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Our Thanksgiving to You: Celebrating a Year of Partnership

November 19, 2025 in Missions, Progress, Support, Thanks by Dave | No comments

In this season of Thanksgiving, our hearts are overflowing with gratitude for your incredible partnership over the past year. We look back and see clear evidence of how your prayers, generosity, and commitment have truly been a blessing, strengthening the advance of the gospel across the Northern Triad (Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic) and around the world.

Your faithful support has made the following work possible:

Responding to Urgent Needs with Compassion

Your giving has allowed us to move quickly in the face of crisis, enabling a compassionate, Christ-centered response to urgent needs. Following the devastating floods in northern Veracruz, Mexico, and the impact of Hurricane Melissa in Cuba and the Dominican Republic, your contributions through the AGWM Disaster Relief Fund provided essential assistance. This meant volunteers could assemble relief packets, bringing both practical help and eternal hope to those who are suffering.

Equipping Global Workers and National Leaders

Every step we take in our role as Northern Triad Area Directors is possible because of your prayers, generosity, and heart for missions. Your support empowers us to lead effectively, serve faithfully, and invest in the potential of our team. This year, your partnership allowed us to:

  • Invest in Training: We were able to launch an online competency cohort for veteran missionaries and collaborate on a complete redesign of the global worker training process. 
  • Mobilize New Workers: We have been able to champion the need for more global workers for the “unfinished task”. We are working toward a bold goal to double the number of global workers in the Northern Triad over the next eight years, and we are already seeing new candidates for Mexico commissioned to the field.

Making Connections That Matter

One of the greatest joys of our ministry is the role we get to play as “connectors,” and your backing is what makes this possible. We are uniquely positioned to bring people, ideas, and resources together so that ministry can flourish in Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.

  • Strengthening the Church: Your support helped us facilitate the visits of special guests for significant events, such as the National Pentecostal Jubilee in Monterrey, Mexico, which brought powerful encouragement to pastors and leaders across the nation. 
  • Multiplying Impact: At its heart, this connecting is about multiplying impact—strengthening fellow global workers, and inviting churches and individuals into more active involvement in missions. 

From strengthening workers and serving national leaders to coordinating compassionate response and steering strategic direction, every aspect of our ministry is a testament  to your faithfulness. Thank you for standing with us, we are honored to serve the Lord alongside you.

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Answering the Call to Grow

July 11, 2025 in Prayer, Progress by Dave | Permalink

Over two decades ago, God stirred our hearts with a deep desire to share the transforming love of Christ. That journey took us to Mexico in 2006 with our three children, where we partnered with the national church to reach the spiritually hungry. Today, we serve as area directors for the Northern Triad Area (NTA)—the Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM) fellowships in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico.

Across these three nations, the need is both great and urgent.


We presented the goals for NTA growth during the AGWM Global Leadership Summit on June 14th in Springfield, MO.

In Cuba, extreme poverty and a crumbling infrastructure are pushing families into survival mode. In the Dominican Republic, Haiti’s collapse has led to waves of displaced people—opening new doors for compassion and church planting. And in Mexico, 35 unreached people groups remain—five of them completely unengaged, with no known churches, workers, or Scripture in their language.

At the same time, the opportunity is immense. 42% of the Triad’s population is under the age of 25. And in over 50 urban centers with populations exceeding 500,000, the gospel has yet to make a significant impact.

In light of these realities, and in response to AGWM Executive Director John Easter’s challenge to see our global workforce grow from 2,569 to 4,000 by the year 2033, we’re believing God for a bold increase. Our prayer? To double the number of global workers in the Northern Triad—recruiting 71 new workers over the next eight years.

We’re inspired—not just by the need, but by what God is already doing. The national churches in the NTA are casting bold visions for church planting and beginning to mobilize missionaries of their own. A missionary force is rising—from within the harvest itself.

But we cannot do it alone.

Would you pray with us—and help send laborers to the field? Let’s answer the call together and take part in the next chapter of God’s story across the Northern Triad.

The harvest is ready. The call is clear. And the time is now.

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Stepping into Our Most Pivotal Role—With Your Help!

June 7, 2025 in Ministry, Missions, Progress, Support by Dave | Permalink

This month marks one year since we returned to the U.S. for itineration—and what a year it’s been! With 96 meetings and 15,655 miles added to our faithful Chevy Malibu, we’ve been actively engaging churches and individuals to respond to the Great Commission through praying, giving, and going. But this advocacy hasn’t happened in a vacuum.

