Author: David Lont

Note: There is a PDF version of this newsletter suitable for downloading and printing here.

Dear Friends and Family,

Right from the beginning of our ministry time in Mexico 33 years ago, God has been faithful. How precious it is to remember the faithfulness of our God! When we moved to Guadalajara just weeks after getting married, He provided us with a nice apartment, all paid for by the church that we were working with. We raised up a worship team, led a youth group, did camps with them, and became part of the team that made that church prosper during those years.

When the time came for us to move on to the state of Hidalgo, He provided as we began our work in Tulancingo. Doors opened, His provision came, and eventually a small group of donors came together who the Lord used to support our ministry. I remember so well how back in the year 2000 and 2001, we needed a computer and a laser printer to be able to print our own teaching materials. He provided! When we needed a car to travel, He once again provided. When we had the desire to own a piece of property and build a house where our children could grow up just outside the city, He provided. Great is His faithfulness!

Now, many years later, we look back and see how good God has been to us. In 2001, we began a church which continues to be a blessing to many families in our city. Then, in 2014, we started an online Bible School when online education was unheard of here in Mexico. But it caught on, and over 1,000 students from all over the nation (and even other countries) have taken courses with us since then, some even earning a college degree. God is faithful!

Now is a slightly different season for us, a time in which our focus is becoming even sharper toward the fulfillment of our purpose. We are to take streams of living water to the dry and thirsty hearts, the many who have a true hunger to experience the Word of the Lord and His awesome presence for themselves. How we long to see His Word go forth like fire to consume those who hunger after Him, like water to quench the thirst of those who seek His rain. His Word is bread for the soul and His Spirit brings it to life! We need both. We seek both. And He is faithful to provide for those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.

Online Bible School

The Online Bible School semester has been going well. As we mentioned in our last update, we have another strong group of students. Many are completing two of the diploma programs we are offering this year. They will take part in the graduation event in the Advanced School of Ministry in Cuernavaca the last week of January. Others are finishing the Bachelor’s Degree in Theology. Around 50 students will be receiving their degree and over 100 their diploma for specific courses of academic study over the past year in our Bible School.

Anna has been particularly involved as a course content creator. She has worked hard to put together all the material and assignments for a new course we will be presenting in February of 2026 on the Local Church. You may remember us mentioning that Mark Simpson came to teach this material on video about two months ago. The course is now just about ready to present to our students.

Advanced School of Ministry

In mid-October, I took a trip to teach at the Advanced School of Ministry conference which we held in Tijuana. Together with part of our team there and other guests, we presented a three day seminar called Generational Transformation. Around 48 pastors, leaders, and others dedicated three days to seek the Lord and receive His Word on themes related to the transformation of cities and churches as one generation passes the baton to the next. We ended with a ministry time, praying for one another, and praying for our churches and cities, that the Lord would bring true transformation. We received many positive comments from those who attended, saying they had been very much encouraged by the seminar.

I also had the blessing of meeting some of our online Bible School students who live in that area and attended the conference. In particular, it was great to finally meet Jimmy and Romina, and their little boy Elías. We met them online in our school back around 2020, and it was wonderful to finally meet them in person. This couple has a tremendous call of God on their lives and talent to advance the Kingdom of God. Both of them will be graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology in January.

Now I am dedicating much time to the preparations and planning for the Advanced School of Ministry seminar which will be held in Cuernavaca at the end of January. The teachers send me their materials and I prepare it for the student notebook. I have also once again set up the online registration system for the seminar and prepared the website with all the new information. Running a Bible School, a church and leading the Advanced School of Ministry combined is a huge privilege but also a lot of work! However, we know that the eternal fruit in the Kingdom of God is well worth the effort.

Finally, I’d like to share a word of encouragement from Anna.

Between the Promise and the Breakthrough

“But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” – Romans 8:25, NKJV

I wonder how many times Abraham felt like giving up. He was promised a great family who would fill the earth and yet year after year went by with no sign of even one child. Or even the entire nation of Israel, wandering in the wilderness waiting to someday enter the fabled promised land God had promised generations ago. What about David before becoming king? He’d been promised a glorious kingdom, and yet he’d spent years upon years in the wilderness, running for his very life and eventually taking refuge under a foreign king. Here stood the anointed king of Israel, serving a pagan king.

Throughout the Bible, person upon person had valid reasons for wanting to give up. The nation of Israel was persecuted. Daniel was unjustly accused and thrown in a lion’s den. Jeremiah spoke only the truth God gave him and they put him in a cistern. All these people were sent upon a mission which, at first glance, seemed extremely hopeless.

How often do our own lives feel like that—like we’ve been given an assignment which at first sounds so marvelous only to finally realize how difficult it is to stay the course and see God’s vision for our lives come to pass?

We have all received a promise from God. In fact, the Bible is full of them. Some have received a promise of a blessed life or one abounding with joy. Others have received the promise of physical health and wellness. Many have believed God for family members who’ve stepped away from the faith. The list goes on and on. We read the Bible and claim God’s promises, believing for provision, protection, and peace in every area of our lives. And yet, it is one thing to receive a promise, and another to have the patience to keep believing it will come to pass even in the middle of a life that appears to have turned upside down.

As I’ve been thinking back upon the promises God has made me and my family, I am reminded of the need for perseverance built upon faith. It is easy to believe in one moment that we will see God’s words come to pass. But to sustain that belief for a lifetime is an altogether different matter.

In Romans 8:25, the original meaning for the word “persevere” is to stay under or to remain or abide. Paul found himself writing to a church facing discouragement and undergoing persecution. They were trying to figure out whether it was worth it to stay the course and remain faithful when it would have been, temporarily, so much easier to fall back from their faith. But Paul shares with them a powerful message: If you hope for those things which have been promised and you do not yet see, then stay the course, stay under the promise and abide there, waiting for God to break through.

I believe the key here is to abide. The gospel of John had much to say on this. But the key is that in the waiting, and in the trial, it is abiding or steadfastly remaining in Christ which makes all the difference.

