[{"content":"June 2025 Newsletter\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\nAh Lord God, behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.\nJeremiah 32:17\nDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\nJesus has been transforming lives in Trujillo! June was a special month, full of joy and new works, relationships, and trials. Halfway through the month I was in the middle of a very difficult situation. I went to Henry\u0026rsquo;s birthday (one of the orphan boys from Mundo de Ninos, where I have been discipling them each week), and had a great time with them. Unfortunately, the director told how their over night shift caretaker is leaving, with a 1 day notice, and there is no one else to fill the spot! Because of that, she asked me to help her by seeing if there was someone at the church who could take the position. I talked with the church leadership, even though we had already decided as a ministry not to get involved in the home management itself because of differences in ideology, liability, and many other reasons. Though we wouldn\u0026rsquo;t be able to help, mainly because of liability with the church in case something happens, it still weighed on me very heavily. Having spent a lot of time each Sunday evening with them, I have grown to love the boys very much, and I know what kinds of things they could get into if no one is there to supervise. During my devotional time, the Lord brought the verse above to me. It was very hard to receive because of how helpless I felt in the situation, but I was reminded that God is able to work with or without me. And He did just fine without! I texted the lady I couldn\u0026rsquo;t help, and she responded they already had someone to fill the shift! I share this story to help stir up your faith in the lord Jesus. He is so mighty and good to us, He never fails us and we should always keep our hope in Him. We can be completely helpless, and yet God works mightily. What a freeing reminder that God doesn\u0026rsquo;t need you to do His work, but what a privilege that He has called you and every believer to be a part of it!\nNew Discipleship Opportunity The Lord has given the Calvary Trujillo youth group open doors to minister at a Jr. High / High School just a few blocks down the road from the church. We have done outreaches at this school before, sharing the gospel, doing games and worship, and having small group conversations. But this time, we will be doing it monthly with the leaders of the youth group. I have been apart of the youth group since moving to Peru, and it is amazing to see the way that God is fortifying and growing the youth. Join me in praying that God would multiply the youth group with many new youth, and He would use the school outreach to bring many to Christ!\nNew Sordos I have an awesome story about how God brought me new friendships with some younger \u0026lsquo;sordo\u0026rsquo; boys (deaf). During a recent Sunday church service, I met 3 new deaf people, their names are Christian, Jesus, and Darwin. I only got to hangout and talk with them for a short time because I had ministry responsibilities that morning. After church, I went to do some shopping and preparing for a ceviche lunch the next day with two other deaf friends. Before I went shopping, I was very hungry for lunch, as it was already 2:30pm. I decided to get ramen, and after I sat down, an older lady from the church named Carmen came up and said hi. As I looked over my should at her, behind her I saw the three new deaf boys I met that morning sitting at the table next to me. We ended up all eating lunch together, and I got to spend time with them and share the gospel in signs. Although it is possible to understand the gospel in signs, it is still very difficult to fully communicate it, and it is almost impossible to know how much was actually received. Jesus must reveal Himself to them personally! Still, it was a very sweet encounter that I was not expecting at all!\nNew Road Trip One last special event this month, and next month, is the wedding of two very great friends of mine- Sara and Salomon! These two are very special to me. I met Sara in Mexico during the Calvary School of Missions. She has been serving here at the Bible Institute for over 5 years, and Salomon I met when I came down the first time to Peru. They are both on fire for the Lord and feel called to the Middle East. Sara has already spent a few months in Bethlehem, serving at a ministry for disabled people, and learning Arabic. June they had their civil wedding ceremony (signing the legal papers for marriage), but in July they will have the official (religious) ceremony on a beach town far away from Trujillo. Please pray for Jesus to fill this new married couple with his love and grace, and give them greater vision for their calling to the unreached Muslim world!\nThe beginning of July I will be visiting Piura for half a week, where Sara and Salomon will have their official wedding. Right after I will be hopping on a bus to go far away, helping lead a group of 3 girls and 3 other leaders for a missions trip in Moyobamba (a jungle city)! This will be with a small group of girls from the states who are here on our Summer on a Mission program, which was started last year to introduce individuals interested in mission work into practical ministry and service on the field! I already had the opportunity to teach a class on Acts 9-10, and translate one of the other classes they had as well. Be praying for these girls as they learn about Peruvian culture, missions, and the book of Acts! Their names are Bernia, Daniel, and Faith.\nCalling All Partners! It is my honor to connect you, my sisters and brothers in United States, to all God is doing on the mission field, and show you the fruit of your work through me! If you would like get more involved in this work, there are different ways you can partner with with me as I seek to fulfill my call to rescue and care for children in trafficking, and bring the gospel to the ends of the earth.\nOne way you can support is through joining my Signal group. This is where I send prayer requests and more frequent updates on my life in the mission field of Peru! You can join this group by responding to this email.\nAnother way is to partner financially. If you feel lead to become a financial partner, you can give through the link found at the bottom of this newsletter! It is by your generosity that I am provided for on the field and available to give my all in this new work.\nThank you all so much for your wonderful partnership and love, I am eternally grateful for your support!\nPraise Reports\nWe have have organize a leadership team for the new pre-school and starting to get the government permits. My new sordo friends! Sara and Salmon\u0026rsquo;s new season of marriage Pastor Cory taught a series of sermons on Biblical leadership, and has now ordained 3 pastors, and a group of deacons and women\u0026rsquo;s ministry leaders! Pastor Cory got to go to a short pastor\u0026rsquo;s conference/retreat with his assistant pastor Mario in Miami Prayer Requests\nPrayer! The attacks of the enemy are strong against the missionaries and leadership here, but your prayers make a world of difference Rescue to children being trafficked and blessing over preparations for the children\u0026rsquo;s home Protection and the filling of the Holy Spirit as I go with a small group to Moyobamba for a week That Christian, Jesus and Darwin would have a transformational, personal encounter with Jesus through dreams, visions, or miracles and experience salvation Relief from the heavy ministerial burden on Pastor Cory, especially with the new church leadership organization That I would be able to get my residency card, which has been extremely delayed ","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2025/07/09/relax-god-doesnt-need-you/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJune 2025 Newsletter\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoshua Vanrenterghem\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAh Lord God, behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJeremiah 32:17\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJesus has been transforming lives in Trujillo! June was a special month, full of joy and new works, relationships, and trials. Halfway through the month I was in the middle of a very difficult situation. I went to Henry\u0026rsquo;s birthday (one of the orphan boys from Mundo de Ninos, where I have been discipling them each week), and had a great time with them. Unfortunately, the director told how their over night shift caretaker is leaving, with a 1 day notice, and there is no one else to fill the spot! Because of that, she asked me to help her by seeing if there was someone at the church who could take the position. I talked with the church leadership, even though we had already decided as a ministry not to get involved in the home management itself because of differences in ideology, liability, and many other reasons. Though we wouldn\u0026rsquo;t be able to help, mainly because of liability with the church in case something happens, it still weighed on me very heavily. Having spent a lot of time each Sunday evening with them, I have grown to love the boys very much, and I know what kinds of things they could get into if no one is there to supervise. During my devotional time, the Lord brought the verse above to me. It was very hard to receive because of how helpless I felt in the situation, but I was reminded that God is able to work with or without me. And He did just fine without! I texted the lady I couldn\u0026rsquo;t help, and she responded they already had someone to fill the shift! I share this story to help stir up your faith in the lord Jesus. He is so mighty and good to us, He never fails us and we should always keep our hope in Him. We can be completely helpless, and yet God works mightily. What a freeing reminder that God doesn\u0026rsquo;t need you to do His work, but what a privilege that He has called you and every believer to be a part of it!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Relax, God Doesn't Need You"},{"content":"May 2025 Newsletter\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\n\u0026hellip; do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.\nRomans 12:2\nDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\nThis last season has been one of transformation. I am not sure what your month has been like, but mine has been a constant, sometimes rough, sometimes smooth (depending on my willingness), rushing wind of change. Before I share some of the great things the Lord has been doing in Peru, I want to share a little bit of what God has shown me in this time about the transforming of the mind.\nA Call to Transformation 1 Corinthians 10:3-5 describes one kind of warfare that we make as Christians. \u0026ldquo;For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.\u0026rdquo; Did you ever realize that the \u0026lsquo;strongholds\u0026rsquo; mentioned here are not trials, testing, or tragic events that we need to overcome, but are actually arguments\u0026hellip; every high thing against the knowledge of God\u0026hellip; every thought. The kind of warfare mentioned here is different from Ephesians 6. This kind of warfare that God is calling us to in Corinthians is against ways of thinking that we subconsciously live by which are actually in opposition to the truth of God and His declared Word, the Bible. The tactics of the enemy are very deep and complex. The devil uses our culture, the way we were raised, commonly accepted truths, relationships, etc. to change the way we think from what God has spoken as truth to what the world, our flesh, and the enemy say is truth.\nThere are tragic consequences to keeping the presence of these \u0026lsquo;strongholds\u0026rsquo; in our minds. Wrong ways of thinking cause us to feel guilty about things that God is not condemning us for (Romans 14:22). It causes us to feel depressed when we are told to \u0026ldquo;rejoice always\u0026rdquo; (1 Thess. 5:16). It causes us to move away from God when we need to \u0026ldquo;draw near\u0026rdquo; (James 4:8), and much more. In the end, how can we overcome these fortresses in our minds? \u0026ldquo;do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind\u0026rdquo;. God has given us spiritual weapons to take these down, which are the Word of God and prayer. By these things we can \u0026lsquo;renew\u0026rsquo; our minds and become aligned with God\u0026rsquo;s heart and will for our lives. With not a little growth pains, I have been learning this as I continue to adjust to living and ministering in Peru.\nGraduation! One of those big changes is my graduation from Calvary Bible Institute, Peru! After moving and beginning ministry in Peru, I also was a student-intern at the CBI here, which is a ministry run from the church, Calvary Trujillo. It is an excellent program that I now finished and graduated from. Having learned so much about God\u0026rsquo;s Word and my relationship with Jesus, I have now been enjoying a new season spending more time serving in the different church ministries, such as construction projects for the new church property we bought, discipling young men, children\u0026rsquo;s ministry, and more.\nStarting a School?! Waiting, as always, is one of the most difficult things we need to practice as believers, and I am by no means immune to the pains of patiently waiting. Although we are making progress, children\u0026rsquo;s home ministry has been and is still a long process of planning, preparing, and learning how to start a home for children rescued from trafficking. But, one thing I want to share is a special new ministry we are just beginning to plan at Calvary Trujillo, which will also be an important piece to the future children\u0026rsquo;s home as well. We have just begun planning to start a private Christian preschool! The goal with this new ministry is not only to have a preschool, but progressively add more grade levels each year until it is a full-fledged \u0026lsquo;colegio\u0026rsquo; or Christian school. As well as being a great need for families in Trujillo, having a controllable, safe, Christian learning environment for the future kids of the children\u0026rsquo;s home is going to be must. Please keep this new work in your prayers!\nCalling All Partners! It is my honor to connect you, my sisters and brothers in America, to all God is doing on the mission field, and show you the fruit of your work through me! If you would like get more involved in this work, there are different ways you can partner with with me as I seek to fulfill my call to rescue and care for children in trafficking, and bring the gospel to the ends of the earth.\nOne way you can support is through joining my Signal group. This is where I send prayer requests and more frequent updates on my life in the mission field of Peru! You can join this group by responding to this email.\nAnother way is to partner financially. If you feel lead to become a financial partner, you can give through the link found at the bottom of this news letter! It is by your generosity that I am provided for on the field and available to give my all in this new work.\nThank you all so much for your wonderful partnership and love, I am eternally grateful for your support!\nPraise Reports\nGraduation from CBI Peru and my successful semester as a student-intern. We are starting actual construction on the new property very soon! I am going to be helping as a leader with Calvary Trujillo\u0026rsquo;s Summer On A Mission (SOM) program, and going with them for 2 weeks to Moyobamba in July. The boys I have been discipling on Sunday evenings are growing a lot in the Word! We have been studying through the book of John, just finished chapter 4. Prayer Requests\nGod\u0026rsquo;s wisdom for all the needs and preparations of the children home Provision and speedy building for the new church and CBI building at the Calvary Trujillo property God\u0026rsquo;s provision, guidance, and peace for all the graduates of this last semester, the biggest group of graduates in the school\u0026rsquo;s history! All the special events, trips, and missions teams coming this summer (winter in Peru) Provision for a teacher and all the needs for the new preschool Blessing over the immigration paperwork that is very difficult ","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2025/06/16/transforming-the-mind/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMay 2025 Newsletter\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoshua Vanrenterghem\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026hellip; do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRomans 12:2\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis last season has been one of transformation. I am not sure what your month has been like, but mine has been a constant, sometimes rough, sometimes smooth (depending on my willingness), rushing wind of change. Before I share some of the great things the Lord has been doing in Peru, I want to share a little bit of what God has shown me in this time about the transforming of the mind.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Transforming the Mind"},{"content":"April 2024 Newsletter\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\nAnd it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, \u0026ldquo;Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!\u0026hellip;\u0026rdquo;\nLuke 24:4-6\nDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\nGetting stuck in the mountains, sharing Jesus at schools, and purchasing a new church property are just some of the many events of this month! But the greatest of all of them was, without a doubt, Resurrection Sunday. I got to take extra time to look back at the miracle that changed the world forever; the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The very center of our faith and the reason for my life.\nFor holy week, Calvary Trujillo had a bunch of outreach events planned up. We visited 3 different local schools to share with students about Jesus through skits, raps, crafts, and more. At a school in Huanchaco I got the opportunity to share the gospel with a class of grade school students, at the end almost half of them prayed confession in Jesus! Unfortunately after about Tuesday I was sick for the rest of the week, but the church also hosted a festival at Huanchaco with games and a choreographed drama of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.\nIn the last half of April, Calvary Bible Institute Peru began missions week! Each semester we have missions trips to different places around South America. One team went to Piura with a man who is praying and planning on planting a church there soon. Another team went to assist locally at Trujillo and the Venezuelan church plant in the neighborhood of Buenas Aires. Another small team flew to Rio de Janiero, Brazil, helping a ministry in the favela City of God (one of the most dangerous places in South America). Finally, the last team, which I was on, visited Calvary Moyobamba, a city in the Amazon jungle, to support the new church plant there.\nThe Process of Planting a Jungle Church\nThe missions trip to Moyobamba was a special trip to me for many reasons. To begin with, this is the third mission trip I have been to Moyobamba now. To give you a picture of everything God has done there, I want to go back over those trips.\nFirst Trip\nA great friend I met in Mexico in 2022, Andrew Weakland, who was also an intern a Calvary Bible Institute Peru, felt called to plant a church in Moyobamba, so in in April of 2023 we took a \u0026lsquo;vision trip\u0026rsquo;. During that trip we spent most of the time in prayer for the city.\nSecond Trip\nThe second trip was in October of 2023. This trip was the church planting trip. During this trip we combined the entire Calvary Bible Institute Trujillo with a mission team from Calvary Bible Institute Kauai, transforming the group into almost 60 people! We rented out the largest event space in the city and did a huge outreach bbq dinner with worship, Christian rap, a children\u0026rsquo;s skit, and a gospel message, with an invite to the new church plant.