It's been one the busier fall seasons that I can remember, and the busiest winter season is just around the corner!  Here's a recap of what's going on (what you're prayers have been invested in!) and what's around the corner.

CONSIERVOS

The first ever missions-training program Consiervos (Bondservants) is approaching its final days.  Six students from all around Mexico have taken part of this 10-week cross-cultural missions training program.  This Friday they will head back to their respective homes further equipped with many tools and a deeper understanding of the challenges that lie in fulfilling the Great Commission, going to the ends of the earth until people have responded to the call to discipleship from every nation (literally every ethnic group.)  Many of these students are CEC alumni, so it has been a privilege to continue to walk alongside them and to see how the Lord is fanning into flame a greater desire for and sense of the need for cross-cultural missions.  Even within Mexico there are still a number of unreached ethnic groups who are in need of evangelical churches being planted within their remote communities.

Bondservants Class of 2019!

MOUNTAIN TRAINING TRIP

Along this line, there has been a cooperative effort between local ministries (Casa de Esperanza) and local churches to strengthen a young church in the southern mountain region of Sonora amidst the ethnic group called, the Guarijío.  Over the past few years a number of teams have travelled to some of the villages, accessible only on foot, to share the Gospel and encourage the church there.  Directly related to this work there, one young man, Juan David, came and studied at CEC this past year.  He is from one of the villages, and came down with the goal of strengthening his foundation in the Bible so that he could be a greater help in the church and in his communities.  I had the chance to see him a week ago and "had my socks blessed off" seeing how his hunger for the Word has only increased and how God is using him powerfully, even despite his age, 23 years old.  He shared how he had completed a 40 day partial fast for the purpose of digging deeper into the Word as he passionately shared verse after verse and how the Lord was working through him in different situations in his community.

From December 16-20 there is a trip planned that will focus on a more systematic teaching for the believers in these villages - laying down some foundational truths that will under-gird and reinforce the message of the Gospel.  About a dozen people (myself included) will spend 3 days of teaching through Genesis 1 through 4 in one of the villages.  Pray for us as we seek to be as relevant as we can be in a cultural setting that we are only beginning to understand.  Pray that the people would be receptive and would be able to capture (in their second language, Spanish) these foundational Christian teachings.  We are excited, especially having seen how God is at work in this people group, and to know that we are a part of what He is doing.

CEC APPLICATIONS

We got our first CEC application for January 2020!  This may sound like it's on the late side, but I think this might be one of the earliest applications we've ever received!  There are a number of people who are very interested in coming and in the process of filling out application forms; we are excited with the prospect of adding the second level this coming March.  There are a lot of exciting things around the corner - we just need students!  Please pray with us, that God would open the way for those He wants to come, and that whatever obstacle might be in the way, each prospective student would trust Him and see Him make the way possible.

As always, thanks for your continued prayers!  God bless!  !Dios les bendiga!

Missions, Millar, and Mmmmm...More Students

Missions

We have finished three weeks of the Consiervos (Bondservants) missions course, with the six students enrolled currently on the field, visiting a mission that works with an indigenous tribe.  For some it will be a very new experience and comes right after having spent a week dedicated to transcultural topics such as understanding worldview and cultural differences, and then what it looks like to share the Gospel into these different cultural settings.  So over the course of these two weeks they will have a first hand experience of being in a very different culture and seeing an established mission at work.

The students and staff of Consiervos 2019

Following these two weeks we will have another five weeks of classes with these students with the program winding down at the end of the first week of December.

Millar

During this two week "break" we are hosting a group of students from Millar College of the Bible's Sunnybrae Campus - 10 students who are taking a 2 credit hour missions module here at CEC.  This week we are spending the mornings in class hearing from different people teach on a variety of topics who have had experience in missions.  Next week we will get out into the community in a few opportunities to get some exposure to what it is like to be and to serve in a cross-cultural setting.

