Living On Mission

On July 13, 2026, Alondra Gómez and Ivan Ramirez left home to spend the next two months in rural villages surrounding Oaxaca, Mexico. These two college students gave up most of their summer in order to answer God’s call on their lives to bring the Gospel to the nations.

“What was exciting for me was being obedient. I knew God would transform me on this trip even though it would be hard, and that He would redeem that time and glorify Himself through me despite my fears,”  Alondra.

As they drove to the airport, anxious conversations filled the car. When they pulled up to the terminal, it all became real. They were headed to an unfamiliar place with a team they had only met through Zoom meetings, and it took real faith and trust in God to get on that plane.

“I was afraid, but I was excited for the unknown. It was sad leaving home, but I was ready to go and learn and see new things,” Ivan

Once they met their team in the city and began their training on how to go out and share the Gospel in this new context, God quickly showed them that He was at work in Oaxaca.

“During our first week, we met a woman selling hats who was resting in the shade. I felt God guiding me to go talk to her, and my team member and I went over and began asking her about herself and her view of God. She wanted to know why our faith was different from the cultural Catholicism she knew and why we were so joyful. She saw the light of Christ in us, and she wanted it for herself. We explained what the life of a believer looks like, and she decided to follow Christ. She went from thinking that salvation came from religion to understanding she could have a personal relationship with God,” Alondra shares.

The two also got to invest in local believers. One day, after getting to know a local pastor, Ivan was even asked to preach at a local church the next Sunday.

“It definitely changed my perspective on things and how God calls us all to minister in different ways. God puts you in situations you are uncomfortable in and don’t feel ready for, but God puts you in those places for a reason. It is in those places that you learn,” says Ivan.

Alondra also became close friends with a local translator, and the beauty of the global Church shone as these two young women from different countries closed the 1,200 mile gap between Oaxaca and Beaumont as sisters in Christ.

“I saw how no matter how far away you are from home, God brings the right people to join you on His mission. It was so cool to see how our faith was the main thing we had in common, and it united us in a totally different way,” Alondra explained

When Alondra and Ivan returned to Beaumont, they kept praising God for everything He did on their trip. These two lived out the Great Commission, and it is amazing to see how God used them this summer, and they know that God is still working and that you can be used to reach the nations too.

“If we know the truth of the Gospel and have the same Great Commission, we are all commanded to go share the Gospel. God does not expect perfect people. He wants available people who are obedient to His call,” said Ivan.

This trip and these stories would not have been possible without the support of the people of Beaumont’s First Baptist Church. Without those who gave financially, Alondra and Ivan could not have gone to Oaxaca, and they both are overwhelmingly grateful for both the financial and prayerful support from our faith family.