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It’s easy to agree with this lofty goal, but making it happen in the midst of our busy schedules can seem impossible! Thankfully, there’s a ministry giving us opportunities to serve the international community in simple, yet impactful ways. 

International Students, Inc. operates on college campuses throughout the United States and even internationally. According to their mission statement, ISI “exists to share Christ’s love with international students and to equip them for effective service in cooperation with the local church and others.” 

International Students, Inc. is thriving close to home at the University of New Mexico. Would you believe, UNM recommends that every international student connect with this Christ-centered ministry prior to their arrival? The value of the support ISI offers is undeniable!

Imagine you’re traveling alone to another country. You don’t know the language particularly well, and the culture is unfamiliar. Despite these challenges, you’ll need to assimilate quickly before your university classes begin. What a daunting endeavor! 

At the airport you are greeted, then welcomed into a home while you look for your own place. You are even offered donated furniture so you have fewer expenses to worry about as you get settled. 

Your new friends invite you to share meals, celebrate holidays and to experience local customs. Respectfully, you ask questions of each other and exchange ideas. 

These tangible expressions of Christ’s love, poured out over the course of your time studying abroad, would make quite a lasting impact! Especially as you return to your home country, a highly-educated leader in your field. 

Even for those of us who are not international students, ISI is invaluable because it breaks down into achievable steps that daunting goal of sharing Christ’s love with the nations:

Available during your lunch break to pick up a newcomer from the airport? ISI will put you to work! 

Willing to converse with someone practicing their English? ISI will invite you to the “English Corner” hosted at the Baptist Student Union. 

Got an extra seat at the table for holiday dinner? ISI will extend your invitation to students hoping to make relational connections. 

The first step to getting directly involved with International Students, Inc. is to check out isiabq.org. Contact director Joan Lasche and she’ll talk you through the steps to getting on their email list. Or, if that’s more than you’re able to tackle at the moment, be on the lookout for ways you can come alongside MCC’s Mission Team as we support ISI: 

Email mcc4missions@gmail.com if you’d like to donate furniture or household items to the cause. We’ll even pick up!

Drop off your food contribution at the church next time you hear the mission team is providing an ISI Welcome Meal. We’ll take care of the rest!  

You may choose to get involved with International Students, Inc. now, later, or not at all. Either way, I hope you’re excited to know that the Lord is working through this ministry. Thank you for lifting ISI in prayer! 

We are continuing our series on getting to know your church leaders a little bit better. Read along to learn more about Josh Mallett, who serves as our Tech Ministry Coordinator. 

Where were you born, and do you still consider that home, or somewhere else? 

I was born and raised in Tijeras, NM. We live in Edgewood now, but I do miss the mountains.

What did you want to be when you grew up – and is that still a dream?

I wanted to join the military for as long as I can remember. God closed that door long ago.

What or who was your earliest spiritual influence?

My parents started, and then Scott Butler was one of my closest friends and spiritual mentor for years before he passed away. My grandparents have always been a huge part of this walk. And most important was my brother, Kris. 

How and when did Christ call you to Himself?

When I was the ripe old age of 8, the Lord impressed on my heart that I needed Him as my savior. I don’t remember all the details but I do remember very clearly that he called me.  

What is a scripture you often read or share with others?

Psalm 34, Galatians 5:22-26, and Genesis 1-3 are the most common go-tos for me.

What is a special answered prayer you’ve received from the Lord?

That Jesus would be my closest friend. 

What is a blessing and what is a challenge in serving as tech ministry coordinator?

The blessing is just having fun with it, among other things. Serving in any capacity is always amazing when seen as a gift. But when you have fun doing it, it’s so much better. The challenge is making time to do the job well.

What are your hobbies and how did you get into them?

I love animals, especially reptiles and amphibians. And the most favorite is spending time with my wife and kiddos. Time is a precious thing and often taken for granted.

What is your favorite family tradition?

The Thanksgiving box. We write down something that we are most thankful for and put it in a box for the next year. We always read the previous year after we write down the current year thankful card. 

How do you enjoy spending a day off?

As of late most of the things I like doing revolve around what Naomi and the kiddos like/want to do, as much as I can. Usually the kids want to play video games and hop in the pool or play on the trampoline. All good times. 

