Winter 2022

When we write we generally try to share pictures and stories to illustrate how your partnership with us, through prayer and financial support, is impacting the ministry…but as we close out the year, we thought it would be helpful and encouraging to see some numbers from 2022. Behind the numbers are many stories and wonderful people being called out of darkness, making great sacrifices and leading with inspiring faith. It is an honor to serve Jesus and His people! Thank you for being a part. 

A lot of what we do is empower others to do the ministry by coaching and equipping them and connecting leaders, pastors and under resourced churches and ministries to resources that they need. We are involved in training in two main areas: Trauma Healing and Church Planting:

Here is a picture of us at our church’s annual Christmas Banquet. As always Christ was shared, we had good food and a lot of laughter. 

Beniah, our youngest, sure looks a lot like Santa!

I love this picture because it has some of the most genuine laughter from our family – but it was at my expense. You know how you set the timer on your camera and then run to get into place before the picture takes…well, that is what we were trying, but I sort of tripped, and face planted on my way to the picture….and this is what you get…everyone laughing. 😊

Wishing you a very joy-filled Christmas!

 

Trauma Healing Group Testimonies

This has been such a full year of training and equipping pastors and leaders who are expanding the impact of the Good News of Jesus around the city and world. We have walked several cohorts of people through different levels of training in Trauma Ministry and Church Planting this year touching various neighborhoods in Los Angeles as well as North, Central and South America and Africa. In just one of our most recent advanced Trauma Trainings in Spanish the trainers sent in reports of over 200 people that have gone through the Trauma Healing Groups (that was the impact of just 5 leaders leading two groups each in 7 months). It is rewarding to train these trainers, those that have come through our healing groups and are now helping us expand these ministries into new places.  

Here are testimonies from two leaders that we have trained as trauma healing group facilitators:

“I believe more pastors, maybe all pastors, should take this course so that they know how to really help people and bring healing – it goes beyond just learning how to preach the Word, but to guide people to the Word and to bring true healing through the Word into the deepest parts of our hearts.” – Julio (Julio and his wife are now partnering with us to train new facilitators.)

Pastor Noe shared many stories from his latest trauma healing group in the country of Burundi. He said the response has been massive as there is such a need - they want more (so we need to train more of his collegues to help him!). He shared of people suffering from war, local violence, AIDS, suicide, being abandonded by family, extreme poverty, and a poor understanding of Scripture and how trauma affects them individually and as a community. 

Pastor Noe is pictured below facilitating a healing group at a community church with a group of youth. 

Thank you for joining us in prayer for:

• The 1,000s of people that have begun their healing journey because they have gone through a healing group led by one of the facilitators we have trained this year.
• A special time celebrating Christmas this year (our last year before Rebecca goes away for college).
• Our Dean training for our Evangel School of Church Planting for internationals this January. Pray that all the key leaders would get their visas in time and the fruit of new churches across the globe would be greater than we can imagine.

From Los Angeles to Burundi & Beyond

One of the pastors we trained as a trauma facilitator (the group from Cameroon) recently reached out asking for prayer for a new group he started in Burundi (some 2,000 miles to the east) when he was invited to teach at a Pastoral Theology class at Bujumbura Christian University. He shared that the students are very happy with the course and with so many deep needs around them they are quickly sharing what they are learning with others.

In order to support the vision of the many under-resourced leaders around the US and world we listen carefully to the needs and are willing to adapt for the win. It seems like every couple of months we are breaking new ground or trying something new. I think that is part of what excites me about the mission field – tapping into God’s creativity and constantly being able to try new things, adapt and improve. Of course, it is frustrating when things don’t work out, but the thrill of seeing a new believer’s eyes twinkle with understanding and appreciation or the raw, faith-filled vision of a new church planter feeling supported and empowered and willing to go where others have not gone makes it all so worth it.

At World Impact we are constantly working to improve and fine tune what we offer so that we remain not only relevant, but always affordable and accessible. One of our personal passions is making sure what we offer to Spanish-speaking leaders is as relevant, affordable, and accessible as what we offer our English-speaking leaders. This month we will be leading our first ever Advanced Trauma Healing Group Facilitator Training in Spanish. Please pray we would truly empower the attendees to be the best facilitators and dream big with God to see more people set free and healed from their deep wounds.

Different parts of the US, the Caribbean, Central and South America will all be represented in our training this month. Each person has a unique area of influence and vision to reach their church, community, city or in many cases region and nation. Not only do we have a great group of students lined up for the facilitator’s training this month, but we are also working on preparing the next group of trainers. Simultaneously training the upcoming facilitators (healing group leaders) and mentoring trainers empowers these ministry leaders to expand our collective reach to transform more communities with the Gospel. While it may not happen soon, it would be amazing to work ourselves out of a job!

