In order of appearance:
Ava, Josh, Rachel, Caleb, Olivia, & Eliana
Dear Friends and Family,
When Rachel and I met nearly 17 years ago, we were both serving in ministries that taught evangelism through relationships and serving. Rachel had just come back from Israel where she had been serving Palestinian children and their families through a private American Christian School called the Jerusalem School. I was working with Youth For Christ serving the students of Rancho Bernardo High School and their families. In both our work, we had seen the value of continued long-term relationship with people as the entryway to sharing the Gospel of Christ, not only by words but by the way we live and love others.
Today, Rachel and I have been married for 13 years. Over the last 8 years Rachel and I have had our four children, Ava (8), Olivia (7), Eliana (5), and Caleb (3). God has used our children to help refine us by bringing to the surface many of our impurities but, thankfully, also revealing more of His image and handiwork reflected in our lives. Through the experience of failure and weakness we have been learning that it is God who directs our lives and that when we try to take control we only seem to slow His work down. He has brought us to a point where we are no longer holding on to our comforts and are ready to take a big step of faith…
Sooo…several months ago, Rachel and I decided to call the Jerusalem School where Rachel had served when she was 21. We discovered that there is a great need for teachers at the school in Bethlehem and the superintendent asked if we would consider coming on staff as volunteer teachers. After months of praying and considering this opportunity we have made the decision to move forward in preparation to work at this unique and wonderful school. The Jerusalem school has asked us to come and support them this January for the second semester of the school year, so we are on a short timeline as we prepare for this move.
The Lord showed us the value of The Jerusalem School in strengthening believers for the Lord’s work last year when we were at our church (Maranatha Chapel) one Sunday. To our surprise, one of the high-school students from Jerusalem School, who is now a pastor and author, was speaking before our congregation and telling of the needs of The Church in Bethlehem. Rachel immediately recognized her former student and was amazed to see him on the other side of the world in our church! It was at this point that Rachel and I began to consider someday moving to Israel to work with the Jerusalem School. Since then, God has given us many signs and confirmations that this is where he wants us to be.
Even though, the overall population of Bethlehem is about 2% Christian and 98% Muslim, as teachers at JSB we would be serving and teaching a community of students that is about 80% Christian and 20% Muslim. The time we have in the classroom allows us to build strong and influential relationships with the students and usually extended relationships are built with their families. The parents often enjoy showing hospitality by inviting the teachers to dinners and other events at their homes. Christians in Bethlehem have many challenges to openly sharing their faith. Our hope in going to Bethlehem is to build up and encourage the next generation of Christians in Bethlehem and to share and display the love, hope, and truth of Jesus to their Muslim neighbors.
As we prepare for our journey we have many needs and we desire your prayers. Specific areas include raising a team of ministry partners with a heart and vision for the Palestinian and Israeli people and who would desire to see them have a relationship with Jesus Christ. We are specifically asking God to raise a leader or group of leaders to head our impact team. An Impact Team is a group of our friends who keep in close contact with us, coming together to pray on a regular basis and help with some of the practical support needs we will have while outside the U.S. and when coming back to visit. Also, we are not independently wealthy, (yet we have been blessed with all things in Christ) and therefore we need help raising monthly financial support. In order to go we need to raise $4000 per month. This amount will help us to be able to provide for our family while we are living there, and to be generous with students, their families, and others we meet. In addition, we are asking God to raise $5000 in special need gifts to cover the cost of plane tickets and moving needs in our transition to Bethlehem. Please pray with us that God would supernaturally provide for the vision He has given us. We hope that God would place this same vision in your heart.
Would you consider giving $100 a month or some other amount to keep a steady flow of resources for our family while we do the work the Lord has for us? Even if you can not help us on a monthly basis, perhaps you would give a one time gift which would still be extremely helpful in helping with our initial travel expenses.
Should the Lord put it on your heart to financially support our family, The Jerusalem School uses Men and Women of Action (a 501c3 tax deductible organization) as a ministry partner to handle the administrative needs of raising funds so that supporters can give online and keep track of their giving for tax deductible purposes. Just go to www.givejsb.org and click on the donate button, specify the amount and whether it is a monthly or one time gift, and make sure you designate the gift with “The Escalante Family” in the comment section.
We are excited about this Journey to see how God will provide, trusting Him not only for ministry partners but also all the details of moving our young family so far away. As it says in Romans 10: “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” We don’t know how GOD is going to provide all of the support, but we do know the Lord is calling us, that He is faithful and He promises to provide. We need to raise 80% of our funds to go to Bethlehem by December 1st, a month before we leave. We pray that you would join the Lord in the work He would have us do in Palestine by your prayers, encouragement, and by your financial support. Bethlehem has given the world so much and now we want to give back to Bethlehem. Thank you so much for your prayers and we look forward to meeting with you and keeping you informed of how God will provide in the coming months.
