A Year in Review:
Impact Report
Can I be honest? I never get tired of writing these! Reflecting back on what God has done over the year has become one of my favorite things to do. Year over year, God has blessed The Well so much, in numerous ways. There has been so much to rejoice in, and this year is no different.
We hope that many of the wins and celebrations that you’ll read about in the stories below encourage you. These are great to reflect on. And I would encourage you to do just that because these stories are little reminders of why we sacrifice what we do for the Lord and the building up of His church. I would also invite and encourage you to take time for personal reflection. Of the thousands of stories that could be told, only a couple of dozen of them are here. But you also have a story from this past year. What is your story? What has God done in your life this year? We prayed at the beginning of the year that this would be a year of rebuilding and restoring; that you would see God bringing restoration, blessings, and movement in various aspects of your life. Even over hardship, or suffering, or unexpected trial, did Christ do this? Were there friendships made, salvations experienced, fruit of the Spirit being produced, intimacy with Christ deepened…? My hope is that as you look back, you have as much to rejoice in personally as we do corporately! That you truly saw Christ preparing you for His Kingdom, and working in you and through you, to give you more of Himself.
For our church, corporately, we believe this has happened. We replanted, rebuilt, and are reestablished in so many different ways. God moved in ways we wouldn’t have even known to pray for. While we live in a broken world, and there are always things to be gained or fixed, so much of our church is healthy! In fact, I believe we’re in the healthiest place we’ve ever been. We’re full. Restored. Healthy. Praise God!
As we look ahead in light of this, we believe this will be a year of ‘harvest’ for our church. God blesses us not just to consume, but that we might be a blessing to others. While this may seem like a strong statement, it points to a couple of our distinctives—that we see what the city could be and that our church is not built on the talents of a few, but the sacrifices of many. Like Israel, the church isn’t meant to be a blessing just for itself, but rather for everyone around them. We think that Christ is going to move through us as a congregation in unimaginable ways this year. We’re praying that we’d be seeing an overflow of baptisms, growth in our church for the sake of future church planting and multiplication, disciples being made, deeper community, more longevity, greater awareness of the Spirit’s presence, and more missionaries sent. We’re praying that God would literally make us a lighthouse to the city of Austin.
I hope this reflection back is deeply encouraging to your souls. Let us “not forget what the Lord has done” (Psalm 103:2), and as we remember, let us bless the Lord with our whole soul, and all that is within us (Psalm 103:1, 22).
Tory Mayo
Lead Pastor
It is our prayer as a staff team that each year the number of baptisms we witness as a church grows. Not to show off in numbers, but so that we as a church body can experience and celebrate salvation in Jesus again and again and again. Nothing is more powerful than seeing individuals go from lost to found, from death to life as they get plunged into (ice-cold) water, and publicly accept and share how Christ is their Lord and Savior!
These Sundays are a time to stop and reflect on all the good things that the Lord is doing in our church body. Between these four Sundays, we got to witness 40 individuals acknowledge how the Lord has renewed and redeemed the entirety of their lives by being baptized. What a huge reason to celebrate!
“Now, I’m transformed. From a man who had it all yet felt empty, to someone graced by God’s love. His pursuit revealed a love so deep, it shattered my defenses. I’m no longer the man lost in his mistakes but one found in Christ’s embrace.”
This testimony and many more (as you’ll read in the next pages), are from those accepting Jesus after 30 years of life to those accepting Jesus at age 8. They reveal the unique pursuit Jesus has after each one of us. He writes the best stories.
These 40 lives have been forever changed by turning from their sins and accepting Christ’s pursuit of them. Those who were broken have been healed; those who were hopeless have found hope; those who were empty have become filled; all by the love of Jesus.
We are continuing to pray that our church will never grow tired of celebrating the outward act of faith that baptism declares and the goodness of Jesus to save us from death. We hope that the following two baptism testimonies encourage you, and remind you that God has perfectly written and redeemed our stories.
Jasmine’s Testimony
I was raised in a Christian family and accepted Christ at about 12 years old in front of my hometown Baptist church in Alabama. A week later, I was baptized as an open declaration of my faith. Although it was a beautiful experience, I didn’t fully grasp the magnitude of that decision at such a young age. In my late teens and early college years, I still identified as a Christian but strayed from having a personal relationship with Christ. I was heavily partying and relying on worldly things for fulfillment, sacrificing my well-being to please others and maintain toxic relationships. I was really lost and just going through the motions without even realizing it.
When I was 26, in June 2022, God placed on my heart the need to become sober and give up a life filled with immorality and substances. Most importantly, He prompted me to completely and utterly turn my life over to Christ for the first time as an adult. I then fully comprehended what living for Him looks like. Since then, He has completely transformed my heart and life, healed broken relationships, removed unhealthy ones, and brought incredible people into my life to support me. Now, I know what having a close, intimate, and personal relationship with Jesus looks and feels like. Before I got sober, God showed me a life full of peace and abundance that He wanted to offer me. Submitting myself to Him was the best decision I ever made and will make.
How has community impacted your faith journey?
Growing up in a Christian household, I often went through the motions without intentionally spending time with God. In the last couple of years, I’ve implemented intentional time with God, believing that if we seek Him, we will feel His presence more. Consistency and persistence in prayer, even when you don’t feel His presence, is crucial because He’s always working behind the scenes.
Community has been essential in my life. My community group (CG) at The Well has been amazing, with people centered on Christ who constantly support and pursue Christ with me. It’s vital to have such a Christ-centered community, especially in the phase of life I’m in right now.
When I first moved to Austin, I attended a different church for about two years. It was a great starter church that helped me dive into my faith after years of not being connected. The Well, however, has been instrumental in leveling up my faith.
“God showed me a life full of peace and abundance that He wanted to offer me. Submitting myself to Him was the best decision I ever made and will make.”
What would you say to someone who feels hesitant to attend church?
In college, I was partying a lot and not living in alignment with Christ. I felt judged and out of place at my church, which pushed me away for a few years. When I started attending church again in Austin, especially at The Well, I felt fully accepted as I am. Many people feel they can’t come to church because of various reasons, but we are all equally broken. No one is better than another, regardless of their faith journey. I recommend to anyone struggling with the idea of coming back to church or attending for the first time to come as you are. You are always welcome, and it’s never about being perfect, as none of us will ever measure up to that standard.
