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!