Has it already been a month??

It already feels like a distant memory.  I suppose that it has already been a month since we said farewell to our fearless band of students.  Perhaps fearless was a bit of a strong word!  Faced with the prospect of leaving behind the safety of the classroom and heading back into "the real world", there's often some apprehension or at the very least, a sadness at leaving behind people you have come to know deeply and love.

Check out the video below sharing some highlights of the school semester from the students themselves and also a brief update from Benny:

This past weekend I had the chance, hitting two birds with one stone so to speak, heading out to see Benny in Arizpe, and also connecting with several of our students who live in the area.  On the way I picked up one of our students, a young man about my age, who has been overseeing a young, growing church in Hermosillo.  He's gotten right back into the midst of things, doing an excellent work with the youth, as well as with the adults of the church.  Despite being only about a year or so old, this church has grown to over 50 people, with a strong presence of young people.  If you met Gerry, you would quickly see how God has used him powerfully.  He is sensitive to God's leading and has a personality that just draws people in.

He came along with me as he wanted to see some of the other students that we would be visiting.  So, he, along with Jorge, a fellow teacher and member of our staff, crammed into my little Ford Ranger with the windows down and made the three hour (hot!) trek up into the mountains from the city of Hermosillo.

Once in Arizpe we stayed with Benny and were once again encouraged to see how God is continuing to use him and how both the church and the rehab center are seeing exciting fruits.  The first young man to enter the rehab center back at the end of last year was baptized two weeks ago and had since returned to his hometown, having completed his four months.  He had left excited and ready to serve God wholeheartedly.  While he was still in the rehab center, he had expressed interest in coming to CEC to take the first year course - he had a real desire to serve God and to grow in his relationship with God.  We will see where this goes but in the meantime keep him in your prayers as he takes on "the real world" with a different, changed perspective from his time in rehab.  I can't imagine how difficult it might be returning back to one's life but we trust that God, who began a good work in him will carry it on to completion!

Jorge, Gerry, myself, and the four guys currently in the rehab center in Arizpe

We visited a student named Alex, a young man who is actually planning to continue his studies in Canada this coming fall, going to Miller Bible College.  He's not even 20 yet but we know that God has already and will use him in powerful ways.  Heading out of school his greatest desire was to begin some small group studies, using some of the technics and material that he had learned from CEC.  As we visited with him he shared with us his plans and preparations to begin doing just that in a small town close by, where him and others are working at planting a church.

On our way back we drove through a small town where another of our students came from, Jesus.  We spent a couple of hours connecting with him, seeing where he was at, and seeing how we could encourage him.  Jesús as well left school with a lot of ambitions to get plugged into his church especially in the area of ministry with the youth and with the men.  Jesús was a little discouraged however with doors not having opened to get involved in these areas as quickly as he would have liked.  For whatever reason some of the local leadership in the church wasn't as gung-ho as he was to implement some of the new ideas, and Jesús was feeling a little discouraged.  We encouraged him as best he could, helping him to remember that his family, whether it be providing physically or spiritually is always the first priority over any ministry, and also that God would open the door in His time, in His way.

Jesus, Gerry, and myself meeting with Jesus in Banamichi

Pray for our students as you think of them!  Right here we saw examples of students getting right back into the think of things, some beginning new ministries, and some feeling discouraged with the slowness of change.  It's often a difficult transition leaving the comfort of a place like a school and returning back to "normal life" with a changed perspective.  This often presents challenges but they are necessary ones!

By the way, I wish I could say our return was without incident but it wasn't!  Already on the trip up, my truck's voltage gauge was showing a slightly lower than normal voltage reading, but it was holding steady!  Being in a small remote town I didn't have a lot of faith that in the course of two days I would be able to get it looked at and taken care of so we set out back for San Carlos with a hope and a prayer that we would arrive.  Well, this wasn't to be as a couple of hours down the road, as the voltage was slowly going down, my truck finally died.  And of course it decided to die in the middle of now where, without cell service, about 15 km from the next major town.  Hitchhiking into the next town (leaving my faithful companion Jorge with the truck), Gerry made a call to some people he knew from the church who actually made the hour and a half trip with a pickup and flatbed trailer to pick us up.  So, three hours later we returned to my truck in the darkness, loaded it up and brought it to the place Gerry was staying.  Behind close to midnight, we called it a night and wondered what we were going to do the next day, being a Sunday.  How would we get this taking care of.  But God had it taken care of.  The people who had given us a lift knew of someone they could call who came by that very Sunday morning.  Within half an hour he returned with my alternator rebuilt and by noon we were on the road!  And between gas for the tow and the rebuilt alternator I spent around $80.  Not bad for an unexpected change of plans!  God bless!

What can I say?