A Class in Review

Two weeks have passed as the dust settles from another school season. The first week after classes is lived in somewhat of a trance - exhaustion coupled with the emptiness of a school campus and a relatively free schedule.  I had the opportunity to spend some of those days with my parents as well as another couple from my church who were visiting me during the final week of classes.  It wasn't until that first full week had passed, after getting over a cold, that some semblance of the "new normal" began to take shape and with it an opportunity to look back over this school season to appreciate many of the things that took place.  Without a doubt the students go through the same process as they leave CEC.  After about a week of relative silence from them as well, we are beginning to hear how they are doing too.

The class of 2024 - I was going to put the "official" looking class photo but this one captures much more accurately their true personalities!  Back row L-R: Jesús Fernando y Yuleni, Nazaret, Luis, Jesús Ramón; front row L-R: Juan, Isaías, Ariel, Manuel, Jesús, Armando.

Without a doubt, as with every year, it is encouraging to look back and see how God works in their lives far beyond instilling in them a greater love for Scripture and a deeper understanding of who God is.   These are of course foundational and in our morning times where the students had a chance to share with each other their reflections from their daily morning Bible reading (as they read in chronological order about six chapters per day), time and again students shared how they were impacted by how they were coming to know God more deeply and truly as they spend time in His Word.  One student, reflecting on her time in CEC remarked:

"My perspective changed, my way of thinking changed, my way of living and my conduct changed, the way I express myself changed, dramatically, by coming to know God more deeply through His Word." (Yuleni)

It is always exciting to see how God works through His Word, through the classes, through the circumstances, and through the community to reveal Himself and bring about deep change in each one of the students lives.

As I think about some of the "highlights" from this past year, I can't help but notice how they are couple with what one could call "lowlights."  By lowlights, I mean challenges that the students faced where they were being confronted by circumstances in which God was at work in their lives: ultimately, to learn to rely more deeply on Him.  These highlights (and lowlights) marked not only the students lives but ours as staff as well - challenges that had to be worked through together, that caused growth in all involved.  Luis, whom I had the opportunity to mentor this year, comes to mind.  

Luis comes from the nearby fishing village, El Choyudo.  He serves faithfully in the church one of our staff members, Guillermo, pastored for many years and continues to oversee.

There were several points throughout the school season where he was ready to leave - something he openly shared with us, especially during the first weeks, asking for prayer to make it to the end.  Having grown up largely on his own (his parents abandoning him and leaving him with other relatives at the age of four), it was a challenge to live in an intense, structured community setting.  Luis came in with a love for the Bible, having learned to read not in school but out of a sincere desire to read the Bible, and was serving faithfully in his local church.  The work that I saw God do in him during his time here was in learning to live within this loving, close-knit community.  At one point in particular, he came to find me one evening after an altercation between some of the students.  It just so happened, however, that I wasn't at home.  (I had burned my hand lighting a hot-water heater and so my neighbour, a fellow staff member, Guillermo, had taken me to a doctor to get it treated.)  Luis later shared that he had come to find us to say that he was ready to leave but was "forced" to, instead, wrestle through the night with what was on his heart because he couldn't find either one of us.  He was able to find refuge in God and to work through it in prayer.  That ended up being the last time we heard from him about leaving CEC - he finished in many ways a changed person.

One other situation stands out concerning a dear brother who comes from a nearby church whose pastor has also previously been a student at CEC.  Both pastor and student are named Manuel (to make it confusing!)  Manuel had intended to come last year but due to issues with his business was not able to get things arranged for him to be away for the three and a half months of the program.  This year, however, everything fell into place.  Manuel, in many ways, also struggled with the intense structure of CEC; being a business owner, he was accustomed to relative freedom in the sense of managing his own time.  Towards the end of the program an issue arose putting into jeopardy, in a sense, his involvement in CEC and his ability to properly complete the program.  Due to a personal concern he was contemplating skipping out on our final weekend of ministry where the entire team prepares and serves in a neighbouring community, putting into practice some of the practical aspects of the training they've received.  Without going into details here, he shared what was going on in his heart with myself and a fellow staff member.  All we could do was listen, pray with him and trust the he would allow God to work in him in this matter.  To be honest, I was preparing to be disappointed by the decision Manuel might make; my co-worked, incidentally, had more faith than I did!  The final weekend went off without an issue and, thanks to God, Manuel came along and faithfully served.  I knew that it was very significant for him that he did, knowing that for him it was a significant step of faith and that God had worked in him to give him the peace necessary to be able to do so.  These seemingly "small" steps are evidence of great works done in the hearts of the students and we are privileged to walk along side them in this process.

