Missions

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Getting to the Positive Side of Inertia

March 13, 2010 in Ministry, Missions by Dave | No comments

People have asked me (Dave) as we have been on the road visiting churches, “What is the most difficult problem facing the Mexican church today?” To that question I have always answered this way: “The greatest problem of the Mexican church, and the church worldwide is inertia.”

Now I understand that a word like inertia may stir up memories of tenth grade physics class, but give me a minute to explain.

When it comes to momentum, inertia can be described as the tendency of an object at rest to remain at rest. My old friend Gilbert could explain it best. He would sit in his chair after a long day working in the Evangel University Chapel and deadpan, “I suffer from dropsy and heart failure. I’ve dropped down and don’t have the heart to get up!”
As a church, we can tend toward this negative aspect of inertia. In this day and age, we often look to the church as a type of refuge, a place to rest. While this is true, an over emphasis of this one aspect can lead to negative effects. We can get so used to sitting in the pew that we lose our heart to get back up to meaningfully engage the culture.

But we don’t need to be stuck in a state of inactivity. Inertia can also be described as the tendency of an object in motion to remain in motion. The New Testament church is a clear example. Although certainly given to times of teaching and fellowship, their compassionate involvement in the community led to the Lord adding to their number daily those who were being saved. Success led to success. By the end of the book of Acts, Christianity was being preached and disciples were being made in the heart of the pagan Roman Empire.

But how do we return to Acts 2? How do we get to the positive side of inertia? It’s certainly more complicated than simply starting over. I believe that it is two-fold. First, it requires proclamation. A call must go out to return to the Bible, to the model of Jesus who was criticized for frequenting the homes of sinners. Second, it requires modeling, a living out of the biblical pattern. This is the vision that we feel that the Lord has given us for Mexico, to partner with the Mexican Assemblies of God, reaching, equipping, and releasing people to fulfill God’s redemptive purpose.

We proclaim as we train and equip, but we model as well, reaching out to the lost and giving opportunity to become salt and light, offering new life to others. This breathes new life into church programs that may have faltered along the way, and gives rise to new church plants that leverage positive inertia as disciples in turn make new disciples.

So inertia is the problem, but it can become the solution as well. The key is moving to the positive side. We believe we have the solution for Mexico, a solution that can be universally applied.

How about your situation? In which state of inertia would you describe it existing? How do you feel that the Lord would have you to keep the positive going, or to turn around a negative situation?

Popularity: 1% [?]

Dreams Come True

January 13, 2010 in Devotional, Missions by Dave | 1 comment

The holiday season found us in Orlando, Florida, site of Disney World, for the Latin America/Caribbean Missionary Retreat aptly titled, “Dreams Come True.” It was a gathering of over 600 missionaries, representing countries from the Rio Grande in the north to Tierra del Fuego in the south. It was a time of reconnection, worship, and inspiration.

As part of the theme, video clips were shown during the large group meetings, showing how several of our missionary colleagues had seen God help them realize dreams that He had given them. There were those who had planted now thriving churches and those who had birthed ministries that are now international in scope. There were reports of high-powered children’s ministries teams and thriving national missions departments sending missionaries from the mission field to all corners of the world. Truly, things are happening in our region!

Still, for all of the encouragement that such videos bring, I couldn’t help but ask the question, “…and the Godzwas? What have we done in comparison?” The progress that we have made all of a sudden seemed to pale in comparison to the reports of victory being broadcast before our eyes. On top of this, our son Jonathan had come down with a fever, leaving Kelly and I taking shifts staying in the hotel room with him, instead of participating as we had expected.

I was in a funk by the time Doug Clay took the stage to talk about restoring the joy of our calling to the ministry. As he finished his sermon, he asked for those who would like to experience a fresh touch of that joy to meet him at the altar. I walked forward, knowing that that was something I needed. A group gathered around the altar, and after a time of individual prayer, Doug led us in an exercise. He told us to look around and find a partner ten years removed from our age. As I looked to the left, standing beside me as Dale Coad who, 17 years prior, was a missionary on the field in the Dominican Republic where Kelly and I had taken our first short-term missions trip. As the speaker told us to join hands, I reflected on the time I had spent there on the mission field with Dale and his wife Patti. I remembered wondering, as I watched them go through their day to day ministry, “Do I have what it takes to be a like them? Do I have what it takes to be a missionary?” Now I was standing next to him as a co-worker singing, “He has made me glad!”

We then were told to widen the circle, and there, in our group stood Ron Hittenberger, a missionary that attended AGTS with me when I was in the first year of my masters degree program. At that time in my life, the mission field seemed farther away then when I was 18. I had a growing family and an uphill climb to complete my studies, but here we now stood together in our circle, Dale, Ron and I, along with other missionaries, sharing in the joy of the realization of our dream of serving our master on foreign soil.

It was unmistakable. God “opened my eyes” that night to see past the little pity party that I was giving myself. He has made my dream come true. He has completed what He had promised, and what He had confirmed so many times before has become a reality. I am a missionary!

Of course, this is only the beginning. God has bigger dreams, dreams I am only now becoming aware of after spending the last four years on the field. One such dreams is the dream of a relevant, outward-focused, Mexican church that reaches across cultural boundaries and generational assumptions to practice true Christianity in everyday situations. God has done it before in my life and in the lives of so many whose testimony was on display during our retreat; He can do it again.

How about you? What dreams have you seen God bring to fruition? What dreams does God have you dreaming right now?

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There and Back Again: A Missionary’s Tale

May 21, 2009 in Day2Day, Missions, Progress by Dave | Comments closed

If you are familiar with Tolkien, you’ll have to forgive my obvious allusion to his popular tale, The Hobbit, but no, my recent trip didn’t include trolls and dragons, and the only real danger was related to the risks of travel by air and taxi. So to save you the long story, and the 255 pages that comprise my edition of the Bilbo Baggins tale, I’ll make it short.

On Sunday afternoon, I hopped aboard a flight to Mexico City, which seems to be recovering from its bout with the Swine Flu, where, on Monday, I met with the national leadership team about our future here in Mexico. I presented them with a report of what we had done and the plan of what we feel God would have us do in the future. They approved that plan, and they invited us back to serve for four more years here in the Yucatán!

Now, that we have received this approval our upcoming itineration becomes more clear. Our goal during these upcoming months will be to reconnect with churches and individuals to show them what God has done and invite them to continue their investment in the lives of the people of this region.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support as we make our transition to the States with the goal of continuing to raise disciples here in the Yucatán.

Popularity: 7% [?]

End with the Beginning in Mind

February 25, 2009 in Ministry, Missions, Progress, Support by Dave | 1 comment

2008-09 Evangelism Class

I don’t like goodbyes. But ever since we got back from the World Missions Summit 2, we’ve been receiving reminders that our present time on the field is winding down.

It started at our home church where, during a planning meeting, I had to step down as coordinator of the Missions and Evangelism Team because I would not be able to finish out the year. Following that, I finished out the semester at the Bible Institute and was thrown a touching going-away party from my evangelism students. When I finally got over that reality, my itineration packet arrived detailing the steps that we need to take to return to the States.

So it’s real; our stay here in Mexico is coming to an end, but one thing is for certain, our call is for a lifetime. Yes, our cycle may be coming up but our career has only begun. So, I’ve been reflecting on our time here, but I’ve also been thinking about the future and our on-going work here in Mexico. We are returning to the States, but our stay will be limited because our call, and our heart remains here in Mexico.

Steven Covey repeats the phrase, “Begin with the end in mind.” It has to do with visualizing the goal, setting forth objectives in order to reach them. I’ve decided to modify the phrase just a bit in order to describe our goal for our remaining months and our upcoming itineration cycle: “End with the beginning in mind.”

Yes we are saying our goodbyes, but our goal in the remaining months is to strengthen the relationships that we have formed in order to begin our new term in 2010 with a running start. Concerning our return to the US, our desire is to immerse ourselves in our itineration, utilizing a broad array of means available to reconnect with current supporters and welcome new friends who would like to partner with us as we continue our work in Mexico.

If you’ve been keeping an eye on the sidebar of our website, you’ve seen that one of those means of generating excitement and raising awareness for our work will be the running of Marathon for Mexico 2. Last itineration cycle, I ran the Springfield Marathon, raising funds to help us get to the field faster. Recently, I’ve been blogging about my recent weight loss and my training for the Bass Pro Marathon which will take place on November 8th of this year. It’s our desire that this marathon will serve as an even bigger part of our support-raising effort, so keep an eye on our Marathon Page for more information and updates.

Popularity: 10% [?]

We get to Play Baseball

January 17, 2009 in Culture, Devotional, Ministry, Missions, Prayer by Dave | 3 comments

Teaching in Opichen

Around this time of the year, I start to get anxious. It’s been almost three months since the end of the World Series, and we’ve got only a few short weeks until pitchers and catchers report to start the 2009 baseball season. I’m looking forward to the date with anticipation, knowing that soon they’ll be playing baseball, and hoping that this will be the season that the Yankees win it all again.

In order to prepare, I start to watch baseball movies. One such movie is The Rookie , that Disney released some years ago. It’s the story of a high school science teacher who gets another shot at playing in the majors. In one scene, travailing in the minor leagues, traveling the lonely miles and feeling the pressure of his responsibilities at home, he decides to throw in the towel. “I’m just wasting my time,” he says to his wife over the phone. She asks back, referring the the game, “Do you still love it?”

He hangs up the phone and goes for a walk to think it over once again. Along the way, he encounters a night little league game, and in it he finds the joy and the hope in the game that he played as a child and had been given a chance to return to as an adult. With a renewed outlook, he heads back to the locker room. As he enters he asks another player, “Do you know what we get to do today?” Then, answering his own question he says, “We get to play baseball.”

Why am I waxing eloquent about baseball? Because I’ve been thinking about our job as missionaries. Lately, we’ve been really busy, rushing from place to place. I celebrated my daughter’s birthday on Saturday and directly after I was teaching our first session of the District Stewardship conferences that I had been invited to teach. Since that time, I’ve been on the road 3 of the past 4 nights, getting to bed later each night. When this finishes, I’ll be on the road again, this time to help in an evangelistic campaign that will take place two hours outside of Merida, where we have our home.

At times like these, I find myself missing my family, looking forward to getting home, and sometimes wishing that the events would be over. But then I have to ask myself what it is that I am actually doing. I received the call to missions when I was 15 years old, and since that time, my life had been centered around making it to the field. We prepared ourselves, obtained the necessary approvals, and raised funds for the purpose of becoming missionaries. Now, we’re doing it. How many times have I hoped, prayed, and dreamed of the day that God would allow us to make it to the field, and now it’s a reality.

Thinking about it again I’d have to say that, sure there are times when we find it hard, but we’re doing what we’re called to do. God’s fulfilled our dream, and every moment that we have here is another moment that we get to step out into another adventure with our Lord.

So I want to say thanks to all of you who have had a part in helping us to get here and stay here. I’d also like to ask you to pray for us. Pray that the words that we say would be what God would ask us to share, and pray that these events will reach the people that He’s preparing. And while you’re doing that, stop for a moment and thank God for the journey that you’re on with Him. After all, “We get to play baseball!”

Thumbnail appearing on the excerpt of this article from B Tal’s photostream on Flickr.com

Popularity: 19% [?]

Waking up to World Missions

January 8, 2009 in Ministry, Missions by Dave | 4 comments

One of my favorite Christmas gifts was one I wasn’t even wishing for, a set of world-shaped coffee mugs. My mother-in-law had one of these in a cabinet for several years, and I always tried to get my hands on it when breakfast time rolled around. It just seemed appropriate, me being a world missionary and all. She picked up on the hint and bought me an entire set this year.

Of course, I’m not the only one waking up to world missions in this new year. Several students who attended the World Missions Summit have also woken up to their responsibility to be a part of the great commission. Over 4000 attended the conference with 845 commitments to “give a year and pray about a lifetime” made at the event, a number that is sure to rise over the coming days.

We were blessed to link up with several of these students as we hosted four “Meal with a Missionary” events throughout the week. We had a chance to share our call, while we affirmed each participant in what the Lord was doing in their lives. We wish them well as they follow God’s direction.

How about you? How are you waking up this year to the Great Commission? Drop me a comment and let’s talk about it.

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Double Take

January 1, 2009 in Misc, Missions by Dave | 2 comments

We’ve made it to Cincinnati where an estimated 6,000 have gathered to respond to the challenge to “give a year and pray about a lifetime.” Of course, with this event being sponsored by Chi Alpha, my brother twin brother, Mike, is also here, having brought his Chi Alpha team from American University where he serves as a campus pastor. This has made for an interesting mix of “worlds” where several, knowing either Mike or I but not the both of us, have found themselves greeting a complete stranger when they were expecting to talk with an old friend. As the interactions became more frequent, I decided to catalog the encounters and put up an album of my new friends. Click here , or on the picture of Mike and I to launch the album.

