We have some exciting news… We are launching a “sending” pilot project this month! Since the start of GoMission.Church, our team has been dreaming about being able to support local churches in managing and sending out teams on mission trips. If you have ever been on the planning side of a mission trip, you know that it takes a whole lot of organizing. Sometimes, having to come up with a way to organize all that is required to send a team can become a barrier that keeps churches with less capacity from organizing mission trips and sending their people out… or it is at least a heavy burden to carry! In the last few months, we’ve been connecting with three different churches with this exact struggle. We realized that this could be God opening the door for us to step into the next phase of developing GoMission.Church as a resource for the local Church to engage in missions. So, we have been working with a platform similar to GoMission.Church that is solely focused on organizing things like flight information, team member trip applications, fundraising tracking, and more. With these three “pilot trips”, we hope to learn how to better support local churches in sending teams, equipping and encouraging them, and helping them communicate with the people of God about what He is doing in His kingdom. We are so excited to see how God uses this resource to further engage His people, with His mission, for His glory! Please join us in praying for these three trips that God would provide for them, and as they go out in faith, that they would get a bird's eye view of how God is working in His kingdom around the world!
October Update Over the past several months, Madi and I have stepped into a new role within Circuit Riders. As our ministry has continued to grow (now with over 300 full-time staff!) we’ve been building more intentional structure. We’ve implemented a new operating system to organize our entire ministry, which has been so helpful in managing the many moving parts of Circuit Riders (from college and high school evangelism to international missions, music, media, local outreach and discipleship). Within this new structure, Madi and I are now part of the executive leadership team for Circuit Riders. I’m serving as Director of Operations for our training department. This means ensuring that the vision of Circuit Riders is executed effectively throughout our training department and in each of our discipleship schools. Our department in CR consists of about 60 staff that are fully devoted to running our Circuit Rider Experience. Our CR Experience is now a year-round project with a school starting in the fall, winter and spring of each year. I am excited to serve the team in this new role and to grow in my abilities as a leader. For me it is still always about investing into young people and empowering them to do all that God has created them for. We kicked off our Fall DTS quarter in September with about 150 students here in Huntington Beach! God is already moving powerfully in their lives, and it’s such a joy to see this new generation being equipped to carry the love of Jesus to campuses and nations. We did a Baptism Day at the beach during their gospel week in the school. There were some powerful moments as two students in this school have older siblings currently on staff who had the privilege of baptizing them that day. We are currently in week 4 of the school and there is so much life transformation taking place already. Madi and I have also had the chance to serve our married couples, spending the past few months being trained to offer pre-marital counseling to couples as they get engaged. We’re excited to open our home to the many engaged couples that come from CR! The kids started school last month, with Azariah in second grade attending Beachcities Classical co-op and the twins completing one more year of preschool. They’re doing well adjusting to the rhythm of school again! Madi also has an exciting update. Some of you know that she’s been working on a novel over the past few years. It was a finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis contest in September and is currently with agents being considered for publication! So, stay tuned for more updates about her book! Thank you for standing with us and for all your prayers and support. We’re truly expectant for what’s ahead!
"Buenos dias!" This month marks a very special milestone for us— we’re celebrating our first year of marriage! God has blessed us with the gift of being able to do ministry, together, in a place that’s so close to both of our hearts: The Mission, in Tijuana, Mexico, where we both now call home. You may have followed my (Sydney's) journey over the years, or maybe we've met sometime along the way. Either way, you'll know that The Mission, "Rancho de Sus Niños" or simply the life i've spent here in Mexico, has been more than just a season or passing chapter. This place has been deeply woven into my heart and has served as a guiding marker throughout my young adult life. Not the easiest path, but the one that's been worth it. Now, after 10 years, in various ways i've been asked, "Why do you stay at The Mission? An orphanage as home? " Our "WHY." We often look around at the needs in the world we live in, and it’s only natural to assume that someone else—someone kind, someone capable, someone with more time will step in, and take care of whatever needs to be taken care of. We sit with good intentions, even in our prayers and intercessions, and trust in faith that “God will take care of them.” Well, after now spending almost a decade being a part of this ministry, we've had the privilege of seeing transformation that only comes through steady, consistent, every day choices. By answering the call, we've chosen to stand in gap as the very hands and feet of "God taking care of them." It is mine and Juan's honor and privilege to be able to earn the place of "safe space" to the kids that we've watched grow up over the years, here, at the orphanage. Now together, we get to invite them into this fun new chapter of family, as husband and wife. This last month: This last month we had the privilege of helping fill in as part of the acting "house parents" of one of the girls houses (group homes) here on campus. 