What would have happened if Abraham gave up? Even though God could have brought about His will in numerous ways, it probably would have looked different than what we know today. What would have happened if Israel had completely given up on entering the promised land? They temporarily did that, and it cost them forty years in the desert. But after those forty years, could you imagine what would have happened if they’d turned their backs on God? Or what would have happened if David had given up? For that matter, what about all these Bible heroes we so often read about? If they had given up, we wouldn’t be reading about their victories.

Something happened to each and every one of them between the promise and the fulfillment. I believe what happened in between was a persevering faith that refused to give up, even when the going got rough. It was a faith which chose to abide in God, and trust in His grace to bring forth what would humanly have been impossible.

In Hebrews 11, faith is described as the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. If we took God’s promises for our lives, and stayed the course under pressure, abiding in Jesus until we see them come to pass, what could our stories be? What would people remember us for?

As the year comes to a close and we begin to reflect on the things we accomplished or failed to do, let us decide to push through and hold fast to the promises of God. Like Abraham, let us believe that He who promises is faithful. Like Israel, let us believe that He who took us out of Egypt is capable of leading us into the Promised Land. Like King David, let us believe that there is victory and a glorious kingdom on the other side of the persecution. Let us cling to God’s promises, holding on to Him, remembering that on the other side of the disappointment, discouragement, or lack of breakthrough, there is a reward and joy to be had.

In your journey to hope for the promise you have yet to see, remember this: If you’ve been feeling hopeless, there is hope. If you’ve been feeling joyless, there is joy. If you’ve been feeling discouraged, there is fresh courage available. Why? Because Jesus Himself, our great example, has walked this very same path before. He knows and understands us fully. Like Him, we can look at whatever cross we are facing, and have joy because on the other side of it there is resurrection. Let us abide in Jesus, fixing our eyes on Him, and run with endurance the race!

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:1-2, NKJV

-Anna

Prayer requests

• Please pray for our online Bible School students
• Please pray for the Advanced School of Ministry Conference
• Please pray for Sara and me as we make strategic decisions
• Please pray the Lord will raise up more supporters

If you feel led to support this ministry financially, please contact us by email (dsm@desert-streams.org) or on the WorldOutreach.org website.

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We really appreciate your prayers and support!

With love,

David and Sara Lont with Anna

Note: A PDF version of the newsletter is available here.

Dear Friends and Family,

The river is flowing in the desert, and God is doing great things among us! His mercy never fails us.

Online Bible School

This summer has been a very busy time for us with the online Bible School. Although our students were not in classes over the summer, Anna and I worked hard on getting a new course recorded and ready to go, and I also made some important changes to our online software.

During the second week of July, Anna and I recorded our Covenants course together, alternating lessons. In this way, we each taught 12 lessons, for a total of 24 lessons in the course. Anna is a fabulous Bible teacher, and we were able to flow together very well. Students are enjoying the teaching sessions because of the variety. They don’t have to listen to me for every lesson!

Anna and I together created the course notes, and she made most of the quizzes, reviews and exams. She is also a great content creator.

Over the summer, I also made some important changes to our online platform software. First, I added some AI functionality to analyze the students’ profile images. Many of their pictures were taken from far away or were difficult to see clearly. With this new feature, the profile pictures are now checked by AI to be sure we can actually see the person’s face clearly. This is nice, because now, we are able to clearly see all of our students. The second improvement was with the editor the students use to do their essays and other assignments. Many of them began using ChatGPT to help them with their homework. This is not necessarily bad if used in a way which will actually help them to learn. With the new editor, they have access to several functions which help them improve their writing skills, form bibliographies, and help with formatting, all without allowing AI to do the work for them.

In mid-August, our students started the fall semester of classes. We had another good turnout for enrollment! We are offering 12 different courses and our facilitators are working hard, connecting individually with their students to guide them through their learning experience.

Finally, last week, we had missionary Mark Simpson with us to record a course called “The Church’s Purpose in God’s Plan”. This material, written by Bill Scheidler, was brought to life through 24 sessions of Mark’s teaching, which we recorded in both video and audio. Mark did a great job of covering the material, but also bringing many of his own personal examples and testimonies into his sessions. We plan on offering this new course in February of next year.

Our Church

We are very thankful for our local church family. We have been enjoying getting to know some of the families that have started attending recently, sharing meals together. Every other week, we serve food after services and have meals together. The children enjoy playing in our church yard while the youth get together at tables to talk, and the adults meet and mingle with other families. We are using the Sundays on which meals aren’t served to invite certain families to have lunch with us, so we can get to know some of them on a more personal level.

I have been teaching each week from the Gospel of Mark, trying to get through a complete chapter each Sunday. It has been a challenge because there is so much great preaching material in each chapter! We have been hearing good reports about how these messages are impacting the lives of our congregation.

As you probably know, both Anna and Sara participate very much in our congregation. Anna is a regular Bible teacher and worship leader, and Sara often helps by directing our programs, meeting with different women, and supervising the organization of events. I am thankful for a family that loves to serve!

Family Time

Over the last two months, we also enjoyed some time with the family.

First, Daniel and Elisa came to visit us with their daughter, Ella. It was so nice to finally meet Ella! She is a sweet 10-month-old girl, and her parents are doing a wonderful job setting her routines and training her for life by creating a disciplined lifestyle. Sara especially enjoyed holding her and playing with her during our week together.

After they went back to Vancouver, WA, we headed to Michigan to spend some days with my parents in Grandville. We really enjoyed our time there away from the busyness of our normal routines. Although I still connected daily with our online students, taking care of any urgent situations, it was very good to spend the days with them. Sara and Anna enjoyed reading Amish books that my mom had there, a bit of shopping (Anna loves bookstores), and a visit to Indiana Amish country. I especially liked the ice cream!

Prayers and Thanks

We are thankful to each of you who pray for us and give financially to support us. Thank you for supporting our online Bible School, making it possible to have guests like Mark Simpson here to participate as teachers, and for helping us to create new courses, run the online platform and reach students from all across Mexico and other countries.