Popularity: 10% [?]

New Missionary: What advice would I give?

December 29, 2008 in Missions by Dave | 2 comments

I should be in the car as this post is released. We’re on our way to the World Missions Summit 2, a gathering of Chi Alpha college students who are being challenged to give a year to missions and pray about a lifetime. With this possible influx of new missionaries it just so happens that, serendipitously, Jim Cottrill, a fellow Mexico Missionary at Missionary-Blogs.com is asking us to give our best advice to up and coming missionaries. So in anticipation of the event, which begins the 30th I’ll weigh in with what I feel to be the best advice that I have received as a missionary: “Attempt to be a cross-cultural servant.”

We who come from developed countries have a wealth of knowledge and expertise to share with those who have been less fortunate. We have access to the best information, the most knowledgeable scholars and the latest in high technology gadgets. Still, we find that in many situations we fail to make a significant impact in areas where we feel that our advantages could most readily be put into service. Furthermore, in many parts of the world, those of us who call ourselves Americans are more readily cursed than we are welcomed. Why is that?

Some could say it is a case of sour grapes, that other countries are frustrated that Americans have received so much while others have had so little. Still, I feel that there is something more. I feel that it comes more from what we convey than what it is that we have.

In his recent book, Cross Cultural Servanthood Duane Elmer remarks that many of us, and Christian Missionaries probably more often than others convey attitudes that “inadvertently communicate superiority, paternalism, imperialism, and ignorance. While never our intention, our ethnocentrism leads us to behave in a way that tells our host culture (the people of the country where we live and work) that we are the experts. We are there to give out of the vast knowledge that we have, while they submissively receive. This attitude immediately creates an “us and them” mentality where the host culture is frequently evaluated and usually denigrated by our accepted American “standard.”

To illustrate, Elmer uses the story of a monkey, watching a fish struggle against that current. Moved by his plight, the monkey, at some risk to himself, climbs a tree and swings out to an branch that overhangs the river. Extending his hand, he grabs the fish, and climbing down from his precarious perch, he places the fish gently on solid ground. Joy comes over him as, after a momentary struggle, the fish enters into a peaceful state of rest there on the bank.

Now of course, we all know that the did not help the fish at all, but from the monkey’s point of view, he did him a great service. Our problem is that we often behave like the monkey–offering our help while failing to fully evaluate and understand the situation, and while we may accomplish certain goals we may be at best tolerated and at worst isolated, while gains are usually only short lived.

What Elmer suggests is that we learn to become true servants–entering into the culture, finding guides to learn from and then inviting them to work together with us to reach sustainable goals. This requires more than simply learning the language, although it starts there. It requires an openness to change and a suspension of judgement on the part of the missionary that needs to occur on an ongoing basis. If we can convey this attitude, we will go far in identifying with our host culture and opening new bridges for collaboration, the key to make real progress on the mission field.

So as we make our way to Cincinnati to share with the students assembled there, I’m preparing myself. If anyone asks, I’ll ready with a copy of Duane Elmer’s book and the best advice that I’ve ever received: “Be a cross-cultural servant.”

Have you seen cross-cultural servanthood in action? What did it look like? What were the results?

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Coming Near Through Language Study

October 24, 2008 in Culture, Language, Maya, Missions, Progress by Dave | Comments closed

Maya Language School Itzamná

Ma’alob k’iin. Bix a beel’ex. Having trouble responding? That’s because what my greeting was written in Maya. It reads, “Good morning. How are you?” (There are no question marks in Maya)

Here in the Yucatán the official language is Spanish. For this reason, we spent our first year of this term in Costa Rica learning Spanish so that we could live and work here in Mérida. Nevertheless, there are times, like this past month when we journeyed to the town of Tekax, that even speaking in perfect Spanish isn’t enough. That is because, in several towns in the state of Yucatán, many still speak the traditional indigenous language which has changed only slightly from the time of the pyramid builders of Chichen Itza to the present. Others are bilingual, having learned Spanish in school, but clearly function better in their native language.

So how do we respond to this fact? Well, we could rely upon those who are bilingual to translate for us, hoping that they will correctly interpret the meaning of our message. But what does this teach the Maya speakers? I feel it teaches them that the gospel is something foreign. Something that requires special abilities in order to understand, and that salvation is reserved for those who earn it by learning this foreign system. I don’t believe that our God is like that.

From the beginning, with the question, “Adam, where are you?”, we know that God initiated his plan of salvation. Romans 5:8 says that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And John 1:14 says that Jesus, the very Word of God came near, and lived among us. We are not those who search for Him says Romans 3:10-11, He comes after us.

How does this translate then as a reaction to the situation of the Maya here in Yucatan? Years ago, before archeology became the force that it is today, many thought that the Koine Greek, the language in which the New Testament was written was a sacred tongue. This was thought because the texts available to the scholars at the time, that of Classical Greek was different from what they saw in Bible. However, as more research came to light, they found that the New Testament Greek was not a sacred language after all. In fact, it was the common speech–that which the housewives used to write out their shopping lists. So, in fact, we see that the very Bible that we read is another aspect of God “coming near” to us. He didn’t speak through the elite of the society or through a priestly class, He instead spoke through the common tongue of the merchants, the peasants, and the slaves.

Understanding this, if we are to “come near” as Christ’s ambassadors and show the Maya that this message is in fact for them, that Christ came to save every, tribe, tongue and nation, then we in turn should take the steps to learn to share this salvation in their native tongue.

So that in fact is what we are doing. Every Monday and Wednesday for two hours, I am traveling to the “Ermita”, a plaza south of town, to learn to speak and write the Maya language. (The picture in this post is a shot of the entrance to the building.) The municipal government has established a course in which they teach citizens and foreigners at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels for only $5 a month. Having extended for a year, and having scheduled outreaches into these Maya speaking regions, this was an offer that we couldn’t refuse.

So here I am again learning anew how to function in another language, struggling to come up with the words to respond to the teacher. However, when I consider what Christ did for us, coming to us as a baby, unable to speak, to function on His own, in order to live among us, I say that my struggle is worth it if it allows me to live among this people and reveal to them the God that we serve, the God who came near.

By the way, a fellow Mexico Missionary just sent us a link to an example of the power of “coming near” to an unreached people group. You can check out the video on You Tube

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Freedom

September 26, 2008 in Devotional, Mexico, Ministry, Missions, Thanks by Dave | 4 comments

The streets of Izamal

It was Sunday September 7th. We had been driving that morning to Izamal, a village about an hour outside of Mérida in order to attend the district-wide prayer meeting, when Kelly asked me about a passage that she had been reviewing for an upcoming women’s meeting. With Mexico’s Independence Day celebration upcoming, she had settled upon Galatians 5:13: “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love.”

Using the passage as a jumping-off point, I remember expressing an idea that came to my mind: “Being released from the bondage of sin, we are now free to humble ourselves and serve one another. Although the external circumstances would suggest a different reaction, we are free to love when before we were tied to serve only our own passions and interests.”

Little did I know, however, that what was then theoretical would become suddenly very concrete.

As we were leaving the city after the meeting, we had stopped at a stop sign and were beginning to continue when, unseen by us, a motorcycle carrying 3 teenagers attempted cross in front of us. They struck the front of the truck and fell against the curb of the opposite corner. All three weren’t wearing helmets.

Immediately, I got out of the truck to tell the boys to stay where they were. Soon, those that lived near the scene were out of their houses, and before long, the police and ambulance arrived. Those that were hurt were taken to the hospital, while we were escorted to the police station where I was detained for 33 hours, first at the station, and later at the Public Ministry building in Mérida.

Now, in the US, when an accident occurs, rarely does a person go to jail, but in Mexico, when there is doubt about payment, the person who causes the accident is detained for 48 hours until the situation is settled. If it is not settled in 48 hours, the driver goes to jail. Unfortunately, although we had Mexican Car Insurance it took the adjuster one hour to reach the scene, and it wasn’t until later that night that the lawyer arrived in order to begin the process to post bond so that I would be released.

Nevertheless, being placed in detention didn’t mean that I had been placed on a shelf. The words that I had spoken just hours before came back to me during my time alone. So I prayed. I prayed for the injured boys. I prayed for Kelly and the kids, and I prayed that God would use me. I knew that, even though I had been detained by the authorities, I was free to serve.

Merida Public Ministry Building

In Mérida, I was made to wait in a room with three benches and an air conditioner that had seen its best days perhaps 10 years ago, but I was not alone. It “just so happened” that, there with me in the “waiting room” was a man who we’ll call José. He had arrived the day before, having crashed his car while driving drunk on his way home from work on the other side of the peninsula, but that wasn’t the whole story. He was also a prodigal son.

He had once had a vibrant relationship with the Lord and had been an active member of the Christian community, but his work had isolated him, and in his isolation his bad choices multiplied. The crash was the end of a slippery slope that had left more than his car in a wreck, but sometimes it takes hitting bottom before we begin to look up.

José told me his story, and I told him mine, but I didn’t end it with the story of the accident. I told him that although God hadn’t caused my accident, that my meeting with him was certainly more than coincidental. I told him of the Father that welcomes home all who return to Him, and I invited him to start the journey back. We prayed, and in that detention center, we felt the presence of God. We knew that even though it seemed that our immediate future was out of our hands, we knew the hands that held our eternity.

José wasn’t the only one in the room with me. There were two youth who had been detained for driving drunk, and two others who were in the middle of a dispute between their respective insurance companies. While we waited for news about our situation, we formed a community: we talked about our families and our faith, we shared everything from the food that was brought to us to the floor that we slept on, but what filled me with the most joy was our last moments together.

When word came that was to be released, I asked if they would mind that I prayed. Given permission, we all bowed our heads and I began. I prayed for their safety and the resolution of their situations. I prayed for their families and their future, but, most of all, I prayed that each one of them might know Jesus, the only one who, in whatever situation, can set us free.

As I walked out of that room and into Kelly’s arms, I was thankful to be reunited with my family. I was thankful for the beginning of the resolution of circumstances surrounding our accident, but I wasn’t thankful for being set free. Instead, I was thankful for being taught the true meaning of freedom–that, no matter what the circumstances say, Christ has set me free, free to follow Him and free to serve others in the hope they they too will taste the freedom that I have been privileged to
experience.

In wrapping up this lengthy post, I want you to know that we are well. Although the accident has certainly left a mark on us, with God’s strength we are returning to “normal life” here on the mission field. We have definitely been the beneficiaries of the blessing of the Body of Christ in action through it all. From the prayers of the saints to the selfless help of our church friends and district officials, we have been cared for throughout this entire situation. Blessings on all of you who have been a part of this comfort that we have received.

Furthermore, it has been reported that all who were injured will make a full recovery. They have received the medical attention necessary and are now receiving spiritual care on behalf of the local A/G congregation. It is my prayer that this temporary setback will serve to redirect their lives toward a relationship with the one who can guide them through their eternity.

As for José, we were released together and are planning to get together soon to celebrate our freedom, freedom that God redefined for us in the middle of our captivity.

Photo of the Public Ministry building from Yucatan Living.com. You can read about their experience here: http://www.yucatanliving.com/yucatan-survivor/yucatan-license-plates.htm

Popularity: 26% [?]

The Top 5 Posts You May Have Missed

September 4, 2008 in Day2Day, Ministry, Missions by Dave | Comments closed

The start of September marked the anniversary of our second year in the Yucatán. Here is a look back at some of our favorite posts that you might have missed:

Rethinking the task of teaching

This post was written as a reflection on a major part of our work here in Mérida, that of teaching. It serves to remind us that if we seek to impart the tools necessary, and convey an attitude that promotes learning, we can create an investigator who seeks to find the answer and apply truth in such a way as to create change.

Leave if You Can!

This article was inspired by our trip to the flood stricken region of Tabasco, where we found that in a town where even the name encourages people to stay away, God had decided to take up residence.

Living In-Between

A reflection on the human condition, this post reminds us that, although we struggle in our “in-betweeness” of imperfection and disappointment, the promise of Easter is that the redemption of our soul that we currently enjoy will one day be universally applied.

The Most Excellent Way

This post reminds us that, when it comes to evangelism, the real question should not be, “How should our evangelism look?” but rather, “How should our evangelism be motivated?”

Learning to Fly

This last selection is a light look at sharing responsibilities in a missionary home.

We’re thankful for the two years of ministry that we have had here the Yucatán. It’s our prayer that, with your continued partnership, we will be able to celebrate many more.

Popularity: 17% [?]

