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Gospel Motivated Language Learning

As followers of Christ, we have the greatest motivation to learn foreign languages because we serve a God whose primary means of communicating the gospel is through the use of language.

 

Throughout the Bible, we continually see how God utilizes language in incredible ways to do His will. We start out reading the familiar “and God said…” over and over in Genesis 1 where God chose to speak the entire universe into existence and manifest His power through speech. We see God interacting with His creation through speech and revealing the plan of redemption through language. In addition to this, we have the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ who is Himself identified in John 1 as the Word! Needless to say, the importance of language in God’s creation cannot be overstated or undervalued! 

 

Taking a step into the Old Testament, we see that early on in world history, all of mankind spoke the same language. As recorded in Genesis 11, we learn how rather than using the gift of a common language to live in the fullness of what pleased God, mankind united in their common language to rebel against Him and His command to fill the earth.

 

Genesis 11:4-9: “Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.”

After the dispersion of language in Genesis 11, we see God move in incredible ways through language in the New Testament. After Christ had finished His mission on earth and ascended to Heaven, He left the command known as the Great Commission for His disciples to preach the gospel to all nations. As the disciples waited to be equipped for their mission, they waited for the Holy Spirit, the promised Helper who would come to them with an extraordinary gift:

Acts 2:1-11: “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

The first gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit was manifested in the gift of language to God’s people! They were blessed with the ability to speak in other languages so that they could fulfill the command of Christ to disperse the gospel to all nations. We see that God gave the gift of language fluency in order to communicate the gospel to those who were being saved. 

What happened in Acts 2 was not a commonplace event- the disciples were divinely given the ability to speak in other languages fluently at that time, so that they could declare the mighty works of God. However, for most of us preparing to share the gospel with people who don’t speak our language, we’ll need to learn their language using commonplace tools and methods- with the help of the Holy Spirit. As we strive to learn the language of the people we are serving, may God open doors and grant opportunities to speak the truth of the gospel in a new language and may God use the spoken Word to give faith to the hearers: Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” 

May God speed the day when we will all witness together the reunion of all of our languages being used for their highest purpose: Revelation 7:9-10: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

– Mallory Knight, GEM Sponsorship Coordinator

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Abundantly Clear

When I look back on my journey to Global Education Ministries it is quick in time but very detailed in how. Each step you will hear about may not mean much when you read it, but at that moment for me or my family, or even someone around me, that was a clear message from God that this is what I was supposed to do next.

I was saved at a very young age but my mom and pastor at the time wanted to make sure that I truly understood what I was doing. After a little while and many questions, everyone decided that I was ready and there was no reason to stop me from inviting Jesus into my heart if it was what I really wanted to do. From then on I have always been very strong in my faith and knew that I loved God and even helped others around me to love God too. I came to notice this not because of all the VBS events or camps I had volunteered at but after leading my high school Fellowship of Christian Athletes club. Here I was able to see many people who were not too sure about God or what it meant to really live out your faith. I knew when I was president of our FCA club that I needed to be living out my faith as an example to others.

In my senior year of high school, I applied for a scholarship program to teach in Wake County for three years after my graduation. I planned to return to my hometown after I graduated to teach locally. Although, now I am excited to tell you how God has shown me he has a different and much bigger plan for me than I could have even planned for myself.

Within just a short month, starting in mid-March God began to set pieces into motion for His plan to take place. In mid-March, I attended a career fair through UNCW and this is where I first interacted with Global Education Ministries. This led to a more in detail meeting the next day to discuss what the organization is, and it was supposed to be about an hour, but we sat talking for over two hours. As these meetings took place, I felt comfortable and excited and continued down the path I felt was right. Nearly a week later after this meeting, I was asked to interview with the founder of this organization. This meeting was supposed to be in person at the GEM offices in Wilmington, NC. The weather in Wilmington on this day was unsafe, so we met through Zoom for two and a half hours and somehow the weather did not interrupt. After that interview just four short days later I was extended a contract to teach with Global Education Ministries for two years at their Manantial School in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca.

