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Remember God’s Faithfulness

GEM is 10 years old!!! Last month, we celebrated our 10 year anniversary as a ministry, and I just completed my 7th year serving with GEM. Our staff all around the world had a blast celebrating all that God has done over the past 10 years, and we specifically spent some time here in our office in Wilmington remembering the highs and the lows of ministry over the past decade. I can’t speak much of the first three years of GEM, but since I joined in 2014… you cannot even begin to count all the ways the Lord has worked.

I don’t know how your brain operates, but personally, I am really good at remembering the hard times and the difficult seasons. While it is good to remember these times and recall how God faithfully came through as He always does… What about the good things… the tiny blessings that He gave us time and time again? Even the times when we didn’t even ask for them?!

It is so important to remember and record all the Lord does. Through the storm, when we are asking for Him to deliver us, and also when we aren’t. God shows His steadfast love through countless blessings, even in ways we least expect it. It is good to remember at all times, but it is especially helpful to remember in the midst of uncertainty or when we are lacking faith. When I am doubting, I can remember how God has worked in the past, remembering His promises in scripture and never forgetting the faithfulness of His character.

I think back to 2014 when I was fresh out of college, a brand new Kindergarten teacher. I had so many days when it felt impossible to accomplish everything on my plate. Some days I would feel so nervous and overwhelmed. God was faithful to equip me in the work He had called me to do. By His grace, we had an incredible school year. I learned more and more every day how to be the best teacher I could be, and how to serve and love the families of my students in ways I could never do on my own. I remember after that year in Mexico, I truly felt like I could do anything (with God, of course).

Going back to that mindset, remembering how I felt each day… lost and unsure…then remembering how God came through and led the way– these are moments I should remember regularly when the same feelings of inadequacy and faithlessness come creeping back in. I watched God work in miraculous ways in 2014, but you better believe that in 2021, I still struggle with the same things.

This year, now I live back in the US and serve with GEM in a completely different capacity. I am the Director of Communications, in charge of donor relations, marketing, and a handful of other things as well. Some days, new problems arise and I feel the same way I did as a kid fresh out of college. I wonder how I will make it through a given problem, and I even sometimes wonder if God picked the right person to serve in this capacity.

But then I remember. God is faithful. It is impossible for Him to be anything other than faithful. He has come through again and again – not always how I thought He would. And many times He does let me wrestle with certain situations, but it is always for my good and His glory. I’d like us all to walk into today’s problems and uncertainties and REMEMBER who God is and what He has done for us. Remember He has chosen you for a specific purpose. He is the one who selected you to be at the job you’re at, or to be the friend to a specific person, or the parent of a specific family. By clinging to Him and remembering His faithfulness, we can walk in faith, knowing that God will equip us to the work He has called us to!

2 Timothy 2:13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

– Rachel Ellezy, Director of Communications

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God’s Way Over Mine

I recently had my students watch a movie on the famous book Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. The movie is a cartoon version of the book from 1678, that has been simplified for children. For those that are not familiar with the story, a man named Christian Pilgrim finds a book embarking him on a journey to Celestial City. The story follows Christian’s endeavor to Celestial City where he faces trials, hardship, ridicule, and poor advice along the way. The journey that Christian endures is similar to what happens to the believer in preparation for Christ’s return to the New Heaven and New Earth. The cartoon version helps students comprehend concepts that many adults scarcely understand about their own faith. 

In Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian comes across a place called Legality Hill. On this hill, Christian is tempted to remove his load and heavy burden, freeing him up  from having to make the long journey ahead. When Christian arrives at the mountain he is faced by many rules that are all in contradiction to one another. The man on the mountain tells Christian that in order to climb up he must keep and adhere to all of the rules. As he climbs further and further up,  the rules become more challenging to keep and Christian becomes so overwhelmed and falls to the ground. 

The message behind this story is so powerful. Just like Christian Pilgrim, and the hardship he endured on Legality Hill, there is so much that can be learned from his example. Commandments that come from man will never save, no matter how many rules or regulations are placed on your life.  Only the teachings of Jesus will truly set you free from man’s form of commandments aka legality. 

