Family and Friends -

What a year it has been! Last year was full of growth and change…. I’ve been with the same company, AppDynamics, for over two years now, but 2018 saw two different role changes! I’ve had the privilege to learn and grow at AppDynamics so much over the last few months as I take on more challenges at work. I’m now coaching high school boy’s volleyball for the third consecutive year, and this year my team qualified for Nationals in January! I’ve also had the opportunity to take on more responsibility serving at The Porch, the young adults ministry at Watermark.

Through The Porch, Community Group, roommates, family, and the people around me, God has been teaching me that He is good and that we find the most joy and purpose by abiding in Him. His instruction is not binding or restrictive, but rather it brings life and freedom (Psalms 1:1-3, Galatians 5:1). I think this is one of the biggest misconceptions of my generation – the God does not have our best interest at heart.

Serving at The Porch, I get the chance to share God’s goodness on a weekly basis. I believe that all believers are called to be messengers of the gospel and that God has entrusted us, as ambassadors for Him, with the message of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:16-21). Something I must remember daily is that this applies to all areas of my life and should never be bound within the walls of a church building.

I have been given the opportunity to take this message well beyond the walls of Watermark Community Church and beyond the borders of the United States. This summer, July 2019, I will have the privilege to go on a short-term mission trip to Ethiopia and partner with other young adults at Watermark in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. We will work with Ethiopian Christians as we do children’s VBS and men’s/women’s outreach. The ultimate purpose of the trip is to build relationships, share Christ with Ethiopians who have never heard the name of Jesus, and help fulfill the vision of planting churches within the unreached peoples of the Arsi Oromo in Ethiopia.

I would love to ask for your partnership in this mission! First and foremost, please pray for the trip. Pray for the young adults that will be going, for the people of Ethiopia that we’ll be in contact with, and ultimately for God to be glorified and lives to be changed. Secondly, if you would like to partner with me financially, I would greatly appreciate the support!

Thank you in advance, and please feel free to email directly with any questions about the trip at JBundren82@gmail.com. 

-John