How would you describe your life before and after coming to Christ?
One word to describe my life before Christ would be unfulfilled. I was constantly seeking validation in all the wrong areas—relationships, jobs, or locations—but none of these fulfilled me. Nothing in this world will ever fulfill me like Christ does. Words that come to mind for my relationship with Christ now are fulfilled and at peace. I feel fully accepted and fulfilled, knowing that no matter how my life changes, Christ will always remain consistent.
Royce’s Celebration Sunday Testimony
This is my first time being baptized at the age of 32. Truly, I cannot understand how I am on this stage. Not that long ago, I was the perfect atheist. I made plans to make my life better and acted on those plans. I could always rely on myself to avoid a bad situation.
Most importantly, I was a good person and did good things for others without knowing God. I wasn’t actively hurting people or contributing to evil. I was a self-reliant, good person who had no need of a savior. My analytical mind had so many questions that couldn’t be answered by my perceived notion of Christianity.
“If people could only be saved by Jesus, then what is happening to the 2 billion people on the other side of the planet who have never heard of him?”
“Why would groups of Christians hate the LGBTQ+ community when Jesus represented love and forgiveness?”
“How can God let innocent babies die during childbirth?”
As a sinner on my man-sized hill, I thought God was a bully. How could a just creator let so much ruin and destruction exist in the world that he created? I was an enemy of God because I felt like God was an enemy towards mankind.
Thankfully, God is merciful. He did not hold these thoughts against me. Instead, my Savior put a beacon in my life. Armed with only patience and prayer, my wonderful wife said yes to a man who was proud that he didn’t need God. Without her, I wouldn’t be here today. I’m so thankful that she left enough room for God to use her.
Kristen, thank you for your constant prayers, and thank God for guiding us. Adding to our blessings, He introduced Kristen to The Well, and sermon by sermon, starting in 2017, my understanding of Jesus grew. I realized that maybe science and technology weren’t the only answers.
In August of 2022, I felt Him call to me. It felt as if He had been frantically waving His arms and jumping up and down, trying to get my attention, and I was intentionally avoiding eye contact with Him all my life. I realized He was with me the whole time, guiding me, helping me, and loving me. Ever since He created me, my Lord reached down to claim me. And through Him, I’ve gained clarity and forgiveness.
“In August of 2022, I felt Him call to me. It felt as if He had been frantically waving His arms and jumping up and down, trying to get my attention, and I was intentionally avoiding eye contact with Him all my life.”
I’m understanding the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, and I’m appreciating how amazing the gift of the Spirit is. Because of my denial and my arrogance, I struggle. I still struggle with feelings of indebtedness to this day. I still feel that I don’t deserve His love. But I know that Jesus loved me when I didn’t deserve it. And I know that Jesus will continue to love me even when it doesn’t make sense. I’m so thankful for His grace. So today, I let my old self die as I publicly offer myself to God so I can be born again under His love.
If you were to describe your life before and after Jesus, what words would you use?
Before Jesus, my life was unguided. I had a sense of right and wrong, treating others as I wanted to be treated and serving others because it felt right. But after Jesus, everything started clicking together. I couldn’t explain why bad things happened before, but now I understand that sin has broken our world. With Jesus, I realize that we can’t have restoration without Him.
What would you tell someone who struggles with the idea that all humans are broken because of sin and can’t inch their way to God?
Before knowing Jesus, I thought love was transactional. I believed I had to do good things for people to love me. When I came to know Jesus, I realized that true love isn’t transactional. I did nothing for Jesus, yet He loved and saved me. This realization has given me so much peace, knowing that I am loved unconditionally.
What would you tell your past self or someone with similar questions and doubts about Christianity?
The loudest voices claiming to represent Christianity, like hate groups or certain media outlets, do not reflect true Christianity. True Christianity is about servitude, peace, and justice offered through salvation, not violence. I’ve found immense peace and forgiveness through understanding this. If you’re an atheist seeking evidence and clear answers, try reading the Bible more metaphorically rather than prescriptively.
God, the creator of the universe, is far beyond our understanding. You can’t fully grasp Him through evidence-based practices alone. As someone who loves science and technology, I’ve come to realize that God surpasses even our wildest scientific ambitions. We need to think beyond repeatable experiments and consider the infinite knowledge and greatness of God.
Is there anything else you’d like to share to encourage someone with moral questions or atheistic beliefs?
To those who identify as atheists and seek evidence and clear timelines to understand the Bible, I encourage you to approach it more metaphorically rather than prescriptively. How can we fully understand the creator of the universe, the creator of atoms, time, suns, planets, and black holes? God has infinite knowledge that we will never possess. You can’t confine Him to a page and expect to understand Him through evidence-based practices alone.
God is infinitely larger than we can comprehend. This perspective comes from someone who loves science and technology. I dream of traveling at the speed of light, though I know it’s impossible. Yet, God is beyond even that. We need to think beyond repeatable experiments in a lab and consider the vastness of His creation and understanding.
Kids Ministry
There are three scriptures that come to mind when reflecting on the last year in Well Kids:
- Good works God prepared for us long ago (Ephesians 2:10)
- Letting our light shine so that when others see it they will bring glory to the Father (Matthew 5:16)
- And being joyful, praying always, and giving thanks no matter what happens because we have our hope in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
So much has happened over just one short year, and if we only had a larger word count to talk about every single win we’d be at over four pages. But to highlight a few:
- We saw 5 of our kiddos get baptized!
- Families were able to come together for some amazing events like Trunk or Treat at Eastside.
- We added some Movie Nights with over 150 of our friends and family, even some new friends from the neighborhoods around Eastside.
- This summer we got to host VBS again and saw over 50 kids come and learn about what we can do to love our city in conjunction with those in our church who are already doing so much good work.
- There were over 25 kids dedicated in our church!
- We have outgrown Sunday classrooms (a good problem) and had to add more classrooms to match the growth!
- Volunteers have been discipling our kids week in and week out in finding Jesus in the stories of scripture!
