Desert Streams Ministries

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

Dear friends, family, and supporters,

Hello, greetings from Tulancingo, Mexico. We would like to give you a brief update of our activities over the last couple of months.

Happy New Year!

Sara, Anna and I send our love and New Year’s blessings to each of you. We pray the Lord would prosper you abundantly as we begin 2024. May He bless and keep you, make His face shine upon you, and give you peace!

Advanced School of Ministry

These last couple of months have been our busy time with the Advanced School of Ministry, as we prepare for the big conference in Cuernavaca. I have been working on preparing the teaching manuals (a book of about 150 pages this year), advertising, and supervising the online registrations for the conference, as well as coordinating several other details. This year we will be having Dr. Lucas Leys with us. Lucas is a well-known Bible teacher and conference speaker. The entire Advanced School of Ministry leadership team will also be participating, giving conferences and workshops.

During the conference both Sara and I will be sharing workshop sessions. I will be teaching on “The Pastor and His Family”, and Sara will be teaching on “Spiritual Mothers”.

The conference is already less than two weeks away. We will be in Cuernavaca the week of January 22. Please pray for us!

Church Activities

We finished our church year on a high note at the beginning of December, with a special meeting and meal together on a Sunday morning. We had a wonderful turnout – so many people that we almost ran out of food! I gave a brief message from the Word, we sang worship songs and Christmas carols, and we also had games and piñatas.

In December, we also finished a series of meetings with some of our leaders and other who are in training. It was great to see the enthusiasm and joy some of them are experiencing as they begin to take on more responsibility.

During November and December, Anna also conducted a ministry training class, first with a group of young people from our youth ministry, and then with another group of adults. She did a wonder job!

Online Bible School

As most of you know, our online Bible School continues to move ahead strong. We had a total of about 125 students last semester who completed their courses. In December, we closed the semester with a meeting on Zoom in which John Brown shared with the group. Also, I had several of the students share how this past semester challenged them and helped them to grow. It was very impressive to hear how the Lord had used the classes and assignments to help them grow, and even to guide them in some decisions they had made.

We believe that the online Bible School is definitely one of the most important parts of our ministry at this time, together with our work in the local congregation. We are pressing ahead to make it grow and prosper, with the blessing of the Lord.

Our family

In December we took some time off to spend with our family. David Jeremiah arrived first, flying in from Houston on December 17. Daniel and Elisa arrived on Thursday of that same week. They all stayed with us for just over two weeks. What a blessing it was for us to have them for Christmas and New Years! Anna enjoyed spending time with her brothers and sister-in-law, and we felt very blessed as parents.

Thanks for your prayers and support!

We would like to thank you for praying for us and supporting our ministry. There is so much to do in the Kingdom of God, and we are trying our best to do the part we feel the Lord has called us to participate in. Every week we are touching literally hundreds – some in our local city, and many others throughout the nation and beyond. We thank you for being partners with us in our labor of love.

In Christ,

David and Sara Lont
with Anna

Note: A printable PDF version of this update is available here: november-2023.pdf

Dear Friends, Family, and Supporters,

We are excited to share a little about what we have been doing, and also what God has been doing in the midst of us. As we continue on this faith journey, we are reminded of the words from Isaiah 6:8, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!'”

It has been over 31 years since we first said, “Send me!”, and all these years have been filled with adventure, fruitful labor, and many lives who have been saved and impacted by the power of the Gospel.

A Testimony of Faith

Last month, I had the privilege of interviewing Alexis and Mariana, a young couple who first attended our church last year. They expressed their desire for me to officiate their wedding ceremony, which ultimately led them to join our congregation. Normally, I decline to officiate weddings for couples not affiliated with any church. However, after speaking with the couple, I came to realize that this particular situation was unique. I sensed a genuine sincerity in them despite their absence from church, and I saw in them a true hunger for God and His teachings.

It’s been over a year since their wedding, and they both serve the Lord Jesus with truly dedicated hearts. During our podcast interview, they shared their personal journeys to a transformational faith in Jesus Christ. It was wonderful to hear Alexis share his journey of getting to know Jesus through our online Bible School course on the life of Christ, and his involvement in our church. During the course, he decided to be baptized just like Jesus.