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In October, a significant shift took place as our leadership role expanded from overseeing AGWM efforts in Mexico alone to directing the Northern Triad Area (NTA): Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. In response, we’ve spent recent months building relationships with national church leaders, visiting missionary teams on the ground, and working to bring clarity and unity to this larger and more diverse area.

We’ve also continued serving on the Global Resource Training Team, collaborating on a complete redesign of AGWM’s global worker (GW) training. This year’s overhaul reduced redundancies, introduced fresh resources, and laid a stronger foundation for lifelong development. This month, 91 new GWs will begin their formation journey through a two-week intensive, while 101 veterans return to participate in a brand-new debrief and resourcing experience. This investment is crucial for long-term fruitfulness and sustainability.

But even as we step into what may be the most pivotal role of our missionary career, we still face a significant financial gap:
78% of our operational fund—about $55,000
The remainder of our monthly support—$2,139/month

We’re asking: Would you help us meet this moment?

Your partnership—through giving, prayer, or connecting us with others—empowers us to lead effectively, serve faithfully, and strengthen the advance of the gospel across the Northern Triad and around the world.

We value your continued collaboration. Thank you!

Photo Captions:

  1. Off to advocate in Scott City, MO! We’ve had dozens of similar moments in our Malibu since June 2024.

  2. On the ground in the Dominican Republic (DR)— We joined Jamie and Berly Bello, leaders of the DR GW team, during their national convention.

  3. We support a team of 69 missionaries in the NTA while we train the next generation of GWs like these going into all the world!

Note: This post is just a portion of what we share in our quarterly newsletter. If you’d like more information from the Godzwas or would like to print this update, take a look at the full PDF version of our quarterly newsletter or, better still, sign up to receive our newsletters direct to your inbox!

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Running Strong Into the New Year

January 11, 2025 in Ministry, Progress by Dave | Permalink

We look back on 2024 with gratitude, but we’re asking the Lord for more in 2025, running with perseverance the race He has marked out for us. That race began early on December 28th with an actual marathon. Dave ran the Run for the Ranch Marathon in Springfield, MO, completing the 26.2-mile effort in 3:18:53 and qualifying for the Boston Marathon—a BQ!

Riding that high, we kicked off a two-week tour to enlist new workers at the Chi Alpha Southeast (XA SE) Salt, encourage colleagues during the National Convention of the Assemblies of God of the Dominican Republic (DR), and inspire the church as we continue our advocacy work for the Northern Triad.

The XA SE Salt (January 2-5) in Asheville, NC, was an opportunity to connect with missions-minded university students. We shared meals with 8 groups interested in and eager to know how to get involved with what God is doing in Mexico, Cuba, and the DR. We’re especially thankful for the 56 students who entered the missions pipeline after their time with our Latin America Caribbean (LAC) team, taking the next step toward cross-cultural service.

The National Convention of the Assemblies of God of the DR (January 8-10) was our first visit to the country as Northern Triad Area Directors. We were impressed by the capable global worker (GW) team that is establishing the church in innovative ways. We spent meaningful time with the GW families, familiarizing ourselves with their ministry and assuring them of our support. We also met the national church leadership and heard their heart for church planting and ministry among the displaced Haitian community.

Our continuing tour is bookended by missions services in St. Louis, MO and Wilbraham, MA. On December 29th, we expressed our gratitude for Comunidad Cristiana Maranata’s faithful support and invited them to increase their involvement in the discipleship of the nations. January 12th is our first chance to speak at Evangel A/G, and we’re excited about the variety of groups we’ll interact with—children, youth, and adults!

We’re running strong in 2025. Thanks for sustaining us with your prayers and support!

Photo Captions:

  1. Before the Convention, we went to La Vega, DR, visiting team members and ministry sites. Here, GWs Mitch Martinez and Joseph Kim pray for a Haitian pastor.
  2. The LAC Team at the XA SE SALT Conference at our booth in the Missions Lounge
  3. All smiles before Dave’s BQ! Kelly, Jonathan, and our friend, Bethany, cheered him on.

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Increasing Our Capacity

November 9, 2024 in Ministry, Missions, Prayer, Progress by Dave | Permalink

In our advocacy work, we’ve been sharing about the state of the mission. While we thank God for our movement’s tremendous growth, we’re humbled by the unfinished task and the more than 3 billion who have little to no access to the gospel. We realize that we cannot be content with the status quo. To rise to the challenge, we must increase our capacity.

