Over the past years Joseph has partnered with the North America Mission Board to be an assessor of church planters.  This past month he served as one of the coaches for all the assessors.  The assessors evaluate and assess strength and growth areas in 9 different areas of each church planter.

(on Left) Kirk, Pastor Alex and Joseph. Joseph assessed Pastor Alex a few years ago and now he was back serving as an assessor himself, with Joseph training him.  He is the pastor of Ridgeview Church in Fontana, California.

The 9 Areas Being Assessed

. Calling (their personal calling to church planting and personal relationship with Jesus)

· Family Dynamic (strong & healthy marriage, boundaries for their family in relationship to the church plant)

· Emotional & Spiritual Health (prioritizes personal health)

· Leadership (ability to draw others in, equip and empower others)

· Missional Engagement (bold drive to share their faith, lead others to Jesus)

· Disciple-Making (ability to develop & implement an intentional discipleship process)

· Communication (ability in communicating biblical messages)

· Vision (faith-inspired vision for their life & ministry)

· Social Skills (initiative in friendships, welcoming others, conflict )

There were 10 church planters being assessed during this time. They were given either a Green, Yellow or Red Light afterwards.

GREEN = Ready to plant in the next 6-18 months.

YELLOW = Wait—more development needed.

RED = Stop—Redirect away from church planting.

(top left) Joseph with Pastor Johnson (an assessor of Communication)

(bottom left) Joseph with Pastor Noel (Assessor or Leadership)

(middle) Praying for the church  planters before sending them off.

(far right) Church planters answering questions related to church planting.

Family Update …

Light in the Darkness. My God, That is Who You Are.  In just what felt like a matter of days life was turned upside down. Kids were sent home from school, restaurants and entertainment closed down, and people began panicking on food and toilet paper shortages.  We continue to hold tight to the Lord during this time and know He has us—He is the true light and peace the world needs so desperately right now.  The first death from COVID19 in our city came out on the news today so fear continues to increase. We are quarantined to our home for the most part. This past summer we moved to an older neighborhood with many elderly so we are praying we can be a light and serve those around us in need.  Walking the neighborhood for fresh air, praying and trying to see if anyone needs help or supplies. 

Luke is finishing the semester at college all virtually and Jessica and Daniel are awaiting how to finish High School online. It is a disappointing time for Daniel as it is his Senior Year and events are being canceled (Prom, Grad Night, and maybe graduation ceremony)  Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support to us.  Know we are praying for all of you as well during this time and please stay connected.  Feel free to email or call us if we can be praying for you in anyway specifically also –or just to talk.   

So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. Acts 6:7

Joseph recently had the opportunity to be a part of a week long Cru Church Movement training in Dallas, Texas with 60 other Cru Church Movement staff, pastors and partners of the ministry.  Sent 6:7 (from Acts 6:7) is a discipleship process for helping  believers to be trained in discipleship and evangelism.  Joseph is now coaching 2 men in the training material, Pastor Sammy Expinoza and Joel, a staff member in Cru. 

Pastor Sammy Espinoza is from Kingsborough Ridge Baptist Church in San Antonio, TX.  Joseph is working with Pastor Sammy as he implements the training from Sent 6:7 in his own church.  He is also helping him as he begins to focus on Easter and helping his church share their faith.

Pastor Sammy is beginning by training 15 of his community group leaders in topics such as: walking in the Spirit, sharing your story, sharing the Gospel, building bridges with people, reaching out in your neighborhood, etc.. It is a 10 week process and after the 10 weeks of training the leaders will be encouraged to start a group teaching similar topics, for new believers or others who have not been discipled before.

Joel is a Cru Church Movements staff member from Chicago and is the founder of the Think Institute (https://thethink.institute/)  Joel teaches apologetics and evangelism at various churches within Chicago.  He also hosts an apologetics podcast and a weekly apologetics training where he addresses the difficult obstacles to faith in Jesus and encourages believers to bring their friends who have questions about God and the Bible.