\nThird Trip\nFinally, this month I got to return once again to Moyobamba, but now after Calvary Moyobamba has had a full year and a half of being a church. Our schedule was packed with evangelism, reaching out to a technical school, ministering at the jail, and construction projects at the church. One of my favorite times was getting to share a teaching and my testimony to a group of about 15 guys in the jail. The pavilion I was in had a pastor who had been there for 23 years. I quickly realized the group I was sharing with were all believers and met regularly in the prison. I had to do some quick thinking and switch my message from mostly evangelical to more applicable for the brothers. After I gave a final exhortation, the pastor got up and began to cry as he explain how he was praying for the Lord to bring a word, and began to explain God\u0026rsquo;s faithfulness to provide for each of them in the jails when many don\u0026rsquo;t have any family or friends to help or visit. The prisons are very difficult. They cram beds for 36 men in rooms the same size as a regular dinning room, with one open toilet and sink. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience.\nFinally, after a greatly blessed mission trip, at about 2am on the bus drive back to Trujillo we got stuck in the middle of the Andes Mountains. A small village in the mountains were protesting by blocking the main road going through the village. The bus service told it was going to take 3 days before we would be able to continue, and because the bus was stuck and there was no place to turn around, we couldn\u0026rsquo;t go back the 9 hours to Moyobamba, where we just came from. Later that morning we decided to take all of our baggage off, walk 30 minutes to the other side of the village, and try to find taxis that will take us to the closest large city of Chiclayo (about 5 hours away). By God\u0026rsquo;s grace, we made it alright to Trujillo after an almost 30 hour trip.\nCalling All Partners It is my honor to connect you, my sisters and brothers in America, to all God is doing on the mission field, and show you the fruit of your work through me! If you would like get more involved in this work, there are different ways you can partner with with me as I seek to fulfill my call to rescue and care for children in trafficking, and bring the gospel to the ends of the earth.\nOne way you can support is through joining my Signal group. This is where I send prayer requests and more frequent updates on my life in the mission field of Peru! You can join this group by responding to this email.\nAnother way is to partner financially. If you feel lead to become a financial partner, you can give through the link found at the bottom of this news letter! It is by your generosity that I am provided for on the field and available to give my all in this new work.\nThank you all so much for your wonderful partnership and love, I am eternally grateful for your support!\nPraise Reports\nPraise the Lord for His victory over death, hell, and the grave, so that we can enjoy a hope and future with God. For the many people around Peru who have heard the gospel through the outreaches and events God\u0026rsquo;s faithful provision and protection on our mission trips Blessing and help we were able to be for the church in Moyobamba Growth of the Ministry, and purchase of new church property for Calvary Trujillo Prayer Requests\nGod\u0026rsquo;s wisdom for all the needs and preparations of the children home Provision and speedy building for the new church and CBI building at the Calvary Trujillo property That I would keep learn how to be a better support and assistant to pastor Cory Blessing over all the student who are graduating in May That I would grow in grace and truth more and more ","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2025/05/10/the-planting-of-a-jungle-church/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eApril 2024 Newsletter\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoshua Vanrenterghem\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, \u0026ldquo;Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!\u0026hellip;\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLuke 24:4-6\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGetting stuck in the mountains, sharing Jesus at schools, and purchasing a new church property are just some of the many events of this month! But the greatest of all of them was, without a doubt, Resurrection Sunday. I got to take extra time to look back at the miracle that changed the world forever; the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The very center of our faith and the reason for my life.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Planting of a Jungle Church"},{"content":"March 2025 Newsletter\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\nI went out\u0026hellip; and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire\u0026hellip; Then I said to them, \u0026ldquo;You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies in waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.\u0026rdquo; And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king\u0026rsquo;s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, \u0026ldquo;Let us rise up and build.\u0026rdquo; Then they set their hands to this good work.\nNehemiah 2:13,17-18\nDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\nNehemiah took a few men and viewed the necessities of the city of Jerusalem- the destruction of the walls. Without walls, a city was not a city. There would be no protection or security, and no one would want to live or trade there. This was a great problem, but with the severity of the necessity well understood, the people gathered together and the call went out to rise up and build. This month I got to see God do the same thing here. Pastor Grant, and Tim his son, and Luke, Brent, and Jonathan form Far Reaching Ministries visited us for a week to see and partner in the work of the ministry here. We went all around Trujillo visiting the churches, ministries, and places where child trafficking takes place.\nViewing the Walls\nOne of the first places we visited was the tourist destination of Huanchaco. The city is a beautiful beach town with some of the best waves for surf, but just behind the peak where the big catholic church stands in the picture on the left, there is a very poor neighborhood. In this neighborhood children are often sold by their parents to be used by the mafia for sex trafficking. Many times children are kidnapped right off the street at night as well.\nAnother location we took the team was the Basurero, or the garbage dump. This is an extremely poor area of Trujillo near El Milagro where people make money by recycling and raising animal. We talked to a local about the area. She told us how children are kidnapped from the schools, and the mafias threaten to kill the principal or leaders if they try to stop them. When we asked directly about the mafia\u0026rsquo;s presence in the dump, she said, \u0026ldquo;I can\u0026rsquo;t answer that, I have a family, and kids too\u0026rdquo;.\nAside from our visits with the team, I also want to share a report that came out this month. In the city of Arequipa, the second largest in Peru, an investigation and subsequent raid revealed that the former chief of the National Police of Peru and his wife were selling babies for organ harvesting. The way they did it was through convincing pregnant ladies who wanted an abortion to not abort, but instead give birth and then give them their newborn for about $1k. What wrenches my stomach the most is this is one of the nicest cities in Peru. What could be happening in Trujillo?\nAside from Trafficking, we also got to share the miraculous story of Calvary Buenos Aires, a church mostly filled with Venezuelan refugees, and lead by pastor Angel, also a refugee. Pastor Grant, my pastor from Texas, shared at the Wednesday night service about family discipleship.\nYouth Ministry\nWeekly I have been visiting a group of orphan boys for discipleship. It has been difficult, but going well. I can see God moving greatly but the ground is by no means soft. They all have very rough backgrounds and often of abuse. One of them named Henry has been very involved in the church and even serving. I can see his growth even in the short time I have been with them, which is a great encouragement!\nMOYOBAMBA!\nI am sure some of you remember about my trips to the jungle city of Moyobamba when I lived here in 2023, well, I am going again! April 13-19th I will be going with a group of CBI students to support the Calvary church plant and one of my best friends, pastor Andrew. It is going to be a packed week of evangelism, outreaches, and serving at the church. We are going to be visiting the prison to share the gospel with the inmates, and some schools.\nCalling All Partners It is my honor to connect you, my sisters and brothers in America, to all God is doing on the mission field, and show you the fruit of your work through me! If you would like get more involved in this work, there are different ways you can partner with with me as I seek to fulfill my call to rescue and care for children in trafficking, and bring the gospel to the ends of the earth.\nOne way you can support is through joining my Signal group. This is where I send prayer requests and more frequent updates on my life in the mission field of Peru! You can join this group by responding to this email.\nAnother way is to partner financially. If you feel lead to become a financial partner, you can give through the link found at the bottom of this news letter! It is by your generosity that I am provided for on the field and available to give my all in this new work.\nThank you all so much for your wonderful partnership and love, I am eternally grateful for your support!\nPraise Reports\nPraise God for the successful operation against organ harvesting in Arequipa That Far Reaching Ministries wants to be involved and partnering in this work Blessing of my pastor visiting from Texas and my friend, his son, Tim. Growth of the Ministry, and closing on a new property for the church Prayer Requests\nFor favor in our search for a property for the children\u0026rsquo;s home That as the church and Bible school grow in numbers, they would grow in love and grace as well Protection and the filling of the Holy Spirit as we go to Moyobamba to support the church there and share the gospel That I would keep learn how to be a better support and assistant to pastor Cory ","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2025/04/09/rise-up-and-build/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMarch 2025 Newsletter\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoshua Vanrenterghem\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI went out\u0026hellip; and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire\u0026hellip; Then I said to them, \u0026ldquo;You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies in waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.\u0026rdquo; And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king\u0026rsquo;s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, \u0026ldquo;Let us rise up and build.\u0026rdquo; Then they set their hands to this good work.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Rise Up and Build!"},{"content":"February 2025 Newsletter\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\nThat power is prayer, which soars on high, through Jesus, to the throne, and moves the hand which moves the world, to bring salvation down.\u0026quot;\nJames Wallace\nDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\nGod has brought me down to Peru at quite a season of ministry! God is moving greatly here in Trujillo, and though I have only been here about two months, God has been bringing many new people to the church to the point that we had to add a third Sunday service! For some of you that doesn\u0026rsquo;t sound too bad, as the church where I grew up had 6 services between Saturday and Sunday at one point. But it is a great encouragement and sign of revival.\nDisaster Strikes\nUnfortunately, in the middle of February something terrible happened in the city! The roof of the food court in one of the only two malls in Trujillo fell and killed many people. It was a little shocking personally because I was in that very spot eating lunch the day before. As a church we went out and made basic needs available, but mostly to pray and comfort the families who lost loved ones and waited outside the mall. To make things worse, the authorities lied to the public and press by severely underreporting the deaths, sneaking bodies out during the night.\nEven in disaster, God uses it all for His glory. Being the only church there to help, many heard about Calvary Trujillo. That Sunday, and since, we have been packed to the doors until we had to begin the third service.\nContinuing In Prayer\nDuring my time set aside to pray at the beginning of the year, the phrase God gave me was \u0026ldquo;continue in prayer\u0026rdquo;. So far, this has been coming up over and over again. Prayer is truly what moves the hands which move the world. Another man, E.M. Bounds put it this way, \u0026ldquo;prayer effects men by effecting God, prayer moves men because it moves God to move man. Prayer influences man because it influences God to influence them. Prayer moves the hand that moves the world.\u0026rdquo;\nWith that being said, we pray that God moves in providing a property for the children\u0026rsquo;s home and the church. Because we believe it is vitally important as a ministry to be overseen and run through the local church, the ministry of the church and home go hand in hand. Right now we are focusing on finding a new property that will be big enough to fit the new growth of the church and the Calvary Bible Institute as we are also looking for property for the children\u0026rsquo;s home at the same time. It has been pretty difficult. Prices are ridiculous near the city, sometimes costing even more than some places in the States. Regardless, I know the Lord will provide in His perfect time as we continue in prayer. Personally, this has given me a sweet season of preparation and reconnecting with the church.\nMore Language Learning?!\nOne awesome thing I have gotten into is the deaf community at church. An amazing missionary from Columbia named Sara began the deaf ministry at Calvary Trujillo just after I left in 2023. Now there are many deaf people who have been baptized and come every Sunday. Something stunning about the deaf community in South America is that many are never taught sign language, so they never get to communicate with anyone. Not just that, but even if they do learn it, most family members or people around them never bother to learn it so they still barely communicate. This also means many never hear about the gospel. One Wednesday night, I decided to talk with the first deaf couple to come to the church and during the conversation they asked me (through a translator) \u0026ldquo;Why don\u0026rsquo;t you talk to us? People who hear don\u0026rsquo;t talk to us much, why?\u0026rdquo; The question kind of shocked me, but it also convicted me because even as I gave my excuse that I didn\u0026rsquo;t know sign language, I felt it was inadequate.\nAfter that conversation I decided to sit with them for Sunday service, and while watching the lady translate the preaching in signs, I got a message on my phone from an app that gives me quotes every once in a while for fun. It said \u0026ldquo;Life isn\u0026rsquo;t a spectator sport\u0026rdquo;. When I read that, I felt like the Lord was calling me to invest time and learn sign language so I could talk with the deaf. Since then Arabela, one of the deaf ladies, has been teaching me Peruvian Sign Language every Sunday and Wednesday after service. Although it is not super complicated, it does make Spanish feel very easy. But the Lord has been ministering to me each time, I am have fun learning every time.\nCalling All Partners! It is my honor to connect you, my sisters and brothers in America, to all God is doing on the mission field, and show you the fruit of your work through me! If you would like get more involved in this work, there are different ways you can partner with with me as I seek to fulfill my call to rescue and care for children in trafficking.\nOne way you can support is through joining my Signal group. This is where I send prayer requests and more frequent updates on my life in the mission field of Peru! You can join this group by responding to this email.\nAnother important way to partner is financially. If you feel lead to become a financial partner, you can give through the link found at the bottom of this news letter! It is by your generosity that I am provided for on the field and available to give my all in this new work.\nPraise Reports\nThe great blessings of growth at the church Watching the growth of all the students at the Bible school Creating new relationships in the deaf community Prayer Requests\nBlessing over our search for a new church property Provision for a place for the children\u0026rsquo;s home Wisdom for the leadership of the church regarding all the new growth Comfort for the families and the light of the gospel to shine after the tragedy at the mall. ","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2025/03/12/we-need-more-space/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFebruary 2025 Newsletter\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoshua Vanrenterghem\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat power is prayer, which soars on high, through Jesus, to the throne, and moves the hand which moves the world, to bring salvation down.\u0026quot;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJames Wallace\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGod has brought me down to Peru at quite a season of ministry! God is moving greatly here in Trujillo, and though I have only been here about two months, God has been bringing many new people to the church to the point that we had to add a third Sunday service! For some of you that doesn\u0026rsquo;t sound too bad, as the church where I grew up had 6 services between Saturday and Sunday at one point. But it is a great encouragement and sign of revival.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"We Need More Space!"},{"content":"January 2025 Newsletter\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\n\u0026hellip; Yet, this alone is the true life of a Christian-its source, its sustenance, its fashion, its end, all gathered up in one word-Christ Jesus. Lord, accept me; I here present myself, praying to live only in thee and to thee. Let me be as the bullock which stands between the plough and the altar, to work or to be sacrificed; and let my motto be, \u0026ldquo;Ready for either.\u0026rdquo;\nMorning and Evening, January 7th, Charles H. Spurgeon\nDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\nThrough this passage of Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon the Lord spoke to me at the beginning of the fast we started as a church in California to begin the new year right before I moved Peru. As I was denying my flesh its natural desires and about to leave my family and comforts for another country, the Lord spoke so clearly and outlined how my mentality should be moving away from home. This kind of preparation and communion with the Lord sums up my last few weeks leading up to the move. The Lord has spoken so clearly and so much, I feel like the most blessed man on the planet. Not just that, but all the prayers, support, and love I have received makes me hardly able to contain my joy and shock. I truly believe I am one of the most privileged missionaries ever to be sent out.\nOf the many other confirmations, I want to share a specific one that was so clear and simple. Last year I shared how I received a prophetic word from a pastor who prayed for me during the week of fasting we had. I never met the man, but he described a vision of me being a sprinkler of water to children in a front yard, giving them the water of the Word. Additionally, that God was going to fulfill my desire for children. This was a clear answer to my prayers of whether I should pursue the calling to rescuing and caring for children in trafficking. This month, during the week of prayer and fasting, another man prayed for me (who I also did not know). After asking me if I knew God\u0026rsquo;s calling for my life, he said, \u0026ldquo;do not put it off, do it now, by continuing in that calling.\u0026rdquo; While having the same kind of urgency as proverbs 6:4. This confirmation to not delay helped fix my gaze concretely on the place and work God has called me to.