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Joey & Laurel Gonzales |
Missionary Information:
Joey and Laurel serve on staff with YWAM Strategic Frontiers, along with their 4 children, Isaiah, Kyla, Makenna, and Noah. In their own words, “We desire to reach people holistically through building relationships, education, and community development. We work with the Discipleship Training School to train, equip, lead and send students to effectively share the Gospel in tangible ways to the least reached in the 10/40 window.
Quarterly Update:
We’ve been back from Greece for over a month and are settling back into life and ministry here in Colorado Springs. At the end of June, we graduated over 30 students from our winter Discipleship Training School and sent two more teams off to Greece and Cambodia for the spring quarter’s outreach phase.
In YWAM, we live in a cycle of three-month seasons as the schools rotate throughout the year. Joey and I have adjusted to the ebb and flow of students arriving, the weeks of lecture and then outreach, sometimes with us leading teams. Our family has known such joy in these last three years of ministry as we have seen hearts come to a greater understanding of who the Lord is, experienced so much personal growth, and had amazing opportunities to serve the least reached in Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Greece. Through all of that, we are learning to be more in-tune with what is a healthy balance for our family and to enjoy real rest when the time comes. We are being very intentional with our time this summer and looking forward to what the Lord is calling our family into next.
Joey and I are shifting our roles a bit to not only be involved with the DTS schools, but we will be over developing and coordinating our Focuses. During each DTS, students come together for the official lecture times to hear a range of topics from speakers all around the world. During other times, students break out in their Focus Groups to develop specific skills and come to a deeper understanding of the strategic roles they can play in missions. Currently, we are running Focus groups in Identity & Calling, Worship, BAM (Business as Mission), Sports, Media and Missions. Each of these groups will then put into practice what they have learned through an outreach to the least-reached people of the world (10/40 window).
We are expecting over 80 students this September for our fall DTS school! Joey and I are so excited to work with each Focus Group to hear God’s heart for the spheres of influence that these young people will be working with, train leaders and develop curriculum. Our campus continues to grow, train, and send people throughout the 10/40 window. We are so grateful to be a part of sharing the gospel with the least reached and often to be on the frontline overseas. We know that none of this would be possible without those that support, encourage and pray for us faithfully throughout the year!
Lots of love,
Joey, Laurel, Isaiah, Kyla and Makenna
Prayer Requests:
- Pray for their fall DTS in Colorado Springs; 54 students and 21 staff!
- Pray for the students to figure out their identify in God, grow deeply in relationship with Him, begin to understand their calling
- Pray for the staff & Gonzales’ family to have deep discernment, understanding and knowledge of how and what God wants to do with these 54 students.
- School focus is “promises of God” and they’re praying that God speaks directly to each student. Pray for specific, prophetic words to be given to encourage and direct the students.
- Prayer for God to speak very clearly, bring in the resources, speak to their kids, and that the family would have clarity for the next season.
- Continued blessings on their home, ministry, health and financial provision
Giving:
To financially partner with The Gonzales’, click here.