John 8:31-32 tells us that when we continue in His word, we are truly disciples of Christ. By staying in the Word of God we will know the truth and that truth will set us free. Take a look at the Great Commission passage in Matthew 28:18-20. While many know the lines, “Go and make disciples of all nations…” few know why we do that. Verse 18 is the reason behind why we go and make disciples of Christ, that is because through his death he has been given ALL authority over heaven and earth. That means that everything we do and all things that happen are under the authority of Christ. That is why we go and make because our King has power over all things! The passion and resurrection of Jesus end with a commission to his disciples to carry on that same ministry, in the light of the cross, the empty tomb, and the triumphant vindication and exaltation of the risen Lord. 

The challenge behind being a missionary is seeing the grand narrative of the gospel from the trials of life. After just the time that I have been in Mexico there have been hardships that took my eyes away from the Great Commission. Like Christian, I found myself distracted by the world. I was reminded that while the journey is difficult the reward will always be Christ. My encouragement to you is to continue throughout the trials by doing things God’s way,  never settling for the things of this world. 

– Derrick Wood, GEM Missionary

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A Call to Remember

Recently, I have been reading through the book of Exodus. In Exodus, I have seen over and over the Lord providing for the Israelites and then the Israelites complaining and growing discontent. This happens many times throughout their time since leaving Egypt as they wandered in the wilderness. 

In chapter 15, Moses and the people of Israel were singing a song to the Lord, praising Him after crossing the Red Sea.

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously, the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him….“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?…” 

Exodus 15:1-2; 11

They are praising God for how He triumphed over the Egyptians. They praise the Lord for His steadfast love for those He redeemed (the Israelites). Then we see just a few verses later, the people begin complaining again. 

“And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?””

Exodus 15:24

Despite the Israelites seeing the Lord provide over and over again for His people, they are still doubting that He will meet all their needs, and this leads them to complaining. They doubt the character of God and His heart for them. As people, we are so quick to forget God’s faithfulness in the midst of the wilderness. We allow ourselves to believe lies about God and His character. 

Oftentimes, I have to examine my heart to see where I am doubting or not believing that the Lord will meet my needs or the needs of others. However, as I look back over the course of my life, I can see time after time where the Lord met my needs and often didn’t just meet my needs but provided abundantly more than I could imagine. It did not always look like what I wanted it to or like I thought it would, but He has always provided. 

In the midst of many uncertainties in our world right now, it is easy to forget who God is or His heart for His people. However, I am reminded that the Lord is good. He cares for those who take refuge in Him (Nahum 1:7). He is the same today as He was yesterday, and He will be the same forevermore. I need only to remember the character and heart of my God is for His people. As we remember, it allows us to trust and rest in our Heavenly Father who cares for us.

 

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?​​ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Matthew 6:25-34

– Rachel Hill, GEM Missionary

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Prayerfully Guided

My partnership with GEM came about as most life-changing things with the Lord do: quietly and unexpectedly; with the details unfolding in time and the only way to notice them was through prayer. 

I have worked in full-time ministry before but I had a few years where I took a step back. Those years were spent in a lot of prayer; prayer unlike I had ever done before. 

At the time, I lived just an hour from the Blue Ridge Parkway. I spent several weekends driving up and down it, stopping at specific overlooks, and praying. Praying for guidance, praying for understanding, praying for what is next for me. Additionally, I started praying about what I loved to do: writing and photography. After all, what better way to learn how to pray than to pray about what tugs at the heartstrings the most?

My life had taken an unexpected turn and I was really unsure of where to go next– both literally and figuratively. But, as I prayed I began to learn so much. I learned about prayer– our selfish desires even in prayer– I learned about my expectations, I learned about how truthful Scripture is, and I learned more about myself. Mainly, I learned how grounding it is when we take Him at His Word; when we decide to trust that not only does He know best but He also knows what we’re going through, and that just being present with Him really does change everything.

I have nothing to offer that Christ has not already given to me. I learned that whatever gift / talent I possess was given by the Giver, Himself, and that anything worth doing was something that I could give back to Him. 

So, I started asking Him about my love for writing. For the first time, I started praying about how to use it. 

I started thinking about Wilmington, North Carolina. The town has some old history in the creative arts and I was drawn to it because of that. I figured that I could get involved in that scene somehow and, at the very least, live a fulfilling life in the town simply because I was around creativity. I started really praying about it and began to watch how the Lord directed my steps to where I am now. 

After a visit to Wilmington at the start of the new year, I ended up connecting with GEM via LinkedIn and the process of our partnership began. 

