Desert Streams Ministries

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

Dear Friends and Family,

Thanksgiving month has arrived and there are so many things to be thankful for! We are thankful for each and every one of you who stands behind us, lifts us up in prayer and supports us. Thank you so much!

I would like to give you a brief update on us and our ministry activities over the past few months.

Bible School

We started our Bible School semester in August with around 150 students from all across Mexico. In September, the students did their first partial exams. Most of them are doing very well in their studies. Our course facilitators are doing a great job of keeping in touch with them, answering their questions, grading their assignments and keeping them on track to finish the semester well.

We have many pastors and local church leaders involved taking classes. This makes the whole experience so worthwhile, because many of them take the material they are receiving and then teach it to their own leaders and local churches. We encourage them to freely give of everything they receive. It is so wonderful to see many of our students flourish in life and ministry, and then use the tools they receive to train others.

We have also heard good reports from members of our local congregation who are taking courses in the Bible School. Just last Saturday, I heard a comment from a young woman who has been so encouraged by the classes. Then, on Sunday, another person commented on how much the course is helping her to understand the Bible.

We believe that God has ordained this Bible School to make a difference here in Mexico and in other countries of Latin America. Please continue to pray with us for the Lord’s provision to grow the school. Please especially pray for the finances to invest in new courses and the connections with others of a like-minded vision. Together we can train thousands of pastors and leaders and change the destiny of families, communities, and nations!

Local Church

We have been pleased to see our local church growing again in terms of Sunday attendance. As you may know, we meet outside in a tent on our church’s property. This has been a wonderful experience for the most part, but we have had some Sundays with rain, wind, and temperatures in the 40’s. It can be a bit chilly out there! However, even on those Sundays, there is always a good group of people who come. When the weather is sunny and warm, attendance tends to be better, of course, but on average, we are seeing numeric growth again. We recently purchased material to cover a couple of the sides of the tent, which should help reduce the effects of the wind and rain coming in.

Sara has been leading the women in monthly meetings over the last year, and this has been a blessing to many of them. During these last months, they have been focusing on some of the basics – Bible reading and memorization, prayer, fellowship, and growing in their personal relationship with the Lord.

My Trip to Michigan and Canada

During the first couple of weeks of October, I went to Michigan to see my parents. It had been two years since I had last been up there, and I also wanted to visit the local church I grew up in, Fellowship Christian Reformed Church, in Grandville. I had the privilege of attending the 50th anniversary celebration of the church, and then, the following Sunday, I was invited to preach to the congregation. I shared a message on Jehdeiah, an obscure Biblical character known as “The Keeper of the Donkeys”. I hope many will remember the message, focused on the importance of being a servant for the King, and the value of humble service.

I also had the opportunity to visit my pastor and spiritual mentor, Bill Brown, with his wife, Barbara, near Toronto, Ontario. I hadn’t personally seen Bill since before the pandemic, although we often meet on FaceTime and Zoom. It was so nice to be able to spend several hours with Bill and Barbara! I took my parents to meet them, and we had a great dinner together on a Wednesday night. The following morning, I went to the apartment complex where Bill and Barbara live to meet with Bill again, and some of their neighbors at a coffee time they have each morning. Thanks so much, Bill and Barbara, for your fine hospitality!

Looking Forward

During the next couple of months, my focus will be on the Advanced School of Ministry conference. I will soon be dedicating much time to the creation of the conference workbook, implementing online registration for the event, and preparing all the other details for the conference, which will be held at the end of January. This conference usually attracts 700-1000 pastors and leaders from all over Mexico and God has used it to inspire, train and edify thousands of them in their ministries.

Prayer requests

• Please pray for the Advanced School of Ministry conference.
• We will be finishing our fall Bible School semester in December. Please pray that our students will finish strong!
• About a week ago I (David) slipped in the mud on the ground outside the house, fell, and dislocated my shoulder. I am doing well, but please pray for a full recovery.
• Please pray for the Lord’s provision and protection, both for us, and for the ministries we are involved in.

Thanks!

With love,

David and Sara Lont with Anna

Note: There is a PDF version of this update located HERE.