\nBelow are some last moments I shared before moving. The first is of my Sending Sunday at CC Saving Grace, my last Sunday before moving to Peru, when the children prayed for me. The other photo was a going away party with the Spanish Ministry, which was a huge blessing.\nLiving in Peru!\nTo be fair, I already lived in Trujillo for most of 2023, while I studied at Calvary Bible Institute. But moving full time to serve in ministry is a very different experience! I left Southern California January 18th with a one-way ticket to Peru. I got greeted with news that the church would also be doing a week-long fast to seek the Lord! If I didn\u0026rsquo;t just finish the one in California, I probably would have laughed. Either way, I decided to follow the fast as best I could while we were doing construction work on Pastor Cory\u0026rsquo;s house. It was difficult, but at the end I felt a great inner strength and anointed for the new life and ministry in Peru. It was only towards the end of that fast that I realized it was actually an answer to prayer. The last few months leading up to my move to Peru I asked the Lord to provide time before going into full-time ministry that I could use for my own \u0026ldquo;wilderness experience\u0026rdquo;, like Jesus before He started ministry. Definitely not to be tempted by the devil, but to have time alone with the Lord to be strengthened and filled with the Holy Spirit. Well, somehow in all the busyness of moving, God had made the way for it, even if it wasn\u0026rsquo;t completely alone, I got to seek the Lord and deny my flesh with my home fellowship in California and new fellowship in Peru.\nA Beautiful Oasis\nIf you know anything about my new home city, Trujillo, Peru, you know it is not the best place to live. As the largest city in the North of Peru, it houses 1,000,000 people. The problem is, as a costal desert, it gets close to zero rain all year. It is a very hot, dry, and dusty, and has the worst UV rays on the planet besides some parts of Africa, with levels commonly being at 11. The developing tan city can sometimes make me feel depressed. But one morning as I was spending time in worship, the Lord gave me a picture in my mind of beautifully vibrant grass hills, with a strong tree next to a stream. It was like a mental picture of Psalm 1. That brought me a great wave of peace and joy. Then, as I looked over at the city, in my mind I saw the whole city green with trees and rolling hills. It is a mental picture I take with me everywhere I go. Because, although the city may still be a dry desert, the Lord is with me, and wherever I go I am a tree planted by still waters!\nLater that day on my taxi ride, I made small talk with the driver. As I asked where he was from, he began for almost 5 minutes to describe how green hills, trees, and big rivers surround the city he used to live in Venezuela. It immediately reminded me of the picture I had in my mind that morning of Trujillo, and I could tell the Lord had brought me to this man for a reason. Afterwards I shared my testimony and the gospel with him. As I began to share how I had hated my sin, but didn\u0026rsquo;t have power over it, like Paul in Romans 7, he yelled out, \u0026ldquo;Yes! That is exactly my problem!\u0026rdquo;. I then got to share about the victory I found in Jesus Christ, and all the amazing promises of Romans 8. I get to have these opportunities to share the gospel with taxi drivers almost every other day, so please be praying for many of them to receive salvation!\nWorking Hard\nAs soon as I arrived to Peru, I began working with Calvary Trujillo and interning at the Bible School. I am also taking two classes leftover from when I first studied here. One of the first projects we started when I arrived was constructing walls for Pastor Cory\u0026rsquo;s first story on his home. His house is directly on the beach and the salt from the ocean goes straight through the bottom of the house, destroying the little room down there, as well as his car. It is the most corrosive place I have ever seen. So we built walls to help keep moisture out. We are also doing lots of construction projects around the Bible School as well. This is a big part of mission work and serving in full time ministry- whatever needs to get done, you just do it! And God has been blessing us the whole way.\nCasa Calvary \u0026amp; Other Needs\nIn other news, we have been looking for a property for the children\u0026rsquo;s home. The non-profit has been legally created, and we have called it \u0026ldquo;Casa Calvary.\u0026rdquo; Though we are mostly in limbo as we look for a property, in the mean time, we have had other opportunities come up. One of them is a boys home which needs help. The orphanage, called \u0026ldquo;Ninos del Mundo\u0026rdquo;, was officially dissolved a few months ago. The problem is, the 6 teenage boys who live there have no where else to go, so they have been staying at the orphanage even though there it legally no longer exists. The food and lights are paid for by one man\u0026rsquo;s family business. Most of these boys will mostly be independent in 4 years, and our vision being really for trafficked children means we are looking for a temporary solution for them. I will be personally visiting and discipling them weekly as well as we seek out how we can take care of/provide a good place for these boys. I am expectant for the Lord to work mightily.\nCalling All Partners! It is my honor to connect you, my sisters and brothers of the American Church, to all God is doing on the mission field, and show you the fruit of your work through me! If you would like get more involved in this work, there are different ways you can partner with with me as I seek to fulfill my call to rescue and care for children in trafficking.\nOne way you can support is through joining my Signal group. This is where I send prayer requests and more frequent updates on my life in the mission field of Peru! You can join this group by responding to this email.\nAnother important way to partner is financially. If you feel lead to become a financial partner, you can give through the link found at the bottom of this news letter! It is by your generosity that I am provided for on the field and available to give my all in this new work.\nPraise Reports\nThe incredibly blessed sendoff I got leaving to Peru! A quick and (mostly) easy transition, and the quick improving of my Spanish All the opportunities to share the gospel to taxi drivers Being able to bless pastor Cory with a closed space under his home An incredible start to a new, very full, semester at CBI. Prayer Requests\nGrace, mercy, and peace as I begin to assist Cory with things related to the children home and discipling the teenage boys, interning at the CBI, and finishing my last class To learn much from a conference I will be attending this February 20-22 in Trujillo about equipping people to take care of children from traumatic backgrounds. Wisdom for how we can help the teenage boys from Ninos del Mundo. The perfect property for the children\u0026rsquo;s home, and all the different resources that we will need ","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2025/02/13/an-incredible-sendoff/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJanuary 2025 Newsletter\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoshua Vanrenterghem\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026hellip; Yet, this alone is the true life of a Christian-its source, its sustenance, its fashion, its end, all gathered up in one word-Christ Jesus. Lord, accept me; I here present myself, praying to live only in thee and to thee. Let me be as the bullock which stands between the plough and the altar, to work or to be sacrificed; and let my motto be, \u0026ldquo;Ready for either.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e","title":"An Incredible Sendoff"},{"content":"December 2024 Newsletter\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\nThe heart of man plans his ways, but the LORD establishes his steps.\nProverbs 16:9\nDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\nHappy New Year everyone! What a blessing it has been to look back over the year and see God amazing faithfulness, love, and provision. This concludes my last month before moving full time to Peru, and I am so excited for what God is going to do. But I also want to share some amazing things that happened in December!\nFirst of all, in the beginning of the month I had the opportunity to go with a group from Calvary Chapel Saving Grace to a sister church in Pedregales, Mexico! During this time we helped them host a yearly children\u0026rsquo;s day-long VBS and shoebox gift giving. We went for a Friday and Saturday. Friday evening we also got to help with setting up and serving a group of women who came for a lady\u0026rsquo;s dinner event at the church.\nI had the awesome role of leading the kids games! My custom the last two years when visiting my home church in Texas is to lead their games at the VBS, so I have gotten lots of experience leading games with kiddos! It is always an exhausting, but a very fun time. At the end of the VBS we handed out about 100 shoebox gifts for the children to open! It was so cool to hear all the screams of excitement and joy. It was actually so loud that it took me a solid minute before I could get them to quite down as I got to give all the kids a goodbye message before they left. It was a challenging, but exciting little endeavor as I am improving my Spanish speaking skills.\nMid-December I went with Paul Rygalski to a safe home for girls out of trafficking located in California. Paul is a board member of Olive Crest, a faith-based foster organization on the West Coast. I believe God used that time greatly to help prepare me and give me practical advice and experience of how these types of homes function. Working with children and teenagers with severe trauma is no easy task. It takes a large team of people to make sure that they are recovering, safe, and able to grow and eventually transition to adulthood. While I was there I got to see a panorama of girls at different stages in their recovery. Each individual has different needs and different coping mechanisms, and being able to see how to handle different situations was a great help to know ways I will be able to organize, assist and support the caretakers and psychologist when we begin the home in Peru.\nBefore Christmas time my brother Jonathan finished his last semester at CBI Joshua Tree in Yucca Valley, CA. I got to go with my mom to his graduation! It has been a huge blessing to see him grow and change from where he was a year ago just coming out of rehab. Afterwards we brought him home and spent Christmas together. Then, after New Years, we dropped him back off for his new season as an intern at the school!\nChristmas Time this year was exciting, but also felt so different. It was just my parents, brother, and I at home, as one of my sisters moved to Missouri, and the other one is serving in the Middle East. The most difficult part about moving to another country is leaving family. But I realized that I need to make the most of this time while I am still here! Regardless of this big transition coming, it was an amazing season celebrating the birth of Christ, who is worthy of all our sacrifices in life. Now, with New Years past, God has been comforting me with Proverbs 16:9 as I look forward to His plans for me this year.\nFinally, this season God has abundantly provided for me spiritually, physically, and financially. I am all set and ready to move the 18th of January to Peru and begin assisting this new children\u0026rsquo;s home with Cory. The main thing to be praying for right now is for the right property for the home, we are still looking!\nCalling All Partners! I will be moving to Peru January 18th. If you believe the Lord is calling you to be a part of this work He is doing through me for the children and church in Trujillo, you can do so through the Financial Partner link below! It is my honor to connect you, my sisters and brothers of the American Church to all God is doing on the mission field, and show you the fruit of your work through me\nPraise Reports\nThe wonderful time spent with family and friends during my last Christmas and New Years living in the USA. All the continued prayer, encouragement, and financial support I have been receiving! All the little one in Mexico that got to enjoy presents for Christmas this year! Prayer Requests\nGod to be glorified in the calling of rescuing children, and that many children will be saved and able to grow up in a Christ-Centered home Legal and financial provision for a property that will have space for the church, Bible school, and children\u0026rsquo;s home Safety, strength, and an easy passage as I move down to Peru this January ","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2025/01/08/new-year-2025/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDecember 2024 Newsletter\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoshua Vanrenterghem\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe heart of man plans his ways, but the LORD establishes his steps.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProverbs 16:9\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHappy New Year everyone! What a blessing it has been to look back over the year and see God amazing faithfulness, love, and provision. This concludes my last month before moving full time to Peru, and I am so excited for what God is going to do. But I also want to share some amazing things that happened in December!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"NEW YEAR 2025!"},{"content":"November 2024 Newsletter\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\nNot that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient as ministers of the New Covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.\n2 Corinthians 3:5-6\nDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\nThis month was absolutely non-stop! Before I share anything, I first want to thank you for your support. The support I have received this month through prayers, encouragements, and financial partners was incredible. I had 2 great opportunities this month to share my testimony, and what the Lord has called me to in Peru. First I shared at the beginning of the month at Calvary Chapel North Texas, and, December 1st, at Calvary Chapel Saving Grace.\nImparting The Vision\nBeing intentional about spending my last few weeks living in the states has given me a whole new view on my relationships. While I had a blessed time sharing the vision the Lord has given me with the churches, the greatest blessing I have had was spending time with friends and partners. The blessing of getting to know each one of you more deeply and personally has only invigorated me more as I get ready to move. To know I have the blessing of praying for all of you and keeping y\u0026rsquo;all up on what the Lord is doing on the field, and then receiving the physical and spiritual support to serve on the field is something I could never really imagine until now. I hope all of you understand how much I love you. Although I will miss living and visiting with all of you when I move, there is a special kind of fire that burns in my heart when I think about the fellowship we will share in eternity as partners in bringing the gospel to the most vulnerable and unreached children. I still plan to come back and visit at least once a year though!\nMinisters of the New Covenant\nBecause I have been so busy working, studying online and in the Mission Training School, and preparing to move, I have not had as many opportunities to minister. When I flew back from Texas though, the same day I was able to go on a regular Thursday evangelism outreach to Cal State University Fullerton with Pastor Nick and my friend Caleb. I spent the whole day at the university talking with students and sharing the gospel. I often look at evangelism as the icing on the cake of my week when I get a chance to go. It is one of my favorite things to do. Having been in Texas the last two weeks, it was funny to me how different the views were of people between the two states, Texas and California. Especially right after the elections. But what really peaked my interest was as we packed up and began to leave for the day, we saw a table for the \u0026ldquo;Revolutionary Communists of America\u0026rdquo; handing out pamphlets. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t help but stop to talk with them. Although they were pretty unreasonable, we ended up being able to share the gospel, as well as strongly warn them of tragically fatal consequences of communism. You should have seen the guy\u0026rsquo;s face when I ended by saying, \u0026ldquo;Ultimately the hope your searching for is not in a human government, but a theocracy.\u0026rdquo;\nWhat was extra special and exciting was the next day I also had work off, so I joined some friends and went with a group that evangelizes to local Muslims. We arrived at a mosque before one of their services and as everyone came out at the end, we handed out tracts and talked with whoever was interested. Although I normally am very bold in evangelizing, for some reason I always have a little hesitancy sharing Jesus with Muslims, but at this Mosque God gave me a great example from others in the group, and I had boldness and kindness in trying to give out the fliers and contact people. As one guy was driving out, he was clearly very agitated and started yelling at me as he drove away. Eventually he drove back to an alley right next to the mosque, and jumped in a car with his friend, whom one of the guys from the group was sharing with. He ended up getting out and talking longer with him my friend, and eventually I joined the conversation as well. He turned out to be a very nice man and heard a lot of what we had to say. Pray for Abdullah! That whole experience reminded me of 2 Corinthians 3:5-6, that I am not able to be a minister of Jesus in myself, but my strength, boldness, power, wisdom, and ability all come from God!\nA Special Thanksgiving\nThis month I also had a very special time with family in Oregon for Thanksgiving. Because I will be moving, this was probably one of the last big family events I had the opportunity to go to for a long time. I stayed in Grantspass, Southern Oregon, and had a fantastic time enjoying family, food, and the beautiful forest!\nCalling All Partners! I will be moving to Peru January 18th. In order to move to the mission field full-time as a Saving Grace World Missions missionary, I need to have at least 80% of my monthly budget provided through regular monthly giving to ensure I am able to meet all my needs on the field. I still have need for support, so if you believe the Lord is calling you to be a part of this work He is doing through me for the children and church in Trujillo, you can do so through the Financial Partner link below! It is my honor to connect you, my sisters and brothers of the American Church to all God is doing on the mission field, and show you the fruit of your work through me.\nPraise Reports\nThe blessing of being able to share at different churches, especially in Texas, about what the Lord is doing in Peru and the new ministry for the children\u0026rsquo;s home All the prayer, encouragement, and financial support I have been receiving The deep conversations and openness in people\u0026rsquo;s hearts to hear about Jesus Prayer Requests\nGod to be glorified in the calling of rescuing children, and that many children will be saved and able to grow up in a Christ-Centered home Legal and financial provision for a property that will have space for the church, Bible school, and children\u0026rsquo;s home Abdullah, the students at Cal State, and the communists would come to know Jesus as Lord, God, and Savior The Lord to bring more monthly financial partners before I leave in January ","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2024/12/09/republicans-democrats-and-communists/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNovember 2024 Newsletter\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoshua Vanrenterghem\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient as ministers of the New Covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2 Corinthians 3:5-6\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis month was absolutely non-stop! Before I share anything, I first want to thank you for your support. The support I have received this month through prayers, encouragements, and financial partners was incredible. I had 2 great opportunities this month to share my testimony, and what the Lord has called me to in Peru. First I shared at the beginning of the month at Calvary Chapel North Texas, and, December 1st, at Calvary Chapel Saving Grace.