Jonathan’s Story
I was born in León, Mexico, the second of four children, to an American father and a Mexican mother. I grew up in Mexico until I was 15. When I was 15, we moved to California, and not long after, my parents divorced. I didn’t speak English very well, I missed my dad, and I fell into a deep pit of anger, depression, and eventually drug use and rebellion. At one point, I even contemplated suicide.
In my mid-20s, after years of running from God and living for my own desires, I was chasing success and identity in the entertainment industry. On the outside, things seemed to be improving—but inside, I felt completely empty. I came to the end of myself, drowning in sin and hopelessness. In a moment of brokenness and desperate surrender, I cried out to God, confessed my sin, and asked for His forgiveness. It was in that moment I experienced the overwhelming love and grace of Jesus. He forgave me, called me by name, and gave me new life. I was never the same again.
God placed a hunger in me for His Word and for truth. Soon after, I enrolled at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta, California to study the Scriptures and grow in my walk with Christ. It was there, in 2013, that I met my wife—and the journey of life and ministry together began.
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Renee’s Story
I was born in Sydney, Australia, and am the oldest of five children. My dad was a Calvary Chapel pastor and church planter, so our family had the unique blessing of moving often for ministry—including a season in California when I was a child. Growing up, I was given a strong foundation in the Word of God, for which I’m deeply thankful.
When I was 12, during a personal devotional time, I came to a clear conviction that I couldn’t rely on my parents’ faith—I needed to follow Jesus for myself. That moment marked a true surrender to Christ and a noticeable change in my heart and desires. I began to seek the Lord out of a genuine love for Him, not just as something we did as a family.
After high school and university, I attended Calvary Chapel Bible College in California, where the Lord deepened my relationship with Him through discipleship, evangelism, and a greater pursuit of holiness. It was also during that time that I met my future husband, Jonathan.
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A Shared Vision
After meeting on an evangelism trip to Mexico over our Bible College summer break, I (Renee) returned to Australia, and Jonathan moved there a few months later. We got engaged and were married six months later. Over the next seven years, we lived in Australia and served the Lord in various capacities. Jonathan worked in different jobs, including a season as an associate pastor at a Baptist church, and during that time in Australia, we welcomed our first two sons.
Throughout those years, Mexico remained heavy on our hearts. Ever since Jonathan’s radical salvation, he has carried a deep burden for the people of Mexico—a complete change from before he came to Christ when he wanted nothing to do with his homeland. We attempted to move to Mexico twice during that season in Australia, but the doors never opened. Then in 2021, the Lord made a way. We sold our belongings and moved to Mexico by faith.
We spent our first year in central Mexico, in a city called San Miguel de Allende, where Jonathan served as an associate pastor in a church plant. During that time, the Lord confirmed Jonathan’s calling to full-time ministry and our shared calling to Mexico. He also began to stir in our hearts a desire to plant a church one day.
Eventually, we sensed the Lord leading us in a different direction than the church in San Miguel was heading. After much prayer and a season of seeking God while visiting family and friends in Australia and the U.S., we were clearly directed to Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca. In 2023, we moved to Puerto Escondido and Jonathan joined the pastoral team at our church, a non-denominational church called “Camino de la Cruz.” Three months after moving here, we welcomed our third son.
Our first year in Puerto Escondido was marked by intense trials—dengue fever, other illnesses, scorpion stings, difficult living conditions, tropical heat, financial pressures, and the loss of most of our belongings due to mold after a three-week-long, hurricane-induced power outage. Yet through every hardship, God has been faithful. He has sustained us and continued to confirm His calling in our lives.
We are now prayerfully stepping towards planting a church in Huatulco, Mexico—a city two hours south of Puerto Escondido, with little gospel presence and many who have never heard the good news of Jesus. We count it a privilege to serve Him here in southern Mexico, and we are expectant for what He will continue to do.
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We are currently in a season of expanding our ministry partner team. We would love the opportunity to share more about our vision and how you can be part of what God is doing here!