On the Shoulders of Giants

July 20, 2008 in Missions by Dave | Comments closed

The amazing scientific mind, Sir Issac Newton, is quoted to have said, “If I have seen farther it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.” Here in the Yucatan, if we have had any impact is because great men and women of God have forged the way before us.

Friday evening we had the privilege of hosting one such giant here in our home. Nancy Cave, along with her daughter Cristiana, came through Mérida on their way to Campeche where she ministered along with her husband, Dave, for 10 years.

Nancy and Dave, responding to the need that Superintendent Alfonso de los Reyes presented to them, made the Yucatan their home and had a tremendous impact. They were involved first in evangelism, but their servant’s heart never said “no” to a need. Dave was involved in construction, everything from furniture to entire Bible Schools. As a couple they received teams, sometimes three at a time. They ministered in campaigns, at times in the Maya language, and their work reached out to all ages.

Dave recently passed away from a prolonged battle with cancer. You can read his memorial at our fellowship’s website. His ultimate months were spent in the States receiving treatment, but his heart was always in the work. His dream was to return, but it was not to be. However, days before he went on to his reward, a Mexican pastor, who had heard of his condition, sought him out in his hospice room. When Dave saw him, his face brightened and he immediately entered into an animated conversation in Spanish about Mexico and the progress of the work. Nancy told us, “He couldn’t return to Mexico, so Mexico came to him.”

As we left Nancy and her daughter at the bus station in Mérida, bound one more time for Campeche, I thought about our work as missionaries. Ours is a relational ministry. The work that we do and the attitude that we convey leaves a lasting impression on the national church. What we do now will determine in large part the effectiveness of those who follow us. We’ve been blessed to have the wonderful foundation that the Caves laid on which to work. Therefore, as Newton said, if we have seen farther, or have have made a difference here in the Yucatán, it’s because we’ve stood on the shoulders of giants–because we’ve been given the privilege to continue the work that the Caves had started.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Freely You Have Received, Freely Give

June 29, 2008 in Ministry, Missions, Progress by Dave | Comments closed

As Jesus sent out the 12 in Matthew 10, He gave them the motive for their ministry in verse 8: “Freely you have received, freely give. Their mission of mercy–healing the sick, casting out demons, and even raising the dead is the logical response to the mercy that they had already received in the form of God drawing near. They had seen Him, touched Him, and from Him received divine power. In Matthew 10, they are sent out to tell others about Him.

What Jesus modeled is the end of any discipleship program. He made disciples who in turn made disciples, and, here in the Yucatán, we had the privilege of seeing this cycle come full circle. This past Saturday night, the ministers and members of the Assemblies of God of Yucatán met to commission and send out Norma Uitzil, a missionary, born here in Yucatán, who will be ministering among the “Untouchables” of Calcutta, India.

Yucatán has freely received. Silverio Blanco, the director of the Bible Institute, took time during the service to tell of the first evangelical missionaries who arrived in 1866 to preach in what was then the inhospitable conditions of this predominately Maya state. Since that small beginning, many have come, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Pentecostals among others. In what was once an area devoid of believers, now roughly 1 in 10 attends an evangelical congregation. Granted, there is plenty of work to be done, but the work here in the Yucatán has entered a different stage. It is time for this district to take its place in the evangelization of the world, and missionary Norma Uitzil is one of the first to respond to that call.

About a year and a half ago, I spoke of Jaime and Jaqueline Chacon, missionaries from Costa Rica that are now serving in the U.S. I echoed in that post the words of our regional director, Dick Nicholson, who said that missions is no longer the U.S. or the traditionally Christian Nations that are sending missionaries to the ends of the earth; missions has become a movement in which God is calling people from everywhere to go to everywhere. We believe more than ever in that idea. To that effect, we are currently heading up the missions program in the church that we attend, and we are committed to continually preach missions in the various congregations in which we are invited to speak.

Some might say that it is an impossibility to promote missions in an area where the minimum wage is $5 a day, but people like Norma are proving that we serve a God who makes the impossible possible. So, as we were called forward to pray for her, I asked as well that God would begin to call others to respond to His world-wide mandate, that others would hear His heartbeat for the nations and dare to believe that they can make a difference. After all, freely we all have received, its only natural that we all freely give.

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The Most Excellent Way

June 9, 2008 in Devotional, Ministry, Missions by Dave | 3 comments

I just finished up another evangelism conference, this marking my sixth opportunity to hold such an event here in the Yucatán. With more experience comes more confidence in sharing the material, but that experience also brings a certain familiarity with the topic–an anticipation you could say of the inquiries and the reaction of the audience, but during class this last Thursday, a question was asked that I hadn’t anticipated.

We had been studying Mark 6:30-44, the account of the feeding of the 5,000, and contrasting the disciples’ reaction to the crowd’s needs with that of Jesus. Analyzing the context, we concluded that the disciples’ inaction and Jesus action was related to a key element, compassion. Jesus saw the plight of the crowd and the compassion that he felt moved him to action even though he was in the midst of extreme personal sorrow. The disciples, coming off of a successful preaching tour, failed to react because their lack of compassion.

Usually, the anticipated question is “How do we learn to react in the way Jesus did?” a question that I anticipate and answer within the lesson follow-up, but this time an unanticipated question was raised; a student asked: “Should we act compassionately first and then preach, or should we preach first and then display acts of compassion?” Caught off guard, I had to think a bit about the question. I wanted to know what it was that this student was trying to clear up in his mind. His clarification clued me in. Some organizations emphasize compassionate acts, feeding programs, rehabilitation centers, and medical clinics while others emphasize teaching and preaching engagements. This student was trying to understand what stance we should take in the debate between presenting evangelism as a moment of decision or what what some call the “social gospel.”

The question illustrates the danger of thinking in predefined categories. It can cause us to limit our outreaches to traditional activities like preaching, teaching, and passing out tracts while avoiding food distribution or medical clinics in an attempt to show our emphasis on “telling the good news,” or it can cause us to add mandatory evangelistic events to our “social outreach” in order to justify the undertaking, a practice that can lead others to criticize us as evangelicals for opportunistic proselytizing, or can lead to the phenomenon of “Rice Christians,” those who confess Christianity as long as the hand outs keep coming.

Separating compassion and preaching/teaching into separate categories should make us ask the questions: “Is our preaching without compassion?” and “Is social outreach condemned or considered second-class by scripture?” Obviously the answer to both questions is no. The real question, therefore, should not be, “How should our evangelism look?” but rather, “How should our evangelism be motivated?”

Returning to the passage in question, we see that Jesus taught and fed the needy crowd. There was no separation of his actions into evangelistic and social. Rather compassion motivated him to meet the need before him. Jesus wasn’t checking off items on his list; he was instead showing us that the compassionate response considers its recipient as a whole person.

Interchanging the word compassion for love can perhaps clarify the point. Paul, in trying to settle church division in Corinth, culminates his argument for unity with the famous love chapter of 1 Corinthians 13, which he introduces as “the most excellent way.” In his opening words, he lists both “spiritual” (prophesy and tongues and the practice of faith) and “compassionate” (giving to the poor) acts as worthless without love. It’s little wonder then that 1 John 4:12 says that we would be known to be true, not for our excellent Bible teaching or for our hospital building, but rather for our love, and this is fitting because love when perfectly applied led to eternal life. (Jn 3:16)

Reaching out to a lost world in love then enables us to push past the categories and throw away our checklists. Ultimately it allows us to utilize the appropriate means to communicate God’s love, be it through a cup of cold water or an offer to pray the sinner’s prayer.

Learning and encouraging the most excellent way here in the Yucatán,

Dave

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Rethinking the Task of Teaching

June 4, 2008 in Ministry, Missions by Dave | 2 comments

I’ll be traveling to Florida next week in order to attend an ACLAME summit where teachers across Latin America will be meeting to discuss what we do as missionary educators. This upcoming convention has given me pause for thought about my own experience some of which I’d like to share with you today.

As I’ve been here in Mérida, I’ve had the privilege of teaching for a year and a half in the Bible Institute. This is a job that I have met with much fear and feeling of responsibility. As James says, “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” I understood the need to prepare myself mentally and spiritually for the task before me, something that my family could attest as they frequently find me in my “cave” praying and writing, trying to sort out what I am to share with my classes.

Nevertheless, as I become more aware of the environment that I find myself in, I have found something that I was not prepared for. I entered into the learning environment with expectation. I was under the impression that the students that I would be teaching would be looking for answers, trying to hone their skills in order to seek the gospel take root in otherwise fruitless ground. I expected students to challenge me with their questions and compel me to further study as we sought to practically apply the theology that we assimilated each day, and in some cases, this is what I have found. But as I look over the half-finished assignments and the failing grades of others, I’ve faced a different reality, one that is in stark contrast with my expectations.

So I’m left with the task of answering the question, “what am I doing wrong?” Bruce Wilkinson, a teacher associated with Walk Thru The Bible Bible Ministries, says that motivating his or her students to learn is the task of the teacher. Therefore, if I am to be brutally honest with myself, and if I am to take James’ admonition at face value, then I need to reevaluate my teaching style and find out how I can reach those who fail to excel in their studies.

The Bible College system in Latin America accepts all students who feel called to the ministry regardless of their educational background. They need only letter of recommendation from their pastor in order to gain entrance into the program. This means that many of those who study lack the essential tools that they need in order to complete the requirements of the classes that they enter. I have found that the majority of students have never written a paper or done an investigation. One of my students admitted to me that her studies only reached as far as the fourth grade!

What does this mean? First, it seems to imply that education, according to my interpretation as the exchange and analysis of ideas is not necessarily the goal of my students. Instead, they are looking for intensely practical and readily applicable methods that they can use now in their context. They are not interested in asking questions; they are looking for answers. Therefore, my task as professor requires me to meet the expectations of my students by providing them answers while at the same time builds the tools that they need to make learning a lifestyle.

I find myself taking the role of a Mr Miyagi of the Karate Kid. Daniel, his student, wanted to learn to fight, but Mr Miyagi only left him to menial tasks like painting the fence and sanding the floor. Only when Daniel blocks a series of kicks and punches with techniques that he had learned by painting and sanding does he come to understand and appreciate Mr Miyagi’s style. So I’m restructuring my teaching style. Instead of driving ahead in order to complete the material, I am finding myself teaching concepts of research and reasoning, helping students formulate good questions for interviews, and locating good resources in the library. I’m breaking concepts down and trying to reinforce small steps toward large goals, all the while seeking to illustrate how the job of the minister makes the learning of each tool we cover essential.

On one hand, I lament not being able to get to “the meat” of the course, but at the same time, I realize that formal education, if it is honest with itself, must admit that it cannot impart all knowledge. I have only 3 years with a Bible School student. That is an incredibly short amount of time to communicate knowledge. Furthermore, I have to admit that I have forgotten far more that I have internalized over my 8 years of higher education. However, if I seek to impart the tools necessary to study, and convey an attitude that promotes learning, I can create a lifetime learner, an investigator who seeks to find the answer and apply truth in such a way as to create change. I guess that you could say that my goal is to create someone like the Karate Kid, who will find they have what it takes to survive and thrive in a world increasingly hostile to the traditional Christian message. I appreciate your prayers as I attempt to make this happen.

I have to go right now though. There is a fly buzzing and I need to find my chopsticks.

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Putting Ourselves at a Disadvantage?

April 29, 2008 in Devotional, Ministry, Missions by Dave | 3 comments

I have the pleasure of reading some excellent blogs about missions and discipleship. Recently, I came across this excellent post from Guy Muse a Baptist missionary to Ecuador. He writes:

Everyday for the past two weeks and continuing for two weeks more, our team has been teaching groups of fifteen pastors who are coming to Guayaquil from all over the coastal region of Ecuador. They are being introduced to our COSECHA (Harvest) discipleship/church planting training materials that will be used to reach the goal of 1-million disciples in one year.

The heart of the training is making disciples. The only way to win/disciple a million in a year is to begin making disciples that make disciples. Nothing new. But are we doing it? Am I doing it?

If we are out there everyday exhorting everyone about the priority of making disciples, who am I discipling? My biggest fear everyday in the trainings is that someone will bluntly ask me who I am discipling!

These strong soul-searching words hit home. We solicit funds saying that we are going to reach the lost, and yet, as we look at our schedules, our calendars are full of spiritual retreats and Bible conferences. Our to-do lists include research for Bible school classes and fund raising for church projects, but discipleship, defined as reaching and training followers of Christ, seems surprisingly absent. If we were to truly provide evidence of meeting our goals of reaching the lost based on our professional activities, it is highly possible that we’d come up short.

But why? God forbid that we would have intentionally mislead churches into thinking that we were doing something that we are not. I think that we hit the ground intending to see lost people saved and an impact made in the community where we live. So what keeps us from being able to see the results that we so desire?

