Note: You can download a printable PDF copy of this newsletter here:
Hello, Friends, Family, and Supporters.
It’s great to greet you again from central Mexico. We want to share this update with you so that you will know some of the things we are working on.
What Does the Church Look Like?
Today our church looks very different from how it looked a year ago! Last March, unbeknown to us, we had our very last meeting in what had been our church building and meeting location since 2004.
With all of the restrictions and dangers of COVID-19, I began to study once again what the Bible teaches about the church and what the original church in the book of Acts looked like. It has been a very interesting study as well as one that allows us to see that the work of the Lord cannot be stopped by a pandemic, government restrictions, persecution or anything else. The church that Jesus Christ is building is unstoppable!
Here are just a few thoughts:
The House of God is simple. The first mention of God’s house in Scripture is in Genesis 28, where Jacob has his dream of the ladder going up to heaven. When he awakes, he calls the place “Bethel”, which means “house of God”. What was there? One man, the Word of the Living God to that man, and his answer to the voice of God in the form of a sacrifice.
Church is not about big crowds. Jesus said that where two or three are gathered in His name, there He is in the midst of them. This is so good to know since so many of us have been gathering in homes during the past year. Instead of gathering in a building, our church has been gathering in about 40-50 houses all across the city (plus a few in other states).
Church is not about buildings. While buildings can be useful to gather the church for meetings, church buildings are not essential. Most of the churches in the first few hundred years after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (and the birth of the church) didn’t have buildings, but rather, met in houses, outside town by a river, in public squares, or in borrowed locations.
The church tends to multiply when under pressure. We see in Acts that persecution caused the believers to be scattered, but wherever they went, they preached about Jesus Christ and the number of disciples multiplied. While the pandemic is not exactly persecution of the church, the fact that churches have had to close to in-person meetings has, in many occasions, caused true believers to walk closer to God and some unbelievers to begin to desire God. In our experience, we’ve seen several families come to Christ through our online meetings.
As we continue forward through this year, we definitely don’t know what to expect in terms of the pandemic and its effects, but we do know that God is moving in the midst of everything! Christ continues to build His church.
Bible School
Several years back we began designing and building a Bible School that pastors, leaders and others who serve in any capacity in their churches, can attend without having to leave their job, church, and community. We’ve designed it to function totally online. This was a great blessing before the pandemic, but now it’s more important than ever! We were able to continue with our classes without any interruption during 2020, and now, in 2021, we continue to make progress as we train servant-leaders to build up the church.
On February 17 we began our spring semester with around 170 students. We have a team of about ten course facilitators who attend to the daily needs of the students, check homework assignments, and personally encourage each student in their course work.
Testimonies
Have a look at what a couple of our students have said about the online school.
“Thanks to Fundamentos Ministeriales I have gained much knowledge, which has helped me in my personal life to effectively exercise the calling that God has placed on me.” – Francisco Bermúdez (working in Chiapas)
“I have been studying at Fundamentos Ministeriales for about five years and it has brought great blessing to me. I have received a better understanding of the Scriptures, and the best thing is that my teachers have shared their experiences with me.” – Nancy Chávez (in Mexico City)
Thanks For Being On Our Team
Remember, you are part of our team! Thanks to you, we are able to continue forward with our work, even during this difficult COVID season. Please pray for us over the next couple of months for:
- Direction for us as we lead the church during this season of so much uncertainty, that we would be able to discern and do God’s will for the local church.
- For the members of our church, that they would continue strong in faith, connected with God, and that they would keep sharing the Gospel with others.
- Health and divine protection, as so many around us have been sick and some have gone before us to heaven.
- Finances for the Bible School, the church and for us personally. Please agree with us in prayer for God’s continued provision!
We also continue to pray for you, that the Lord will sustain you, uphold you in His perfect peace, give you health, and that you may grow in Him.
Your Help Wanted
Do you know someone who might be interested in what we do? We could really use your help spreading the word that we are looking to grow our partner team. This includes our mailing list as well as our prayer and financial support base.
How can you help?
- By forwarding our email communications to your contacts who may be interested in what we are doing.
- Personally telling others about us and asking them to contact us: dsm@desert-streams.org.
- Sharing this letter on your Facebook page or via Twitter using these buttons:
Blessings!
David and Sara Lont