July 2024 Newsletter Joshua Vanrenterghem Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know Jeremiah 33:3 Dear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones, I just returned from my visit to Costa Rica for the purpose of learning how a children’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. “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 ...

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. 2 Cor 3:15-16 I 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! ...

May 2024 Newsletter Joshua Vanrenterghem 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. Ephesians 1:5-6 Dear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones, This 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’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. “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.” 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, “who am I Lord?”. 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’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. ...

April 2024 Newsletter Joshua Vanrenterghem Now 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. 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 Dear friends, family, and loved ones, What a thrilling season! Celebrating the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus was glorious! There is something very special about this year’s Resurrection Sunday celebration. I have never had such a profound time seeking Jesus and His Word. ...

March 2024 Newsletter Joshua Vanrenterghem In 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 ...

February 2024 Newsletter Joshua Vanrenterghem “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.” Ephesians 1:5-6 It’s 2024! All I can say is THANK YOU! Thanks to all of you who have supported and followed me this crazy year. The 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. ...

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Acts 2:42 Dear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones, The fellowship of God’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 ‘Purpose of the Church’ 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, “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.” ...

“… 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” Romans 9:2-3 Dear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones, What 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’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. ...

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. Revelation 12:11 Dear Friends, Family, and Loved Ones, The 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. ...

Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:2-3 Dear Friends, family and loved ones, Dire. 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. ...