Feet on the Ground

 

Hello everyone! 

 

I am really excited that I get to share with you all what has been going on here in Puebla, Mexico. I arrived last Sunday, February 13th and have really been enjoying my time here so far. I am currently staying in a Puebla seminary where young men, around my age, study the gospel to build upon their relationship with God and prepare for their future role as a pastor. My friend John whom I spent my outreach with during my discipleship training school, and whose family lives here in Puebla, has close connections to the seminary. Because of this, it was possible for him to set up accommodations for me while I am here on mission.

 

When I first arrived at the seminary, I was a little unsure of the living arrangements John had made for me. The room is very small, comparable to college dorm, and consists of little more than a bunk bed and a desk that I share with my roommate, Gabriel.  However, I now look forward to coming back to my modest space at the end of each day because of everyone’s graciousness and acceptance of my presence in the seminary. Over the past week we have formed a great bond, and have had an incredible time watching movies, going out for tacos, and making jokes with each other. Gabriel even makes my coffee every morning and leaves friendly reminders for me to apply sunscreen. These individuals at the seminary have portrayed a true reflection of Jesus’ love and it has been such a blessing to experience their kindness and support throughout this trip.

 

This past week I have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with John and his family as well. They have generously welcomed me into their home and have treated me as if I am one of their own. His mom often cooks delicious, homemade Mexican dishes for us, and his siblings love spending time with me and John. Because his mom teaches guitar lessons at the local missionary school in the afternoons, it has become John and I’s responsibility to look after his three-year-old sister. During these hours I have been thoroughly entertained by playing basketball with John’s younger brother, Matthew. We both have a passion for the sport, and it has been so rewarding to encourage his love for basketball and offer pointers on how he can become a better player. I believe that this time spent with Matthew has been a blessing for both of us. Since the start of the pandemic, he has not had the opportunity to socialize with many friends and has felt somewhat isolated. I am so thankful that God has provided this opportunity for me to be Matthew’s friend in such a difficult time.

 

Every morning John and I have made the effort to venture to a peaceful, outdoor location to discuss God’s word and study bible verses we feel God is putting on our heart. Several days we biked for miles to find the perfect spot to spread the good news, and it has been so satisfying to do so. This past week I have had the opportunity to share the word of God, as well as my own story, with Grace followers, a ministry that John helped pioneer that consists of young people between the ages of 16-24. I spoke about the challenges I overcame my freshman year of college; where I failed and ultimately what I learned from my mistakes. I am very hopeful that my message was encouraging to these young individuals who may be experiencing similar hardships.

 

Lastly, my friend John is a very talented musician, adventurer, and photographer and he is being called by God to use his talents to further the kingdom and make Jesus known. His next step in this process is to complete a worship school through YWAM and to continue leading Grace Followers in Mexico. Grace Followers is the ministry I am here working with now. He is fundraising and needs financial support to be able to do this. A worship school costs around $3,000 USD and anything helps. 

 

Here is the link to donate to John and what God is calling him to do: https://express.adobe.com/page/H0eYJFE2GUul0/

If you are able to donate through Paypal, there is a link on the page and his bank information is also available.

 

This mission trip has been a rich and rewarding time for me. Please keep me and John in your prayers as we continue our ministry and grow together in Christ.

Me and John

 

Thank you for reading,

 

Isaac

Puebla City

As I leave for Mexico tomorrow, I am doing all the last minute things before embarking on a month long trip to Mexico. I am feeling very excited to see my friend John who I spent 2 ½ months with on my discipleship training school. John is very connected in his hometown of Puebla, Mexico. Thankfully, his connections have made some opportunities for me and him to do ministry together in this time. I am looking forward to being a part of Grace Followers Mexico and meeting new friends through this group. I will also be engaged with cumbre ministries while I am there. I will share more details once I am on the ground. I am sure that I can learn a lot from them and will grow during this time.

 

I will land in the Mexico City airport tomorrow and take a bus to Puebla which is located roughly 2 hours from Mexico City. Puebla is also a large city and home to around 3 million people. There is a local seminary there that is willing to host me and I will be staying there for the duration of my trip. We will also have the opportunity to share in churches that are located in smaller communities outside of Puebla. Mexico is so diverse so I know that being in Puebla will be a whole new experience. I have been so encouraged lately by reading the word and realizing how much God is teaching me. I feel so blessed that God has allowed me these experiences and that he is with me wherever I go.