Mariana was baptized a several years ago, but had stopped going to church while studying for her university degree. Both of them are now faithful servants of the Lord. They frequently arrive an hour before church to help with the setup for the service. They’re expanding their faith and comprehension of God’s teachings, enrolling in courses, and flourishing as a couple, learning to build their house on the rock.

Leadership Training

Over the last year, we have been meeting about once a month with a group of young people who we believe have the potential to become leaders in our church. We recently started weekly sessions with them to study the Bible’s teachings on church growth. We’re using a book called “Building Churches That Last” by Dick Iverson, which emphasizes the Biblical principles that give churches strength and impact in their communities.

As we begin a new season with our church, I have been impressed to seek the Lord to strengthen our spiritual foundation and leadership team. Reflecting on our church’s founding twenty years ago, we did something similar where we welcomed groups of people into our home for ministry and leadership training. It’s enjoyable to recall those experiences, but we’re now in a different season. We were once among the younger members and leaders in our church. Now, we are part of the older and, hopefully, more experienced generation.

It is thrilling to witness young leaders emerging and assuming their roles in the Body of Christ. We have faith that a new generation of young, talented leaders will emerge and bring significant advancement to the Kingdom of God.

Sara and Women’s Ministry

Sara has worked hard to organize a series of monthly women’s meetings. She has developed an excellent team of women who meet and plan the gatherings. She has also found some good Bible teachers who often share their Bible-based messages as a team in a conversational style. These meetings are very attractive to many women who enjoy fellowship, decorating, engaging with the Word of God, and receiving ministry. Having Sara as a remarkable partner in both ministry and life is truly a blessing.

Bible School and Advanced School of Ministry

Our online Bible School is thriving, with our courses constantly expanding. Anna is currently translating a new course on family relationships, which we plan to have Stacey Brown record. It will be offered to our students next February. Sara and Anna are both part of our team of nine course facilitators, who communicate almost daily with our students. Additionally, we have a graphics design team that collaborates on creating visually engaging presentations for each course.

We’ve made significant progress toward our goal of the online degree program, but we require additional funding and effort to complete it. With the Lord’s grace, I’m confident we’ll achieve our objective.

I am currently working on several projects for the Advanced School of Ministry. These include developing a new website, overseeing public relations operations, and managing online registration for our upcoming conference scheduled for January.

We are truly blessed to be involved in impacting not only the people in our local area, but also many others who receive Bible training through these ministries.

Our Family

We are thrilled that David, Daniel, and Elisa will be spending Christmas with us in Mexico. David is pursuing his doctorate at Texas A&M, while Daniel and his wife, Elisa, reside in Washington state and minister at a local church and Bible school. Anna, who completed two years of practical ministry training at BSSM, continues to live at home with us and remains a valuable asset to our ministry here in Mexico. We are blessed to have a family that both loves and serves the Lord!

Thanks!

We are grateful to all of you who enable our work to thrive. By means of your prayers and offerings, we cooperate to spread the message of God’s Kingdom to Tulancingo and throughout Mexico. Your loving labor is greatly appreciated!

In Christ Jesus,

David, Sara and Anna Lont

Note: A printable PDF version of this update is available here: september-2023.pdf

Hello, Friends, Family, and Supporters.

Summer is almost over, and autumn is coming! This summer has been a good time for us as a family. We’ve made progress with our church, our Bible School, podcasts, and the Advanced School of Ministry.

Youth Ministry

Anna, who is in charge of our youth group, took a group of our young people to a youth conference in Puebla in July. Although we had done several camps and other events with the young people, this is the first youth conference they have attended since the pandemic. Although it was a challenge for her to organize this outing, it was good for our kids.

Our group has also had many other great meetings over the last several months. The event of the biggest impact has been our camp (which we did in May), and so many of the kids have been blessed by it.

Podcasts

We have continued to produce podcasts on an almost weekly basis. Anna and I have been doing these together most of the time, with Sara participating from time to time. We have also had several guests, including some of the young people of our church, other pastors, and our special guest Bill Brown. It was a delight to have him share about some of his many life experiences and testimonies of God’s provision and care on his many missionary journeys.

Most recently, Sara and I shared together on a couple of episodes where we talk about training up our children. We called it “Keepers of the Inheritance, Parents of Influence.” There are so many young families who desire to see their children grow up with the influence of Godly parents, but with all the social pressures from governments and public education, some of them just don’t know what to do with their kids. Now that our own children are all adults, we can see the many things we did right, and also a few that we did wrong. As we teach Biblical parenting principles, we draw from the Word of God and illustrate the concepts from our own experiences. Our hope and prayer are that these moms and dads will follow Biblical principles for educating and disciplining their children to follow the Lord and His righteous ways.