Please pray for the following needs:

• Wisdom and open doors for new accreditation options for the Advanced School of Ministry and our Online Bible School, Fundamentos Ministeriales.
• Preparations for the Advanced School of Ministry seminar. I will be working many hours on the preparations for this conference during the coming months.
• The Advanced School of Ministry conference in Tijuana October 15-17. I will be teaching several of the sessions there.
• For the establishment of the Kingdom of God through our local church in Tulancingo.

Thanks! It was wonderful to connect again. If you can, please drop us a note and let us know how things are going for you!

With love,

David and Sara Lont with Anna

Note: The update is available as a printable PDF here.

Dear Friends and Family,

Summer has arrived and with it, many exciting activities in ministry and opportunities to see family! We are so thankful for the Lord’s faithfulness and for each of you who stands with us in prayer and support.

I would like to share some updates on what has been happening in our ministry and family life over these past couple of months.

Local Church Ministry

At the end of May, we celebrated a special breakfast for the women of our church and their friends. Gabriel and Paloma, a wonderful young couple from Morelia, Michoacán, joined us for the weekend to minister. Paloma led a beautiful ministry time with the ladies that included creative activities such as Bible journaling and hat painting. We were blessed to have a large turnout, and many women opened their hearts to Christ and His Word during this time. Paloma did an excellent job sharing the Word of God and guiding the activities.

The following Sunday, Gabriel and Paloma were with us to preach to our congregation. It was truly a fruitful weekend, and our church family was greatly blessed by their ministry. Gabriel and Paloma have been part of our online Bible School for several years as students, and more recently, as course facilitators. They have done outstanding work, and we’re hoping to have them soon as Bible School teachers as well. Both are excellent, well-grounded teachers who share the Word boldly.

Online Bible School

June 16 marked the closing meeting of our spring semester with our online Bible School. Well over 200 students successfully completed their courses, many working toward either a degree or a certificate program. There’s been particular excitement about our new certificate programs: 1) Certificate of Basic Old Testament Studies and 2) Certificate in Fundamental Theology. We concluded our semester with a special Zoom meeting where Pastor Ofir Peña shared a beautiful word on discernment. The meeting was so well attended that Zoom warned me our space was almost full on our current plan—a first for us!

We are now working on recording new courses—one on the covenants, and soon, another on the Local Church with Mark Simpson. I’m also using this summer break to make several improvements to our online platform. With AI going mainstream, we need to take this into account as students write essays. I’m integrating changes that will allow them to use AI but simultaneously require them to think critically through their answers. We believe these adjustments will help students improve their writing while keeping them academically honest (not copying and pasting or generating answers with AI).

Our fall semester begins in August, and we’re hoping that at least 100 of our students will graduate with a certificate when the semester concludes. We’re also looking forward to having Mark Simpson with us in early September to minister to our church and record the course on the local church.

Family

We are eagerly anticipating a week with our son Daniel, his wife Elisa, and our granddaughter Ella. We’ll be meeting Ella for the first time at the end of July when they come to spend about a week with us. In August, we plan to visit my parents, and then in November, our son David Jeremiah will join us for Thanksgiving. It will be such a blessing to spend time with family.

Thanks to Our Supporters

We want to sincerely thank each of you who prays for us or supports our ministry financially. We believe we are truly making an impact both in our local town of Tulancingo as well as across the nation through the online school and the Advanced School of Ministry. We appreciate your prayers for the Lord’s provision and safety as we and our guests travel this summer.

With love,

David and Sara Lont with Anna

Note: You can download a PDF version of this post here.

Hello once again, and happy May!

As I am writing to you today, Anna is graduating from BSSM, Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. Sara and Anna are in Redding, California, and I just watched Anna online, walking across the platform, receiving her diploma, and shaking hands with the leadership team. She has completed three years of Biblical and practical ministry training online. Sara and I are so “humbly grateful” for what the Lord has allowed her to do.

Anna actually started the program four years ago, right out of high school, but took a year off between the second and third years of study, because the third year wasn’t yet being offered online. But as soon as it opened up (in the fall of 2024), she enrolled again and has now successfully completed this wonderful training program.

For those who know nothing about it, Bethel’s program is similar, yet quite different, to a Bible school. The emphasis is more on the practical aspects of ministry training and cultivating revival. It starts with a strong emphasis on personal growth, both as an individual and discovering God and His Word. During the second year, the students continue to develop their relationship with the Lord, but even more emphasis is placed on practical ministry and deeper Bible teaching. Finally, the third year involves mentorship and practical involvement in ministry, much like an internship. Anna has been involved in leading small groups (connected with Bethel) online in various nations, from Europe to Colombia, Africa, Asia, New Zealand, and more. It has been a great experience for her. She even led an “online mission trip” to Canada in March!

We are so blessed to reap the fruit of this practical ministry experience. Anna has become a vital part of our church, taking leadership in several areas, including leading small groups, women’s ministry, youth activities, regularly leading worship and also teaching/preaching on certain occasions.

As many of you know, Anna also works for our online Bible School, doing course development, facilitating courses, and teaching. We celebrate Anna today! Congratulations!

Death and New Life

We have a bit of sad news to share with you. The entire pine forest around our area has been infected by a bark beetle which has destroyed a large percentage of the forest for many miles around our area. We lost a total of over 750 trees on our little piece of property, but the entire mountain is also affected. Because of the situation, the government encourages landowners to remove all infected trees, so there have been chainsaws working constantly for the last several months. We are thankful that we were able to sell most of the wood, but at the same time, we were very sad to see the trees go. Thankfully, we still have some nice large oak trees in some areas. In fact, many of those trees have begun to grow even more abundantly, now that they are out of the shade of all the pine trees.

We remember that the death of all those trees is an opportunity for new life and new growth! We look forward to planting new trees when the rainy season starts in a couple of months. We plan on planting hundreds of them.

I can see several symbolic things in this. First and foremost, the death and resurrection of Jesus is our opportunity for new life. We recently celebrated Good Friday and Easter, and the death of Jesus is our opportunity to live with our Father forever!