Lastly, please pray for me (Chad) as I travel this month for World Impact’s annual staff gathering. Also be in prayer for Fabiola and the kids who stay back in Los Angeles with school and ministry responsibilities during that week.

Thank you so much for your generous support and all the prayers lifted up on our behalf!

What do I have to do to know God?

 Our mission is to empower urban leaders and partner with local churches to reach their cities with the Gospel. Much of our time is spent training the trainer by equipping and empowering leaders and pastors. Recently we were working with a ministry to help them start a Trauma Healing Group ministry. On the very last day of our introductory 6-week healing group we gave everyone a chance to ask anything they wanted. There were a lot of great questions about how to be more trauma informed, how to help people that are grieving, and other things related to the trauma training. One gentleman, Alfredo, boldly raised his hand and asked what had been bubbling up in his heart and mind over the last couple weeks, “What do I have to do to know God?”

Alfredo had just been taken through a journey of finding healing. He learned that God is good. He learned how to listen to others in their pain and was listened to as well. He learned how grief is a journey and what to expect on that journey. He learned how to express his pain to God through a lament. Alfredo and the group also brought their pain and sin to the cross and learned about forgiveness. He learned how to forgive others, himself and receive forgiveness from God. Honestly, not knowing him outside of the class, we didn’t know he was an unbeliever, but saw his growth and the healing take place within.

When Alfredo humbly and honestly asked the question, “What do I have to do to know God?”, another lady in our group, Maria, shared the Gospel and lead him to give his life fully to Jesus. Seeing the layers of transformation – a healed heart from the trauma of his life, but more than that the new heart and new outlook on life having made Jesus the Lord and Savior of his life – reminds us again and again why we know what we are doing is bringing value to so many communities that need these tools. And now Alfredo has a new community of people that can walk with him and help him to continue to grow.

There are many more Alfredos waiting for somebody to provide a safe place to wrestle with issues and heal from the wounds of life. There are many more Marias eager for an opportunity to share how Jesus is not just a healer of trauma and pain, but also a restorer and giver of life and salvation. We are working hard at multiplying our efforts by training and equipping as many people as possible so that we can see a healthy church for every community of poverty.

Thank you for your support and prayers for us and all of those with whom we are ministering.

Summer 2022

Summary: God has been blessing the ministry with many new people trained and sent out as church planters and workers amongst the broken throughout Los Angeles and the world. We also have a big financial need for our kid’s schooling so please see how you can help at the end of this letter. THANKS!

 

Highlights…

 

Church Plant Schools

So far this year we have already run two Evangel Church Plant Schools with 16 people representing at least 8 cities in at least 5 countries. We say at least because several teams are already thinking and praying about the church plant that will come out of their church plant (babies and grandbabies). 

Formerly incarcerated, now planting churches for God and standing up to the cartel to defend his community. 

Some of the individuals we were able to train and send out as church planters in Mexico (from Veracruz, Sinaloa, and Baja California).

Also spent some time in jail and grew up in Southern California, but after being deported is now making a difference in Mexico as a strong role model and church planter. 

A church plant team at our Evangel School in Mexico begins to strategically map out their plan to reach a new community for Christ. 

One of the teams plans on starting a new church in the jungles of Costa Rica where they need to reach the communities by horseback or 4-wheel drive.

9 New Deans in Mexico & Central America

Dean Training is training key leaders how to run their own Church Plant School. We know that we can’t possibly train everyone ourselves, so we partner with pastors and leaders with the vision to plant many churches and train them to be trainers of our Evangel Church Plant School.

Between a trip to Mexico in March and an online training with pastors from Central America we have trained 9 pastors as deans so far this year. The earliest school that will be run through these leaders is in August in El Salvador.

One of the deans we trained up a couple years ago, Javier, has already hosted several schools. This year he finished one in Columbia and has just started another in Florida. Javier planted a church in Florida and just handed that church off successfully so that he could move to Ohio to start another church. While he is building relationships in Ohio, he is still reaching back to train others in Florida how to plant so that there can be even more churches in his old state. 

Our three church plant teams from Central America on our Zoom training.

Trauma Ministry Expanding

So far this year we have trained 65 people from 10 countries as facilitators or trainers in Trauma Healing ministry. That is up from 38 people from 6 countries all of 2021, and 17 people from 2 countries in 2020 and we are only halfway through the year with people in cue waiting for advanced trainings in Spanish.