We are learning as a ministry to grow in ways that will influence and direct our kids to know and love Jesus not only today but the rest of their days on this earth. We don’t just desire for them to enjoy coming to our church, have fun playing with their friends, and making cute crafts. Our desire is to see them exalt the name of Jesus and to support and equip parents as they teach their kids to love, follow, and serve Jesus.
We know that the foundational work that has happened for many years in our classrooms on Sunday mornings, and through parents’ faithfulness has led to the celebrations of seeing five of our kiddos baptized this year!! Praise the Lord our God!
The Lord is faithful over and over to our ministry, which we clearly see in the highlights above, and we know that the Lord’s work in Kids ministry is not just from this year, but in the ways our volunteers have also been faithful to scatter seeds in their lives. The unseen seeds in their little hearts and minds are what we will continue to cultivate and be faithful to. We will continue to pray for the unthinkable, and unimaginable, miraculous work of our Father, while also being faithful with what we have before us. Our children are the most precious and important thing in our church that we have the responsibility to care for; we remember when Jesus says, “Let the little children come to me.” And what an incredible responsibility we’ve been given to be the ones who bring their children to Jesus for Him, the God of the universe, provider and protector, to pray over, bless, and care for.
May our classrooms be filled, this next year and every year, with kids exalting the name of Jesus, their Savior and King, singing praises of what our God has done, and declaring in hope what He can do!
Students Ministry
Student Ministry has seen the Lord move in incredible ways this year. Our leaders have been so faithful in pouring into our students for them to continue to know about Jesus, live for Jesus, and tell others about Jesus. We met every Sunday morning during our 11:15 gathering in room 123 and saw more and more friends come from all over the city to visit our church. We have made so many memories this year but the biggest was when we all went back to Camp Tejas for our Spring Retreat with one of our sister churches and had 24 people get to hear from the Lord as we opened up the book of John and learned about the “I AM” statements. Last year we brought 9 people so it was sweet to see growth (and a lot easier to play sand volleyball with more people).
Last year we spent so much time praying and thinking about Ezra and building the Student Ministry. It was sweet to see the blessings that the Lord has given us to enjoy some traditions of what we built in years past. Not only with meetings and retreats but the structure of what we do during those events. Part of our structure is our “closing routine” before we leave every gathering we have as students we have a time of reflection with an affirmation circle, we pray for one another and then we close with singing of the doxology. It is awesome that our students have grown to love it and now insist on doing it before we leave. We are excited and anticipate the Lord to do even greater things next year!
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If you need further sections transcribed, feel free to let me know!
College Ministry
College ministry got to celebrate some of its biggest wins to date in seeing some of our recent graduates step into God’s call on their lives! Our ministry serves to accomplish the mission and vision of The Well by equipping college students to be faithful disciples of Christ who have a high value for the local church. To this end, three of our core leaders, Jake and Abbey Gutierrez and Mak McGraw all said yes to being sent out with Valle Church, the most recent church plant to go out of The Well. One of our leaders from the same class, Amiya Davis, is in the process of support raising to come on The Well’s staff as the children’s ministry resident! We also welcomed a former student from an earlier graduating class as a full-time staff member! Welcome to the team, Norely Burton!
Just recently, our college team and incoming interns went on a short-term mission trip to South Asia (more on page 32)! It was an amazing time that challenged us to rely on the power and lead of the Holy Spirit. We saw God work in ways that we could never imagine through local believers whose faith left us in awe of how God’s love changes people, even in a place where so few people know Jesus as their Lord and their first love.
One goal we had was to increase the share of covenant members amongst the college students at The Well by 10% and God made it happen! Of about 130 students we surveyed, 17% were covenant members. This year we welcomed 18 students as covenant members, bringing that to a total of 31% of students who call The Well their home church! Nine of those students also attended our Men’s and Women’s retreats!
Our present work is planning for a major expansion of our team! As we say goodbye to our first College Resident, Thomas Shaffer, we are laying the groundwork for our new resident, Maddie Ore, and our two new interns, Hannah Spikes and Elle McRae. We will also be joined by one of our new church plant residents, Sage Rodrigo, for the first four months of his time on staff!
Our events and groups have also been a big win this year! One event of note was our Beyond College Intensive. It served to be an equipping point to give juniors and seniors a sense of what it would be like to follow Jesus after college, and we had 17 students register for it! Of our groups we had Wednesday Morning Prayer, Discipleship Groups, and our Disciple Making Cohort. Wednesday Morning Prayer meets at 6:30am on Wednesdays, where we pray for campus and for the lost in our city and beyond. We consistently had about 10 students join us every week!
Our Discipleship Groups had 15 students who met for ten weeks and worked to sharpen each other in following Jesus, and currently has 10 students including a high school senior who is starting college this fall.
Travis Deluna Interview
In this interview, we speak with Travis DeLuna—our 3rd national church planting resident who shares about his time at The Well, and who is gearing up to plant Valle Community Church in September of 2024.
When it comes to the idea of church planting, how would you explain it?
Church planting is simply starting a new church. It involves a group of people moving into a different part of the city to evangelize, make disciples, and form a community of believers in a new area.
Why plant churches?
The local church is God’s means of redeeming and saving the world. From the beginning of the Book of Acts, when Christ ascended into heaven, He poured out His Spirit so His people could be witnesses and make disciples of all nations. Church planting is important because it fulfills the Great Commission, helping to evangelize and make disciples. New churches, or church plants, are statistically more likely to reach the unreached and those not affiliated with any church.
About 60-80% of a church plant’s growth comes from the unreached, compared to established churches where most growth comes from people switching from other churches. Church planting involves learning about the community, meeting people, and reaching those who might not have been reached otherwise.
When you think of your time at The Well, what words come to mind?
One word that comes to mind when I think about The Well is community. Coming to The Well, I was able to connect with the staff and learn from many different people. This residency wouldn’t have been the same without the people on staff and the community at The Well, who gave me a place to serve, grow, and ask questions.
The staff, all of whom are excellent at what they do, taught me about various ministries, connections, marketing, and more. The knowledge I gained is invaluable and unmatched. The community aspect was crucial, allowing me to have one-on-one time with Tory, who truly cared for me, especially after facing the most impactful death in my personal life. Tory and the staff shepherded me well, providing the community I needed.