One reason I believe that this happens is because of our dependence on the local church as we get our “feet on the ground” in ministry. As we arrive in the community where we minister, we look for people to help us establish our lives in the foreign context. We need everything from furniture to handymen to help us to get started and build a secure environment for our families and a base from which we can work. Being representatives of a religious organization, more often than not we find that help coming from Christians.

This in itself is not a bad thing of course. There are few things more assuring to a man or woman who is dealing with his or her second complete move in a year to two separate and absolutely foreign environments than to be able to delegate important tasks to another believer who will treat him or her honestly and amicably as the missionary stumbles through cultural adaptation and adjustment. However, the downside to all of this is that we begin our experience in that new culture by building a cloistered environment for ourselves that keeps us from relating with neighbors who do not have a relationship with Christ and may be seeking the message that we came to share.

Further complicating the matter is the fact that these Christians generally introduce us to other Christians who then invite us to address any number of groups and participate in any number of events generally frequented by other Christians. Before we know it, we are deeply entrenched in a Christian culture and, although busy, have severely hindered ourselves from having a real first-hand impact on the predominantly non-Christian world that we live in.

Now don’t get me wrong, I believe that those of us who serve a predominantly Christian audience, doing leadership training and pastoral conferences, do a great deal of good. Nevertheless, there is a question that haunts me: Does my professional schedule exempt me from fulfilling the Great Commission?

Another often repeated concept is that most of what is learned, that is what is transferred and actually applied to a person’s life comes through the teacher’s ability to model what he or she is communicating. In other words, that which is learned is more often caught than taught. This serves as well to make the reality all the more convincing, we as missionaries can’t just train disciplers we have to be disciplers ourselves.

But how? How can we who have been caught up in the busyness of the ministry refocus our lives in order to prioritize discipleship ministry? I have a few ideas:

Don’t stop preaching discipleship. Our continued involvement and reflection on the theme will continue to motivate us to “practice what we preach.” It will also enable us to explain our inability to fulfill expectations that others may try to place upon us that do not enable disciple-making ministry to take place
Expand our circle of influence intentionally to include non-Christians. This requires an honest look at our lives in order intentionally create relationships with those who do not know Christ. Are we truly like our Master who was known as a friend of sinners?
Look for opportunities everywhere. Discipleship opportunities can take place over a play-date with the kids or a late night greeting across the street. But we need to look out for them, recognize them for what they are, and utilize them to bring seekers closer to a relationship with their God.
Be in constant prayer. When I prepare for a meeting or a teaching, I can control the elements. I pick the theme, the illustrations, and the length of time that I am going to speak. As a discipler, I don’t have these luxuries. I have to rely on the Holy Spirit for direction and clear insight into the matter at hand. Hearing his voice is only enabled as I practice acknowledging his presence in every moment.

These things are coming to pass in our lives as we have evaluated our ministry and daily life here in Mérida. I’m happy to report that we can count many non-Christians now as our friends. Pray for us as we engage ourselves in their their lives and adjust our schedules to keep discipleship a true focus of our ministry.

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I Get by with a Little Help…

April 1, 2008 in Ministry, Missions by Dave | Comments closed

There’s an old song that says “I get by with a little help from my friends…” It’s been a full two weeks since my last post, and I have much to tell about the missions trip that we hosted and the work that we accomplished, but I’ve been sick. Yes, sick like last year. So this latest offering is offered with the help of my friend, my brother to be exact. Here is a highlight from the Chi Alpha missions trip that he mentioned on his blog:

One of the most rewarding parts of the trip was seeing the result of our work last year. At the end of that week, we met a man named Daniel. He was a member of the church in Muna and the tour guide for our visit to the Mayan ruins of Uxmal. During our time together, he mentioned to Dave how much he liked our presentation and that he would love to develop the church’s evangelistic outreach. That conversation opened the door for Dave to begin training church leaders in sharing their faith. Together, Dave and Daniel set up opportunities for us to work alongside trained church members sharing the gospel in 5 different communities. Amazing–and to think it all began on our day off from “missions work!” I thank God for the opportunity to see the impact of our trip first-hand and I can’t wait until next year.

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Missions Trips: All Leave Changed

March 18, 2008 in Media, Ministry, Missions by Dave | 1 comment

We’ve made it back from our second annual Chi Alpha Spring Break Missions Trip in Yucatán. (You can read about the first one here) We are still in recovery mode following 8 days of hard labor and evangelistic services, but we didn’t want to let time slip away without filling you in on some of the details. This post and its companion video speak of the impact that missions trips can have on its participants.

Cenotes are a common feature of the landscape of the Yucatán. Cenotes are created when the acidic rain region eats away at the limestone bedrock. Eventually, water filled caves are created by this continual erosion. When finally the roof falls in, the cenote is revealed.

Cenotes today are a welcome relief to the Yucatán heat. Their cool water and regulated temperatures serve as a refuge and source of recreation for many, but, years ago, cenotes were a primary water source and a site of religious ritual.

Because of the lack of rivers, streams, and lakes, cenotes were the main source of water for the indigenous Maya that populated the region before the Spanish conquest. Furthermore, cenotes were thought to be the entrance to the Maya watery underworld known as Xibalba (prounounced she-bal-ba. For this reason, in many cenotes can be found pottery, jewelry, and other offerings as well as human remains in such cenotes as the Sacred Well at Chichén Itzá.

Why all this talk about cenotes? Well it just so happens that this natural limestone formation, so important in ancient and modern times has just taken on a new significance in the life of one of our team members, Ashley Wall. A return member of our team, she decided to be baptized in a cenote near the city of Muna, where we did the majority of our work.

This cenote is a rather young one; it was uncovered by a family drilling for a well some years ago. So there was little fear of encountering ritual remains as we entered, but still, the connotation cannot be dismissed. This ancient source of life-giving water gave witness to a declaration of dependence on the Water of Life, Jesus Christ. This shadowy entrance into the underworld was converted into a place of rebirth, and this refuge from the heat became a symbolic bath where sins were washed away.

We hope that you enjoy this installment from our Chi Alpha Missions Trip ‘08 and rejoice with us as we congratulate Ashley for taking this step of faith.

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Preparations

March 7, 2008 in Ministry, Missions, Prayer by Dave | 1 comment

We are preparing for a busy week of ministry as we receive my brother, Mike, and his team of 9 students from the Chi Alpha Campus Ministry at American University. Instead of choosing a party spot, this group has decided to invest their Spring Break in ministry, trading a beach towel for a shovel and all night partying for evangelistic rallies.

The group arrives at the Mérida airport tomorrow at 9:00 PM, but that’s not where the story begins. This event has been in the planning stages since November of last year, and it’s scope is larger than anything we’ve attempted before.

Preparations began with two intensive evangelism training courses held in Muna and in Mérida. In these sessions, 4 churches had the opportunity to learn about personally communicating the gospel. We encouraged each student to focus on a list of five individuals that they could evangelize, praying, serving and sharing with each person in the months that preceded the arrival of the Chi Alpha team. The team in turn was preparing to share a gospel message, with the hope to be able to share this message with people who are ready to receive.

At this point, the excitement is brewing with several churches looking to capitalize on the special event that is the ministry of these college students. In Abalá, a village 1/2 hour away from Muna, there are plans to plant a church, in Opichén a town on the route to the Maya ruins of Uxmal, the town square is being reserved for the event. In Muna, the evangelism committee has painted 20 walls with the phrase: “Do you feel dry?” (Te sientes Seco?)The answer will be brought as the team distributes water and an invitation to the night’s service that says “Jesus is the water of life!” In Sacalúm the church has planned a 3 night campaign that the team will open on Wednesday.

Thinking about all of this, I can’t help but smile. Our desire when we arrived in Mexico was to serve as a catalyst within the state of Yucatán–an element that would enable the local church launch out in ministry. As this event begins to take shape, I have the feeling that we are accomplishing that goal though these efforts, providing opportunities for congregations to take their place as Christ’s ambassadors as they announce the kingdom of God in their communities.

Keep us in prayer this week, and keep posted for the good reports as Americans and Mexicans work side by side in ministry.

By the way, for those of you that voted on last week’s post we’ve declared Mike the winner! His prize? Well a trip to Mexico. of course!

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Fear Invades Mérida

February 6, 2008 in Day2Day, Missions, Prayer by Dave | Comments closed

“Mérida is a tranquil place.” It’s a place where “no pasa nada (nothing happens),” the residents enjoy saying, but this headline from today’s edition of the Diario de Yucatán, one of the major newspapers of the city, seems to suggest that things may be changing.

No, we are not under military alert, nor have we hired armed guards to follow us around the city. And yes, children still do play in the park down the street, and many enjoy evening strolls along the avenues. But what many once thought was impossible here is now becoming somewhat routine.

Let me give you a run-down of the events.

January 13th: Police officers and suspects trade fire in the Gran Plaza, a popular shopping center. Officers would later confiscate an AK-47 rifle from those charged in the shootout.
January 14th: A homicide, thought at first to be an assassination attempt, puts the city on edge. Later investigation makes the husband the principal suspect.
February 1st: A bomb explodes near the home of the the Secretary’s of Police home in Monte Albán (one neighborhood north of the site of our previous house).
February 2nd: Citizens of Mérida take to the streets to denounce the escalating crime in a “March for Peace.”
February 3rd: Meridians receive a report of the assassination of one officer and the wounding of three others in the west of Mérida.
February 3rd: Ivonne Ortega, governor of the state of Yucatán declares that the the assassination was the result of new measures to “step on the toes” of criminals in Mérida and was an unrelated incident in the new wave of violence.
February 4th: In what some are saying was a violent reaction to the words of the governor, a resident of Progresso, apparently involved in the drug trade, is found decapitated in a house in Garcia Ginerés (our dentist has his office in this neighborhood.)

Again, I’m not writing this post to alarm you, only to show you the current state of events here in Mérida and ask you to pray. Sure, we’d like to see Mérida return to the sleepy city that it once was, but we would also like to see this wake up call to the police become a wake up call to non-believers and Christians alike.

This world that we live in is broken, and increased security can’t fix it. Only the message of forgiveness of Jesus and a restored relationship with God can, and only a unified, mobilized church, reaching out to it’s community can bring this message.

Pray for peace, but pray for the lasting peace that only salvation can bring.

Photos are from www.yucatan.com.mx. You may also read the special section detailing these events in Spanish.

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Leave if You Can!

January 22, 2008 in Devotional, Ministry, Missions by Dave | 1 comment

“Leave if you can!” That is the translated name of Salsipuedes one of the two towns that we visited on our medical relief trip to Tabasco. The village of Salsipuedes is situated on the Grijalva River in the Centla of Tabasco, a wetlands region of the state that’s three hours from the capital, one hour on good roads and two on what many would consider “off-road conditions,” but even more overwhelming than the distance to reach this place was the need that we met when we arrived. Sandy Kazim, the organizer and one of the medical providers of the trip told us that for much of the time she felt as though she was running an ER instead of a medical clinic. Four children in the same home with bronchitis and a woman who had recently miscarried were some of the most difficult cases, but case after case of skin infection and other diseases kept the medical providers working long past sunset, the time that we were told we had to leave for the sake of our personal security. Equally as tragic was the spiritual condition of the site. There were reports of active witchcraft taking place and a general look of hopelessness on the faces of many. “Leave if you can” –the name seemed to fit.

Still, that’s the funny thing about the God that we serve. Of all of the needy places that we could have gone, He sent us to the town of Salsipuedes. I think perhaps it was because, even though others had given up on that “Godforsaken” place, He hadn’t. He sent us there as an extension of His love in a tangible way.

I had the chance to enter into homes with several of the students of the Bible Institute while the medical team treated the sick. And as we passed from house to house, entering into their world, I thought of what Christ did for each one of us. He left His glory to live among us, to experience what we experience and to give us the hope that comes from a relationship with God. We in turn were serving as his representatives, offering the same hope that we now enjoy in a place where hope seemed for many to be a distant memory.

I spoke to many and told them that, although they might not have expected it, God had sent us to them specifically to let them know that He had decided to stay in Salsipuedes and that he was looking for hearts in which he could live. We prayed with many as they wrestled to take those first steps toward a relationship with their Creator.

What will happen is hard to determine. The routine of the life poverty has a grip that is relentless. C.S. Lewis once said it this way:

Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

So is the work in Salsipuedes; the population is run down, too tired to hope, too tired to dream of something better, and perhaps easily placated with the counterfeits that false religions or momentary escapes like drugs and alcohol can provide. Still, I believe that something began in the heart of those that we touched on that Friday. They received a taste of the love of God, and I believe that through the persistence of the pastor and the congregation that is serving that town, together with the regenerative power of the Holy Spirit, the very character of that town can change. In fact, I’m looking forward to the day when they invite us to the official name changing ceremony.

