First Newsletter

Hello all! I figured since I've been a missionary for over two years it was about time to write an update on what the Lord has been doing in Mexico, and in my life personally!

Because this is my first newsletter, I want to give a quick background to what I have been up to for the past 2 years here in Mexico.

ROSARITO

On January 10th, 2014, God called me to Mexico.
For six months I was in Rosarito, Mexico, serving at a church as an intern. Alongside six other guys, my responsibility was to clean the church, set up for events and bible studies, and be available to serve whenever possible. This was a really good time of humbling for me. I had been living a comfortable life style in U.S. and then I was living in a tiny apartment with 6 other guys cleaning a church everyday..... At first, I wasn't to excited. I felt like I was wasting my time. But then I realized that God was preparing me for something else. He needed to take those six months for me to realize that I am nothing, and the Lord is EVERYTHING!!

LA PAZ, MEXICO

In May of 2014, one of the other Missionaries living in Rosarito at the time was planning on moving to La Paz to help plant a new church. He asked me if I was interested in going with them. At first, I was very hesitant. It sounded pretty scary to move 1,000 miles south of the border. 1,000 more miles away from my family, away from my friends, and 1,000 miles away from In-N-Out Burger.
It was a tough decision. But after weeks and weeks of fighting, I finally gave in and made the decision to move to La Paz.

July 1st, 2014, I threw my bags into a trailer, hopped into a car with a bunch of people that I had only known for 4 months and drove 20 hours south to the city of La Paz. I was scared, nervous, and on the break of a emotional meltdown, but little did I know that God was going to do great things in La Paz.

I was in La Paz for a year and 4 months. Here a few things that happened when I was there.



In the middle of July, we started a small bible study of ten people on Wednesday nights on a couples porch.

                                     

A few months later, we had a church building full of people ready to serve the Lord.

If you want to see a full slideshow of the pictures from La Paz the link is below:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1716hYPzvTm2Xwtjq8J_aR0XP-Kxihy6_Q7O_eJOFgdo/edit#slide=id.ga2a3041ea_0_3

In September of 2014, Hurricane Odile hit La Paz. It was a terrifying and amazing experience.

When the hurricane first hit, we were all in shock, but soon after the Lord opened up amazing opportunities to help the community and spread the love of Christ. We received incredible donations from churches all throughout the U.S. in order for us to help the community. We made bags of food to pass out to the people in need. We helped support the city in its time of need and it was an amazing experience. 

There are too many photos for me to share of the hurricane on here, so click the link above to view those photos.

Overall, my time in La Paz was an amazing learning experience. I was placed outside my comfort zone and I grew immensely. A few things that happened to me personally in La Paz.

• I began to learn spanish a lot more. I was farther away from the border, so less people spoke english. I was forced to learn the language and I am now eternally grateful for that.
• I was pushed by one of the Pastors to begin to sing and play guitar for worship. This was definitely a stretch for me. It was scary at first, but now I am confident in the gifts and abilities that the Lord has given me.
• During the time of the hurricane, I grew in faith. I had to trust that the Lord had a plan. That he was in control.

The Move to Tijuana

In July of 2015, the assistant Pastor in La Paz, decided to move up to Playas de Tijuana (The Beach City of Tijuana) to take over as Senior Pastor of a new church plant. Before he left he told me I was always welcome to come and serve with him at this new church.

It was in October 2015 when I decided to make that move. The reason I moved up to Tijuana was primarily to be closer to Maria Luisa, who is now my amazing wife.

I met "Louie" during my Six months in Rosarito. we became really close and continued our relationship through Skype when I was in La Paz. 

So in October, I felt that I needed to be closer to her if we were going to move further and eventually be married. So that's what I did.

So NOW I am serving in Playas.

As you can see on this amazing map below, Tijuana and Rosarito are pretty close.

So right now I am SERVING at Calvary Chapel Playas de Tijuana.

but

I am LIVING in Rosarito with my wife Louie because the Price of Living is a lot cheaper than in T.J.

It's about a 15-20 minute drive to get to the church.

CALVARY CHAPEL PLAYAS

Now on to the update of what I am doing now!

Calvary Chapel Playas is a new church that was started in February 2015.
In July 2015, The senior Pastor had to step down for health reasons and Pastor Ryan Gause Stepped in to take his place.

