Desert Streams Ministries

Note: A printable PDF version of this newsletter is available here.

Dear Friends, Family, and Supporters,

It’s been a wonderful and busy spring season for us. The Lord has blessed the land with spring showers. This reflects His goodness and His wonderful blessings which He so generously showers upon us! Here in the spring, all the leaves of the oak trees turn brown and fall off. Then, within only a few weeks, the new leaves return and the forest fills with life again.

Last year at this time, we had just finished cutting down several hundred pine trees. They had all been infected by a pine beetle and had died. Then, over the next several months, we planted several hundred new baby pines. How they have grown! Several of them are already over 4 feet tall! We are looking forward to the rainy season, starting in June, so we can plant more.

Just as we have been planting trees, we have also been planting the seed of the Word of the Lord in the lives of many people over the last several months. Let’s dive into our latest update.

Bible School

When I last wrote to you, we were beginning our spring semester with Fundamentos Ministeriales, our online Bible school. Most of the students who enrolled are working hard on their studies. We are now in the final month of the semester, and we see much good fruit. Many of the students are so hungry for God’s Word and dedicate much time and energy to their studies.

Sara has been facilitating the course “The Life of Christ,” and Anna has been facilitating two courses—The Local Church and Social Roles and Relationships. Both Anna and I have also been working on new course development and planning things for our first full-time semester, which will begin in August. We have developed a few new courses over the past several weeks, including “Building Strong Churches,” which will complement our current Local Church course; The Tabernacle of Moses, which examines the types, shadows, and symbols in this Old Testament structure, relating them all to the cross of Jesus and the New Testament Church; Christian Counseling; and Personal Ministry. Anna is also developing a couple of new courses, including our Academic Orientation course for new students and a small promotional course called “Christ Throughout the Bible,” which will give an overview of several of our other courses, a bit like a “free sample” for anyone interested in studying with us. There are several people who are interested but want to see what our courses are like before committing to a full semester. This course will allow them to try it out and get a feel for how our system works.

I have also been working on the technical side of things for our online software, adding many new features needed to host different types of courses and to deal with full-time students on a daily basis. This includes tracking of the student’s practicum (service in their local church, for which they will receive academic credits) and several new accounting functions.

Our goal is to prepare servant-leaders for the local church. We want to come alongside pastors, leaders, and others with a call of God upon their lives and help to equip them. We now have over 30 courses as part of our program, have had over 1,000 students go through courses, and look forward to continuing sowing the Word of the Lord into Mexico and many other nations.

Local Church Ministry

The church here in Tulancingo is doing well. We are blessed with a wonderful congregation—people who love the Lord and want to grow in Him. I’ve been teaching a series on the Ten Commandments, inspired by the work of the well-known Australian theologian Kevin Conner. As Christians under the New Covenant, we are no longer under the ceremonial or civil laws of Old Testament Israel, but Jesus Christ and the Apostolic writers of the New Testament reaffirm and even expand upon all of the moral laws, including 9 out of the 10 commandments. Israel was first rescued from slavery in Egypt, then they were given the Ten Commandments so they would know how to live as a redeemed people. In a similar manner, God first rescues us from slavery to sin, then He gives us His commands and His Word so we can live a lifestyle of the redeemed.

We will be holding a baptismal service in a couple of weeks, and there are about 10 new believers who will publicly identify with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, confessing His name before the congregation. What a blessing!

I’d also like to share a need we have. Karla, a 22-year-old medical student and a member of our church, experienced kidney failure over the last several months. She has been on dialysis, but last Tuesday received a transplant from her father. Please pray for this entire family. They have been members of our church for just over a year, and they have been through a lot. They are trusting in the Lord for Karla’s recovery, as well as Javier’s.

Family

Sara has been teaching English classes at two public primary schools in our area. She has about 130 students and is a big blessing to so many of them. This has been a unique opportunity for her to connect with some of them and their parents, being a light in many dark situations. She really likes teaching little children!