Second, we are in a new season. I don’t know exactly how to explain it, but these last few years (since COVID), we have been in a time of transition. Transition with our church (moving to a new space), transition with the Advanced School of Ministry (different team members leaving, others joining, etc.). Our church remains and it continues to prosper. The Advanced School of Ministry continues forward in vision. However, there has been a certain “shift” in the spiritual atmosphere. Things are going to be different from now on, but this isn’t bad, it isn’t the end. Rather, it’s a new beginning, an opportunity for new life. Just as certain trees need to be pruned to produce more fruit, in a similar manner, we see the hand of the Lord pruning certain things in our lives and in the ministries we are part of. We are confident that this pruning process will have the effect of bringing in even more fruit for the Kingdom of God!

Ministry Update

Now that I’ve shared all this with you, I also want to let you know briefly about each aspect of ministry that we are currently involved in.

Our Local Church: Our congregation is doing well. Ever since that pandemic, we’ve taken on a different form and do things differently than we used to, but we see the hand of God on the congregation. People are growing, some are getting saved, discipled and planted as true disciples of Christ.

Advanced School of Ministry: As I shared in our last newsletter, we had an excellent conference in January in Cuernavaca with great speakers and a good turnout, both in person and online. Since January, we have been doing several online planning meetings with our team, making plans for the next steps and the next conferences.

Online Bible School: We currently have the largest number of students in the history of our online school, with over 240 enrolled. This in part is due to the fact that we offered a couple of new Diploma options this semester. Sara, Anna and I are all involved in facilitating classes. Anna manages two sizable groups, and both Sara and I also oversee quite a number of participants in our classes. There are another 7 course facilitators working on this as well. It is a lot of work, but we know that what each of us sows into the lives of our students will reap eternal reward in the Kingdom of Heaven. Also, we are working on a couple of new courses we will soon be recording and offering, one on the Biblical Covenants and another on the Local Church.

Other News

Sara continues to be very active in the community school, which is basically a two-room elementary schoolhouse for the children in our community. She spends almost every Monday morning there teaching English, and the Lord has given her favor with the teachers and many of the parents. It has allowed her to be “light” and “salt” in our community.

Thank you!

We are so very grateful to every one of you who prays for us and gives to make what we do a reality. Thank you so much for being a part of our team!

In Christ,

David and Sara Lont with Anna

Note: This update is also available as a printable PDF: Download

Dear Friends, Family, and Supporters,

As we move into spring, we are filled with gratitude for God’s faithfulness and for all of you who continue to support us through prayer and giving. We have much to share about what the Lord is doing here in Mexico!

Bible School Growth

We are excited to announce that our new semester began on February 12 with almost 250 students – our largest enrollment yet! This growth is both a blessing and a challenge, but God has provided a wonderful team of about 10 people who help facilitate the courses. We’re especially thankful for their dedication and service.

This semester brings two exciting new diploma options: a Diploma in Fundamental Theology and a Diploma in Basic Old Testament Studies. These programs are available to all our online students as well as those who attended the Advanced School of Ministry seminar, and is partially the reason for higher student enrollment. Students who complete these programs will receive their diplomas during a special graduation ceremony at the Advanced School of Ministry seminar in January 2026.

Our course offerings continue to expand each year, and we also continue to offer our “standard” classes in Old and New Testament studies, Homiletics, The Life of Christ, and many more. It’s amazing to see how the Lord is using this school to equip believers across Mexico and other countries for ministry in their local churches.

Advanced School of Ministry Conference

The annual Advanced School of Ministry seminar was held January 27-30 in Cuernavaca, with the theme “Foundations for the Future.” We were blessed to have Pastor Mark and DD Bryan, from Idaho, as our guest speakers. Their messages richly complemented our theme of “Foundations for the Future”, building strong Biblical foundations for the church, even as our world experiences rapid change. We were reminded that while methods may change, the foundation of God’s truth must remain constant.

Sara presented a powerful session called “Living Stones,” helping pastors and leaders identify and develop people in their local churches who can assist in various ministry areas. Anna did an excellent job interpreting for DD, who shared an impactful message focusing on Mary and Martha’s story. Anna also helped with online hosting, while I handled most of the seminar coordination and interpreted for Pastor Mark.

We’re thankful for the strong attendance, with over 600 people participating in person and another 130 joining online. The presence of the Lord was evident throughout the conference, and many pastors left encouraged and equipped for their ministries.

Local Church Update

The weekend before the seminar, we were blessed to have Mark and DD Bryan visit our church in Tulancingo. DD ministered at a special ladies’ breakfast on Saturday, and we had valuable time with both of them and our local leaders that evening. On Sunday morning, Pastor Mark shared a powerful message on the power of unity with our congregation.

Our church continues to progress, with several new families joining us. Both Sara and Anna are actively involved in various aspects of ministry, and we’re seeing the Lord work in many lives.

Visit to “La Hermosa” in Mexico City

Sara and I recently had the privilege of visiting “La Hermosa” church in Mexico City for their 86th anniversary celebration. This church is pastored by one of our Bible School students, and it was encouraging to see many young people actively participating in worship with tambourines, flags, and dance. I shared a message on renewal, focusing on Noah’s story, and afterward, we all enjoyed traditional “mole” together. It was a beautiful picture of the vitality of the Mexican church, even as several generations of believers joined together in unity!

Prayer Requests

Please join us in prayer for:

1. Increased finances for our Bible School as we continue to grow
2. Leaders and leadership development for our local church
3. Health and safety as we minister

Thanks again!

Once again, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to all who support us through prayer and giving. Your partnership makes it possible for us to continue training leaders and building up the Body of Christ here in Mexico.

With love,

David and Sara Lont
with Anna

Note: A printable PDF version of this newsletter is available here.

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Happy New Year to all of you! May the Lord bless and prosper you as we begin 2025. Here’s a little update from us.