I want to share a bit of a correspondence with one of our African brothers:

My warm greetings to you Sir, 

I was so proud of receiving the certificate. Today I introduced it to my collegue pastor then he suggested to form the trauma healing ministry which might be very helpful to our parish and community because the people who are suffering from trauma are a lot due to civil war which has been occured in our country. He has even chosen the psychologist who will be my assistant so I would like to request your prayer so that God can make it fruitful. 

I will be giving the report when we start.

Thank you for everything.

Then a little later this same brother in Christ wrote of his first Healing Group, "I would like to let you know that I have started the first session on trauma healing. It was wonderful, God has been with us."

Here is a picture from another healing group that was formed as a result of our training in a different part of Africa:

Testimony Gathering of the Previously Incarcerated

“Were you on the inside?”, asked the gentleman standing in front of me as we waited for our burgers at the In-N-Out truck serving our lunch. “No," I responde, "but I love to go into the prisons and jails and share Jesus!" The gentleman gave me a strong slap on the back and said, “Thank you, I was in for over 20-years, but now I’m out and getting my bearings and want to shine for Jesus…it’s amazing being here with so many guys and gals that have been locked up like me and who love Jesus like me!”

What a powerful time to hear story after story of deliverance and re-established purpose for people that once were locked up (many with life sentences) who now run ministries, write books, teach classes, pastor churches and live healthy, productive lives.

Through our TUMI seminary classes (The Urban Ministry Institute) which we offer inside (and outside) prisons and jails we have built a great network and family of people throughout the state of California and beyond. It is an honor to be a small part of some of these relationships and to be able to look for ways to provide the encouragement, resources and support they may need to make an even bigger impact.

You can watch a little more about this ministry partner and event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaBU8_Bq-KQ

 

Fuente Church & Community

Yard Sales continue to be an effective and practical way to help fund the church ministry to the community, bless the community with good, affordable items and build community contacts. Fequently people come and share their life stories and pains and walk away with prayer, a Bible, and an invitation to be a part of what God is doing in and through Fuente.

Our Good Friday, Easter and Mother’s Day outreaches were a bit smaller than in years past because our volunteer base shrunk some during COVID, but we still had good turn outs of new people to hear the Gospel and receive prayer.

This summer we will be watching Season 1 of the series, “The Chosen”, (in Spanish) and walking through life application in small groups. Our hope is we will all walk away more in love with Jesus and more aware of who we are in Christ as the chosen, activating our faith in greater ways. This series will allow us to reactivate our lay leaders for in-person ministry times after being limited to Zoom meetings for the last season.

Home Front

We praise God that we have not had any recent problem with fires, theft, stalkers, or vandalism for many months now.

We are still in ‘limbo’ living in a partially packed home (for 1.5 years now) awaiting everything at the house we are moving to (several blocks away) to be finished being repaired and readied for our move. We hoped to be moved in by the end of summer, but at this time it is looking less likely…so maybe mid-fall???

Prayer Needs

1.     Provision for children’s schooling. ($12,800 needed)

2.     Grace, provision, God’s timing on move to missionary housing. (We would love to be moved in by start of school, but also want house to be ready and not a construction zone.)

3.     Covering for all the amazing people we have been able to get to know, train, encourage and send out.

 

Thank you for cheering us on and partnering with us.

May Christ be known in the darkest, hardest of places from the city streets to the jail to the many other countries God is putting before us!

Chad, Fabiola, Rebecca, Angela, Justice and Beniah 

 

More Church Planters Trained

We just finished another fruitful and powerful training school for strategic leaders across Central America. Their 3-year vision is to plant 144 new churches as they equip the next generation of leaders in the church and to win their cities, neighborhoods, and regions for Christ.

First, we trained 4 leaders to become deans of their own church plantings schools, equipping them with the resources, theology, missiology, support, and strategies. The four will focus primarily on the nations of El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama.

Next, we immediately partnered with these four leaders (instead of just doing everything ourselves) to help them train their first 12 church planters at their church planting schools. Their vision is to host their church planting schools twice a year so that they can constantly be raising up leaders and sending out church plant teams all over Central America. These four leaders are working together to support one another, which we believe is a key component of long-term success.

In our last prayer letter, we mentioned the group of over 20 French-speaking men and women that are faculty, students, and alumni of a university in Cameroon (Africa), Institut Universitaire de Développement International. The amount of trauma, war, violence, death, betrayal, and other cultural dynamics mostly unseen in the US that were shared over the course of our 3-month training was eye opening. The hope is to continue and expand the training on-site within a year because each leader has many others that he or she knows that want and need the same training. As we train the trainer, we create a platform for these strong leaders to take these trainings even further than we could ever do on our own.