Women’s Meetings

Our monthly women’s meetings are going very well. Sara has done an excellent job creating a team of women to plan and execute some of the best women’s meetings I have ever seen. The decorations and details they have invested in for their meetings have been incredible! The worship and ministry times have been very good, definitely not boring. Titled “Conversations”, Sara and her group of ladies have been focusing on Biblical teaching for women in a conversational style, often with two, three, or more women sharing together about the theme. They have also done crafts and always have something delicious to eat after the meetings. These meetings have been very attractive to guests who may hear about Jesus for the first time.

Our Sunday Church Meetings

I know that I’ve been focusing on many of our church activities in this newsletter, but we’re excited about what God is doing in the midst of us. The pandemic hit most churches very hard, dispersing people, causing a change in priorities and Sunday morning habits, and causing people to reevaluate their faith and Christian practice. Economically, we needed to make a move during the pandemic, since we were paying thousands of dollars in rent to be in the center of our city and could no longer afford that. During 2021-2022, we began work on a piece of land we already owned to make it into a garden and a meeting place for our church. We’ve been meeting there weekly since December 2022, and little by little, God has prospered His people.

We have seen some good fruit over the last several months, including over a dozen baptisms, young people giving their lives to Jesus, great teaching and intimate worship times, as well as more and more people becoming more constant in attending Sunday meetings. The Spirit of God is in our midst. We are “Desert Streams Church” of Tulancingo, and we have the mission to take streams of living water to our city, to manifest the Kingdom of God in every aspect of society, and to produce disciples of Jesus Christ.

We are innovating a bit in terms of how our services are done. We are outside, under a tent, without a platform. Our worship team leads from the center of the tent, with the people gathered around on all four sides, and I usually preach from the center as well. The words for the songs are not projected on a screen but rather sent to each person’s cell phone, so they can see them if needed. Once each month we have a meal together after the service “potluck” style. The children often take a soccer ball to church so they can play there in our garden after the service. Our focus is on worship, the preaching and teaching of the Word of God, personal ministry, and fellowship. God is blessing us.

Bible School

While Sara and Anna were at the youth conference in Puebla at the end of July, I was able to get an entire course ready for production online. Called “Discover Your Destiny”, this course is especially helpful for young people who are looking to fulfill the purpose God has for their lives. I had Anna teach it, and we were able to complete the recording of the 12 sessions in three days. Anna is such an incredible teacher! She connects so well with the students, both in person and online.

We started our fall semester on August 16. We have around 130 students, several of whom are from our own local church. However, most of the students are pastors and leaders from churches across Mexico. Many of them are working toward their bachelor’s degree in theology. This semester, we are offering nine different courses, including Old and New Testament studies, Victorious Christianity, The Person and Ministry of the Holy Spirit, The Acts of the Apostles, and Social Roles and Relationships.

I am also currently working on transforming the Advanced School of Ministry’s degree program so that it will be available totally online in conjunction with the Bible School program.

Our Family

One exciting piece of news (at least for us) is that our entire family is planning on being together for Christmas this year. David has plans to come here from Texas A&M, where he is doing his doctorate degree, and Daniel and Elisa have tickets to come from Washington. So for the first time since Daniel and Elisa are married, we’ll have all of the family together!

Thanks

Sara and I would like to express our most sincere thanks to each of you who pray for us, write to us, and support us economically. We really appreciate your help. We definitely couldn’t do what we do without your help! It is such a blessing to be able to count on each of you. Thank you so very much. May the Lord bless you abundantly!

With love,

David and Sara Lont with Anna

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

Dear Friends, Family, and Supporters,

We pray that you have been having a great summer. Ours has been going well, including hosting a youth camp, building some kitchen cabinets, conducting women’s meetings, finishing our spring Bible school semester, and hosting our Advanced School of Ministry team meeting. Let’s talk about it!

Youth Camp

In the month of May, we hosted a youth camp here on our property. You may know that Anna is serving as our youth leader, and she helped to organize this camp. We had a group of young people here for two nights and three days. The boys stayed in tents, while the girls slept upstairs in the loft of our lodge.

