YEE-HAW Cowboy! Life at Rancho Abierto (Open Ranch)

Jordan Spencer
May 29, 2022
5 min read

Updated: Jun 15, 2023

Well Howdy, y’all! 🤠

(Or perhaps I should say, buenos días

mis amígos! 😁👍🏻🇲🇽)

It is about that time for a new blog post update from the Spencer Fam and we’re excited to be able to testify of how God has been “Lighting Up The Dark” here on the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. We have been living here at the Rancho Abierto YWAM Base since the end of March; and since our arrival here and the start of our time staffing the Family Discipleship Training School (DTS), God has shown up like He does, powerfully and wonderfully as well as kindly and gently.

A Desert Oasis

The first way that we were blessed to see the Lord‘s faithfulness here was in the finalization of the construction of all of the student’s tiny cabins. When we arrived, we had the month of April to finish framing, insulating, installing windows, hanging drywall, taping, mudding, sanding, priming, texturing, painting, laying flooring and fully furnishing 6 more 10’ x 12’ dwellings with loft areas 😳😬😅. I wasn’t the only one that felt that it was a tall order, but we all leaned into the promise that with God all things are possible! AND TODAY… 🙌🏻

So after such AWESOME provision from the Lord occurred with the cabin construction, it became excitingly easy to think about all of the other amazing ways that the Lord was wanting to… and going to… show up for the 10 faithful families from all over the world who were about to journey to this remote Mexican “OASIS” (a prophetic word that was spoken over Rancho Abierto during its conception).

When the student families arrived (from Singapore, Denmark, Canada, and the U.S.), we had spent weeks of praying and lifting them up individually, as couples, and as families so that the spiritual plowing and preparation of the soil (a.k.a. “their hearts”) would be well under way. And today we praise God because we have witnessed individual breakthrough, marital reconciliation and restoration, and whole families growing in unity since the day that they arrived here to this physical desert to drink from the spiritual oasis God has created.

Phase 1 & 2

As many of you know a DTS is made up of two phases; The 1st phase is called the “Lecture Phase”, which is a period of 11 weeks where a new lecturer is brought in each week to teach on a specific topic of who God is and how to make Him known. The 2nd half of DTS is referred to as the “Outreach Phase”. This is where we get to the practical application. The students get the opportunity to take all that was learned during lecture phase and apply it by, “going unto all the earth” to make God known.

We are currently nearing the end of the lecture phase of this school, and we have three God-given, prayed-for locations where we will be sending teams during outreach. Panama, Mexico (the main land), and Norway/Denmark (where Kira and I are preparing to lead a team of 4 families, WOO-HOO)!

Testify!

A quick testimony I’d like to share -

Once the outreach teams were determined (which is through a process of prayer), we then have designated times of team building and local outreach to prepare us for the next phase. Team “Norw-ark”, which is what we are calling ourselves (You know, Norway + Denmark = Norwark), Anyway, we prayed and decided to go to a local Mexican orphanage to interact and minister to the children and staff there. The second time that we went there, we took with us some “ministry tools” that we had been working on during our team building times and we were blessed to witness 4 girls come to pray a prayer of repentance and then make the decision to follow Jesus.

This is the point where we celebrate… WHOOP WHOOP!

May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! - Psalm 20:5

PRAISE THE LORD! 🙌🏻🥳 For He is GOOD and FAITHFUL and He is WORTHY to be PRAISED!!!! 🙌🏻🥳

We understand that follow through is super important in moments like these so we were excited that through our friends, the Lopez family who staff at the Ranch, there is a connection to a local, nearby church that can continue to relate with the girls and other kids there. As you can imagine, this moment as a team was super meaningful, impactful, and it excites us for what God is going to do in us and through us as we proclaim the love of Jesus together in Norway and Denmark!

Meet ”Team Norwark”! We are comprised of three families from around the U.S., one family from Canada, and a family from Singapore. We believe that our team has been uniquely crafted by God to go where He is sending us and to do whatever He is asking us to for such a time as this. Please pray for us as we prepare to go. Pray for bold courage over our team, both young and old.

Norwegian Hospitality

We are looking forward to outreach for many reasons, but one specific reason is that a good portion of our time in Norway will be spent staying at a Ukrainian Refugee Camp in near Skein, Norway. We will get to minister and serve the Ukrainians there during one of the most difficult times of their lives. A time of great hurt, loss, fear, uncertainty, anger, bitterness… and we will get to enter into their suffering and say that they are worth our long journey, our time, our service, our love… because why? Because Jesus Christ loves them and longs to hold their hearts in a way that no one else possibly could.

We want to let you know that you have an opportunity to be a part of His love for them through financial provision. From now until July 16th any donations that comes through our payment portal that is ear marked “Ukranian Refugee Camp” will go directly to meeting the practical needs that the camp has in regards to caring for these displaced people.

Danish Pioneering

When we go to Denmark we will get to spend time in intercession ministry with a couple of Danish YWAM missionaries who have been given a vision to pioneer a base in Denmark. They feel called to specifically pioneer a Family DTS. We believe that there is significance to God sending us as part of our Family DTS to support them through intercession in their calling to do the same work in Denmark. Beyond the time spent interceding on behalf of their vision our team will also be partnering with local ministries, churches, and serving at a christian family camp during our time in Dane-land.

So, here are some ways you can pray…

- For all of the ministry opportunities that God will present to our team during outreach.

- That each team in each nation that we are going to (Mexico, Panama, Norway and Denmark) get to share the good news of Jesus Christ and for Holy Spirit to lead the way.

- For God to show up powerfully and mightily in ways that only He can so that only He may receive the recognition, glory, honor, and praise.

Help us light up the darkness…

We still have financial needs for our own family and we know God wants to provide. Our request, as always, is that you talk with God, listen and obey His voice. If He asks you to be a part of that provision then ask Him how much and how often? Then you go to https://www.lightupthedark.info/give

and you can set up a one time gift or schedule a reoccurring contribution of any amount.

Don’t forget that if God tells you to give toward the “Ukrainian Refugee” cause, just add a comment marking your intended donations purpose.

Be blessed and continue to be a blessing!