Summer's Here!

It doesn't often happen where I read about tempuratures in Canada that not only rival San Carlos but surpass them! That's happened on a couple of occasions now, both in Manitoba and now in BC. It's almost like you're down here (at least identifying with me...) for a few days! For us its the beginning of several months where the common greeting now becomes, ¡Qué tal el calor? How about the heat? I guess talking about the weather, even the most obvious aspects of it, is something universal... There's been lots that has gone on since school was out at the end of April. Here's a bit of a recap over the past couple of months: 

 BONDSERVANTS (CONSIERVOS) ENGLISH COURSE 

Five students all involved in ministry here in Mexico (mostly in cross-cultural missions) have spent the last eight weeks at CEC for an English course offered by an organization of missionaries called Consiervos. If you remember from two years ago, they ran a program out of CEC's facilities aimed at equipping people involved in missions to help orient them to be better equipped to serve in a cross-cultural missions teams. We are looking forward to another group of students coming in the fall (October-November) for another Consiervos orientation. 

CHIHUAHUA TRIP

Speaking of cross-cultural missions, I recently had the opportunity to join a group of young people who headed out into the mountains south of Cuahuathemoc (the Mennonite area in the state of Chihuahua) to a village of one of the indigenous people groups in the area, a part of one of the largest of such groups in Mexico, spread out through the mountains of southern Chihuahua. Our contact was someone who runs a school for adolescants and youth of the same people group within the largely Mennonite-populated area for people from this indigenous group who have settled in that area because of the large amount of work available in the campos (work fields). 

One young lady became a believer about a year ago and we were invited to go with her into her home village. During the couple of days that we spent there we invited the members of the community and spent time with the kids in various activities, sharing the Gospel with the adults there, and also having a meal together. There were probably close to 40 people who came and spent a good part of the day together with us. One of the comments that the young lady shared with the youth was that the people not only went away happy but were also struck by how the youth got in there, sitting on the ground with them and in general making an extra effort to identify with them in many different ways. As important as sharing the Message is, it is often what is communicated without words that can make just as significant an impact, bringing validity to what is being shared. There are not Christians (yet) in this village, but our prayer more than anything else is that this woman's testimony was affirmed by our presence and our time spent there with them. 

There are many, many such villages within the mountains of Chihuahua, who have no believers, let along established churches. In fact, there are still many unreached communities within Mexico, not only remote indigenous groups such as this, but even within the populated areas of Mexico as well.

BACK IN SCHOOL 

Speaking of missions, the topic has been front and center for myself lately as I just took another online module on the Theology of Missions and Evangelism this past week through Briercrest. One of covid's benefits has been that all of the courses have been offered online instead of on campus, and I've been taking advantage of that as much as possible along with my other on-going responsibilities. I also took another course about a month ago called Discipleship and Mentoring. Both courses have been immensly practical, Discpleship and Mentoring helping to fuel ideas for and reinforce many aspects of the course offered by CEC and Missions and Evangelism offering many ideas for my teaching participation in the Consiervos course later this year. More than ideas for these programs, though, both courses have been very challenging and refreshing personally. While Missions was a reminder of how God Himself is a God who is on a mission to rescue fallen humanity (myself included!) and how I am a part of that same mission, the focus on Discipleship reminds me how we are all on mission every day in every moment - it has nothing to do with the fact that I am in Mexico, or a part of a "full-time ministry." It is just simply my calling to walk along with others as we follow Jesus together. 

UP AND COMING 

These modules always have a fair bit of homework so the next coming weeks will be spent in finishing this up. In a couple of weeks I will be heading out together with a representative of the Consiervos course, making some contacts in new areas for CEC, and hopefully recruiting students for the coming school year. I hope to get up to Canada at some point this summer, and just have to see how that will work out with all of the restrictions, etc. Once again, I greatly, greatly appreciate your prayers! You can pray for us as a school as we deal with constant changes, finding teachers, and recruiting students.  It seems like every year brings its new challenges and changes. God bless each one of you. ¡Dios les bendiga!