Joseph has been coaching Joel in developing a process to reach Chicago through apologetics and evangelism trainings.  He has been helping him develop leaders through utilizing the Sent 6:7 training and other material.  They are good friends and enjoy connecting and calling one another for coaching times. 

Trafficking Prevention in the Junior High Schools

Joseph and Caitlyn (from EveryOne Free ministry) recently had the opportunity to do another sex trafficking prevention presentation.  The health teacher of a Junior High here in a high risk area of Southern CA has asked Joseph to come every quarter and share with all 800 7th graders in her health classes.

When Joseph and Caitlyn ask the   students who has been approached by a potential trafficker through apps, chat rooms, gaming consoles, etc.. About 50% of the students raised their hands. One brave girl also came up to Joseph, Caitlyn and the teacher and shared how she recognized the signs of trafficking in her community and wanted to report it.  The teacher stood by her side and helped her call the trafficking hotline to seek help.

At the end of the presentation we break the students up into small groups to talk more and this past time a handful of the girls shared with Caitlyn about sexual abuse they were experiencing. We are now talking with EveryOne Free on how we can address this aspect, which makes children very vulnerable to trafficking, and how to help teachers be prepared to help when it comes out.  

The teacher, Joseph and Caitlyn in Junior High classes

Family Update …

2020 is in full swing and 3 teenagers and an 8 year old keep us active!  Daniel is enjoying his Senior year in High School, working a lot and now deciding on College options (how did that happen?!) Luke is plugging along in college and working part-time. Jessica is loving her freshman year and being a part of the Show Choir at the High School.  They have won their first two competitions, so that has been fun!  And Aleeya is doing amazing in second grade at home,staying busy with friends and now doing Lyrical dancing (which she LOVES!)

Thank you for your prayer and encouragement and continual to support to us and the ministry here in Los Angeles.  We are so thankful for each of you!!

5000-6000 Women and Children are trafficked every year from the Nepal border into New Delhi, India

About two years ago after Joseph spoke at an outreach to fight sex trafficking, a local Pastor (Pastor Krishna) approached him and asked if we could partner together to end this evil in his country of Nepal. This was the beginning of a partnership with us and the ministry, Mercy Nepal.  Pastor Krishna and Joseph prayed and planned and formed three phases to start micro-enterprises to combat the poverty that makes women and children very vulnerable to sex trafficking.

Phase One began last January when we were able to send 2  Nepali women to Mumbai, India for training in making garment bags, sewing skills and creating jewelry. They were there for 1 month learning these skills.  Phase Two began in February when the 2 women returned to Nepal and   began training other women at the sewing centers. One of the women trained, Devi, a young mom, has now decided not to be part of the Nepal project.  Ranjana, a college grad, is at the sewing center and a part of the project and is receiving further training in sewing design as she trains other women in what she learned in Mumbai.

We are now beginning Phase Three!  Phase Three is establishing the 6 existing sewing centers to become self-sustaining to empower and share the love of Christ with more women. Every 9-12 months a sewing center will become self-sustaining—starting in the city of Bardia. The six locations are: Kathmandu, Chitwan,  Kohapur, Bardia, Kailali, and Salayam.

We are hopeful and overjoyed with this partnership because it is based on local pastors within Nepal having a vision to be a part of ending the trafficking of  women and children in their country as well as sharing the gospel with these women and their families. Please pray for these local pastors.  Pray for wisdom for them, opportunities to see families come to Christ, and protection over them.  There is a new law in Nepal now that if someone is caught evangelizing they would face 5 years in jail and a 50,000 Nepali rupee fine.  We decided to establish the first self-sustaining sewing center in Bardia because it is farther from the central government and will face lesser restrictions as of now.  Pray many women would find new skills in these sewing centers that would prevent them from being trafficked and that they would come to know Jesus as their Savior.

