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!