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Has it already been 5 months since we returned to Mexico? Time sure flies when you’re on the mission field! Take a look at our online newsletter to get all of the latest news. Also, be sure to note our updated address and phone numbers listed on the sidebar. Click here or on the picture to see all that is going on!
Our online newsletter is viewable as a PDF document. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed, you may download it here.
Discipleship has lost traction in our fragmented society. Once upon a time we had been discipled simply by exposure to the gospel both in teaching and in practice several times a week. Now, however, packed schedules and enticing alternatives to the classical Christian community have left us searching for ways to make disciples in the modern world where even professing Christians seem to have left their faith behind when it comes to everyday living.
We face the same challenge here in the Yucatán. The taste for Christian activities and the informal discipleship structure that they promote seems to be dwindling. Where Christian maturity was once on display several times a week to serve as a model for the younger or less mature, many are beginning to ask, “What does a mature Christian look like?” and “How do I become one?”
Fortunately, resources are out there for us to help answer these questions. Recently, El Centro Cristiano Gólgota has begun an intentional discipleship program based on materials offered for free by Global University. We’ve been blessed to be a part of team working to adapt the individual studies to a group format. Meeting once a week, we’re going step by step through the process of Christian growth with the goal of making discipleship a tangible, achievable process. The picture above is of one of those sessions.
How about you? Have you’ve been wondering lately about discipleship? Have you heard someone asking aloud what mature Christianity should look like? What steps have you or your church taken to make discipleship an intentional process?
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, I thought that 7,000 words might be sufficient to describe what went on at the premiere of the Jesus Film for Children in Maya put on by the missions organization, Message for the Mayans. (Of course, I did take the liberty to add captions.)
Enjoy!
“I was invited to the premiere of the Jesus Film for Children in Maya put on by the organization that made the film, Message for the Mayans.”
From The Premiere of Jesus Film for Children in Maya. Posted by David Godzwa on 2/12/2011 (8 items)
Generated by Facebook Photo Fetcher 2
Tags: Evangelism, Jesus Film for Children, Maya, Message for the Mayans, Xcan
This week finds me decidedly out of the country and out of my element. I’m in Springfield, MO, the home of Bass Pro, Andy’s Frozen Custard, the Assemblies of God, and until recently, some bone chilling temperatures, especially when you compare them to what we’re used to in the Yucatan.
Why am I here? Well, it’s certainly not for the ice cream. Actually, it’s because I serve as part of the leadership team for ACLAME, an organization that exists to network and encourage missionary educators that serve in the Latin American context.
For the past two days we’ve met to evaluate our events and retool our structure and purposes. All of it has been fruitful as we try to make ourselves more effective in the role that we serve. Still, as I worked among these individuals, each one with a wealth of experience and talents to offer, I found that the simple act of being together had enriched us in ways that we had not expected. We were exposed to resources we had not yet tapped, information that lay outside of our awareness and tecniques yet unexplored. I would say that each of us is walking away a better person for the time spent.
So yes the work in the field is on pause for another day as I pack up and ready to depart the near tolerable temperatures that are expected to visit these northern climes, but I believe I’m headed back more capable to handle what awaits as I return. I’m glad to work within an organization of team players.
Tags: ACLAME, Education, Springfield, Team
One of the great things about having the opportunity to return to Merida has been the blessing pick up where we had left off–to catch up with old friends. Certainly there have been some sad occurrences: our pastor, Orlando Vazquez, a minister with over 50 years of experience and our good friend, went to be with the Lord in October. Still, there have been joyous ones as well. Take for example what has happened in the life of Federico.
A few years ago, I had posted about one of my favorite things, coffee. In that post, I talked about the significance of coffee in my life. Among other things, coffee is what had led me to strike up an ongoing conversation with Federico. Federico roasts and sells coffee in downtown Merida, and he’s my source for green coffee beans for my own home roasting enterprise. At that time, although interested in religious things, Federico lived on the outside looking in, close enough to comment on the goings on within religious circles, but too far away to experience the transformational power of life with Christ.
We talked about many subjects during those first years here in Merida, political, social, and religious alike. We talked about our personal problems as well. And while there was many a time where I had turned the conversation to present Christ’s solution to our social enigma, to talk about the difference that He had made in my life, and to show how his life could be different as a Christ follower, I never had the chance to welcome him personally into life in the kingdom.
Imagine my joy then, when I returned and saw the change in Federico. Since I last saw him, he’s talking about his relationship with Jesus, he’s been attending an Evangelical Christian Church, and he’s finding ways to invite others to experience the change that the Lord has made in his life. He’ll be the first to admit that he’s not perfect, but he’s certainly tasted and seen that the Lord is good, and he’s committed his recourses, his business, and his life as tools in His hands to make a difference in the world around him.