This contract came with lots of excitement but also many nerves as this made this opportunity real and something I needed to seriously consider. In the same week, I received my contract from GEM I also submitted my edTPA (internship assessment for graduation requirements), started teaching all subjects in my internship classroom, took my final licensure test, had my second formal observation, and then substituted for my partnership teacher for the first time. To say that week was a busy week would be an understatement. I had briefly discussed this opportunity to work with GEM with my family but not at all as much as I would have liked to. My family is very important to me so I really wanted their opinions and support with this new opportunity.

Thankfully, Spring Break for me was right around the corner, so I was able to come home and discuss the contract and opportunity with my family then. This is when I saw even more that this is what God wanted me to do. As each step of the way, God continued to open doors but not just for me but my family as well. On Easter Sunday I was at home in Raleigh for spring break and at church, our pastor’s message felt like it was directly for myself and my family to hear. He said that we need to not hold onto this message inside the four walls of the church but to go and tell, and do not be afraid for God will roll the rock away. Then as I thought through more questions there was little to no push back in each situation. Things like my healthcare coverage or phone plan that I thought may have been an issue were both already covered in Mexico. God has taken care of everything along the way and made it so clear at the same time so that I know that I am truly supposed to combine my passion for teaching and love for God to work with GEM.

Now I am so thankful for this opportunity and have loved sharing how God has been working in so many ways throughout this new journey. Also, I am thankful that God knows our needs and has a specific plan for each of us because as I look back, I see how many other things have been tied to me being able to do this now. I am so thankful that God will turn our mess into our message and that he loves us no matter what.

– Sydni Williams, GEM Missionary

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Blessing Amidst Hardship – A Message from Casey Herring

Hey GEM family! I am writing this in hopes that it is encouraging to you and gets you excited about everything God is doing through our ministry.  I recently just got back from Puerto Escondido. I came to meet with our school directors, meet with staff, and participate in some end-of-the-year events (like graduations).  It was an AMAZING week and I want to share some of the highlights. I hope you take away from this post how awesome and great our God is! He is great, and greatly to be praised!

First, La Luz (Juquila): I met with Tito and Betty and started our meeting by saying how hard this year was and how it was probably the worst we’ll ever have because of the pandemic. I tried to be encouraging… and then I let them talk. I wasn’t prepared for what happened next. I thought we were going to work through program problems, staff problems, money problems, etc. Instead, they just shared about how this was actually the best ministry year we’ve ever had in Juquila. They shared that the pandemic created the perfect opportunity in Juquila for our La Luz team to go and be with our school families in their homes (virtual schooling wasn’t possible).

Tito and Betty said that over the course of this school year, because students couldn’t come to classes, they were in different homes every day and 4 school parents came to faith and made decisions to follow Jesus!  They are currently meeting with each family in their home once a week studying the bible and discipling them! In addition to that, there are 10 more families (non-Christians) that they have started to study the bible with on a weekly basis. They said it started by just dropping off homework each week, then it turned into real conversations about hardship and life, and then finally over time Tito and Betty and their teachers were given permission to open the bible and share from God’s word. It’s been an amazing work over the course of the whole school year! I am confident there will be more salvation and rejoicing in Heaven!

The meeting with Cornerstone (Huatulco) was basically the same.  This is their second year in existence as a school. Talk about a tough time to start a school, right?  Nope, according to Sandra and David, it was the perfect time! Last school year they built relationships, this year they spent the whole school year in their homes.  Sandra and David said 8 families made decisions to return to the Lord and recommit their lives to Jesus (and be committed to gathering with their local churches)! They also said there were 5 new converts (all adults) this school year…including the water guy who delivers water weekly and a construction worker who was hired to build new bathrooms on campus!