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Rising to the Occasion

January 17, 2008 in Media, Mexico, Ministry, Missions by Kelly | 1 comment

When one thinks of the needs that arise after a major natural disaster, several things come to mind. In the case of floods, for example, I think of material possessions being ruined or swept away by flood waters, no clean drinking water for awhile, unavailability of food, loss of homes, and possibly the loss of life – both people and animals. Recently, the state of Tabasco was hit by major flooding. Thankfully, several people came to their aid, both from the government and through organizations. However, when we inquired concerning the needs of the people, we were told that they had received a lot in the way of provisions, but that medical attention would be needed down the road. That’s where we come in … Last week our family had the opportunity to join with fellow missionaries Paul and Sandy Kazim, medical professionals and Bible school students from the state of Yucatan in order to go to meet the medical and spiritual needs of their fellow Mexicans in Tabasco. We were hosted by pastors and church members during the 4-day trip while we focused the outreach on 2 towns that had requested help in these areas. Not only was medical help available, but our team also provided ministry for the children, youth, and adults through skits, songs, balloons, sharing of the Word of God, door-to-door evangelism, and prayer.
Upon returning to Mérida, I reviewed some of the videos and photos from the trip and would like to share a short film that hopefully captures the essence of our visit. You won’t see me since I was behind the camera, and you won’t see Dave, either, since he along with some of the Bible school students visited homes, meeting the spiritual needs of those who couldn’t come or who hadn’t heard about the medical outreach. But you will see our kids involved in ministry as they played an important role and were a blessing to many. Also, the film is set to music, a song done in Spanish. The song speaks of being available and ready to be used by God for the things He wants us to do, giving Him our time, our hands, our voice, not wanting Him to pass over us because we are available for His purposes. It is sung by Jesus Adrian Romero from his album, “El Aire de Tu Casa.” My prayer is that this short film serves as a reminder of the needs all around us and that we, through the help and grace of God, are the answer to those needs. May God bless you as you allow Him to use you.

You can view it in this post above or on GodTube.

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Year End Wrap-up

December 28, 2007 in Culture, Ministry, Missions by Dave | Comments closed

With the close of the year comes the barrage of top fives, tens, twenties… and while most of the lists are the best of (insert item here). I thought that you’d might enjoy another look at some of our favorite posts over the last year. They may not be the most popular, but they’re definitely worth another look:

In the personal reflection category among my favorites are:

Oh the Humanity: This personal reflection on the mystery of God’s involvement with our humanness came through a time of prolonged sickness. It’s words continue to ring true especially during this season as we celebrate the incarnation of our Lord.

Topes: With insight into Mexican culture, and cross-cultural ministry in general, this post reminds me that God is in control.

From the out of the ordinary category I would have to note:

A Visit From the Tooth Mouse: This tongue-in-cheek post presents the Latin alternative to the tooth fairy as well as some of the difficulties we face as we live in the city of Mérida.

Coincidence or Confirmation: This post takes you through some of the “coincidences” that we’ve experienced in the journey to the mission field.

In the final missions category three of my favorites include:

Conversations: is a reflection on what missions means to this missionary. It’s received a bit of attention, and I hope that it serves to help us, as Byron Klaus says: “Keep the main thing the main thing.”

Dia de la Virgen and Our Missionary Methods: just happens to be one of my latest offerings. It’s a wondering post, asking questions and providing little in the way of answers, but more than that, it’s an invitation to open discussion about what we’ve done and what we should plan to do as missionaries.

Back with a Story to Tell: is the first in a series of posts that details, day-by-day, the impact of a short term missions trip.

We hope these posts will serve as a representative look back on our year in ministry, while they inspire you to dream, pray, and get involved in what God is doing in you, in your community, and in the world.

Prospero Año Nuevo!

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Día de la Virgen and our Missionary Methods

December 17, 2007 in Culture, Mexico, Missions by Dave | 1 comment

Antorchista We were driving back from a planning meeting in Muna last Tuesday, where we’ll be hosting my brother and his Chi Alpha team, when I noticed, all along the roadway, bikers, runners with torches, and support vehicles flashing their lights and honking their horns. There were hundreds of people in the hour long stretch that we traveled.

It resembled some kind of Olympic procession. It was as if this group was ushering in the torch to light the first ever Yucatan Games, but looking closer I noticed that each one was wearing a t-shirt displaying the symbol of Mexican religious devotion, image of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Researching further, I learned from YucatanLiving.com that these “antorchistas” are youth that have made a personal vow to the Virgin, and last week on December 12th, the Day of the Virgin, they ran or biked in order to complete their vow. The trek is a point to point journey, with more favor bestowed for greater distances. Apparently, the bicycle was introduced as a way for the working devotee to cover more ground in a shorter amount of time. (Read fewer days off from the job.)

Of course, we have the tendency to dismiss all of this as a misguided devotion, a practice to abandon as pure paganism. Still, one has to admire the determination, the organization, and the passion of those who would exert themselves for their faith. We evangelicals, a group lacking the presence of young men in our congregations, can’t help but ask, “How do we instill this type of enthusiasm, this type of devotion in our faithful?”

I would suggest that the answer lies within the pages of the Bible in the example of our Lord. It would seem that we are more famous for what we don’t do (drinking, smoking, dancing) than for what we do, for what we are against, than what we are for, but Jesus didn’t seem to be this way. “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them,” was the complaint of the Pharisees and scribes. What I see from Jesus isn’t a prohibition type religion. I see a radical redefinition of religious and social symbols.

To Peter and Andrew, fishermen by trade, Jesus says follow me, and I’ll make you fishers of men. To the woman at the well, Jesus says I am the one who gives living water. At the Last Supper, Jesus redefines the traditional passing of the cup and bread during the Passover meal into a remembrance of his sacrifice on the cross and celebration of the unity that we now have in the Church, the body of Christ on the earth. In other words, Jesus doesn’t seem to separate a person from his or her culture, rather he transforms the culture in much the same way that he transforms the individual.

This to me says that we as missionaries have a need for wisdom and God-given creativity when it comes to engaging a culture. What is truly anti-Christian, and what is simply an expression of culture? How can we contextualize, not just the presentation of the message of the gospel, but also its expression in worship and everyday life?

One case in point of an interesting attempt to accomplish this redemption of culture was in the Chota Valley, a culture of Ecuadorians of African descent. This people group had a dance that utilized a bottle, worn on the head and, if I remember correctly, filled with alcohol. In the bottle would be placed items that represented the pain and suffering that the person experienced in life. Missionary Joe Castleberry and his team, instead of prohibiting this cultural expression, redefined it. Gone was the alcohol and in the place of the symbols of pain and suffering was a flower to represent the new life the Christ brings.

I’ve not had the opportunity to see the “Freedom Valley” project first-hand, but I feel that it touches on an area that all missionaries need to consider. Did we do a disservice in our clothes-line style holiness of the 1900s? Have we relegated ourselves to the fringes of society though our lists of rules and prohibitions? How does it come across in the 21st century? On the flip-side, how does this redefinition of culture look, in Africa, in Mexico, in the US? Also, how do we know that we are truly redefining culture and not just compromising for convenience?

Granted, this task is not something that a simple post can solve, nor the work of one individual, but I think discussion is necessary and helpful if we are truly seeking to change the world.

Note: Picture was taken from YucatanLiving.com. (It’s kind of hard to drive and take pictures at the same time.)

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Returning from the Flood Zone

December 4, 2007 in Devotional, Ministry, Missions, Nature by Dave | 1 comment

We’ve returned from our 3 day trip to Tabasco, the region of Mexico that had experienced devastating floods in late October through early November. We loaded up two SUV loads of toys, vitamins, diapers, and powdered milk and drove the 8 hours from Mérida, Yucatán to Villahermosa, Tabasco to bring relief to families, especially those with small children.

Entering the city, we found that life had returned to its hectic pace with people and cars everywhere. The only visible remains of the inundation was the construction taking place to repair and clean roads affected by the floodwaters. Still, the stories we heard were incredible. People told us that many had remained in their homes, thinking this to be just a routine occurrence during the Tabasco rainy season, but that, as the floodwaters rose, they found themselves waiting on rooftops for helicopter rescue. The pastor’s home where we stayed took on more than 5 feet of water. He and his family stayed in the upper level and were able to save the majority of their appliances and furniture, but mold on the walls and ruined tile floors spoke of the work ahead to restore what the flood had ruined.

The countryside surrounding the city was a different story as floodwater remained on the roads and in the low lying areas that surrounded the houses. While no longer threating homes and schools, the stagnant water poses a health threat especially to the small children who choose to play in the contaminated pools and through mosquito borne illnesses. This is where we focused our efforts.

Entering Tabasco on Thursday night, we pooled together with Pastor Ruben, his family and several members of the church to put together relief packages with food, vitamins, diapers, milk and other essentials for the residents of these needy areas. It was touching to see the desire of these people, who were themselves victims, giving of their time and effort to help those who had needs greater than their own.

The following day, we handed out the supplies and toys to the children and their parents. It was for them clearly a “big deal” as at one point we were accompanied by one of their local government representatives. We were given complete access, even the ability to interrupt the activities of a elementary school to meet with the students.

Food was distributed, toys were given away, and much needed supplies were handed out, but something much bigger was accomplished. These victims received a much needed infusion of hope. They received it realizing that they were not alone in their struggle.

There is something amazing in the fact that God touches people to go and share his love with those who most need to experience it. At one point in the distribution, Paul Kazim, a fellow missionary, prayed. I think it was then that the reality of what we were doing came into focus: Jesus ministered to the people in Mark 6:30-44. He did that even though he was experiencing the loss of his cousin and herald, John the Baptist. He did it because he had compassion. In Tabasco, fellow citizens were putting their lives on hold, lives that had themselves been completely changed by the floods, to reach out to those with greater needs. What was the reason? I believe it to be nothing less than the same compassion that Christ portrayed to the 5,000 that were fed in the Galilean countryside.

We’re planning to go back to Tabasco January 10-13 to provide medical treatment and spiritual counseling to the needy suffering in Tabasco, to the people now being overlooked as efforts are being made to restore a sense of normalcy in the region. We as missionaries will take part, but I think the most effective counselors will be those who have lived through these floods. Those who, because of the compassion that only God can provide, have thought of others as better than themselves.

(You can see more of our recent trip by clicking on the picture above or through this link.)

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To Tabasco…

November 28, 2007 in Ministry, Missions, Nature by Dave | Comments closed

We’re on our way for a three-day relief trip to Tabasco with no time to type. What could be a faster way to relay the story? How about a video blog? Take a look at this latest offering and please remember to pray for those affected by the flood in Tabasco.

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Conversations

September 22, 2007 in Ministry, Missions by Dave | 2 comments

Celestun The definition of missions is changing. I recently returned from the Mission Exchange fall retreat where it was obvious that the upcoming generation of leaders thinks differently about the way cross-cultural ministry should be done. One speaker put it plainly. “To me a missionary was a guy in a four pocket shirt (guayabera) who traveled with snake skins and a slide projector.” He couldn’t relate. In a context of rapid globalization, where the world seems to be shrinking by the day, more and more students and professionals are saying, “Missions? Hey, I can do that!” They’re an eager workforce looking for the right project or missions-sending agency with which to partner, and when they can’t find one, they’re making their own. One pastor, Matt Chandler from the Village Church, looking to implement a business as mission model grew impatient with his denominational organization and started his own organization which is funding 14 missionaries and a handful of missions projects in several countries.

“To God be the glory, more workers in the harvest!” might be the reaction to the current situation, but such trends give this missionary pause for thought. The church today has, to a certain extent, adopted the current business mentality. For a project to be successful, it needs to produce quick and substantial results. ROI, or Return on Investment, a term ripped out of the business manager’s handbook, was thrown around a bit at the retreat. Donors are looking to see their dollars make a tangible impact on a community, so the funding of hospitals, feeding programs, orphanages, and even the establishment of Christian Businesses are becoming increasingly popular. Still, the question remains, “Is this the best way?”

My time here in the Yucatán has shown me that the work of a missionary is never quick nor easy. What may be able to be started through a project or an event must be continued through sustained process–biblical concepts applied to the cultural situation. This requires someone on the ground, an interpreter. This role was the one that the missionary traditionally occupied–studying the language and culture in order to reveal Christ and the Christian message through concepts that could be understood and adopted. I don’t put myself at this level yet. We have much to learn to fully understand the culture in which we are ministering, but I feel that we are making progress.