Between Consiervos and Millar, it has been a MISSIONS focussed month here, and it has been very refreshing.  It is so good to be reminded of not only the need that is around us constantly, but to see what God is doing all over the world, being exposed to those needs, and seeing the challenges in meeting them.  There is something so refreshing and so important in being reminded of the importance of missions, wherever we are.

More Students

We are three months out from the next CEC course, which begins on January 20th.  Details are coming together but one of the highest priorities right now is the recruitment of students.  This always presents itself as a challenge being in the last-minute culture that we are in, here in Mexico.  However, we are trying to be as proactive as we can to get students signed up as soon as possible, for their sake and for ours.  Probably the greatest thing we can do, proactively, is to pray, and you can definitely help us with that!  With the second year beginning this coming year, we are praying for up to 15 first year students, and up to 10 second year students (this would be the absolute max).  Please pray that connections would be made, and that people would see God open doors for them regarding common difficulties such as leaving ministries, making arrangements for family, and also finances to be able to come.  We pray that God will bring together another excellent group of students who can return to their homes, communities, and churches, being even more effective witnesses for God.  God bless each one of you and thank you for your prayers and support!  ¡Dios les bendiga!

Day One

Yes, it's a little early to be writing about Day 1 of the next CEC school cycle, and indeed it as, as school only starts at the end of January.  But today was still an exciting Day 1, however, of the new Consiervos (Bondservants) Missionary Training Program (here's a link for some more information, in Spanish: https://www.facebook.com/programaconsiervos/) that is being hosted at CEC.  It is a year long program that begins with 2 months of training focussed on equipping deacon-missionaries in cross-cultural missions.  What is a deacon-missionary you might ask?  (Good question!)  Though perhaps not a technical term, it is the idea of those who make up the missionary team, in any form whatsoever, serving the end task of planting churches where the Gospel has not yet been preached.  When we think of missionaries (specifically church planters) we think of those pioneers who enter into new cultures and languages with the goal of making disciples.  The reality is, though, that this is accomplished by a team of people who serve in various roles (almost any profession can be employed in the service of missions...,) all with the same goal.  This program which began today, will look at the various challenges that come with cross-cultural missions and, built on a biblical foundation, equip the young men and women who have enrolled for those challenges on the missions field.

Day 1 Orientation

Six young men and women have joined us (four of whom are actually CEC alumni, and one who has been on staff with us).  The course is being run by two missionary couples who have dedicated their lives through Latin America to cross-cultural missions.  We as CEC are standing by and assisting in any way we can - we are very excited about the program because it is fulfilling part of the future vision that we had for the school in implementing part of the program focussing specifically on missions.  My role will include the areas of teaching, music, support in whatever way I can, as well as the occasional recreational outing (which just might include a hike up Tetakawi!)

I'm sure you will hear more about this over the course of the next months, but for now, join in prayer with us as we embark on something entirely new.  New means lots of uncertainty, but it also means lots of excitement, knowing that God has some awesome things in store for the coming weeks.  Pray for my part in this program, especially as I teach some classes including History of Missions, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Gifts, and some other themes (I still have some prep work to do....)  Don't forget to pray for our students that are coming (and maybe don't even know it yet!) for the coming CEC school year that will begin in 2020 - that also includes the 2nd year program which is another new venture for CEC.

It would seem that this is the season of new things...we'll have to see what else new is around the corner!  Thanks for your prayers...as always they are deeply appreciated and valued.  ¡Dios les bendiga!

Mission Possible

CEC'S MISSION:

To provide and facilitate access to biblical training, empowering and equipping servant-leaders to proclaim the Gospel with an emphasis on discipleship for the edification of the Church of Christ. 

One of our central focusses in the school is to provide access to biblical training specifically for those who for various reasons have not had the opportunity for further biblical preparation.  Time and time again I am blown away at the passion that many have in Mexico to serve God with all of their hearts, giving freely of their lives to serve the people in their communities; though, as seems to be the case everywhere, there is always a need for more people, there are so many who are serving God wholeheartedly.  If there is a greater need, it is to provide an opportunity to be further grounded in the Word so that they can be even more effective in their ministry.  This was the vision for and the mission of CEC right from the beginning.

