Desert Streams Ministries

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