Dear friends,
We wanted to share an important update about our visas and what the next years will look like for our family.
Our current religious visa in the U.S. expires on February 7, 2026. We explored a student visa option that might have allowed us to stay a bit longer, but after legal advice and prayer, we realized we would almost certainly still need to leave the country about three years from now. Rather than delaying the hard part, we’ve decided to face it sooner: leave for a season and, Lord willing, return with a fresh 5-year period of religious visas.
Our current plan is to leave on February 4, 2026, and return, Lord willing, around February 2027 to continue our ministry at Living Waters Bible Camp. This is very emotional for us. We love the community God has given us here, and it will be hard to step away from those relationships and ministries for a time. Here are some of the questions we’ve been getting. We don’t have every detail nailed down yet, but this is our best understanding so far:
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Where are you going?
Our current plan is to go to Guanajuato, Mexico, the city where both Ivan’s and Laura’s parents live.
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Do you have a house in Mexico?
We sold our house there when we moved to the U.S. We can stay with Laura’s parents for a week or two at the beginning, but we will need to find and rent a house. Please pray that we can find something suitable for our family.
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Are you taking your van?
No. We will fly to Mexico. We will probably need to buy a vehicle in Mexico and sell it before we leave.
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What are you going to do while you’re there?
Ivan will focus on being Dennis’s advisor whenever he needs. Laura and I will support Camp staff remotely as much as we can. We also plan to reconnect with our extended family and, as the Lord opens doors, be involved in ministry with the church in Guanajuato and in nearby cities.
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How will you be supported during the year away?
Camp has graciously decided to continue supporting us financially during this time through a severance payment. This allows us to stay focused on the Camp ministry, family, and the visa process without having to commit to another job. We are hoping for current donors (and maybe new ones) to continue sending financial support to Living Waters so that Camp can recover this expense.
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What will happen with your house in Westby?
We plan to keep the house—possibly renting (if it helps financially, with the ministry or with the upkeep of the house) or asking friends to house-sit. We will use our severance payment to continue covering the basics (mortgage, taxes, insurance, and utilities).
If you ever find yourself able to visit us in Mexico, we would love to see you, catch up in person, and show you around Guanajuato!
We would really appreciate your prayers for peace, wisdom, and strength as we prepare to leave, for Dennis as he directs the camp the next year, and that God would use this year for His glory.
With love,
The Munguia Family