Church Christmas Celebration

In December, we had a simple Christmas celebration with our local church in Tulancingo, remembering the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior. We worshiped and sang together, and then our team shared about Christ as the One who divides history. The birth of Jesus has divided the calendar used by most of the world today into B.C. and A.D. Jesus divided the Bible, as he came to bring the Old Testament to fulfillment and usher in the era of the New Testament. But perhaps the most important fact of all is that on the individual level, Jesus comes to divide our lives into two sections: “before Christ” and “after salvation”. Many in our congregation weren’t born into Christian families, but rather came to know Christ later in life. Just as the early Christians, we can see a marked difference in the life experiences before becoming disciples of Jesus and after.

After the service, we had a meal together and spent some time doing Christmas crafts and playing games. Fellowship was a big part of the lives of the first Christians in the book of Acts, and we believe it continues to play a crucial role in the local church today.

Family Time

The last couple of weeks of December were mostly for family time. Our son, David Jeremiah, came to visit us, as he has done each Christmas since he moved away to school. It’s been almost eight years already!

Also, Sara and I are now officially grandparents! Ella Lynn was born to Daniel and Elisa (in Vancouver, Washington) on November 20, 2024. We are so thankful for a healthy baby girl!

Bible School

We finished our fall semester in our Bible School at the beginning of the month of December. What a joy to see so many students receive the life-giving Word of God with a deeper understanding! Several commented on how they had begun to understand certain aspects of the Bible for the first time in their lives. Claudia, a sister who attends our church and recently started taking classes in the school, commented on how the Lord had used the course to help her understand many thing in the Old Testament for the first time, even after many years of being a Christian.

We have several students who are participating in the degree program with the Advanced School of Ministry and are making good progress toward their graduation, which is scheduled for January 2026. We plan on offering several different tracks or programs within our academic program and continue to work on several of the options.

Two new courses were available this past semester: Personal Prayer and Bible Study, and Evangelism. Both of these courses were very well received. We had especially great feedback on the course about prayer and Bible study. Anna taught this course and made it both very practical and personal. She really challenged the students to dive deeper into their relationship with God. There were many positive comments, confirming the spiritual growth this brought to our students.

We concluded with a special ministry time on Zoom with Mark Simpson. Thanks, Pastor Mark, for sharing with us about how to become useful in ministry. Your message was a true inspiration for all of us!

Advanced School of Ministry

In October, I began to rewrite the online registration system for the Advanced School of Ministry. I wrote the original software back in 2013 and then updated it in 2015. But another 9 years have gone by, so I decided it was time to do an entire rewrite. It now handles student registration by SMS and Email, automatic processing of payments by bank transfer, and provides a basic platform for transmitting the seminar live.

After this programming work, the teaching material started coming in, so I started on the seminar notebook in the month of November. This year’s student version is just under 150 pages, and I was finally able to send it for publishing on January 3, almost 2 full months after beginning this project. Although publishing a book each year is a lot of work and a big expense, it has long stood as one of the key goals of our annual conference. We want to put good teaching material into the hands of key pastors and leaders so that they can use it in their own local congregations.

Now, we are looking forward to the conference at the end of the month. There is still much work to do, but it will be a great joy to see the hundreds of pastors and leaders who gather each year in Cuernavaca for the seminar. We truly believe that the Advanced School of Ministry serves the purpose of building up pastors and leaders, who, in turn, build up local churches all over Mexico and beyond.

Thanks again for everything!

Once again, we are very thankful to those who pray for us and support us financially. Please continue to pray for the conference (January 27-30, 2025), for our church in Tulancingo, for our family, and for finances to expand the Bible School.

With love,

David and Sara Lont
with Anna

Note: A printable PDF version of this newsletter is available here.

Dear Friends and Family,

Thanksgiving month has arrived and there are so many things to be thankful for! We are thankful for each and every one of you who stands behind us, lifts us up in prayer and supports us. Thank you so much!

I would like to give you a brief update on us and our ministry activities over the past few months.

Bible School

We started our Bible School semester in August with around 150 students from all across Mexico. In September, the students did their first partial exams. Most of them are doing very well in their studies. Our course facilitators are doing a great job of keeping in touch with them, answering their questions, grading their assignments and keeping them on track to finish the semester well.

We have many pastors and local church leaders involved taking classes. This makes the whole experience so worthwhile, because many of them take the material they are receiving and then teach it to their own leaders and local churches. We encourage them to freely give of everything they receive. It is so wonderful to see many of our students flourish in life and ministry, and then use the tools they receive to train others.

We have also heard good reports from members of our local congregation who are taking courses in the Bible School. Just last Saturday, I heard a comment from a young woman who has been so encouraged by the classes. Then, on Sunday, another person commented on how much the course is helping her to understand the Bible.

We believe that God has ordained this Bible School to make a difference here in Mexico and in other countries of Latin America. Please continue to pray with us for the Lord’s provision to grow the school. Please especially pray for the finances to invest in new courses and the connections with others of a like-minded vision. Together we can train thousands of pastors and leaders and change the destiny of families, communities, and nations!

Local Church

We have been pleased to see our local church growing again in terms of Sunday attendance. As you may know, we meet outside in a tent on our church’s property. This has been a wonderful experience for the most part, but we have had some Sundays with rain, wind, and temperatures in the 40’s. It can be a bit chilly out there! However, even on those Sundays, there is always a good group of people who come. When the weather is sunny and warm, attendance tends to be better, of course, but on average, we are seeing numeric growth again. We recently purchased material to cover a couple of the sides of the tent, which should help reduce the effects of the wind and rain coming in.

Sara has been leading the women in monthly meetings over the last year, and this has been a blessing to many of them. During these last months, they have been focusing on some of the basics – Bible reading and memorization, prayer, fellowship, and growing in their personal relationship with the Lord.

My Trip to Michigan and Canada

During the first couple of weeks of October, I went to Michigan to see my parents. It had been two years since I had last been up there, and I also wanted to visit the local church I grew up in, Fellowship Christian Reformed Church, in Grandville. I had the privilege of attending the 50th anniversary celebration of the church, and then, the following Sunday, I was invited to preach to the congregation. I shared a message on Jehdeiah, an obscure Biblical character known as “The Keeper of the Donkeys”. I hope many will remember the message, focused on the importance of being a servant for the King, and the value of humble service.