11 beautiful loves got to experience our touch of parenthood, in their own space and weekly routine. And what a joy it was! Living alongside the girls—from making breakfast and helping them get ready for school each morning, to preparing dinner and settling into bedtime routines each evening. We were able to connect with the girls in a special way—by serving them, praying over them, and just having fun with them. All while simultaneously communicating in a language that only time given can speak: "You're loved. You're chosen. No matter the circumstances that brought you here— you're now a daughter in this Kingdom." This is the story we are inviting you to be a part of. This ministry truly takes a village—those of us here on site, and those who support us through prayer and giving. We’re excited to share more details about everything happening here at The Mission—beyond our involvement with the orphanage homes, including our church, schools, outreach programs, and, hopefully very soon, our growing family. We’re walking in peace, confident we’re right where God wants us—trusting He’ll provide the means to continue writing this story, through friends and family like you. Some specific ways to pray and give: In anticipation to grow our little family, we were recently blessed with new housing and are needing a few essentials pieces: A bed (mattress + frame) A kitchen table & chairs Shelves & dressers Patio furniture How you can PRAY for us: Energy & strength—This month we'll be headed to ROMANIA to serve our second base there for three weeks! (More details to come on our sponsorship page) Financial provision and blessing—As we look forward to growing our family in God’s timing. Hope for biological children—That God would open the door for us to welcome in little ones and bless us with the gift of new life soon. Click below if you're able to offer financial support (monthly or one-time) The link will redirect you to our personal sponsorship page: GoMission.Church (Sydney & Juan) From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you. Together, we are making an eternal impact, and we thank God for your vital role in this story! Con mucho amor, Juan & Sydney If you'd prefer to skip the links above and instantly bless us through CashApp or Venmo you can use the bubble icons below, or save them for later: CashApp: $SydneyLorenzana (green bubble) or Venmo: Sydney-Lorenzana (blue bubble) To learn more about The Mission, where we live and serve, click below: themissioninc.org
Making Room "...you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." Ephesians 2:19-22 Hey everyone! Over the last month, there has been a lot going on here in Mendoza at the church! There are a lot of exciting opportunities coming up for partnerships with other churches and ministries, as well as the start of some really important conversations about our goals and priorities in this season as leaders in this community. God has continued to put on my heart the centrality of prayer and dependence on Him and His leadership over our ideas and strategies, and we have continued to move in this direction! We are still dedicating time before our Sunday night meetings to pray, and we have also started a weekly English-speaking gathering focused on fasting, prayer, and worship. Our goal is that prayer would be the heartbeat of everything we do. That the focus would be not on what we can do, but on what God can do. We have also been making progress towards preparing the new space for our English-speaking community to use. The whole project is moving much more slowly than we were originally hoping, but we are still definitely getting closer to having this space ready to use! All the demo work is done, and we should be making some major progress this week! Throughout the whole story of the Scriptures, there is a recurring theme that whatever is fully given over to God, He fills with His presence. First, the tabernacle, as it's made holy and fully consecrated to God, is filled powerfully with God's Spirit. This happens again with the construction and dedication of the temple by Solomon. Then, at the start of the book of Acts, the disciples gather together in prayer and wait on God. In this Holy space of waiting and prayer, as they offer themselves to God, they are filled with His empowering Presence for the sake of the Gospel. In both our times of prayer and as we prepare a physical space to be devoted to God and His Church, we are clearing spaces in our lives and community for God to come and fill. This not only happens at a community level but also at a very practical personal level. The more space God is given in our hearts and lives, the more we will be able to see and experience His kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus said it like this. "...he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it." Mark 8:34-35 As we let go of our own lives and deny ourselves, Jesus will fill that empty space with His very own life. Right now in my life, this practically looks like going for walks that are set apart just for talking with God. Other times, it can even look like just taking 2 minutes to be silent and give God my full attention and remember that He is with me, but whatever way I choose to make space for God, I find that somehow, He always fills it. Sometimes in major ways, sometimes very subtly, but time, space, and attention given over fully to Jesus is never wasted. Thank you all again so much for your prayers. I'm excited to keep sharing with you all that God is doing here! If you are interested in hearing more about what is going on here in Mendoza, I'm planning to host an hour-long Zoom call on Sunday, October 26th, at 5:30 pm (PDT). This will be a time where I can share a few of the things going on here as well as answer any questions you may have about life and ministry here in Argentina! I hope to see you then! Here is the link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83449502648 Thank you all so much for all of your encouragement, prayers, and support! If you haven't already, please sign up for my WhatsApp prayer group! Click here to join the WhatsApp Prayer group! Please be praying for: Pastor Mark and Karina as they lead this community Discernment in vision and direction for the church (especially as it relates to discipleship and partnering with other groups) My continued Spanish learning process Fresh personal experience of the Gospel for each member of our community
Ash: Life after GFL Before joining GFL, Ash described herself as an atheist who was deeply hurting, closed off, and unable to trust others. Through her time in the program, she experienced healing and discovered a renewed sense of purpose. She recently shared her testimony at a GFL event and accredited much of her ability to change to the love she received from Vanessa who refused to give up on her. Ash is also grateful that she's been welcomed into the "GFL Family", all of whom she can still call upon today for whatever she may need, from advice to help during car trouble. Today, she is engaged to be married, has grown in confidence to begin modeling, and is boldly living out her faith as a professing Christian. Ash and her fiancé now joyfully attend Legacy Christian Church, walking in hope and a future she never imagined possible.
