Preparing in the Present

Youth group trip to Argentina

Our church just sent out a team of youth to visit the church partners in Argentina! They will be gone for two weeks, serving and ministering to the church communities in three different cities. We are so expectant that the Lord will move in and through this group of young people. Click here to read daily updates from the youth, during their trip!

As we shared in our last update, the GoMission.Church Summer Internship is here! We are in our third week of sessions and have already seen how the Lord is speaking and meeting us when we give Him the space in our days. We have had the privilege to (already) have met with 9 different ministry leaders in our city, hearing about topics like Abiding in Jesus, College Campus ministry, The Glory of God and what that means, God’s design for work and rest, local evangelism efforts, speakers personal testimonies, and so much more! We are enjoying getting to know each intern and watch as the Lord invites them further into the plans He has for them. Please pray with us, over the interns, that God would draw them closer to His heart and show them how they can partner with His restoration work in our city!

As we think about preparing for Argentina, we have noticed how many opportunities God is giving us to practice the things we feel called to do there, here and now. God has provided us with a great little apartment, a wonderful community and family around us, and so many opportunities to disciple and walk alongside young people. We are enjoying these gifts very much, which also makes it hard to think about leaving for Argentina, at times. However, it is SO encouraging to look at our life and see how God has us in His training school, teaching us everything we will need for the next step. Here are some specific areas that God is teaching us in:

Jared is inviting a small group of young men in our church to regularly gather together, and encurage one another in the daily realities of following Jesus. And the GoMission Internship is another opportunity that we have to, together, walk alongside young people in the mission of God!

Right now we feel challenged to engage in prayer in a more radical way. You may remember one of Jared’s updates while he was back in Argentina, Starting with Prayer, where he shared about devoting time to prayer because of the reality that we can’t do anything without Jesus. God has been stirring our church here in Fresno to give an hour each morning to intercession, 6:30am-7:30am Monday - Friday. We felt an invitation from the Lord to go every morning for two weeks, to participate in what God is doing and practice starting everything we do with prayer.

Hospitality is something we want to prioritize in our marriage, welcoming people into our home and sharing life together. This is something we anticipate getting to a lot of in Argentina! People are very hospitable and open their homes to each other, which is a part of the culture we are excited to participate in! What this looks like now is inviting young people from our church to come, have a meal, and fellowship together. We have been on the receiving end of some really generous hospitality lately that has blessed and inspired us to do the same with others!