Here is a picture of some of those that were trained and equipped: 

Words are not enough, but Thank You! for your prayers (that really make a difference) and every dollar you sow into this ministry as we partner to see more people equipped and empowered to win their communities – communities of poverty full of desperate need – for our gracious and loving God.

God is on the move!

The last few months have been full of equipping and empowering dozens of groups around the world to lead church plant schools and trauma healing groups. After each opportunity we realize more and more how much we love training the trainers and offering pastoral guidance and practical resources to pastors and leaders in communities of poverty.

In the last 5 years we have certified 137 Evangel Deans who have hosted 48 Evangel Schools in 6 countries and 15 cities across the United States. As a result, 381 church plant teams have been equipped to plant new churches around the world!

Just last month I (Chad) was able to lead our first team to Mexico to train a group of key leaders from various Mexican states to be Evangel Deans. Their vision is to plant 500 churches across Latin America. It is always life-giving to see the Holy Spirit in action and be able to stir up the passion that emerging leaders have to win their communities for Christ.

I have also been involved in partnering with the president of Institut Universitaire de Developpement International (IUDI) based in Cameroon (known in English as, Francophone University of International Development) which has a student base of politicians, business leaders and other people of influence from the 27 French speaking nations across Africa. We have been offering trauma healing groups to these leaders. Cameroon has been ravaged by civil war for over four years and many in our training have shared of atrocities and challenges unlike most of us have ever seen.  Despite the heart-breaking stories the group has shared there is a contagious faith, a hope that shines from within them and a desire to take what they are learning and share it with their people.

Other international organizations I’ve been working with these last few months are a chaplain organization (training chaplains to take trauma healing into the jails, hospitals and other places of great need), a language organization (focused on non-dominant languages…i.e. the least reached), and a medical ambassador organization (providing medical and mental health services). Most of these organizations are focused on the English and Spanish parts of the world, but there is more potential to expand ever further.

God is on the move! It is great to join with you, through your prayers and financial support, to be able to provide materials, training, communities of practice and a growing relational network of support to these amazing men and women on the front lines, who often are both living in and ministering to the poorest in their communities. Please keep us and them in your prayers this month.

Redemptive Poverty Work

The last thing we want to do is exploit anyone, hurt anyone or oppress them – we aren’t here to rescue people from their circumstances. Only God can do the rescuing. We put our faith (in word and deed) in the supernatural work of God while we humbly advocate and come alongside those who live in the condition of poverty and join in the work God is already doing. 

These are ideas we have been chewing on over the last six months from a recently released booklet and course by the president of World Impact, Dr. Alvin Sanders, called, “Redemptive Poverty Work”. In this book, the issue of toxic poverty work is identified as a common problem among those working with the poor. Issues such as the savior syndrome, paternalism, cynicism, and burnout lead to causing more harm than good. Over the last 12 years of living amongst and working alongside the poor in South Los Angeles we have seen these toxic tendencies in groups we have partnered with as well as ourselves. It is possible to want to see change in people so badly that we can lose the focus on God’s sovereignty and our roles as guides to cheer on and partner with the true heroes of the community.

At the heart is the belief that there is great potential in the people we meet and a desire to spur them on, to empower them, to help give them opportunities that they may not be able to achieve on their own…so that they can flourish and grow as God desires for them. We can’t control the outcomes, but we can work at being healthy and supportive. As three of our children are in their teenage years, learning to become adults, it makes a lot of sense that the best thing we can do for them at this stage is provide pathways of opportunity, advocate when necessary, ask for forgiveness when we mess up, and admit we haven’t done everything right, but want to cheer them on, guide them, help them and watch them fly.

We want to thank you for allowing us to stand in a unique spot. We are like a bridge. We get to empower urban leaders to reach their cities with the Gospel. We get to share resources and powerful programs, help make connections and provide other strategic support that is “wind in their sails” for these gifted and called servants. What a joy to watch so many grow and accomplish the vision God has placed on their hearts for their communities.

If you are interested in a quick, but challenging read on Redemptive Poverty Work, let us know by sending us an email. The book and/or course may be powerful to work through as a small group or with a mission-minded team of people. We would be honored to guide a group through a course on Redemptive Poverty Work too – so if that sounds interesting or helpful, please let us know.

Please keep our Trauma Healing Groups and Evangel Church Planting Schools in prayer – there are several we are working on right now touching a wide-array of leaders, churches, communities, and countries.

We are grateful for your prayers and financial support. God bless you!