This mission is what leads us to places like the small town we visited last week in the centrally located state of Michoacan.  Missionaries have been working with the local indigenous people for a number of years, establishing churches in the area, and we were able to see some of the fruits of those labours, also hearing stories about the hardships they have had to endure working in very closed  environments.  In a town such as the one we visited, sharing the Gospel has come up against some very strong barriers because the habitants of the town jealously guard their own culture, even to the extent of not allowing outside people to move in and live there simply because they had not grown up there.  But through perseverance, and by God's grace, a church has been established in this town.  We got the chance to meet with the young man, Isidro, who comes from the town and has stepped up to the role of pastoring this young church.  Our hosts, Pete and Cathy, missionaries who are doing a wonderful job at helping the work in this area, shared their burden of seeing this young man and his wife go to CEC to help further their ministry in this little town.  

Pastor Isidro (in the middle) together with his family

Our goal in CEC is to reach specifically people such as Pastor Isidro and others like him who are serving God and haven't had the opportunity for any biblical training whether the reasons be for funding (many Bible schools in Mexico are quite expensive) or for reasons of time (many programs running anywhere from 2 to 4 years).  The economic situation in this small communities is often tough and the commitment even to get away for the 14-week program we offer is a significant amount of time.  So we continue to pray for people like this family as we go out on the road making new connections like these.  Our goal in the future is also to do some on-the-road training so that we can be of further encouragement, especially in these more remote areas.  It's neither mission impossible nor mission accomplished but one in which we constantly see God moving and are excited to see how He will continue to do so.

Please keep praying for potential students!  We know that the investment that they make in getting away for those 14 weeks is always worth it.  Also, if you are interested in helping to support the school (which in turn helps keep the costs stay minimal for those who enrol), please let me know - I'd be glad to share more about those ongoing needs.  Thanks for your continued prayers!  In this "off-season" we continue to visit, promote, and plan, preparing for this coming school season.  ¡Dios les bendiga!

Greener on the Other Side

You've all thought it before, "Maybe it is greener on the other side..." Well, in this case, it kind of is the case... Did you know that, when referring to the US from within Mexico (at least, northern Mexico), it's often referred to as "the other side," (el otro lado, as in the other side of the border.) So, in referring to Canada, I'm on the other side of the other side, and yes, as you can tell from the picture below, it definitely is greener on the other side (of the other side...) than the Sonoran desert I left behind just the other day.

A LOOK BACKWARDS

The past couple of months since school finished in April, has been a time of getting back into a regular routine (whatever "regular" means...), planning for the coming school year and making new recruitment connections for CEC, among the other extra-CEC activities including being a part of the worship team at SCCC (San Carlos Community Church), continuing to work on some online Briercrest courses, and other opportunities as they arise. In a sense, this time is a bit of recuperation time from the intensity of the CEC course, as well as a preparation for what is to come. This coming year in particular has some very exciting things coming up.

A LOOK FORWARDS

In particular, we at CEC are excited about partnering together with a missionary we have known for a long time who has worked with an indigenous people group in Mexico and has had on his heart the desire to train Mexican missionaries for the work of cross-cultural missions here in Mexico. Beginning at the end of September through to the beginning of December, a training program (run similar to how CEC is run though with a specific missions focus) will run out of CEC's facility. I am looking forward to helping out where I can and will be doing some teaching together with a number of people who have had experience in missions. It's exciting to see what the first time around will hold as there are already a number of excited prospective students. Consiervos is the name of the program, or "Fellow Servants." The first part of the training consists of the above mentioned class-room training and will be followed by a one-year internship program where students will be mentored on the field in different missions around Mexico. Pray for the staff involved and for students whom God would have come this coming September!