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We’re glad to say this past month has given us reason to believe we’re progressing on multiple fronts. Welcoming new Global Workers (GWs), we’re increasing in number. Strategizing with fellow leaders, we’re retooling for greater effectiveness, and emphasizing prayer, we’re increasing our sensitivity.

Many hands make light work, so it was with pleasure that we joined the team that welcomed 27 new associate and several candidate GWs participating in Pre-Field Orientation (PFO) week in Springfield, MO (Oct. 13-18). We introduced the Bible In Ministry Competency to the group and confirmed a new worker for the Northern Triad who’s headed to central Mexico.

An old boss used to say, “Work smarter, not harder.” However, working smarter requires an arduous process called evaluation. So as Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM) strives to increase our effectiveness, we’re learning to embrace it. Following PFO, we met with the Global Resource Training Team (GRTT) to advance the restructuring of initial GW training to increase relevance and reduce redundancy, while at the Global Leadership Summit (Oct. 22-27) we learned how AGWM as a whole is reinventing itself as a dynamically developing organization, providing GWs opportunities for growth at all levels.

Of course, without the Lord’s direction, even our best efforts would be in vain. Therefore, we’re taking more time for prayer, personally and corporately, to listen to Him and discern His will.

Yes, the need is great, but we’re increasing our capacity to meet it. Thanks for supporting us in our efforts!

Photo captions:

  1. During PFO Week in Springfield, MO, we welcomed new candidate GW, Liz Dyvig, to the Northern Triad. She’s preparing for ministry in central Mexico.
  2. Following our time at PFO, we gathered with the GRTT to evaluate and improve GW training.
  3. Prayer is a key part of all our events, including the Global Leadership Summit.

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Make New Friends…

October 12, 2024 in Ministry, Prayer, Progress by Dave | Permalink

…but keep the old,
One is silver and the other gold.

Do you remember that old song? It’s a chorus that describes our past month well as we begin the process of integrating the Northern Triad, the new area we lead, a union of Assemblies of God World Missionaries who labor in Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, and continue our advocacy work here in the US.

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We took our first step in the integration process when we met with both the Dominican Republic and Cuba teams for the first time. These virtual sessions were a moment of transition for each team as they said farewell to their former area directors and welcomed us into our new leadership role. It was eye-opening to hear of the ongoing work in each country, from church planting, construction, and Bible distribution under extreme circumstances in Cuba to young adult ministries and ministries of compassion to refugees in the Dominican Republic. We left these meetings encouraged by their efforts and optimistic about what these new friendships can achieve.

At the same time we experienced multiple moments of affirmation on the itineration trail as old friends like veteran missionaries Rich and Jenni DeMartino advocated for us to speak at their home church in Ephrata, PA; our former youth pastor, Jim Grove, hosted us for a Wednesday night service in Erie, PA; and Kevin and Taurina Smith graciously named us as featured speakers during Northland Cathedral’s Missions Experience in Kansas City, MO. We are humbled by the open doors these friends and so many others have given us to share about the work in the Northern Triad and to influence their congregations.

Old friends and new, as we work together, we believe the best is yet to come. Thank you, faithful ones, for standing with us with your prayers and support and for welcoming these new members to the team!

Photo Captions:

  1. Dave shares about our expanded leadership role as Northern Triad Area Directors during the opening service of Northland Cathedral’s Missions Experience.

  2. Kelly shares her story with the ladies of Northland Cathedral.

  3. Our time with the DeMartinos in Ephrata, PA also included a ride in their convertible!

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Introducing the Northern Triad Area

September 14, 2024 in Mexico, Ministry, Missions, Progress by Dave | Permalink

After the release of our June newsletter, titled “Unfinished Business in Mexico City,” several people asked if our role in missions was changing. At the time, we reassured them that we were only leaving the field to start itineration. Little did we know how accurate their suspicions were—our role is indeed changing, dramatically.

Dave joined LAC Regional Director, David Ellis (right), to discuss the Northern Triad Area with Mexican Superintendent, Enrique Gonzalez, during a special trip to Mexico last month.

On Friday, June 19th, our Regional Director, David Ellis, pulled us into the storage closet of the Latin America Caribbean (LAC) Satellite Office (for lack of a better meeting room) to ask us if we would be willing to serve as directors of a newly formed area that would join Mexico with Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Of course, the question caught us completely off guard. At the time, we were preparing to teach the Bible to the nearly 200 global workers (GWs) who had gathered in Springfield, MO for Pre-Field Training. We certainly hadn’t contemplated a regional restructure of this nature!