I wish you could’ve heard their stories and seen their excitement. They’re tired, exhausted really, and have had so many hard things to deal with this school year. But mostly they’re just so happy to be reaching their communities and serving God in a meaningful/impactful way.  They had so many stories of God’s grace and how lives have been changed.  This post is a very poor replacement for their stories.  It’s truly incredible how God is working through our schools and moving in those two communities.

For Manantial, staff has been working through hardships in the midst of an unprecedented time. Virtual school in a developing country is NOT easy! However, this trip has given me the chance to meet with and talk to our directors, leaders, teachers, and school parents. It was a hard year–for sure–but our people and our school parents LOVE Manantial and are so grateful for our school. Parents are hopeful and excited for this next school year.  I’ve heard so many stories over the last week from parents about how much Manantial means to their children and to them.

God is at work and He’s doing great things.

Thank you all for your encouragement, support, and prayers. The Lord has proven Himself once again to be so faithful in tough times, and in the darkness His glory shines ever so bright.

I pray that you are encouraged and blessed by all the ways Christ is working throughout Global Education Ministries. May Christ be glorified, honored, and praised.

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A Calling

Hey everyone! My name is Heather Hall. I am a recent graduate of Asbury University and a new missionary with Global Education Ministries. I will be serving as an English teacher at La Luz School in Juquila, Mexico. I would like to begin with an introduction about who I am and why I am going to Mexico. Like I said earlier, my name is Heather. Since I was a kid, I wanted to be a teacher. I used to play school with my dolls and even created a binder where I would store their assignments! I also had a passion for overseas missions, even though I didn’t have a full understanding of what that was. My dream was to teach at a small school in a rural village overseas. God used this idealistic childhood fantasy to open my heart towards missions and prepare me for the future.

 

When I was 16 years old, God gave me the opportunity to travel overseas for the first time, and I went to Costa Rica with a mission team from my church. I was amazed by the kindness and generosity of the people I met and kept in touch with a few local girls in the following years. It broke my heart to leave those people after only a week and, after that trip, I knew that a mission trip wasn’t enough. God had given me a desire to live life with the people and not just drop in and out at our convenience. After the trip, I also decided to continue learning Spanish with a newfound motivation and used it to communicate with a few of the girls I met in Costa Rica.

 

When I entered college, I chose to pursue a missions degree because my heart was still drawn towards long-term missions. Other students had told me that “Missionary Methods and Problems” had caused others to realize that long-term missions wasn’t for them. However, I loved the class and it only fueled my fire for missions. During my freshman year of college, I began volunteering as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher at my church and fell in love with it. During my college years, I taught English as opportunities arose and became involved in the World Gospel Mission center at my university. We hosted missionaries from all over the world, and I got to have conversations with them as I wrestled with God’s calling on my life.

 

After my Junior year of college, my plan was to go back to Costa Rica for a missions internship, but I was unable to travel due to COVID. However, God opened the door for me to use my COVID room and board refund to complete my CELTA (English Teaching Certificate) coursework and teaching practicum online with a school in Mexico over the summer. That summer, He also gave me a vision of myself kneeling in a classroom, confirming my calling as a teacher. This past Spring, I did my internship with a language school in Spain, where I taught English classes online. While teaching, my face would light up, and I knew in my heart that this is what God created me to do.

 

During this time, I was searching for something to do after graduation, and I found some job postings for English teachers at Global Education Ministries. The more I looked into the organization, the more I was drawn in. I could see their heart for Jesus in the centrality of the Gospel in their schools, the honoring of local leadership, and the open invitation to all regardless of their background or how much they can pay. I began the interviews and was able to witness these ideals being lived out in the lives of real people who faithfully follow God’s call. I came to a point where I knew that this was the next right step in my journey with Jesus. He used a sermon to break down my fears and lead me to commit. Ever since then, my calling has been confirmed. Yes, there are still fears and doubts and questions. But God is bigger than all of that, and He will provide what I need. He says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10 NIV)

 

**You can follow my adventures here: https://heathergranaventura.blogspot.com/ and join my prayer team on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/408866517078866)

or by email (herha8@gmail.com)!