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Republicans, Democrats, and Communists"},{"content":"October 2024 Newsletter\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\nDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\nSpending these last few months in the States, God keeps reminding me that He has me exactly where He wants me. The constant temptation when preparing to move overseas is to only be focused on the next season, and end up missing out on the things God still has here.\nA Present Pillar\nEarlier in the month I got a chance to go to a worship/prayer service called Orange County House of Prayer, and during that time the Lord spoke to me. The word He used was \u0026lsquo;pillar\u0026rsquo;, that I am a pillar where I am right now, and He is going to use my words for supporting others here. That really shocked me, especially because I felt like I couldn\u0026rsquo;t be depended on because I will be moving so soon, and that I can\u0026rsquo;t be too rooted. But He used this word to remind me to really seek Him for the things happening now in States and not miss all the work He still wants me to do here, and that a pillar can be moved wherever, and still be a support and strength for others.\nOne event that really stuck out was a \u0026lsquo;church takeover\u0026rsquo; we do every few months with a sister church of Calvary Chapel Saving Grace called Hope Central Watts, an inter-city church in LA. I got the privilege of leading the children\u0026rsquo;s class of 3. Though it was the smallest Sunday class I have ever lead, it was the most impactful. As I was explaining the gospel through the story of Paul\u0026rsquo;s conversion on the road to Damascus in Acts 9, one of the kids said, \u0026ldquo;I don\u0026rsquo;t really know if I am saved or not\u0026rdquo;. This really struck me, especially because of how genuine and simply the kid said it. Although everything in me wanted to stop and pray with the kid, I knew he would be too shy with the other children to pray right there, so instead at the end I lead the group in a prayer of repentance and confession of Jesus as Lord and Savior.\nAdditionally, the next year of the Mission Training School has begun! Although I am going to leave the school year very prematurely to move to Peru, I am exciting for the last month of connecting with the other students and taking in the ever-valuable classes on homiletics, hermeneutics, Bible Study and cross-cultural ministry.\nOne of the first endings of this season of my life living in the States was the Spanish Ministry at Calvary Saving Grace. We had our last meeting on October 30th, and they won\u0026rsquo;t begin again until after I leave to Peru. Having been part of the group and leadership gave me invaluable experience in preparing for ministry in Peru. Carlos, Gaby, and I met together for our last leadership meeting the night before and we talked for hours, connecting on an even deeper level than before. God has really knit my heart to this group, and I will never forget the growth in the Lord that we experienced as we spent time in community seeking Him!\nA One-Way Ticket!\nI have bought one-way tickets to move January 18th to Peru! With the date set, I am now taking time to connect with partners and share what God is doing in Peru. I am currently in writing this from Texas, where I will be staying for 2 weeks, until November 14th, and sharing my testimony and all that God has put in my heart to do for trafficked children in Peru.\nSpeaking of moving, because of the necessities of the church and Bible school, we are currently looking for another property instead of the one that I shared last month. Something that will give space enough for the church, school and children\u0026rsquo;s home. Please keep this in prayer!\nLastly, I have created a signal messaging group where you will be able to be updated more regularly on things going in the mission field. If you would like me to add you, simply respond to this email!\nCalling All Partners! I will be moving to Peru January 18th. In order to move to the mission field full-time as a Saving Grace World Missions missionary, I need to have at least 80% of my monthly budget provided through regular monthly giving to ensure I am able to meet all my needs on the field. If the Lord is calling you to be a part of this work He is doing through me for the children and church in Trujillo, you can do so through the Financial Partner link below! It is my honor to connect you, my sisters and brothers of the American Church to all God is doing on the mission field, and show you the fruit of your work through me.\nPraise Reports\nWe have an official legal name for the children\u0026rsquo;s home non-profit, Refugio Calvary Trujillo. Although this may or may not be the actual name, the legal side is coming together All the opportunities of service and ministry this month at Watts and the year of being apart of the Spanish ministry at CCSG We have many new students at the Mission Training School in California! Peru just had its first Harvest Crusade type-evangelism event with thousands of people! Prayer Requests\nGod to be glorified in the calling of rescuing children, and that many children will be saved and able to grow up in a Christ-Centered home Legal and financial provision for a property that will have space for the church, Bible school, and children\u0026rsquo;s home Monthly provision for me to be able to be sent out as a full time missionary in January Continued provision for the connections we need in government, as well as the children\u0026rsquo;s home non-profit organization creation. For me to be able to reconnect well with my church in Texas and connect/partner well with them for the work in Peru. ","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2024/11/05/i-dont-know-if-im-saved/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOctober 2024 Newsletter\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoshua Vanrenterghem\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/jvanrenterghem/wp-content/uploads/sites/167/2024/11/MTS2025.jpg\"/\u003e \n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpending these last few months in the States, God keeps reminding me that He has me exactly where He wants me. The constant temptation when preparing to move overseas is to only be focused on the next season, and end up missing out on the things God still has here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Present Pillar\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEarlier in the month I got a chance to go to a worship/prayer service called Orange County House of Prayer, and during that time the Lord spoke to me. The word He used was \u0026lsquo;pillar\u0026rsquo;, that I am a pillar where I am right now, and He is going to use my words for supporting others here. That really shocked me, especially because I felt like I couldn\u0026rsquo;t be depended on because I will be moving so soon, and that I can\u0026rsquo;t be too rooted. But He used this word to remind me to really seek Him for the things happening now in States and not miss all the work He still wants me to do here, and that a pillar can be moved wherever, and still be a support and strength for others.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"\"I Don't Know If I'm Saved\""},{"content":"August 2024 Newsletter\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\nTherefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.\n1 Corinthians 15:58\nDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\nThis last month and a half I have seen miracle after miracle of the Lord moving in this new ministry beginning in Trujillo. This newsletter will not be able to contain half of the things I would like to share, but I will do my best!\nAt Home Returning from Costa Rica, everything began switching up for the fall season. the CCSG Spanish Ministry began meeting again on Wednesday nights, and it has been a blast getting back into serving in this spirit-lead, transformative group! During our second meeting back together, we had the pleasure to have a little pachunga (party) time for one of our sister who is going on a 6-month vision tour to a Middle Eastern country to confirm her call to live there full time. As always it was sad, but a joyful sad.\nI have been purposely taking many extra steps to spend time with the Lord in this short time I have left in the states. One great experience I had was to go to an all night 10:30pm-6:30am worship meeting at Pasadena International House of Prayer with two friends. It was a blessing to take so much time with the Lord in worship, prayer, reading, studying and meditating.\nStand Firm, Immoveable! I have just come back from a week long trip to Peru! I took this trip down because Calvary Trujillo was hosting this year\u0026rsquo;s South American Missions Conference, and we were meeting with some great supporters of this new work with children, Wes and Vicky Bentley, and David Zavala who founded Far Reaching Ministries. The same ministry I used to intern at. The conference gave me many great new connections, and the teachings themselves were on another level of fuego (fire)! Named \u0026ldquo;Firmes y Constantes\u0026rdquo;, based off of 1 Corinthians 15:58, almost all the teachings encouraged pastors and church planters to be fearless and passionate for the Great Commission, even to the most dangerous places. Actually, during the conference we got to pray for a Venezuelan pastor, Angel, and pastor Cory, who are planning to take a vision tour to Venezuela in January to see how they can plant a Bible-teaching church in Maracay.\nOne of the messages of the conference was fitly named- \u0026ldquo;Preparing for Battle\u0026rdquo;. Of course, Wes Bentley spoke for this message and it was a great encouragement to me, knowing more and more the kind of dangers involved in rescuing children. During the visit, we had the entire children\u0026rsquo;s home team meet with Wes and Vicky, and then went out to lunch. It was a great time of sharing encouragement and insight about how to pray and begin this new ministry. By God\u0026rsquo;s grace, He has provided every important role for the home through members of the church who already have professional training and licenses.\nChildren\u0026rsquo;s Home Plans I have some great updates to share about the children\u0026rsquo;s home! Cory, with the help of one of the CBI students who has a degree in building architecture, drew up some blueprints and a 3D model of a future home we can build in an open lot directly next to the CBI and church. During the trip, God provided all the provision to buy the property, all that is left is talking with the owner in negotiations. The current building plan would make space for housing 40 children, as well as all the facilities for school classrooms, an outside grass playground, staff housing, and offices. There is also some space for expansion.\nGod keeps moving in miraculous ways through connections we are getting in the government, police, and church. We have 2 renowned lawyers who write curriculum on law from our church currently working on the bylaws for the non-profit. One of the men in charge of security was a former commandant of the Peruvian Marine Special Forces and the other is a black belt martial arts instructor and MMA competitor, both from the church. God has provided us with some next-level people to play integral parts of this new work.\nOn the Battle Field I went on two trips through some areas in Trujillo where children are known to be trafficked, kidnapped, or sold. Through multiple solid sources, we have heard story after story about how children are abducted right from the road at night, as well as bars, night clubs, and hotels who sell them for the evening or house this activity. One of these 24-hour -prostitution hotels is a block down the road from the church. One of the pastors from our own church has seen a man leave at night with two children before. This evil is barely even hidden.\nLearning more and more of the context and understanding of the local trafficking situation has only strengthened my sense of responsibility to this call and the lives of those children waiting to be saved.\nCalling All Partners! I will be moving to Peru January 2025. In order to move to the mission field full-time as a Saving Grace World Missions missionary, I need to have at least 80% of my monthly budget provided through regular monthly giving to ensure I am able to meet all my needs on the field. So far I am funded 30% of the way. There are also a few one-time payments I will need to make, such as flights. If the Lord is calling you to be a part of this work He is doing through me for the children and church in Trujillo, you can do so through the Financial Partner link below! It is my honor to connect you, my sisters and brothers of the American Church to all God is doing on the mission field, and show you the fruit of your work through me.\nPraise Reports\nThe success of the South America Missions Conference in encouraging and building up the pastors and missionaries serving here in South America. God providing the finances for the land for the children\u0026rsquo;s home Provision of all the important staff and leadership in the home, as well as the support of Far Reaching Ministries A great beginning to the Fall season, and God\u0026rsquo;s graciousness as I never stop growing in my walk with Him Prayer Requests\nGod to be glorified in the calling of rescuing children, and that many children will be able to grow up in a Christ-Centered home God\u0026rsquo;s leading in the negotiations while Cory begins negotiations for the children\u0026rsquo;s home land Monthly provision for me to be able to be sent out as a full time missionary in January Continued provision for the connections we need in government, as well as the creation of the children\u0026rsquo;s home non-profit organization creation. Provision that will be needed for the building, and all the needs of the children ","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2024/09/24/miracle-in-progress/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAugust 2024 Newsletter\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoshua Vanrenterghem\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTherefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1 Corinthians 15:58\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis last month and a half I have seen miracle after miracle of the Lord moving in this new ministry beginning in Trujillo. This newsletter will not be able to contain half of the things I would like to share, but I will do my best!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Miracle In Progress"},{"content":"July 2024 Newsletter\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\nCall to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know\nJeremiah 33:3\nDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\nI just returned from my visit to Costa Rica for the purpose of learning how a children\u0026rsquo;s home functions from an existing home for children rescued from sex and organ trafficking. Since the beginning of the year I have been praying and waiting for this trip. I arrived in Costa Rica 2 days before the team, Cory my pastor from Peru, Danielle his wife, and Andy, a missionary in Peru. This gave me the opportunity to follow and learn directly from Gabriel, the local pastor who runs the home. After the rest of the team arrived, we spent a lot of time speaking with different people about all the different functions of the home, as well as spending time with the children. It was a very enlightening and fruitful time. I learned so much valuable information, and I have also been sobered to the realities and difficulties of this calling. As a team, the Lord gave us this verse in Jeremiah as we sought His direction for this new work. \u0026ldquo;Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.\u0026rdquo; Jeremiah 33:3\nIn order to help give perspective on the heart of the issue and whole purpose of this ministry, without giving many details, I am going to share about a few of the children in the home in Costa Rica. There are about 60 children in this home. The children all have a mix of age, gender, and severity of trauma. Almost all of the children have had to have some kind of medical care, therapy, or rehab because of the abuse they went through. For those of you who are sensitive, I do want to warn you that what I am about to say here is very disturbing and difficult to read, but I want you to know the extent of the evil going on in these places. Many of the children in this orphanage have experienced lasting physical injuries due to the amount and nature of the abuse received. Many of the girls and boys used to be sexually abused up to 5 times daily before being rescued. Some were sold by their desperate parents, others were kidnapped, and still others were raised into this reality by their own parents. These are some of the horrors of sex trafficking, but, especially recently, organ trafficking has been also rising. Criminals harvest organs from babies and small children to sell to superstitious people who believe eating them gives them youthfulness.\nUnfortunately, this is by no means a reality secluded to Costa Rica. This is happening all over South America. This is especially true in Trujillo, Peru, where the team and I are going to be beginning the process to start a home for rescued children. Last year, while I was still studying at Calvary Bible Institute in Trujillo, my friend told me a story from a local. She lived in a neighborhood called Huanchacito and during a conversation, my friend asked her, \u0026ldquo;Have you had any issues or seen any signs of trafficking in your area?\u0026rdquo; To this she responded, \u0026ldquo;Yes, I actually don\u0026rsquo;t let my children out past dark because a white van drives around the neighborhood picking up children every night.\u0026rdquo; While on a missions trip in the jungle, about a 19-hour drive from Trujillo, the same friend asked a chief of a local village the same question. He said that they are active in the jungle, but he has personally threatened them not to go near his village and since then he has not had problems. But he made it clear other villages have the problem of children being kidnapped from these traffickers.\nThe biggest thing the Lord showed me while in Costa Rica was the not just the physical experience of suffering that children are going through, but also the grim eternal reality of these children who live without any hope of the gospel. As slaves of sexual exploitation, these children have had no ability to hear the gospel of eternal salvation through Jesus. These children do not only experience hell on earth, but are destined for an eternity apart from Christ if they grow up into adulthood without putting their faith in Jesus. Ever since I truly gave my life to Christ and experienced the joy of His salvation, I committed my life to go to those people who would otherwise never be able to know Jesus. It was on this trip when it clicked for me. I understood that people do not simply have to be physically far away or secluded to be unreached. These children, because of the high danger involved with criminals, the cost of raising them, and the difficulty of raising them, are truly one of, if not the most, difficult unreached people on the planet.\nMy role in this new home will be to work under Cory leading the administrative functions. There are an enormous amount of resources, people, effort, and money required to raise these children after being rescued. Therefore the vision will be that I will organize the professional technical team (psychiatrist, social worker, nurse, and caretakers) and the financial responsibilities.\nBefore the trip to Costa Rica, I went on a short trip to Mexico to visit the Calvary School of Missions and join the students on two outreaches. It was a blessing to talk with them and be with them on this life changing experience for a couple days.