Wiest, James and Alyssa

Country: Mexico

Project #: C0616

Biography: James and Alyssa are serving alongside Alfredo and Sandra Beltran and their team in planting a church in the Campo Real community. They are involved in youth ministry, worship, discipleship, and hosting small groups.

Background: James grew up as a missionary kid in Colombia until he was eight years old. At this time, his family moved to Visalia, California where his father pastored at Neighborhood Church for 14 years. During college, James started to learn more about the diversity of the church and had many opportunities to work and serve in the church. It was an exciting time for him as started to learn more about the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit and what this meant for his life.

There were many opportunities for short term mission for James since both of the churches he attended had missional hearts. This increased his perspective of the world church and God used these trips to shape in James a love for different cultures and ways of life.

Alyssa grew up in a Christian home and accepted Christ at a young age. During high school, she went on a few mission trips and this is when she started to think about maybe working overseas as a missionary. She started dating James while they were in high school and had the opportunity to work alongside him in his ministry as a youth pastor at Mountainview Church.

While attending Mountainview Church, James and Alyssa went on various mission trips and were encouraged as the saw the church’s heart for mission. Before they were married, God was already speaking to them about the possibility of missions being a part of their future.

After getting married, Alyssa started to feel God’s call on their lives to serve Him overseas but James was unsure as he realized that it would require a lot of sacrifice. Alyssa prayed that God would either change her heart or James’ heart and that they would be unified as a couple. Not long after, they heard Ray Harms-Wiebe speak at an MB Mission missions night and they both felt God’s call to go overseas and were unified in this decision. Now the only question for them was “when” and “where”.

James and Alyssa went to speak to their pastor about their call to mission, and were thinking at the time that maybe they would consider going in another year or two. But their pastor asked them, “What are you waiting for?” and encouraged them to go now.

A month later, they were at MB Mission’s Spring Adventure to learn more about what MB Mission was all about. And a few months after that, they were part of the Missionary Training and Equiping (MTE) where they received training for long term mission. It all happened very quickly, but they have experienced God’s peace throughout this journey. They can look back and see how God has been preparing them for this their whole lives as He has given them passions that line up with this vision.

Prayer Requests:

• Pray that we may continue to learn how wide and long and high and deep the Father's love is for us
• Pray that God would bring team unity
• Pray that God would grant us favor with the people whom we will be serving
• Pray that God would be glorified in the lives of the Mexican people

Home Church: Mountain View Community Church, Fresno, CA

Birthdate: James (June 18), Alyssa (May 26)