I’m sure we were all ready for a fresh start in 2021. For our church, we started off the year with a week of prayer and fasting together, which was such an eye-opening time of denying our flesh and pressing into Jesus together. There’s no better way for us to start our year! On the SGWM front, it has been so refreshing for me moving forward in our vision for missionary care, which I am privileged to lead. This has involved me meeting with multiple SGWM missionaries each week to get to know them better, wrap my head around their ministries and their needs, and simply let them know that SGWM is here for them. It’s like linking arms with missionaries all over the globe, and it’s exciting to have that kind of direction to sink my teeth into and do what I was made to do: simply play a part in the Great Commission! And I want to tell you, wherever you are and whatever vocation you are in, that you are called to play a role as well. In fact, those of you who support and pray for our family are playing a role in that way, and I can’t tell you how much I praise God for that! ...

This year has had its ups and downs. Well, let’s face it, for many of us, it feels like this year in particular has been chock full of downs. But as I (Joel) was in a staff Christmas gathering this morning, we talked about all of the good things God has done this year through our ministry, and the amazing teams He has placed around us to make it happen. And that got me to thinking about the amazing team my family has: all of you who read these updates, pray for us, and support us financially. Seriously, it blows us away that you guys support us and stand behind all that the Lord does in and through us for the sake of the gospel going to our neighbors and the nations. We are so incredibly thankful for each and every one of you from the bottom of our hearts. ...

Hello Friends & Family! We bring you this month’s Garcia Family Update in the form of a video :) Check it out, and be encouraged to keep trusting, keep moving, and keep perspective in the midst of these tumultuous times! https://youtu.be/4KbzLW-hpC4 Please pray for us: 1. That the Lord would continue to give us energy and wisdom for raising our wonderful kids! 2. That the Lord would sustain Joel’s voice, as he has a nagging cough that comes with the high usage of his voice in teaching and leading worship. ...

Hello All! Just a quick update from the Garcia Family as we enter my favorite time of year: the Fall and Winter seasons. It has certainly been a strange season for everyone in the world this year, and our family and church has been no exception. We thank God for the ways He has drawn us closer to Him and challenged us as we do both local and worldwide ministry and raise young kids during a worldwide pandemic and social and political unrest in our country. All in all, our kids and family have done amazing and flourished during this time. We couldn’t be more proud of our kids and thankful for the Lord’s work in their lives. But COVID has changed a lot of things, from the way we grocery shop to the way we visit grandparents ...

Hello Friends! I’m excited to bring you all part two of my South America trip update. Our time with the Tippie family in Huacho, Peru, was the shortest of the trip, only covering a couple of days. But boy, were they packed days! Upon arriving back in Lima via a short flight out of Cajamarca with the Tippies, we took a three hour drive that got us into Huacho (pronounced “Watch-Oh”) near 11pm. I observed that Peruvians seem to be night-owls, and they eat late! We were tired, but Pastor Craig didn’t want to send us to bed with empty bellies. I was glad for that after a delicious meal of roasted chicken, aji sauce (think Chick-Fil-A sauce with a little south-of-the-border kick), and french fries. Peru LOVES their french fries, with their almost 4,000 varieties of potatoes that grow there! I could definitely have gotten used to that. ...

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? And how will they preach unless they are sent? - The Apostle Paul, Romans 10:14, 15 In my last update, I talked about how the Lord has used me in two of the three major ministries of SGWM: equipping future missionaries through our School of Missions and internship, and church planting in the 10/40 window as I help teach classes via Skype to one of our South Asia schools and discipling some young men here in the states to do the same. But I also alluded to the fact that I have taken on the role of Director of Missionary Sending for SGWM. I want to talk a little bit about that in this update. ...

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? And how will they preach unless they are sent? - The Apostle Paul, Romans 10:14, 15 SGWM is all about planting churches among those who have never heard the good news of Jesus, especially those who previously have never had access to that good news. We do this in three ways: 1) by being a missionary sending ministry, where we send missionaries from the U.S. into the foreign mission field and help care for them, 2) by working with nationals in other countries who plant churches and Bible schools to train other nationals to go do the same, with a current focus in South Asia, and 3) by equipping young people passionate about foreign missions at our yearly Calvary School of Missions and through our internship program. These three ministries of SGWM are our response to Paul’s questions in Romans 10. ...

Hello Friends and Family! Thank you so much for taking the time to look at our update. It means so much to us that you would care about what is going on in our lives and pray for us. Lately, the Lord has been moving me toward being more devoted as an individual and as a family as we move forward in our calling for His work. He has done this by bringing me to passages in my daily reading like: ...

Hey Family & Friends! Here is a quick video update including how we are handling the world’s present circumstances in our family and ministry: https://youtu.be/EW8k3kXs-m0 If you would like to donate to the SGWM COVID-19 Relief Fund, you can do so by CLICKING HERE. Please pray for our financial needs as we live largely off of financial support just like our international missionaries, and we are praying for the Lord to provide more financially to cover some increased costs of living. Please pray that the Lord may provide for us in His will, whatever amount of support He deems sufficient (Proverbs 30:7-9). If you feel led to partner with us financially, instructions are below. ...

Hey Friends! After my last update, Amy and I received a ton of remarks from people concerning my comment about praying for God’s will whether He would have us move to Jordan or not. I mentioned it casually, as we are ALWAYS trying to remain open to what God has for us, but I realize that I should have been more clear that we have received no direction from the Lord about leaving the states full-time. I just know that God moves hearts on short-term trips, especially ones where we are praying specifically about a new work God is doing, so I wanted to make sure I didn’t bring any presuppositions into Jordan that would have kept me from clearly hearing God’s voice. But, for now at least, God still has us here ministering to His church in SoCal and supporting ministry all over the world through my work with SGWM. ...