The Classroom of Ups and Downs

It's always encouraging to hear from students outside of our formal training time with them.  Just the other day a student contacted me whom I had not heard from for a year or two - he came in 2021 and recently reached out to me, sharing about some of the ways he has been serving as of late, including teaching at a local Christian rehab center and some other local churches.  He expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the impact of his time at CEC.  He wrote,

"God has prepared us for battle - now it is our turn to act, and where there is fertile land to sow, I will do so tirelessly." - Fernando Rojas

It's hard to keep track of all of the students who come through CEC but it is always an encouragement to not only hear from them, but to see how they are continuing on serving the Lord, years after their time here.  Continue to pray with us for our students, both recent and past!

Without a doubt, while their time during the 3+ months we spend together comes with its challenges, some of the greatest challenges await them as they leave CEC and return home.  And while there is plenty of opportunity to put into practice things that are being learned while here (while they live together in community not to mention their weekend places of ministry...), the biggest tests await them beyond graduation.  This shouldn't be surprising, of course - I'm sure we can all look back to our own experiences, not to mention so many stories of even the great leaders in the Bible, to the ups and downs, failures and successes, of each one on this journey.  The learning continues far beyond the classroom and time at CEC, mirroring it in many ways with its own highs and lows.  He continues to teach and show His faithfulness. 

So, it is encouraging to hear from students like Yuleni and Fernando who are back serving in their congregation - a small agricultural village about an hour from here - investing in the children of the congregation.  Yuleni shared about how she was deeply impacted during her time in CEC - in her words, "by coming to know God more deeply through studying His Word."  Her husband, Fernando, a man of few words, gradually grew in confidence himself as he slowly opened up and shared what he was learning from God in our morning devotion time.  They are currently working with the children in their community, hosting them every Saturday for a time of games and Bible lessons.

Jesús and his wife Yuleni, serving at one of our off-site ministry opportunities for children.

Other students have had to navigate some challenges upon their return home.  One of our students, for various reasons, chose to step back from the ministry he was involved with to dedicate more time to his son - God has been at work to slowly bring restoration to a difficult family situation - while also providing opportunities to serve in different churches and rehab centers in the area.  Another one of our recent students is facing a similar situation with regards to his ministry - please pray for him that God would lead him in any decisions that need to be made.

One thing becomes especially clear as we continue to hear from the students - all of the "theory" that we learn, also has to be walked out in our lives.  While we do this as much as we can while we are together, it will be an ongoing task both in life and in ministry.  We have been thinking about what it looks like to continue to walk alongside the students as much as we can, to continue to encourage them in their lives and ministry.  To that end, we had our first (maybe anual?) alumni evening - lighting up the pizza oven and hearing from those who could return from this past year and enjoying one another's company once again, even if just for several hours.  It was a pleasure to reconnect with six of our students.  We are also planning an alumni weekend mid-summer, open to students from all 15 years, sometime mid-summer.  We hope and pray that it will be a time of encouragement for each one who comes as they continue on in service.

At present we have several activities/tasks going on that you can keep in your prayers:

• Continuing to plan, as we confirm teachers for next year - we have some significant holes to fill left behind by some great teachers.
• Consiervos English class - now almost halfway done its 8 week course (for people who need English in missions/ministry).  We've had the opportunity of continuing to connect with a couple of our past CEC students who have returned for this course.
• Alumni Retreat - planning for a weekend in August, a time of fellowship and encouragement for  past students.

I'm also looking forward to being out in Manitoba once again this summer, for the month of August till into September.  We are planning an event in the Winkler, MB area on September 8th where several CEC staff, including Denver and Katie Janz, the directors of the school, will be out to share about the ongoing ministry of CEC (more details to come!).  While I'll have the opportunity to share this weekend at my home church BMC, in Manitoba (via video-call), there is nothing like being there in person.  I look forward to connecting with many while out there!  Until then, thanks again for the faithful support and prayers.  They are deeply appreciated!  ¡Dios les bendiga!

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!