Another word that describes the residency is identity. When I moved to Austin, I didn’t know anyone or where I would plant the church. The Well gave me time, prayer, and the opportunity to discover what the Lord had for me and what the church plant would look like. I am really grateful for the team’s support and the chance to discover the vision and mission the Lord gave us.
Finally, the word equipping comes to mind. The Well provided great opportunities for hands-on ministry experience and valuable learning contracts. The books I read and the one-on-one time with Tory and the elders equipped me better for ministry, specifically the type of ministry the Lord is drawing me to. My heart aligns closely with The Well’s mission and vision. We want to plant churches and reach the nations, and being at a church that is dedicated to this was incredibly beneficial.
Do you have a fondest memory from the residency or your time at The Well?
I have many fond memories. One that stands out is attending a college hangout night before I was even on staff. I had only been living in Austin for about ten days. I went to the college night to learn and hang out because Yusuf invited me. Afterward, my wife, Ixtzel, and I were walking to our car and met Jake and Abby Gutierrez. We started talking about our journey and where we were in life. Now, two and a half years later, they’re part of our team and planting with us. It’s amazing to see how the Lord was working in our relationship from that initial meeting.
I’ve also always enjoyed the men’s retreats. Leading these retreats over the past two years has been a blast. I love hanging out with the guys, playing basketball, and just talking. Those moments of camaraderie and mentorship have created really good memories for me.
What is the mission and vision of Valle Community Church?
Our mission is to be a multicultural, bilingual church that glorifies God by making disciples and multiplying churches among the nations. We aim to plant churches, send missionaries, and reach the unreached globally. We are planting in a predominantly Latino community, but we welcome people from all backgrounds. Our goal is to create a home for both English and Spanish speakers, fostering a community that worships together in two languages.
To stay up to date with Valle Church, visit instagram.com/vallechurch
Serve Austin and Recovery at The Well
One of our distinctives that our Serve Austin ministry seeks to achieve at The Well is our “Serve The City” distinctive—that as a church we will serve the community in tangible ways to simply be a blessing to it (Galatians 2:10).
This last fiscal year, we did this by highlighting the idea that every CG and every person has been sent by God to be in a specific place, for a specific time and a specific purpose. The Well calls this our “One Place,” as Jenna outlined in the CG Update.
We launched this new initiative among our Community Groups in partnership with our Mission’s team and Community Group team. To date, nearly half of our community groups have a “One Place Ambassador” and have chosen a place in the city to commit their service, resources, and prayer. This service includes foster care, caring for the homeless, serving the refugee, and other effective non-profits in our city. One of our largest wins this year was our “Serve Austin Day,” which was an event for Community Groups that have not yet chosen a “One Place,” to come and meet three non-profits and serve with them on one day. Sixty people from The Well came out to serve World Relief, More Than Welcome, and Community First Village.
In addition, Eastside High School continues to be The Well’s “One Place.” We have seen a police officer place his faith in Jesus as well as our Sunday Eastside staff member, Armando, giving his life to Christ and getting baptized. You all provided hundreds of Christmas gifts to Eastside students, mentored students, and answered the call to help whenever needed.
Recovery at The Well
A new way we’ve also sought to not only disciple our congregation but reach the lost in Austin, is through our inaugural year of “Recovery at The Well.”
15-Week Recovery Track
The first track—our more intensive track—is a 15-week Recovery program where we take a deep dive into what’s called the “12 Steps to Recovery” for those who are ready to jump in.
In this track, on Thursday nights, participants are a part of a group session, then debrief their week into smaller group cohorts. Additionally, outside of Thursday nights, participants have a mentor (a trusted friend of their choosing) who can hold them accountable throughout the program.
Open Share
Also on Thursday nights, we have our second track—our less intensive track—“Open Share,” is a continuous weekly time where you can discuss your brokenness and find encouragement in community with others.
As someone who’s been through recovery, one of the things our leaders really wanted this ministry to be is a safe space for everyone. It’s both sad and easy to see that we live in a broken world.
Maybe you find yourself stuck because of your own broken behavior…maybe you find yourself stuck because of the broken behavior done to you by others…or maybe a combination of both…recovery is a safe space for you to find healing and hope.
This is not only a class, but a community of brave people that have realized it’s okay not to be okay, and that being well-known by others—in a deep and loving community—changes everything. Twenty-eight people registered last Fall in a step-study, and we praise God for being able to celebrate a powerful testimony time, and we look forward to seeing more of our church get the help and find healing in Christ this upcoming fiscal year.
Well Said Podcast
The Well Said podcast has been a tremendous blessing and exciting new resource for our church. Launched in the Spring of 2023, we completed our first season in December 2023 with 16 episodes. The success of Season 1 led to the approval and launch of Season 2. We are currently 10 episodes in with many more to come.
Well Said has challenged and encouraged its listeners, giving them the knowledge and confidence to apply biblical principles and perspectives to various topics. Tory and Mary, the podcast hosts, deeply desire to meet our people in each episode by selecting relevant topics through prayer, surveys, our church’s horizon storyline, upcoming sermon series, church culture, and even Austin culture. We’ve been able to have conversations around topics in a way that isn’t as easy to cover in sermons on Sundays or even in Community Groups. Season 2 so far has discussed dating, emotions, spiritual gifts, testing, discernment, and biblical themes from clothing to how God uses the material to communicate the spiritual. We’ve made connections to our vision of 100/100 by interviewing our most recent church planter Travis DeLuna with Valle Church, and checked in on our first church plant Refuge Church with Josh Guerrero. And this is just the tip of the iceberg! Still to come this fall, Tory and Mary will discuss how to hear from God, why it’s hard to read the Bible, our identity in Christ, how to tackle differing theological views among Christians, etc. Season 3 will launch in April 2025 and cover at length our most anticipated conversation (based on listener surveys) Women in Leadership! If you haven’t had a chance to join us, we hope you’ll take a listen. Here are a few testimonials from faithful followers:
“It is so exciting to see how God is growing The Well as we abide in Jesus and we seek more of Him! The podcast alone builds my faith!”
“I absolutely adore this podcast. So many episodes have nurtured my heart. The one about lament was so timely and I felt more equipped to navigate trial because of the perspective and wisdom y’all brought to the episode. I love what y’all are doing!”
