The Certainty of Uncertainty

I don't have to explain too much what I mean by "uncertainty;" I'm pretty sure we all have a long list of (common) things that come to mind in these days that are no longer as certain as they once were!  It is hard to make plans, to think about the future, etc. during these days, but we do the best we can in the midst of it.

Normally we would have already been doing a fair bit of connection and promo work for the coming school season; we probably would have been on the road as I write, travelling to different parts of Mexico connecting with past students and making new connections in different churches for potential students.  That was all brought to a halt for this summer and the efforts have taken a new direction (as many things have!) at a safe distance.  With that we've launched an online campaign for the coming school season with some videos that talk about what CEC is all about.  I made an "English" version with subtitles so that you too can enjoy them as well.  For those who haven't seen the videos posted on Facebook, you can view them below.  There will be more videos coming in the coming weeks highlighting different aspects of the program.

Being the Church - Two Intertwining Threads

Several things have transpired over the past couple of months that, personally, have really reinforced the vision of CEC and what it is that we desire to see happen in the lives of the students during the 4 months we have together with them.  One of those things was the online course that I was able to take in through Briercrest on the topic of Teaching and Learning where we looked at what Christian Education is all about.  (I think I mentioned this briefly in a previous post.)  What impacted me most about this class was how Jesus' example of teaching (discipleship), though it did include some "classroom" type settings, was more about a journey together with His disciples, in community.  This is probably the thing that stood out more than anything else - I have often considered discipleship as my personal walk with Jesus, but the fact is that discipleship for the disciples was also a function of community.  Teaching opportunities arose as they walked together, lived together and ministered together.  I just submitted a paper called My Personal Philosophy of Christian Education, and though the title does not sound exciting, it really captures what CEC is all about - this communal walk of discipleship.  If you would at all be interested in reading it, you can do so here.

The other thing that coincides with this are the questions that arise over our current experiences, specifically as the Church, over the past number of weeks.  In Mexico, we are still not allowed to have public services and so continue to transmit Sunday morning worship services online.  Our experience of "church" has been greatly hindered, in a sense, but it has brought about many questions about what church should "look like" during a time like this.  We miss meeting together, not having seen many people in person for a long time.  But what does it truly mean to be the Church?  That is a question we directly and indirectly ask ourselves with the students.  How do we do church?  The question should probably be though, not how to do church but rather how to be the Church - but what does that even mean?

Our inability to meet together at church - what a second...  What did I just say?  "Our inability to meet together at church..."  There's actually two things wrong with this statement.  1) In the New Testament, the word "church" comes from the word ekklesia which means "an assembly."  Church always referred to the people and never a building - there actually were no places built specifically for the Church to meet together for several centuries and so they met in people's homes.  There was no "going to church," there simply was the Church, the people.  2) "Inability to meet?"  Who says we can't meet together?  Yes, there are restrictions in meeting publicly, a maximum number of people, etc.  but with those we can meet together with, we can encourage each other as The Church.  I think that's exactly what Hebrews 10:25 is talking - not "going to Church" but always finding ways to encourage each other as the Church, whether we have a building to do it in or not.

"Do not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

It really is one of the goals of CEC - to live together as the Church, growing together and challenging each other in our walk.  It's the journey we as Christians are all a part of and invited to walk together, wherever we are, under whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.  Maybe this raises more questions then answers, but it keeps me asking myself, What does it mean for me as a member of the Church?  What does it mean to be the Church?

The Summer

Though things have looked different this year to this point, we are still looking forward to another season of students at CEC.  We actually already have a few people who are interested in coming next January!  I am making plans to head up to Manitoba early July (and factoring in obligations for quarantining on arrival) to be able to connect with family, friends, and my church family there over July and August.  Lord willing, I look forward to connecting with many of you in the coming weeks.  

In the certainty of uncertainty, all we can do is do the best we can with what we have at hand, knowing that God is and will remain the ultimate Certainty, the One who has everything together in His hands, and is working everything out for His glory and our good.  Thanks for your continued prayers for the ministry here in Mexico!  ¡Dios les bendiga!

Magic 13

It was 13 years ago, on May 13th, that my little Honda Civic hatchback was loaded up with whatever necessary items I had to begin a 3 day road trip down to San Carlos, Mexico.  It would be the 2nd time that I would make the trek, the first one having taken place only 5 months earlier on a short-term missions trip with the then-running Crosscurrent Discipleship school from Winkler Bible Camp.  I was at a place of transition in my life, not really sure what was next.  First the opportunity for that missions trip with Crosscurrent came up, and then an opportunity to return for a longer period to the same missions center that I visited earlier in San Carlos, called Casa de Esperanza.

Well, that was 13 years ago...and what started as a four month commitment has become an "annually-renewing" adventure.  You ever wonder to yourself, "How did I get here?"  I've asked this myself many times, though only in a positive sense, amazed and how God has correlated everything as only He can, to bring me to where I am today.  I would never have imagined the privilege to be able to do what I am doing, teaching at a Bible/Discipleship school, in Mexico of all places.