A little bit about Ryan Gause. Ryan was the missionary that invited me to come with him down to La Paz. He has been a great mentor and friend to me ever since we met. He has guided me and has begun to train me to be a better leader and follower of Christ. I thank God for putting him in my life!

Now, here are some of my responsibilities/ministries in the church:

WORSHIP

For our Sunday services, I play the drums with our worship team.

During the week, I lead worship for the midweek service on Thursday nights, the Young Adults group on Friday nights, the Youth Group on Saturday nights, and for a Women's Bible Study on Monday nights.

I sing in Spanish and English and play guitar. I was never really comfortable about being in front of people. It has always made me feel vulnerable, but it has been so much fun! God has given me the abilities to serve him, and I am just trying to obey his calling. Leading Worship is something I look forward to every week!

Here is a short clip of me leading!

DESIGN

• I have started to help with Designing graphics for the church. It is not my area of expertise but it has been fun improving this new skill. Here are a few examples of some graphics I did for the Weekly Bible Studies.

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

• I am lucky enough to teach Children's ministry 3-4 times a month with my Beautiful Wife. It has been an amazing experience for me to teach these young kids about the grace and mercy of God. They are so much fun! I love teaching with Louie. She always comes up with great ideas for activities or crafts for the kids to do!

• Every Saturday, I am helping as a leader for the Youth Group, ages 12-17. We have a small group of 6-8 kids that come out. I lead worship, we have a small study lead by my dear friends Israel and Anni, and then we have some games and activities. Please be in prayer for this group that it may grow and flourish and that these kids might grow in the Lord.
  We will be going through a couple of changes soon with this group. Please pray for guidance and direction for the leaders!

RECENT EVENTS

We had a Baptism in March! Two young women in our church made the decision to get baptized on Easter Sunday. After the service, the whole congregation walked 5 blocks down to the beach. We gathered together and sang a few worship songs, and then watched as these two women made a public declaration of their faith in Christ! After we walked back to the church and had an amazing time of fellowship!

In April, we had the opportunity to go to an area of Tijuana called Las Cumbres. We went with a Mission Team from Calvary Chapel Monrovia and the Young Adults Group from Las Rocas. We hosted a movie night there in one of their community centers. About 100 kids and 60 adults showed up. 4 people made a confession of faith and 2 of them are now attending our church. I found out later from Pastor Ryan that one of the ladies from the outreach has allowed us to use her home to start a bible study!
Please be in prayer that God could start a revival in this small colony in TJ!


And of Course as many of you know, In May, Louie & I got Married!! We had a beautiful wedding down here in Rosarito! We were so blessed to have so many Family and Friends come down and support us on that special day! We will be posting more pictures on Facebook soon!

THANKS & PRAYER REQUESTS

Please keep the church in prayer!
We are in need of some tables and folding chairs that we could use for outreach purposes. As well as some portable canopies that could be easily taken out for outreaches and events.

Also, Summer is coming soon. The weather is warming up and the church is getting warmer! We are looking for an air conditioning unit and insulation. Especially for the children's ministry rooms!

We are also in need of raising leaders to take over ministries in the church! Please pray that the Lord would provide people in our church, who have the heart and desire to serve in certain ministries!

Please continue to pray for Louie & I. We are newly married and finances are getting tight! Please pray that the Lord would continue to provide the finances to get by every month!

In November Louie's job is ending and she will have to look for something new. Pray the Lord provides openings for her!

Last but definitely Not least, Pray for our supporters who faithfully lift us up in prayer! I could not be where I am, doing what I am doing, if it were not for them! Thank You!

Thank you to my Friends and Family who have encouraged me and supported me since the very first moment I moved to Mexico! Thank you to Everyone who supports me spiritually with your prayers, and financially with your support! I am blessed to represent you as I serve the Lord and His body of believers!
Finally, Thank You Heavenly Father! You are always there for me! You have a plan, and even though at times things can get rough, I know you will always be there to guide me on this journey I am on! Thank You!

"Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." (2Th 1:11-12)

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me through Facebook or Email at Blake.Bedley@Gmail.com

If the Lord has put it it on your heart to help support me financially send me an Email at Blake.Bedley@Gmail.com

Thank You & God Bless!