 

Please be in prayer for this trip!

 

Thank you

Here I am, Here I go

As I was reading about the armor of God in Ephesians 6 today, I was fascinated by verse 14 and 15, that encourages us to fasten the belt of truth around our waist and to have our feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. I love reading the bible, it’s so intriguing and teaches us so much. The word of God is referred to as a double-edged sword in Hebrews and is something we take with us wherever we go in our spirits and our hearts. It gives us a readiness to extend love, grace, and compassion to those around us. It gives us a perspective of how God sees people, rather than how we see people. I am so excited that I get the opportunity to bring this good news to people internationally. It’s so amazing that even in a place completely different from my own upbringing, I have something in common with others wherever I am through the Holy Spirit. It gives me the perspective that wherever I go, and whatever I do, I am always on mission.

My international mission experience has only been for seven months, but I have already learned so much about the mission field. Going to Mexico and the Dominican Republic has broadened my vision and understanding of the world in ways I didn’t know were possible. My experiences abroad have allowed me to grow so much as an individual. Some of the ways I have changed from my discipleship training school is that I can adapt to unexpected circumstances more easily. On the mission field, things are always liable to change whether it be the car you’re taking to the ministry sight or what time you are getting home. There were many times where we slept on ground mats, showered with no hot water or had to share a single room with ten plus people. These comforts I once took for granted are now something I can easily give up. I feel prepared for missions and what I might encounter in my future endeavors. I have discovered a joy and a very deep excitement for missions that I cannot completely describe. I have become passionate for countries in Central and South America. One thing that I am keenly aware of is that I have a lot more to learn. Each trip I’ve taken, I’ve learned something new about how organizations work and can better gage where I belong.

 

My last trip to the bateys in the Dominican Republic was a lesson in sub-cultures and groups of people who live and function in very specific lifestyles. I learned that people can be very happy, while also having so little. The joy and energy from the kids was so fun to be around. I loved talking to the older men in the communities who have been working in the sugarcane fields for most of their life. It’s interesting to hear their perspective on things and hear their stories. Communicating in the bateys is significantly more difficult than in urban areas, because most of them are Haitian and speak French Creole. We were able to get to know the locals better through door-to-door food distribution, prayer, and sharing of the gospel. I really admired the people on the team who were so passionate about the word of God. It’s so encouraging to be alongside people who have the same love for Jesus as I do.

I had such a great time being able to share with the youth group from Langston Baptist church about my missions’ experiences and I think they enjoyed seeing the kids smile in my photos. I am preparing to embark on another trip to Puebla, Mexico this coming Sunday. I am so excited for what God will teach me in this time and ask you to be in prayer.

 

Thank you so much for reading,

 

Isaac

This is Jayden. He is helping us work as you can see. He lives in batey Papita.

La Romana and El Batey

 

Being back in America for a short Christmas break and bringing in the New Year with Family and close friends was so nice. I’m so thankful for having been able to quality time with family members that I haven’t seen in months. I enjoyed other  things too, like a Chick-Fil-A, spending quality time with my girlfriend, and the South Carolina air. I felt something more than happiness while I was home. It was joy.

Now I’m back on the Mission Field and this time in La Romana, Dominican Republic. I’ve observed that the people here are also more than happy. I’ve been able to  experience a very different reality in the Dominican Republic, in a more rural province called La Romana. This province specializes in growing sugar.  Many people here do not even have the opportunity of formal education at all. The local elementary school is miles away by foot. Many have lived in a tough environment called a batey or sugar cane plantation for most of there lives. But if you ask them, everything is fine and they are happy. 

I am starting to believe that joy is choice. One example I can think of is when we met a mother who lives in  a small house with 8 family members and no running water made sure we didn’t leave without coffee. She was so hospitable and was so happy to take care of us in any way she could. It seemed like she was smiling the whole time. Where does that kind of joy and happiness come from when she doesn’t even have running water or the things that I so often overlook and take for granted? 

I believe that gratitude is the choice that leads to joy. Rather than meditating on everything one does not have, take every thought captive to obey Christ. We are human beings and to be is far better than to aimlessly wander in doing. As I continue to be here in the D.R. I ask that you continue to pray for our ministry and that the locals will continue to experience the joy of Christ’s presence. It is my hope that they will receive the mystery of the Gospel as the Holy Spirit provides the opportunities to share the story.   