For example, these past two weeks I’ve carried on redemptive conversations in three separate settings, one a meeting to minister to a hurting woman, another a conversation about discipleship over lunch, and finally an impromptu chat with a carpenter at the local library. In each setting, through an understanding of the linguistic, cultural, social context, I was able to determine the relationship that the individual had with Christ, move them further along in the discipleship process, and, because I live here, follow up with them to clear up uncertainties or integrate them into the local Christian community. This doesn’t bring about the headline worthy results of a evangelistic crusade or a medical missions team, and often a cup of coffee or a chat on the beach doesn’t “look” like ministry, but statistics show that, over the long run, this is the most effective strategy (McIntosh, Finding Them Keeping Them, 1992:45). In reality, this is where cultural exchange happens, where we can study, share, and begin to understand one another. This is not to say that we are no longer preaching, teaching, or planning events, but we find that it is in the follow-up, the relationships that we find that we make the most progress toward discipling Mexico.

The “new” trend in doing ministry has its place, but we must understand the risks involved:

Disaster relief, though a biblical mandate can lead to the creation of “Rice Christians” those that proclaim Christianity as long as the hand-outs keep coming.
The construction of hospitals and schools require funding and resources that the host nation usually cannot provide and government instability can lead to such properties becoming pawns in a civil war.
Business as mission, or the creation of Christian businesses overseas as a means of witnessing through Biblical business practices runs the risk of tying Christianity to capitalism and the possibility of major problems in the event that the realities of business causes the mission to pull up its roots and abandon the country in search of a more profitable location.

The reality is that incarnational ministry, “walking among the people” is the only real method to effect change in a culture. Programs pass away, and events come and go, but it is my hope that the presence of the missionary and the example of the ambassador of Christ in the cross-cultural context will remain.

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Lending a Hand

September 10, 2007 in Ministry, Missions, Support by Dave | Comments closed

Golgota Construction Our missions organization, Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM), promote a missions policy that seeks to create and nurture an indigenous national church. Therefore, we as missionaries are charged with the task of forming or motivating national churches that are to be self-propagating, self-governing, and self-supporting. What does this mean you ask? Simply, our job is to partner with the church in Mexico–working, modeling, and training, so that they can, with their own people and resources, evangelize the lost and disciple new believers, administrate the work, and fund the church.

If you noticed, the order is intentional. Often, a new work moves forward quickly in the area of propagation. New believers are eager to share with others about the new-found freedom that they have in Christ. Leaders are harder to come by. Time and training are required to cultivate those who would guide the fledgling work. Still more challenging though is reaching the point of self-support. In developing countries like Mexico wages are low (the minimum wage here in Mérida is $5 a day), and the requirements of ministry can be quite high, especially if the church wishes to take an active part in evangelization and outreach to the community in which it is located. Therefore, missionaries often find themselves called upon to lend a hand when it comes to stimulating the work.

This is the reason that I am writing today. Our home church is in need of a helping hand to meet its needs as it expands to reach out to the community. Pastored by Orlando Vazquez, El Centro Cristiano Gólgota, is located in a strategic area of the city, but it’s current size is affecting its ability to minister effectively. Therefore, the church has been expanding its facilities to keep pace with its vision.

The $55,000 expansion began in mid-April with about $10,000, not even a fifth of the required need, but, through the sacrifice of the congregation and the response of friends and the community, Gólgota has finished walling in, roofing and is currently using the lower portion of the expansion where the sanctuary sits. It indeed has been a blessing to see the response of the people as they have challenged themselves to move forward. Still, about half of the work remains, including classrooms to minister to the bulging children’s Sunday School classes.

That’s where we are asking you to consider pitching in. Kelly and I have seen the kind of contagious motivation and sacrifice that the congregation has displayed, and we would like to offer you a chance to participate. So we have created, as a project with AGWM, a fund in order to receive offerings from those who would like to help Pastor Orlando fulfill his dream of seeing the church built.

If you would like to donate directly to this work, you can give through this secure web-server by entering your offering and the project name and number “EXPANSION OF CHURCH BULIDING GOLGOTA #14290.”

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Reflections on ISUM, Readjustment to Normal Life

July 12, 2007 in Devotional, Ministry, Missions by Dave | Comments closed

The close of June brought about the end of ISUM, the month-long ministerial advancement seminary held here in Mérida. As we near mid July, I’ve had some time to reflect on the experience and think about my re-entry into the normal missionary life.

ISUM is known by it’s grueling schedule and intense homework. The deadlines seemed to stack on top of each other as we prepared for 5 class periods each evening. Exhaustion was our common enemy as we fought back sleep in order to complete all of our tasks. Still, the struggle had a comfortableness about it. Being a to-do list writer, I found great satisfaction in marking off each assignment as I completed it, and although I routinely hit the pillow around 1:00 or 2:00 AM I did so with a feeling of accomplishment.

The return to normalcy, although less demanding on the schedule, didn’t come with the neat guidelines. A team to receive in late July, finding a house to move into by the middle of July, a youth retreat in August and the accumulation of work needing my attention while I was in ISUM each bring conflicting priorities and a collective clamoring for attention. There are no convenient class plans to follow and no instant feedback in the form of quizzes and tests along the way. These realities pose a problem for my order hungry mentality.

I would say that this may be the life that we all lead. We shout for independence as a youth, but we long for the simplicity of our childhood as adults. We have arrived at the place where we are free to determine our lives but we tire of the responsibilities, the leadership, and the need to hold everything together, and we long for someone to just tell us what to do.

And yet, this is our situation in our walk with the Lord. We face difficult decisions daily. We pray with fervency for direction, but rarely does the answer come in the form of a carefully worded class syllabus or a turn-by-turn Google Map. It’s then that we need to apply the knowledge that we’ve learned in the School of the Spirit of God’s Word, when we need to move from the parable to the person on the street, and that is where we most often fail.

The disciples coming off of a successful tour of ministry, casting out demons and healing the sick, failed the test of the Lord when facing the need of the multitude. “You give them something to eat,” he said. They reached for their calculators instead of their faith. Lk. 9:13

So is our daily struggle, rarely hectic to the point of the exhaustion of ISUM, but rarely as neat and tidy as the daily plan of activities that we received for each class. Still I’m glad we serve a patient Lord. Jesus did come through for the disciples. And, as we continue in our daily training, being formed into more into the image of our Master, I’m glad to know that our rate of success increases.

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Where we’ve been

June 18, 2007 in Ministry, Missions by Dave | 1 comment

ISUM Classmates Our last post is nearly a month old, prompting many of you to start wondering, “Just what is going on with the Godzwa family?” Well after a week of vacation at the end of May, June hit with a fury named ISUM.

I’ve enrolled at ISUM or Instituto de Superaci�n Ministerial (Ministerial Advancement Institute) which is a month long module of classes that allow Latin Ministers to work toward their college degree in theology. The work is intense. We start at 7:00 AM and finish at 1:30, but we also have group projects and homework, homework, homework. Most days I’ve been finishing at 11:30 or 12:00 at night.

Of course, the question that can come to mind during this routine is, “Why?” “Why would I spend a month sitting in a classroom and working toward a degree that I already have?” Part of it has to do with attitude. I have a Master’s of Divinity degree from AGTS with a concentration in Biblical Languages. It’s a pretty substantial degree, as was the time that it took in order to earn it. Still, if I’m content to sit back and tell myself that I’ve arrived and that there is nothing left to learn, then my degree isn’t worth the paper it is printed on.

I believe that one signal that a person has truly received an education is insatiable desire to learn more. When I entered Bible College, I wondered what it was that I really needed to learn, going on to seminary I thought that I had some adjustments to make if I were to really get a grasp on things. Now, after 8 years of study of the Bible, ministry, and theology, and a year of Spanish, I find that my knowledge is only scratching the surface of what I need to know in order to meet the demands of inter-cultural ministry. ISUM is another way to add to the resources that I have accumulated at the same time providing opportunity for me to experience a truly Latin American education, right down to the language (no English is spoken here!)

Beyond this is the “superaci�n” that comes from being with those ministers that lead the fellowship of believers here in Mexico. The time spent hearing their stories, of working with them, and praying with them brings us a bond that visiting their church on a Sunday afternoon simply cannot. It leads us to an recognize and appreciate the calling that these ministers have on their lives, and it leads them to see the gifts and abilities that God has placed within each of us as missionaries. This interchange can only lead to enhanced cooperation and a greater effectiveness in ministry as we are called upon to compliment and extend the work that these men and women are undertaking.

So, you may see a bit less of me online in the next few weeks, but know that what is going on in the meantime will yield true value for our life and ministry here in Mexico.

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Missions Team: Wrapping Things Up

March 27, 2007 in Ministry, Missions by Dave | Comments closed

This is the conclusion of our time-delayed coverage of the Spring Break Chi Alpha Missions Team that we hosted from March 10-17 in Muna, Yucatán. For the full story you might want to start at the beginning.

Thursday, March 15th

Ashley Sitting Thursday marked our final day of work in Muna, and certainly a bittersweet time for all of us. We finished painting the pastor’s house just in time to see the carpenters tearing down the walls of the pastor’s old home. They were removing the old home in order to make way for the columns that will support the new second floor of the church, where new classrooms will be built. With the new home completed, the pastor and his family were able to begin to move their possessions looking forward to a new house, and a new church building as well.

Thursday was also a day for finishing our ministry. Helmer preached to the youth of the church a message about being called upon by God to do what others may feel is the impossible. Speaking from the story of David and Goliath, he called upon the youth to prepare themselves now, in their daily routines, for the task that God has in store for them.

In a way, he was telling our story. In the course of a week’s time, God had taken a group of youth and their leaders out of their comfort zone, their daily routines, and thrust them into service for him. Mike and Dave Ministering He took a group of very dissimilar people, and brought them together to see something happen in Muna. And something did happen. We saw work done and a church being built, but more than that, we saw God touch the lives of children, youth and adults alike.

As the final service came to a close, the members of the church filed past us, each one blessing us for what we had allowed God to do through us. Few dry eyes were to be found in the building.

All of this wouldn’t have happened had we chosen to stay at home. It wouldn’t have happened if each member of the team hadn’t determined to sacrifice their Spring Break to fly to a corner of Mexico, where the people still speak Maya and the main mode of transportation is the bicycle, as an answer to God’s call.

We would have missed out as well. God did a special work inside each member of the group during the week’s time. Mike has put together a special video report of the trip. In it, you’ll be able to hear from each team member their impression of the trip.

So as we conclude this extended report of the Spring Break Missions Team, I’d like to thank each member: Mike, Ashley, Bethany, Helmer, Julia, Kaia, Kelsey, Kelly, Rebekah, Joseph, and Jonathan for their involvement, and I’d like to challenge you to say yes to the call of God on your life. True his plan can succeed without you, but what a privilege to be able to partner with Him to see something beautiful happen–Not only in those being served, but in those serving as well.

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Missions Team: “Flexibility? Check!”

March 25, 2007 in Ministry, Missions by Dave | Comments closed

We’re continuing our time-delayed coverage of the Spring Break Chi Alpha Missions Team from March 10-17. If you need to catch up you can start at this post and continue to this point.

Wednesday, March 14

Children's Service Before Mike and the team landed here in M�rida, he had several planning sessions with them. In one of those planning sessions, he gave each member of the team a packing list of items that they’d need for the trip. Among those items were flexibility and a servant’s heart. It became the chant of the trip. Each time we loaded up to go somewhere, someone asked if we were bringing along our flexibility and our servant’s heart. Wednesday was just one example of how important those items would be.

After the Tuesday kid’s service in the football stadium, the pastor asked us to plan to host the children one more time, this time in the church for their regular children’s service. Originally, we were planning for 4 services: two on Sunday, one on Tuesday and another on Thursday for youth. Getting short on material, I didn’t know what the team had in their bag to pull out on short notice. Also, after some hectic days of work and ministry, I thought that a few of the students might be looking forward to their break. Still, approaching the members with the news, having packed their flexibility, they all were willing to go forward with the service.

After some last-minute planning, the team was ready. We had a skit, a testimony, some songs, and a project, probably about an hour of material. However, after the hour was nearly over, several kids were still arriving. Pastor asked us to continue the service so that the latecomers would be able to be involved as well. I went to the team again with the news, partly expecting some exasperation, but, servant’s heart intact, they were all happy extend things. A song and another skit later it was time for “pato, pato, ganzo” (duck, duck, goose) on the patio.

We can list a host of other situations that required those essentials, the need to repaint the Pastor’s home because the wrong color was delivered, the fact that our hotel came equipped with only one shower, and the need to drive 30 minutes to another town to get team cash because Muna didn’t have an ATM. Nevertheless, because the team came equipped with the necessities, even the lack of necessary rooms didn’t check their stride.

Planning to minister in the near future? Don’t forget to pack your flexibility and servant’s heart!