I also had the opportunity to visit my pastor and spiritual mentor, Bill Brown, with his wife, Barbara, near Toronto, Ontario. I hadn’t personally seen Bill since before the pandemic, although we often meet on FaceTime and Zoom. It was so nice to be able to spend several hours with Bill and Barbara! I took my parents to meet them, and we had a great dinner together on a Wednesday night. The following morning, I went to the apartment complex where Bill and Barbara live to meet with Bill again, and some of their neighbors at a coffee time they have each morning. Thanks so much, Bill and Barbara, for your fine hospitality!

Looking Forward

During the next couple of months, my focus will be on the Advanced School of Ministry conference. I will soon be dedicating much time to the creation of the conference workbook, implementing online registration for the event, and preparing all the other details for the conference, which will be held at the end of January. This conference usually attracts 700-1000 pastors and leaders from all over Mexico and God has used it to inspire, train and edify thousands of them in their ministries.

Prayer requests

• Please pray for the Advanced School of Ministry conference.
• We will be finishing our fall Bible School semester in December. Please pray that our students will finish strong!
• About a week ago I (David) slipped in the mud on the ground outside the house, fell, and dislocated my shoulder. I am doing well, but please pray for a full recovery.
• Please pray for the Lord’s provision and protection, both for us, and for the ministries we are involved in.

Thanks!

With love,

David and Sara Lont with Anna

Note: There is a PDF version of this update located HERE.

Dear Friends and Family,

It’s September, and fall is rapidly approaching. It has been raining very regularly for the past couple of months, and things are so beautiful and green here in our area. We have had more rain than usual, and this is a good thing for us! The mountains that were brown, dry and sometimes burning during the hot arid spring are now a lush green, full of life. On our mountain, the wild plants, vines and grass are taller and thicker than we’ve seen them in many years.

This reminds me of how the rain of the visitation of the Holy Spirit can take a dry and weary people, and renew them with God’s supernatural life! We pray for revival in our city and nation. May the Lord visit us with both the former and the latter rains, restoring souls and igniting a renewed passion for His Word, His church and His presence. As the psalmist said, “He restores my soul and makes me lie down in green pastures…”.

Bible School

One of our main focuses over the past several months has been our online Bible School. We finished our spring semester the middle of June and then worked hard on getting a few new courses developed and recorded. I also did some work on our LMS (learning management system) to integrate some new AI features and update software.

We have been developing three courses – Evangelism, Prayer and Bible Study, and The Local Church and Its Place Within God’s Plan. The first two have been completed, recorded, and students are now participating in them. The third has been mostly developed, but is not quite complete. We plan on offering the Local Church course in 2025.

We started our fall semester in August with just over 150 students enrolled. We also added a couple of new course facilitators – Gabriel and Paloma, from Morelia, Michoacán. I met Gabriel and his wife, Paloma, by phone just over a year ago. They wanted to have information about the online school. Since starting, they both have been studying full time and are on track to getting their bachelor’s degree in theology in 2026. They have both been excellent students, and now we get to have their help facilitating a couple of groups, even as they continue to study.

Sara and I have actually known Paloma Plata and her family since the early 1990’s, when she was a little girl. I had met her parents, both of whom were medical doctors and pastors, at the Advanced School of Ministry, the first year we attended. It just so happened that I got very sick during that first conference, and Paloma’s mom (the doctor), gave me an injection in the church parking lot. I will never forget the pain of the injection, but also the questions she suddenly began to ask me. “Had I ever done drugs?” “Was Sara the only person I had ever been married to?” Then, several others. Well, poor Doctor Plata somehow accidentally stuck herself with the needle right after injecting me!! She was quite worried that I may have had some dreadful disease that I could pass along to her. Thankfully, I wasn’t carrying any strange diseases in my blood, so she was going to be just fine.

Anyway, as you can see, our relationship with her family goes way back, and we even shared a bit of the family blood!

In July, we hosted another one of our course facilitators who is also a gifted Bible teacher. Mireya and her husband, Homero, traveled by bus from Veracruz to spend a week with us so that she could teach and record the Evangelism course. Anna and I had set everything up for a beautiful studio atmosphere for the recording, and when Homero and Mireya arrived, we were able to record 24 lessons in just three days. Mireya is very capable and taught each of the sessions with a natural flow.

We all enjoyed spending the week together with Mireya and Homero. They were very pleasant company.

It has been beautiful to see how some of our students are not only preparing to serve in their own local churches, but a few even become leaders within our school for a season. We are very thankful for this!

Travel and More Recording

At the beginning of August, Sara went to visit our son, David Jeremiah, in Texas. David was moving from one apartment to another one a few blocks away and invited Sara to come and help him get the new apartment cleaned and ready. Of course, Sara jumped at the opportunity to see him!

While Sara was gone, Anna and I took advantage of the time to record another course titled “Prayer and Bible Study“. I had previously asked Anna to prepare to teach this course. She studied the material and additional books related to the theme in July, so when the time came, she was more than ready.

For those of you who don’t know her, teaching comes second-nature to Anna. She has been teaching since she was about 7 or 8 years old. When she was 14, she took over a session of our church’s ladies meeting one day when Sara was suddenly scheduled for surgery. When she was 15, she taught in churches in Africa. She regularly teaches classes in our local congregation and often participates on Sundays.

Anna did a wonderful job not only teaching the course, but also developing activities which help the students put the concepts into practice in very practical ways.

Her new course is also online now and is the most popular course this semester, with over 45 students participating in it. We are very thankful to have Anna as part of our ministry team, both for church and for the school.

