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Making Connections That Matter

September 13, 2025 in Ministry, Missions, Support by Dave | Permalink

One of the greatest joys of our ministry is the role we get to play as “connectors.” Being Northern Triad Area Directors, we are uniquely positioned to bring people, ideas, and resources together so that ministry can flourish in Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.

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August marked the culmination of months of preparation as we joined our national partners in Mexico for the National Pentecostal Jubilee in Monterrey. We had the privilege of coordinating the visits of two special guests—World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF) Chairman, Dominic Yeo, and church health leader and author, Alton Garrison. Their ministry was powerful, but just as meaningful was the encouragement their presence brought to pastors and leaders from across the nation. Being on hand to help facilitate their stay allowed us to witness how this connection made the Jubilee such a significant moment for so many.

During this season, we’re also walking closely with our global worker colleagues across the Northern Triad. Missionary life can feel isolating, so it’s a privilege to stand shoulder to shoulder with these friends—listening, offering practical help, and supporting them in both life and ministry.

And then there’s itineration. Every service and conversation is a chance to connect local churches with what God is doing on the field. We love reporting back on the impact of your prayers and giving, and we love inviting new partners to join the story.

At its heart, connecting is about multiplying impact. Whether it’s helping international leaders bless a nation, strengthening fellow global workers, or inviting churches and individuals into more active involvement in missions, none of us are called to do this alone. Thank you for standing with us—together we are making connections that matter.

Photo captions:

  1. Itineration has afforded us opportunities to connect with friends new and old, like Ann Floyd at Brighton Assembly. We first met in 1992!

  2. Connecting with colleagues @ the Jubilee— Dave gathered with (L-R) Carolyn Marton, Mary and Guillermo Landa, Peter, Delia, and Marta Breit.

  3. WAGF Chairman, Dominic Yeo (center), principal speaker at the Pentecostal Jubilee, is pictured here with Superintendent Enrique González.

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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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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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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Frustrating but Productive Experiences

October 8, 2022 in Devotional, Ministry, Missions by Dave | Permalink

Instead of a response, silence. Instead of answers, questions. These are disappointing and often frustrating outcomes, but can they also be a means of growth? In our study of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality (EHS) and in our interactions at the World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF) Missions Congress in Medellin, Colombia, we’ve discovered that, often, they can be.

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As Pentecostals, we’re accustomed to expression, but a word spoken to God is not the only method to meet with God. In fact, there are times when God chooses silence to express his presence (1 Kings 19:11-13). In EHS, in addition to working through the content and engaging in discussion, the men of the Mexico Missionary Fellowship (MMF) are leaning into the silence, making it a daily discipline to turn off the noise and so facilitating growth through an alternative experience with God. 

At the WAGF Missions Congress, we joined with hundreds of delegates from around the world who gathered to mobilize to see the worldwide Assemblies of God movement surpass the 1 million church mark by 2033, the two-thousandth anniversary of the Church. It was an exciting time. However, during the workshop led by missionary, Ed Nye, that Dave translated, we were also confronted by a sobering reality: our normal ways of planting the church are largely ineffective among the 3.2 billion unreached, who are increasingly put off or put at risk by traditional forms of evangelism. 

The temptation is to look for easy answers to our problem, ready-made methods that can generate quick results. Often, though, the answers that we provide are answers to questions that no one is asking. Ed Nye suggested that sometimes the unreached remain so not because we are lacking answers but because we are not asking the right questions.

Silence. Questions. Perhaps they’re not what we want but exactly what we need to see both personal and corporate growth. Thanks for your support, which gives us the opportunity to lead others into these frustrating but often productive experiences.

  1. Dave is facilitating the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality program for the men of the MMF.
  2. We were on hand to participate in the 6th WAGF Missions Congress in Medellin, Colombia.
  3. At the congress, Dave translated for Ed Nye in his workshop about reaching the unreached. 

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Go West Young Man…

September 20, 2022 in Mexico, Ministry, Missions, Progress by Dave | Permalink

…is a saying attributed to Horace Greely who in 1865 encouraged youth to seek opportunity on America’s frontier. It is also a song sung by Michael W Smith who in 1990 encouraged youth to flee evil, often represented in the Bible as lying to or coming from the east. But for us, “Go West” is what we did to experience some of what’s happening in el Distrito Occidente (the Western District).

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This was our first time visiting the district, which is comprised of the states of Jalisco, Colima, and parts of Michoacán. The drive there was certainly a beautiful one, but what put a smile on our faces was seeing the work being carried out by veteran missionaries Rich and Jenni DeMartino and Ernie and Sandra Peacock and their partners.

Restoration on the coast: our first stop was at the coastal community of Melaque. There, Ernie and Dave toured the Bible School Nuevas de Gran Gozo and were on hand for their graduation ceremonies. Ernie and Sandra hope to renovate the Bible school facilities and reinvigorate the program that seeks to catalyze ministry in this needy area.  

