Hi family and friends! It’s been a few months since our vision trip to Japan and we wanted to show you how the trip went and talk about some things the Lord spoke to us while we were there. In this first newsletter, we want to give more of a general recap of our time and some experiences. But in our next newsletter, we want to go a bit deeper and share some things the Lord put on our hearts while we were there, and explain why we feel called to be missionaries in Japan. ...
Dear friends and family, A roller coaster of events have happened in the past few months and we are learning to trust God through it all. James 1:2-3 says, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” As Christians, when unfortunate circumstances come our way we can still thank God through them as they can be used to grow us in endurance and our trust in God. There is so much hope for the believer because they know God is sovereign over everything, so no matter what happens He still holds them in His Hands! These truths have brought us great peace in the few past months leading up to our vision trip to Japan. ...
Dear friends & family, Do you ever fall into a rough cycle of trying to do the right things but end up falling short each time? So often as humans, we naturally want to take it upon our own strength and ability to go through life and accomplish what we need to. But the truth is so much less burdensome than this way of life. Jesus beckons us to come to Him like little children, understanding our need for utter dependency on Him. This teaching is what I always come back to (Matthew 11:25-30). The truth is that the more we depend on our own strength and “wisdom,” the further we go from God. But when we approach God eagerly with a child-like heart, understanding our great need for Him, it is to that kind of person the Lord reveals Himself. ...
Dear friends and family, We hope each of you have been having a good summer so far! Geoff and I have been so grateful for this past month because it gave us a chance to step back, rest, reset, and set out new goals to run after together. Stepping Back In the second week of July we were blessed to go on our postponed honeymoon and went up to the beautiful coast of central California. After a 6-hour road trip we arrived at the charming little town of Carmel-by-the-sea. It was full of good food, art galleries, tea shops, bookstores, and little gardens tucked away behind ivy and cobblestone. ...
Hello again friends & family! The Summer is upon us bringing lots of great fellowship through many celebrations & ministry opportunities! Let us share with you a few of the things we’ve been up to this past month. CCA West Coast Pastors’ & Leaders’ Conference The first week of June brought us right into a 3-day pastors’ and leaders’ conference held at Calvary Chapel Golden Springs. This was a refreshing conference where we were able to hear great messages and meet great people! Something I (Lydia) love about these conferences is how they really bring the Body of Christ together, whether you know the person sitting next to you or not! There is a beautiful unity within the global church, knitting our hearts together. It was a blessing to meet a few people at the conference and get to encourage one another in our ministries and spiritual walks. ...
Dear friends and family, It’s been a whirlwind of events as usual and we’re sorry we couldn’t get this update out to you sooner, but we’re excited to finally share about our trip to Japan! We were there for about 8 full days and were thrilled to finally be able to see and experience the country we have been praying over. As I (Lydia) write this, it doesn’t even feel real that we were actually there on the other side of the world! But now we will share some of our main moments with you. :) ...
Hello dear family and friends, What an incredible month it has been! As many of you know, our 2024 started off with our wedding on January 6th. Praise the Lord! We write this letter to you with hearts full and immensely blessed by God’s goodness. Thank you to all who were able to come celebrate our wedding with us, we felt so loved and supported by each one of you. And to all the people who helped set up, serve, and manage our wedding, we can’t thank you enough!! ...
Dear friends and family, I often question myself wondering, will I ever go on the field? Will I be able to complete the call the Lord has placed on my life? Well, we are getting one step closer to that goal of going to Japan. First let me start with some life updates: Lydia and I finally have a date for our wedding, I got a new job at St. Jude Hospital, and we are going on a vision tour! ...
Dear friends and family, From finding a place to live to become an intern at Calvary Chapel Saving Grace, the past couple of months have been such a whirlwind. The process of finding a place to stay has been a challenge to trust and have faith. For the past 12 years, I’ve lived in Santa Ana with my parents. Like an eaglet preparing to leave the nest, a young child must find the time to go discover the Lord’s calling in their life, and this was mine. ...
The final week is here, and the call is real. Looking back at the last few years, I realize that they’ve been pretty tough. I have been struggling with the question: “what is my calling?” Trying to figure out if going to school was the right choice or not. While trying college out, I had to take the placement test three times, resulting in low scores. Coming from a place where I was used to getting higher grades, that was a hard pill to swallow. The experience just felt so out of place; depression soon after. I ended up completing only one semester of school. Then, feeling there was a different calling in my life, I searched for other opportunities. Upon discovering YWAM (Youth with a Mission), I saw it as a calling from the Lord. I applied immediately and got in; the Lord directed me to Louisville, Kentucky. I didn’t know what the Lord had in store for me initially, but He showed me there is such rich soil for those ready to be sent out. ...