What is the perfect meal?

Anything around the dinner table with family/friends. My personal favorite is with the “friends group”. How I hope those times don’t end anytime soon. But if I have to pick a food, I love Cajun. Anything spicy has always been a good go-to. 

Who or what never fails to make you laugh? 

A night watching the Three Stooges with the kids. Late night conversations with Nay. Games with the friends group. Nights around the campfire with loved ones. Memories of good times. 

We asked Naomi: 

What is your favorite trait of Josh's? 

Probably my favorite trait about him is his ability to look at a problem, any problem in the time I’ve known him, and logically and empathetically find a solution that works for as many people as possible. From issues within the work place, to anything our kids can think up, to “What’s for dinner?”, to encouraging/helping a friend. In short, he’s a logical and kind problem solver and leader. 

What does Josh do that can always make you smile? 

Genesis of Hope, one of our partners in ministry in South Asia, was created by the Landge family who has been working among the poorest of the poor since the 1980s. While meeting physical needs has value, they were driven to meet the spiritual needs, which has eternal value. They work in many different areas and engage people from Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist backgrounds. Genesis of Hope has eight children's centers focused on meeting the physical, mental, educational and spiritual needs of children and families living in the slums of a major city in South Asia. They employ engaged, creative, and caring staff to work in their own communities.  

Last October I traveled with a small team from MCC and was able to visit three of these centers and meet several of the teachers and pastors that work tirelessly for the children and their families. Several of these staff members I had met on previous trips five years ago, and some even more than 12 years ago. There is such joy from these men and women. They showed us some of the ways they are creatively teaching math and language lessons to the children and art projects they have done as a community. The centers provide a safe space for the children and the leaders provide care and emotional support. 

The first center we visited was Shahbad Dairy. MCC provides annual support for this center, which allows them to minister to approximately 80 children and their families. We were able to meet about half the students and were able to share a song, story and craft. The teachers at this center are amazing. We heard their testimonies and how Genesis of Hope has made a difference in their lives, even as staff. They were so excited to share how they are teaching the students in very creative ways.  

The second center was in a predominantly Muslim area. I was especially excited to visit this center because my family sponsors Sana, a 12-year-old girl that lives there. At this center we squeezed into a very small space. There were three connected rooms where maybe 60 kids crammed in and sat on the floor while we shared our song, story, and craft. I was also able to spend a little time talking with Sana and her mother and brother. 

The third center we visited is a new ministry that was begun by a pastor who noticed a growing slum underneath the metro lines on the floodplains of a major river near his home and asked if the ministry would be able to support another Genesis of Hope center. This center meets in a very basic open-air structure. This area receives food daily as a part of a feeding program from Amazon. It’s a rural area and gets flooded as the monsoons come every summer. 

Now imagine a super fun Vacation Bible School week at each of these centers. Genesis of Hope hosted six VBS experiences throughout their city this past week. What a sweet thing to pray about as we experience our own VBS. There were over 700 kids in attendance total. Kids had a chance to experience the hope that Jesus brings and have fun with their friends. Unlike many of the students attending MCC’s VBS, these children are from Hindu and Muslim backgrounds. Some are regular attendees of a Genesis of Hope program and for others this will be the first time they have ever had a chance to hear about Jesus. 

There are some logistics that make this VBS quite different from what our students experience in our church. While we may think it is hot here, they have experienced 110+ degrees with little or no access to air conditioning. They also managed to fit nearly 50-60 kids into spaces that we would only feel would comfortably hold 15-20 kids. The snack the kids receive may be the only nutritious food they receive that day. But there were volunteers and staff with smiles on their faces greeting each child, just like what happens right here. There was fun, there were songs, there were snacks, there were games and most of all, the name of Jesus was proclaimed. Those are the very same things that make our VBS special. 

Genesis of Hope will continue to meet the needs of children living in the poorest parts of this huge city. Our support enables them to pay their faithful staff, maintain their buildings, and provide materials needed to provide education and support for these children. Pray for all the staff of Genesis of Hope. The situation in their country is becoming more and more difficult for them to share their faith freely and sometimes even finding a space to meet together as believers is difficult. Pray for favor among their neighbors, and even with the government. When you pray this week, just remember Genesis of Hope. Please pray for each child to understand God’s love for them. Please pray the stories and lessons they learned will take root in their heart and that their families would come to know Jesus as well. 