However, as the reasons for the change were explained, our reaction shifted from speechlessness to agreement. Throughout his tenure, David Ellis aimed to restructure the LAC to eliminate one-country areas like Mexico in the interest of fostering cross-country collaboration and fellowship among GWs. However, the right configuration eluded him until this summer when Caribbean Area Directors, David and Kristen Speer, proposed merging Cuba and the Dominican Republic with Mexico. This would enable them to focus on opportunities in the 29 non-Spanish-speaking nations of their area without neglecting the important work in those Spanish-speaking islands. With our yes, the Northern Triad Area was conceived.

We say conceived because we’re still in the birthing process. While we’ve spent 18 years in Mexico, we’re still students of the people and their culture. Now, extending our leadership to these additional countries, virtually unknown to us, we feel a tremendous responsibility to learn and grow for the sake of the GWs we’ll be leading and the national churches with whom we’ll be collaborating. There are still many meetings to attend, teams to integrate, and relationships to form. The new structure will be formalized on October 1st, but the work will have only just begun.

Although we feel the burden of this new role, we’re not overwhelmed because we sense God’s direction and the backing of colleagues and friends like you. We’re confident that as our responsibility increases your prayers and support will rise to meet our needs in this critical season.

Note: this post is just a portion of what we share in our quarterly newsletter. If you’d like more information from the Godzwas or would like to print this update, take a look at the full PDF version of our quarterly newsletter or, better still, sign up to receive our newsletters direct to your inbox!

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Working in the Hard Places

March 8, 2024 in Ministry, Missions, Progress by Dave | Permalink

Growing up in the nineties, we remember the famous CT Studd quote as presented by singer Steve Camp:

“Some people want to live within the sound of chapel bells, but I want to run a mission a yard from the gates of hell.”

As Mexico Area Directors, we’re honored to serve those who work in the hard places. Take places like Guadalajara, where Centro de Adoración a Jesus, the first Assemblies of God church in the city center was dedicated last month. Julio Cesar Andrade, the District Superintendent and event speaker, called it a difficult place. That was evident as both panhandling and prostitution could be observed from the building’s front windows. However, Rich DeMartino, the missionary church planter who founded the work, called it a lighthouse, a beacon to those facing disaster without its presence. We’re glad to have had a hand in establishing this new center of hope in Guadalajara, and we rejoice for its ministry.

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Mexico City is another, where colleagues, Paul and Sandy Kazim, have partnered with Projecto Vida Integral, a church ministering to the students of the local Teen Challenge Center and their families. They’re intervening in the lives of desperate people seeking liberation from life-controlling addictions. The Kazims hosted a meal to recognize the installation of its new pastor, Mariano Ramirez, for whom we had the honor to pray.

Whether in bustling urban centers or remote jungle villages, LAC global workers are planting new works and seeing lives changed in the hard places as last month’s Church Planters’ Dialogue in Managua, Nicaragua highlighted. Still, there are many more hard places yet to reach like Distrito Laguna, where the Mexican National Church asks for workers to catalyze outreach efforts, or the major cities of Mexico, languishing for the lack of church planting movements. We’re thankful for your support of us and others working in the hard places. Please keep praying, giving, and going with us until they are reached.

Note: this post is just a portion of what we share in our quarterly newsletter. If you’d like more information from the Godzwas or would like to print this update, take a look at the full PDF version of our quarterly newsletter or, better still, sign up to receive our newsletters direct to your inbox!

Photo captions:

  1. Dave and pastor Alfredo Trejo of Centro de Adoración a Jesus with fellow global workers, Joel Viera, Rich DeMartino, and Chris Abiuso
  2. Praying with the Kazims for Mariano Ramirez, pastor of Proyecto Vida Integral
  3. LAC Missionaries present for the Church Planters’ Dialogue in Managua, Nicaragua

Celebrating the Establishment of the Church

September 9, 2023 in Ministry, Missions, Progress by Dave | Permalink

The mission of Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM) is to establish the Church among all peoples everywhere, by reaching, planting, training, and serving. We are privileged as Area Directors to provide leadership to our 44 missionary colleagues who labor in partnership with the national church throughout the country to evangelize the lost, disciple new believers, and catalyze vibrant, gospel ministry. All of this activity, though, must be in service of our mission–the establishment of the Church.

Therefore, nothing gives us cause for celebration like being able to share that, Centro de Adoración a Jesús, a church planted by missionaries Rich and Jenni DeMartino as the first Assemblies of God church in downtown Guadalajara finally has a permanent home!