“I have loved the podcast and have shared many episodes with various friends. I appreciate the personal aspect and vulnerability the most. Thank you so much for taking the time to invest in this avenue that continues to equip us in a personal way, but still in the context of a large church. It has been a huge blessing.”
You can find The Well Said podcast at thewellaustin.com/podcast and on all major podcast platforms (Apple, Spotify, YouTube, etc.)
Missions Update
Revelation 7:9 gives a picture of every tongue, tribe, and nation coming before the Lord Jesus in worship. This is going to happen. It is a promise. Jesus is now co-laboring with us to bring the Kingdom of God to earth as in Heaven. What a privilege that we get to partner with the God of the universe to bring His Kingdom. As a missions and staff team, we want to become experts in the Kingdom of God!
This year has been exciting for missions at The Well. We are grateful for the ways that the Holy Spirit is moving. Acts 13:1-3 outlines Paul and Barnabas being sent out by the church in Antioch. They were appointed to a specific work, and the church leaders laid hands on them as the Holy Spirit empowered them. This year, we had the honor of commissioning a single woman to the Middle East, a family of four to the Middle East, and a couple to Japan.
The “appointed work” they are doing is partnering with locals to work towards planting churches among peoples who have little to no access to the gospel. As a church, we now have 14 people on the field long-term—Praise God! Twenty-one people went on a short-term trip and 58 people participated in DMIs. As we look toward 2025, we pray to send an additional 4-8 people to the field long-term.
We pray that as we send, partnership with locals leads to churches being planted, which multiply to many generations.
Pray with us that The Well continues to grow a hunger for loving God and loving our neighbor. Pray that we not only would care for one another as brothers and sisters, but also look to the great harvest field both in Austin and abroad. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray that The Well is a labor force for the kingdom of God.
We hope the stories from our long-term missionaries and short-term trips encourage you.
Missions Update - India Trip
The Lord is good. Good, but what is good? Is our good different from the Lord’s good? And if it is different, how would I know it is good if it’s different from my good? These were the searching questions that captured my thoughts while I was in South West Asia. After seeing too many devastations, I felt these questions deserved honest answers and basic examination. One of the calamities of Christianity is the tendency to talk in ambiguous generalities. Still, there come moments in our lives when I believe the Lord allows us to experience what feels like the other side of the coin to allow us to realize how vast and everlasting He is. I learned that He is good despite what my eyes saw and the stories I heard. This reality came from wrestling with what felt like so many contradicting things—a kid begging for food, the Lord is good. Walking through the slums, the Lord is good. Seeing a man covered in flies, the Lord is good. But how could he be, but how could he not be? What a beautiful invitation the Lord gives us to fully know Him when we invite Him into these thoughts and spaces!
My encouragement is to have open eyes and ears and “taste and see that the Lord is good.” My guess is that you don’t have to go as far as Asia to capture similar thoughts when truly looking at the state of your city or your own life. Be willing to accept the invitation to know that The Lord is good and His goodness never changes by being willing to enter into uncomfortable spaces while first remembering that Jesus was also willing when He chose to enter the world as a baby! The Lord is good.
—Norely Burton
Missions Update - Indonesia Trip
The Lord is gracious and worked in mighty ways while we were in South East Asia. There are 700 language groups in the country that we were in and 130 of those groups are unreached! We got to live alongside our partners and do ministry with them in five different cities!
From a city with 3.5 million people and many universities to a small mountain village filled with families, we got to see a variety of things in our short two-week trip. Every stop we took we got to learn from the Lord—something He wanted us to know—and we got to see the Gospel preached and lived out by our partners and our team.
We were so blessed to see almost every stage of church planting: being able to prayer walk in a village where the team doesn’t know anybody yet; sharing the Gospel and people saying no; seeing two women baptized by third and fourth generation disciples of this young church; husband and wife that our translators have been praying for many years prayed to receive Jesus.
And finally, getting to worship with fellow believers on Sunday was just a huge encouragement to the four men that went on the trip. Continue to pray for our partners in the gospel, that God would give them more workers, protection from the enemy against division, and that a greater hunger from the church in Austin would spark more people coming to South East Asia. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
A big passage that we kept dwelling on while on the ground was Acts 26:17-18 “delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”
—Ben Haug
Missions Update
North Africa Trip
When we look back on our short time in North Africa, we marvel at the Lord’s work as we experienced living and breathing these verses in ways many of our team had never before encountered. For 4.5 days, our team of six went out into the city, proclaiming the Kingdom of God and sharing His marvelous works among the people. The Kingdom of God came near to over 30 people on our trip as we shared the gospel and stories of hope with them. In Morocco, a country of roughly 37 million people where 99.5% are Muslim, it is likely that many would never have the chance to hear the good news of Jesus unless someone went to them to share. The reality is that there are fewer than 200 workers in all of Morocco, and maybe half of those are actually desiring to see indigenous churches planted.
As we reflected on our trip, we realized that a key takeaway was this: God has people prepared for us to meet, and He wants to lead us to those individuals. Here are some stories of the Kingdom of God coming near to people.
A Dream About Jesus
During dinner times, we had opportunities to grow in intimacy with one another before going out. One evening, Kaitlyn and Caroline were discussing their experiences in North Africa and the common testimony among Muslim background believers of encountering Jesus in dreams. They decided to ask women if they had ever dreamed about a man in white. The first woman they approached invited them to sit on her blanket and share mint tea and caramelized pancakes she had brought from home. After getting to know one another, Caroline asked, “I know this may seem random, but have you ever had a dream about a man in white?” To their surprise, she responded with, “Yes.” They asked if she knew who He was and if they could share what He did for her and how much He loves her. They spent over an hour sharing the gospel, stories about Jesus, and a word from the Holy Spirit that she was treasured in His eyes. Though she was in shock and deep thought, as she had never heard this before, they eventually exchanged contacts and agreed to meet up later in the week. Unfortunately, after a few days, the woman stopped responding, and they never had the chance to meet again. This experience made us reflect on the cost of following Jesus for people in this culture, especially women. We felt clearly led by the Lord to her, and while she didn’t follow up with us, we pray that the Lord would meet her again and draw her into a relationship with her loving Father.