Dear Friends and Family,

It’s September, and fall is rapidly approaching. It has been raining very regularly for the past couple of months, and things are so beautiful and green here in our area. We have had more rain than usual, and this is a good thing for us! The mountains that were brown, dry and sometimes burning during the hot arid spring are now a lush green, full of life. On our mountain, the wild plants, vines and grass are taller and thicker than we’ve seen them in many years.

This reminds me of how the rain of the visitation of the Holy Spirit can take a dry and weary people, and renew them with God’s supernatural life! We pray for revival in our city and nation. May the Lord visit us with both the former and the latter rains, restoring souls and igniting a renewed passion for His Word, His church and His presence. As the psalmist said, “He restores my soul and makes me lie down in green pastures…”.

Bible School

One of our main focuses over the past several months has been our online Bible School. We finished our spring semester the middle of June and then worked hard on getting a few new courses developed and recorded. I also did some work on our LMS (learning management system) to integrate some new AI features and update software.

We have been developing three courses – Evangelism, Prayer and Bible Study, and The Local Church and Its Place Within God’s Plan. The first two have been completed, recorded, and students are now participating in them. The third has been mostly developed, but is not quite complete. We plan on offering the Local Church course in 2025.

We started our fall semester in August with just over 150 students enrolled. We also added a couple of new course facilitators – Gabriel and Paloma, from Morelia, Michoacán. I met Gabriel and his wife, Paloma, by phone just over a year ago. They wanted to have information about the online school. Since starting, they both have been studying full time and are on track to getting their bachelor’s degree in theology in 2026. They have both been excellent students, and now we get to have their help facilitating a couple of groups, even as they continue to study.

Sara and I have actually known Paloma Plata and her family since the early 1990’s, when she was a little girl. I had met her parents, both of whom were medical doctors and pastors, at the Advanced School of Ministry, the first year we attended. It just so happened that I got very sick during that first conference, and Paloma’s mom (the doctor), gave me an injection in the church parking lot. I will never forget the pain of the injection, but also the questions she suddenly began to ask me. “Had I ever done drugs?” “Was Sara the only person I had ever been married to?” Then, several others. Well, poor Doctor Plata somehow accidentally stuck herself with the needle right after injecting me!! She was quite worried that I may have had some dreadful disease that I could pass along to her. Thankfully, I wasn’t carrying any strange diseases in my blood, so she was going to be just fine.

Anyway, as you can see, our relationship with her family goes way back, and we even shared a bit of the family blood!

In July, we hosted another one of our course facilitators who is also a gifted Bible teacher. Mireya and her husband, Homero, traveled by bus from Veracruz to spend a week with us so that she could teach and record the Evangelism course. Anna and I had set everything up for a beautiful studio atmosphere for the recording, and when Homero and Mireya arrived, we were able to record 24 lessons in just three days. Mireya is very capable and taught each of the sessions with a natural flow.

We all enjoyed spending the week together with Mireya and Homero. They were very pleasant company.

It has been beautiful to see how some of our students are not only preparing to serve in their own local churches, but a few even become leaders within our school for a season. We are very thankful for this!

Travel and More Recording

At the beginning of August, Sara went to visit our son, David Jeremiah, in Texas. David was moving from one apartment to another one a few blocks away and invited Sara to come and help him get the new apartment cleaned and ready. Of course, Sara jumped at the opportunity to see him!

While Sara was gone, Anna and I took advantage of the time to record another course titled “Prayer and Bible Study“. I had previously asked Anna to prepare to teach this course. She studied the material and additional books related to the theme in July, so when the time came, she was more than ready.

For those of you who don’t know her, teaching comes second-nature to Anna. She has been teaching since she was about 7 or 8 years old. When she was 14, she took over a session of our church’s ladies meeting one day when Sara was suddenly scheduled for surgery. When she was 15, she taught in churches in Africa. She regularly teaches classes in our local congregation and often participates on Sundays.

Anna did a wonderful job not only teaching the course, but also developing activities which help the students put the concepts into practice in very practical ways.

Her new course is also online now and is the most popular course this semester, with over 45 students participating in it. We are very thankful to have Anna as part of our ministry team, both for church and for the school.