– Heather Hall, GEM Missionary

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Go.

I want to start off by saying Christ is so AWESOME!! I am truly so humbled that He can take broken sinners like me, and use us as vessels to overflow and outpour the grace, love, and mercy He has ceaselessly given us. May everything I do be done through Christ and for His glory alone. If for any other reason, then it’s for nothing. It is not I, but Christ in me. I pray that this would be the song of my heart and at the forefront of my mind with every step I take. I pray that I may continue to boast in all of my weaknesses because Christ’s power is made perfect in them!!

I have been learning this more and more throughout this journey thus far.

When I share with people that I am moving to Mexico for a couple of years after I graduate college, I have received responses of all kinds. I have got the question, “are you sure you can do this?” or “are you sure you want to do this?” I am sure that the ones who were asking these questions were doing it out of care and love for me. However, over time, these questions on repeat started to wear on me. I began to ask myself… “can I really do this? I must be crazy for thinking I can!” Following that came the urge to prove to myself and to others that I could. Well, God used this to teach me a hard but beautiful lesson.

I found that the more I tried to prove myself capable, it only magnified my incapability.

The answer to the question, “do you think you can really do this?” has a simple answer: I know I can’t…

…but hallelujah I know the one who can!!

Christ in me who has called me by His great name! I can do all things through Him because He strengthens me. That is the only way.

Vessels are best filled when empty, so that’s what I want to be. Empty before the Lord so that I can be filled with more and more of Him.

Here’s a quick summary of how the Lord got me to say a joyful “yes” to moving to Mexico with GEM:

In college, the Lord started revealing things in my life that I had a death grip on. He kept saying to me over and over again that He wanted it all. Not just a piece of my life, but the entire thing. When I submitted to what Jesus did on the cross for me 10 years ago, my life had died. I had known this, but I was suddenly burdened and was made heart-wrenchingly aware of the blueprints I sketched for my life that I had been hoarding for myself… my comfortable kingdom I was building here when there are souls dying every day who have never heard of the name of Jesus! The name that had set me free and given me Life…people were dying without even knowing of Him. (As I am writing this I pray that this Truth will continue to overwhelm our hearts and bring us to our knees. May it send out laborers! For the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few — Matthew 9:37) This began to wreck me…but it also stirred up a passion within me for the gospel that was overwhelming me to do something about what had been shown to me. At college group one Sunday night, I was sharing what was on my heart and my youth pastor pointed out to me that it sounded like I had a calling to ministry and to pray about it/look into different opportunities.

After months and months of prayer over where the Lord wanted me/what He wanted me to do, I went through some interviews as well as looking at different avenues I could take in the mission field. Nothing seemed right, and at one point I thought I was trying to force something that wasn’t supposed to happen, so I stopped looking yet kept praying.

Boom.

One Wednesday night my youth pastor mentioned Global Education Ministries (GEM) to me. I was immediately intrigued just from reading their website, but there was a problem… I was a marketing major… not an education major. I didn’t think they’d have a need for someone in Marketing.

Not mentioning my major, my youth pastor’s mom, who has been a part of GEM, reached out to them about my interest and this was their reply:

That right there is undeniably the Lord. I get chills thinking back to this moment.

To be honest, Mexico was not where I would have chosen. The only way I would have even considered going to Mexico was if the Lord gave me a heart for it.

Well after all of my interviews… I fell completely in love with GEM and what God is doing through their ministry. It is like my passions and the Lord’s desires beautifully meshed together it is so awesome and exciting!!

Throughout this entire journey, I have been saying that I don’t want to do anything for Christ, but I want to do everything with Him and through Him. I know without a doubt that He is with me and has given me a heart to serve Him and the beautiful people down in Mexico.