When Rachel and I met nearly 17 years ago, we were both serving in ministries that taught evangelism through relationships and serving. Rachel had just come back from Israel where she had been serving Palestinian children and their families through a private American Christian School called the Jerusalem School. I was working with Youth For Christ serving the students of Rancho Bernardo High School and their families. In both our work, we had seen the value of continued long-term relationship with people as the entryway to sharing the Gospel of Christ, not only by words but by the way we live and love others.
Today, Rachel and I have been married for 13 years. Over the last 8 years Rachel and I have had our four children, Ava (8), Olivia (7), Eliana (5), and Caleb (3). God has used our children to help refine us by bringing to the surface many of our impurities but, thankfully, also revealing more of His image and handiwork reflected in our lives. Through the experience of failure and weakness we have been learning that it is God who directs our lives and that when we try to take control we only seem to slow His work down. He has brought us to a point where we are no longer holding on to our comforts and are ready to take a big step of faith…
Sooo…several months ago, Rachel and I decided to call the Jerusalem School where Rachel had served when she was 21. We discovered that there is a great need for teachers at the school in Bethlehem and the superintendent asked if we would consider coming on staff as volunteer teachers. After months of praying and considering this opportunity we have made the decision to move forward in preparation to work at this unique and wonderful school. The Jerusalem school has asked us to come and support them this January for the second semester of the school year, so we are on a short timeline as we prepare for this move.
The Lord showed us the value of The Jerusalem School in strengthening believers for the Lord’s work last year when we were at our church (Maranatha Chapel) one Sunday. To our surprise, one of the high-school students from Jerusalem School, who is now a pastor and author, was speaking before our congregation and telling of the needs of The Church in Bethlehem. Rachel immediately recognized her former student and was amazed to see him on the other side of the world in our church! It was at this point that Rachel and I began to consider someday moving to Israel to work with the Jerusalem School. Since then, God has given us many signs and confirmations that this is where he wants us to be.
Even though, the overall population of Bethlehem is about 2% Christian and 98% Muslim, as teachers at JSB we would be serving and teaching a community of students that is about 80% Christian and 20% Muslim. The time we have in the classroom allows us to build strong and influential relationships with the students and usually extended relationships are built with their families. The parents often enjoy showing hospitality by inviting the teachers to dinners and other events at their homes. Christians in Bethlehem have many challenges to openly sharing their faith. Our hope in going to Bethlehem is to build up and encourage the next generation of Christians in Bethlehem and to share and display the love, hope, and truth of Jesus to their Muslim neighbors.
As we prepare for our journey we have many needs and we desire your prayers. Specific areas include raising a team of ministry partners with a heart and vision for the Palestinian and Israeli people and who would desire to see them have a relationship with Jesus Christ. We are specifically asking God to raise a leader or group of leaders to head our impact team. An Impact Team is a group of our friends who keep in close contact with us, coming together to pray on a regular basis and help with some of the practical support needs we will have while outside the U.S. and when coming back to visit. Also, we are not independently wealthy, (yet we have been blessed with all things in Christ) and therefore we need help raising monthly financial support. In order to go we need to raise $4000 per month. This amount will help us to be able to provide for our family while we are living there, and to be generous with students, their families, and others we meet. In addition, we are asking God to raise $5000 in special need gifts to cover the cost of plane tickets and moving needs in our transition to Bethlehem. Please pray with us that God would supernaturally provide for the vision He has given us. We hope that God would place this same vision in your heart.
Would you consider giving $100 a month or some other amount to keep a steady flow of resources for our family while we do the work the Lord has for us? Even if you can not help us on a monthly basis, perhaps you would give a one time gift which would still be extremely helpful in helping with our initial travel expenses.
Should the Lord put it on your heart to financially support our family, The Jerusalem School uses Men and Women of Action (a 501c3 tax deductible organization) as a ministry partner to handle the administrative needs of raising funds so that supporters can give online and keep track of their giving for tax deductible purposes. Just go to www.givejsb.org and click on the donate button, specify the amount and whether it is a monthly or one time gift, and make sure you designate the gift with “The Escalante Family” in the comment section.
We are excited about this Journey to see how God will provide, trusting Him not only for ministry partners but also all the details of moving our young family so far away. As it says in Romans 10: “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” We don’t know how GOD is going to provide all of the support, but we do know the Lord is calling us, that He is faithful and He promises to provide. We need to raise 80% of our funds to go to Bethlehem by December 1st, a month before we leave. We pray that you would join the Lord in the work He would have us do in Palestine by your prayers, encouragement, and by your financial support. Bethlehem has given the world so much and now we want to give back to Bethlehem. Thank you so much for your prayers and we look forward to meeting with you and keeping you informed of how God will provide in the coming months.