The process took several weeks and I was so encouraged and blessed to talk with the team so many times. It was healing for me to be able to talk with them about where I had been and where I felt the LORD was calling me into. 

Not only was I able to experience such an answer to prayer but the team at GEM expressed how they were experiencing such huge answers to prayer as well. 

I’ll be working with GEM to build the Missionary Care Department as their Transitional Care Coordinator. In this role, I will write devotionals for our missionaries as well as meeting with them to encourage spiritual growth as their year progresses. 

I am humbled to be in this position and eager to see how the Spirit works within it. 

It is a joy to be able to offer my gifts and talents back to the Lord to uplift and edify His Church.

– Ashleigh Gyatt, GEM Missionary

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FAITH: Fantastic Adventure in Trusting Him

My decision to join Global Education Ministries was made in one night. When I first met the recruiters for GEM, I told them I was planning on staying in Arizona and teaching at a school here. That had always been the plan. I wasn’t even going to attend their informational meeting later that night, but I ended up getting off work at eight, the exact time their meeting started. I wasn’t allowed to eat at work and they had food at the meeting. For a college student accepting free food is a no-brainer.

Once I got to the meeting, it was like God was talking directly to me with everything the GEM recruiters said. GEM’s teaching philosophy aligned directly with my own, and I suddenly wanted to be a part of this ministry. I think I ended up staying and talking for nearly three hours. By the end of the night, my decision was made. Though I still had to apply, interview, and be accepted for the job, in my heart I was committed. But what could have possibly convinced me to move 1,000 miles to a place I’d never been, where they speak a language I don’t know, and try to fit into a culture I didn’t understand in one night? Simple: It was God leading me to do so.

That is the short story of how I decided to join GEM. The longer story is really more about me learning to trust God. If I didn’t trust God, I wouldn’t have even considered GEM,  so this really is a big part of my story:

I was raised in an amazing Christian family and came to know Christ when I was just three years old. As a young child, I felt like my faith was strong but as I got older, it grew weak. I never fell away from the faith in any visible way. In fact, I tried desperately to grow closer to God by doing good works and being as perfect as possible, but He just felt so distant. So I settled for relying on God for salvation and relying on myself for every other part of my life. Yes, I need God and Jesus for salvation, but the rest of my life? I thought I had it figured out and there was no need for them. I believed I didn’t need God’s help or anyone else’s. I had it all under control.  However, anyone watching me would have thought I was a sold-out follower of Christ, but everything I did was for show; I was trying to prove I didn’t need God to control my life.  I lived this way all the way from high school to my junior year of college. Then God got my attention in a big and very painful way.

Junior year, I went through a very difficult breakup. It was my first ever relationship and I made a lot of mistakes. I was consumed with shame because of those mistakes and went into a shame spiral. 2 Corinthians 7:10 states, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” Godly sorrow is guilt, which I had felt, but after I repented, I had not embraced God’s forgiveness, so I lived in worldly sorrow and shame and it completely destroyed me emotionally and spiritually. I felt like I couldn’t even come to God with all the sin separating us. A few weeks after the break-up, I ended up in the emergency room with intense pain. There in my helplessness, I was wrecked by shame, was spiritually dead, and was in the most pain of my life.

Finally, I gave up and gave everything to God. I had five hours to think and pray in the emergency room. I gave God control over every part of my life, not just my salvation. At this point in the story, people expect to hear that my pain was miraculously healed, I was freed from shame, and mentally and spiritually perfect again. None of that happened. I was still in pain, still grappling with the fall-out of my relationship; basically a complete and total mess in every sense of the word. But, I felt God’s presence in a way I never had before. I suddenly knew that God was there in that room with me and would continue to be there for me wherever I needed Him. Nothing changed, yet at the same time everything changed. God’s presence is the most powerful thing I’ve ever experienced.

Throughout the rest of that year and the beginning of the next, I was forced to live in that power every day. I had ongoing health issues that resulted in constant pain and emotional issues. Between student teaching and the library at my school I was working 50 hours a week, which usually wouldn’t be an issue, but in pain, it was exhausting. I needed to rely on God and use his strength every hour, of every minute, of every day. And you know what? He provided every hour, of every minute, of every day. Never once did he fail me. He always gave me enough strength for that day. Not for the month or the week, but for that day. So every day I had to keep coming back to him.  I’m notoriously stubborn so it took 4 months of total reliance on God to cement my trust in Him. At the end of that 4 months was when I committed to GEM. I have no idea what will happen in Mexico. The only thing I do know is God will be there with me and for me no matter where I go, so my faith is in Him and only Him. I am so excited for this Fantastic Adventure In Trusting God.