Also exciting for us as staff at CEC is the first offering of the 2nd year program. To be clear we actually aren't going to call it "2nd year" but rather "followup" or "seguimiento", the reason being that this has nothing to do with levels but rather just continuing on in being faithful in the call to discipleship, both in being and in making disciples. One never really "arrives" or graduates at being a disciple, rather we just continue on in our call, (hopefully!) growing and maturing in the process. This is what we want to convey to the students, along with the fact that we too continue to be on this process together with them.

The followup program will run from March through April, 8 weeks in length, corresponding with the final 8 weeks of the 14-week program we currently offer. This has brought with it a fair bit of additional planning, and also will make an already-intense 14 weeks that much more intense, but it will be very exciting to see this finally come to fruition. It has been something that we've talked about for years and it seems that the pieces are fitting into place to make it happen (and happen well) this coming year.

So, that leaves me at the present, enjoying some cooler temperatures (and greener landscapes) in Manitoba. This is perhaps the calm before the storm, being able to get away for a bit and spend time with my home Church, family, and friends in Manitoba. Please don't hesitate to look me up! I'll be here through until the middle of August and would love to connect. Thanks for your prayers and please continue to pray for the new ventures coming up throughout the rest of this year and into the next. God bless each one of you! ¡Dios les bendiga!

God is in the details

You're probably familiar with the phrase, "the devil is in the details..." especially if you're the one putting the plans together! Often things aren't as simple as they may seem and hidden surprises spring up out of nowhere in those details never imagined. Yet for a Christian, it seems all too often that it's in the details where God shows up. Sometimes they are called "coincidences" yet how many coincidences does it take until something can no longer be called a coincidence??

Yesterday was one of the days full of "coincidences" where God continued to show up in the details. We set out early in the morning, myself together with one set of my adopted Mexican parents (Omar & Christina whom a number of you have had the privilege to meet) for a town about 200km from San Carlos, up the coast, called Bahía de Kino. Omar & Christian had lived there a number of years ago and they wanted to take me there to find and meet some pastors with the purpose of sharing the vision of the school, something that we are wanting to do more intentionally this year, especially closer to home, here in the state of Sonora. We hit the road with no particular destination other than arriving specifically at this town, to ask around for the local churches and meet the pastors.

On the way we passed through a small town, maybe 500 people or so and decided to ask around for a local evangelical congregation. "Coincidentally," the first person we saw "happened" to be the nephew of the pastor and pointed across the street from the store he was at to the pastor's house. The pastor, "happened" to know one of our teachers well who lived less than an hour away and belong to the denomination (Calvary Chapel) of one of our other teachers, also knowing him well. So after sharing a little about "this school in San Carlos," the connections were quickly made to the people we had in common, and as it turned out he had already been to one of our conferences a couple of years back at CEC. It indeed is a small world.

Receiving some direction from this pastor, we arrived at our destination and located a pastor of the same denomination who obviously knew very well the same teacher who has taught with us over the years. We also sought out the church Omar & Christina had been apart of many years ago only to find the pastor who is in charge now is the brother-in-law of the person whom they knew from many years ago. A careful review of the history and a catching up of where every is and has been serving then took place over a cup of coffee. This was then followed up by a visit to another pastor who, as it turns out, knows well not only our director, but the founder of our mission (BMSLA), and had been a part of a church plant where one of our other teachers is now the full-time pastor. (If I've lost you, you now have a thorough understanding of how the mennonite game works!)

All of this to say that, God often shows up in these details, having worked things out long before, and as we just move forward in obedience, we find that He has put things together in ways that only He can. It's neat to make these connections and be able to share first hand with these pastors the vision for CEC, and to see their enthusiasm for the opportunities that CEC provides. It seems to happen more often than not that we as Christians, no matter how close or far they may live away, we find that we are all connected, not just spiritually, but even our paths form this spider-web of connections that only God can and continues to weave together.