Yet perhaps the greatest thing is not even so much what I'm able to do and be a part of, but to see how God has used the very journey to shape me.  There have been times where I've wondered if God has sent me to Mexico not so much for what I would do for Him but for what He would do in me.  I have learned a lot about myself, perhaps as much through error as success, and all along I have seen His patient work within me.  Sometimes I think that God places an awful lot of confidence in us, much more than we deserve, and patiently draws the best out of us.  (Even as I say this, I know that another 13 years won't even come close to completing this task!)  But I am thankful to see His goodness and faithfulness.  Each step has been significant, from the language, culture, and connections that I made during the first five years at Casa de Esperanza, to the new frontiers explored in a classroom here at CEC.  Being given the opportunity to teach was perhaps a desire hidden very deep within me, one that I barely recognized myself; even if I would have acknowledged it, fear would have kept me from even giving it a chance.  Yet the opportunities presented themselves and slowly I found myself in a place of discovering something I really enjoy and am blessed by.

However, the greatest blessing here at CEC has been the opportunity to be a part of something that seeks to transmit to the students who come some of the basic questions of what it means to be a Christian.  Discussions about what to teach go far beyond What subjects do we cover? to How do we draw the students into a more deeper and vibrant life of discipleship?  This question cannot be asked without considering what it actually means for my own life.  And these questions cannot be asked without them making some kind of affect on our own lives.  For our students and for ourselves, it goes far beyond what we ought to know, to Who we know and what that looks like in our lives.

So, in summary, (and thanks for listening to these reflective ramblings...) I thank God for these 13 years and for so many of you who have made it possible, not only to be out here, but by your prayers, that this time here has had a profound affect on my life, and by God's grace on the lives of others as well.  Here's to another 13!  ¡Dios les bendiga!

Tomorrow Is (Was) Graduation

This morning a reminder pops on my laptop: Tomorrow is CEC's Graduation.  Five weeks have already past since the hard decision was made to send the students home, but it seems more like five months with CEC feeling like a distant memory.

I had the opportunity to chat with one of the students yesterday who was going through a difficult time himself, wading through the uncertainty that is facing just about everyone these days.  Missing the regular meeting of his church family, he now finds himself working outside of his hometown, spending the week on the road, and being even more isolated from anything that is remotely close to "normal."  His isn't the only story of those who are struggling post-CEC; in and of itself, leaving CEC can be a challenge as one gets back to life and ministry after all that has been experienced here.  As we've been in contact with the students, we hear how others have faced difficult circumstances as well.

Others, though, seem to be isolated from all that is going on in the world.  One such case is Raul and his wife Sofía.  They live in a rural area in the south of Mexico, in the state of Veracruz.  Their weekly routine consists of walking through the surrounding mountains to share Bible studies to some of the local ethnic communities, of which Raul speaks their ethnic tongue.  These isolated communities are thankfully far-removed from all that is going on elsewhere, and Raul with his family are able to continue to make the several-hour trek on foot to these places several times a week.  In a sense, they have been able to return to their normal life and routine, rising early every morning to work, arriving back in the afternoon to head out and take care of the local church congregation or make the trek to the nearby villages they visit; most of their evenings are occupied with some form of ministry but every time I've talked to them, they are doing well and are encouraged, always positive, and making the most of every opportunity in front of them.

Raul & Sofía and their two boys.  The whole family makes the trek on foot several hours, several times a week to neighbouring villages for Bible studies.

Between job uncertainty, drastic changes in how to take part in ministry, isolation, and also the "shock" of leaving CEC, much has contributed to the struggles for some of the students (I think we can all identify with any number of these things...)  At the same time, in a very real sense, they, like all of us, have the opportunity to put into practice the things that they know, including many of the things learned during their time at CEC - in a sense they are on the training field now.  The communion that they experienced here in CEC (times in the desert spent with God or the group devotional times, etc.) doesn't depend on the school, or whether or not we are together, but ultimately on God and His unfailing presence in our lives.  God's sovereignty and control have not come into question either, though circumstances might seem to portray a different reality.  In the end, and this is something that we want the students to grasp while they are here at CEC, nothing experienced during their time here is dependant on CEC but solely on God Himself.  The circumstances look different, perhaps even drastically so, but He remains the same, wherever they are, as does every promise in His Word.  These circumstances we find ourselves in just might help all of us to more fully rest in His promises where under other circumstances, we actually "rested" in other things.

The students continue to need our prayers, but we know that God continues to be at work in their lives.  Thanks, as always, for your continued prayers and support.  I'm able to carry on with a number of responsibilities that I haven't had time for otherwise - some promotional material that we have badly needed so that when we are ready to get the word out for next year, we'll be ready to go, and things like that.  Staying in touch with the students is also easy to do with the many methods available.  God bless each one of you!  ¡Dios les bendiga!