Divine Appointments at Pop-Up Dinners in Our Community We never know what to expect at the Pop-Up dinners that we host every other month in our community. The table that seats between 10-20 people brings people together from all different walks of life, including from different parts of the city, different jobs, backgrounds, and so on, to hear each other's stories. So when two "strangers" who come to one of the dinners "happen" to know each from some walk of life, we always take careful note: What might God be doing here. But when we see this happening across the board (or in this case, across the table) we pay extra close attention to these divine appointments. "Divine appointments" - When God brings two or more people together, who may or may not already know each other, to accomplish His purposes in and through their lives. Our most recent Pop-Up Dinner in August in Old Town Clovis was FILLED with divine appointments. It was crazy! You couldn't miss it. Someone sat down at the table next to a co-worker, neither of whom knew they were coming to the dinner. Another person sat down next to a family friend, again, neither of whom knew they were coming. Multiple people at the table shared a common burden that God has been stirring in their hearts. There were multiple ties and connections between jobs, ministries and common interests. There were so many connections between the 18 people around the table that we lost count. God is amazing! The question ringing the next day after the dinner was what are we going to do with that - all of these the divine appointments. God was clearly at work, so how can we participate in what He is doing? You can be praying with us about this. Pray that God would continue to move in this way at these dinners. Pray that people would respond to the work He is doing and reach out to each other to make connections beyond the dinners. Pray that He would get the glory, and ultimately people would be drawn closer to Jesus. If you are interested in coming to one of our upcoming Pop-Up Dinners, please feel free to check out our website and Reserve a Seat. It would be great to have you join us at the table to hear one another's stories, and see what God is doing through this ministry.
CVSOM 2025 Graduation Impact! CVSOM Class of 2025 Graduation was a huge success with 450 people in attendance! We graduated 19 students from 11 different Church Families. It was an amazing and inspiring night as our worship filled the room, students received their Certificates of Christian Ministry, prayed over and were well celebrated with friends and family at our dessert reception. The Lord moved that night and inspired a CVSOM Alumni who was in attendance, to give scholarship funds for the Class of 2026 students who needed some financial help! God is so faithful to provide for our students and the vision of CVSOM. As a praise report we have given out 8 half scholarships and a book scholarship to students who were thankful to receive the help. Classes have begun for the Class of 2026 with 23 students attending! We are being hosted this year by Mountain View Church in Clovis and are so thankful for their generosity in having us as their guests! If you want to know more about CVSOM check out our Website Here Giving to support the mission of CVSOM is available Here
One Year at the Collective 103 Shop in Old Town Clovis This month marks one year for Gathering Table being at the Collective 103 shop in Old Town Clovis, where the ministry sells Spoon Rings and Local Raw honey to support upcoming Pop-Up Dinners. It has been a big learning experience over the past year having products for sale at retail. It has also been a great opportunity to invite the community to upcoming Pop-Up Dinners by putting out dinner flyers (see pic attached). Between September 2024-August 2025, Gathering Table sold nearly 100 spoon rings and over 135 pounds of raw honey at the Collective 103 shop, for a total gross sales of almost $4,700. After fees and costs, an average of approximately $150 per month went directly to supporting food and venue costs for the Pop-Up Dinners over the past year. Our goal for this second year at the shop is for the spoon ring and honey sales to completely cover the costs of doing Pop-Up Dinners every other month. The dinners cost between $400-500 each, which means the net sales at the shop (after fees and costs of jars, labels, etc) needs to average $200-250 per month. We are already over halfway there! One way you can support Gathering Table is by purchasing our Spoon Rings and Raw Honey at the Collective 103 shop. It is located at 453 Pollasky Ave, Suite #103 in Old Town Clovis, and is open 7 days a week from 11am-5pm. We are hosting a "End of Summer" honey tasting event, open to the public on September 26 from 5:30-8pm at the shop. See picture attached for details, if you're interested in stopping by. Another way you can support us is by giving toward the Collective 2025 Spot campaign to help cover the monthly rent fee of $150. We are looking to raise $1,800 to cover this monthly fee for 2025, so that all sales at the shop from this year can go directly toward supporting the ministry. By giving in this way, you are helping Gathering Table invest in the spot the Lord has provided for Gathering Table to have presence as a ministry in our community. Lastly, another you can stay posted on Gathering Table updates is by subscribing to our Table Talk Newsletter that is emailed and/or texted out regularly throughout the year.