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Missions Team: Doing What it Takes

March 22, 2007 in Media, Ministry, Missions by Dave | Comments closed

Tonight, the Chi Alpha missions team is back reporting about their experiences in their Thursday Night Worship Service. Here as well, on disciplemexico.org, our time-delayed report continues:

Tuesday, March 13th

What do you do when you don’t know the language and you want to convey the love of Jesus? You spend time with people. And that is exactly what our team did during our special children’s service on Tuesday.

After a few hours of painting, we headed out to hand out fliers announcing our children’s service. Using the back of a pickup as our transportation, we went from house to house, meeting kids and their parents, dressed in our work clothes, inviting them to come and see what these crazy Americans were doing. And came they did, at first only a few, but in time, the stands began to fill with curious kids and their relatives.

Several songs, skits, a project, and a couple of football (soccer) games later, they had passed from a group of curious onlookers to a bunch of new friends, and it wasn’t because of our mastery of the language. It was because a group of university students decided to take a week’s vacation and give themselves completely to showing the kids of Muna the love of Jesus, no matter how silly that they looked trying!

Speaking of silliness, take a look at the attached video. Here, Mike, Helmer, and I are leading the crowd in the song “Trading my Sorrows.” We’re thankful that the phrase “la, la, la” works in Spanish and in English!

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Missions Team: Looking for God in the Dark

March 21, 2007 in Devotional, Ministry, Missions by Dave | 1 comment

We are continuing an ongoing series following the experiences of our first missions team here in the Yucatan

Monday, March 12th

Kelsey Painting Monday arose with a day of work planned. We were to paint the pastor’s home as they were preparing to tear down the old house standing in the way of the construction of the church. The paint was bought and the team, using rollers, brushes, paint, elbow grease, and Christian camp songs began the work. Little by little the rough walls began to take on their new look. Here you can see Kelsey putting on the first coat. (Unfortunately for us, the paint we used on the first day was totally incorrect, leaving us to repaint what we had done over again, but that is for another post.)

The highlight of the day actually came from a darkened room. An off night of ministry for us, we gathered with the congregation for prayer in their traditional prayer service. When we arrived, however, we were a bit confused. The lights in the church were off. We had thought perhaps that service was canceled. Looking for direction from those in the pastor’s home, we were told that it was the custom of the congregation to pray in this manner. So we entered in to join the many who were already seeking God.

What resulted was impacting. Mike, my brother, mentioned his impression later in this way: When I felt that I had prayed enough, I looked up, expecting perhaps that the congregation would have finished as well, when I realized that they hadn’t, I continued in my prayers the darkness helping me to maintain my focus and the time allowing me to connect with God in a way that our busy distracted lives don’t often allow.

What an irony, that in our week of finding (remember from our last post that our theme was Luke 15) we could actually encounter God in a new way by turning off the lights! We learned in that evening to set aside our i-pods, our power point presentations, and movie clip sermon illustrations for awhile in order to allow God to speak to us in a totally unscripted, unorchestrated way. We also learned that missions trips are not only about giving, but receiving as well. So are you interested in finding God? Try turning off the distractions for a moment and letting Him speak.

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Missions Team: The Love of the Father

March 20, 2007 in Ministry, Missions by Dave | Comments closed

Sunday, March 11th
Mike and the Sheep As I had stated previously, you’re reading these updates via time delay. Our Chi Alpha Missions Team is now settling back into their routines on campus, but there remains much to be told:

We arose the morning of March 11th a bit less worse for the wear from a night of sleeping without our pillows but looking forward to the work of the day. We ate breakfast at Mun Ha, which serves some great huevos rancheros (eggs ranch-style). Our bellies full, we left for the church.

The theme for the week was Luke 15: the stories of the lost sheep, lost coin, and the lost son. The classes were divided with the team going to minister with the children. I spent the morning with the adults working verse by verse through the chapter and showing how our growth in discipleship is shown by the measure in which we reflect the activity of Jesus. Jesus searched for the lost and rejoiced when they were found. We too as Christians, or Christ-like people reflect Christ’s love when we act this manner.

It just so happened that the night before we were looking for lost things, namely Helmer’s Resident Visa Card. So, although I lost out on prep time, the ready illustration about the relief and joy that we felt in finding the card, drove home the point I was trying to teach. What Mike had related the night before was coming to pass.

The real highlight of the day, however, happened during the evening service. Recapping the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15, Mike preached, with Helmer translating, on the love of the father–a love so extravagant that would cause a grown man to act foolish as he ran to embrace his filthy disgraced son who was “lost but now found.” The response from those in the church was immediate and heartfelt. In a country that has had to deal with an absence of loving fathers, Mike’s message had struck a chord.

Yes, God was empowering us on the way, and we truly felt his presence helping us relate and minister across language barriers, as team members and church members joined in prayer around the altars. That night, back at Mun Ha, we shared our joy as we had experienced the amazing work of God through us.

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Missions Team: Anticipation

March 19, 2007 in Ministry, Missions by Dave | Comments closed

Missions Team Greeting As I have noted in my previous post, the Chi Alpha Missions Team has come, ministered, and gone. However, there remains a story to be told. In this “Missions Team” series, we’ll be revisiting some of the events of the past week.

Saturday, March 10th:
Yesterday had been a time of last minute preparations: buying medicine for those who might get sick, Gatorade for the heat that we are expecting, confirmation of our rooms at Mun Ha, the place where we are going to stay, and the preparation of the Sunday School lesson that I will give. Of course, nothing is quite where I want it to be, but I’m counting on time in Muna to be able to finish everything off.

I’m worried a bit about the team. Mike emailed and let me know that van trouble had canceled their skit practice. Their worship set has yet to be developed. Still, there is no time to think about a “plan b.” We pack and head out to drop off our two pet “budgie” birds and head to the airport.

Presidential Plane The airport is a mess with security checkpoints, armed guards and commotion on the runway. The President of the United States is arriving Monday, and already a huge airplane holding his vehicles has landed and is being unloaded. Needless to say, there are delays. The group’s plan was supposed to have landed by 1:30 but doesn’t touch the ground until well after two. The passengers come off in a trickle until, finally, around 3:00, the team is off. After hugs for “Uncle Mike” and greetings between the team and the group from Muna, Jeovany, Hasabias, and Israel, the missions trip begins with our trip to meet Pastor Julian and settle our things at Mun Ha.

Lunch was wonderful with warm exchanges between the group and the women preparing the meal. Pastor greets us and verifies the work for the week. We finish and head to our rooms in order to prepare for the morning’s service, but upon arrival, we find out that Helmer, our worship leader and most fluent Spanish-speaker, has left his resident visa at the airport. So long preparation time. Adios skit practice. It’s time for a return trip to the airport!

Before Helmer and I leave, however, the group gathers for a devotional and prayer. The trip has started at a pretty hectic pace, and many of our expectations have been unfulfilled, but Mike’s words of encouragement are well received: “God has a tendency to empower on the way,” he says. That’s not to say that we have an excuse for lack of preparation, but after we’ve done what we can, we need to leave Him space to move, and if we commit to following His plan for the week, we can expect to see Him touch lives and hearts, not only those of the people of Muna, but our lives as well. I feel lead to “release” the team to minister. This trip is not mine to make or break. We are operating as a community of believers and we can expect God to use each one of us.

As we head off down the road to Mérida to recover the lost visa, there is a sense of peace in each one of us. There is also an excitement about what God is going to do through this team. May your will be done Lord!

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Back with a Story to Tell

March 18, 2007 in Ministry, Missions by Dave | 3 comments

Mun Ha About 9 days ago, I posted about the arrival of the Chi Alpha team from Washington D.C. Well in that time they’ve arrived, ministered, painted, toured, and should now be back in D.C. recovering just in time to start up classes again this Monday. However, for those of you who are following from home, the fun is just beginning. Like the time-delayed coverage of the Olympics of years past, we’re offering coverage of our first missions team along with all of the twists and turns along the way.

The series reads as follows: (Just click on the first title and click on the back arrow to come back to this listing)

Post #1: Anticipation
Post #2: The Love of the Father
Post #3: Looking for God in the Dark
Post #4: Doing What it Takes
Post #5: Flexibility? Check!
Post #6: Wrapping Things Up

Note: The picture above is a picture of where our family stayed while we were ministering in Muna. The site is called Mun-Ha, and boasts traditional caba�as (no A/C or indoor plumbing folks) complete with grass roofs, offering the perfect base for a week of servant-ministry.

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Headed Out of Town

March 9, 2007 in Media, Ministry, Missions, Prayer by Dave | Comments closed

Typical home in Muna

If you’ve been looking at the Upcoming Events module, We’re nearly set to embark on our first missions team project. We’ll be headed south from Mérida to the small city of Muna. There, Kelly, the kids, and I, along with a group from America University’s Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship (led by my twin brother, Mike), will be building, painting, and evangelizing. We’ll be partnering with the Lilly of the Valley Church, pastored by Julian Puc Tum to raise a column to support the second floor of their building, painting in the newly constructed pastoral home, and holding evangelistic services for kids and youth.

We ask that you would join with us in prayer as we work with this group. We would ask for your prayers concerning our safety during the construction, our health, especially for those adjusting to the new environment and foods, and our outreach. Also, we would ask that you would pray for the team members. Many future missionaries are called during missions trips like this one. Pray that God would not only touch hearts in Muna, but also those of our group, that they might be open to His call to “Go!”

Needless to say, this one week trip will see me away from the computer for a while. So, although you are always free to drop a comment, it may be held in moderation before being published. While you are waiting for the comment to go, why don’t you head over to our photo album to view shots of Muna and the surrounding area.

Popularity: 26% [?]

Watch your language!

January 12, 2007 in Language, Ministry, Missions by Dave | 5 comments

Image from: http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n7/anne86au/?action=view&current=speaknoevil.jpg We’ve certainly heard that line before. Whether we’ve used it or had someone use it on us, we know that something inappropriate had been said, something that didn’t fit in the conversation or context. Now, many of us would relate that unfortunate language to various four letter words that we may have heard throughout our lives, or perhaps to the childish giggles that accompany the use of “potty words” outside of their appropriate place, but today I’d like broaden the application of this phrase.

Alejandro, one of students in my evangelism class was testifying of a recent encounter. It wasn’t a report of “salvation” or “re-dedication,” but a reflection on his overly technical spiritual vocabulary. He was giving his friend a Bible that he had purchased when she asked him where to begin reading. He mentioned that the book of Matthew was a good place to start. Disappointed, she explained that she wanted to read about Jesus and not about Matthew! He had to take a minute to collect himself and explain that the gospels, although titled with the name of the writer were actually records of the life and work of Jesus. In his testimony, he shared with us that he was going to take the time to work through his thoughts, making sure that his communication with those who were not followers of Jesus would not only be correct, but also clear and understandable. He was committing to watch his language.

This testimony is a good reminder to all of us. We have a tendency to slip into routines in our speech. One story, related to me by fellow missionary Paul Kazim, is about a group of Bible School students traveling together. When stopping for gas, one of the students sticks his head out of the car to say, “The gas prices have really gone up, Amen?” Now while that line is certainly not out of place in the church, it would have a group of people scratching their heads at the local 7-11. Are we watching our language, or are we thoughtlessly separating ourselves from those we should be reaching with the use of a “sacred dialect.”

We missionaries must especially guard against this kind of behavior as much of our Spanish language habits are being built within the working environment of the church. Phrases like “Dios le bendiga (God bless you)” or “Bendito sea su nombre (Blessed be His Name)” are lines that can bring instant reaction in a worship service, but lose much of their significance when spoken in a secular context.

My brother’s post on the Bible knowledge of an AU student is proof that in the US as well, the need to clearly explain our God speech is more necessary than ever before. More and more, we are facing the same cosmopolitan, multicultural, and very often secular society that Paul faced in his missionary journey to Greece. In light of this, it would be a good practice to adopt Paul’s methods of explanation and the use of cultural references as he spoke to the crowd in Athens (Acts 17:16-31), meeting them in their context in order to share with them about their need to be in right relationship with God.

Like Alejandro, I realize that I need to remember to watch my language. I need commit to clearly relate to others (in Spanish or in English) what God has done in my life, and welcome them into the discussion by decoding my technical “God-speak.” Won’t you join me in the process?

How about you? Do you have a story to tell? Post a comment and share with us when you had to watch your “language.”

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Tuxtla Gutierrez

November 24, 2006 in Missions, Progress by Dave | 1 comment

As I had mentioned in my previous post, I have been in Tuxtla Gutierrez for the past 4 days. Here we have witnessed the events of the 49th General Council of the Assemblies of God of Mexico. We have seen the reelection of the current leaders of the organization and the passing of several resolutions, some of which brought encouragement and some of which brought disappointment to those of us observing and helping the work here in Mexico. However, all of us were ecstatic to see the presentation of the Mexican missionary body last night as several veteran missionaries brought reports of the work going on in world and three new families were committed to the work of “going into all of the world” in order to introduce people to the freeing message of the gospel.