David Jeremiah, our son, will be graduating with a doctorate degree after studying engineering at Texas A&M over the last several years. We are planning on being with him in August for the ceremony.

Daniel and Elisa are expecting their second child in September. Our granddaughter Ella is about 1 1/2 years old and calls us every few days on FaceTime. Sometimes she wants to see Grandma, sometimes Aunt Anna, and sometimes Grandpa. However, she also always wants to see Willow, our dog! She is so cute as she learns to talk, speaking a mixture of English, Spanish, and Japanese!

Finally, Anna continues to be a huge blessing here. She leads Bible studies with the youth, teaches monthly in our church, leads worship, and helps run the Bible School.

Thanks!

We would like to express our most sincere thanksgiving to all of you who are supporting us, praying for us, and blessing us. Thank you for partnering with us as we share the Gospel here in Tulancingo and throughout the nations. Thank you so much for your participation!

In His Love,

David and Sara Lont
with Anna

Note: A printable PDF version of this update is located here.

Dear Friends, Family, and Supporters,

March has arrived, and with it comes one of our favorite reminders of God’s faithfulness. The earth is waking up again! New life is returning right on schedule, just as it does every year. And every year, without fail, this season points us to something far greater: the truth that Jesus Christ came into this world to bring us that same kind of new life, a life that does not fade with the cold or wither in the drought. Just as the earth cannot hold back spring, the tomb could not hold back our Savior. We are grateful to be entering this season with you alongside us, and we want to thank you sincerely for your prayers, your Christmas cards (yes, we just received a few a week ago!), and your faithful support. You are a blessing to us!

Advanced School of Ministry

The last several weeks have been among the busiest of the year for us. The Advanced School of Ministry conference came first, and we are glad to report that it went very well. Between 700 and 800 pastors and leaders attended this year, the week ran smoothly from start to finish, and we heard wonderful reports from many who were encouraged and genuinely impacted by the seminar. There is always something special about seeing so many men and women of God gathered together in one place, hungry to grow.

The weekend before the conference, we had the joy of hosting Paul and Janice Mainse from Canada. They joined us here in Tulancingo for a couple of services, bringing such a warm and servant-hearted spirit with them. After they preached with us on Sunday morning, we drove them to Mexico City so they could continue ministering there that same afternoon. Then on Monday, we all met up again in Cuernavaca for the conference itself. They were truly wonderful guests, and their depth of experience and genuine humility were a gift to all of us.

We ended the conference with a large graduation ceremony. Fifty students received their bachelor’s degrees in theology, and another 90-plus completed specialized ministry diploma programs. After all the hard work these students have put in over the years, it was a joy to celebrate with them. Following the conference, our team gathered to discuss the future direction of the Advanced School of Ministry. A few significant decisions were made, including the transition of the degree program from the American college that partnered with us for about 35 years to a Mexican Christian university. We are also making some adjustments to the conference schedule going forward. We are looking forward to what this new chapter holds.

Online Bible School

As soon as we returned from the conference, there was no time to slow down. Online enrollment opened just three days after the conference ended, so we immediately got to work editing videos and preparing material to include the conference content as one of our many online courses. Students who complete assignments based on the conference material, along with other online courses, can enroll in diploma programs and receive their diploma at next year’s conference.

Our spring semester officially started on February 11, and we now have just over 180 students enrolled from three countries. Anna and Sara are facilitating some of the courses again this semester, alongside our dedicated team of 8 additional facilitators and other helpers. It is a full and busy semester, with many new students joining us for the first time. We are also hard at work developing new material so that by August, we will be able to launch our full-time two-year program for the very first time. We are excited about what the Lord is building through this school!

One of the things that encourages us most is how many students keep coming back. Several who already graduated with their bachelor’s degree in theology have returned to study our newer courses. There is a real hunger for learning among so many in our student body, and that is a beautiful thing to witness.

