Missions

God has done amazing things in 2024!! Ministry By the end of 2024, we will have hosted 44 teams (over 680 people) from the US and Canada. We also had our first team from Hawaii this year! All of these teams were housed at Connections House where our staff cooked most of their meals as well. About 25% of the teams did ministry with other missionaries, so we set up the ministry for the majority of them. They served at orphanages, feeding kitchens, the garbage dump, churches, and more. There was a lot of kids’ ministry (VBS, which also reaches out to a lot of their parents), soccer ministry, construction projects, two homes built for families in need, and the gospel was shared at every single one of them. ...

We thank and praise the Lord for those that were faithful and came to serve over these last couple of years. Ministry was not the same due to COVID 19, but God was faithful. He provided enough teams to do the exact work that he had planned. We understand that it was out of the hands of most team members on teams that had to cancel - whether there were health reasons or church leaders that cancelled their trips. But we also know that Satan used it to put fear into people’s hearts and minds. Ministry is growing more and more and we are incredibly thankful to the Lord and to those of you that have decided to come and serve! ...

Family We are super excited to announce that grandbaby #2 is on its way! Joshua just turned one year-old this month and in October he will be a big brother! Brian and Brittany have recently started attending the church planting class offered at our church. We are excited to see what the Lord has in store for them! (While secretly hoping that God doesn’t take them too far away from us.) ...

Family As you know from our last update, Ron has decided to have back fusion surgery to try and help alleviate the severe back pain he has been experiencing for almost a year now. It was supposed to take place mid-January. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, non-essential surgeries are being postponed. It may happen as early as the end of January, but we have no way of knowing at this point. Please pray with us that it will be allowed to take place soon! ...

Family Next steps for William! After several postponements, we recently held a small graduation ceremony for William by the beach. We are very proud of him for graduating with honors and we look forward to what the Lord has in store for him! He is continuing to work at Chick-fil-A in California. Recently he fixed up and sold his first car, and has purchased and started fixing up a second one. Please join us in praying for him as he decides his next steps in life. ...

This has definitely been a different year of ministry so far! In March we watched all of our spring teams cancel due to the pandemic. This was difficult for a couple of reasons. One, because that meant a lot of ministry that wouldn’t be happening - children that wouldn’t hear about Jesus, orphanages that wouldn’t get visited, food that wouldn’t be given away, and so much more! Secondly, it meant that Connections House wouldn’t have any funds coming in to help pay the bills. ...

So much has been happening since our last update! Here is the abbreviated version: FAMILY If you have not yet heard, we are going to become grandparents any day now! Brian & Brittany are expecting a baby boy - Joshua Brian - on March 17th! We are super excited for them. Brittany has been continuing with her job at Chik-fil-A in California. In January, Brian was ordained as an Assistant Pastor at their church, Calvary Chapel Playas de Tijuana. We’re super proud of him and excited to see what the Lord has in store for him in the future! ...

Backpacks! If you recall, at Christmas time we have been getting a large number of backpacks donated for children. These backpacks are full of school supplies, hygiene products, toys, sometimes clothing or shoes, and more. They have been such an awesome tool for evangelism! This year they were used for three different outreaches. Two of these outreaches were Christmas outreaches for children. There were games, crafts, a piñata, Bible lessons, and of course, the gospel presentation. Over a dozen children professed faith in Jesus Christ!! ...

Third Floor Expansion! We are so excited to show you some photos of the expansion to our third floor! The foundation has been laid for the new commercial kitchen/dining hall and the firepit has been moved to its new location on the open, upper patio. Next week all the supports will be taken down on the second floor. What’s Next? There are two things on the list of what comes next - railings and block walls. Two of the walls for new building will be made of block. Once those are in place, the metal studs that have already been donated can be put up to finish the walls for the building. As soon as possible, we would like to get railings put up on the third floor for safety. The fire pit is ready for use, however some teams, especially those with children, will not be able to use it until railings are installed. ...

Wow! We have had a whirlwind of teams and ministry. God is so good! He is also doing big things here at our team dorms, Connections House! In mid-July the paperwork finalizing the sale of the property went through and we officially became the new owners! We are eager to show you the improvements that we have been making over the past six months or so, and update you on our newest project! However, that will have to wait for our next update, so stay tuned! ...