Today we had something of an enforced Sabbath. Compliments of tropical storm Arlene, the streets were too slick for safe driving and outreach on campus would be somewhat futile (because no one would be hanging out there like usual), so we took a day off. I slept in (more so than usual) and hung out around the house all day. Sofia and I played with her stuffed (peluche) elephant (Jenni really likes elephants, remember) and dog and i learned alot about conditional love.
The thing about Sofia is, apart from being ridiculously adorable and very smart, she's a) an only child and b) something of a diva. So, anytime the game wasn't going how she wanted it ("no hagas eso, sam!"), she didn't want to play or be my friend ("no quiero jugar/ser tu amiga"). At first, i laughed about it... then i got tired of it... then, later, it made me think. How conditional is my love or my friendship? With other people, i can usually do a pretty good job of being friendly, even if things aren't going my way. But how does my heart look? Is it still loving? (not usually). With God, though, i don't even do a good job of being friendly. When the game isn't going how i want it to; when he asks me to do something i don't like... "i don't want to play anymore."
As far as the weather is concerned, although i don't like not-doing stuff (sometimes), i love that it's raining. It has been a long time since Mexico has gotten good rain. We had been praying for rain and God gave us a tropical storm; i can't wait to see him answer our prayers for the church. The thing is, this may turn out to be more rain than Mexico can handle (last time it got hit by a hurricane, the flooding destroyed some pretty central areas of Monterrey). I certainly hope that the things God does for the church are more tan it can handle; because that's when we rely best on God, when we know we're in over our heads. Hopefully, we'll be able to re-design our strategy to be productive whatever the weather...
30 June, 2011
28 June, 2011
Creo en Ti
Today, we dyed in Mexico...Henry and i dyed our hair red and Sheryl added streak to hers. Of course, Henry's hair is so dark it doesn't show until he's in the sunlight...and then it looks purple.
A girl we had met at La Uni wanted to go to the hospital today to give out sandwiches and pray for people... but we didn't check if that was allowed, so we got kicked out (but not before Henry shared the gospel with a guy and invited him to our church (please pray for that guy's father-in-law; he has a tumor in his eye)). So, after getting kicked out, we went an dyed our hair red (long story, don't ask why). Tonight for Alex's group we had a goodbye party for Jessica, who's heading back to Iowa tomorrow (Megan decided to stay an extra 3 weeks).
It's finally raining in Mexico tonight (Andres told Jessica the country was crying because she was leaving). It's been so long that the streets are really slick, but maybe the rain will keep the narcos indoors tonight too.
Even though the reports of violence continue to pour in every morning; i have yet to encounter anything to make me feel unsafe. It's almost surreal... it feels like a B-grade monster movie where everything is very normal during the day, but everyone locks down the houses at night and the *zombies/vampires/whatever* roam free in the darkness. Mexico has formed a new police force, which is something of an average between police and military. They're recruiting really heavily with signs and commercials and incentives. I see them all over the place; usually in the back of a police truck with some sort of high-powered rifle, patroling around Monterrey.
People here both impress and surprise me with their reactions to the "inseguridad." I'm impressed because the Mexicans aren't putting life on hold because it's dangerous; they work, play, party...live like normal, just go to bed earlier. The downside of this attitude that surprises me is how complacent people are. Maybe it's the American in me that thinks "revolution!" and wants the people of Mexico to take a stand against these narcos, but it seems like people are just accepting it. Granted, we see bumper stickers that say "no mas sangre" (no more blood) and "Mexico, creo en ti" (i believe in you)... but that's it and even those are scarce.
Ultimately though, i'm not expecting the change in Mexico to come from the Government cracking down or the People rising up. If change is going to come to Mexico, i believe it will come throug the church. We have the Light that won't fade and let darkness come...we have the Truth that even narcos need...we have the Way that changes lives and doesn't allow complacency. The church has the message of reconciliation that changes everything; death to life, judgment to mercy, isolation to intimacy, lies to truth... and the church here is passionate about sharing that message.
(saw Cars 2 with the 'familia.' The message? It's ok to be an obnoxious American when you are abroad; it's not rude, it's just being yourself. heh, that said, i really enjoyed it.)
A girl we had met at La Uni wanted to go to the hospital today to give out sandwiches and pray for people... but we didn't check if that was allowed, so we got kicked out (but not before Henry shared the gospel with a guy and invited him to our church (please pray for that guy's father-in-law; he has a tumor in his eye)). So, after getting kicked out, we went an dyed our hair red (long story, don't ask why). Tonight for Alex's group we had a goodbye party for Jessica, who's heading back to Iowa tomorrow (Megan decided to stay an extra 3 weeks).
It's finally raining in Mexico tonight (Andres told Jessica the country was crying because she was leaving). It's been so long that the streets are really slick, but maybe the rain will keep the narcos indoors tonight too.