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This congregation, originally planted in an upper-class neighborhood, responded to the needs of the homeless in the park, Jardín Villa de Cigales, during the COVID pandemic. There, they labored in the open air, reaching dozens each week with a free meal and the message of hope in Jesus. We had the opportunity to witness this mission of mercy, joining Rich and Jenni and pastors, Alfredo Trejo and Shulamita Esparza, in August of 2022, helping to distribute food and translate a gospel message alongside a team from Pittsfield, MA.

While happy to see lives being touched, Rich and Jenni longed to establish a permanent presence in the neighborhood, a place where the disadvantaged could have their needs met holistically, growing in relationship with a discipling community. But, even during our second visit this April, the price and availability of a suitable building threatened to dash their hopes.

However, God blessed their determination as they scoured the area in search of property and inspired the Latin America Caribbean Region, the Mexico Missionary Fellowship, and individual donors to provide the necessary resources to make Rich and Jenni’s dream a reality. This August 4th, Rich and Jenni, Alfredo and Shulamita, and the Superintendent of Distrito Occidente, Elizabeth Lopez, signed the purchase papers and received the keys to the new permanent home of Centro de Adoración a Jesús. We praise God for His provision and anticipate stories of changed lives as this new facility is put to use.

However, even as we celebrate this milestone, the words of Loren Triplett, former Executive Director of AGWM, ring in our ears, “We dare not measure our successes against anything but the unfinished task.” Although Centro de Adoración a Jesús has a home, there are still whole cities in Mexico that lack a similar witness. As the DeMartinos move into active retirement, the question increasingly becomes who will be that witness?

Note: this post is just a portion of what we share in our quarterly newsletter. If you’d like more information from the Godzwas or would like to print this update, take a look at the full PDF version of our quarterly newsletter or, better still, sign up to receive our newsletters direct to your inbox!

Photo Captions:

  1. Church planters, Jenni and Rich Demartino
  2. Pastor David McIntosh from The Christian Assembly in Pittsfield, MA preaches while Dave translates during an outreach in the park, Jardín Villa de Cigales, in downtown Guadalajara in August of 2022.
  3. Alfredo and Shulamita, pastors of Centro de Adoración a Jesús, receive the keys to their new permanent facility in downtown Guadalajara.  

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A Journey of Discovery

May 12, 2023 in Mexico, Ministry, Progress by Dave | Permalink

“One of these days you’ll need to travel so that you can get to know Mexico.” We had been in Mexico for the better part of a decade, still, those were the words our former area director spoke to us. While we were a bit taken aback then, now, nearly four years into the role, we’re beginning to understand what he meant.

Of our nearly two decades as missionaries, we spent 13 years on the Yucatan Peninsula. Since our arrival in Mexico City in 2021, we’ve had the chance to travel broadly, navigating to many of our destinations in our Speed the Light vehicle. It’s been a season of firsts for us as we’ve seen new sights, tasted new foods, and met new friends.

This past month was a microcosm of this journey of discovery. On a return trip to Guadalajara, we walked the downtown streets with Rich and Jenni DeMartino, looking for property for the first A/G church in that part of the city. We also had our first experience of Chris and Julie Abiuso’s ministry in el Colli, participating in their Children’s Day celebration in that marginalized community (photo 1).

The month wrapped up in Distrito Oriente, where we had been invited to minister in the first-ever Regional Indigenous Festival held in Hidalgo (photo 2). Hosted by Alejandro Sandoval and his wife, Alma (photo 3), we sampled the pastes of Real del Monte and experienced the natural beauty of Tenango de las Flores even while speaking on four separate occasions. Still, the most gratifying discovery of the trip was the vision to reach the indigenous communities that they share with District Secretary, Noé Solis, his son, Abner, and his wife, Nora (photo 4), working among the Nahuatl. It’s a vision we want to help them realize.

So thanks for supporting our discovery of Mexico. As our knowledge grows, so does our love of its people and our desire for their redemption.

Photo Captions:

  1. Kelly holds the mic while Julie Abiuso works the puppet during children’s services in el Colli.
  2. Dave preaches at the 1st Regional Indigenous Festival in Tenango de las Flores.
  3. Alejandro Sandoval, coordinator of indigenous ministries (Distrito Oriente), and his wife, Alma.
  4. (Left) Abner Solis with his wife, Nora, workers among the Nahuatl in Northern Puebla. Noé Solis and his wife, Ruth (Right) are Abner’s parents and sponsoring pastors.

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