I suppose in one sense we may have "failed" at making new connections, but we were in every way encouraged knowing that God had led us to the people we needed to meet. We rejoice in these connections that are "re-discovered" and strengthened as we work together for the same goal, serving the same God. It's still early, but we are thinking about and praying for the next group of students for 2020. We plan for a maximum of 15 students for the first year course, and an additional 10 for the followup course (which will be the first time it is offered.)

Thanks for your prayers and continue to pray not only for the students who recently returned to their homes but those over the years who have been faithfully serving the Lord following their time at CEC. Pray also for those who may be discouraged and for those who are not walking faithfully with the Lord at this time.

!Dios les bendiga!

Endings and Beginnings

We're just over a week from finishing this year's class - all the students are back at home, carried their by the excitement of the things that they've learned while at CEC, changed by God's hand at work in each and every one of their lives. There were no final exams (actually there were no exams, essays, or similar assignments to speak of at all!) but perhaps they're facing the final exam as we speak - the reality of living the reality they experienced here in CEC now forming their new reality! Have I lost you yet? Let me unpack it a little by the way of "bubbles".

Class of 2019

Every year seems to have its own themes and one recurring theme this year was the talk about bubbles. This was somewhat reinforced with the alumni who returned for a two week celebration of CEC's ten year anniversary. We heard from the returning-students, each one overjoyed to return to CEC, reminiscing about all that they experienced and more than anything, the family that they became a part of. One student in particular made the remark, "I feel like I've come home." Many describe it as a bubble, and in a sense, that is exactly what it is. With no responsibilities other than studying, learning, and memorizing Scripture, one grows in leaps and bounds - one doesn't even have to worry about cooking; other than daily chores and dishes, the time is dedicated and devoted to being in God's Word - how can one not grow??

The evidence of grown comes in many forms in each one of the students. Beyond the perspective-change that comes from a greater understanding of God's Word, transformation takes place as students recognize areas in their lives that need to be changed, decisions that need to be made, people that need to be forgiven, dreams for ministry that form or are affirmed - and all of this builds to the inevitable climax of eventually returning home.

This is where the bubble illustration can break down - it may seem as though each student now leaves the bubble to enter "reality" and yet this is not what we desire for each student to experience. On the contrary, though the time here in CEC has many advantages to it that perhaps one does not experience leaving, what we try to live here during these 14 months, is not just a bubble, as though it's an alternate reality or a make-believe community, but rather reality itself based on how God has completely changed us through Christ's death and resurrection. More than just learning through the classes, our goal is to live in community, learning together, shaping and being shaped by each other and ultimately learning to live in light of the reality of who God is and what He has done for us. Our goal is that each student would learn to live this with greater authenticity, and continue to do so once they leave CEC, in their families, in their communities, and in their churches. If we were to continue with the bubble illustration, it would be to continue to live out what they experienced while at CEC - to take their bubble with them, so to speak.

I know it all sounds neat and tidy on paper, and the reality is messy, but so was life over the past 14 weeks. Living in community is never easy. Confronting areas in our lives (and being confronted) is never easy. But there is a reason the Bible does not condone lone-ranger Christians but rather the Believing Community - the Church. "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing..." More than just "going to church" I believe this is encouraging us to live in community, in spiritual community; "...but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Heb 10:25).

If you think of it, pray for our students, that they would not become discouraged but that they would continue to live out in their homes, communities, and churches, everything that they learned while in CEC. We are encouraged to hear from them, and to hear that they are encouraged as they do just that. Thanks for all of your continued prayers! ¡Dios les bendiga!

Day Number 17, But Who's Counting?

Tomorrow will bring us to the quarter-way mark of our semester together...in some ways it feels like we've already been together for months and yet it has only been just over three weeks.  I apologize for the lack of updates - don't for a minute think that I don't appreciate you or covet your prayers!  On the contrary we have been lifted up by them and know that many have been praying.  God has been at work not only in the students but in us as staff as well.