May God continue to bring you joy in your life that surpasses all understanding, even happiness. 

Isaac

How have I changed?

 We are back at the base going through a time of debrief. This time is amazing because we are presented with questions such as what are three things I learned about myself? What are three things I learned about God? When we started doing this process I wasn’t sure about my answers but as we continued I really began to enjoy it and realize what I had learned and how my faith had grown. One thing I have learned is that not only a does God care about me but I am in his hand Isaiah 41:10. Another thing is that I knew that God was invested in my story but I didn’t know he was leading it. 

As I look back and reflect I realize that I had doubts about whether or not I was good at missions, who I was to God, my purpose and my calling. I am thankful to God for allowing me to finish this season in Mexico and move on to the next adventure. It has been incredible. I now realize the intimacy I have grown in and how God is in the details. 

I realize I have learned a lot about intimacy with others too, I have learned to live with a team, I have learned to love others who are different from me, and what I like most is that I have grown in boldness. I’m aware that my perspective has changed in a way that I am more bold. This is awesome. What I am most thankful for is the process as a whole. 

This week has also been fun in that we have had more free time and I have been playing basketball, soccer, volleyball, riding bikes, swimming, and spending time with others. We have a Christmas party tonight. I am very curious to see what that will look like as there are over 150 people on base. Thanks for reading!

Isaac

A Life Changing Experience

This past weekend we had the opportunity to go to a place that I will never forget. We made the long trek out to Santa Cruz Mitlatongo in Oaxaca, Mexico. This was a life changing experience as I found myself in a society different from anything I had seen before. We drove through the sierra (mountains) of Mexico 4 hours to reach out destination. I saw mountains like I have never seen as we wound up and down the roads. The view getting to Santa Cruz was bumpy but so incredible. Our contact Daniel, has been in contact with this village for a number of years and travels there bi-weekly. This being said, our presence was not an intrusion and the community was welcoming. 

To give you an idea of how isolated and far out this place is we had no cell service the entire time and you travel on dirt roads for over an hour before you arrive. The first day we arrived, we began inviting people to the medical brigade taking place the next day. We also invited people to the children’s, youth, and adult services that would be held after the brigade and in the following days. Daniel also wanted to extend invitations to the people of another, smaller village that is below Santa Cruz. This village only had 5 or 6 houses and was an incredible experience. The houses were built out of wood and the roofs were made out of dried palm branches. It was so interesting to see how these people were so resourceful. 

The next day a medical brigade from Oaxaca City, the capital of Oaxaca came. In there brigade were optometrists, dentists, family doctors, physical therapists, barbers, and more. Me and my friend Samuel were in charge of giving out the clothes. This was very upbeat and especially the children were eager for new clothes. It felt so good to be able to help organize the clothes so that the people of Santa Cruz could have what they need. 

We were extremely busy the entire time and 2 services every night after visiting with families during the day. I have a great time getting know families, listening to them, and translating into English. The services were also fantastic as I had the chance to share my testimony from different parts of my life. My leaders were very encouraging of me in sharing my testimony and seemed to enjoy it. This encouraged me so much I shared a different part of my testimony the following night. 

I think my favorite part of Santa Cruz Mitlatongo was being in a society so different from what I’m used to. Most of the people in the town do not work for money but tend their crops daily and keep their animals healthy. The people in the town trade amongst each other and a few of them own small shops. It was so cool to be in a place where the people know the land so well, grow crops, and are so resourceful. These kind of people are incredible in that even though they do not have much, they give out of what they have. 

We had to leave early from Santa Cruz Mitlatongo because of a conflict they were having with a neighboring village. Land is one of their most important assets and the village above them called Santiago Mitlatongo has been pushing down into their territory. On Monday, conflict started and two people from Santiago Mitlatongo were killed. Because of the danger, our team left a day early to come back to Tlaxiaco where we are currently. We travel to Mazatlan Saturday night and Sunday morning so please be praying for safe travels. Thank you friends and family for your continued support and see you all soon!

