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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 – 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:

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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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Lap Lesson

At some point every day, without fail, I’ll sit down to take a breather. Between the busyness and activity, how refreshing it feels to stop and be still for a few minutes. Sometimes it’s on the couch, other times in a bedroom, and with this beautiful spring weather lately, it’s on the grass outside. And every time, without fail, my toddlers quickly find me.

It starts off cute with one climbing into my lap. Yet as soon as the other finds me, the cuteness quickly disappears. They both want the lap, but definitely NOT with the other in it. Each comes wanting ALL of my attention and affection. I try to let them both sit with me, but neither one is content. With a gentle encouragement, I’ll say “Ava you sit here and Hudson, you sit here. There’s plenty of room for the both of you.”

But no matter how I present it, the result is always unhappy kiddos. They do not want to share, they want ALL of Mama, and are not at rest until they get their hearts desire.

God’s been showing me lately how similar our lap is to our heart.

How quickly we allow God PLUS something (whatever that may be) to consume the center of our hearts. Could be comfort, worry, people pleasing, satisfying the flesh. Could be family, activities, ministry, even church. Anything that creeps in to pull our attention and gaze from Him. Anything that becomes of greater importance than He Himself.

Just as my toddlers are jealous of my attention, God is jealous for not only our attentions and affections, but our very lives. He deserves the seat of sole importance in our hearts. We were “created BY Him and FOR Him” (Colossians 1:16) and “in Him is fullness of joy.” (Psalm 16:11)

Many times, my kids will shove each other out of the way to get my entire lap. It isn’t pretty and often ends in tears. Although God won’t smack us or give us a physical punch, He will strip us of the things that pull our attention away from Him. He isn’t content until He has ALL of our heart.

Why? Is he a mean God? No, but He knows what will bring our hearts the greatest joy. A life surrendered fully and completely to Him. A heart that is singular focused with one pure and holy passion. A heart that knows ONE thing is necessary. “One thing I have desired, one thing I seek. To dwell in the house of the Lord, to behold the beauty of the Lord.” (Psalm 27:4).  Nothing else can truly satisfy.

So let’s be people who push aside the things that vie for our hearts affections. Lets continually examine ourselves to make sure that He is on the throne. And let’s desire to make our Father’s heart soar with joy as we center our lives on Him and Him alone.

– Meg Herring, Co-Founder of GEM

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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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God’s Great Love

Before coming to Mexico to serve at Manantial, I had never left Brazil. And even though I had seen different places and cultures in my home country, nothing can compare to the experience of knowing and being part of a community here in Puerto Escondido.

There’s so much beauty and richness in recognizing God’s great creation and how He manifests his glory through his creation. And even more than that, building relationships with other brothers and sisters in faith to impact the community we’re in is also so powerful and invigorating to our faith.

On my friend’s daughter birthday I was invited to make tamales, a special Mexican dish that requires many hours of work to prepare. And in this unique experience of watching her mixing the corn dough for hours while I separated the best parts of the cooked chicken I couldn’t stop thinking of how much effort it is to prepare this dish… Wouldn’t it be easier to buy it ready or make something else? Probably, but this whole process of preparing the dough, selecting the meat, cooking the sauce, spreading the dough with the meat and folding it with banana leaves made it so valuable and appreciated by the birthday girl. I feel convicted that the effort this family put into this activity just shows a part of the love they have for this 10 year old. How much more would God also love her?

In a comparison, God also pursued us and made a great effort to show his great love. He gave his only son to die on a cross for our sins, and not only this, he resurrected to be the first of many in this new and  holy life God has for his children. He still pursues us to show his great love while correcting us and turning our ways away from sin and death. And just like this family considered all that work worth for the love for their daughters, God shows me once again that all the sacrifice was worth for having us as his children.

In unique experiences like this, I feel so grateful for God’s grace in showing me over again that the manifestations of his love are found in every heart that is opened, in every culture and every family that welcomes him. And going further than that, I’m grateful because just like this family invited me to be a part of this celebration, God has me here in this community to manifest his love for those who live here.

“In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us (Colossians 3:11)”

– Jady Vaneli, GEM Missionary