Radio Program

I recently had an interesting opportunity to participate in a radio talk program on a Mexico City FM station. Pastor Raymundo Gómez and his wife, Karla, have an hour-long program Monday-Friday. They often discuss Christian values, family matters, and more during their time slot. On this particular show, they wanted to interview me about the topic “Christians and Artificial Intelligence”. AI has been one of many things I have been fascinated with over the last couple of years. Anna and I had done a podcast episode on the topic last year. Pastor Ray heard our podcast and thought we should talk about this with the general public in Mexico City on his radio show.

It was a challenge, but at the same time, quite a privilege to speak to a live audience of probably several hundreds of thousands of people on the air. I’m thankful for the experience and pray the things that I said may have resonated with those who heard it. I also pray that Christians, in particular, may learn to use this technology for good and not fall into all the traps that it potentially will create.

Our Church Family

Sara and I continue to pastor the church we started some years ago in Tulancingo. We are in a new season and we believe the Lord has good things in store for our church family. Over the past several weeks, I’ve been teaching on the authority, value and importance of the Word of God. It’s our measuring stick to determine what truth is. It’s our final authority to judge all spiritual matters. It is the verbal embodiment of Jesus Christ Himself, for “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.“

These last several months have been a time of peace and rest for our congregation, and we have enjoyed the unity of Spirit. We’ve had wonderful times of worship, refreshing teaching in the Word and unity as we’ve enjoyed fellowship meals together. However, we also know that there is much work to do going forward. We have been called to be light, salt, and living water for our city. There are many lost who need to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and we are called to reach them.

Thanks!

We’d like to thank all who have been supporting us with your prayers and giving. We need you now more than ever before! May the Lord richly bless and use each of you for the extension of His Kingdom.

Help Wanted

If you know of someone who would be interested in supporting us as missionaries, please share this newsletter with them. We are currently in need of new supporters to be able to reach our monthly economic goals.

The work is great – a church in Tulancingo, a Bible School training pastors and leaders across the entire nation, and the Advanced School of Ministry, which trains over 800 pastors annually. We have much to do! In order to have the resources to continue, we depend on you. Thank you so much!

With love,

David and Sara Lont
with Anna

Note: You can download a PDF copy of this newsletter here.

Hello everyone! We hope you are having a great summer. What a beautiful world God has given us to enjoy, with the changing seasons. Despite global warming concerns, we remember the faithful promises God has given us in Genesis:

While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Summer and winter,
And day and night
Shall not cease.

Genesis 8:22, NASB

In our last newsletter, we shared about how many parts of Mexico, and our area in particular, had been suffering a drought. It was the hottest and driest spring we’ve ever experienced. We had been praying for rain for several months, and it finally came a couple of weeks ago. Boy, did it rain! In the last few weeks we had more rain than we had all last year – almost a foot and a half. We are so thankful for the wet season, as everything very suddenly turned green again.

This abundance of rain reminds me of how faithful God is. Even in the midst of our most desperate situations, when it seems like everything in our lives is drying up and dying, God is faithful to once again send the rain of His presence and blessings upon us. He will never leave us nor forsake us!

Guest Speakers

We were very privileged to have Pastor Gamaliel and his wife Patty with us in May. They pastor a large church in the port city of Veracruz and have been our friends for many years. However, they had never been to our church to minister before.

Sara organized an annual ladies breakfast we have done for many years and invited Patty to come and minister to the ladies. This breakfast is usually held in the month of May around the time of Mother’s Day. It was a beautiful event and several women attended our church for the first time.

Pastor Gama and Patty stayed with us over the weekend and ministered to our congregation on Sunday as well. It is a blessing to receive from a diverse array of pastoral gifts, including those from friends in other cities.

Bible School

In mid-June we finished our spring semester of Bible School and are now preparing for our fall semester, which begins in August. It has been a time of getting new courses ready, updating our computer servers and several other technical jobs I do.

Next week we will be recording our evangelism course with Mireya Parral, from Veracruz. She started out with us as a student several years ago and then, in 2018, became a course facilitator. We see the hand of God on her life in the area of Bible teaching, and she will be the teacher of this new course.

I’d like to share a few testimonials of our online students:

I greatly appreciate the effort you put into updating courses and helping those of us who are far from a physical Bible school. As soon as the next semester starts, I will enroll again. I really enjoy this online format.