\nAfterwards, I visited my church in Texas, Calvary Chapel North Texas, for a week and a half to spend time with my grandparents, reconnect with the church, and help at their VBS. During that time, I volunteered and led the games for their summer VBS, just like past years. It was a blast, and 7 kids gave their lives to the Lord. Finally, after spending time in Costa Rica, I took a flight straight from there to Oregon to be a part of a friend\u0026rsquo;s wedding. Now I am back in California finish the Missions Training School, which ends in two weeks.\nI would love for you to continue praying for me as I begin taking big steps towards this calling. First I will be going to the South America Missions Conference in Trujillo, Peru, from September 16-23 where I will be meeting with Cory and Far Reaching Ministries to discuss and plan for the new children\u0026rsquo;s home there. Additionally, the main goal now is to move to Peru as a full-time missionary by the first of next year. In the mean time I will be preparing, finishing up studies, and raising funds. I also need to go through an application process with Saving Grace World Missions. Finally, in order to move to the mission field full-time with SGWM, I need to have at least 80% of my monthly budget provided through scheduled monthly giving. There are also a few expensive, one-time payments such as flights. If the Lord is calling you to be a part of this work God is doing through me, you may partner through the Financial Partner button below.\nPraise Reports\nAll the children who gave their lives to the Lord at the VBS in Texas The blessing of learning from all God is doing through Gabriel in Costa Rica and getting vision for Peru All the children being rescued and raised with the gospel in Costa Rica The clear direction for my life in this work of rescuing children Prayer Requests\nGod to be glorified in the calling of rescuing children, and that many children would be rescued in Peru through this new work Provision for the conference trip to Peru next month Guidance and strength for the new goal of moving as a full-time missionary by the first of next year For me to finish out my studies and preparations well in the States ","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2024/08/09/hell-before-hell/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJuly 2024 Newsletter\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoshua Vanrenterghem\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCall to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJeremiah 33:3\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI just returned from my visit to Costa Rica for the purpose of learning how a children\u0026rsquo;s home functions from an existing home for children rescued from sex and organ trafficking. Since the beginning of the year I have been praying and waiting for this trip. I arrived in Costa Rica 2 days before the team, Cory my pastor from Peru, Danielle his wife, and Andy, a missionary in Peru. This gave me the opportunity to follow and learn directly from Gabriel, the local pastor who runs the home. After the rest of the team arrived, we spent a lot of time speaking with different people about all the different functions of the home, as well as spending time with the children. It was a very enlightening and fruitful time. I learned so much valuable information, and I have also been sobered to the realities and difficulties of this calling. As a team, the Lord gave us this verse in Jeremiah as we sought His direction for this new work. \u0026ldquo;Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.\u0026rdquo; Jeremiah 33:3\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Hell Before Hell"},{"content":" But to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless, when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.\n2 Cor 3:15-16\nI want to begin this update with a wonderful story. Last month I had the opportunity to go to an event hosted by Voice of the Refugees, a Christian non-profit dedicated to helping refugees get on their feet. The event was a ‘cultural celebration’, where my friends Tori, Katia, and I went to learn about a bunch of different countries and make relationships. It was an exciting event with dancing and a bunch of different desserts and food to try. Through it I met an Afghani refugee who wanted to talk about Christianity and Islam, so the next day we went to talk at a cafe! We had a great, respectful discussion and we both learned a lot about each other and our respective religions. Though he is still blinded to the truth that Jesus is God, we have a good connection and we will meet again. That evening during my devotional time with the Lord, He gave me a great encouragement as the Spirit brought 2 Corinthians 3:16 to mind, though I didn’t even know what it said! Even though it is addressing he Jews, Muslims have the same blinders, denying the deity of Jesus. Yet, as this verse says, when they turn to the Lord, He will take away the veil! Also, that same time I was reading a Spurgeon devotional, and he says at the beginning “the great fact on which genuine faith relies on is, that ‘the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.’” God comforted me greatly after taking that anxious step of going out and speaking with this kind Muslim. His name is Jafar, please be praying with me that he would come to faith in Jesus!\nThis month has been full of preparation, both preparing myself and the Lord preparing me. The highlight was the Vacation Bible School I got to serve in, it was a blast. I love to teach and lead kids at the church. This year the theme of the VBS was the jungle. We went all out with decorations, and we ended up with over 60 kids attending. Throughout the VBS the kids learned about the seven ‘C’s, Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Cross, and Consummation. I had the opportunity to teach the older aged kids in the class I served, and it was the greatest joy seeing them understand the lessons and the gospel, and enjoy the VBS as the week went on.\nIn the Mission Training School, we went through Dave Ramsey’s course on Financial Peace, which was a blessing. Even though I have done it before, to see it as a group in the context of the mission field gave me a lot of insight. As we were going through that course I doubled down and spent a lot of time doing extra work to prepare myself financially for my upcoming trips this July. It has made my schedule absolutely insane, one day I worked almost 16 hours. But I love to work hard, and God has blessed me greatly with generous people giving above what I ask for services. We also have been going through a self-defense class, which has been exciting and important. Besides having better safety conscious, it also reminded me to keep improving and maintaining my physical health, to be able to protect myself and others, and to be able to do whatever the Lord calls me to in the future.\nThis coming month of July is going to be insane, so please be praying for me! I have tickets for 3 back-to-back trips. First, I am going to be connecting my home church in Texas, Calvary Chapel North Texas, for a week and a half, starting the 17th. I will be staying with my grandparents, and then helping at the church’s VBS. Then I fly to Costa Rica for 5 days to get vision as I meet with Cory, my pastor from Peru, as we visit a kid’s safe home and pray for direction about starting one in Peru. Finally, I fly straight to Oregon to be at a friend’s wedding.\nAlthough it is going to be a lot of things, thank the Lord I am not doing it alone, He will be with me the whole way!\nPrayer Requests\nProtection for the Costa Rica trip and God’s leading in a possible future work of housing children rescued from sex and organ trafficking in Peru For my Muslim friend Jafar to be saved Good health for the upcoming back-to-back trips in July (aka, I don’t get sick) Never stop growing in my relationship with the Lord Jesus each day Praise Reports\nReceived funding for flights to Costa Rica Getting to create a relationship with Jafar Success of the VBS in reaching kids with the gospel God’s great provision and grace. ","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2024/07/08/ready-for-takeoff/","summary":"\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless, when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2 Cor 3:15-16\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI want to begin this update with a wonderful story. Last month I had the opportunity to go to an event hosted by Voice of the Refugees, a Christian non-profit dedicated to helping refugees get on their feet. The event was a ‘cultural celebration’, where my friends Tori, Katia, and I went to learn about a bunch of different countries and make relationships. It was an exciting event with dancing and a bunch of different desserts and food to try. Through it I met an Afghani refugee who wanted to talk about Christianity and Islam, so the next day we went to talk at a cafe! We had a great, respectful discussion and we both learned a lot about each other and our respective religions. Though he is still blinded to the truth that Jesus is God, we have a good connection and we will meet again. That evening during my devotional time with the Lord, He gave me a great encouragement as the Spirit brought 2 Corinthians 3:16 to mind, though I didn’t even know what it said! Even though it is addressing he Jews, Muslims have the same blinders, denying the deity of Jesus. Yet, as this verse says, when they turn to the Lord, He will take away the veil! Also, that same time I was reading a Spurgeon devotional, and he says at the beginning “the great fact on which genuine faith relies on is, that ‘the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.’” God comforted me greatly after taking that anxious step of going out and speaking with this kind Muslim. His name is Jafar, please be praying with me that he would come to faith in Jesus!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ready for Takeoff!"},{"content":"May 2024 Newsletter\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\nhaving predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.\nEphesians 1:5-6\nDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\nThis month was packed with exploring unknown territory! Though, with every new work of God, there is always the enemy ready to steal, kill and destroy. May was no exception! From seeing demonic manifestations at an In-n-Out and prayer meeting, to randomly experiencing spirts depression, the enemy has been using every tactic, obvious and subtle, to thwart God\u0026rsquo;s plans. Yet, God always wins! God ministered to me greatly through Luke 10:18-20, especially verse 19 which describes how God has given us authority over all spiritual wickedness. \u0026ldquo;Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.\u0026rdquo; But even greater, what the Lord has shown me in order to conquer attacks in my mind through depression, anxiety, fear, has been the reminder of my identity. One evening, after working hard all day and thinking through all my plans for the summer, and everything I had been doing recently, I felt lost in it all. I doubted whether God could use me and if I was really being lead by Him. Finally, I just wrote down on a piece of paper, \u0026ldquo;who am I Lord?\u0026rdquo;. Obviously, I knew the theological answer to that question. But I wanted to hear it from the Lord Himself. The next morning my devotional reading was Ephesians chapter 1, and I could just hear the voice of my heavenly Father as I read the words. I pray God ministers to you the same way as you go through this next month. No matter how far the enemy tries to separate you from God\u0026rsquo;s love, He is still your Father, and you have been accepted before Him. Go before your heavenly Father! He wants to be with you. He paid everything to be with you.\nAs I left off in my last newsletter, I spent the beginning of May still in Mexico! I visited two churches and Calvary Bible Institute, Mexico. Although I wasn\u0026rsquo;t speaking at any of them, I got to assist Rob Douglass, who taught at Calvary Chapel Rosarito\u0026rsquo;s church planting school and their Wednesday night service. I also got to share about the Calvary School of Missions with people from the church, and help give counsel as they considered mission work. Then I took Marcelo, one of the Missions Training School students, to Ensenada, where he taught a morning class. Neither of us had been to Ensenada before. The same day we drove to Horizonte Ensenada church where he taught their church planting class, and also shared a quick testimony on Sunday. It was a very exciting trip, and let me tell you, God is moving Mexico for the unreached!\nThe purpose for this quick, week-long trip was to help light a match in Mexico for cross-cultural missions. Not many in the Mexican church know about the unreached, those who have no access to receive the gospel. Our goal was to spark a passion in the Mexican church for reaching the world with the gospel. Most people view Mexico as a place to send and do missions, but, for the vast majority of it, Mexico already has Christians, churches, and Bibles. So we went to share about those who have none of these things. The Lord has given us a great vision of Mexico being transformed into a sending hub to the unreached nations!\nBeing on the ground helping serve, talk with people, and pray, was an incredible experience personally. I could see the little sparks let off by the thought-provoking teachings caught onto people\u0026rsquo;s hearts. I also met many who already had a desire for missions, but little direction. Our goal for this was not to train missionaries, but to spark a desire, and as we do, we are praying that God will begin works where those called can be Biblically trained in cross-cultural missions. I ask you to join us in prayer for this, as we have spoken with many who hear the call, but don\u0026rsquo;t have a place to prepare.\nOn a more humorous note, as Marcelo and I were driving to CBI Mexico, we got lost on a road out in the middle of nowhere. I drove up a steep dirt hill in the Civic until the road finally turned into massive rocks and dips. In the photo we were lost trying to figure out what to do, and Marcelo had to teach very soon. Yet, he still had a smile with thumbs up. I\u0026rsquo;m pretty sure he could be kidnapped and he would still have a smile with his thumbs up. In the end, we found the right road (which still had a huge creek running through it) and made it to the class.\nLater in the month, I got to spend time with one of Saving Grace World Mission\u0026rsquo;s Indian national missionaries. I picked him up from the airport, and went to dinner at a Nepali Restaurant with some friends. It was a blessing to get to know him. Another day a bunch of the Mission Training Students went to J\u0026rsquo;s, one of our short-term India missionaries (the man with the white beard) house in order to help him get rid of 3 generations of stuff in his home. This will free him to spend more time doing missions and teaching at CBI India. I also got many opportunities to teach this month. First I taught and lead my first time in Spanish during the Wednesday evening Spanish group at CC Saving Grace. That was challenging, but super fun! And I also got to teach the youth group on a Sunday. Please join me in praying about CBI Philippines! The director has been asking me to come teach for almost 2 years, and I haven\u0026rsquo;t felt called. But he asked again recently for the fall semester, and I feel the Lord maybe leading me to take a short trip to the Philippines. It would be very costly trip, but the country is also very strategic in it\u0026rsquo;s placement. It is open to gospel work and would serve as a perfect sending hub and place of training for SGWM missionaries to all the nearby, unreached countries of Asia. I would love to go on a short trip to see what the Lord might do in the future and teach at the CBI.\nCosta Rica\nIn August I will have been praying for a year about serving in Peru with Pastor Cory Kilgus to help lead in starting a safe home for kids rescued from sex trafficking and organ trafficking. The first step we will be taking is to visit an existing safe home in Costa Rica to learn how it functions. This trip will be July 29 - August 2. This will also be a sort-of vision tour, where we will be praying for confirmation of God\u0026rsquo;s call to begin this new work. If you would like to financially partner with me for this trip, you may give using the link at the bottom of the page.\nPrayer Requests\nGod to begin a work to train Spanish-speaking Mexicans who have a heart for cross-cultural missions Financial provision, wisdom, and spiritual/physical protection for the trip to Costa Rica in July Boldness as I continue preaching the gospel and discipling others where I am at currently Wisdom and peace about work; my boss will be moving to Northern Carolina, and taking the business with him. Guidance for possible trip to CBI Luzon, Philippines in the fall Praise Reports\nSuccessful trip stirring up the Mexican Church for the Great Commission All the different opportunities to serve and teach Revival and deliverance of people at CC Saving Grace and outside the church. The random gifts and blessings God has been giving me through all of you! ","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2024/06/04/lighting-a-match-in-mexico/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMay 2024 Newsletter\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoshua Vanrenterghem\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ehaving predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEphesians 1:5-6\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis month was packed with exploring unknown territory! Though, with every new work of God, there is always the enemy ready to steal, kill and destroy. May was no exception! From seeing demonic manifestations at an In-n-Out and prayer meeting, to randomly experiencing spirts depression, the enemy has been using every tactic, obvious and subtle, to thwart God\u0026rsquo;s plans. Yet, God always wins! God ministered to me greatly through Luke 10:18-20, especially verse 19 which describes how God has given us authority over all spiritual wickedness. \u0026ldquo;Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.\u0026rdquo; But even greater, what the Lord has shown me in order to conquer attacks in my mind through depression, anxiety, fear, has been the reminder of my identity. One evening, after working hard all day and thinking through all my plans for the summer, and everything I had been doing recently, I felt lost in it all. I doubted whether God could use me and if I was really being lead by Him. Finally, I just wrote down on a piece of paper, \u0026ldquo;who am I Lord?\u0026rdquo;. Obviously, I knew the theological answer to that question. But I wanted to hear it from the Lord Himself. The next morning my devotional reading was Ephesians chapter 1, and I could just hear the voice of my heavenly Father as I read the words. I pray God ministers to you the same way as you go through this next month. No matter how far the enemy tries to separate you from God\u0026rsquo;s love, He is still your Father, and you have been accepted before Him. Go before your heavenly Father! He wants to be with you. He paid everything to be with you.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Lighting a Match in Mexico"},{"content":" April 2024 Newsletter\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\nNow thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.\n2 Corinthians 2:14-15\nDear friends, family, and loved ones,\nWhat a thrilling season! Celebrating the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus was glorious! There is something very special about this year\u0026rsquo;s Resurrection Sunday celebration. I have never had such a profound time seeking Jesus and His Word.\nDream of the Flower\nNormally I never remember my dreams. But one night this month I specifically remember being in Alaska, on some kind of outreach in a town. I don\u0026rsquo;t remember most of the dream, but I remember the ending. I began taking photos at the end of the day of a beautiful Alaskan sunset for some kind of social media. The views were incredible and I can still remember one of the pictures I took, in the green of spring, with the orangey glow of the sun beaming over the horizon next to a slightly blurred hill and large tree just in view. As the glow was still covering the landscape, someone told me that the flowers here would let water out at night. So I went over to a small flower and saw a little bit of water pooled in the center with the glow of the sunset reflecting off, and the petals slightly wilted, as if the water had come out from them. I began crying as it reminded me of how Christ gave us living water, the Holy Spirit, only after He was crucified.