Six weeks are gone, just like that! We are almost at the halfway point and each week seems to be picking up more and more speed. It's been quite a ride so far but all in all we are excited with the students that God has brought us and how we se Him at work in their lives! Before I go any further, read up on our students below or click here to view a write up of students.
It has been a fairly intense first month for myself with the majority of my teaching responsibility already taken care of. For the first four weeks my role was taking the students through the different spiritual disciplines, focusing on their relationship with the Lord first and foremost. Often the highlights of their experiences while at school are the "desert times" which take place once every other week. They are an opportunity to get away from the routine of school, the constant noise of living in community, and to spend some extended one on one time with the Lord. We literally take them out into the desert where they find a little bit of shade, their Bible, some water, and just spend several hours in prayer, meditating on the Word, and just listening to God's voice.
The students have come with such a hunger to learn and have been very receptive to each and every one of the classes. They have mixed together so well, forming one solid group, with no one being left out. We've seen them get excited in opening in the Word and learning how to study it more profoundly and indepthly, seeing what God has to say behind each word and detail.
For myself it has been a good challenge and a stretching experience being in class almost every day. The first four weeks for myself were centred on the spiritual disciplines and last week I started into a course on music ministry. As a foundation we took a look at the Old Testament Tabernacle to see what it looks like to approach God which later on we will build off of as we look at what it means to worship and how to lead others in worship. I have to say that the process of teaching and daily being in the Word in preparation (and sensing deeply that inadequacy and need for God!) has been a good experience. I know that some days I've leaned on Him more so than others, and those are always the days that go better! As obvious and basic as this truth is, like Peter getting out of that boat, even though he had Jesus standing on the water in front of him, still got overwhelmed by the wind and the waves around him. As challenging as these experiences are at times, what a great testament they are to His goodness, mercy and strength!
We as a staff are very excited with what we see happening. Thanks for your prayers and keep praying for us. As things have moved from the freshness of the first couple of weeks to the routine that naturally develops, pray for energy and strength for us as staff, for a continued freshness in the student's lives, in their relationships with the Lord and as they continue to study His Word, that it would shape not just their understanding but their hearts! ¡Dios les bendiga!
Monday, February 23, 2015
Monday, January 12, 2015
Day One
We're coming to the end of the first 12 hours with our new students, some having arrived already yesterday evening and the rest showing up this morning. We have 7 students so far with another two possibly on the way hopefully within the next couple of days (pray that all would fall into place for them to make it here si Dios quiere, if God so desires!) What a wonderful group of students so far! I apologize for no pictures, they will be forthcoming soon!
Today was spent in orientation, laying down some of the structure of the schools, expectations, all those typical first day activities. Later on in the afternoon as staff we took some time to share our stories, how we came to know Christ and also how we came to be serving at the school. It's always hard to gauge things on the first day but by every indication that we see so far, we have an excellent group of students, whose hearts are clearly to serve the Lord and with a deep passion to learn. One young couple comes from the southeast end of the country, close to Veracruz, having spent several days on bus to get out here. They come with two young children, 2 years and less than 1 year, I believe. A pastor has joined us from a church up in the mountains northeast of us, about 4 hours away. Another young man has come who is from Honduras originally but has spent the last 10 years here in Mexico and the last year or so as a believer. He has a tremendous testimony of how God rescued him from a past in drug addiction. Another three young people come from a local church in Guaymas whom had been a part of the conferences that we had earlier this fall. We are hoping that a pastor's wife from neighbouring Emplame as well as an older man who has regular services in his home in Hermosillo will be able to take care of some business concerns and show up in the next day or two.
As first days typically go, everyone was relatively reserved and quiet but everyone has come with a passion to serve the Lord and a desire to grow and learn to be able to be more effective in their ministries. As a staff we are super excited to finally step out of planning mode into action.
Tomorrow is my debut in teaching a new course, Spiritual Disciplines. God has been placing on my heart not just the material and focus for the course but in my life personally, this deep need we have to send our roots down deep into Him. Our relationship with Him is so very important and vital, something that needs to be so central in our lives. Reading through the Psalms or through some of Paul's writings one can hear these very things and it makes me realize how far I have yet to go! Pray for me as I teach; I'm thankful that it's the Holy Spirit who is the actual present Teacher and I just pray that He would speak through those classes exactly what each of the students need to hear!
Thanks for your prayers!
Today was spent in orientation, laying down some of the structure of the schools, expectations, all those typical first day activities. Later on in the afternoon as staff we took some time to share our stories, how we came to know Christ and also how we came to be serving at the school. It's always hard to gauge things on the first day but by every indication that we see so far, we have an excellent group of students, whose hearts are clearly to serve the Lord and with a deep passion to learn. One young couple comes from the southeast end of the country, close to Veracruz, having spent several days on bus to get out here. They come with two young children, 2 years and less than 1 year, I believe. A pastor has joined us from a church up in the mountains northeast of us, about 4 hours away. Another young man has come who is from Honduras originally but has spent the last 10 years here in Mexico and the last year or so as a believer. He has a tremendous testimony of how God rescued him from a past in drug addiction. Another three young people come from a local church in Guaymas whom had been a part of the conferences that we had earlier this fall. We are hoping that a pastor's wife from neighbouring Emplame as well as an older man who has regular services in his home in Hermosillo will be able to take care of some business concerns and show up in the next day or two.
