Mid-Year Ministry Report 2026

It is hard to believe we are past the middle of the year already. It has been a good year so far but with some challenges both in the family and in ministry. As Jesus promised, "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) 

(some of the pastors and families in one gathering we had in May)

I love to set goals and plan out what I hope the Lord will do through the ministry I am leading. Usually, the Lord's plans are different as Proverbs 16:9 says, "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." NLT

Here is the 2030 vision I set for the ministry I am leading: By the end of 2030, the New Life Network in the United States will have 554 disciples actively engaged in discipleship, 35% of whom will reproduce. We will have 26 churches—7 of which will be newly planted—and 104 leaders actively undergoing training (Institute and Leadership Training), and we will establish a solid leadership team for RNV USA.

Here is where we are at as of right now: 84 disciples active in discipleship, 7 churches or churches in the process of being planted, 8 leaders in training.

Here is where I hope we get to by the end of this year: 125 disciples active in discipleship, 9 churches, 25 leaders in training, and develop a leadership team.

(Paola and Oliver who joined the network this year)

Here are the advances and the challenges of this year: Oliver and Paola from the Reflejo de Cristo church joined RNV. We also had one church that decided they could not continue the process of planting a church. We trained all pastors in the 2026 version of the discipleship program.We trained the leaders of Esperanza Viva in the 2026 version of the discipleship program and will soon train another church with goals of both of these churches launching new groups this year. Several groups and churches are completing the discipleship track for the first time. We had one of our pastors decide to officially become part of the leadership team of RNV USA. We also have signed an agreement with one of our churches to help them start a pastors school using our Bible institute material. (see picture below)

Here are some more pictures of some of our pastors and their families:

Socrates and Alexanda and family

Leslie and Yuri and kids

Abraham and Amanda and their kids

 Harol and Kathy and their boy Jonathan

Jose Juan and Maribel and their family

Here is a video testimony from Amanda and Abraham and how RNV has served them.

Thanks so much for supporting us so we can serve these pastors and their churches!

How's the Ministry with RNV in Guatemala going?

 

Each month our global team made up of all the country coordinators meets to pray for one of our countries where we are working. They report on their work and we pray for that country. This month it was Guatemala and I was so encourage about what the Lord continues to do with Carlos Lopez and his team so I wanted to share it with you all. 

This is where the work is currently at. Keep in mind we started a small church in our apartment with 10 people. As RNV Guatemala, we are discipling 72 people across 7 different communities; we are training 13 individuals in local leadership; we have 2 students enrolled in the Bible Institute’s course on pastoral care and church leadership; we have planted 2 churches, with two more currently in progress; and we have one pioneer church. (Pioneer church is an existing church that enters the network)

Here are a few pictures of their discipleship groups.

Below is one of the churches in process of being planted in Santa Maria. They had a major earthquake last year and from the ministry and evangelism they did there a church has resulted.

This is their vision over the next 5 years:

To have 300 people active in discipleship groups. To plant 10 healthy churches in Guatemala by intentionally discipling their members through the Discipleship Route.

And 2 training centers:

A Bible Institute

A School of Missions

A Pastoral School

5 pioneer churches driven by a passion to make disciples who make disciples.

150 leaders undergoing training at the Bible Institute.

(Carlos has never lacked for vision ;-)

Here are some of the prayer requests he shared so you can join me in praying for them:

• Resources for the pastors and their families.
• Resources for transportation to reach the communities.
• That God would raise up a prayer leader to share with each of the pastors and community leaders.
• For the discipleship leaders, that they may attend to the needs of every discipler.

I hope this encourages you as it did me! May God be glorified and all of Guatemala discipled!

Trip to Guatemala Feb 2026

Ben had the chance to travel to Guatemala with one of the Pastors he serves with here in RNV USA, Abraham Barron. We mainly went to help put on a Pastors Retreat for the pastors at RNV in Guatemala. Ben was also involved in some meetings at Love Guatemala with Katy and Amy Goldsmith, the LG Board president. Check out some pictures and videos below.

