Jessica and Monica joined our church plant team as support members in our children’s ministry – a big need since over 60% of our church is currently children and youth. They are both World Impact interns for the year. They have both brought fresh energy, skills and gifts to add to our team. Jessica is focusing on the teaching, discipling and mentoring of children from 4-10 while Monica is doing the same with the older children ranging from 11 -16. Each has a wide range of ages, but has provided a huge – and much needed – relief for Fabiola who was working with 22+ kids from 0-16 on any given day. Jessica, coming to us from Indiana, is a passionate person who is sensitive and compassionate towards the needs and feelings of others – especially those under the darkness and brokenness that engulfs the city of Los Angeles. She studied Christian Ministry at her college and desires to see youth rescued from the lies that saturate their culture and help them take a stand for their faith.
Fuente para las Naciones church plant team: (Left to Right: Monica, Jessica, Chad, Fabiola and Norma.)
While focusing on children and youth both interns also are involved in other areas of the church plant process. Monica shares that “in ministry, I find myself relying on prayer and intercession as the foundation of bringing life into people and communities. I can only do so much, but when I usher in the Kingdom of God, He can do infinitely more.” Monica is from Orange County and as you can ‘hear’ has a vision to really raise-up pray-ers and worshippers amongst our little ones. We continue to work on a strategy to equip parents and others from the community to take more responsibility in raising godly children.
Please pray for both of them as they continue to adapt to the life in the city and maneuver through the extra torrents that come against us all as missionaries and church planters. Their gifts and personalities compliment our team well and we are excited to lead this team further into the dark places of this city to continue to shine brighter and stronger for Jesus. Please also lift me (Chad) up as the leader and our team as a whole as we continue look to do God’s work His way in unity and love. Please also pray for the interns' transition from the academic world to the difficulties of inner-city life and challenges of church planting.
Rebecca is now attending Main Street Elementary, the closest of our neighborhood schools. Having our ‘baby’ in school has been a lot to adjust to for all of us, yet immediately so many natural and wonderful opportunities have opened up for new relationships. We, like the majority of the parents, walk her to and from school. We are not only thrilled to get to know more children and parents, but also working on building strong relationships with the teachers and staff at the school. Further, as we continue to grow as a church we have been looking at this site as one of the better potential locations to host Sunday services. Rebecca seems to absolutely love and be made for the social and intellectual atmosphere that the neighborhood school has offered her so far. Please be in prayer for Rebecca’s teacher Mrs. Lopez and all of Main Street’s students and staff.
The assembly of parents and students at the first day of school.
“Our charge is to both proclaim and embody the gospel so that others can see, hear, and feel God's love in tangible ways,” wrote Richard Stearns. And that is what we need prayer for. Real change! No more quick-fix, Band-Aid solutions, but real transformation and restoration. Please pray that we might be the embodiment of God’s love to others – those that have already been gathered and are part of Fuente para las Naciones Church and those that we will continue to meet whether at Main Street School, the park in front of our home or on the street. The needs are great! Our God is bigger!!
Thank you for standing with us,
Chad & Fabiola
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