Besides all the fun activities and campfires that are typical at camps, we also had some wonderful ministry and worship times. Titled “The Awakening,” we explored themes such as identity, emotional health, living your dream, the gender crisis, and more. Our group of kids had a great time, and many were impressed by how they experienced God’s movement in their lives during our time together.

We pray that “The Awakening” will continue to have an impact on every aspect of these young people’s lives.

Women’s meetings

In June, Sara began a series of meetings for the women of our church and community called “Conversations.” Instead of just preaching to them, the idea has been to present themes as a panel of four people and simply have a conversation around the topic. On June 3, we hosted a ladies’ breakfast with catering service. With the theme “Abiding in Christ,” Sara, Anna, Adriana, and Zabdi discussed different aspects of how to remain connected to the Lord throughout our day and week.

At the end of the meeting, Anna and some of the other young girls ministered to the women individually in prayer. It was amazing to see how the Lord touched several of them, bringing them into a new place of relationship and freedom.

Bible School

Our spring semester concluded on June 19, with a special meeting in which Bill Brown ministered the Word to our students. We had about 120 students successfully complete their courses as many of them work toward a bachelor’s degree in theology.

Also, in May, we completed the recording of the second part of our Genesis course with Enrique Borja, our Bible teacher from Puebla. We recorded 24 classes in two days. That was an incredible marathon! After recording, I began developing the quizzes, exams, and forum discussions for the course. We’ll be offering the course in our fall semester, which will begin in August.

Advanced School of Ministry

We were privileged to host the Advanced School of Ministry team meeting here at our house. We had the entire team stay with us for three days of meetings and strategic planning.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this letter, Sara thought it would be best to have the kitchen in our lodge in order before the meeting, so I spent a couple of weeks in June building and installing the cabinets.

Most of our leadership group arrived on Wednesday morning and stayed through Friday evening. We hosted some of the team members, while others stayed in our neighbors’ cabins. We did the meetings and meals in our lodge, which was the perfect type of room for a planning meeting. A couple from our church did all the cooking and catering. What delicious and beautifully decorated plates of food they served!

We spent our time casting vision for the future of this ministry, working on team-building activities, and planning for the upcoming conferences. We had a good meeting!

Thanks for your support!

While there is much more to share, these are the highlights of the last couple of months. We really appreciate your prayers and financial support. You are our partners in ministry, and we’re thankful for you!

With love,

David and Sara Lont
with Anna

Note: There is a printable PDF version of this document here.

Dear Friends, Family, and Supporters,

What a blessing it is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ! We know that even in the midst of challenges and difficulties, God is good. He makes all things work together for the good of those who love and trust in Him.

Missions Trips

As I mentioned in our last update, both Sara and Anna were about to go on missions trips in March. Anna was to head to northern California for a trip to the small town of Weaverville, CA, to do evangelism and help out in the local church. And Sara was going to be in Cuba. Both of the trips were to be at the same time.

About a week before their scheduled departure, Sara’s trip was postponed due to the political situation, and was rescheduled for the end of April. This actually turned out to be very good, both for me and for Sara. Sara had been a bit ill the weeks coming up to the trip dates, and I ended up coming down with COVID (for the second time) the weekend before she would have originally left, so we’re glad her trip was changed! Anna’s trip went as scheduled.

For Anna, it was a totally new experience to travel by herself to the U.S. from Mexico. However, since she has traveled extensively with us (even to Africa), she didn’t have any problem navigating airports to get to her destination. Anna spend a week there, split between some time in Redding, and then a long weekend in Weaverville, which is located up in the mountains. Anna was a big blessing for those she was able to serve, and the trip was also a great personal experience for her. As you may remember, she has studied for two years now online with BSSM, and this was an opportunity for her to connect in person with some of her classmates and also with the on campus school. When it was over, she was very glad to be home, but also very thankful for the experiences she had on the trip.

The time for Sara’s trip finally came at the end of April. She went as part of a group of female Mexican pastors (and pastors’ wives) who went to minister in a women’s conference. She spent the first few days in the capital city, then the following weekend in a small town near the center of the island. It was a difficult and hot trip, but many women responded in the conference and she and some other women were also able to encourage the pastors and leaders of another small congregation. She arrived home last Wednesday night.