70% of trafficking victims come from the Foster Care System

We were recently a part of an event that connected the realities of the foster care  system here in Los Angeles and the real realities of sex trafficking around us. Human traffickers will prey on individuals who are most vulnerable, which is why foster children have a greater risk of becoming victims than those who aren’t in the system.  Children who grow up in the foster care system from home to home usually experience depression, sexual abuse, trauma, isolation and feeling unloved. Our friend, Patrice, shared her story of growing up in Foster Care and the vulnerabilities that came from that.  She gave those who attended the event a real, honest look into the   foster care system and helped them understand the greater need for permanent, loving foster homes and how that in itself is part of the solution to ending trafficking of young girls who run away from foster homes or age out of the system.

It was a great evening helping EveryOne Free (the trafficking ministry of Purpose Church) connect with Chosen (the fostercare/adoption ministry of Purpose Church) and encouraging those in attendance to be involved. Joseph is on the leadership of EveryOne Free and helped plan the night.

No One Can Do Everything, But Everyone Can Do Something.

“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”  Isaiah 1:17

Family Update …

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years Celebration!  It is hard to believe it is 2020.  We enjoyed slowed down times with family, having Luke home from college and family adventures together. It was our first Christmas in our new home after moving —so bittersweet as we created new memories yet also missed our old home traditions at times.  Thank you for your continual encouragement, support and prayers for our family and the ministry here in Los Angeles.  We are always so humbled knowing any praises we have are a result of the prayers of so many.  Thank you!

Depression is not having a “bad day” but living day by day trapped in that silence and all you want to do is shout out the pain inside.

 “And they assume that if you cannot see it, then it’s not really there. As if pain does not exist, unless you’re bleeding or slung in a cast or staggering with a limp.”

This past month we partnered with a local church, Christ First Espanol, to host a community outreach on anxiety and depression which affects over 40 million adults in the U.S. alone. We had a panel who shared their past and current struggles BUT how they are able to find true HOPE and STRENGTH in Jesus. 

There was hours of planning and prayer by Joseph and Pastor Marco leading up to this event and it was so encouraging to see how the Lord was glorified.  People from within the church and especially the community filled the church and SIX people gave their lives to Christ !  We were on the prayer team as well to pray for the many people who came forward in need of prayer and for those who made commitments to Jesus for the first time! Another amazing aspect was that we promoted this event for weeks leading up to it and the response was humbling, as many reached out for help even before we had the event and Pastor Marco formed a support group filled with believers and 3 others from the community.  There are now 2 support groups at the church bringing hope and healing to those struggling with anxiety and depression—from within the church and non-believers within the community. To see a highlight video we made of the event check out this link!

Because of your faithful prayers and support to us we are able to serve full-time and share the love of Jesus here in Los Angeles.  Thank you so very much, we are so eternally grateful.

Not everyone can be a foster parent, but ANYONE can help a child in foster care.

There are 21,000 children living in foster care in LA County, who need caring people in their lives. We recently hosted a Foster Care Info Fair with keynote speaker Bishop Martin. His inspiring story has been seen on Dateline NBC, Oprah, and Good Morning America. The decision he and his wife made to open their home to 4 siblings in foster care. He then inspired his church to change the lives of 72 additional children. The Info Fair brought together 14 different agencies and ministries that offer a variety of opportunities to help kids in foster care. 

The Info Fair allowed people to come together and hear about God’s heart for children in the foster care through hearing a panel of former foster youth, learning about the foster care system from experts in the field and hearing abut the many volunteer opportunities available. These include: being a mentor, advocate, friend, camp counselor, tutor, prayer supporter, job/life skills coach, foster/adoptive parent, and more!

Partnering Together to Plant Bilingual Spanish Churches!

