Here’s what has happened in the last few months and what’s to come!

What an amazing last two months! God has really been working and we have loved being able to participate in His plan!

Thank you to those who have assisted in praying and funding us/a trip/a house build this Spring! It was a blessing to be able to be sent and share Christ’s love and the Gospel message – with some who have never heard it!

As usual, it has been busy at the ministry – Spring time is no exception. Both Equip trips this year were in the second semester – Mayreau in the Grenadines and to Mexico. The students were able to use the skills they’ve learned so far – both physical and spiritual – for construction and also for evangelizing.

We are so excited to share some pictures and information from those trips below!

As we finish this last month and close out our third Equip year, we find ourselves in a time of reflection and evaluation. Please help us to evaluate how the program is going by sharing memories, comments, and recommendations!

As always, it has been a blessing to have the opportunity to serve not only the communities we have been involved with, but also our students in this highly-influential time of their lives. Please join us in continuing to pray for them as they prepare to move on to each of their next steps!

Mayreau Mission Trip – February

Mayreau is the smallest island of the Grenadines in the Caribbean. In June, they were hit with a Category 4/5 hurricane that sat on their tiny island and destroyed most buildings. Praise God that no one on Mayreau died! They have few resources, money, and little help in the rebuilding process. Their people are burdened and feel forgotten by their country and the world. We went to assist a missionary couple (Ben and Jes Tangert from the Lancaster area) to rebuild their property, help in the community, and to let the people of Mayreau know that they are not forgotten by God!

We walked around the community, heard personal stories of experiences during the hurricane, offered encouragements and prayer, and handed out Bibles.

We also were able to assist in rubble removal, pictured above. The man was so touched by the help – 7 months after the hurricane and he still has so much work ahead of him. The whole team worked to clear his property from rubble in one day, which would have taken him much longer to do on his own.

Never a dull moment in missions!

This is the type of tiny wooden boat that Joel and Jenny had to take across open ocean to get to another island where they flew out in a little island-hopper plane to the main island in order to catch their flight home. Rough seas and quite the adventure!

To get to Mayreau from the main island, we had to travel by ferry. The ferry schedule changed, making it impossible for the team to leave on time. The rest of the team stayed an additional 4 days of serving while Joel and Jenny returned home to go back to work.

Mexico Mission Trip – April

Nolan and the students pictured with the family (Mother – Anna Karen, twin daughters – Anna Valentina and Karen Nicole, son – Joan, and not pictured: father – Juan, and son – Jordan).

This family went from sleeping on a concrete kitchen floor in someone else’s house to having their own house with a table, chairs, and beds in three days! Praise the Lord for this gift. The mother continued to say there was no way she could ever thank us. We were able to share with her that there is also no way for us to adequately thank Jesus for what He did for us!

Nolan speaking at the rehab with Luis translating. We love visiting the rehab because it is such a high-impact ministry! Alex, Adrian, and the staff pour the love of God into the men and lives are being changed!

The government of Mexico has recently asked the rehab to start a trial program for pre-teen/teen boys for drug/alcohol rehab since orphanages cannot handle addictions and the only other alternative is adult prison. Please pray for provision for this ministry as they do the Lord’s work!

It was also special for us that Nolan’s dad, Nathan, was able to join us this trip. He contributed a lot to the house build with his construction expertise. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s fluent in Spanish!

He was present for Nolan’s first trip to Monterrey in 2022 prior to the start of Equip. Nathan and Rose brought down Celebrate Recovery material for the rehab at that time. This year, Nathan was able to see some fruit from 2022 and participate in the ceremony for two young teens graduating from the trial program at the rehab this year.

One of the days was spent walking around a neighborhood and handing out Bibles and praying for people– we did practice Spanish, but we had two wonderful interpreters with us to assist!

The students have a passion for weight lifting and couldn’t resist taking a photo with this sign that says “The pain is temporary, the glory is eternal” while doing street ministry. How fitting!

Equip Year ‘24-’25

Sam

When Sam jumps into something, it’s with both feet! He is always ready to fully participate in whatever he sets his mind to. We will miss the energy that Sam brings to everything he does! After graduation, he is considering EMT training, ROTC, and the air force.

Isaac

Always quick with a dry one-liner, we are going to miss Isaac’s humor! The basement gym will be empty without him. Isaac came to us from the west coast of Canada and will be returning home following graduation. There, he plans to pursue welding school.

Aidan

Returning for a second year, he focused in the warehouse with Justin. We’re thankful to have had a second year with him before he moves back home to Michigan to pursue the workforce! We’re looking forward to seeing him down the road for an Equip reunion mission trip he’s been trying to get us to run.

Caleb

Caleb also returned for a second year to focus in the mechanic shop with Nick. We will miss his industrious work ethic. After graduation, he will be working maintenance at a camp in New York. We have a feeling we’ll be seeing him around!

Please join us in praying for:

• Their focus and perseverance through the last month of their program (graduation is May 23rd!)
• God to continue to use this Equip year in their lives to teach them as they go
• Wisdom in the next step to hear and pursue what God is calling them to
• Continued growth in their relationship with the Lord
• All of our paths to cross again one day
• The classroom building project! The old chapel on campus needs more than a face lift. We continue to raise funds for proper classroom space!
• Teachers for Thursday evening classes – anyone who is interested in applying their teaching skills to running a few weeks of Thursday evening class. Materials supplied
• Students for the coming years – that God brings those who would most benefit from this type of program
• Funding for Equip as a whole and CMTS as a whole

While CMTS breaks for the summer from hosting students beginning in June, Nolan and Jenny will be planning and getting ready for Equip year 4! My, how the years fly! We continue to accept student interest forms and applications for Year 4 – If you know a high school graduate who might be interested, encourage them to apply!

For the mission trips (which are always the students’ highlight) we’re looking forward to one domestic work/bonding trip and, of course, our yearly Mexico trip focused on evangelism, which is so high impact!!

If you have a ministry or ministry event and would like volunteers for something in particular, please reach out and let us know!! We are looking for service opportunities for the upcoming year and would love to partner with you!

We’re so thankful to God for the ability to pour into the students and the things we get to do with them!

Glory to God for another crazy year! We’ve aged a little this year, mostly in the Newark airport trying to get to Monterrey. What a story, if you haven’t heard it yet, the story is wild and we’d love to share!

It’s a good reminder that only by God’s grace, guidance, and provision are we able to continue to serve Equip at CMTS.

Thank you for the ways that you yourselves have supported us – by prayer, through finances, volunteering, or a listening ear. Discipling and living in community with a bunch of 18 year-old young men is not for the faint of heart. But it comes with so much joy to last a lifetime and, for Jenny, tears as they move on at the end of each year.

There’s no way to share all the stories and the things we’ve learned this year in a letter. We would love to have you over for dinner or grab a coffee and share more about what God is doing here at the ministry!

Please pray for us as we start the planning process for next year! We continue to look for teachers and staff for Equip, as well. If this is something you may be interested in, please let us know! We welcome any level of teaching experience.

Every blessing to you for your continued support!

 

Thank you for reading!