\nRight after this I woke up, and immediately I searched online about flowers in Alaska. Although I couldn\u0026rsquo;t find any that have water come out at night, I did find out about the Alaska state flower, Forget-Me-Nots. They are really beautiful blue little flowers that grow in bunches. There are a lot of stories and lore about how they got their name, but mainly they have become a symbol of eternal love and remembrance. A lesser-known fact I found was that they only give off a scent in the evening and night. During the day they are scentless. What an amazing way to end, and yet never end, this special season of celebrating Jesus\u0026rsquo; death and resurrection! It is as if Jesus was saying, \u0026ldquo;Forget-Me-Not!\u0026rdquo; And although Jesus\u0026rsquo; life on earth was amazing- it was His death that gives us salvation through forgiveness. It was for His death that Mary anointed Jesus with precious perfume. Remembering Jesus is not just a time for Christmas and Easter, it is our life, and He invites us everyday to remember His eternal love through His death and resurrection. The flower also reminded me of the thief on the cross, \u0026ldquo;Then he said to Jesus, \u0026lsquo;Lord, remember me when you come into Your kingdom.\u0026rsquo; And Jesus said to him, \u0026lsquo;Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.\u0026rsquo;\u0026rdquo; (Luke 23:24-43)\nOnce in a while Saving Grace goes to our sister church, Hope Central Watts, an inner city church to help run their service for a Sunday in order to refresh the locals. This time I got the opportunity to join and teach the youth group! I was pretty nervous because I was told to teach in Spanish, and it would be the first time. Although I had everything ready for Spanish-even my notes were in Spanish- a few minutes before starting I was told they actually do it in English, and some of the youth don\u0026rsquo;t even speak Spanish! That made it much easier, and it was a very blessed time teaching, and afterwards playing spoons with them.\nThe week before Resurrection Sunday some of the MTS students went to Biola University to share about Calvary School of Missions during their Missions Conference! It was a super blessed time to share with a bunch of young people who are excited for reaching the world for Christ in missions. We\u0026rsquo;re praying for many to signup at CSOM 2024 and learn more about God\u0026rsquo;s heart for the unreached and hear the call to \u0026ldquo;go\u0026rdquo;!\nAt Cal State University Fullerton there was a Christian event called the Godly Grind that me and a friend were invited to while we were out evangelizing one day. It was great event and through the lady that invited us, we met another girl named Katia who she is friends with. We all went out to tea afterwards and talked about our testimonies for a long time. Katia was non-practicing catholic, but recently started wanting to learn more about God and the Bible. She literally asked us, \u0026ldquo;how do I learn the Bible?\u0026rdquo; It felt like one of those people God just plops in our lap, ready to be discipled. She\u0026rsquo;s been coming for almost 2 months now and is being totally transformed by Jesus\u0026rsquo; work in her life! She has been active in the church, and coming to Wednesday evening Spanish Study group.\nGod has been moving greatly in the Spanish Group at Saving Grace! We have begun doing outreaches by visiting people\u0026rsquo;s home to bring our community, and most importantly, God\u0026rsquo;s presence in worship, sharing testimony, and prayer. We are also planning days to go to public centers like the Circle in Fullerton to do worship and ministering in the public, to reach our community with the gospel!\nGod also answered my prayers for a job! I have been working with a friend from church in his steam cleaning business, cleaning carpets. I have also been doing a bunch of little jobs, helping do electrical, paint, etc. for friends. God has been providing in really unique ways.\nAt the end of April, as I am writing this, I am on a trip in Mexico to visit my parents who have been staying in Rosarito. I am also helping my friends Marcelo, and Rob Douglass, who runs a ministry called Ends of the Earth Ministries, teaching at Calvary Chapel Rosarito about the unreached. I will be staying for a week, also going to Horizonte Ensenada church and Calvary Bible Institute Mexico with Marcelo as he shares about the unreached and Calvary School of Missions.\nCosta Rica Trip\nI have rough dates for my mission trip to Costa Rica to visit and learn from a children safe home there. It is planned for July 29 - August 2.\nPlease continue in prayer with me as this trip will be a very new and important part of the work we have been praying for, to start a safe home in Peru! Also, I want to invite all of you to pray for my brother in Christ, Andy. He has been praying about being apart of leading this work as well. He has a great heart for children.\nPraise Reports:\nFor Jesus coming, living, dying, and resurrecting for our salvation! For Katia coming to know Jesus personally For my new job steam cleaning Prayer Requests:\nFor God\u0026rsquo;s provision and will to be done in planning and going to Costa Rica in July Jesus would touch hearts in Mexico for the Unreached as we are sharing and He would call them to lay their lives down for Jesus in this work! Protection, provision, and guidance for my sister and brother-in-law as they minister in the unstable environment in the Middle East! God would use the Spanish group to call more people to first love! ","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2024/04/30/forget-me-not/","summary":"\u003cfigure\u003e\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/jvanrenterghem/wp-content/uploads/sites/167/2024/04/Forget-me-not-cluster-1024x1024-1.jpg\"/\u003e \n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eApril 2024 Newsletter\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoshua Vanrenterghem\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2 Corinthians 2:14-15\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDear friends, family, and loved ones,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat a thrilling season! Celebrating the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus was glorious! There is something very special about this year\u0026rsquo;s Resurrection Sunday celebration. I have never had such a profound time seeking Jesus and His Word.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Forget-Me-Not"},{"content":"March 2024 Newsletter\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\nIn this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, an glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory\n1 Peter 1:6-8\nDear friends, family, and loved ones,\nI again thank you for all of you love, prayers, and support. The LORD has been doing amazing things this month (like always), and there is a special thing I would like to share with y\u0026rsquo;all in this update. I am planning a special vision tour this July! But first, I felt like this would be a perfect time to share about what it is like training in California for missions.\nMissions Training\nEver wondered what it would be like to be fully involved as a student in a missions training program? Well I decided to give you a taste of Yorba Linda, California missionary student life at MTS (Mission Training School), I hope you feel encouraged and challenged as I describe the insanity that is training to minister and plant churches in another culture, though it won\u0026rsquo;t add up to the craziness of the actual work itself!\nClasses - Every Wednesday is our main class time to study life skills, discuss our read through of a book on ministry (right now we are going through Calvary Chapel Distinctives right now), give a 15-minute practice sermon, and a class based on topics like Inductive Bible Study, the book of Acts, Hermeneutics/Homiletics, other religions, etc.\nService Hours - Besides a requirement to be serving in some sort of Sunday service ministry, church events, and a life group (I\u0026rsquo;m in the Spanish group, which is absolute fire), students serve 4 hours throughout the week. I have had the awesome pleasure of assisting Pastor Tim, one of the assistant pastors at CC Saving Grace, as well as helping with administration for the upcoming Calvary School of Missions (CSOM) this summer!\nOther Classes - Besides the regular Wednesday classes, I go through a class every Monday on a book called On Being a Missionary in order to gain a better understanding of serving and living in a foreign culture. Additionally, on Tuesday students attend the church\u0026rsquo;s School of Discipleship and School of Ministry, which are always a huge blessing!\nI hope that gave you a good idea of what it is like training here. It is a great blessing and God is using this time as pressure-cooker sanctification. Quick and hard learning and spiritual growth, yet good quality discipleship.\nMy Little Flood\nThe LORD has been breaking me down a lot this month. But He also has shown me a lot about His grace, sovereignty, and love. When I was really struggling in a relationship, in the middle of February, the LORD showed me this awesome passage in Psalms 29:10-11: \u0026ldquo;The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood, and the LORD sits as King forever. The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.\u0026rdquo; God gave me peace and joy because, if He reign when the whole earth was flooded, He still reigns in my little flood. Yet, God also put me in some awesome spots to minister and have great experiences.\nI was asked to help at the youth Winter Camp, so I got to go with them up to Big Bear Lake February 16th-19th to be a leader for the guys and do a teaching. I was able to really build some great relationships with the guys!\nI also went out with a group of dudes hiking recently on this beautiful mountain trail. It is a great blessing to spend time with brothers building each other up.\nThe next weekend after that, I went with other MTS students to Calvary Chapel Downey for the LA Pastors and Leaders conference to setup a table and share about this summer\u0026rsquo;s CSOM. My brother Jonathan was there, which was a blessing to see him as well! Then we also had a baptism March 3rd. This was the most powerful and moving baptism I have ever been apart of! The Lord has been doing a great revival at the church here.\nJuly Kid\u0026rsquo;s House Vision Tour\nDuring February, Pastor Corey was able to go on a vision tour to look at a children\u0026rsquo;s home for kids rescue from sex and organ trafficking in Costa Rica. The report was very positive, and he was able to learn a lot of how to run one. We are now planning another vision tour with Corey, his wife, possibly one other person, and I in July to Costa Rica for us to receive God\u0026rsquo;s vision and how to run a kid\u0026rsquo;s home. As fruitful and positive this trip last month sounded, there is now more clarity on some of the practical risks and security issues with starting a ministry like this. The very real danger of being kidnapped, tortured, and possibly killed by the cartel has been a sobering thought, yet made me very determined. I know the LORD is going to a work. Please be praying for this upcoming trip, there will be spiritual warfare. Finally, Praise the LORD that the major pieces are pretty much in place to begin a home in Peru! We are now just waiting on the Lord and this trip.\nPraise Reports\nAll the spiritual growth God is doing in me Blessing of ministering to the youth at Winter Camp Great evangelism encounters at Cal State Fullerton The trials that build patience and character Prayer Requests\nProvision for the upcoming vision tour (budget not made yet) Provision for a job until I can be sent out as a missionary full time Children to be rescued from sex \u0026amp; organ trafficking in South America My continued faithfulness, growth, and humbleness in training and ministry as I prepare for this work in South America. ","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2024/03/08/joyful-suffering/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMarch 2024 Newsletter\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoshua Vanrenterghem\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, an glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Joyful Suffering"},{"content":"","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/give/","summary":"","title":"Give"},{"content":" February 2024 Newsletter\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\n\u0026ldquo;having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.\u0026rdquo;\nEphesians 1:5-6\nIt’s 2024! All I can say is THANK YOU! Thanks to all of you who have supported and followed me this crazy year.\nThe sad part, this marks the end of my bible training season in Peru. But the fading of one season buds the flower of a new one! God graciously led me to return to the states after a year of study in Peru to continue my training with Saving Grace World Missions in California. Since December I have been studying missions and the Word in their Missions Training Program. It has been a very joyous experience.\nIn this new season of training I have been attending regular classes throughout each week preparing me to be a full-time cross-cultural missionary. I have also been serving as an assistant to one of the pastors, which has been a fun experience. I fill my time with projects, homework, outreaches, and the such. God has been blessing and teaching me so much! Specifically, He has been speaking closely to me about the depth of Ephesians 1:6, that I am accepted in the Beloved, and the closeness of my relationship with the whole Trinity of God! I pray He gives you a deeper understand of it as well, and the depths of His love for you!\nThe Flying Family\nMy awesome family has been busy this new year! And I want to share some exciting updates. One of my sisters and her husband have officially flown off to live full-time on the mission field in the Middle East! My parents are currently about halfway through a vision tour in Japan, praying if it is His will for them to serve there full time. Finally, my brother has made it fully out of rehab and is doing school at Calvary Bible Institute in Joshua Springs! God is doing an amazing transformation in his life, a huge answer to years of prayer.\nWeek of Prayer and Fasting\nTo kick off the year, we began with prayer and fasting. As a church we took the week of the 8th to the 12th to seek the LORD. It was such a sweet time with the Lord, seeking how He wants me to serve Him this year, and to intercede for others\nA Wet Vision\nDuring the week of prayer and fasting I had the opportunity to pray with two brothers gifted with words of prophecy. This was a time just to wait on the Lord and seek Him for anything He wants to say to me. I can be generally skeptical of what people say, so I was coming in with an open heart but very hard judgement. When I sat down, one of the guys had to take a quick phone call, so he left me and the other man there. While we waited, he asked me some questions about myself, and shortly the other man returned. During the prayer, the other man who gave words of prophecy was the one who left to make the phone call. And everything he spoke about were personal things I mentioned to the other guy while waiting. He could not have heard us talking because he was outside on the phone, and I had never met either of them in my life! Clearly, the Lord was making it obvious that the man was speaking supernaturally to me about what God has.\nSpecifically, during the prayer he had received a vision of a kiddy water sprinkler with kids playing around it. He said that I was the sprinkler giving the water of the Word, and that God wanted to fulfill my desire for kids. It was a little hilarious because the man mentioned multiple times that he didn\u0026rsquo;t understand why he would receive a vision about kids for someone who didn\u0026rsquo;t have any kids, nor is married (he had asked if I was). But, as some of you know, I have been praying for God to do a work in South America to help house and raise kids rescued from sex/organ trafficking. This vision was something I was not expecting but a very clear confirmation for something the Lord wants me to be part of in the future.\nKids House Trip\nI want to share a special trip I have been praying for. My friends at FRM support a kids house in South America, and want to invite me and a pastor to come stay there and learn from the man who runs it, whose named Gabriel (which is a cover name for security). This would give us some vision and experience in how they practically run and start a work like this.\nI want to give a special request for prayer and wisdom in this. I am still fully involved in missions training, making it difficult to find the time and resources.\nI hope this has been a blessing to read and gives you a glimpse of the next year. God is so good, and I am excited to share His work with all of you throughout the year!\nFinancially Partner\nIf you would like to financially partner with me and share in the blessings of my future mission work, you can do so at my giving link below.\n","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2024/01/31/a-wet-vision/","summary":"\u003cfigure\u003e\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/jvanrenterghem/wp-content/uploads/sites/167/2024/01/Profile-Photo.jpeg\"/\u003e \n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFebruary 2024 Newsletter\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoshua Vanrenterghem\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEphesians 1:5-6\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s 2024! All I can say is THANK YOU! Thanks to all of you who have supported and followed me this crazy year.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sad part, this marks the end of my bible training season in Peru. But the fading of one season buds the flower of a new one! God graciously led me to return to the states after a year of study in Peru to continue my training with Saving Grace World Missions in California. Since December I have been studying missions and the Word in their Missions Training Program. It has been a very joyous experience.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"A Wet Vision?!"},{"content":" And they continued steadfastly in the apostles\u0026rsquo; doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.\nActs 2:42\nDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\nThe fellowship of God\u0026rsquo;s people is a special communication. I had many opportunities to try my Spanglish with a lot of sisters and brothers in Culiacán this week. Seven Calvary churches have been planted in Culiacán, and we attended services from almost all of them. Although the communication was awkward and difficult, it was always a joy to share a common Savior with others in a different language. I had taken 2 years of Spanish in High School, yet I am still very far from fluent. During most of the church services we served and help take a load off the local leaders. Pastor Trent Douglass (founder of Saving Grace World Missions) also gave his special sermon on the \u0026lsquo;Purpose of the Church\u0026rsquo; at most of these services. Seeing the church in action and actually doing what the Bible teaches, planting churches, has given me a much deeper understanding of why we need to do missions through the church. Although we should be regularly continuing in Acts 2:42, and it is a blessing to do so, our main purpose as a church is actually found in the previous chapter. Acts 1:8 says, \u0026ldquo;But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.\u0026rdquo;\nThe purpose of the church is the evangelization and discipleship of all nations.\nPastor Trent Douglass, CC Saving Grace\nWe began our road trip trek back to Culiacán Wednesday. Though, before we left, we attended the first class of a new semester of Church Planting School in Calvary Chapel Maranatha Mazatlán. Pastor Trent gave a great introductory class to the students on conducting an inductive Bible study using observation, interpretation, and application.