the town, I am not here for a stamp in my passport, and I could go on and on. I am here to not just teach but show God’s love to these students, their families, and their community. This can take work sometimes to let go of my bad days and fully give them to God so that I can teach and live with the right attitude. Not just on my bad days but on my good days too when I just want to be at the beach I need to be intentional and continue to pray to God and pray for my students.

Sometimes in the States, in Mexico, or just in my classroom I have good days and I have bad days but no matter the day it is important to pray. The big picture is that one day we will all be able to go home to God’s kingdom and we want to make sure that the way we live glorifies Him and put the Gospel on display of others to see as well. There is always someone watching the choices you make especially as a teacher so it is important that we live and love the way God would. It will be an amazing day when we are all by God’s side and surrounded by so many people who we know and love.

– Sydni Williams, GEM Missionary

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Stopping to Seek the Lord

The end of the year is always a busy time! With the holidays approaching and end of the year campaigns in full swing, it is easy to feel like things needs to get done, decisions need to be made, and that there isn’t enough time to stop doing.

That’s at least how I’ve been tempted to feel these last few weeks.
But one thing I’ve learned over my few years of working with GEM is that when you’re moving into uncharted territory, taking breaks from doing to make time for thinking, praying, planning, and preparing is just as, if not, even more important.

One of the passages in the Bible God has called repeatedly to mind through my devotions and others, is in Joshua 9 when several members of the nation of Gibeon dress themselves up in rags and lie to the Israelites about where they come from.

In the book of Joshua, Joshua is the brave leader that leads Israel into battle after battle against the pagan people groups living in the Promised Land. Previously, in the book of Deuteronomy, God told the Israelites through Moses that when fighting against their enemies they should first offer peace offerings. However, he makes a clear distinction between general enemies and the nations they would fight against in the land God has promised them.
“However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes… Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 20:16,18 NIV)
When the Gibeonites hear that Israel has defeated several of the neighboring nations, they fear for their lives and decide that instead of trying to go up against Israel and their God, they would be better off deceiving the Israelites in order to become their servants. So, they dress themselves in old clothes, worn sandals and cracked wineskins. They even go so far as to carry moldy bread with them so that they can convince the Israelites that they come from far away and aren’t inhabitants of the Promised Land.

When they approach the Israelites at their camp and ask them to make at treaty with them, the leaders of Israel sample their provisions and use their own reasoning skills to decide whether or not they should make the treaty. But they forget one important thing – to inquire of the Lord. Because of this, they believe the Gibeonites and swear an oath by the God of Israel that they will not harm them.

The Gibeonites then leave to go back to their city and three days later, Israel, as they are conquering more nations, arrive at what they find out to be Gibeon. To their surprise, it is indeed in the Promised Land! They can’t believe that they were deceived, but they keep the oath they had sworn to Gibeonites and do not harm them. However, in Joshua chapter 10 they are forced to go into war to protect themselves and the Gibeonites from other nations.
This story is full lessons, but one lesson in particular caught my attention.
“The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord.” (Joshua 9:14 NIV)

The Israelites used their own reasoning skills and senses to see whether or not the Gibeonites were telling them the truth instead of stopping to see what the Lord had to say. This might sound logical and completely normal to us, but we can see in this story that the Israelites senses failed them. They weren’t a reliable tool to navigate through deception and truth. And, fortunately for the Gibeonites, the Israelites didn’t take time to stop and inquire of the Lord. They made a judgment based on what they thought would be best, while the Lord would have opened their eyes to see the truth.

As I’ve been applying this to my own life, I’ve been asking myself – How many times have I made decisions based on my own judgment instead of quieting myself and going first to the Lord.

The Gibeonites would play a significant role in Israel’s future history, even causing God to bring famine on Israel because Saul forsake the oath that Joshua had made with them.

How many times have we made decisions based on our own judgment whose consequences won’t just affect us in the present, but also in the future. Consequences that could and probably will affect our children and our children’s children.

But there’s also another side to this story.

Although the Israelites disobeyed God’s original command to destroy everything and everyone in the land that they would inherit, God eventually raises up the Gibeonites to take care of the temple and at least one to be a prophet – God’s own mouthpiece – for the nation. Even one of King David’s most honored and respected strong men was a Gibeonite!

Just as God does, He uses even the disobedience of Israel to bring about good for the nation and glory for Himself.

So, for those of us who have disobeyed Him and feel without hope, let this be a reminder. Yes, our God expects obedience. Our disobedience will always bring about consequences, whether exterior or interior.

But where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more.

“God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.” (Romans 5:20 NLT)

– Maggie Addison, GEM Mexico Field Office Director

 

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Are You a Missionary?

Are you a missionary? If you follow Jesus, the answer is yes! Jesus lived His life on a mission to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. In Luke 4:18-19, Jesus reads a prophecy from Isaiah and declares it fulfilled. He says, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” God the Father anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit, to announce the coming of God’s Kingdom. In God’s Kingdom, all people can know God and enter His presence, where they find freedom and healing. However, this is only possible through Jesus. Because of Jesus’s sacrifice, we are made holy and able to enter God’s presence, and because of His resurrection, we are set free and no longer live as slaves of sin and evil! All we have to do is come to Him. Have you been set free from sin and evil in your life? What do you need to bring to the Lord today?  

Right before Jesus ascended into Heaven, His disciples asked Him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight” (Acts 1:6b-8). The disciples were thinking as we humans do. They wanted to see the physical Kingdom of Israel restored. They wanted Jesus to stay on earth and live as the King of Israel. But the Father had much bigger plans for Jesus. Jesus is the King of all and His reign will last forever. And yet, God called Jesus back to be with Him and chose to use His human disciples to submit to His rule and share the Good News of the Kingdom with people of all nations! And that’s where we come in. Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to live within us— leading us and empowering us to be effective witnesses! We are all called “to proclaim good news to the poor…, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, and to set the oppressed free” (Luke 4:18).

God has a purpose for each of us while we are here on Earth. Do you know your purpose? What is God calling you to do now? How can you share the Gospel of salvation, healing, and freedom with your family, friends, neighbors, and enemies? The Holy Spirit led me to teach as a missionary in Mexico. I am so blessed to be a part of the team at “La Luz,” where the teachers live out the Gospel daily through prayer, service, study, and worship together as One Body. We pray together for God’s will to be done in our school and the lives of our students before and after school and in the evenings. We share the Gospel with students in classes, visit with their families, and share with other people we meet as God leads us. You can be a missionary too! Even if you are not called to move overseas, God has still given you His Holy Spirit to lead you and empower you to serve those around you. If you follow Jesus, you are a missionary. Let’s pray that God will give us His eyes to see those who are in need and give us wisdom, discernment, and power to share the Gospel effectively and to usher in God’s healing and freedom into this broken world.

– Heather Hall, GEM Missionary