Radio Program

I recently had an interesting opportunity to participate in a radio talk program on a Mexico City FM station. Pastor Raymundo Gómez and his wife, Karla, have an hour-long program Monday-Friday. They often discuss Christian values, family matters, and more during their time slot. On this particular show, they wanted to interview me about the topic “Christians and Artificial Intelligence”. AI has been one of many things I have been fascinated with over the last couple of years. Anna and I had done a podcast episode on the topic last year. Pastor Ray heard our podcast and thought we should talk about this with the general public in Mexico City on his radio show.

It was a challenge, but at the same time, quite a privilege to speak to a live audience of probably several hundreds of thousands of people on the air. I’m thankful for the experience and pray the things that I said may have resonated with those who heard it. I also pray that Christians, in particular, may learn to use this technology for good and not fall into all the traps that it potentially will create.

Our Church Family

Sara and I continue to pastor the church we started some years ago in Tulancingo. We are in a new season and we believe the Lord has good things in store for our church family. Over the past several weeks, I’ve been teaching on the authority, value and importance of the Word of God. It’s our measuring stick to determine what truth is. It’s our final authority to judge all spiritual matters. It is the verbal embodiment of Jesus Christ Himself, for “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.“

These last several months have been a time of peace and rest for our congregation, and we have enjoyed the unity of Spirit. We’ve had wonderful times of worship, refreshing teaching in the Word and unity as we’ve enjoyed fellowship meals together. However, we also know that there is much work to do going forward. We have been called to be light, salt, and living water for our city. There are many lost who need to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and we are called to reach them.

Thanks!

We’d like to thank all who have been supporting us with your prayers and giving. We need you now more than ever before! May the Lord richly bless and use each of you for the extension of His Kingdom.

Help Wanted

If you know of someone who would be interested in supporting us as missionaries, please share this newsletter with them. We are currently in need of new supporters to be able to reach our monthly economic goals.

The work is great – a church in Tulancingo, a Bible School training pastors and leaders across the entire nation, and the Advanced School of Ministry, which trains over 800 pastors annually. We have much to do! In order to have the resources to continue, we depend on you. Thank you so much!

With love,

David and Sara Lont
with Anna

Note: You can download a PDF copy of this newsletter here.

Hello everyone! We hope you are having a great summer. What a beautiful world God has given us to enjoy, with the changing seasons. Despite global warming concerns, we remember the faithful promises God has given us in Genesis:

While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Summer and winter,
And day and night
Shall not cease.

Genesis 8:22, NASB

In our last newsletter, we shared about how many parts of Mexico, and our area in particular, had been suffering a drought. It was the hottest and driest spring we’ve ever experienced. We had been praying for rain for several months, and it finally came a couple of weeks ago. Boy, did it rain! In the last few weeks we had more rain than we had all last year – almost a foot and a half. We are so thankful for the wet season, as everything very suddenly turned green again.

This abundance of rain reminds me of how faithful God is. Even in the midst of our most desperate situations, when it seems like everything in our lives is drying up and dying, God is faithful to once again send the rain of His presence and blessings upon us. He will never leave us nor forsake us!

Guest Speakers

We were very privileged to have Pastor Gamaliel and his wife Patty with us in May. They pastor a large church in the port city of Veracruz and have been our friends for many years. However, they had never been to our church to minister before.

Sara organized an annual ladies breakfast we have done for many years and invited Patty to come and minister to the ladies. This breakfast is usually held in the month of May around the time of Mother’s Day. It was a beautiful event and several women attended our church for the first time.

Pastor Gama and Patty stayed with us over the weekend and ministered to our congregation on Sunday as well. It is a blessing to receive from a diverse array of pastoral gifts, including those from friends in other cities.

Bible School

In mid-June we finished our spring semester of Bible School and are now preparing for our fall semester, which begins in August. It has been a time of getting new courses ready, updating our computer servers and several other technical jobs I do.

Next week we will be recording our evangelism course with Mireya Parral, from Veracruz. She started out with us as a student several years ago and then, in 2018, became a course facilitator. We see the hand of God on her life in the area of Bible teaching, and she will be the teacher of this new course.

I’d like to share a few testimonials of our online students:

I greatly appreciate the effort you put into updating courses and helping those of us who are far from a physical Bible school. As soon as the next semester starts, I will enroll again. I really enjoy this online format.

Edgar Ivan G. from Hidalgo

All the courses I have taken have been very thorough. Every time I finish a course, I am already thinking about the next one I will take. I appreciate the commitment, time, and research that each person puts in to make this platform possible, allowing us to continue learning and discovering the beautiful teachings that God’s Word has for us.

Miryam P. from Veracruz

I would like to express my gratitude for all your hard work, dedication, and commitment. Thank you to each one of you for making my dream of studying at a Bible school a reality. Without a doubt, we will continue to learn and grow together.

Anonymous

Many of our students serve as pastors across various regions of the country. Our school has become a fountain of the Living Water of the Spirit and the Word of God, providing teaching, training, and refreshment for their vital work in cities and villages.

We finished our semester with a live Zoom session, during which Bill Brown ministered to the students from Aurora, Canada. It was very good to see many of our students from all across Mexico and a few from the U.S. as we thanked God together for the learning and growing He gave to all of us during the semester.

A Note From Anna

The past few months have been filled with different opportunities to bless and encourage people. It’s incredible how God can use us through the small, seemingly inconsequential things to impact someone’s life.

Once a month we’ve been having women’s meetings at our church, and I’ve gotten to share alongside some friends. We have seen God awaken a hunger for Him in many of the women, and it has been a joy getting to teach about some fundamentals, such as Bible study and learning how to hear God’s voice. Last week, I created an activity where the women got to pray a Bible verse over each other. We paired everyone in teams and gave them a piece of paper with a verse written on it. Once they were all done praying for each other, I asked if they wanted to share what the Lord spoke to them. One woman came up and shared how she’d been seeking the Lord for direction in her life and career. The verse that was prayed over her was exactly what she needed at that moment! A small activity turned into a time of encouragement and reassurance for many of them. We are excited as a team for what God is beginning to do, and we know we have just scratched the surface of all He has for us.