\nHosting the Mexico and Beyond Conference at CC Culiacán Norte (North) has been the biggest event we\u0026rsquo;ve put together. The missions team served during the whole event. The church\u0026rsquo;s pastor, Hugo Limon, gave an introductory class on the importance of being a church that plants others churches. After that, pastors Trent Douglass, Rob Douglass, Tim Papas, and a few other speakers gave many insightful classes, testimonies, and studies.\nI had an awesome evening talking with Jose at the conference. He is an awesome brother who is helping at a new church plant in CC Aguaruto. He is practicing English, and I am practicing Spanish, so we had a great time fumbling through words. Please keep him and his wife in prayer, they are pumped up for mission work and praying for us daily! After firing up Calvary Culiacán for missions and finishing up an outstanding conference, we spread out the team to all the different church plants on Sunday. I went to Calvary Oeste. Then that evening we had fellowship with the saints in Villa Juárez, about half an hour from the city.\nFinally on Monday we had an extremely effective day helping a construction team at Culiacan Norte get ready for renovations by cleaning up and demolition. It was a great feeling to get sweat in the pores. I am praying for all of you back home! I am excited to share more in person when I get back.\nPrayer Requests:\nGod\u0026rsquo;s favor and blessing on the churches in Mazatlán and Culiacán to continue planting churches in Mexico and beyond. Bryan and Brittney De La Cruz, new friends of mine who will be starting a church plant this coming December about an hour south of Mexico City. This awesome new work has great potential to be an international sending hub for church planters and missionaries because of the large property and proximity to the Mexico City International Airport. A team of people from Calvary Saving Grace will be going to Jordan to start mission work next year. Pray for the country of Jordan that there will be great revival and they will be used greatly there. One of my family members will be going as well. God\u0026rsquo;s guidance for the next steps after this trip. I am praying about possibly going to a Calvary Bible Institute before starting flight school. Praise Reports:\nSo many pastors and members of the church in Mazatlan, Culiacan, and Rosarito shared their appreciation for our work with them. Many answers to prayer and healing for members of the school. Successful missions conference in Culiacan, many people wanted to get more involved in international missions. Gospel Partners\nAll of you are our lifeline to the communities we reach, so I would love to get to know and partner with you more as I learn to be an ambassador of CC North Texas to Mexico!\nYou can contact me through email, phone or text. There is also a button on the bottom of this letter if you would like to financially be apart of this work in Mexico. Praise the LORD, the tuition is now 63% funded!\nEirene,\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\njoshuavan6@gmail.com\n971-762-7451\n","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2022/08/18/taking-over-the-church/","summary":"\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd they continued steadfastly in the apostles\u0026rsquo; doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eActs 2:42\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe fellowship of God\u0026rsquo;s people is a special communication. I had many opportunities to try my Spanglish with a lot of sisters and brothers in Culiacán this week. Seven Calvary churches have been planted in Culiacán, and we attended services from almost all of them. Although the communication was awkward and difficult, it was always a joy to share a common Savior with others in a different language. I had taken 2 years of Spanish in High School, yet I am still very far from fluent. During most of the church services we served and help take a load off the local leaders. Pastor Trent Douglass (founder of Saving Grace World Missions) also gave his special sermon on the \u0026lsquo;Purpose of the Church\u0026rsquo; at most of these services. Seeing the church in action and actually doing what the Bible teaches, planting churches, has given me a much deeper understanding of why we need to do missions through the church. Although we should be regularly continuing in Acts 2:42, and it is a blessing to do so, our main purpose as a church is actually found in the previous chapter. Acts 1:8 says, \u0026ldquo;But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Taking Over the Church"},{"content":" \u0026ldquo;\u0026hellip; I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh\u0026rdquo;\nRomans 9:2-3\nDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\nWhat a joy and privilege to deliver the gift of salvation to dying, immortal souls. Yet, how often we settle in our hearts to walk by them without even a glance! If the apostle Paul was willing to give up his own salvation so that his fellow Israelites might be saved, how much more should we long for the salvation of those who have not even heard the gospel! I often find it impossible to share Jesus with anyone while I am busying myself with other things. But, when I simply set my mind everyday to share with anyone God puts me with, it becomes so simple! A conversation can change a life forever, and the main battle is just starting it. Tuesday, the team headed out to the beach to street witness. Many of the locals here are very open to gospel, though most have a misguided view of it. To show God\u0026rsquo;s love and expound the full gospel is one of the greatest blessings I now see I have most neglected. So many are white for harvest here. I was able to share with four people throughout that day.\nWe had some of the best teachers so far this trip. Wes Bently from Far Reaching Ministries shared his shocking testimony and extensive ministry, which is currently involved in 5 different wars across the globe, Burma, South Sudan, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and one other country. Pastor Corey Kilgus visited from South America to share about his work planting churches and a Bible school in Peru.\nOn Friday and Saturday we attended the amazing ¡Ve! (Go!) Mexico Church Planting Conference. Hosted at Calvary Chapel Rosarito with Pastor Mike Vincent, we heard from many of the Mexican pastors and leaders of ministries about the church\u0026rsquo;s purpose to evangelize and disciple the world. During the conference we were able to be apart of the sending of a new church plant to Ensenada (Below).\nSaturday, immediately after the conference we took off on a plane to Culiacán. During that 2 1/2 hour flight, a team member and I got the opportunity to lead a Catholic, Fernando, to Christ. The next morning, we drove bright and early for church service at Calvary Chapel Maranatha in Mazatlán. That evening we rode a boat to Isla de la Piedra (Rock Island) for a Sunday evening service with a new Calvary Maranatha church plant.\nTonight (Monday), we had setup a special service for Calvary Chapel Maranatha Este (East) to teach about the purpose of the church. The people were very friendly and one man gave his life to Christ! We will be in Culiacán for the rest of the week, and attend the Mexico and Beyond Conference there, lead by Pastor Hugo.\nPrayer Requests:\nGod\u0026rsquo;s guidance and connections with the local church for the new believer, Fernando, who we lead to the Lord on the plane ride to Culiacán. The people my team and I evangelized to in Rosarito: Daniel, Jose, Jesus, and Icai. That God\u0026rsquo;s love and the Holy Spirit would overfill us for empowerment to fulfill God\u0026rsquo;s work here in Mexico through the team. Far Reaching Ministries, currently the only organization still trying to rescue people out of Afghanistan. They have gotten 1,500 people out so far, but there are still ~3,500 mostly-forgotten Afghanis in dire need of rescue from the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Praise Reports:\nSmooth travels so far, we have been able to reach everywhere we hoped to go, serve, and make many relationships with locals. Still learning a crazy amount about missions from great classes. The awesome unity and effectiveness of the missions team! I am loving working with all the other students and leaders for God\u0026rsquo;s glory! Gospel Partners\nAll of you are our lifeline to the communities we reach, so I would love to get to know and partner with you more as I learn to be an ambassador of CC North Texas to Mexico!\nYou can contact me through email, phone or text. There is also a button on the bottom of this letter if you would like to financially be apart of this work in Mexico, my tuition is currently 33% of the way to being fully funded.\nEirene,\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\njoshuavan6@gmail.com\n971-762-7451\nFinancially Partner\n","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2022/08/09/the-fields-are-white/","summary":"\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;\u0026hellip; I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRomans 9:2-3\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat a joy and privilege to deliver the gift of salvation to dying, immortal souls. Yet, how often we settle in our hearts to walk by them without even a glance! If the apostle Paul was willing to give up his own salvation so that his fellow Israelites might be saved, how much more should we long for the salvation of those who have not even heard the gospel! I often find it impossible to share Jesus with anyone while I am busying myself with other things. But, when I simply set my mind everyday to share with anyone God puts me with, it becomes so simple! A conversation can change a life forever, and the main battle is just starting it. Tuesday, the team headed out to the beach to street witness. Many of the locals here are very open to gospel, though most have a misguided view of it. To show God\u0026rsquo;s love and expound the full gospel is one of the greatest blessings I now see I have most neglected. So many are white for harvest here. I was able to share with four people throughout that day.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"The Fields Are White!"},{"content":" And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.\nRevelation 12:11\nDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\nThe last week of hearing the testimonies of current missionaries on the field has been exciting! We have had many people come to teach classes and give their testimony. The R Family are two missionaries from Africa who came to help disciple us. Their experience in a Muslim country has given us invaluable knowledge about reaching this people group. Pastor Bond and Heather visited and shared about their works of planting churches and Bible schools all around India, Nepal, Pakistan, and more. Pastor EZ from Living Waters shared about the calling of every Christian to a full-time ministry of being an ambassador of Jesus, the heart to always share the gospel. Through all of these men and women, we have gotten an inside view of the work of missions.\nI woke up exhausted and in a bad mood on Tuesday. I had felt tired from the past few weeks of schooling and outreaches, and did not feel spiritually ready for the outreach to the LAC ministries rehab center. So, I did the only thing I could, pray for strength, the right attitude and opportunities to share with the people. We arrived, and though it was tight, uncomfortable, awkward, and hot, God gave me such a heart for the people, most of whom were drug addicts. We began by singing worship. As we did, I laughed a little inside as I heard the claps that were all out of unison. When we finally sat down to talk in groups, we got to give the gospel to the men and answer a lot of their questions. We asked a question at the beginning: where are you going when you die? Most of the men said they did not know, one said hell, and others said heaven. It hurt to hear those answers, but I am so glad we were afterwards able to show them the love and gift of Jesus\u0026rsquo; atonement and to pray for them.\nOn Saturday we travelled an hour away to the Kumiai Indian Reserve to do an outreach. After a rocky drive, we met with the local church and got ready by packing rice and beans for the locals. Students shared a teaching for the kids and adults and some testimonies, and we did a short drama.\nPrayer Requests:\nGod\u0026rsquo;s protection and provision for the next week, especially as we fly to Mazatlan. More opportunities to share God\u0026rsquo;s word and love to those around us. Praise Reports:\nContinued provision for the many teachers and guests who have taught Many baptisms this Sunday at Calvary Rosarito, and being able to help assist with all the church happenings. Gospel Partners\nAll of you are our lifeline to the communities we reach, so I would love to get to know and partner with you more as I learn to be an ambassador of CC North Texas to Mexico!\nYou can contact me through email, phone or text. There is also a button on the bottom of this letter if you would like to financially be apart of this work in Mexico.\nEirene,\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\njoshuavan6@gmail.com\n971-762-7451\n","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2022/08/01/picking-up-speed/","summary":"\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRevelation 12:11\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe last week of hearing the testimonies of current missionaries on the field has been exciting! We have had many people come to teach classes and give their testimony. The R Family are two missionaries from Africa who came to help disciple us. Their experience in a Muslim country has given us invaluable knowledge about reaching this people group. Pastor Bond and Heather visited and shared about their works of planting churches and Bible schools all around India, Nepal, Pakistan, and more. Pastor EZ from Living Waters shared about the calling of every Christian to a full-time ministry of being an ambassador of Jesus, the heart to always share the gospel. Through all of these men and women, we have gotten an inside view of the work of missions.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Picking Up Speed"},{"content":" Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said \u0026ldquo;Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.\nMatthew 18:2-3\nDear Friends, family and loved ones,\nDire. If I had only one word to describe the situation of the unreached, this would be the one. The past week I have learned so much more about the tragic situation of the unreached in the world. The mere idea that there are over 3 billion people who have never heard the name of Jesus is shocking, almost half the population of the world (1+ billion of which are in India alone). What is more shocking, is that only 3% of missionaries are going to those unreached places, the rest are going to places already reached with the gospel. Every day 120,000 unreached people die. If you held your finger on your pulse, for every heartbeat you feel, one unreached person has passed into eternity. I could keep going with these statistics, but my hope is not to discourage you, but to stir your heart up for the unreached like mine has been.\nThis week we went out for two outreaches, both at community parks. The first one was at a town called Homex, half an hour from Rosarito. We had many people come that we invited from the community and did the whole sha-bang; hotdogs, kids games, a Bible teaching, etc. That evening I got the great opportunity to share my testimony with the adults as well.\nWednesday night we visited Calvary Chapel Playas, Tijuana, and I taught the 3-11 year old\u0026rsquo;s with another student, Samantha. The kids in Mexico are very respectful and kind, so it was one of the easiest and enjoyable classes I ever taught, even though it was through a translator!\nRob Douglass teaching a class on cross-culture\nOn a more spur of the moment, the leadership decided to try a ‘pop-up outreach’, where we went out to the community around Calvary Chapel Ensenada. Although we knew exactly what we would be doing, we did not make a specific schedule, leaving the timing of everything up to the Lord. Without the worry of the next thing on the schedule, we could spend more focus on prayer and sharing with locals, and one young man even gave his life to the Lord! A spin-the-wheel game was setup for the kids. One of the things the kids could ‘win’ was praying with us. I had the most blessed time praying with the kids. Many of them, even 5-year old’s, had specific things they wanted prayer for. One kid, Julian, wanted prayer for property for his family to live on. Another wanted prayer for their alcoholic father. Although many of these kids had tough things happening in their lives, they were so joyful and attentive, which made me want to share more in their child-like faith.\nPrayer Requests:\nGod\u0026rsquo;s covering hand over us as we go to a rehab outreach this coming week I know I keep adding this each week, but we always need God\u0026rsquo;s protection against the enemy\u0026rsquo;s lies and discouragement. Spiritual warfare is always hard-pressed when sharing the truth of God! Wisdom for the team in sharing Jesus wherever we go. Praise Reports:\nGreat success of reaching the community in our \u0026lsquo;pop-up outreach\u0026rsquo; in Ensenada. Making many great connections with the local communities, pastors, and fellow students. Gospel Partners\nAll of you are our lifeline to the communities we reach, so I would love to get to know and partner with you more as I learn to be an ambassador of CC North Texas to Mexico!\nYou can contact me through email, phone or text. There is also a button on the bottom of this letter if you would like to financially be apart of this work in Mexico.\nEirene,\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\njoshuavan6@gmail.com\n971-762-7451\nPartner Financially\n","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2022/07/25/learning-child-like-faith/","summary":"\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said \u0026ldquo;Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMatthew 18:2-3\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDear Friends, family and loved ones,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDire. If I had only one word to describe the situation of the unreached, this would be the one. The past week I have learned so much more about the tragic situation of the unreached in the world. The mere idea that there are over 3 billion people who have never heard the name of Jesus is shocking, almost half the population of the world (1+ billion of which are in India alone). What is more shocking, is that only 3% of missionaries are going to those unreached places, the rest are going to places already reached with the gospel. Every day 120,000 unreached people die. If you held your finger on your pulse, for every heartbeat you feel, one unreached person has passed into eternity. I could keep going with these statistics, but my hope is not to discourage you, but to stir your heart up for the unreached like mine has been.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Learning Child-like Faith"},{"content":"Dear Family, Friends, and Loved Ones,\nWhen I applied for the Calvary School of Missions, I did it with no intention of having a change of mind on any major conviction. Yet, having been through only a week of instruction, I am left with no other option. The motto of this year, Romans 15:20, \u0026ldquo;And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man\u0026rsquo;s foundation.\u0026rdquo; This gives a summary of my time so far. We are called, the entire church, to do missions. Jesus said, \u0026ldquo;Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations\u0026hellip;\u0026rdquo; Mat. 28:19. Though not everyone is called to be missionaries, the role of the church in missions is as a cornerstone. With that being said, I am so happy that many of you are so willing to be partnered with me as I am here in Mexico learning and serving.\nMonday, July 12th half the team and I went to the Rosarito dump for our first outreach. A community lives inside the garbage dump. With the pastor Eddy of the nearest city, Homex, we gathered people to share the gospel, a testimony, and some sandwiches that we prepared for them.