This year God brought us nine students, ranging in age from 17 to into the sixties.  Perhaps I identify even more with this group as a number of them are people who have grown up in Christian homes.  They come from different parts of the country though the majority are here from the state of Sonora.  It's an open group, an interactive group, an energetic group (every free moment we're playing...or attempting to play volleyball), and a group that each day is showing a hunger for a deeper understanding of who God is.

Back (L to R): Jesús (Jalisco), Alexis (Jalisco), Leydi (Nayarit), Carmen (Sonora), Dariana (Sonora),                   José Antonio (Sonora) Front: Juan (Sonora), José Luis (Sonora), Jonathan (Sonora)

Being together 24-7 has its advantages and disadvantages.  Last week I "hit a wall" with regards to tiredness, going to bed at 8:00 one evening.  With all that is going on, including teaching, organizing, spending time with the students, etc., one gets worn out, but the advantages far out-weight these inconveniences.

Perhaps the greatest advantage is being able to see and be a part of the change that God does in each one of us, not only through the classes but outside of them as well.  Sometimes I wonder who grows and learns more: teachers or students?  One thing that I've learning personally is connected with the classes I've been teaching over the last few weeks on Spiritual Disciplines.  If I could boil it down to one essential point it would have to be John 15:5 where Jesus talks about us remaining in Him.  I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.  Those are humbling and yet empowering words.  Sometimes I'm so much more preoccupied with doing that I forget about just simply being with God and yet this is the source, the only source of life.  On the contrary, when I worry more about being with Him, the fruit will come, I cannot help but bear fruit in my life.  For myself this has become very obvious especially in teaching - for all the preparation I can do for the classes, my attitude, my posture before Him, and my connection to Him are what truly make the difference.

Another thing that I've been learning is to leave each class, truly leaving the class.  Perhaps that doesn't make much sense but I realize how easy it is to take the class with me, running over what I missed, what I could have done, etc., often feeling disappointed with what I thought "could have been."  I suppose I'm my own worst critic and I do want to continually evaluate each class so that I can improve (sometimes it hurts to admit that I am not perfect and that there will always be room for improvement).  But at the end of each class, all I can do is trust that God used it, entrusting the outcome for each person to Him.  Believe me, as simple as this sounds, it has been something that God is reminding me about - once again I believe it comes back to simply abiding in Him, trusting in Him, and realizing that it's He who does the work in each student's heart, not so much my "impressive" (or lack there-of) teaching ability!

On the other side of things, to see God at work in each and every one of the students is encouraging as well.  One student comes to mind in particular.  Without sharing details, one of our students entered CEC having committed some pretty big errors in his life only several months before coming.  In some ways coming here was a type of spiritual retreat to deal with these things personally and to draw closer to God.  Over the first few weeks, though, we as a staff noticed several things that were concerning, making us question his sincerity in being at CEC and in truly being willing to deal with the things he had done.  Last week we took the opportunity to raise these concerns with him personally, challenging him in several ways, hoping and praying that we would see a genuine, sincere response from him.  It certainly isn't the first time that we've done this with students and conversations like these have often lead to students deciding that maybe being here wasn't for them.  Praise God we have seen him respond, rising to the challenges, and most importantly showing through his actions a genuine repentance and desire to seek God.

It's exciting for us to witness these responses, to see not only people's actions but their genuine desire to seek after God - this is probably the doubled edged sword of living in community as we are: you can only hide the real you for so long (disadvantage!) but this is also the advantage in that, that's where change really happens.  This is where God begins to work in us, when we get beneath the layers of who we pretend to be and get honest with Him and with ourselves about who we really are and what is really going on inside of us.

Please don't stop praying for our students and staff!  We're only just beginning - the layers are just beginning to come off as we get to know one another.  It's not always a fun process the but results are always worth it.  ¡Dios les bendiga!