– Mattie Napoletano, GEM Missionary

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Living the Life of a “Blank Check”

Hello GEM friends and family! Our names are Bailey and Derrick and we could not be more excited to become a part of the GEM mission and community. We have quite a unique story of how God called us to go and serve in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico but before we share our story we wanted to share our own individual journeys. 

Hello everyone! My name is Bailey Bartlett and I recently graduated from Liberty University with a degree in Elementary Education and Christian Leadership. I come from a strong Christian family and felt the calling to go into ministry when I was a teenager. My parents have been big advocates for ministry and missions and I never thought my story would turn out the way that it did. When the Lord called me into ministry at a young age, I had no idea what the outcome would be. The one thing I was certain of was my desire to attend the Largest Evangelical Christian School in the world, Liberty University. It was at my time at Liberty that God began prepping and preparing me for the calling that I surrendered too, but was still unaware of. You see, I had already planned out my life on my own terms and in my own way. My prayer of being a “blank check” in the hands of the Lord was quickly being filled in by my own will and agenda. For years, I wrestled with the calling of vocational ministry and wanted nothing to do with pursuing a career in Education. I wanted a career in ministry with built-in discipleship and a platform. In reality, I thought the calling of being a missionary could not have been a lower calling. I had no idea that I had idolized ministry and how I was so undeserving of the calling placed on my life. Truthfully we are called to missions and to go and make disciples. The mission has always been the same but the method may look different. I only wish I would have realized this and obeyed sooner. 

Hello, my name is Derrick Wood! At the age of 17, I decided to study to be a teaching pastor of a local church. That is what led me to go to Liberty University to study and graduate with a degree in Pastoral Leadership and a minor in both Biblical Studies and Expositional Preaching. I always told God in my prayers that I would serve Him in ministry, but He could never move me outside the United States. God would use my time at Liberty to show me missionaries and other ministries that were doing great things for the gospel, but that would never be me, I told myself. I had a deep love for the local church and a large heart to see people grow in discipleship. Looking back now at freshman year of college, God had bigger plans for my life than I ever thought to be possible. God would use those passions to partner me with a local church in Puerto Escondido and use me to teach Middle and High School Bible. 

 Bailey and I met two years ago at Liberty University while we were both in student leadership. At the time we both were not quite sure where God was leading but we were faithful to follow. The two of us both had a strong calling to go into ministry in whatever form God was calling. Little did we realize at the time what this would mean for us to follow where God wanted us. In the fast-paced rush of life as college students, we both quickly saw the real world starting to become more real as we prepared to graduate. Little did we know that God was already working in the details for we had our wedding date set, honeymoon booked, and everything else accounted for.  

One afternoon we sat down and talked about what we might do for work after graduating, I had no church leads and Bailey was still working hard to finish her degree. Our best option was comfort, which meant moving to Roanoke, VA near Bailey’s family,  to avoid being pushed too far. Even for a while, we discussed both teaching in a private Christian school where Bailey’s mother taught. Really things seemed to be going smoothly for us to start our marriage together. 

One day, Bailey’s “blank check” prayer would be answered when she encouraged me to go to a Ministry Fair that Liberty University was hosting. With little to no hope, I walked into the large and buzzing room to find countless ministries that were offering positions for everything from worship leaders, camp counselors, unpaid interns, and teachers, really anything but being a pastor. After a few painful conversations with people that were not even interested in talking to me, I awkwardly made eye contact and a half-smile with Rachel Hill from GEM. She was gracious to give me the rundown of information even after I told her I was wanting to be a pastor. After Rachel finished, as a joke, I threw out that my fiance was an Elementary Education Major. God was working his plan all along right into the details of this conversation, and Bailey’s “blank check” was about to be written. 

