An Easter Reflection

First of all, I hope you have all had a wonderful Easter season, and that every year you celebrate it, the significance of Christ's death and resurrection are becoming something more and more real for you!  We spend a lot of time (and rightfully so!) looking back on the personal cost to Jesus, all the He had to go through up to and on the cross.  It's so good to reflect on the path of the One who has gone before us leading up to the cross, and realizing that our path, as His disciples, leads to the same place - a death to our selves.  But the great news on the third day points to a wonderful, glorious future for us!  And we can have this confident hope overflowing within us as Paul writes in Romans 15:13:

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him.  Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Looking back on this past semester, I've got to wonder where the time has gone!  We are on the final countdown, with 3 days left to go!  Friday holds the final graduation ceremony and we are expecting about 100 guests celebrating what God has done in the lives of the 9 students.  Last weekend we had the opportunity to go out altogether to serve in two different communities, one community a small agricultural village down some paved roads in very bad condition, which happened to be the home of one of our students, and then to a small remote fishing village, the home of another one of our students.  The students have been preparing elements for children's and youth ministries including testimonies, dramas, puppets, etc. which they had the chance to present in both of those communities.  It really was a pleasure to watch them and to see them being stretched and used, perhaps in ways that were outside of the comfort zones.  All students, even a couple of the pastors in the 50's and 60's were involved even with the puppets, (definitely a stretch for some of them!) and were willing to serve in whatever capacity, whatever the opportunity that arose.

Our students and staff

Looking back on my own experiences this semester, I'm very thankful for the things God has been doing in my own life.  It has been a very different year for me personally than the previous year.  God had other things in store for me, that I wasn't necessarily aware of (or ready for!)  Perhaps a second kick at the can allowed for more confidence, a greater level of comfort with my fellow staff, and more opportunity to get involved.  Those opportunities came largely in being more involved in the classes of the students.  I had the opportunity to teach a class called Music Ministry, focussing on what it means to worship and how to effectively lead others (well, that was the intention anyways!)  I have done some teaching and preaching in the past, though my experience was quite limited!  And though I have done it in Spanish before, this took on a whole new level, having to teach some each week.  Those first classes, my heart was pounding pretty much since the night before each class right through till the end of the class!  The preparation was always rewarding but the actual teaching still always felt like an uphill battle.  By the end of this semester, I can say that I actually got to the point of looking forward to the next class, (a miracle in and of itself!)  I thank God for these opportunities to step out of the boat, onto a windblown lake, and seeing Him proving Himself faithful as He never left my side.  I trust and pray that the students learned (even half) as much as I have.  I also had the opportunity to take in a couple of other courses taught by some other teachers which I may have the opportunity to teach in the year(s) to come.

One other quick update on the Arizpe front, Benny is doing very well with the church.  He keeps telling me of new people going to the services, some who have returned after not having gone for some time and others who have never gone to church.  That is exciting to hear!  He has a third person in the rehab center which is also great.  There is an opportunity for those who want to be involved.  At the end of this month (April 30) is Dia del Niño, Children's Day, which is a pretty big day in Mexico.  Many churches use this day to have activities aimed towards the children.  Often this involves carnival type activities, parties, and giving out little gifts (like stuffed animals, small toys, etc.)  Benny has asked for help to get some small gifts for 30 children, the amount of children he is expecting that day.  If any of you would want to be involved, let me know!

There are of course many ways you can keep us in your prayers including:

* Of course, Benny's ministry, the rehab center and the congregation he is working with
* Our final week - for the students as they start thinking about transitioning back to their homes and ministries
* Us as staff - wisdom, discernment, love, courage, all the things we need to be vessels of Christ for these students

Thank you for your faithful prayers!  God bless you for them!