Thanks, as always, for your continued prayers for myself, for us as a staff, and for the students as well!  May is a time of reflection, evaluation, organization, and planning for the coming year.  The students also find themselves in their home environments, missing the CEC community, but also with ample opportunity to share in both word and deed how they were impacted during their time here.  Please pray for me as this year takes shape, as plans are made, in how to best invest my time, with CEC opportunities regarding promotion and connections with students, to local opportunities to serve as well.  Also, this time after CEC is a rejuvenating time, a time to "fill up the tank" after extended withdrawals.  You can pray not only for rest but also spiritual rejuvenation and renewal for myself.  God bless each one of you...¡Dios les bendiga!

In The Dark

The "chance" meeting took place yesterday morning.  The fact that I met this couple at the Immigration Office here in Guaymas, I had to ask them where they originally were from.  While having lived in Mexico now for four years, they responded, they were in fact from Peru.  Myself, while having lived in San Carlos now for 16 years, was from Canada, I shared with them - they had always wanted to visit San Carlos.  He was a teacher of philosophy and world religions.  I shared that I too was a teacher, in a Bible School.  Their eyes lit up - they too were Christians, missionaries, in facto, who had been involved in planting churches and he also having taught practical theology including topics such as church growth and discipleship.  

Within half an hour numbers were exchanged and it wasn't more than a couple of hours later, as I was arriving home, that I got a call from him, Antonio, wanting to see if him and his wife Daisy could swing by to not only visit San Carlos but also come by and see the school for themselves.  With a brochure and an application in hand, they left after a tour of the school, excited about the ministry of CEC, both parties being blessed by the "chance" encounter.  Only God knows what will come of it, but this incident seems to capture a recurring theme over the past months.

I would have thought that this fall would have been more relaxed with the missions program Consiervos having been cancelled due to a low number of potential students - it would have run during the months of October and November.  Yet, this has probably been one of the busiest seasons in a while, outside of the CEC course itself, full of many of these kinds of chance encounters.  In many ways "In the Dark" captures how we've felt in general over the past year especially, with Howard's (CEC's founder and past-director) failing health eventually leading to his passing away this past summer - we have been thrust into uncharted waters (yet again...) trying to find our way forward.  Yet at the same time there have been many chance happenings - what we like to call them "coincidences" - that remind us that while the waters might be uncharted for us, there is Someone who's got the whole terrain already mapped out.

It's come in the form of other chance meetings where, while on a promotional visit this fall I ran into a young man who was looking for an opportunity to study at a Bible school - he was excited to hear about CEC and Lord willing, he will be joining us this coming January.  As it turns out, his brother is the pastor of a church down in the state of Jalisco, and I was planning to be in that area a month or so later, on another promotional tour.  I was able to spend some time getting to know the church while having further opportunities to share about CEC's ministry.

This fall has been, among other things, a season of these "chance" connections, both here locally as well as a few ventures both west and further south, including a 5000 km road trip where I met the above-mentioned young man and the church that he came from - all to help form bridges between CEC and new churches, while also visiting some of our past students.  Here's a few other highlights of the past couple of months:

Five of us staff were able to attend the wedding of two of our alumni in Atotonilco, Jalisco this past September.  This picture includes us staff along with seven CEC alumni who also come from that area.

This is a photo taken from our leadership conference this past Saturday here at CEC.  After several years of being on hold we were able to continue once again, enjoying a strong representation of alumni, hearing from a local pastor share from his 40 years of experience as a pastor.  The theme of the conference was "Renewal," looking to God's Word for encouragement to be faithful to the call that God has placed on each one's life, especially in the capacity of leadership in ministry.

There's other opportunities I could mention such as the chance to be a part of a workshop for training children's ministry teachers here locally lead by someone from my parent's church, Bethel, in Manitoba, among other things.  All of these bear witness, however, to Someone who holds all things in the palms of His hands, even if in the moment one doesn't always see how it is all coming together.  

As we enter December we have that same sense of uncertainty as we wait for applications to arrive (two have already come in!).  Over the years we have asked at this point in the year, Will there be a school season next January? but we know better than to question God's plans and His timing.  There has not yet been a year when the "right" amount of students has not arrived (and yes, we have always had a good sized group of students...).  Yet the present uncertainty we experience only stresses us out, not God, thankfully!  There is no uncertainty in Him.  "Even the darkness is not dark" to Him (Psalm 139:12).  