In the month of April, we both committed and signed a two-year contract to go and serve with GEM. We both will be teaching at Manantial School in Puerto Escondido. Bailey will be teaching third grade and I will be teaching Bible while interning at Camino de la Cruz.  Our wedding date is set for July 30, and we have booked a one-way ticket to Mexico. Only three days after our wedding, Bailey and I will spend our honeymoon making our way down to our new home in Mexico. 

We hope our story has encouraged you in some way and that you will be praying for Derrick and I as we step out in faith and into our calling as missionaries. In reality, all believers should live the life of being a blank check in the hands of God. There is no greater joy than experiencing the calling placed on your life, and seeing the Lord fill in the details in greater ways than you could ever imagine. 1 Corinthians 6:20 reminds us that we have been bought for a price and our bodies and lives are no longer our own. We are all called to ministry and to put away with the self-filled life. This is our testimony of what God can do with two nobodies who were willing to surrender their lives and agendas for the glory and kingdom of God.

– Bailey and Derrick, GEM Missionaries

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Humble Faith

In a world where circumstances constantly shift and life is fragile, there is an everlasting hope that will never waver. God has been teaching me that in order to experience this hope, we cannot allow pride to gain a foothold in our heart. 

The other day I was reading a devotional based on the story of the bleeding woman and Jairus’ daughter who both were healed by Jesus. At the end of the devotion, it asked the question, “What was it that the bleeding woman and Jairus had that allowed them to be a testimony of the power of God?”… Then it asked, “in what situation do I need to have more patience and wait in faith?” 

These questions hit me like a ton of bricks. I had been walking through a season in which I felt like my prayers were not being answered in the way I wanted. In my pride, I began hesitating to trust in God’s faithfulness and goodness. I began living as though Christ wasn’t enough simply because I wasn’t content with His plans or timing. This kept me from experiencing the transformative work of God in my life. Not only that, but my heart became filled with ungratefulness, selfishness, fear, and lack of joy.

In contrast, the bleeding woman in Matthew 9 displayed genuine humility and faith in Jesus. She waited 12 years without answers for her suffering, and even after enduring for so long, she chose to trust in the capability of Jesus, “for she said to herself, ‘if I only touch his garment, I will be made well’” (Matthew 9:21). Because of her humble faith, the suffering woman was changed forever by God’s miracle-working power, and she was used as a living testimony to show God’s great power to others.

When we humble ourselves before the Lord, He promises to pour out His grace: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:8). As we submit ourselves to Him, He can use us in powerful ways to demonstrate His glory to those around us. It all comes down to remembering who God is: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8). “The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works” (Psalm 145:13). Whether we want to believe it or not, God is trustworthy and He promises us that He works for our good. He isn’t just in control, he also loves us more than anyone else can.

Even through painful circumstances or seasons when we don’t see our prayers answered the way we expect, we must lay aside our pride and trust in God’s all-sufficient, loving goodness. Abiding in Jesus produces gratitude in us, thankfulness, and contentment because His way is truly better. “But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).

Unlike humility, pride leads us away from Jesus and puts us at odds with our Heavenly Father. It distances us from the source of life and only fills our lives with destruction.

Although pride is something that we will inevitably wrestle with, we have the ability to reject it. Be encouraged that even in the worst of circumstances, making the decision to humbly trust in Jesus like the bleeding woman will always lead to experiencing His blessing. Instead of running from Him in doubt, draw near and reach for His robe. Remember that He promises us life in abundance, He will never let you down. “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” John 10:10-11.

– Natalia Saint Clair, GEM Missionary

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From Frustration to Empathy

Thank you God for the gentle breeze just when I’m starting to sweat.

Thank you God for the rhythmic loom above where I’m working. Though it is loud, it gives me a rhythm to work to and it tells me that the women upstairs have the work they so desperately need.

Thank you God for the crowded coffee shop, even if I have to sit outside and not in the coolness of the air conditioner inside. It means that they have customers and my friends who work here are happy to have them.

Thank you God for the sun that wakes me in the morning, even if it annoys me on the weekend.

Thank you God for the students who ask me a million questions, that text me at 1 am to tell me they liked the video I posted, or that they finished their homework, or that they have an urgent question that isn’t quite so urgent as they made it out to be.

Thank you God for when I am trying to work and am distracted by the happy squeals of the neighbor kids playing.

Thank you God for allowing me to have the luxury of getting annoyed when someone cleans up after me at home and puts things in the “wrong” place.

