Budding Fruit for 2026
- Ryan Van Deusen
- Jan 3
- 3 min read
Hey dear amigos!
December has been a blessing of seeing fruit starting to bud as God advances the purposes he has shown us in ministering here in Guasave.
Since the Thanksgiving Dinner
Since the Thanksgiving Dinner we have had some great opportunities to have families from the kids’ school over to the café. Before we left for our visa-renewal trip the kids organized a hangout at the café with a few of their friends from each class at school. It was really great to see how people responded to that and the conversations we got to have with the moms that came. Precious opportunities to question them about their faith and beliefs while sharing ours and plant seeds.
Also, a few new opportunities of discipleship have arisen through the café ministry, while teaching English has arisen at the request of one of our neighbors. I have begun meeting with this young man and been able to share more directly with the reasons why we are living in Sinaloa. Pray for Rafael, that God would guide him in his pursuits as he seeks to only legally enter the US to work at an engineering company. Pray that the cares of this life would not entangle his heart with sin. This life always seems to provide a sin and weight that so easily entangles us. (Hebrews 12:1, Matthew 4)
Police Outreach
Our efforts to reach out to the Police here in Guasave have also begun to bear fruit. With us setting up a time to bring them coffee and donuts, we were able to share the gospel with those police who were there. In the police department there is nothing in place for chaplainship. As I spoke to the chief, he is quite interested in both having counseling and chaplainship within their department. We covet your prayers that God would work at the hearts of these police men and women, that we may be able to continue going on a regular basis to share God´s Word and see his redeeming work of transformation take place.
God´s Peace and Protection on our travels
God’s faithfulness is unmatched. We were leaving Chic-Fil-A (a must-stop after crossing the border and being in the car for 12 hours) and pulling onto the freeway the van started pulling heavily to the right. Yep. A flat tire. God’s goodness in helping us get to that point, near a Walmart with a tire center, is unmatched. The peace that he guarded our hearts with in the midst of those very vulnerable moments is out of this world. God is so good. He is constantly guiding and protecting behind the scenes, even in those very difficult circumstances when we feel the chaos and the temptation to despair.
Fellowshipping with CC of the Harbour and dear ones in OC
It was also a great blessing to be able to share about what God has called us to with Calvary Chapel of the Harbor. People have quickly begun to get involved and we are looking forward to what God has in store for future plans.
Spending time with family and friends who are holding the ropes, cheering us on, lending their ears and heartfelt voices in prayer so that we can share our burdens has been refreshing. It´s also been so precious to have the opportunity to come and listen to the personal struggles and trials that many have been going through, pray with and encourage as we all are called to present our bodies as living sacrifices and live by faith, not by sight. We love the perseverance and growth that we see in many even though it is through suffering of various kinds. How real it is that our hope is not of this world; not based on what is in this world, or what it offers. Thank you to all who have reached out! Thank you to all who love us, hope and pray for us, and keep us afloat financially (truly God is the giver but he does use people and we are grateful); may he continue to astound you with his goodness and love.
And may our gracious God in his gentleness continue to develop and grow each of our faith and character in 2026 so that our fruit would be abundant and truly pleasing to him. We love you, pray for you, and trust that the Lord will show himself faithful to each of us as we continue to seek His will and trust his timing as we pursue to be faithful in our calling. Cheers to God´s New Year of 2026 and all he has in store!
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