Pray for me as we get ready for another year, as I'm involved with the organization of teachers and schedules, as we continue to reach out for new students, and continue to navigate these new waters as a team.  I'm looking forward to spending a couple of weeks up in Manitoba this Christmas season!  It has been a few years since I've enjoyed a white Christmas.  I'll have to dig out my parka and my boots again...  As always, thanks for your continued support and prayers!  ¡Dios les bendiga!

An update from San Carlos - Summer 2023

 Too much time has passed since my last update, but I sincerely want to thank each on of your for your continued prayers and support for myself and the ministry of CEC.  It would be imposible to cover all that has happened during that last couple of months (and I was able to see many of you up in Manitoba, thankfully!) but before I get to them, here's a thank-you message from our students from this past year:

The first being not a highlight but sincerely a low point for CEC in the passing of Howard Dyck, our beloved founder and director this spring.  As many of your were aware and accompanying us in your prayers, he went to be with the Lord this July after a long battle.  While we greatly miss him, his joy, his presence, his animo (encouragement).  Many in the community (from people at the bank, local stores, the insurance guy, etc.!!) have noted his presence.  Students from the many years of CEC continue to reach out.  All this shows the immense impact that he had on so many lives over the years.  He worked behind the scenes in more ways than we could ever know (and are now finding out!) but in his absence we also are living in the wake of what God started through him and his wife Susan through the ministry of CEC.  I remember first coming on in the early years of CEC and was given the opportunity to contribute in various ways, including opportunities to teach.  Howard had a way of bringing people into the vision of CEC, empowering them, and watching the vision unfold into something much greater than any one of us.  We look forward to the future of CEC because it was something that is greater than all of us - it is ultimately the Lord's - an instrument for the building of His kingdom.  Over the years we have had a number of difficult situations with regards to staff members or different circumstances.  Each year we think that "now we've seen it all..." only to be surprised yet again.  But through it all too, we have seen God at work in our lives and in others too through this ministry, and for that we are thankful, though we wouldn't necessarily choose the paths that we have had to walk.  We look forward to another season, especially now as we are making plans and confirming students for the next school term.

The last couple of weeks I've had the chance to pour through some of the testimonies that our students recorded before they left in putting together a promotional video and a video thanking our many supporters (see the link above!).  It brings back many of the memories and how God worked through that time in the student's lives.  Some of the highlights include one of our youngest students, Brayan, who shares,

Brayan, a first year student

Fabián, another first year student

Manuel, reflecting on his return as a 2nd year student

I had the chance to visit Elías, another one of our returning students, who is helping to build a new rehabilitation center just outside of Hermosillo.  Visiting them in July, in the Sonoran desert heat (+40 C on any given day), at a place where there is no electricity or even running water, as they are making bricks to build new facilities for a rehab center.  He helps oversee the work there but he also leads the other guys in Bible studies, men who themselves are on the road to recovery as he once was.  He is passionate about sharing from the Bible but is also an avid learner himself with a hunger to know the Word more deeply.  Seeing his dedication is inspiring and humbling - what a privilege it is to continue to walk along side some of these humble and dedicated servants!

Elías, 2nd year

Since CEC ended, we had an opportunity to spend extended time with three of our CEC students who took part in an English course ran by our ministry partners, Consiervos (Bondservants), an organization that is dedicated to equip others for cross-cultural missions.  They continued on for an 8-week intensive English course that will help them in their ministry settings where knowing English will be an asset.  In addition to helping them practice English, it gave us an opportunity to continue to connect with them in person and to encourage them in their walk.

I was able to get away up to Manitoba this summer as well, enjoying four weeks, seeing many of you in Manitoba, and getting a little bit of a breather before hitting the ground running now here in September.  Tomorrow I'll be hitting the road for the next week and a half making some new connections for the school and fostering some old ones as well.  A number of people have expressed interest already in coming for the coming school year and plans are underway, getting our calendar lined up.  We are excited about continuing to grow our 2nd year program.  This morning, in fact, we met together to discuss our plans, discerning the on-going needs of our students in their lives and ministries, catching up with one of our currently off-site teachers via video-conference.  As we discuss different ideas the excitement grows for seeing another year come around the corner.  There's a sense where, while CEC's footprint grows as more students come through our doors each year, there still is so much that still needs to be done - people whom we can reach with God's Word, so that they will be built up and equipped for further ministry.  In the end it is not CEC's footprint that we are truly worried about, but God's - being a part of what He is doing here and throughout Mexico.

With that, I acknowledge once again my indebtedness to you and your prayers for myself and this ministry.  Every year has had its challenges and this year is no different.  But we are exciting as we move forward, carrying one what Howard started so many years ago with Susan (we also look forward to her continued presence and help on the team!)  God bless each one of you!  ¡Dios les bendiga!