A Note From Anna

Of all the places we could have gone to, this was the most unexpected, yet the most beautiful. It wasn’t about the crowds, or the lights, or the biggest church services, rather, it was about loving the person in front of us. Every time we served and blessed someone, we would get more blessed in return without even expecting it. The church reminded me of the Philippians – full of love, sacrifice, and devotion to God.

We saw people get healed, saved, and filled with the Spirit. Yet it wasn’t so much about the result as it was about the obedience. If we had one plan, it was this, “Pray and obey.”

We loved the church, the community, and served those from youngest to oldest. In the middle of it all we were all stretched, thrust forward, and grown. There were parts that were uncomfortable, but God met us in our weak points. I have been marked by these people and their passion for Jesus. In the words of Suki (our hostess for the weekend), “You are soldiers. Stand strong.”

To everyone who believed in me and invested in this journey both through prayer and financially, thank you from the bottom of my heart! Weaverville is under the momentum of heaven and we planted so many seeds that will one day bring about an incredible harvest. I have been marked as a person, and we have been marked as a team. Here’s to new adventures with Jesus!

Celebrating Our Children

We recently celebrated Children’s Day here in Mexico, and since it was on Sunday this year, we planned a celebration after church with some of our children. First, during the service, I preached about the value of children in God’s plan, which somehow runs contrary to today’s culture. Whereas in biblical times, children were always seen as a blessing, in many families today, they are seen as a burden or hindrance to the prosperity and freedom of the couple. We talked about how we should always see children as a gift from God and as a blessing. Afterward, we had the parents lay hands on their children and bless them.

After the service, it was time for fun! Our volunteers set up an attractive party atmosphere for the children, complete with balloons, games, two inflatable bouncy houses, a kiddy pool and ice cream. It was a beautiful, warm sunny afternoon, and boy, did those kids have fun! The parents and grandparents also enjoyed themselves, as did the youth.

Our church in Tulancingo is going forward in God’s strength. We have been enjoying great services under the presence of God and are believing for seasons of refreshing, revival, and growth. We have been placed in Tulancingo to bring streams of living water from heaven to our city and region, and we’re going forward with that vision, teaching, preaching, baptizing, and discipling those in our care.

Podcasts

During the last few months, Anna and I have been working on doing a podcast. We’ve been recording weekly episodes with themes based on Biblical teaching on subjects such as how to develop a relationship with God, spiritual gifts, hope and perseverance, friendships, personal finances, and many others. We have developed a format which is based on questions and answers, and we generally do the episodes as a discussion. Sara and others in our church have also participated in various episodes. We believe that the podcast will grow to become an effective means to influence many with the Gospel message, both within our church, our community, and in other geographical locations.

Online Bible School

We are currently about two-thirds of the way through our winter/spring semester with the online students. We have a great group, and most of our students are doing really well. We have students from all across the nation, and most of them are pastors and leaders in their local churches.

I’m especially thankful for all those who collaborate with us as course facilitators, content creators, and graphics designers. We have a great team!

Family

I’m happy to report that our entire family is doing well. Daniel and Elisa, in Vancouver, WA, have been married for just about two years now. Elisa works as the head of the music program at Portland Bible College, and Daniel is the music pastor at Mannahouse Church in Vancouver.

David Jeremiah continues his PhD studies at Texas A&M and works in the lab doing experiments. He has also had the opportunity to visit Upperroom Church in Dallas, on several occasions.

Anna just graduated from BSSM Second Year studies from Bethel Church in Redding, CA. We have seen so much personal and ministry growth in her over the last couple of years. She regularly teaches, leads worship and is also in charge of our youth ministry. Besides that, she is also my assistant, working almost daily on our Online Bible School as a content creator and course facilitator.

Prayer Requests

Please help us, as we pray for the following ministry needs:

• Our Youth Camp which will be held at the end of May. Please pray for the preparations, for the young people who attend, for the presence of God in the meetings, and that there will be a lasting impact in the lives of all our young people.
• For our Advanced School of Ministry planning meeting which will be held in June. Please pray that the Lord will lead us as we begin a new season with this ministry

Thank You!

Sara and I are so thankful for your love, prayers, and financial support. We are a team. Those who pray and give are partners with those who go and preach, teach, and disciple.

Thank you so much for your help.

With love,

David and Sara Lont
with Anna