Chad Wolyn is a missionary with World Impact. Michelle and he grew up together in the Bay Area and went to youth group together through high school! It has been so fun to be reunited here in Southern California and meet one another’s families – and see how the Lord brought them both into full-time ministry. And now to be able to partner together in ministry! Chad was able to attend the evangelism workshop that Joseph led earlier this year and he asked Joseph if he would help him with his church. Pastor Chad has a passion to help his church plant 10 bilingual Spanish speaking churches here in the Los Angeles area.  Joseph and Chad have been meeting to develop a discipleship processes, leadership development, and raise up future church planters.  Please pray for them as they partner together.  Pray for Jorge, who is a part of Pastor Chad’s church, and who could potentially plant a church next year.

Thank you so much for your continual prayers and support to us and the ministry here in Los Angeles. We know it is because of the prayers of so many that we have the blessing of seeing the Lord change lives here Thank you.

Thank you also for praying for us and our family. This Fall has been flying by with a Homecoming Dance (Daniel), Show Choir Performances (Jessica), New Roommates (Luke) and Soccer Fun (Aleeya)! Thank you for your prayers.

To be a Disciple of Jesus you must Make Bold Moves and Continue to Make Bold Moves…

1 Thessalonians 1:1-4

 He Boldly Chooses Us—⁴ For we know,  brothers and sistersloved by God, that he has chosen you.

 He Boldly Changes Us—⁵ because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.

He Boldly Uses Us— your faith in God has become known everywhere.

A Bold Obedience— ³ We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

This month we had an amazing opportunity to travel to Greece for a Cru Global Church Movements Conference.  We joined 275 others from around the world, representing 84 different countries!  It was an inspiring experience to be in the presence of Cru staff planting churches all around the world in the midst of persecution and hardships. We heard from speakers, worshiped together, prayed together and worked daily in table groups talking about the ministry and gaining wisdom from one another. 

“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”    Revelation 7:9

Learning, Praying, Worshiping Together with missionaries from Africa, India, Philippines, U.S, Australia, Kazakhstan, East Asia and so many more!

The theme this year was be•cause.  Celebrating the cause that God has called us to and the fact that God also wants us to be… be in His presence and be in love with Him.

This past July we traveled to Colorado for our biennial staff conference.  One of the great highlights of our time there is the camp/conference that Cru provides for our kids at the same time as the adults.  Being a missionary kid is unique and has its own challenges and it is wonderful they have this opportunity to come together with other youth that understand them in this way!  Their conference had amazing worship, speakers and small group time to process every day as well as fun activities throughout.  They had a day of workshops they could choose from such as: sharing your faith, battling, pornography, relating to and loving those in the LGBTQ lifestyle, your personal testimony, etc..  There was also a day of outreach where our kids were able to go into Denver and other cities to talk with people who were interested in learning about Jesus.  We are so thankful Daniel and Jessica had a wonderful summer of fun and most importantly growing in their relationships with Jesus.  

Encouraged and Challenged by so many speakers such as: Gary Haugen (founder of IJM—anti trafficking), Hung Thach (Cru), Darryl Smith (Cru)Latasha Morrison (Be the Bridge), Steve Douglass (President of Cru), Pastors Daniel Hill and James White, Beth Guckenberger (Back2Back Adoption Ministry) and others.  It was a full week that        encouraged and equipped us to continue in the ministry here in Los Angeles.  Thank you for your prayers and support for us for this summer.

Foster Care Coalition Ambassador Training— 30,000 Children in the Foster Care System in Los Angeles

Every day thousands of children live without a stable family in Los Angeles county.  Their desperation is our motivation.   They need mentors. They need advocates. They need families.   They need hope.

God’s Word emphasizes the significance of caring for orphans.  In the United States, the abused and neglected children who enter the foster care system are our nation’s “orphans.”  We have joined together as a COALITION to better serve these   children by equipping the local church for foster care mission work. http://www.fostercarecoalition.com

This past month we put on an Ambassador Training in Long Beach where we trained leaders from various churches in how to begin a foster care ministry at their own church.  Please pray many churches would rise up to care for the 30,000 children in foster care here in Los Angeles.

