Dear supporters, 

Your faithful financial gifts are such a blessing to me personally and truly enable me to serve the church here in Ontario, CA with a little less stress about how to pay for my daily needs. Through each of you God is answering the prayer of “give me this day my daily bread”, and I thank and praise him for you all! 

I have been sending newsletters and they will continue to go out to those who desire news, but I wanted to specifically share with you all a prayer request if I may. 

Often we hear from people in ministry the good news and the ways the Lord is working and that is good and right. But missions and ministry is not all good news. The truth is, we are all living in a sinful world and so struggles are a part of life no matter where we are. Due to the Trump administration things have become more difficult for many in our Spanish congregation and we face losing a number of members because of it. Please pray that God will sustain those in fear, that He will uphold His Church and continue to bring us new guests and members to help walk alongside our small core group, and pray for Pastor Taylor, and his wife Ariana, as they bear the majority of the burdens in the Spanish ministry. 

For myself, within the past month, learning the Spanish language has become increasingly frustrating for me. I’m ashamed to say it, but often I hate the language practice, the frequent mistakes I make, the fact that I can only have superficial conversations because I lack the words to have a deep conversation, the feeling of loneliness in learning the language, and simply the frustration that this process is so much longer than I hoped. I know this is not what people want to hear, but it is the truth. I also know that God is using this to refine me, to build perseverance and to remind me that in I am not able to do anything in my own strength. In one of my Bible College missions classes they made it clear that more often than not, those who learned language quickly didn’t last on the field, because they didn’t build the perseverance through language learning that they needed when bigger troubles came down the road. God does all things well, but please pray that He would continue to strengthen me for this task, and equip me to persevere even in the times of doubt, loneliness and frustration. 

To Him be all the glory! 

Melissa

Dear friends and family, 

Yesterday marked one week since I was able to make my way back to California to begin working at Ontario URC.  On Monday, November 18th I was able to get an interview at the US Consulate in Toronto. During that interview I learned that they would grant me the R1 work visa I had applied for, but I would need to wait until Wednesday to have my passport returned.  On Wednesday, I picked up my passport from the Consulate, and got a flight out early Thursday morning. I have been able to jump back into working here fairly quickly, having been familiar with many of the people, and how the church functions, from my time in Ontario last summer as an intern.  

It was a blessing to celebrate my first week back in California with Thanksgiving yesterday, and it feels especially providential that I've gotten two Thanksgivings this year, as I have a lot to be thankful for! 

Going forward, I plan to send updates via email, so if you would like to sign up for monthly updates (including pictures!), please fill out this very short form (https://forms.gle/oL4CyAjRWjMtt2mN7), so I can add you to my email list. 

Again, a huge thanks to all of you who are supporting me financially! This is huge right now, as even though I am working for the church here, they will not be able to pay me until I can open a bank account. That, however, requires a Social Security number, which I have an appointment for, but these things take time too. I will also need the SSN in order to get healthcare here, so please continue to pray with me that I'll be able to get these items relatively quickly. Your financial support is a great blessing to me during this time. 

God bless!

Melissa

Dear friends and family,

Time continues ticking on and the seasons change. How grateful I am that we have a God who never changes, who is faithful yesterday, today and forever! 

We are now closer to the end of the Visa process that the beginning, and though it has felt like an excruciatingly long process for my human mind to comprehend, I trust that all is happening in God’s sovereign timing. I’m thankful that the US immigration has approved the Visa paperwork on their end. The final step we are still waiting on is an interview and approval from the US consulate in Toronto. Ideally this would happen in the next week and a half so I could travel back to California before the flight prices go up for US Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

If you would, please join me in prayer for the following things

- Give thanks for a quick and positive answer to the first step of the Visa process.

- Patience and trust in God’s timing and sovereignty as I continue to wait for the final steps in the process.

- That the lawyer would put in the proper time and effort to get the necessary paperwork completed and filed so I can book the interview needed. 

- For the church in Ontario, CA, and the way God is working in and through His people there. 

- Thanksgiving for the financial support that has been received and continued prayer for God to meet all my needs in this season. 

God bless! 

Melissa

Dear friends, 

Yesterday marks one month since I returned to Canada, and if I'm honest, it has been a month of ups and downs. It's been a blessing to reconnect with people and worship with my home church, but difficult to live in a state of limbo. I'm thankful for a place to stay and work to do while I am here, but I am getting tired of living out of a suitcase, relying on borrowed vehicles, and waiting for the paperwork to hit the next steps. I know that this process has been relatively short compared to the experience of many, but what we thought would be a 2-3 week wait, has turned into a 6-8 week wait, and I'm ready to get back to California and begin the work that is waiting for me there. 

The primary reason for returning at the end of August was to renew my driver's license and Ontario health card. It was extraordinarily difficult to renew my health card due to a lack of documentation of an address in Canada, but I'm thankful to say that these documents are now renewed and aside from Visa paperwork, I am ready to head back to Ontario, CA. 

Regarding the Visa paperwork, my lawyer has it prepared now, and I am schedule to have a meeting with him tomorrow to go over it before we file with US immigration. Please pray that everything is in order as it should be so that the processing of the paperwork can go smoothy. Lord willing, I should have an answer from immigration two weeks after filing the paperwork, and then will need to go to the US embassy in Toronto before I can make my way back to the US. 

I am often reminded that in all this, God is leading and has been opening doors for years that have caused me to be where I am today, and I trust that He will continue to lead and provide. 

Thank you all for your support and prayers, 

God bless you!

Melissa 

Dear friends, 

I am thankful to God for each and every one of you! I am also happy to share that by God’s grace the many documents needed for my work visa have been collected and were submitted to my immigration lawyer yesterday! Now comes the more difficult test of faith as I wait and trust in God that He will work mightily and open the doors for me to begin working at Ontario URC and serving His Kingdom in that place. 

Now that the paperwork has been collected and submitted I am travelling back to Canada (tonight!) and will wait there to hear the results of the Visa process. I am happy to be able to connect with many back home again, but my heart is also saddened as I must leave my brothers and sisters in California for a time. Please pray with me that things would go smoothly and that the Lord, in His kind providence, would provide the necessary paperwork and financial support for me to begin my work in Ontario, CA. To Him be the glory!