On June 17, 11 MCC high-schoolers and three youth group leaders caravaned up to Glorieta, NM to attend a youth summer camp with 5 other churches from the greater ABQ area. Over the ensuing week, the teaching (1-2 messages per day), worship (2 times per day), and discussions were focused on one word: Follower. We deep-dove into what it means to be a follower of Christ, from the commission, the purpose, the way, the hardship, and the reward. 

Discussion topics weaved in and out of important thoughts, with some of my favorite conversations centered on:

• ‘How do we reject the fading beauty of worldly things for the eternal beauty of godly things?’
• ‘Why is the struggle of being a 21^st-century believer worth it?’
• ‘How do you represent Christ to your peers when they don’t want to hear about Him?’
• ‘What’s the difference between believing something is true, and living like it’s true?’
• ‘How do I prioritize Christ amongst all the other big decisions in my life?’

The Lord was at work through these conversations, basketball games, gag-ball pit contests, an adrenaline-raising slew of camp activities, the praises lifted in accord with some 200 other camp attendees, the quiet times we regularly had with the Lord, and the daily time spent together, as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Our MCC students were example-setters all week, even garnering recognition from other churches for the way they comported themselves. One of the other leaders mentioned in the morning leader-huddle that he was so grateful for the Mountain Christian Church students, and how easily they engaged other students, as his group had been blessed by ours. Another leader told me how impressed he was by our students’ constant choice to serve and engage with some of his younger students. How beautiful it is to see God use young people to model Christlike living!

There’s a beauty in attending a camp where exhaustion sets in, and distractions slowly disappear as the focus moves onto Christ. I was immensely encouraged by the willingness and humility of our young adults to enter conversations regarding things eternal, and grateful for the Lord’s faithfulness in meeting us daily. 

I continually pray that each student will eagerly build on their professed desire to follow the King of Kings, and if any do not yet profess it in their heart, that a seed would have been planted at camp, which will continually grow into a full-throttle approach to knowing Christ our Savior.

In our culture, when someone says, “I’m on a budget” it’s code for, “I can’t spend any money”. It conjures up images of longing gazes at forbidden items, or plunking down jars of coins onto checkout counters.

This used to be my view of budgeting too. My parents were always starting a “tight budget” in an attempt to get control of their finances, and then bailing a couple of months later when they just couldn’t keep it. Then they’d start again. It was always their excuse for why I couldn’t get something, so as a kid, a budget was the enemy.

When Von and I had a young family, money was getting stressful. Von, my “solution finder”, signed us up for a weekend budget workshop. As you might imagine, I was not excited about it. I had very low expectations of taking away anything meaningful from it.

But I walked away pleasantly surprised, and....dare I say it, excited?! Is it possible to be excited about starting a budget? What we learned was how to honor God by being good stewards of His money. How to see how money flowed through our household, and how to stop the “leaks”. We learned to pray and set goals together, and then how working on it together made us a team, not opposing spenders. We saw that as the budget is based on our goals, it’s a living document that changes as our goals and situations change – it’s flexible. And situations do change all the time! Jobs change or have pay adjustments, health and goals change, kids grow and have new interests...and your budget can easily flex with you.

We also learned to save, and this was a big one for me. I felt a lot less stressed knowing that money was ready when those unexpected expenses happened. And, boy do they! The first time I wrote a check for yet another emergency car repair, and I knew the money was right there in the account all ready for this moment, I was a complete believer. This budget thing works!

Honestly, this has been a game changer for us. For our marriage, our family, our faith... oh yeah, and for our finances. We got involved teaching budgeting because it was so impactful for us. We would love for it to be a game changer for you too.

Please join us on Saturday, June 29, from 9 am-3 pm at MCC. Childcare and lunch are provided. Ages 15-110 welcome! Please contact me (Elisa Trullinger) at 505-971-7432 by June 26 to find out more information or sign up!