Edgar Ivan G. from Hidalgo

All the courses I have taken have been very thorough. Every time I finish a course, I am already thinking about the next one I will take. I appreciate the commitment, time, and research that each person puts in to make this platform possible, allowing us to continue learning and discovering the beautiful teachings that God’s Word has for us.

Miryam P. from Veracruz

I would like to express my gratitude for all your hard work, dedication, and commitment. Thank you to each one of you for making my dream of studying at a Bible school a reality. Without a doubt, we will continue to learn and grow together.

Anonymous

Many of our students serve as pastors across various regions of the country. Our school has become a fountain of the Living Water of the Spirit and the Word of God, providing teaching, training, and refreshment for their vital work in cities and villages.

We finished our semester with a live Zoom session, during which Bill Brown ministered to the students from Aurora, Canada. It was very good to see many of our students from all across Mexico and a few from the U.S. as we thanked God together for the learning and growing He gave to all of us during the semester.

A Note From Anna

The past few months have been filled with different opportunities to bless and encourage people. It’s incredible how God can use us through the small, seemingly inconsequential things to impact someone’s life.

Once a month we’ve been having women’s meetings at our church, and I’ve gotten to share alongside some friends. We have seen God awaken a hunger for Him in many of the women, and it has been a joy getting to teach about some fundamentals, such as Bible study and learning how to hear God’s voice. Last week, I created an activity where the women got to pray a Bible verse over each other. We paired everyone in teams and gave them a piece of paper with a verse written on it. Once they were all done praying for each other, I asked if they wanted to share what the Lord spoke to them. One woman came up and shared how she’d been seeking the Lord for direction in her life and career. The verse that was prayed over her was exactly what she needed at that moment! A small activity turned into a time of encouragement and reassurance for many of them. We are excited as a team for what God is beginning to do, and we know we have just scratched the surface of all He has for us.

While it has been exciting to see God move in our church, I’ve also had the privilege to see Him work in the lives of many people through our online Bible school. From February to June, I had the opportunity to facilitate over twenty students, grading homework assignments, essays, and answering questions. Even though a facilitator’s job is to help a student learn, and in a way “teach” them, I ended up learning more from facilitating than being a student. Reading the same assignment over twenty times will do that for you!

I had the honor of having a group that consisted of people in their sixties and seventies. Their lives and testimonies truly inspired me! Some had known the Lord for a long time and been involved in ministry, and others were new both to the Gospel and an online Bible school. One student, in particular, encountered the Lord in his late fifties and had a radical transformation in his life. He and his wife were my students, and it was inspiring to see their eagerness to learn and the changes that God has brought about in their personal lives and marriage. Another student of mine, also in her sixties, was so eager to learn that she took two courses at a time while pastoring her local church. These students quickly turned into my heroes. It’s truly never too late to learn and go after all that God has for you.

As I’ve served in many different areas, from working on my own developing courses to working with people in our church and online, I’ve been trying to remember what Paul said: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters…” (Col 3:23). Working for people, an organization, or even ourselves will never feel as rewarding or fulfilling. In the end, it might even feel exhausting. But working with all our heart for the Lord, in everything we do, will carry with it a joyful reward. He is our inheritance and He is our reward. Whether we eat, drink, sweep the floors, facilitate students, or pray for people, for Him it is all worth it!

Back To Work!

Thanks, Anna! (It’s me, David again. I’ve come back to wrap up this letter.)

There is so much more I could write, but for now I must get back to work on the Bible School. The summer is one of my main times to work “behind the scenes” with the online Bible School platform, since there are no students, and soon the Advanced School of Ministry will be requiring more of my attention.

We want to thank each of you who prays for us and supports us financially. We really appreciate what you do. May the Lord bless you richly.

Finally, if you’ve ever considered becoming a partner in our ministry, please pray about it. Although the students pay a small tuition fee, it only covers part of our operating expenses, and not the development of our programs. The school is being built and developed entirely on donations of people like you. Your giving allows us to purchase equipment, develop curriculum, bring in good Bible teachers and develop our programs. Please send me a note if you are not currently a supporter and would like to become one, or if you would be interested in helping with a one-time gift.

May the Lord bless each of you abundantly!

David and Sara Lont
with Anna

Dear Friends, Family and Supporters,

Note: This update is available as a PDF download with more pictures here.