Our prayers and support go with these who have responded to the call to go, and our desire is that more will follow their example so that this largest Spanish speaking nation in the world will extend its influence for the good of those who have yet to respond to God’s love.

Technorati Tags: Missions

Popularity: 24% [?]

Here Comes the Rain

May 15, 2006 in CostaRica, Missions, Prayer by Dave | 5 comments

As I had mentioned in a previous post, the country of Costa Rica has only two seasons, the wet and the dry seasons. We have enjoyed about 3 months now of dry sunny weather, but for the past week except for yesterday, it has rained every day. The picture above is a view of the storm clouds rolling in once again.

It’s funny how the changes in the weather can bring about a thoughtful attitude, but activity in the blogsphere has helped push me into a pensive mood as well. A post written by Amy Maxwell has caused me to think a bit about our lives as Christians, and how we view our relationship with God. Her question was a question about how we pray. Amy, along with her husband Joel, is now in the process of a personal storm of trying to pay off the debt of a failed business, and she asked:

Should we pray for sunny days? Praise God IN the storm? Praise God DESPITE the storm? Praise God FOR the storm?

This isn?t just a word game. These are drastically different ways of looking at and dealing with life.

It struck me as an interesting question, and many of us, out of our experiences or studies would be able to respond stating the method we feel that is correct or that more suits our personal style. However, I felt compelled to respond in a different way:

My opinion is that, for questions like these, it is best to turn to the prayer book of the Bible, Psalms. In it we see all kinds of prayers that may not fit with our personal style. There are prayers of questioning, prayers of frustration, and prayers asking for God to bring judgment. Also, there are prayers of praise and prayers that ask for God?s blessing.

What does this teach us? That there are some prayers that are better and some that are worse? I think no. (Perhaps there are some that come from a more mature understanding of God?s ways.) But I think that the important point that Psalms makes is that we should pray. Praise in the good and bad. Pray for God?s peace and blessing, and sometimes just pray in such a way that we spill out everything that is in us before Him.

Sometimes what comes out won?t be pretty, but in all of our laughing and crying, praising and (perhaps) cursing, words of faith and frustration, I believe that God is working something out in us through His Spirit, and we are telling Him that He is more than a heavenly vending machine. He is our perfect, heavenly Father. And, who knows, when we are done, maybe He?ll have time to say something to us.

You see, I feel that we as Christians spend so much time on how we should pray that we fail to actually take time to pray. This is evident even in some of the new, and might I say, well though out missionary blogs that have popped up on missionary-blogs.com. Both The M Blog in this post on Trinitarian Theology and RTBM in “Returning to Biblical Missions” question our methodologies and challenge us to take a new look at our dependence on the Spirit. How better to do this but to bend our knees in prayer?

Who knows, maybe this post was something I needed to write simply to air out some thoughts, but perhaps this question of this mother of 2 in Springfield and the thoughts of two veteran missionaries will do what it did to me: reignite a desire to pray!

Technorati Tags: Prayer, Praise, Missions, Weather, Seasons, Rain

Popularity: 29% [?]

Belated Remarks

May 6, 2006 in CostaRica, Misc, Missions by Dave | Comments closed

Cinco de Mayo, the holiday celebration that com- memorates the Mexican victory during of the Battle of Puebla, has passed without even the thought of a Mariachi band as pictured in the post. In fact, here in Costa Rica, we had let the day slip until Anthony Scoma, a pastor friend from Texas reminded us. (BTW, Anthony, the Yankees won last night. It wasn’t pretty, but they won!)

Still, we didn’t let the day pass without celebrating. We had the opportunity to celebrate with a Tico (Costa Rican) family who had invited us over for a cafecito. A cafecito is a light meal that takes place as early as 3:00 PM and as late as 5:00 PM, in which there are snacks, sandwiches, and some sweets, and of course, coffee! We had a wonderful time speaking in Spanish for 4 hours as the kids played through the house. Times like these help us realize how far we have come since arriving in Costa Rica back in August of last year.

It is a satisfying thing really. Language school is a transition time, and it is easy to focus on the field so much that we fail to identify with the culture and the people here in Costa Rica. We are glad to have been a part of the lives of so many Ticos, who through their generosity have welcomed us into their lives. The sad thing about it all is that just as we have advanced in our language skills to the point that we the opportunity to form relationships with others, we are looking forward to leaving Costa Rica in 3 short months. Still, we’ll choose to enjoy the time and the relationships that we have.

Update: 5-07-2006 Andy Raatz A/G Missionary to Moldova has some thoughts on transition here

Photo Credits: Java Cafe (2006). Mariachi Dreams. Retrieved 05/06/2006 from http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=93107466&size=m

Technorati Tags: Mexico, CostaRica, Culture, Language-learning, Relationships, Missions

Popularity: 27% [?]

All good things…

April 23, 2006 in Day2Day, Language, Missions, Progress, Thanks by Dave | Comments closed

They say, all good things in life must come to and end, and life in language school is no different. There were a several things that came to an end in the past week that we’d like to fill you in on.

First of all, the trimester of school finished this Friday when we said goodbye to 13 graduates and 1 instructor. Fellow Mexico Missionaries David and Carolyn Huneycutt, Ryan and Christie Thomas and Terisa and Fredy Vasquez were among those who said goodbye to Costa Rica to head to their appointed destinations in order to begin their ministries. We wish them well. Also leaving the school was 13 year veteran grammar teacher, Iris Chavarria (pictured in this post from last year). She was our teacher for our two trimesters, and we owe all of our knowledge of the functioning of irregular verbs and the uses of the subjunctive to her. Gracias por todo Iris, ser� extra�ada.

Second, the end of the trimester also means that we received our evaluations from our Oral Proficiency exams that I mentioned in this previous post. Both Kelly and I finished well, scoring above normal for our group. Not that language school is a competition, but the ability to advance more quickly here will mean that we will have an easier time adapting to the language in Mexico when we arrive. We want to take a moment to say thank you to our teachers (pictured above),thanks to you for your prayers on our behalf. Without those, we are certain that we would not have made it this far.

Finally, yesterday meant the end of my 31st year, and what a year it was! We finished our itineration by speaking in over 55 services, travelling by car to each one, participated in the first ever commissioning of new candidate missionaries at the 51st General Council in Denver, CO, moved twice, arrived in Costa Rica in August, and survived a couple interesting trimesters which saw us through sicknesses, and accidents, but also has brought us closer to ministry in Mexico. Through it all, we have to marvel at the faithfulness of God and His people as we have received the help of so many that they would prove too numerous to mention. My 31st year is over, and, if it served as any indication, 32 should prove to be wonderful!

Wrapping this post up, we realize that good things do come to an end, but as we finish one thing, we find that God continues to offer us new beginnings, which bring rewarding challenges and opportunities to view his faithfulness.

Technorati Tags: Language, Language-Learning, Graduation, Birthday, CINCEL, Missions

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So close, and yet so far

April 11, 2006 in Devotional, Missions, Prayer by Dave | 1 comment

The missionaries of today are quite different from those of the past. Single-minded laborers for the Lord, they loaded their belongings in caskets, headed for far off regions that they were sure that they would never return from. Today, we are usually only a plane flight or two away from our home country, and the technology that we enjoy has us linked through the telephone and the internet in such a way that many of us can enjoy a connectedness with our families that few ever even imagined in the past. Some of us are even blessed to receive visits from family as we are enjoying now: Kelly’s parents David and Kim Yaple, along with her brother Micah have been here since last Thursday night, enjoying the Holy Week school break along with us.

Still there are events that remind us of the miles. We had a few that have happened just this weekend. The first was the birth of our latest nephew Levi Christopher this weekend. He’s a 9lb 1oz cutie that is currently 2,050 miles away as the bird flies. The second was the death of my uncle David Regan. Suffering from cancer, my uncle succumbed the day before Levi was welcomed into the world. With the desire to be there strong, but the realities and expenses of travel being as they are, suddenly the world has gotten much bigger. And when we hear of loved ones being sick or churches struggling, we long to be near, to be able to comfort with a touch or simply our presence but we are unable.

These are the times when the calling has to be sure. The times when we reflect on the reason that we have left the United States in order to work on the mission field, and the answer is not because there is a need, but because we are called. So we offer up our prayers for those who are far from us. Prayers of thanksgiving for those events in which the Lord has blessed, and prayers of peace and comfort for those who have suffered loss, and we take confidence that the Lord who has taken us away is big enough fill the space that we leave behind, be it in the celebrations or the sadness.

Technorati Tags: Missions, Devotional, Family, Separation, Prayer

Popularity: 25% [?]

Taken

March 28, 2006 in Day2Day, Devotional, Missions by Dave | 2 comments

Kelly and I were on our way out last Thursday for a rare afternoon date, when we were greeted by a well dressed man, named Ronald, who claimed to be looking for fellow students, David and Carolyn Huneycutt. Thinking him to be a pastor or friend of David and Carol, we proceeded to listen to his story:

He was a new Christian, with a sick wife, children to care for, and a job to go to, but with no one to leave his children. His mother-in-law could care for them, but insisted that he bring the children to her. However, he didn’t have the money to pay for the bus fare. He had sought help from the church, but he told us that he had been turned away because he didn’t have an appointment.

Thinking it terrible that this man would have to deal with this problem by himself, we wanted to help as best as we could, since of course he was some acquaintence of a fellow student, so I asked him how much the bus fare was. He told me for the trip there and back I would cost somewhere around $8. Feeling that we couldn’t watch his children for him, I asked Kelly for the money thinking that it was the least that we could do. She gave it to me, but was a bit suspicious of the whole situation. I handed it over and prayed for the man, knowing that time was becoming scarce and believing that we would be providing a tangible proof of the love of God.

We went away happy to have helped Ronald, but questioning our action. Was it the right thing to do? I had satisfied myself with the fact that Jesus himself had gotten involved with physical needs of the people. But we found out the next day that Kelly was right to have been suspicious. In all of our mailboxes was a description and picture of Ronald. You can see the notice by clicking on the picture to the left or clicking here. The suposedly “new Christian” in reality had been hitting the missionary language schools (CINCEL and ILE), preying on students goodwill and desire help out a brother in need. The man probably had robbed several of hundreds of dollars of money with his story, as several fellow students had explained to me that they too had believed his story.

I sat through that moning worship service in disgust. Thinking, “How could a man do such a thing?”, but later disgusted with myself thinking, “How is it that I believed him? Aren’t Christians supposed to be more discerning?” I thought of ways that I could proctect myself in the future, like vowing to never give money to a stranger again, and that might be the course to take, but something inside me hesitates. Shouldn’t we be willing to be vulnerable to those in need?

I think my conclusion, is that giving money, without also being willing to be involved in a relationship with the individual is always a bad policy. If we had offered to watch the man’s four children, we would have had to possibly rearrange our schedule, but we would have called his bluff. Still, if the man had a real need, we would have been able to meet it in a more practical and caring way, and perhaps even seen another family being drawn closer to our Savior.

This interaction has left me with much to think about, and the realization that I have much to learn about being a missionary here in Latin America. I’m thankful that God gives on the job training.

Technorati Tags: Giving, Con-artist, Devotional, Training, Missions

Popularity: 26% [?]

From Everywhere

February 27, 2006 in CostaRica, Missions by Dave | 1 comment

During our time on the itineration trail, we had the chance to share with some groups that missions is a world-wide mandate, that God is calling people from everywhere to go everywhere in His name. We have several examples of this reality here in the English program at CINCEL, people that have been called from nations traditionally classified as missionary receiving countries. One of those examples is Jaime Chacon.

Jaime, together with his wife Jacqueline have responded to God’s call to go to the United States. They will serve South Carolina and the surrounding area by spearheading an effort to raise up missionaries, first to reach the expanding Hispanic population in the region and then to train those who would respond to go to the world.

Jaime and Jacqueline are slated to begin their first term in the U.S. in January 2007. Their main focus will be the creation of a district-wide missions department which will assist with church planting among Hispanics, and then be available to train missionaries called out of the region.

Called into missions at the age of 17, Jaime felt a burden to reach the Arab nations, but as he followed the leading of his heart, it became clear that God was redirecting him to the U.S. to train others who would go: “I believe,” said Chacon “that God blesses those nations that send missionaries, It is our desire that The United States continues to receive that blessing.”

Some interesting facts about the need for Hispanic missionaries to reach into the U.S. from other countries:

Hispanics make up the largest ethnic group in the U.S. By the year 2016 they will make up 25% of the total population.
These Hispanics living abroad, many thousands of miles away from family and friends are open to the message of the gospel as never before.
Hispanics, in some instances, have the ability to go to countries that are closed to U.S. missionaries.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Missions

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Marathon for Mexico 2