We could share many stories of the different people we encountered, how God led us to them, and the ways He changed and shaped our hearts during this week. As we reflected on our time, the Lord reminded us of Isaiah 43:19:
“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”
The context for this verse is that Israel was not yet free; they were still in bondage in Babylon. The Lord was reminding the Israelites that He would make a way for them just as He did before. It is His character to set the captives free, heal the brokenhearted, cure the sick, and make a way when there seems to be no way. We believe North Africa is spiritually a desert, but we also believe that He will “create rivers in the dry wasteland.”
Jesus is seeking out His sheep and bringing them into His fold. Yet, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray with us that the Lord would send more people into North Africa to bring the good news of Jesus. We pray that The Well Church would zealously bring the Kingdom of God to North Africa!
—Caroline Jones
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Missions Update - Japan Trip
In Japan, our team spent a significant amount of time with Mustard Seed Kobe—a church whose mission is to “transform individuals and families in the city through the proclamation of the gospel.” Mustard Seed’s belief is that this is how the good news will spread, how Kobe will be transformed, and how Jesus will be made famous in Kobe.
Kobe is a city of about 1.5 million people, and Japan, as a country, has the second largest unreached people group in the world, with less than 1% of the population being Christian. Around 95% of Japanese people have never heard the gospel of Christ. Despite these statistics, God is writing amazing stories of new life—and is using Mustard Seed to do so.
Generational Transformation
A few years ago, a woman attended Mustard Seed Kobe for the first time and began participating in their First Steps Class, a five-week introduction to Christianity with an open invitation every week after the church service. She completed the program, understood and accepted the Gospel, and wanted to be baptized.
Mustard Seed joyously baptized their new sister in Christ. After her baptism, she told Kelsey, the lead pastor of Mustard Seed, that she lived with her mother and grandmother and said, “My mom has to know about this. Somebody needs to tell my mom the gospel.”
Kelsey and the Mustard Seed leaders encouraged her, saying, “You must go tell your mom the gospel. You know how to! You know this good news, it saved and transformed you—you go tell your mom the good news.”
Another church member accompanied her for support, but she proclaimed the gospel to her mother. Her mother began attending First Steps with her daughter and a church member. Over time, her mother came to faith, started attending church, was baptized, and then they decided it was time to share the good news with the woman’s grandmother.
However, the grandmother had severe dementia, to the point where they couldn’t leave her alone. They realized they needed to pray for her healing, that her dementia would lift long enough for her to hear and understand the gospel and come to faith.
They began praying for her grandmother, and after a few months, the dementia lifted. Her mind became clear, and she began the First Steps study. They shared the gospel with her, telling her about Jesus—His love for her, how He had been pursuing her, and that He healed her from dementia so she could hear the gospel and come to faith.
The 92-year-old grandmother came to church and was baptized. All because one individual heard the good news and shared it with her family. Now, this inversed-third-generational family is a Christian family, working in the city to make Jesus known.
A few months after the grandmother was baptized, her dementia began to return. However, her faith in the gospel remained and did not leave. She continues to attend church with her daughter and granddaughter, hearing the message of the good news with tears in her eyes.
Despite the challenges she faces, we see that this seed has taken root, is growing, and is producing fruit—even in the life of a 92-year-old woman.
Being a Church That is Led by The Spirit
Depending on your previous church context, you might hear stories like this and fall into one of two camps: you might feel a sense of God’s grandeur, or you might feel a sense of skepticism. In the Western church, the majority of Christians believe that “miracle gifts” of tongues and healings have ceased—that the end of the apostolic age brought about a cessation of the miracles associated with that age. But to question if a story like this is fabricated begs the question behind the question: would we lie about what God is doing?
As for The Well, our staff, our elders, we want to disciple our church in being one that is not only guided by the Word but empowered by the Spirit.
To that end, we believe that Jesus meant it when He said it was better for Him to leave, that He might send the Helper (Jn. 16:7). We seek to be filled by the Spirit, walk by the Spirit, and align ourselves with the Spirit in submission to God’s Word.
Giving Update
What a great year it has been! God has been so kind to our church this year and we have seen increased flourishing because of the generosity of each one of you. Thank you for faithfully giving and providing opportunities for our ministries to continue to grow, thrive, and meet the needs of our family and our city. We have been able to continue to grow our partnership with Eastside this year and even seen several members of their team come to faith because of their proximity to The Well as a whole but mainly through the consistent investment and prayers from so many of you. What a beautiful answer to prayer this has been. We have also seen a church plant commissioned this year and have welcomed two new church planters onto our team in the last few weeks, all because of your prayers and generous giving. We are looking ahead to our next fiscal year as one of harvest and we have already been able to see the start of that on our growing team.
We will complete our fiscal year at the end of August and I can’t help but celebrate God’s goodness to us through each of you this year. As many of you may remember, we started off last fiscal year not meeting our budget needs through our monthly giving but by the end of Q2 we had already recouped that loss and exceeded our historical giving while also having a generous Vision Fund that specifically reached the needs of our city and our church.
We have closed out the month of June and are continuing to see the increase in generosity putting us in a strong financial position next year to dream big for what God wants to do through this season of harvest. Compared to last year at this time, we have seen a 17% increase in giving YTD!! What a blessing that is—I am overwhelmed with gratitude at how God has provided for us financially this year. We will seek to use additional funds to propel all of our ministries forward while continuing to focus on serving our city and making much of Jesus here in Austin. With our current giving trend, we expect to end this year at $2.62MM as compared to last year ending at $2.28MM. As we continue to focus on being good stewards of God’s resources, we are building next year’s operating budget to reflect our growth by increasing our overall budget by a small margin.
Thank you for investing in The Well. We are eager to see what God does through our church in FY25!
Chandler Miner
Operations Director
Church Plant Updates - From The Robbins in Brazil
In the ever-evolving journey of ministry, we’ve encountered both challenges and triumphs, continually finding solace and encouragement in God’s unwavering presence. During moments when strength, resources, or patience seem to wane, Jesus faithfully renews our faith, provides for our needs, and surrounds us with support and love.
As an international church in the vast and diverse city of São Paulo, Sampa has navigated another year of ‘goers and stayers’. This transient nature, while part of missionary life, remains the most challenging aspect. Each year, we bid farewell to friends and partners who have prayed and served alongside us, only to invest anew in forming fresh relationships. This cycle, while difficult, also brings new opportunities for growth and connection.