Greetings from the state of Hidalgo, Mexico, where we are experiencing one of the hottest and driest years on record. We would like to share with you a little about what has been happening with us and our ministry.

A Time of Drought

The past several years have been very dry around our area. This has caused many problems, as the crops have been failing, the water reservoirs are drying up and even the wells are failing. Our home water supply, which had been completely dependable for almost 20 years, is no longer available. Our entire municipality has been without running water for about two months, and our local community has been without water for over four months. The price to have water brought in on trucks has increased by 400%. There is a severe water crisis. Thankfully, within the city of Tulancingo, there are still wells with water, but in the surrounding area, including the area of Mexico City, the water is almost gone. We desperately need rain!

The lack of physical rain and water is a reflection of the spiritual state of things in our country and many other places in the world. Crime and bloodshed are constantly increasing, unjust laws are being passed by the ungodly and the righteous are persecuted for doing good, while those with evil thoughts and intentions are praised.

It is time for the church of Jesus Christ to rise and shine. Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it!”

We believe that we have been called by God to provide “streams of living water to a dry and weary land.” Our land has never been so dry and weary as it is today. Thanks be to God who allows his living water to flow through us by the Holy Spirit. The living water -the Holy Spirit and the Word of God- will be poured out and flow with power throughout our land! We will be his vessels of honor, his instruments, to bring this living water to the people in need of his glorious truth.

Advanced School of Ministry

Much of our time during the last couple of months has been invested in the Advanced School of Ministry degree program. We are working to help a large group of pastors/leaders finish the degree program by January, 2026. Many of them have been involved in the Advanced School of Ministry in one way or another for several years, but never completed the program. Our goal is to give them practical steps, assignments and other tools to graduate.

During the months of March and April, we have been in constant contact with many of them, reaching out to guide them, answering their questions, and working with them as they do their assignments. Two of our facilitators, Anna and Milca, have been working with over 40 of these students weekly as they complete the course work assigned for last January’s conference.

Online Bible School

The Online Bible School continues to go well. With about 170 students enrolled this semester, there are always assignments to grade, messages to answer and course work to continue to develop. I have been working with the group studying biblical hermeneutics and enjoy supervising their progress. Anna is facilitating a large group of students studying the degree program, plus another group working on New Testament Survey. Sara is in charge of the group studying the course on the Life of Christ, and other facilitators are in charge of the other courses we are offering.

At the same time, we’ve been working on developing new courses which will be offered in August.

Local Church

As always, we continue to work with our local church in preaching, discipleship, worship and prayer. God is moving in Tulancingo. Many Sundays we have visitors, and some of them receive Christ as their Lord and Savior during our services and activities.

We continue to meet under the tent which we erected on the property a year ago. What a blessing it has been to meet on our own property and no longer have to pay rent! Most Sundays have been warm (sometimes too warm) and sunny, but under shade of the tent the spring breeze makes the air very comfortable. Once each month, we invite the entire congregation to bring food to share with others, and we stay after church for a meal together.

We have a nice group of faithful volunteers who help us to set up chairs on Sunday mornings, and many others participate, storing everything after the services.

Above all, our times of worship, prayer and the preaching of the Word of God have been powerful. Our children and youth are growing in their relationship with God and learning his word. Several of the young girls who have been discipled by Anna participate very effectively in personal ministry and prayer. We are expecting our church to continue to develop, grow, raise up new leaders, and cause a true impact in our community.

Thanks!

Once again, Sara, Anna and I would like to take a moment to thank each of you for your love, encouragement, prayers and offerings. Thanks for being a part of what we do here.

May the Lord richly bless each of you.

With love,

David and Sara Lont

Note: This update is available as a PDF download with more pictures here.

Dear Friends, Family, and Supporters,

Love and greetings from warm, sunny Mexico. We pray all is well with you and your family.

I recently heard the following phrase, and it really made me think:

“It is your direction, not your intentions, which will lead you to your destination.”

Andy Stanley

Hopefully, we all have good intentions. But we must realize that the direction we are heading is what really leads us to our destination. For example, let’s suppose that you are intending to go to the beach. However, you make a wrong turn and end up going in the opposite direction. Even though you may have the intention of getting to the beach, if you don’t turn around and start heading in the right direction, you are never going to get there!