Thank you God for all the blessings you give me that I forget are blessings. For all the little things I get annoyed by but then a few hours later realize are so beautiful and wonderful to you and are the things you are using for your will.

I feel like so often we forget that God is working things out for our good, always. I know I’m personally guilty of getting really upset about things I shouldn’t even be bothered by. I’ve found myself frustrated to the point of tears or shouting more than once this past month. I’m learning though that God is using those things to teach me. He doesn’t want me to be annoyed; He doesn’t allow these things to happen purely to test my patience. He wants to see if I will use them as a chance to grow and to make myself a better person each and every day. I used to
think that God let frustrating things happen to teach us to be patient and how to wait.

Now however I’m starting to see that God wants to make us more empathetic towards each other. He wants me to be working with my students and realize that they’re having problems for specific reasons and for me to be able to identify their individual problems and be able to help them. He allows me to have days where I have no internet and I get nothing done and I’m so frustrated and tired and upset so that when one of my students sends me a message that says “Hi miss! I’m so so sorry that I no do my homework of last week! Our internet was not functional
and so I have to do it this week! I am so sorry!” I would be able to say that it is okay because I totally understand her problem. He allows me to have frustration, confusion and headache so I will be more sympathetic to others. When a coworker tells me about something breaking or not
working, I will be ready to offer help. When someone is sick, I’ll be happy to jump in to cover for them because they would and have done it for me.

I believe that God allows things to happen and allows us to experience things to teach us something important that He wants us to learn. God wants my heart to break for other people and for me to be able to know how I wish people had responded for me when something happens so that I will be a better friend and a better person to them. God allows my heart to be broken so that I will be quick to try and mend the hearts of others. So that I will be empathetic to the struggles of those around me and so that I will realize my own mistakes and struggles to help me help others.

Ephesians 5 tells us: “Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.” Lately I’ve been asking myself if I’m imitating God or if I’m acting in my own selfish nature, I’m ashamed to say most of the time it is my own nature that is winning out. But in recognizing it I’m able to know how to better imitate Christ and to walk with Him better. So I encourage all of us to take a moment to stop and ask ourselves, who are we imitating?

-Heather Wrench, GEM Missionary

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Jesus, Our Example

With all that is happening in the world, all the sin, sickness and chaos ripping through the globe, I’ve actually felt more tempted to shut my brain off and pretend that it all doesn’t exist instead of being called to action… I feel much more comfortable just putting myself on auto-pilot and sticking to my little bubble where I am shielded from all the evil out there.

Maybe I’m not the only one who has been tempted like this. All I want to do is seek my personal comfort and ignore the reality of our broken world. It just so happens that this is exactly what the devil wants. He wants us to coast and shut off, to stop clinging to Christ, stop pursuing him, and to stop feeling urgency for the advancement of the Kingdom. He wants us to become complacent, selfish, and lulled to sleep by the pleasures of this world instead of being set on fire for the things of Jesus.

After talking to a good friend here in Puerto about Jesus’ return, I was woken up to the reality that Jesus’ presence is as real as ever and He is indeed coming back. There is a very real spiritual war going on and the evil one is constantly trying to hinder anyone from coming to Christ. After remembering this I began to ask myself, if I know what happens to those who do not choose Christ, why am I not urgently seeking to share the saving hope of Jesus with them, especially as our world continues to spiral downwards?

We must remind ourselves of the realities of Scripture. Jesus is alive, He wants our whole hearts, and he WILL return to rescue his faithful servants. I think of my own life and how I have been drifting asleep for quite some time. God has just suddenly opened my eyes (in His overwhelming grace) to allow me to realize that my purpose on this Earth is to know Him, to love Him, and to bring others to Him. I don’t want to find myself seeking my own comforts and worldly pleasures, not making disciples and on the path to destruction. Christ has saved us for our eternal good and has entrusted us with a life-changing mission.

I think of Jesus in Philippians 2, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:6-8). Jesus gave everything for me. He loves me with an unfathomable love. How could I put him second? How can I trade this forgiveness, redemption, and eternal hope for a self-serving, wasted life filled with selfish pleasure? How could I turn a blind eye to the brokenness of this world in order to seek my own comfort?

Of course we are human and fall easily into sin, but Jesus is the one who protects and frees us. The Lord alone is our hope. Jesus calls us to fight the good fight of faith and to help bring this eternal salvation to others. He also lovingly warns us in Matthew 16, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).