A highlight of this year was celebrating 10 baptisms at Sampa. Among them were three teenage boys, a Nigerian missionary named M who turned his life around from drug dealing, and a couple, T and C, who restored their marriage and faith in Jesus. Witnessing their transformations and hearing their stories was profoundly moving.
Our small groups have thrived despite transitions. One women’s group recently said goodbye to their leader moving to China, yet they remain eager to continue meeting, testifying to the blessings received through their fellowship. Another group, meeting online, connects family members across Brazil, demonstrating the unifying power of faith. We’ve welcomed five new members from diverse backgrounds, including Northern Ireland, Korea, and Haiti, enriching our discussions and fellowship.
We recently concluded our seven-week Foundation Class, a discipleship course funded by a partner church in New Mexico. Five participants completed the course, deepening their faith, biblical knowledge, and understanding of prayer.
Our partnership with IBTE (Brazilian Institute of Educational Transformation) continues to flourish as we support their work with children and missionaries in São Paulo’s ‘Cracolândia’ area. We also raised funds for a missionary’s hometown in Southern Brazil, devastated by flooding.
Serving with Communitas International, we are part of the Latin American Advancement Team, developing coaching and encouragement cohorts in multiple languages. Bob will lead the English group with missionaries from Ecuador, Peru, and São Paulo, while I provide staff care and development, supporting our regional missionaries.
At Graded School, where Bob coaches, God continues to open doors for spiritual conversations and meaningful relationships. This year, we’ve engaged in discussions about faith with coaches, teachers, parents, and players, offering advice and friendship when needed.
A recent Sunday service at Sampa was particularly powerful. Bob invited those in need of a breakthrough to stand, expecting a few responses but witnessing almost the entire congregation rise. We prayed together, standing on the promises of Daniel 3:17-18, affirming God’s ability to deliver and our commitment to worship Him regardless of the outcome.
Despite these uplifting moments, we’ve faced tough days. Recently, two Sampa members were diagnosed with breast cancer. We’ve navigated complex pastoral situations, from inappropriate behaviors and supporting individuals with differing views on lifestyle and leadership roles within the church.
This week marks our eighth year in São Paulo, the longest we’ve lived and served in one place. While the future remains uncertain, we believe God has a purpose for us here, and we remain committed to making a Jesus-impact at Sampa Church, Graded School, IBTE, and in our community. We look forward to the upcoming coaching cohort and pray for more servants and leaders to rise within Sampa Church.
Thank you to The Well for your unwavering prayers, partnership, and support. Your involvement is integral to our mission, and through you, we feel your presence here in São Paulo.
Blessings from Brazil, Bob and Martha Robbins
Church Plant Updates - From The Barcelona Team
This June, the Missions team sent out by The Well celebrated five years on the field in Barcelona, Spain. Over the past year, we have witnessed God accomplish many mighty works. Here are a few highlights we’d love to share.
New Team Members
Over the past 12-24 months, we have added three new members to our team: Javier from Honduras, Paola from Mexico, and Lydia from Indiana. Each one brings unique gifts to our mission. Through their efforts, we have seen incredible connections, training initiatives, conversions to Christ, the making of disciples, and so much more. We are truly grateful for what God has allowed us to be a part of here.
Spanish-Led Church
About a year and a half ago, a Spanish couple felt called by the Lord to start leading a church out of their home. Previously, the group had been meeting at the Arcangelini’s home, but as it grew, it became clear that to serve the Spanish-speaking congregation effectively, they needed to meet in their own home.
Multiplication of Churches
In 2024, we have already begun to see the multiplication of churches. New congregations are forming from the Spanish church in Barcelona (Honduran), in the South of Spain (Spaniard), and prayerfully, one an hour outside of Barcelona (Guatemalan). Each of these churches has a distinct heart for reaching the most unreached people.
Global Connections
God has graciously allowed us to participate in giving, receiving, and assisting with training across the Mediterranean over the past year. These efforts have opened incredible doors for reaching people from various nations. From these training sessions, we’ve heard numerous stories of individuals coming to Christ in some of the world’s most dangerous places.
Goals for 2025
For the coming year, we hope to see continued multiplication of healthy disciples and churches. If each church multiplies just once every two years, by God’s grace, we could reach the entire city within 30 years. This would result in over 40,000 churches, each with 15 or more people. May it be so!
Additionally, we are praying for God to continue opening relational doors throughout the EU, North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. Through Barcelona, we aim to establish networks of movements that reach the most unreached.
Church Plant Updates - From E in the Middle East
“If you want to build a ship, don’t summon people to buy wood, prepare tools, distribute jobs; rather, teach people the yearning for the wide, boundless ocean.”
—Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Don’t imagine me in the Middle East in an armchair, reading French poets like this guy, but when I came upon this quote recently, I realized I couldn’t agree more.
When I first approached the idea of living cross-culturally with the goal of seeing people come to meet Jesus, I wanted to throw my best at it. Instinctually, that meant strategy, planning, tools, and a lot of gusto. The Body of Christ thrives on those who think strategically, and we need them. But when living in and loving the Muslim world, it’s quite evident these souls have tasted much structure, rules, and the copy-paste reality where God simply wants adherence. The privilege of living in the Middle East is the privilege to speak out and pray towards freedom. I live daily life alongside those who are very good at obedience but know nothing of the gentleness of Jesus and His tender smile. The promise of abundant life with Jesus awaits them and in His words, “it gives your Father great happiness to give [them] the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32). The reality of the Kingdom of God isn’t a court case to be argued, but an ongoing party into which we enthusiastically invite those we love. With that in mind, the task is simplified. And good thing, because living next door to horrific attacks daily killing the family members of my closest friends leaves me powerless. No intellectual explanation of God’s sovereignty is useful to these dear ones. They see the events in Palestine as a cosmic test from God they can pass or fail with how they manage their grief.