So it is in life. Many people have great intentions: intentions to follow the Lord, love their families, read their Bible, pray, grow in their walk with God. Others just have the intentions of being good people. However, if they never take the necessary actions and small steps in the right direction, their good intentions will never materialize.

James says it this way: “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20).

We need faith, but we also need to put action and direction into our faith.

One of our tasks as missionaries, pastors, and Bible teachers is to help people unite their intentions with their direction – unite their faith with their actions – to reach the goals the Lord has for them.

The Advanced School of Ministry

During the third week of January, we celebrated the 34th seminar of the Advanced School of Ministry in Cuernavaca, with around 800 pastors and leaders attending. We had a good-sized group there in the auditorium as well as another group of people online.

What a blessing it was for us to see so many pastors from many parts of Mexico, many of whom we have gotten to know through the years. We have ministered in some of their churches and have become good friends with others.

The seminar, called “Fathers of Generations”, was based on God’s promise to Abraham and applied to the pastors and leaders of local churches. We have been called to minister to our generation, but also to become spiritual fathers and mothers to the next generation of leaders.

Our team and guest speakers taught and ministered on subjects such as generational vision, church growth, spiritual orphans, generational leadership, the pastor and his family, and spiritual fathers/mothers.

We had a great seminar, and I know that many of those who attended returned to their local churches and communities blessed, equipped, and encouraged to continue their local ministries.

Online Bible School

On February 14, we began the spring semester in our Online Bible School. This is the second-largest group ever, with over 170 students participating. Many of them are continuing their studies; some are new, and others are working toward completing the Advanced School of Ministry degree program.

We are currently offering a total of 11 different courses simultaneously. Our course facilitators are busy grading assignments, answering students’ questions, and helping them progress through the courses.

We are offering a new course, Family Matters (by Bill Scheidler), with Stacey Brown as the teacher. Stacey is doing an incredible job in her video presentations, bringing the classes to life with many creative illustrations. She is recording at the same time we are presenting the material, so our team is working hard to have the presentations, assignments, and videos ready each week before the material is to be released to students. We have two full groups taking this particular course the current semester, and it will be offered again probably yearly.

Anna and Sara are both working with our online team once again. Anna has two full groups – the students of New Testament Survey and a second group of 22 students of the degree program working on the assignments from this past seminar. Sara has a large group studying The Life of Christ.

Local Church

Desert Streams Church in Tulancingo is doing well and advancing the Kingdom of God. We continue to meet under the tent in our church’s garden property. The Spirit of God is moving, restoring and saving people. We have had several testimonies of people who have been healed from cancer – with medical evidence to prove it. These testimonies may not necessarily be considered “miraculous” by everyone, but through prayer and medical treatment, they are now cancer-free! We give credit and glory to God for what He has done in their lives. Also, this past Sunday, six or seven people gave their lives to Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of God is advancing. Lives and families are being restored and changed by the power of the Gospel.

I have been teaching on Jesus in Genesis over the past couple of months. The series is designed to highlight how we can find illustrations, types, and shadows of the redemptive work of Christ throughout the Old Testament, especially in the book of Genesis. It is amazing how many stories and events perfectly foreshadow the redemptive work of Jesus on the cross.

Anna and Sara have been participating on Sundays, but also in our other church events. Anna is our youth leader and is doing a great job. Sara has been working with the women of the church, doing monthly meetings the first Friday of each month. It is such a blessing to work together as a family in ministry. It is also a privilege to have a team that helps us in ministry each week.

Family

It was great having David, Daniel with Elisa, and Anna (of course!) here this past Christmas. Now we still see David, Daniel, and Elisa quite often, but on FaceTime instead of in person. We miss them, but they are all doing well.

We are especially thankful that Anna is here with us. After studying in BSSM the last couple of years, she is now working full time with me, in the online Bible School, the Advanced School of Ministry degree program, and our local church. She is also studying and practicing her fiction writing skills, as part of the Young Writer’s Workshop.

Thanks To Everyone!

We would like to express our most sincere thanks to all of you who pray for us, support us, send cards (thanks for those Christmas cards!), or simply know and care for us. May the Lord richly bless you!

With Love,

David, Sara, and Anna Lont