Family

Our family is doing well, and we are thankful. Our son David continues to press forward in his doctoral studies at Texas A&M, and Daniel, Elisa, and little Ella are all doing great. Ella is 15 months old now and growing so fast! It is hard to believe how quickly time passes. Anna has been working in several areas, contributing to the Bible School, facilitating small group meetings, and also ministering regularly at our church here in Tulancingo, where she leads youth Bible studies and worship. We are proud of her and the faithfulness she brings to each of these callings.

A Note From Anna

When Faith Runs Out, God Has Enough for Both of You

“Against all odds, when it looked hopeless, Abraham believed the promise and expected God to fulfill it… Your descendants will be so many that they will be impossible to count!” (Romans 4:18)

What if we took God at His word the way Abraham did? Many of us pray without expecting answers, believe without expecting to see results, and speak without knowing if it will come to pass. But Abraham believed against all odds. What if we did the same?

What does it mean to have faith? Faith is made up of hope, trust, and belief. But life has a way of wearing these down. When we’ve hoped and been disappointed, dreamed and failed, or trusted and been betrayed, our faith suffers, sometimes without us even noticing. Over time, we lose the ability to dream and trust in God.

But here’s where God’s character shines through: when we lose the ability to believe in Him, He has enough faith for both of us. This is the faith of God, not our straining and striving, but something that originates in Him and, by His grace, can be born in us. It goes beyond our own hopes and dreams precisely because it doesn’t depend on them.

Remember the man who came to Jesus asking for healing for his tormented son? After years of dashed hopes, his faith was shaken. When Jesus asked if he believed, the man cried out with tears: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23-24)

This man had no deep-seated faith of his own. But Jesus had enough for both of them. His faith and compassion were enough, even when the man had nothing left to give. Jesus healed the boy. The man’s honest, willing heart mattered more than mountain-moving faith. What does this teach us? God can give you some of His faith until your heart knowledge catches up with your head knowledge.

Notice that this is the same God who met Abraham in his impossibility, centuries earlier. Whether it is a desperate father in a crowd or an old man waiting on a promise, God shows up the same way: with more than enough faith to cover what we lack.

God keeps His promises. Abraham believed the promise and expected God to fulfill it. Whose job was it? God’s. And today, fulfilling promises is still God’s job, not ours.

Our role is to believe. When we can’t believe, our role is to hope. When we can’t hope, our role is to trust. When we can’t trust, we look at God and say, “I believe, help my unbelief.”

Faith that pushes through disappointment will eventually see fulfillment. Don’t give up before you see God’s promise come to pass. If it hurts too much to believe right now, come to God with that pain and trust He will have enough faith for both of you. Remember: Abraham’s God is your God, and He still fulfills His promises.

My prayer for you is that you will be encouraged, take heart, and find courage to take God at His word once more. He is for you!

Thanks for reading,
Anna

Prayers and Thanks

We are so thankful for each of you who prays for us and supports this ministry. One thing we were especially grateful for during the conference season was that we all stayed healthy and traveled safely. That is never something we take for granted, and we give thanks to God for His protection over our team.

There are some urgent prayer needs on our hearts right now, and we would love for you to join us in bringing these before the Lord.

• Please pray for Karla, the 22-year-old daughter of Javier and Angelica, who are dear members of our church. Karla is facing severe kidney failure and is in urgent need of a donor. Her mother Angelica had been prepared to donate, but then suddenly became ill herself and can no longer qualify. Please pray for a new kidney for Karla, and for peace and strength for the whole family during this very difficult time.
• Please pray for Maria and Alicia, two women in our congregation who are currently undergoing chemotherapy. Pray for their healing, and for God’s comfort and strength for their families as well.
• Please pray for our Online Bible School students, that each one would grow deeply in the Word of God and walk in faithful service in their own local churches.
• Please pray for safety and peace in our region. Violence has broken out in many parts of Mexico recently, and we ask for God’s protection especially over our area and over the people we love here.

Thank you again for everything. Your prayers and support make this work possible, and we do not say that lightly. We feel it deeply, and we are grateful.

Thanks! It was wonderful to connect again. If you can, please drop us a note and let us know how things are going for you!

With love,

David and Sara Lont
with Anna