While it has been exciting to see God move in our church, I’ve also had the privilege to see Him work in the lives of many people through our online Bible school. From February to June, I had the opportunity to facilitate over twenty students, grading homework assignments, essays, and answering questions. Even though a facilitator’s job is to help a student learn, and in a way “teach” them, I ended up learning more from facilitating than being a student. Reading the same assignment over twenty times will do that for you!

I had the honor of having a group that consisted of people in their sixties and seventies. Their lives and testimonies truly inspired me! Some had known the Lord for a long time and been involved in ministry, and others were new both to the Gospel and an online Bible school. One student, in particular, encountered the Lord in his late fifties and had a radical transformation in his life. He and his wife were my students, and it was inspiring to see their eagerness to learn and the changes that God has brought about in their personal lives and marriage. Another student of mine, also in her sixties, was so eager to learn that she took two courses at a time while pastoring her local church. These students quickly turned into my heroes. It’s truly never too late to learn and go after all that God has for you.

As I’ve served in many different areas, from working on my own developing courses to working with people in our church and online, I’ve been trying to remember what Paul said: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters…” (Col 3:23). Working for people, an organization, or even ourselves will never feel as rewarding or fulfilling. In the end, it might even feel exhausting. But working with all our heart for the Lord, in everything we do, will carry with it a joyful reward. He is our inheritance and He is our reward. Whether we eat, drink, sweep the floors, facilitate students, or pray for people, for Him it is all worth it!

Back To Work!

Thanks, Anna! (It’s me, David again. I’ve come back to wrap up this letter.)

There is so much more I could write, but for now I must get back to work on the Bible School. The summer is one of my main times to work “behind the scenes” with the online Bible School platform, since there are no students, and soon the Advanced School of Ministry will be requiring more of my attention.

We want to thank each of you who prays for us and supports us financially. We really appreciate what you do. May the Lord bless you richly.

Finally, if you’ve ever considered becoming a partner in our ministry, please pray about it. Although the students pay a small tuition fee, it only covers part of our operating expenses, and not the development of our programs. The school is being built and developed entirely on donations of people like you. Your giving allows us to purchase equipment, develop curriculum, bring in good Bible teachers and develop our programs. Please send me a note if you are not currently a supporter and would like to become one, or if you would be interested in helping with a one-time gift.

May the Lord bless each of you abundantly!

David and Sara Lont
with Anna

Dear Friends, Family and Supporters,

Note: This update is available as a PDF download with more pictures here.

Greetings from the state of Hidalgo, Mexico, where we are experiencing one of the hottest and driest years on record. We would like to share with you a little about what has been happening with us and our ministry.

A Time of Drought

The past several years have been very dry around our area. This has caused many problems, as the crops have been failing, the water reservoirs are drying up and even the wells are failing. Our home water supply, which had been completely dependable for almost 20 years, is no longer available. Our entire municipality has been without running water for about two months, and our local community has been without water for over four months. The price to have water brought in on trucks has increased by 400%. There is a severe water crisis. Thankfully, within the city of Tulancingo, there are still wells with water, but in the surrounding area, including the area of Mexico City, the water is almost gone. We desperately need rain!

The lack of physical rain and water is a reflection of the spiritual state of things in our country and many other places in the world. Crime and bloodshed are constantly increasing, unjust laws are being passed by the ungodly and the righteous are persecuted for doing good, while those with evil thoughts and intentions are praised.

It is time for the church of Jesus Christ to rise and shine. Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it!”

We believe that we have been called by God to provide “streams of living water to a dry and weary land.” Our land has never been so dry and weary as it is today. Thanks be to God who allows his living water to flow through us by the Holy Spirit. The living water -the Holy Spirit and the Word of God- will be poured out and flow with power throughout our land! We will be his vessels of honor, his instruments, to bring this living water to the people in need of his glorious truth.

Advanced School of Ministry

Much of our time during the last couple of months has been invested in the Advanced School of Ministry degree program. We are working to help a large group of pastors/leaders finish the degree program by January, 2026. Many of them have been involved in the Advanced School of Ministry in one way or another for several years, but never completed the program. Our goal is to give them practical steps, assignments and other tools to graduate.

During the months of March and April, we have been in constant contact with many of them, reaching out to guide them, answering their questions, and working with them as they do their assignments. Two of our facilitators, Anna and Milca, have been working with over 40 of these students weekly as they complete the course work assigned for last January’s conference.

Online Bible School

The Online Bible School continues to go well. With about 170 students enrolled this semester, there are always assignments to grade, messages to answer and course work to continue to develop. I have been working with the group studying biblical hermeneutics and enjoy supervising their progress. Anna is facilitating a large group of students studying the degree program, plus another group working on New Testament Survey. Sara is in charge of the group studying the course on the Life of Christ, and other facilitators are in charge of the other courses we are offering.

At the same time, we’ve been working on developing new courses which will be offered in August.

Local Church

As always, we continue to work with our local church in preaching, discipleship, worship and prayer. God is moving in Tulancingo. Many Sundays we have visitors, and some of them receive Christ as their Lord and Savior during our services and activities.

We continue to meet under the tent which we erected on the property a year ago. What a blessing it has been to meet on our own property and no longer have to pay rent! Most Sundays have been warm (sometimes too warm) and sunny, but under shade of the tent the spring breeze makes the air very comfortable. Once each month, we invite the entire congregation to bring food to share with others, and we stay after church for a meal together.

We have a nice group of faithful volunteers who help us to set up chairs on Sunday mornings, and many others participate, storing everything after the services.

Above all, our times of worship, prayer and the preaching of the Word of God have been powerful. Our children and youth are growing in their relationship with God and learning his word. Several of the young girls who have been discipled by Anna participate very effectively in personal ministry and prayer. We are expecting our church to continue to develop, grow, raise up new leaders, and cause a true impact in our community.

Thanks!

Once again, Sara, Anna and I would like to take a moment to thank each of you for your love, encouragement, prayers and offerings. Thanks for being a part of what we do here.

May the Lord richly bless each of you.

With love,

David and Sara Lont