Isaac McDowell

Saying Bye to the Island

 We are coming towards the end of our tenure in the Dominican Republic. I have enjoyed so much the island experience and the Caribbean atmosphere. Experiencing their charismatic and incredibly hospitable people, merengue music, warm weather, rich history, beautiful beaches, intense traffic, and wonderful food has been a blessing. What an incredible experience it has been to be able to travel to 6 different locations in the DR. We have done ministry with children, evangelized with locals on the street, visited nursing homes, served countless youth services, shared from our hearts many times and overcome challenges.

 One amazing part is that there hasn’t been pressure to do a perfect job preaching or sharing your testimony. Our leaders always remind us, all it takes is the courage to share and God can take care of the rest. They have allowed us to learn from our errors and figure out how sharing the gospel is best for us personally. This has been a true blessing to me to be able to share a word with people and get a feel for what evangelism and ministry feels and looks like. We had an incredible debrief day where we thought about our favorite experiences in ministry, our favorite hosts, foods, our most profound experience with God and enjoyed each other’s company. We were also able to honor the contacts and hosts that were so helpful and hospitable to us during our stay. I am so thankful to have met them and made new friends. 

Although we are leaving, I am excited for what is ahead. We will be staying in the Mexican state Xoaxca for 10 days starting next Tuesday. This is still part of our outreach. This Mexican state is known for their large indigenous population, mountains, cold weather, and delicious food. This will be a new experience for me being among natives of Mexico. 

One of my favorite experiences here at the end of tenure has been our host in the city of Nagua. She is single mother with two teenage daughters. She works everyday and is faithful in her devotion to God. I am in charge of the groceries and meals throughout the week. This just means scheduling and budgeting what we will have and who will cook on what days. When me and another one of my teammates Andrea went out with her, she didn’t complain about how long we took to shop and even wanted to help pay for our groceries. At the end, when we wanted to get fruit from local vendors, she took us to 3 different street vendors just so we could find the most ripe pineapples and seemed thrilled to do so. These kinds of acts of generosity and kindness remind me of how God gives hope and joy in any circumstance. I hope her and her family continue to experience God’s blessing. 

Another amazing experience in Nagua was going with John to a local he had shared the gospel with the day before. We knocked on his door and without hesitation he asked us if we wanted to ride on the back of his motorbike to the beach. Our answer of course was yes! The three of us loaded up on his motorbike and had a cool ride to the beach. When we arrived, it was incredible as there was a dirt road that ran right along the ocean. The beach looks much different than in Horry County but was equally as beautiful. The waves and currents in this particular part were strong and choppy and we opted against swimming. We were able to look at the beautiful view and spend time with our new friend who had so much interest in Jesus. John had shared the gospel with him the day before and he told me and John that he had been reading different stories in the Bible since. I hope he continues to find life in scripture as I have many times. As we went to ride further down the beach, our friend realized his bike tire was going flat so he left us at the beach and zoomed off to get it fixed. After waiting for an hour or so for him to return we realized that his bike may have had a more serious issue and we made the hour long walk back home. Nagua is a safe city and so this walk was very pleasant and enjoyable. We drank coconut water and chatted as we went. It was then that I realized I loved the types of experiences that I get on missions and that I could see my self continuing in missions. Spending time with others around the world and sharing Jesus is something I get excited about. 

I will dearly miss many people who have blessed us here in the Dominican with their generosity and compassion. I hope to return here one day. I am also excited about what could be next for me after Discipleship Training School. I am excited to see family, my beautiful girlfriend who I have missed so much, my church family, and return to South Carolina. There are possibilities of traveling to the DR in January with a friend for a short period of time for missions. I am excited about this possibility and am working out details for that to happen now. 

I am also very keen on going to Puebla, Mexico where the other male on my outreach team lives to work with a ministries he is involved in called Grace ministries and another ministry called Kumbre. I have heard Puebla is quite amazing and am talking with him about details like cost, shelter, and the program. John has inspired me in many ways to step out in my faith and always reach for more. I am so thankful I got to do this outreach with him. Please be praying for these next steps in my walk with God and learning more about my calling as I step out into new horizons and see what more is out there for me. 

Please be praying for us as we travel tomorrow back to Mexico. We have a long layover in Colombia and will get a chance to enjoy this country for a few hours as one of our leaders has a contact there and we will spend the night at his apartment. I am looking forward to travel but am sure we will be very tired. Please pray for alert and sharp minds. Thank you all friends and family for your continued support. Update you all soon