Was it our conversations that made the difference in his life? At this point, it’s difficult to determine, but it’s wonderful to know that Federico is no longer on the outside looking in, he’s a changed man, and what a blessing it has been to celebrate it with him.
(Photo from https://merida40.wordpress.com/)
Tags: Coffee, Evangelism, Mérida, Salvation
On January first, instead of being in bed recouping from the events of the night before, we hopped in the STL vehicle and headed to Tunkas, where we had expected to go a few days before, for the laying of the first stone of the mission being planted by Pastor Eucebio Pech. I had been invited to preach the service by Manuel Diaz, the Regional Presbyter.
It was, in fact an opportunity that I had almost missed. I had been invited previously to preach this same service on the 25th of December, Christmas Day, but as we had already decided to spend that day at home as a family, I had had to say no. Fortunately, the calendars had been confused, and, when the confusion had been cleared, a way was made for me to participate.
This was the first time that we had ever attended a “stone-laying” service in this our 4th year of experience here in the Yucatán. In this case, all four missions overseen by Pastor Eucebio were present for the event. On the lot, where there had been not much more than a pile of rocks, there were now chairs and a tarp under which the groups assembled. Also there was a table on which was set a glass box. In the glass box was a Bible, a hymnal, a scroll, and a series of peso coins.
I asked Manuel about the box. He explained to me that the box would be set into the actual foundation of the church, where a cement vault had been prepared to receive it. The items in the box were symbolic: the Bible signified the beliefs upon which the church is founded, the hymnal signified the praise and adoration of that would be soon lifted up in that building, while the coins signified the prosperity that the believers hoped would be a part of its developing story. The scroll contained all of the names of the founding members of the church.
We sang, I preached on Psalm 121, a pilgrim’s song, about the journey upon which the church was embarking, and scriptures were read. At the end of the service, we moved to the laying of the stone. Manuel Diaz asked the members of the mission to come forward and place their hands on the box while he prayed. After the prayer was over, Pastor Eucepio and I carried the box to the vault and placed it inside. We sang as the workers present sealed the vault. Then Pastor Eucebio and Manuel Diaz placed the first stone (an actual rock) on top of the vault.
As the celebration continued into the evening, we shared a meal, greeted many who had participate with us, and tried to take in the significance of the event. It had been a great beginning. Our prayer that night was that it might be as well the beginning of something great.
Note: You can see these and other pictures of the event here: https://www.disciplemexico.org/gallery?album=LayingTheFirstStone_DiscipleMexico
We were together in the car, Kelly, the kids and I. We had been making our way, so we thought to the town of Tunkas, a small city of about three thousand, in order to deliver some documents to Pastor Eucepio Pech and to find out a bit more about the missions of which he is pastor. Although I had been there previously, this would have been the first time for Kelly and the kids to visit the town. We were headed there accompanied by Antonio Mendez, the District Missions Director, and the Regional Presbyter Manuel Diaz, that is until Manuel began to give me directions.
“Vamos a Pom (We’re going to Pom),” he said
“¿A donde? (To where?)”, was my reply.
It was at that time about 6:00 PM. Tunkas was about a 45 minute drive away. Getting there, having our meeting and a bite to eat would have gotten us home by 9:30 PM. Pom however, was a trip of about two hours one-way. I had the feeling that this was going to be a long night.
We made our way from Bokobá, the town where Manuel pastors, through Izamal and on to Holca where we picked up an eighth passenger, before stopping in Libre Union for some panuchos. While there, there was talk about the remaining distance to Pom.
One said, “Oh no. Pom is another 4 hours from here. The roads are terrible. We can get there, spend the night and make our way back in the morning.” I cringed. This trip was evolving from a short jaunt to a voyage of epic proportions. I was only a little relieved when the others reassured me that we’d not need to stay the night.
The road was indeed rough. I was about 12 miles on a narrow, paved road, and then it was another 10 miles on basically a dirt path. Up and down we went, over rocks and at times through the brush that spilled out onto the “road.” Finally, we arrived at the town.
Pom wasn’t much to look at. It was basically a small grouping of houses around a diminutive downtown consisting of some rooms that served as the city hall. There is no electricity in the town, so although it was only 9:30 PM when we arrived, it was pitch dark. Everyone had turned in for the night.
Manuel walked down the path to the pastor’s house to let him know that we had arrived. The pastor, Tomás Reyes, is a former student of mine. Always the quiet type, I wondered how he might fare in such a remote place.
Tomás arrived, flashlight in hand to meet us a few minutes later. With him were his mother and sister. Also joining him was the mayor of the town, himself a member of the church. As we walked to the hut that served as the church, we heard of the work that was going on.