\nAlthough there were only about 4 people who showed up for the message, we were happy God was able to use us even for the little. Later that week the second group went out and 10 showed up to hear, one of them even got saved!\nOn Saturday, July 16th we went out to Calvary Chapel Vista Del Valle to do an outreach at a local park. We had tons of kids come out to play, face paint, make bracelets, eat, and more! While feeding them physically, we got to feed them spiritually by share about Jesus with them and their parents!\nIn between all of these activities I have been busy with classes and reading material.\nWednesday night we went to the Calvary Rosarito mid-week Bible study. We also had a tour of its progression from when it was first planted 20 years ago in a small home, to where it is now! This one church has planted 43 other churches in Mexico, 11 of which are second generation churches (church plants of church plants) and there is plans for a new church plant which will be a third generation. This is not even including the fact that CC Rosarito was itself a church plant from CC Saving Grace in California.\nThe LORD has been doing an amazing work here in Rosarito and in me. But where will he have me to go next? Africa? the Middle East? India? North Korea? Azerbaijan? Maybe some of these places seem a little crazy to go to, but isn\u0026rsquo;t that simply what Jesus asks for, radical discipleship? \u0026ldquo;If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.\u0026rdquo; Luke 14:26. Although these may not seem like comforting words, how can I give anything less for the one who not only died for us, but took the entire wrath of God for all our sins upon Himself? So is it biblical, or just radical, or maybe me being a little crazy? Maybe its all three, but regardless, I know that Jesus says, \u0026ldquo;and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.\u0026rdquo; Mat. 28:20.\nPrayer Requests:\nGod would continue to provide for us in outreaches and other activities More people would see God\u0026rsquo;s love through us and be saved Leading in God\u0026rsquo;s future will for my life Praise Reports:\nKayla and Bryan have made it down to Mexico with us in good health Great team unity so far Gospel Partners\nIf you would like to partner while I become equipped to reach the nations for God\u0026rsquo;s glory, I would love to connect with you!\nYou can contact me through email, phone or text. There is also a button on the bottom of this letter if you would like to financially be apart of this work in Mexico.\nEirene,\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\njoshuavan6@gmail.com\n971-762-7451\nPartner Financially\n","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2022/07/18/crazy-radical-or-biblical/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eDear Family, Friends, and Loved Ones,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen I applied for the Calvary School of Missions, I did it with no intention of having a change of mind on any major conviction. Yet, having been through only a week of instruction, I am left with no other option. The motto of this year, Romans 15:20, \u0026ldquo;And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man\u0026rsquo;s foundation.\u0026rdquo; This gives a summary of my time so far. We are called, the entire church, to do missions. Jesus said, \u0026ldquo;Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations\u0026hellip;\u0026rdquo; Mat. 28:19. Though not everyone is called to be missionaries, the role of the church in missions is as a cornerstone. With that being said, I am so happy that many of you are so willing to be partnered with me as I am here in Mexico learning and serving.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Crazy, Radical or Biblical?"},{"content":" \u0026ldquo;Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me\u0026rdquo;\nPhilippians 3:4\nDear family, friends, and loved ones,\nThe last two days have been uncertain, yet the LORD has graciously provided. Arriving at Saturday morning in Orange County, CA, I was picked up by my sister Aleah, the financial assistant for CSOM, and rode with her throughout the day as she prepared for the upcoming trip. We ended up being exposed to CoVid that day, which caused us to have to wait in case any symptoms would surface. The group left Sunday afternoon to head to Mexico as me and my sister stayed at a hotel.\nConcerned for the future, we sat to figuring out what we would do. Troubling thoughts would surface, yet by God\u0026rsquo;s grace I was set on waiting for Him, because I would press on for that \u0026lsquo;which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me\u0026rsquo;. God would not bring me all the way to California to stop here. On the contrary, He knew exactly how every part of this trip would go. So waiting on the LORD, He rewarded me and my sister with a home to stay in for the rest of Sunday and that night.\nNow as I write this letter, we have tested negative for CoVid and are about to take a bus trip down to the border to be picked up and driven the rest of the way to the connections house in Rosarito, MX. Surely God is faithful to those who wait! But in reflection, I wondered why. Would it not have been easier to have gone yesterday with the group? Maybe. Yet I would never had a chance to wait on the LORD, to indulge in His word for a night by myself in a home I never, in my own plans, imagined staying in. Last night, I was able to re-assess God\u0026rsquo;s word in light of a fresh, new way of looking at Jesus\u0026rsquo; commands. To take literally His words to follow Him and let go of my own vision and desires in order for the LORD to write his vision on my heart.\nNow I am looking joyfully looking forward to joining my brothers and sisters in Mexico to serve the church and the needy, and learn more about God, His Word, and His future path for me.\nPrayer Requests:\nOne thing I please ask for you is to join me in prayer for Kayla and Bryan, my other sister and her husband who are still sick from CoVid. They are having a difficult time and need much strength to continue recovering in California until they will join us in Mexico. Provision spiritually, physically, emotionally, and financially Partners in the gospel Praise Reports:\nProvision in California Protection from sickness Travel to Mexico Gospel Partners\nIf you would like to partner while I become equipped to reach the nations for God\u0026rsquo;s glory, I would love to connect with you!\nYou can contact me through email, phone or text. There is also a button on the bottom of this letter if you would like to financially be apart of this work in Mexico.\nEirene,\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\njoshuavan6@gmail.com\n971-762-7451\nPartner Financially\n","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2022/07/11/letting-go/","summary":"\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePhilippians 3:4\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDear family, friends, and loved ones,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe last two days have been uncertain, yet the LORD has graciously provided. Arriving at Saturday morning in Orange County, CA, I was picked up by my sister Aleah, the financial assistant for CSOM, and rode with her throughout the day as she prepared for the upcoming trip. We ended up being exposed to CoVid that day, which caused us to have to wait in case any symptoms would surface. The group left Sunday afternoon to head to Mexico as me and my sister stayed at a hotel.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Letting Go"},{"content":" Picking Up Speed - August 1, 2022\n\u0026ldquo;And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.\u0026rdquo; Rev 12:11\nRead More\u0026hellip;\nLearning Child-Like Faith - July 25, 2022\n“For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Dear family, friends, and loved ones\u0026hellip; Mat 26:28\nRead More\u0026hellip;\nCrazy, Radical or Biblical? - July 18, 2022\nDear Family, Friends, and Loved Ones, When I applied for the Calvary School of Missions, I did it with no intention of having\u0026hellip;\nRead More\u0026hellip;\nLetting Go - June 11, 2022\n\u0026ldquo;Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me\u0026rdquo; Phil 3:4\nRead More\u0026hellip;\nPurpose of the Present - May 14, 2022\n“For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Dear family, friends, and loved ones\u0026hellip; Mat 26:28\nRead More\u0026hellip;\n","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/update-blog-posts/","summary":"\u003cfigure\u003e\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/jvanrenterghem/wp-content/uploads/sites/167/2024/03/1.jpg\"/\u003e \n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\u003cfigure\u003e\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/jvanrenterghem/wp-content/uploads/sites/167/2024/03/2.jpg\"/\u003e \n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePicking Up Speed\u003c/strong\u003e - August 1, 2022\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.\u0026rdquo; Rev 12:11\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/jvanrenterghem/2022/08/01/picking-up-speed/\"\u003eRead More\u0026hellip;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLearning Child-Like Faith\u003c/strong\u003e - July 25, 2022\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Dear family, friends, and loved ones\u0026hellip; Mat 26:28\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Update Blog Posts"},{"content":" After spending 6-weeks training in Mexico at the Calvary School of Missions, Joshua began to pursue serving as a bush pilot by saving for college, but shortly after returning from Mexico, God redirected him to, instead, pursue full-time, on the ground, serving in church planting and discipleship in the mission field. Since then he spent a year studying at Calvary Bible Institute, Peru, and is currently preparing to return to serve full time by studying as a student in the Missions Training Program in Southern California.\nIf you would like to partner with him, please pray for provision and opportunities to prepare for how he will be serving children in Peru. To partner financially, visit Joshua\u0026rsquo;s Partner Page\n","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/calvary-school-of-missions/","summary":"\u003cfigure\u003e\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/jvanrenterghem/wp-content/uploads/sites/167/2022/07/CSOM-outside-group-300x225-1.jpeg\"/\u003e \n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\u003cfigure\u003e\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/jvanrenterghem/wp-content/uploads/sites/167/2022/07/joel-worship-at-CSOM-300x225-1.jpeg\"/\u003e \n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\u003cfigure\u003e\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/jvanrenterghem/wp-content/uploads/sites/167/2022/07/CSOM-prayer-300x225-1.jpeg\"/\u003e \n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAfter spending 6-weeks training in Mexico at the Calvary School of Missions, Joshua began to pursue serving as a bush pilot by saving for college, but shortly after returning from Mexico, God redirected him to, instead, pursue full-time, on the ground, serving in church planting and discipleship in the mission field. Since then he spent a year studying at Calvary Bible Institute, Peru, and is currently preparing to return to serve full time by studying as a student in the Missions Training Program in Southern California.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Ministry Background"},{"content":" Joshua Vanrenterghem was blessed to be raised in a God fearing, Christian family in Oregon. Joshua knew the LORD has had a calling on him to do mission work since his first short-term missions’ trip in Mexico. That, combined with his love for practically serving others has led him to pursuing living and serving full-time on the mission field. Currently, he is preparing himself by studying in the Mission Training Program at CC Saving Grace, with the goal of partnering with different ministries to raise children rescued from sex and organ trafficking, as well as plant churches among the unreached!\n","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/about-joshua/","summary":"\u003cfigure\u003e\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/jvanrenterghem/wp-content/uploads/sites/167/2024/02/Profile-Photo-edited.jpg\"/\u003e \n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eJoshua Vanrenterghem was blessed to be raised in a God fearing, Christian family in Oregon. Joshua knew the LORD has had a calling on him to do mission work since his first short-term missions’ trip in Mexico. That, combined with his love for practically serving others has led him to pursuing living and serving full-time on the mission field. Currently, he is preparing himself by studying in the Mission Training Program at CC Saving Grace, with the goal of partnering with different ministries to raise children rescued from sex and organ trafficking, as well as plant churches among the unreached!\u003c/p\u003e","title":"About Joshua"},{"content":"If you feel the Lord has lead you to financially support me while I prepare to serve full-time on the mission field, you may do so by following the directions below.\n\u0026ldquo;For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.\u0026rdquo; 2 Cor 8:12\nCheck The best way to donate is through check, this bypasses any credit card fees.\nMake the check out to \u0026lsquo;SGWM\u0026rsquo;, and put \u0026lsquo;Joshua Vanrenterghem Missions Support\u0026rsquo; in the memo line. Write to 17451 Bastanchury Rd. Suite 203 Yorba Linda, CA 92886\nCard You may also donate through card. Press here to go to the donate link.\n\u0026ldquo;So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.\u0026rdquo;\n2 Cor 9:7\n","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/donations/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eIf you feel the Lord has lead you to financially support me while I prepare to serve full-time on the mission field, you may do so by following the directions below.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.\u0026rdquo; 2 Cor 8:12\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"check\"\u003eCheck\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe best way to donate is through check, this bypasses any credit card fees.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Become a Financial Partner"},{"content":"Matthew 26:28 \u0026ldquo;For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.\u0026rdquo;\nDear family, friends, and loved ones,\nEach day the Lord has been leading me graciously in His wisdom, showing me more exhaustively that my life is not about knowing every detail ahead, but simply and earnestly seeking the Lord and giving him the reign over my life.\nFor a long time I have felt the call to spread the gospel to the farthest reaches of the Earth, but more and more I have learned that the farthest reaches of the Earth are not just in third-world countries, or hostile lands, but right here where I am. I have come to understand that regardless of where I am, the Lord has me here for a reason, and as long as the Lord has me where I am, I should be diligently fulfilling that purpose. Sometimes, I forget that reason, but the Lord always directs me back to it, the blood of Jesus. I sacrifice myself as a love offering for the Lord because he sacrificed Himself for me. It reminds me of a favorite song of mine, \u0026lsquo;Do Everything\u0026rsquo; by Steven Curtis Chapman. In the song he says \u0026ldquo;let me remind you, it all matters just as long as you do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you, \u0026lsquo;cause He made you to do every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face, and tell the story of grace with every move that you make\u0026rdquo;.\nNow, the Lord has guided me to take this step of faith, attend the Calvary School of Missions (CSOM). This school is designed to equip Christians called for the mission field. I will be studying a variety of topics including biblical missiology, evangelism and discipleship, cultural immersion, church planting, and more. It will take place in Mexico from July 10 to August 21. I hope to gain experience from this which will assist me for future mission work. Afterwards, I plan on coming back home to Texas to save for flight school and, if the Lord wills, fly for a mission organization.\nIf you feel called to support me during this time of learning, service, and devotion, please pray that I have open ears to diligently hear what the Lord is leading me to do in the next steps of my life, and that God would protect, encourage, and provide for me as I go on this journey in Mexico. If you so desire, you may donate to help me financially for this trip here. I will also be posting this and other blogs on my website.\nPartner Financially Here\nEirene,\nJoshua Vanrenterghem\n","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2022/05/14/a-baby-step-of-faith/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMatthew 26:28 \u0026ldquo;For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDear family, friends, and loved ones,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach day the Lord has been leading me graciously in His wisdom, showing me more exhaustively that my life is not about knowing every detail ahead, but simply and earnestly seeking the Lord and giving him the reign over my life.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor a long time I have felt the call to spread the gospel to the farthest reaches of the Earth, but more and more I have learned that the farthest reaches of the Earth are not just in third-world countries, or hostile lands, but right here where I am. I have come to understand that regardless of where I am, the Lord has me here for a reason, and as long as the Lord has me where I am, I should be diligently fulfilling that purpose. Sometimes, I forget that reason, but the Lord always directs me back to it, the blood of Jesus. I sacrifice myself as a love offering for the Lord because he sacrificed Himself for me. It reminds me of a favorite song of mine, \u0026lsquo;Do Everything\u0026rsquo; by Steven Curtis Chapman. In the song he says \u0026ldquo;let me remind you, it all matters just as long as you do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you, \u0026lsquo;cause He made you to do every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face, and tell the story of grace with every move that you make\u0026rdquo;.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Purpose of the Present"},{"content":" Joshua Vanrenterghem was blessed to be raised in a God fearing, Christian family in Oregon. Joshua knew the LORD has had a calling on him to do mission work since his first short-term missions’ trip in Mexico. That, combined with his love for aviation, has led him to believe that it is God’s calling for him to be a missionary pilot. Currently working as an electrician, he is saving money for flight school and preparing for whatever the LORD has ahead in the meantime. Hearing of his sister’s experience at Calvary School of Mission lead him to prayerfully apply and is now accepted.\n","permalink":"https://archive.sgwm.com/jvanrenterghem/jvanrenterghem/2022/05/13/hello-world/","summary":"\u003cfigure\u003e\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/jvanrenterghem/wp-content/uploads/sites/167/2022/05/Rosarito-Mexico.jpg\"/\u003e \n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\u003cfigure\u003e\n    \u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" src=\"/jvanrenterghem/wp-content/uploads/sites/167/2022/05/Personal-Photo.jpg\"/\u003e \n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eJoshua Vanrenterghem was blessed to be raised in a God fearing, Christian family in Oregon. Joshua knew the LORD has had a calling on him to do mission work since his first short-term missions’ trip in Mexico. That, combined with his love for aviation, has led him to believe that it is God’s calling for him to be a missionary pilot. Currently working as an electrician, he is saving money for flight school and preparing for whatever the LORD has ahead in the meantime. Hearing of his sister’s experience at Calvary School of Mission lead him to prayerfully apply and is now accepted.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Joshua Vanrenterghem"}]