I am so honored to get to be a part of what God is doing through GEM and pray that He is glorified through everything that is done in my life and through this ministry.

– Sarah Beth Moore, GEM Missionary

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New Opportunities

I have always loved music, children, people, and Jesus most of all. But this past year God has given me the new opportunity to combine all those things and become a missionary for Global Education Ministries (GEM).

Over the summer, I was thinking about my career opportunities as a musician in Canada and praying that God would give me wisdom on how I can best serve Him and use the gifts and talents he has given me. Then I heard about GEM, and started looking into it more, and quickly became confident that this was something that God was calling me to do for His Glory. When I heard from the other missionaries at GEM, all that God had been doing through this ministry, I longed to join them in Mexico and be apart of this mission. I believe that being a missionary for GEM, teaching the gospel through music, is the best way that I can fulfill my purpose and use my gifts for God’s glory. I am so excited for all that God will do in my heart, and through this ministry as I go to Mexico to share the gospel through gospel-saturated education, gospel-centered discipline, gospel-motivated relationships and gospel-life example.

In the months of preparation, God has already been working on my heart to trust Him completely, and remember to live a gospel-motivated life everyday. As I have learned about GEM’s core values and told more people about them, they have served as encouragements to share the gospel in the things I do and say here in Canada, before I go and do it in Mexico. As I have been fundraising, and asking for support from friends and family, God has used this experience to encourage my heart, and to remind me to trust Him fully. I can not do this alone, or by my own strength. It is only by Grace, through faith that I am able to be saved and be a missionary, and also to trust in Jesus as I go. Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

I believe that every follower of Christ must continually come back to this core part of the gospel, that we are saved by grace, through faith, and recognize that this is a precious gift from God, and then go share it with others. The great works that God has prepared in advance for us to do, are ultimately to share the gospel. Jesus says to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you,” and that we can have confidence, faith and peace in this command because He says that, “behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

The past few months, I have been learning Spanish by taking Spanish classes at school, learning about how to incorporate the Gospel in every part of my teaching, and how to teach music in the most God-honouring way. I know that the next few years will only be possible if I continue to trust in the Lord as I move away from home, and go into this new environment with His strength and guidance for how to share the gospel and reach these families in the best way that I can. I am excited to move to Mexico for the next 2 years but ultimately this mission is about telling people about Jesus, and building the Kingdom of God so that more people may share in this Living Hope and have salvation by grace, through faith.

I am writing this blog to share the things that God has been teaching me as a reminder for myself, and an encouragement to you! I also hope to share prayer requests from GEM, from myself and to hear from you, wherever you are! The mission of GEM is to build the Kingdom of God by spreading the gospel through education, planting these Gospel-Saturated Schools, equipping local leaders, and building the local church. I pray that this blog and community of believers will encourage us all to live gospel-motivated lives and that we can encourage one another, wherever we are in the world to pursue Christ, share the truth with others, and reflect His character in all we do and say.

– Lorissa Van Gurp, GEM Missionary

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Learning About a Perfect Creator

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see. (Colossians 1:15-16)

How sweet is to be reminded that God is the creator of all things. Everything that exists finds purpose in Him. These verses are a great inspiration and encouragement, and also a source of peace knowing I can rest in the presence of my Creator, that made me and made all the things.

Life here on Earth can often be really unstable and feel senseless. And in one of these kind of moments the Holy Spirit guided me through the Scriptures to remind me of this powerful and gracious truth: God is the creator of all things. All the things were created by Him and for Him.

As a teacher, sometimes I feel overwhelmed and pressured by the responsabilities of teaching my young students the bases for the subjects they will be using for the rest of their lives. I think over and over, subject after subject: “I should go deeper in this concept, they will need it a lot when [insert a hypothetical situation that can happen but I can’t know for sure now]”.