The first few days we visited with the different pastors now involved with RNV Guatemala. Above is Pastor Salomon who serves in a community called Santa Maria de Jesus. The 2nd picture is me with a Bible he gave me that is Spanish and Cakchiquel. He helped work on a version of this translation. This language was the very first translation that the Wycliffe Bible Translators started years ago before it was Wycliffe.

Above is Pastor Josue from a community called Sumpango.

Below is Pastor Yosimar who serves in the church we started in Magdalena.

The next few days were spent loving and serving this group of pastors and leaders below. This is the team now in RNV Guatemala.

Below was a beautiful time of ministering to them at the end of our retreat.

You can watch a 2 minute video of the retreat here.

We had lots of good meetings with Love Guatemala too. The one above was with the LG board in Guatemala and Amy and myself who are on the board here in the US as well.

I always have to visit the nutrition center when I am there.

This is the LG board in Guatemala.

We had a dinner with the staff our last night there as well which was fun to catch up with everyone.

Amy, Katy and I spent 2 days in meetings talking about all the happenings with LG and talking about the future. Katy is doing an amazing job and we have some amazing plans for the coming months and years. I am more excited than ever for the future of LG!

Here is another video of the whole trip. 

2025 Ministry Report

I am giving thanks to the Lord for another year of ministry. This is our second year serving with Red Nueva Vida in the USA. It has been a time of learning and growing in different ways that I didn't expect. The challenges of ministring here in the US amongst hispanics are unique. I am grateful for this opportunity.

When I first began in 2024 I had set the goal of having 10 churches in the first 3 years of ministry and we are slowing but steadily moving in that direction. We are serving 7 pastors and churches or new works moving towards becoming churches. I am working with another church now to hopefully bring them on board in early 2026. But more importantly we have 114 disciples in disicpleship. Praise be to God.

But one of the things I have grown to love the most of my role is the pastoral care aspect. Most pastors have no one to love on them, pray for them and ask how they are doing. I love do this for the pastors I serve.

Here is a picture from a retreat we did for the pastors and their wives we did in October. This is one way we serve the pastors that are part of our network.

I also served the pastors and churches through trainings, regular meetings to pray and share, preaching when needed at their churches, and providing whatever resources are needed.

Other ways I have served through New Life Network is through teaching in our Bible Institute, teaching in the missions school in Guatemala, coaching missionaries with Red Nueva Vida and many other ways. We are grateful for all the ways the Lord used us in 2025.

We had a focus on fervent prayer in 2025 and we started an early morning prayer time in addition to our monthly prayer time. We also saw these groups multiply and now 3-4 of our churches added prayer groups that meet regularly.

In 2026, we hope to move to serving 10 churches, build a team to help lead the network, grow our discipleship groups, provide more training and support for our churches and pastors.

Thanks for all your prayers and financial support that make it all possible!

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge. 1 Corinthians 1:4-5

New Life Network Guatemala Update

 

New Life Network in Guatemala continues to advance and grow. There are many opportunities for growth and we have been praying and discernign which doors to walk through. Two opportunties that we are pursuing is planting churches in two communties close to where we planted the first church. Pray for Eswin and Evelyn and there team there in Santa Lucia. They have been praying and evangelizing and forming a team there and hope to launch some Sunday gatherings mid year this year.

We also are preparing a planter for another community close and hope to begin a work there by the end of the year. We also have a young man, Ivan, whom we believe the Lord is raising up to be sent to Honduras to partner with another ministry BVSA who already has a ministry there to help them plant a church. We are super excited to send our first missionary!

The first plant in Magdalena just celebrated 5 years of ministry. Check out some pictures below of this work. Pray for Carlos, Yosimar and the elders of this church. Thanks for praying and supporting these works in Guatemala!