Hello Ministry Partners and Warm Greetings from Mexico City!
Next week will be the two month mark upon my return to Mexico. The last 7 weeks back in our neighboring country has been incredible as the Lord’s presence has been very clear in our ministry. I praise God for his provision in the advances of the ministry where I have come into very special relationships with the youth of my church and been assigned pretty heavy projects in my other ministry.
As the second term with Avance started, we had decided to re-route my ministry involvement with the campus ministry, Compa, with assigning me to build up the young leaders in my church. The past weekend I helped organize an outing with the young adults group where we all went out together to get tacos and grab a coke. It was a great ministering opportunity as all members of the group were able to get to know each other a bit better outside of the Sundays that we have together in the church. I am hoping to do that every other weekend because the other Sundays out of the month, I go back with some of the young adults from the group and have dinner at their house to get to know their families as well. I am very thankful for these ministry opportunities because it is just what the Lord has shown me as I made the commitment to Avance last year at this time. This has turned out to be a much better fit as I am able to meet with some young men weekly and also unify the group all together.
Amongst these meetings during the week, I also mentor a young man David who is 19 years old. David is very curious about knowing the Lord however has a handful of doubts, so although He is not a follower of Christ at this moment, I am stepping him through an inductive Bible study of the book of Mark. However, the Lord has his hand on this relationship because ever time we meet, I see the desire in his eyes to know the Lord personally and we are slowly taking down great walls together, preparing his heart for whats to come. Please be praying for David as we continue to walk together in discipleship.
Another praise is the work being done with Milamex. In late January, I had the opportunity to head out to Tuxpan, Veracruz, to shoot a documentary on a camp that Latin America Mission had started there 20 years ago. We were able to get some beautiful footage and powerful testimony that describes how our Father has been so good to this camp and the people that come to visit and find God in this place. Although it was a lot of work, it was a very fruitful experience as I was able to get a glimpse of how the Lord is moving in a completely different part of this country. Aside from the documentary, I’ve produced a video for Milamex itself, sharing its values and visions and how this ministry works throughout the city. It was premiered at an event of 400 people, where afterwards other pastors and other leaders came forward asking if I could provide the same services for their own churches and ministries. I am humbled to see how the Lord is using the skills that I have been equipped with to make a bigger impact on the Kingdom and the ministries in Mexico City. I have found that skills like these are not very common in the area and its an affirmation of where He has me at the moment!
My work with the William Carey International University has been difficult this semester as I am taking a few more credits than last. Although it is challenging, the Lord has been opening my eyes up to the significance to being cross-culturally trained to serve and develop ministries internationally. The primary focus of this semester is the Old Testament and I am discovering what missions looks like from the perspective of the book of Genesis along with developing Christian leadership by studying the book of Micah in Spanish. Reading and writing my papers in Spanish has been an experience to slowly appreciate haha however, I am super thankful for how God has given me the gift to process this language quickly and efficiently. Once I came back, I was shocked by how much faster I was speaking and writing in the language -Praise the Lord once again because I am comfortable with saying that I am pretty much fluent in the language now!
One last thing to report is the spiritual attack that I went through last month. Thank you for your prayers as they were very much appreciated and helped me keep close to the Holy Spirit. On February 7th, the Lord had delivered news that I wasn’t expecting and has changed the course of my life for the next year. With that call, came spiritual warfare as I would be continuing to work directly in our Mighty God’s Kingdom. Although I would love to start my life working with the Latino people in the inner cities of the United States, God had told me that this is where I need to be for the time being before that happens. With that I have committed to another year down here in Mexico City to better know the Latino identity and continue learning how to effectively think and communicate myself in the Spanish language as I know that this is what the Lord is leading me to do back in the states long-term.
I will continue to serve with Latin America Mission but in September I will be switching from serving with Avance to being a Independent Missionary working with a ministry that serves both the Mexican people and also international travelers that visit this amazing city. Aside from living and working in the hostel, I will also be continuing with all of my current ministries that I am active with now. My contract will be extended to August of 2015 where I will be serving in an international hostel, and allowing the Holy Spirit to work through me to touch lives of people from around the world.
With that, my prayer is that the Lord can prepare me well for the year ahead and that I can trust in His provision. Along with this commitment, I will be needing to prayerfully seek out additional monthly partners to support this ministry and God’s movement in Mexico City. I pray that you will considering walking with me in this ministry after August into my second year of ministry and I look forward in getting in contact with each one of you soon to share the vision of this second year in Mexico.
Before I can start preparing for the following year, there are certain needs of the ministry that is needed as soon as possible. The ministry has dipped below its reserve in support where I no longer have the minimum needed in my account to stay afloat. Although I have monthly supporter giving each month, there is a minimum of $3000 to keep in my account until the last two months of my contract. As a ministry, we are $2500 short of our balance goal at the moment. Also, I am praying for this semesters tuition to be covered which is a total of $750.
It is difficult to support raise and serve in the same moment, so another prayer request is that you would join me in prayer for these resources. I encourage you to consider reviewing your months budget to see if there is any extra space to give to this ministry. Please contact me if the Lord is leading you to give an extra gift this month.
To give right now, you can visit the following link:
http://www.uwm.org/content/Donate
http://www.uwm.org/content/Donate
Thank you all for your prayers, letters, encouragement, and participation with this ministry. Although it may be nerve-wracking at times to anticipate what the Lord has in store for us, I am very thankful to continue living here in Mexico City and making an impact amongst the youth of this country. Please know that I am always available to make time to meet with you guys on Skype to pray together, discuss ministry, and to catch up, so please feel free to get in touch if desired! Thank you again for everything that you are doing for this ministry and God Bless!
-Erik