Samantha is one of our GFL girls who joined our organization in April. Despite facing challenges such as homelessness and a lack of familial support, Samantha has always known she wanted to pursue a career in nursing—an opportunity to transform her own experiences of hardship into a life of service and impact for others in her community. Since becoming part of Grace Family Love, Samantha has started working full-time as a front office assistant, enrolled in school part-time to pursue her RN degree, and recently began volunteering weekly at a local hospital, where she serves others every Saturday. At Grace Family Love, our mission goes beyond offering assistance and resources to girls overcoming extraordinary circumstances like homelessness, trafficking, and domestic violence. At the core of our program is a holistic approach: empowering young women to heal from trauma and find purpose and impact in the world around them. As Samantha continues her journey through the GFL program and commits to her passions, we invite you to join us in prayer for her. We are incredibly proud of her progress. Our hope is that she remains steadfast and encouraged in her healing process. Healing can be hard, but it’s easier when you know you're not doing it alone. Please pray that God would reveal Himself to her in ways that inspire and strengthen her as she works toward the better life she deserves.
Starting with Prayer "Devote yourselves to prayer..." Colossians 4:2 I've now been in Mendoza for a little over a month, and so much has already happened! So far, most of my time has been spent getting to know this new church family, studying, practicing my Spanish, and exploring the city of Mendoza. There are so many things to share, but for this update, I want to focus on sharing with you what God has been doing to establish a culture of prayer here at the church. Right when I arrived in Mendoza and started asking about what God was doing in the church, almost immediately Karina shared that she felt we should intentionally devote time to prayer before our weekly Sunday gatherings. We weren't sure if anyone else would want to come, and planned mostly that it would just be us, but extended an invitation to the rest of the church as well. Since we started just a few weeks ago, we now regularly have more than 10 people coming just to pray for a half hour before the service! What's even more exciting is that we have actually been seeing the impact of these prayers in our gatherings! The very first night that we prayed, there was a clear sense of God's presence in worship, and since then, we have been seeing more and more people come each week! This has also led to some people coming early and spending time just talking and drinking coffee, and forming a community together. All this just from choosing to set aside time to pray. This simple time of prayer has been a beautiful reminder of what lies at the very heart of the gospel: Asking God to do for us what we are totally unable to do for ourselves. Jesus says it like this: 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15:5-8 Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing, but if we ask him, he wants to answer! When we first surrender to Jesus, I think this feels so clear. We know we can't do anything to save or change ourselves, but sometimes, over time, it can be tempting to think that we are somehow responsible for where we are, and we forget that it's still that same desperate dependence on Jesus that not only brings us into relationship with him, but also continues to transform us to be more like him. It seems clear to me that right now, here in Mendoza, God is stirring this kind of hunger for him. The focus for this coming month is on pivoting our English gathering from a hangout-bible study to more of a worship gathering. This means we will need to do some very practical work to clear a usable space in the upstairs portion of the cafe, where there would be more privacy for prayer and worship. I'm excited to share how the transition goes, hopefully in the next update! There are so many other stories of what God is doing that I would love to share with you all, but I don't think I will be able to share them all in this format! In light of this, I am planning to have a video call with anyone interested in October, so be looking out for more info on that in the next update! If you haven't already, please sign up for my WhatsApp prayer group! Click here to join the WhatsApp Prayer group! Please be praying for: The Spanish-speaking church and Pastor Mark and Karina The transition for the English service and a clear direction on what this transition should look like My continued Spanish learning process
Hey friends! We made a short video from this past Sunday, giving you a peek into what we’ve been up to.We can’t wait to share more details with you soon! Thank you for being a part of our journey! Click the orange text below to view the video!
Testimonies from the GM.C Summer Internship! God did so much in the hearts of these four young people over two months of exploring with Him and discovering what He is doing in Fresno and Clovis, CA. The video linked below only scratches the surface of the lessons our interns are taking with them as they continue to follow Jesus and learn more about what it means to partner with His Kingdom's work. We hope these interns’ words encourage and remind you that the same invitation they received to join God's mission in their local area is the same invitation God extends to you. You also have an opportunity to engage with the mission of God, where you are, with what you have, for His ultimate glory!