To hear stories of former foster youth is always so powerful and important for others to begin to understand what these children go through.

Two of the foster youth who shared at our time were Denisse and Will.

Denisse had been at multiple foster homes & group homes growing up. She stopped caring about herself because others seemed to not care. Denisse was never adopted and aged out of foster care. She is now reunited with her sister.

Will was adopted at 2 years old but then removed from that home at 13 years old because of sexual and emotional abuse. School was difficult for him and he was angry because of his circumstances. He moved from foster home to foster home and from various group homes and aged out of foster care. He really wanted to be mentored but never had a mentor. He now is adopted by members of the Foster Care Coalition (Suzanne and Andy).

Joseph and Sarah at the training. Sarah is part of Foothill Church and has a huge heart for beginning a foster care ministry at her church.

Women learning how to Help Women in LA and             Around the World

A few weeks ago we had the privilege to speak to a group of women at the First Chinese Baptist Church Los Angeles (FCBC).  A former student involved in our ministry years ago from the Cal State Los Angeles campus is now leading the women’s ministry at FCBC!  She organized a paint nite for women of the church and wanted to use that time to help the women understand sex trafficking here in Los Angeles and around the world and put the proceeds from the event towards the Nepal project we are working on. Joseph and I were able to share with the ladies and it was so encouraging to be a part of the evening.

Please continue to pray for the Nepal Project. The 2 women we had trained in sewing skills in India are now back in Nepal at the sewing centers training other women!  There is a long waiting list of women who desire to learn sewing skills and use this skill to provide for themselves and their families, instead of being lured into sex trafficking.

Celebrating our 20th Anniversary in Laguna Beach!

Flower fields and beach time

Family Update…

Happy Easter!  We pray you had a blessed Easter celebrating the power and love of Jesus in our lives.  We are finishing up the school year—trying to finish strong and prepare for the summer.  We are excited that our oldest, Luke, was accepted to go on a summer mission trip with Cru to Japan this summer!  (He will probably be sending you a letter soon to share more!)  Daniel has his driving test in a couple weeks and is applying for summer work.  Jessica recently tried out and made the Show Choir Team for high school in the Fall (how can she be going to high school already!)  And we are celebrating 3 YEARS Forever Family Day with Aleeya in a week! She continues to keep us laughing, dancing and loving life. Thank you so much for your continual prayers and support to us and the ministry here.  We are so thankful for each one of you. Please contact us anytime to share ways we can be praying for you as well.

The Changing Face of Evangelism

In a post Christian world, 2.5 million people leave the church every year and 4000 churches permanently close each year. With only 5% of Christians sharing their faith, there is a need in the Church for thoughtful and effective evangelism and discipleship. Joseph recently put together a half day workshop for churches and church plants in the Los Angeles area.

He partnered with Pastor Ruben (Solid Rock Church in Claremont) and Kirk from NAMB (North America Mission Board) to invite pastors and leaders from churches and church plants to come together and learn about this changing face of evangelism.

Here is a great Highlight Video of the Training Time Joseph led-   https://youtu.be/ERQMKvoQmbE

Joseph, Michelle, Edina and Gabor (Cru Church Movements)

Go into All the World…

The Glendale area of Los Angeles has a population of about 200,000, of which, according to some estimates, 40% is Armenian.

Pastor Nazaret and his wife, Sona

Joseph has been recently meeting with Pastor Nazaret in Sherman Oaks. Pastor Nazaret came to one of the Changing Face of Evangelism times that Joseph led for a group of pastors in the Northridge area. After the training Pastor Nazaret approached Joseph and asked him if he would be willing to meet with him and help him replant his church, as there are very few people involved. Joseph is helping him redefine his mission, values and vision for the church. They desire to create a curriculum on the values of the church with which Pastor Nazaret can use to train and raise up leaders within his church that will be aligned to the Mission and Vision. His heart is for the Armenian population in that area and we are thankful to be able to help reach the community there with the love of Jesus. Please pray for Pastor Nazaret and his church — Enduring Hope Church. Pray that the Lord would use him powerfully to make a difference in his community in sharing the love of Jesus and would raise up leaders within his church.