This fear is more present in my lesson plannings than I’d like to confess to you all. But when I put some thinking into how to weave the gospel in the topics I’m teaching… That’s usually the moment that God reminds me: all the things I have to teach my students were created by Him, and all the things I have to teach my students find purpose in Him, ultimately.

One of my favorite things about weaving the gospel in my classes is the a great oportunity to share this truth with the kids. All the things we study in school, God has created in this world: the nature, the relation between nature and humans, how people communicate and behave, and the variations of these areas. All things were created by God and find purpose in Him.

Whether in the relations among geometric shapes making sense because of each detail of their characteristic sides and angles; or studying the water cycle and how many times water changes its state of matter… In all things we can see God’s great and thoughtful character. What an amazing thing it is to use the learning of school subjects to contemplate how great our Creator is.

God is so gracious for allowing us to enjoy the world He created. And more than that, there’s so much of His grace when we take more steps toward understanding His perfect thoughts as the creator of all things. I’ve been finding so much grace in teaching Science, Math, Social Studies, different languages… And as a consequence learning more of the perfect God that made all things. God is so good and gracious for letting us find the evidences of His greatness as we learn more about this amazing world He created. What a sweet gift is to be a part my students journeys while they learn different subjects, and even more than that: be part of their process of discovering a God who loves them so perfectly and created all things so wonderfully.

– Jady Vaneli, GEM Missionary

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A Missional Lifestyle

When I was young, I wanted to become a missionary and move to China. I learned in church about Christians in China and about their struggle against persecution. As I grew older, I doubled down on the idea that Christians had an obligation to share the gospel message with other nations. I thought it was about bringing the “good news” to people groups who had little exposure to Christianity. I thought missions was primarily taking the gospel from my “Christian nation” to the world and involved on-the-spot evangelism and rapid church movements. 

I was wrong. 

As I have learned from scripture and my personal experience, Missions is about a lot more than handing out bibles, and that Missions is bigger than building projects. I realized that there was a great need for missions and evangelism not just all over the United States, but also in my friend circles and local community. I heard about how the church was growing exponentially in other countries. “The US needs missionaries from China”, I remember thinking during college. I wondered then, why I was convinced that God was calling me to Mexico.  

I became interested in serving with GEM during college. After graduation and some time working full-time, I rediscovered GEM and applied. I loved teaching science, and they were looking for another science teacher. It seemed clear to me that God was leading me to teach science at Manantial. I finally understood why God was leading me to Mexico. I thought God was bringing me to Mexico just to teach in a classroom. 

He wasn’t. 

God was calling me to serve at GEM and to teach at Manantial. But ultimately, God was calling me to learn and use me in ways I never expected. Serving in the classroom is one of the incredible ways that God is using me. But serving here extends beyond the classroom. A missional lifestyle involves living out and reflecting the gospel in all areas of our lives and all over the Earth. Wherever we are and wherever God calls us. God uses us to serve and teaches us a lot along the way. I am learning so many lessons from those who have a different culture and life experience than I do. The kingdom of God is a multinational, multicultural, and incredibly diverse group of people. Only in the Church is a group of people so diverse. There are so many languages worshipping the same name. Christ. Think about that for a second. Diverse perspectives, experiences, cultures, nations, and statuses all united under one name. 

Christ. 

We as teachers and missionaries are the feet of Christ that fill the boots on the ground, but we are not alone in the call to missions. The GEM staff in the US are just as responsible for living out the “Great Commission”. So are those who donate to GEM. So are those who sponsor students. And so are all who belong to the kingdom of God. The testimonies of Christians all over the world demonstrate God’s heart for diversity, community, and unity in Christ. In light of this, we should again consider the words of Christ after he resurrected. Matthew’s gospel account begins with a promise of a ‘God with us’ (Emmanuel). It ends with Christ assuring that he is forever with his disciples as he calls them all to a life of missions. 