We heard of the group 25 people that would gather each service to pray and sing. We heard of how that, although many couldn’t understand all of what Tomás was saying because of the language barrier, (Tomás doesn’t speak Maya.), they were drawn by his spirit and his willingness to be with them even in that remote place. We heard the joy of a mother enthralled to know that her son was making a difference in people’s lives.
We entered the church, we prayed, and we spoke words of encouragement to Tomás and those assembled. We wanted them to know that they were remembered, that they were appreciated, that they could count on us to help them as they labored in the hard places. In the light of our flashlights, we could see from their smiles that they had indeed received the message.
It was after 10, but, even though we had another 4 hour journey in front of us, there was a desire to linger a bit. We stepped out of the building and looked up into the night sky. In the moment, I was reminded that, although the stars were too numerous to count, God knew each one by name. In the same way, in this world with over 6 billion people, God had not forgotten these 20 families that lived an hour from the end of the road without electricity or even water in their homes. Even here, he had sent a witness, and even though we had thought we had been heading to a completely different place for a completely different purpose, we left with the feeling that we had been blessed to have witnessed this extension of his grace.
During one of the sessions of our past ACLAME Summit there was a bit of discussion regarding our role as American Missionaries. The general concensus was that our role had moved from that of a pioneer to that of support of the national church, and looking at the growth of Christianity that has ocurred in southern hemisphere in the past years it is easy to arrive at that conclusion. Nevertheless, one statment, made by fellow missionary and Director of Intercultural Doctoral Studies, DeLonn Rance, stuck with me. When the group was asked whether they considered themselves pioneer or support missionaries, he stated, “Every missionary should be in some way a pioneer.”
At the same meeting, even as DeLonn’s words were fresh in my mind, God was opening up an opportunity to fulfill our roles as pioneers here in the Yucatán. Mike Hadinger, a missionary to Oaxaca, Mexico, spoke with me about the initiative that the Mexican Assemblies of God had been organizing over the past year. He told me of the several ethnic groups that had been targeted by the National Department of Missions and the need that they had of missionaries to partner with those who were being sent to reach these groups. As we met with Dave Greco, our Area Director, we began to see a vision materializing for pioneer ministry among the Maya people of the Yucatán, the largest ethnic group on the peninsula.
As the Yucatán becomes increasingly urban, many Maya are leaving their ancestral villages for the city in order to find work in the cities of Mérida or Cancún. Those that are left behind, either because of age or inability to speak Spanish, find themselves marginalized as resources, including spiritual ones, are distributed according to population. Those who feel a burden to reach these forgotten groups, some who live without even the basic necessities, find their remoteness and relative poverty a challenge especially in the current economic situation. Our desire as we begin this our second term is to facilitate indigenous ministry among these populations, focusing on church planting, discipleship, and social outreach.
Our first trip to one such population center took place on December 5th as District Missions Director Antonio Mendez, District Director of Missions to Ethnic Groups Carlos Baeza, and I joined with Regional Presbyter Manuel Diaz to visit Eucepio Pech, pastor of 4 missions in the Tunkas area. Eucepio drives a motorcycle from village to village over some difficult terrain to attend to each congregation, whose meeting places range from family homes to church buildings and seemingly everything in between.
On the day we met we visited the work in Tzalam where a pickup truck serves as the only public transportation. It traverses a rocky path twice a day to reach the inhabitants of the village. The mission meets at the home of Antonio Gamboa Gonzalez. There we spoke of the work while women spent the afternoon preparing handmade tortillas over a wood burning stove. It was easy to see during the course of the day that Pastor Eucepio had a mind to work, and we were excited to be able to help. Before we were through, we had prayed and committed to helping him realize the vision he believes God has given him for the region.
We realize, however, that this trip is just one of several that we’ll need to make to get a true picture of the need among the Maya. As we have continued to speak of our desire to reach out, we have heard more and more of areas of need. Fortunately, we’ve had help along the way. Cruz Velazquez, the National Director of Missions to Ethnic Groups, himself a pioneer among the Tarahumara Indians, in Chihuahua stands by to help us navigate the path to be trod, and relationships are developing that may even lead to a church planting network.
As we move forward in this pioneering effort, we ask for your prayers. Pray for wisdom and pray that our eyes might be open to the opportunities as they present themselves to us.
Tags: Ethnic groups, Maya, Pioneering, Tunkas
We’ve had a whirlwind of activity in the past few months. That means there’s more reason than ever to fill you in on some of the details! Take a look at our online newsletter to get all of the information. Also, be sure to note our updated address and phone numbers listed on the sidebar. Click here or on the picture to see all that is going on!
Our online newsletter is viewable as a PDF document. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed, you may download it here.
Tags: General Council, Maya, Newsletter