As first days typically go, everyone was relatively reserved and quiet but everyone has come with a passion to serve the Lord and a desire to grow and learn to be able to be more effective in their ministries. As a staff we are super excited to finally step out of planning mode into action.
Tomorrow is my debut in teaching a new course, Spiritual Disciplines. God has been placing on my heart not just the material and focus for the course but in my life personally, this deep need we have to send our roots down deep into Him. Our relationship with Him is so very important and vital, something that needs to be so central in our lives. Reading through the Psalms or through some of Paul's writings one can hear these very things and it makes me realize how far I have yet to go! Pray for me as I teach; I'm thankful that it's the Holy Spirit who is the actual present Teacher and I just pray that He would speak through those classes exactly what each of the students need to hear!
Thanks for your prayers!
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
A December Recap
Saludos, greetings from San Carlos! They say that somehow Christmas is just around the corner. It's kinda easy to lose track of things like that - there's no snow lying on the group, there's few Christmas lights strung up, but I have hauled out the hoodie and the pants for a number of evenings. I won't share the temperature we've been going down to because I'd be embarrassed to have the Manitoba crowd know at what temperature I'm sporting such "winter" clothing.
So, moving right along, I just want to give you a quick recap of things going on over the past little while and things coming up. Here's a quick summary:
That's about it for now. Time is cruising by and between the preparation, the group coming, and whatever else lies between, the school year will be here before we know it. We covet your prayers in all of this! ¡Dios les bendiga!
So, moving right along, I just want to give you a quick recap of things going on over the past little while and things coming up. Here's a quick summary:
CONFERENCE
The week I got back from MB (beginning of November) we had a week of conferences, one running Monday to Wednesday on the theme of Living An Authentic Christian Life and from Thursday to Saturday where the author of a curriculum we've made a lot of use of called Firm Foundations presented it to pastors and people involved in ministry in their churches. Between the two conferences we had about 50+ participants here all week and were blessed to be able to be a part of building up and encouraging men and women from the local churches.TEAM FROM BC
A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to host a team from a supporting church in British Columbia. I had the pleasure of getting to know a number of them two years ago, right at the beginning of my time here at CEC, when they last came down. They came down with just over 20 people and got an incredible amount of work done, painting, building cabinets, various welding projects, and did some major work in landscaping a little garden with a fire pit with a wonderful ambiance to chat with someone or spend some time with the Lord. Thanks a tonne to the incredible group of people who came down and not only got so much done but were a huge encouragement to us!PREPARATIONS FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR
Just last week we got together as the full-time staff to hash through plans for the coming school year. We are looking forward to about a dozen or so students who are interested at this point, some already more or less confirmed. This is a huge blessing as often in the past at this time we have even wondered whether there would more than a handful of students! We as a staff are excited for what God has in store. We are encouraged as team and sensing a real unity as we approach this year. Keep us as well as the students in your prayers as we continue to lay out the groundwork for this coming school year.PREPARING CLASS MATERIAL
This has been my major focus over the past couple of weeks as I've got two classes I'm focussing on at this point, one I taught last year - Music Ministry and a new one (for me) that I have the privilege of taking on this year, Spiritual Disciplines. It has been a humbling and inspiring walk through a number of the spiritual disciplines. I think I'm pretty lucky to be able to just spend these days studying, spending time with God, and getting a sense for what He wants to speak through these classes. As is often the case, He seems to have things to say to me first, before I even think about what to share in the class. Actually, over the past year or more I've been sensing His call to a much deeper relationship with Him, something that requires an investment of our time, our focus. But God meets us powerfully when we open ourselves up to Him and that's really the essence of the spiritual disciplines, isn't it? I'm excited to be able to share that with the students and pray that they will hunger and thirst for a deeper relationship with the Lord. Pray for me as I continue to study and prepare!BMC GROUP COMING!
I'm excited for my church, the Blumenort Mennonite Church to be sending a team out arriving here shortly after Christmas and spending just over a week down here. We're putting together the schedule, finding places for them to serve and to get to know not just the ministry but some of the students who have come through school, so that can get a feel for what God is doing here in Mexico through this ministry. I am very much looking forward to seeing them here! Pray for this time, that they would be encouraged, and that God would lead us to all the places where we can be His hands, His feet, His voice, and whatever He needs!That's about it for now. Time is cruising by and between the preparation, the group coming, and whatever else lies between, the school year will be here before we know it. We covet your prayers in all of this! ¡Dios les bendiga!
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