FAMILY UPDATE…

Happy March! We pray this year is going well for all of you. Life is full and busy but good. We have been able to squeeze in family hikes and daytrips to the beach and even the snow a few times. Aleeya is NOT a fan ! The cold is not in her blood and after our last trip to the snow she asked us to promise her we will never go there again!! Sunny California weather suites her well. Daniel just took the SAT (we can’t believe it is time to start planning for college for him soon!) Luke loves his life at Cal Poly but still makes time for family fun, which we love. And the girls are busy with homeschool, lessons and a music showcase production they are in the end of March. And Joseph and I continue to balance it all and make it a priority to have at least a lunch date once a week—our 20 year anniversary is next month! CRAZY how times flies. Thank you so much for your continual prayers and support to us and the ministry here. We are so thankful.

Mobilizing the Church in the City for Action

The Coalition of Christian Foster Care Ministries, where Joseph serves on the leadership team, recently was a part of a Pastors Luncheon here in Los Angeles.  The luncheon was held for pastors to come together and learn more of the foster care epidemic in LA and how it impacts issues in the city.  How the mission of the church and  the Gospel of Jesus calls us to the ministry of fostering, adoption and advocacy. Nick Vujicic was a guest speaker and he shared his inspiring message of  insights he has learned of God’s hope and love through all he has been through (born without limbs).  Please pray for the churches within Los Angeles to be mobilized to serve the thousands of children in foster care within our area and to gain a heart for the orphaned.  We were able to invite churches to our next Ambassador Training in March where churches can receive training to begin a foster care  ministry within their church.  Please pray many churches would come be a part of our time. Here is a clip of Nick sharing his heart:
https://youtu.be/pTKVtlbCQpU

LA County Dept. Children & Family Services Data 2017-2018

• 18,228 children in out-of-home placement
• 6,841 in foster homes for more than 2 years
• 400-450 children waiting to be matched for adoption on any given day in LA

Child Characteristics:

 Birth-2yrs = 21%    3-4yrs =12%     5-9yrs =26%    10-13yrs = 18%   

      14-15yrs = 8%         16-17yrs = 8%     18yrs & older = 7%

Church Planting Assessments

Twice a year Joseph partners with the North America Mission Board to help do assessments for their new church planters.  He recently completed his 5th assessment this past week. They assessed 12 church planters.  The church planters are assessed in their calling to plant a church, social skills, their vision for the church and these 5 areas:

• • • Family Dynamics (do they have a strong marriage and family)
    • Communication (preaching)
    • Church Planting (evangelism and discipleship)
    • Leadership (how do they develop leaders and teams)
    • Wives (how does their wife feel about church planting, does she have good support as a wife/mom, friends)
    • Emotional Spiritual Health (are they emotionally mature, have they dealt with past history & hurts)
  

  Todd, Joseph, James and Kirk worked together to assess the new church planters.

  The North American Mission Board (NAMB) saw that many of their new churches were starting but then closing their doors after 4 years. They began this assessment time twice a year to help new churches become strong, healthy churches, have accountability, a strategy plan and to be able to reproduce into new churches.  After the assessments the church planters go onto further training and are eligible to receive monthly support from NAMB.

  FAMILY UPDATE

  From rain and cold to beautiful days—this winter is crazy!  We enjoyed a day in snow one weekend and a hike the next. 🙂 The kids are still busy with school and activities and Luke is enjoying his days in college.  We love that he is near and visits often!

  

  Thank you for your continual prayers and support to us and the ministry here in LA.  We are so grateful for all the Lord continues to do here in and through us.