"This look different from up here!" No one really has the opportunity to say that where I'm from, in southern Manitoba, unless you drive up what we call "The Pembina Hills" not too far from where I grew up. It is really the only place where you get a vantage point to see how flat the land really is! I think that is a large reason why I enjoy hiking the hills that surround San Carlos, especially the iconic Tetakawi peaks (I know many of you have climbed it as well!) At a 1000 foot vertical hike, it really does bring perspective. The odd thing about how God works, though, is that perspective perhaps comes more from the low points or challenges rather than (or maybe in addition to) the high points. I think this year has been one of those perspective-shaping years - or maybe we are still grappling to find perspective with everything that is going on.
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| A view of San Carlos with Tetakawi in the background |
Among the perspective-shaping events that we as a staff and I personally have experienced was the passing of one of our dearly loved co-workers, José Luis. A couple of weeks ago a dearly loved friend also passed away, someone whom I had the chance to work with regularly in the worship team here at San Carlos Community Church. About a month ago a young man who was battling cancer, someone well known here in the Christian community, also passed away. Maybe there are few perspective-changers like death itself. It was actually two weeks ago when I had the opportunity to preach about our citizenship in Heaven - it just "happened" to be the morning when we got news that my fellow worship-leader, friend and sister-in-Christ, Becki, had passed away early that very morning. The message that God had already placed on my heart months ago was perfectly suited for the occasion, seeing how Christ's death and resurrection was a shocking and unforeseen upending of reality. Actually it wasn't reality that changed so much as it challenged people to see things as they really were. Even the disciples didn't see it coming, really - it was hard for people, at first, to grasp the significance of what God truly accomplished on the cross. What it meant, though, was that our true identity was shown not to be defined by anything found solely in "this world." Rather than "accepting yourself" or "embracing your dreams" we are invited to and encouraged to embrace Christ, really knowing Him - then one begins to understand that our citizenship is in Heaven, and that Heaven, more than a place to go to one day will be an all-out reunion with Him. Having this perspective will change the way that I live here, not as a citizen but as a foreigner who is passing through. It is things like death (or pandemics, restrictions, or really anything that shakes me out of my comfort-zone) that help me grasp a little bit deeper my true identity in Christ and my real home in Heaven. (If you want to hear both this message and the one following it, you can do so here: Living as Citizens of Heaven Part 1 and Living as Citizens of Heaven Part 2.)
While the pandemic continues to disrupt regular activities, we continue to look forward, Lord willing, to another season of CEC this coming January. Normally we would be travelling extensively, both recruiting and connecting with students, but that has, for obvious reasons, been put on hold for another year. Several activities that would take place in fall (a conference, a missions module with Millar College of the Bible, Consiervos missions training program) have had to be cancelled or reduced in time (Consiervos will be running for about a month instead of two). This has enabled me, this year, to have some time to do a lot of reading as well as studying in addition to other, regular activities. I am enrolled for a third seminary course this year through Briercrest (one of the few "blessings" of covid - all of the classes are now being offered online!) on the book of Romans.
As for many of us, it has been a different kind of year, but one that has brought its own kind of blessings. It has been a year of learning, but not only "theological concepts" (though many of the classes I have taken have helped shape and reinforce both the classes I teach and the overall shape of CEC's program); it has been a year of deeper learning. Different circumstances have shown me, or maybe better said, have brought to the surface where some of my deeper allegiances have been...and sadly to say, they have not been entirely in God Himself. For me it has been the difference between wanting what God has for me (or wanting Him to give me something), to just wanting Him...it can be a subtle but significant difference that makes all the difference! I wish I could say that I've figured it out (not even Paul could say that! See Phil 3:12), but I think I'm slowly getting my bearings as I learn to more deeply value Him and my relationship with Him more than anything else.
Thanks for bearing with me on this reflective rant! (Congrats to those who have made it this far!) In the midst of all of this, we continue to march onward, looking forward to the coming year. Three months out, I have been working together with the team on planning out the classes and arranging teachers. We are also starting a more dedicated campaign (FB, word-of-mouth, etc.) to recruit students for this coming year. Thankfully, we are largely in "green" in Mexico (though even in "red" we continue to live life fairly normally with restrictions) and we foresee no major obstacles for running CEC this coming year.
Please pray for:
* Students for both first and second year
* Continued unity for us as a staff as we navigate making plans
* Please continue to pray for our students who are on the field living out what they learned and experienced here at CEC.
Thanks for your continued support and prayers! ¡Dios les bendiga!