All of this has been extremely convicting for me, but oh is it ever good! I am so grateful the Lord chose to reveal these things to be in order to make me more like Him and to be re-motivated to fulfill His will on Earth.

I encourage you as I look in the mirror, my brothers and sisters, do not allow comfort or complacency to cloud your priorities. Do not let the evil one get a foothold. Cling to the Lord and He will keep you safe. You are loved and made by our amazing Father for a grand purpose. Jesus wants you to arrive at the end to receive your crown of glory, and he wants to use you to bring your friends & enemies there too. We must not fall asleep. Keep the faith, keep fighting, look to our great example and friend, Jesus!

– Natalia Saint Clair, GEM Missionary

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Longing For Home

I’ve reached the end of my 1 1/2 year contract and reflecting back, I am left in awe and amazement about all that God has done in my life. This truly has been the most difficult year and a half but the richest in my walk with Jesus. Never have I experienced such depth in relationships quite like the ones here as well as my relationship with the Lord. As hard and painful the journey has been, I wouldn’t have traded it for anything because of how I know and love Jesus in the ways I do now.  I’ll be honest, when I first moved here, I didn’t know how I would make it to June 2020. I was pretty certain I wouldn’t stay longer than that.. I was so bitter and resentful because of shattered expectations, struggling with my mental health, and missing friends and family.

But God…

God began a WORK in my heart. Leading up to summer 2019, I counted down the days and seconds to fly back to the United States, longing for comfort, rest, and a break.  I couldn’t wait.  During that summer, God began to soften my heart for Mexico and my community in Puerto.  He gave me such a deep desire and longing to be back.  He began to grow my heart where I felt this heavy burden for the people here to come to know Jesus.  When my plane flew back into Puerto in August, I was overcome with tremendous peace that could have only come from God.  I knew this wouldn’t be my last year. I began praying in August about what this upcoming summer would look like in preparation for who knows how long God will keep me here in Mexico.

When I first came back to Mexico, I lived with a family for a short time due to having so many struggles my first semester here. It was a sweet and needed season that allowed me to feel safe, secure, and back on my feet again.  God allowed it to where He opened up a tiny little house next to my friends just in the time I needed and was ready to have my own place.  On my first night by myself in my new home, I opened up my book called “Every Moment Holy” and prayed a prayer over this house. That God would dwell within this place. That he would be present at this table and present as I rise and lay down at the beginning and end of each day.  That this home would be a place of shared tears and laughter, a place of meaningful conversations, a place of creating and reflecting, and a place to serve and welcome in others.

Over the past 6 years, I’ve moved around quite a bit. I’ve never actually lived in the same place for more than 9 months at a time. I lived out of suitcases and boxes and storage bins while expecting to pack up and switch dorms or houses shortly after I would begin to feel settled.  Now that I am in this house, I don’t have a time frame for when I need to move on to the next place. I can just “be.” For the first time in 6 years, this is the longest place I’ve lived in and it has been such a gift from the Lord. I’m able to be more intentional and welcoming towards people within this space.  It has served as a “harbor of anchorage and refuge, and a haven from which I journey forth” in order to carry out the Great Commission. And as I continue on, my roots are beginning to grow deeper and deeper within this community that I am growing to love more and more each day.

So leading into what this summer will look like for me. God has made it so clear that I’m not supposed to come back and visit the states until December. It was sad and hard at first to have to cancel plans I was looking forward to and realizing I won’t see my family for a year. But as my roots grow deeper and deeper into this community, there is only so much I can communicate and understand with my limited Spanish.  I am SO excited for what is next. I’m not moving back to the States. God knows that timeline, I don’t. However, over the summer, I am going to be living in a small town 30 minutes outside of Puerto with a sweet Mexican family to study and learn Spanish at a school there. I start school on June 22 and I end on August 7th. After school, I will start preparing for the next school year at Manantial teaching 4th grade again.

God did more than I could ever imagine in my life this year and especially within these past 6 months. I am so excited for what’s ahead. What the enemy intended for evil, God used it for good (Genesis 50:20). No matter how long God may have me planted here, I am praying that “my days lived within these temporary walls would serve to awaken a restless longing for my truer Home in heaven” (Every Moment Holy).

-Shelby Davis, GEM Missionary