Imagine experiencing a loss of this scale while thinking God is requiring you to put on a brave face and “stay faithful.” The reality I get to usher in is one where God hates evil in any form, weeps with and for us, and promises to make all things right in Himself. I’ve done this often with words, always with tears. And I’ve seen the goodness of the truth bear fruit. After months of being merely an interesting foreigner, I’ve earned the privilege of being a trusted friend of dear ones like *Ahlam, *Nuha, *Petra, and many other women. With them, we have shared tears, stories of Jesus, and invitations to experience Him deeper. I have met some of them through Spirit-led encounters, others through having them as language teachers.
I know and love them deeply enough to tell when He has touched them and I’ve seen the tears of relief and have heard the reflections of: “Wow. He is very good to us.”
Please join me in prayer that they respond to Him, over and over. The mere year I have lived in the Middle East has been less flashy and dramatic than you’re thinking. What was all new (language, markets, routines) has quickly become normal. I have found myself in different circles—young hippy Arabs who studied in Europe, women who have been trafficked from Central Africa to work in homes, and most often, conservative unmarried women. All would say their religious identity is core in their life but are eager for more.
Please pray right now that they would knock (eagerly or tentatively) and that the door would be opened to them to abundant life. As far as I can tell, the Lord has a season of sowing ahead. Much work has been done in this land, and I believe a harvest will come—maybe in my time ahead here, maybe not. I pray the Lord sustains me to stay in this region for a very long time, however He wants to use my fumbling attempts at faithfulness.
Come join me!
Team Life
In February, we welcomed our newest teammate and did several days of team formation together. Submitting the process to God, we developed a team vision and mission. Our vision statement is: “As bearers of hope, we seek to see God’s holistic healing in Syrian communities catalyzed to spread healing from (the country where we live) into Syria.” Our mission statement is: “We will focus on prayer, community development, and spiritual discipleship of Syrian women, children, and families to impact the holistic health of their communities in a reproducible manner.”
A Conference and Training to Celebrate
In March, we attended a prayer conference centered around worship and intercession for the Muslim world. One highlight was a corporate time of prayer for Israel and Palestine. We started with an extended time of lament. Then we broke into groups of 4-6 people and prayed through prayer points. If we had a leaning toward the plight of the Palestinians, we were told to start by praying for Israelis. And if we sided more with the Israelis, we should start by praying for Palestinians. This challenged us to live by the words of our Rabbi, and to love and pray for our enemies. God’s heart is all in—for Israelis and Palestinians alike. Lastly, there was a time when many children took turns at the microphone praying for the children of Gaza. It was such a powerful time.
In May, a teammate and I participated in a four-day healing and deliverance training. We studied a lot of Scripture and talked about how to walk in these things in our specific context. We focused a lot on the importance of repenting and extending forgiveness. We have a community of practice group over text, and it has been so encouraging hearing stories of fellow workers stepping out in faith and God moving in miraculous ways among Muslims!
Barriers
During this season, there have been some barriers to us being able to do ministry as usual. There have been rising tensions here, internally between groups and as a result of the war on Gaza. Following the assassination of a political figure by a group of Syrians, even more pressure was put on Syrian refugees to leave. For a time, we were required to get permission from a Syrian local partner before going on visits in the refugee camps in order to avoid army raids.
Celebrations in Ministry
We have taken many opportunities to pray with women in the camps. We have also prayed for healings in the authority and power of Jesus. We also share with women stories about Jesus from the Injil.
We recently started a trauma healing group focused on forgiveness. One of our Syrian local partners is the group’s primary leader, and it has been so encouraging to support her and watch this covered Muslim background woman passionately share about Jesus with other Syrian refugee women.
A couple of years ago, some people in our network knew a Syrian refugee woman who was demonized. She had been to many Islamic leaders to be freed—but nobody could free her. A couple of people went to pray for her, and she was delivered in the name of Jesus. She has since become a believer. This past week, she brought her friend to us who also wants deliverance, and they told us there are four other women in their camp also suffering from demons. We pray we will see these women delivered in Jesus’ name, and that God would bring forth people of peace who witness Jesus’ power and authority through their deliverance.
2025
We are praying for open doors in a new camp. We desire to run programs for women and trauma healing groups that would ultimately lead to Bible studies and birth churches. We have been pouring into several women over the last few months (on visits and in groups), and it’s clear that (at this time) they aren’t interested in hearing more. We know the harvest is plentiful, and we trust God to lead us to women who long for peace, hope, joy, and love only Jesus can give. As we seek God for direction, we celebrate HIM, whose everlasting love is for men, women, and children from every tribe, tongue, and nation. We wait on Him with hope and expectation. We seek to bear witness to who He is and the great works we’ve seen Him do. And we labor to rest in Him whose name is Love.
Church Plant Updates
From T&A in the Middle East
We’ve heard, and even said, that the safest place to be is in the center of God’s will. But is it? From an eternal perspective, absolutely, but there’s no guarantee of a smooth day today or tomorrow. We believe we are following God’s will by moving our little family to the Middle East, but since we’ve arrived, we’ve gotten a taste that it doesn’t mean we are guaranteed comfort or safety today.
Our first two weeks consisted of all four of us getting COVID pretty badly, including 103-degree fevers for our boys. Then we got a bad stomach bug which went through our family as well as our teammates’ family of five. This was all while we trudged from realty office to realty office in 105-degree heat, 4-5 hours a day, six days a week for a full month, having said we would like to rent five different homes in that time with only the sixth one actually going through.
Finally, after 45 weeks of not having a home of our own as we went on vision trips, support raised and readied ourselves for this move, we are finally in our own home again (yes, the AQI in the house is frequently in the red zone, there’s no central air even though it’s been 113 out some days, one of our toilets is a squatty potty, and there was no kitchen for the first two weeks, but it’s a home).
In that time, we’ve felt discouragement and stress, frustration, confusion, exhaustion, and even conflict. Yet, we have consistently felt at peace with our choice to move here, because following God’s will really is the safest place to be. What we have also felt is excitement and encouragement, curiosity, growth, reconciliation, and above all, a deepening relationship with Christ, and that is worth coming here for.
We moved here partly because we felt the Lord tell us that we would know Him more intimately by coming here. We truly believe that if we are here one year or 30 years, a thousand people come to know Him or none, as long as we have gained more of Christ, then we have succeeded.
And we are glad to continue to be a part of The Well and hopefully help and encourage others in our body to seek the same whether here in the Middle East, in Austin, or wherever He leads you.