Collins Family in Mesick, MI

Waiting is hard. As our excitement and anticipation grow, it’s getting harder and harder to wait to begin serving the Lord in Mexico. But God is working in our lives as we wait for His provision of full support. One thing that we’ve learned during our time of raising support is that God’s timing is not our timing. We make our plans and set our goals, but ultimately we have to wait on God’s timing and provision. And God has been helping us grow in our patience and trust in Him. He has met our needs over and over again through the faithful generosity and hospitality of family and friends. He has proved Himself faithful, and we are learning to trust Him more and more. One particular verse that has encouraged me in my waiting has been Isaiah 64:4. For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him! Of course, waiting doesn’t mean sitting around and doing nothing. While we wait on God’s provision, we a...

Many people have asked us during our time of raising support, “What do your parents think of your mission work?” We thank God that we always have a quick answer: they are very supportive! Many other people have called us crazy or questioned why we’re going to Mexico, but our families have supported us in every way from the beginning. That is a huge blessing! Ever since God began calling me (Chris) to work with Spanish speaking people back in 2005, my parents encouraged me to pursue God’s calling. They even traveled with me on one of my mission trips to Peru. Late in high school I found out that my parents had prayed for me even before I was born that I would be a minister of the gospel. And they gave me the name Christopher, which (besides also being my dad’s name) means “Christ bearer.” I remember where I was when I found that out, and just thinking it’s so amazing that God had answered their prayers by calling me into the ministry. Beyond supporting our ministry fina...

Is world missions a priority in your budget? What if I told you that with a mere 2% of your income, you could make a significant impact for the Kingdom of God? Let’s do the math. If you make $30,000/year, 2% of that would be $50/month. For $45,000 it’s $75/month, and for $60k that’s $100/month. Maybe that sounds like a big commitment. But think of the eternal impact that commitment would have. People’s souls are at stake. What are we doing to advance the gospel--the only way people can be made right with God? What does that look like for you? Maybe it means sponsoring a child in an orphanage, personally supporting a missionary, or giving extra toward your church’s missions program. I challenge you to do something . Maybe start with 1% if you don’t think you can do 2%. Or maybe you should do 10%. Ask God what He wants you to do, and then obey. If you would like to join our support team, we would love to have you be a part of the work God is doing in Puebla, ...

As this month of Thanksgiving draws to a close, we want to express our thankfulness to God and to you for your partnership in ministry. Thank you for your encouragement! Many of you have encouraged us with kind and helpful words and deeds during the last several months as we’ve been raising support for our mission work in Mexico. Thank you! Thank you for your prayers! Many of you have prayed for us faithfully as we’ve traveled, shared our ministry, and prepared for ministry in Mexico. We know that mission work is spiritual warfare, and we desperately need your prayers on our behalf. Thank you! Thank you for your giving! Many of you have partnered with us financially and we are very thankful for your help. We could not serve without you. Thank you! We deeply appreciate you and the part God has given you in our ministry and in our hearts. Thank you for working together with us for the advance of the gospel in Mexico. Our desire is to depart for Mexico early ...

At the end of May this year, Sarah and I cleared out our apartment in Traverse City. We had sold several items, donated several more, stored a few, and we managed to fit the rest of our earthly belongings in our car. We spent one final Wednesday night with the youth group at Bible Baptist Church. As we were getting ready to leave Traverse City to move to South Carolina, Pastor Dan (the youth pastor) came over and said with a chuckle, “Hey, you guys are homeless now!” It was true. I hadn’t thought about it until that moment (maybe I was just in denial), but we were “homeless” in a way. Until God brings us to Mexico to settle down, we are nomads. But what is “home”? Is “home” really just a place? Or is it something much deeper? I believe “home” has much more to do with a sense of belonging. “Home” is where you feel accepted and loved. In other words, I think “home” has a lot more to do with relationship than with location . Home is more a person than a place . ...

We were blessed to spend the last five weeks at The Center for Intercultural Training (CIT) in Union Mills, North Carolina. We were there along with several other missionaries, learning from each other and from the facilitators who are all seasoned missionaries! Below are some of the highlights of our time. Spiritual Growth Our time at CIT was one of incredible spiritual growth! The first week we were there, we had the Engage Retreat, which focused on spiritual formation—allowing God to work in us and change us so that we can be more effective as His servants. A key concept we looked at was examining our desires, and how God ultimately satisfies our desires more fully than anything on earth can. It was truly a transformational week for us, and God continued working in us throughout the rest of our time there as well. We have both experienced new depths in our personal relationship with God. New Friendships Another blessing from God was the formation of some new friendships...

Hi Friends! We just wanted to send a quick update on our time here at CIT (Center for Intercultural Training). The first few weeks have been a great time of learning, meeting new friends and deepening our relationship with God.   Leading music at CIT Our first week here was a spiritual retreat, where we were able to spend a lot of time in guided personal reflection and Bible study. These past two weeks we have spent time learning and discussing several things that will be important for us to keep in mind as we are getting closer to leaving for Mexico. One of the things we’ve looked at is our different mind styles and personality types and how we can best work together with the other missionaries and local ministry partners. Conflict with other missionaries is one of the most common reasons that missionaries leave the field, and so it is very important to us that work carefully to avoid this problem. Along with that topic we have looked at different views of cul...