Reconciliation in the north: our next visit was with national workers, Alberto and Ruth (second photo), who are working among the Huicholes of northern Jalisco. We had the opportunity to hear how they are using business as mission (BAM) ideas to draw near to a people who, in 2016 expelled all Christians, and how the Peacocks hope to further resource their efforts. 

Rescue in the city center: we finalized our trip in Guadalajara where the DeMartinos’ ministry of compassion has been feeding hundreds since the start of the pandemic. There, we joined a team from Pittsfield, MA, to help distribute food, pray for the sick, and speak words of hope (third photo). Rich and Jenni look to purchase a permanent home for this ministry while they are also planting a church in Chapala.

Thanks for enabling us to “Go West” to encourage and support these efforts!

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 Ernie Peacock praying for the graduates of “Nuevas de Gran Gozo” in Melaque, Jalisco
  2. Alberto and Ruth, workers among the Huicholes, in front of their ministry center, built with an innovative technique they’re teaching to locals as a BAM initiative
  3. Dave and Pastor Dave, from the Pittsfield team, speaking in downtown Guadalajara

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Increased Engagement for Service and Support

March 12, 2022 in Ministry, Progress by Dave | Permalink

With the relaxing of pandemic protocols, we’ve been able to increase our travel and engagement with both the national church and the missionaries that we serve. Following our prayer retreat with the Latin America Caribbean (LAC) Leadership Team, we hit the road in our Speed the Light vehicle to Leon, Guanajuato, the setting of last year’s General Council, to attend the National Women’s Conference. There, Kelly joined the group of 6,000 ladies from across Mexico that was inspired and equipped during the three-day event (first photo). We were also able to appreciate the creativity of fellow missionary, Angela Hogan, who designed and coordinated the creation of the traditional cross-stitch scenery pieces for the event.

Closer to home, in Mexico City, we’ve found how our proximity to the national offices has given us the opportunity to cultivate key relationships. During the Executive Presbytery meetings in early February, Dave was able to meet with the newly elected national missions director, Abiud Montoya, and secretary, Honorio Andrade (last photo), to discuss ways in which we can help them to develop their department and increase their impact both nationally, among unreached people groups, and internationally.

Among the missionary body, we’ve begun a focus on soul care, and Kelly has been leading several of the ladies of the Mexico Missionary Fellowship (MMF) through the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Course (EHS). EHS is designed to promote holistic transformation in areas that are sometimes neglected in traditional discipleship programs, and the women of the MMF are enjoying the meaningful ministry in their own lives and the access to the tools they’ll be able to share with others. Dave also joined the LAC training team to teach the Bible in Ministry competency during candidate orientation in Springfield, MO, March 5th-11th (middle photo).

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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They Came Together

June 9, 2018 in Media by Dave | Permalink

What do a Rolla missions team, the church of Senda de Vida, the Godzwa family, fellow missionary Nicky Rider, and our supporters have in common? They came together to minister both physically and spiritually to advance the Kingdom of God in the city of Tekax Hit the link here or click on the picture to find out. While you’re there, don’t miss

  • One student’s perspective of our church planting class at the Bible Institute,
  • And a bit about what’s going on with our family,
  • And an opportunity to be a part of our 2019-2020 itineration schedule.

Our online newsletter is viewable as a PDF document. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed, you may download it here.


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Our Summer Newsletter is Now Available!

June 10, 2017 in Media by Dave | Permalink

Summer must be here, because things are certainly heating up for us in Mérida, and I’m not simply talking about the weather! Click on the image or here for all the details about:

  • An unprecedented opportunity to accelerate church planting!
  • A chance to extend our impact among our partners later this month.
  • A major milestone in the life of our oldest!

    • Remember, our newsletter is in PDF format, viewable in Adobe Reader. If you don’t have Adobe Reader installed, you can download it free here:
    https://get.adobe.com/reader/otherversions/

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Summer is Here!

June 12, 2015 in Media by Dave | Permalink

School’s out! The temperatures are finally beginning to rise, and grills are firing up all around the country. Summer must be upon us, and with the change of the season comes news from the Godzwa family!

Before you head out to catch some rays, why not take a moment to read about:

  • The tools we’re acquiring to ensure success in our upcoming term?
  • Our itineration progress and how you can help speed us to back to Mexico?
  • The latest from our family?

Remember, our newsletter in PDF format viewable in Adobe Reader. If you don’t have Adobe Reader installed, you can download it free here:

https://get.adobe.com/reader/otherversions/

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Our Summer Newsletter is Online!

June 20, 2014 in Media by Dave | Permalink

Isn’t it wonderful when the people around you inspire you on to greater things? Hit the link here or click on the picture to read about one such encounter and where it’s leading us. While you’re there, don’t miss the rest of our latest quarterly update from the field!

Our online newsletter is viewable as a PDF document. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed, you may download it here.


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