“When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. Then Jesus came up and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”

– Tanner Whetzel, GEM Missionary

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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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But God Meant it For Good

It has almost been a year since the global pandemic closed everything down. What a year it has been. Every part of our world has been impacted in some way to this and it has continued to this day.There have been many challenges, difficulties, and struggles all over the world. Many families have lost loved ones and have experienced loss. It can be easy to look at 2020 as a waste and be ready to move on to normality as we know it. Yet, as Christians we must remember that God uses all things to grow us in character. He was not, has not, and will never be surprised by what is going on in our world.

During this time, God has been teaching me about difficulty, struggle, and challenges through the story of Joseph in Genesis. You know this story well, but just let me recap a couple of significant challenges that occurred in his life. Joseph was loved by his father deeply and his brothers hated him because of that (Genesis 37:3-4). His brothers plotted to kill Joseph, but instead threw him into a pit and later sold him to a group of people that took him into Egypt (37:20,28). Joseph was falsely accused of attempted rape of an officer’s wife (39:11-19) and he was placed in prison (37:20). He helped the chief cupbearer be restored to the king, yet the cupbearer did not remember Joseph and he was left in prison for two more years (40:23-41:1). Joseph was 17 when he was sold to Egypt and had only 17 more years with his father once he was in Egypt.

Now Joseph was also blessed abundantly by God throughout these difficulties and challenges. He was put in charge of the household of Potiphar before he was accused of attempted rape (39:4). After he was put in prison, The Lord gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison and he was put in charge of all the prisoners who were in prison (39:21-22). Joseph interpreted the Pharaoh’s dreams and was put in charge of everything right under Pharaoh. Now what we don’t see in this story is in between. What was Joseph’s character during the challenges when he was a slave in Potiphar’s house? What about when He was sent to prison? He was in prison for 12 years. What is most significant in this story is not all that Joseph did that we can see, but what day to day life was like.

Over and over we can see that the Lord was with him (Genesis 39:2, 21, 23; 41:38). During all of his difficulties, he didn’t try to get out of where he was at. The Lord was with him and he was with the Lord. Potiphar, the prison keeper, and Pharaoh all noticed that the Lord was with Joseph. God used all of these challenges and difficulties in the life of Joseph to show how great and magnificent God is. Joseph had come to know God in a deeper way and God used all these things in his life to be a blessing to Egypt and all the nations around them (Genesis 12:1-3).

In the midst of the many difficulties and challenges that all of us are facing right now, I want to share three takeaways from the story of Joseph for us. First, be where you are. Joseph was enslaved and imprisoned. Instead of doing whatever it took to get out, he served the Lord faithfully and many saw that God was with him. Where you are right now may be difficult, however, it is exactly where God has you. Be there and serve faithfully. You are exactly where God has placed you.

Secondly, Be with Jesus.  In every challenge and difficulty, the scripture says that God was with Joseph and was teaching him (39:21). In this story, it never talked about how great Joseph was; rather, the scriptures show that God was with Joseph. It was because of the Lord that Joseph was able to do all that he did. God reveals his greatness through our challenges as we depend and trust in Him completely. This is very difficult for us and the American culture. Everything that we seek is to be faster or better. God’s way for Joseph and for us is to trust Him completely. He is our source of life. He is the way, the truth and the life and He alone is where our soul belongs.

Lastly, His plans are perfect and bring about His Glory. In Genesis 12, God made a covenant with Abraham and promised that through him and his descendants, all the nations would be blessed. In a situation that seemed like a tragedy, God used all of this for his glory and the blessing of many nations. As the end of Genesis says, “As for you, you meant evil against me, God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive as they are today (Genesis 50:20).” Joseph was part of that promise from God’s covenant to Abraham and we are too. We have been blessed with the richness of the grace of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection in order that we can bless others.

In light of all that is happening in our world and in our lives, embrace the difficulties and challenges and cling to Jesus, our only hope and true joy in this life!

-Daniel McDonald, GEM Director of Global Engagement