Ocean Shores, Wa
Nathan and Julissa's History
When Nathan Cedarland and Julissa Avila-Sorenson were married on the first of January, 2005, they were both aware that the Lord was calling them to the mission field, and particularly to the Spanish-speaking people. Nathan had previously been involved in many short-term mission trips around the world, and had spent most of the summer of 2004 in Mexico and Peru working to increase his knowledge of the language and culture while serving in a local church. Julissa had also done some short-term mission work in Mexico and had grown up speaking both English and Spanish.
The Cedarlands spent their first year of marriage living near their families in Washington State and working in secular employment; Nathan in forestry, and Julissa as a nurse. While working around Grays Harbor, WA Nathan became aware of the great need for a Spanish-speaking ministry in that area, but he felt it necessary to first go to a Latin American country to learn more of the language and culture. Nathan and Julissa continued to pray that the Lord would give them direction and wisdom to know where He desired them to go and when they should leave. There were numerous opportunities throughout Latin America, but the Lord closed one door after another until it was clear as to where they would go.
On January 8th 2006 the young couple flew to Mexico City where they planned on living for four months with a local family whom Nathan had stayed with in 2004. For those four months, they worked alongside Mexican believers and assisted in planting a church in a small village south of Mexico City called Tetitla. Julissa helped with the Sunday school and Nathan was able to preach from time to time. They also were active in discipleship and evangelism during the week. In the first few months there were only a handful of people who came to the services but little by little the small gathering of believers began to grow and currently there are close to thirty people who attend, several of whom have recently given their lives to the Lord Jesus.
During those four months Nathan and Julissa met Paul and Nydia
Johnson the directors of Spearhead (a short-term missions program of
the Latin America Mission) which Nathan had served with in 2004.
Paul asked if Nathan and Julissa could stay longer to work as
facilitators for the summer Spearhead program (for more information
on Spearhead visit
www.spearhead.org). They prayed about the
decision and felt the Lord calling them to stay for the summer, and
then eventually for another year.
So for two months of the summer Nathan and Julissa were involved in facilitating ministries and outreaches in different evangelical churches throughout Mexico City, and working with college-age, short-term missionaries who had come from the U.S. and Canada.
In the Fall of 2006 the Cedarlands traveled to the state of Sinaloa in Northwest Mexico where they would work with a local church in the town of Navolato. In Sinaloa, they were able to experience a different element of Mexican culture being that they were living in an area much more rural than Mexico City. While there, Nathan had the opportunity to give messages in Spanish several times a week, which was wonderful preparation for the future. Julissa taught Bible lessons to the kids twice a week in a small village called “El Caimancito”; where Nathan also preached on those same days. Although they had planned on staying in Mexico through August 2007; God had other plans.
In December they returned to Washington to spend Christmas with their families and also share the exciting news that Julissa was pregnant and was due in July of the following year. On January 8th 2007, exactly one year after leaving for Mexico City, Nathan and Julissa departed to make the over 40 hour drive to Sinaloa. They made it as far as Indio, California when Julissa began having complications with her pregnancy. Upon visiting the emergency room they were informed that there was a 50% chance they would lose the baby, and that Julissa would need to be on bed-rest immediately. This meant that they could not continue on to cross the border to Mexico or return to Washington. Thanks to the Lord, both Julissa and Nathan had family living in and around the Indio area and they were able to stay in their homes while Julissa rested and as they waited and prayed for God’s mercies on their baby’s life.
After six weeks they learned from the doctor that things had begun to heal and it was now okay to travel but with caution. Nathan and Julissa had been advised not to continue on to Mexico and after much prayer decided it would be wise to heed that counsel, and so they returned to Washington at the end of February. They had felt called to eventually begin a Spanish-speaking ministry in Western Washington: it seemed that the Lord was leading them in that direction even sooner than they had anticipated.
While the Cedarlands were in Mexico the Lord had provided a house for them and an old church building in the City of Hoquiam in Grays Harbor where they had previously felt burdened to go. Now, better equipped in the Spanish language and more aware of Mexican culture Nathan and Julissa both knew that that was where God desired them to be.
Currently Nathan, Julissa and their daughter Eva are living in
Hoquiam, WA where they are working among a large population of
Spanish-speaking people; the majority of whom do not know Christ,
and many of whom have never heard the true Gospel message. Nathan &
Julissa
greatly appreciate your interest and especially your prayers for
their ministry.