Even though the reports of violence continue to pour in every morning; i have yet to encounter anything to make me feel unsafe. It's almost surreal... it feels like a B-grade monster movie where everything is very normal during the day, but everyone locks down the houses at night and the *zombies/vampires/whatever* roam free in the darkness. Mexico has formed a new police force, which is something of an average between police and military. They're recruiting really heavily with signs and commercials and incentives. I see them all over the place; usually in the back of a police truck with some sort of high-powered rifle, patroling around Monterrey.
People here both impress and surprise me with their reactions to the "inseguridad." I'm impressed because the Mexicans aren't putting life on hold because it's dangerous; they work, play, party...live like normal, just go to bed earlier. The downside of this attitude that surprises me is how complacent people are. Maybe it's the American in me that thinks "revolution!" and wants the people of Mexico to take a stand against these narcos, but it seems like people are just accepting it. Granted, we see bumper stickers that say "no mas sangre" (no more blood) and "Mexico, creo en ti" (i believe in you)... but that's it and even those are scarce.
Ultimately though, i'm not expecting the change in Mexico to come from the Government cracking down or the People rising up. If change is going to come to Mexico, i believe it will come throug the church. We have the Light that won't fade and let darkness come...we have the Truth that even narcos need...we have the Way that changes lives and doesn't allow complacency. The church has the message of reconciliation that changes everything; death to life, judgment to mercy, isolation to intimacy, lies to truth... and the church here is passionate about sharing that message.
(saw Cars 2 with the 'familia.' The message? It's ok to be an obnoxious American when you are abroad; it's not rude, it's just being yourself. heh, that said, i really enjoyed it.)
26 June, 2011
(optimistic) complaining and some futbol
Today (pretend that today is Saturday) was our first party to connect our contacts to the church... it was mainly focused on Omar's grupo and the people we wanted to connect to it. We also invited the people from the other groups though, because it's just more fun that way. I'm a little bit discouraged on two levels, but i think it's ok. First, none (that means 0 out of our 10) of our contacts came. There were new people though and i got to make a couple of good friends. The second half is that although the group members did a fantastic job of inviting new people (all the new people came through the group members, which is excellent), they weren't very deliberate in their befriending of those they didn't know. This is bad because the goal is to form as many strong connections as possible to form good relationships in the church. Overall though, i think this will work out for the best and i still have super high hopes for our new friends to get connected to the church...
I went running this morning (still pretending it is Saturday), which felt great. That made my back hurt all day, which felt...painful. There's two really cool parques near my house, each one with a kilometer loop. The people in the parks are very friendly and the parks are beautiful, but of course if i run, i need to do it in the morning so i don't get abducted by the less-friendly people. Anyway, back to my back; it hurts. I'd like it to go away, but i think it's good because it keeps me focused on what's important (not running) and makes me face some insecurities.
I love the graffiti here. There's a whole genre of very sarcastic, very dry graffiti in Monterrey. It's written in black, plain letters on a white background and says a lot of sardonic things and a lot of emo things. I was colecting photos, but my camera met an untimely demise recently. We'll see how it plays out heh.
Ok, i'm officially done complaining now. Aside from Omar's party, tonight(Saturday, we get it) was also the final game in the Gold Cup series... Mexico vs. USA, ha. So, the party turned into a futbol party; first we watched, then we talked, then we played (both on Play Station and the front porch). Mexico won 2-4, which i am glad of. I was rooting for USA, but it would have killed the pary if 95% of the party was sad because their team lost. It's been really cool to see the love people have for futbol here. I think we should train our teams that come to Mexico in 1) evangelism 2) futbol because if you can do those two things, you'll do just fine here. We're going to play tomorrow night and i'm really excited. I think i love soccer so much because i'm so bad at it and other people are so good. The futbolistas can use their feet to defy the laws of physics and it is amazing.
I went running this morning (still pretending it is Saturday), which felt great. That made my back hurt all day, which felt...painful. There's two really cool parques near my house, each one with a kilometer loop. The people in the parks are very friendly and the parks are beautiful, but of course if i run, i need to do it in the morning so i don't get abducted by the less-friendly people. Anyway, back to my back; it hurts. I'd like it to go away, but i think it's good because it keeps me focused on what's important (not running) and makes me face some insecurities.
I love the graffiti here. There's a whole genre of very sarcastic, very dry graffiti in Monterrey. It's written in black, plain letters on a white background and says a lot of sardonic things and a lot of emo things. I was colecting photos, but my camera met an untimely demise recently. We'll see how it plays out heh.
Ok, i'm officially done complaining now. Aside from Omar's party, tonight(Saturday, we get it) was also the final game in the Gold Cup series... Mexico vs. USA, ha. So, the party turned into a futbol party; first we watched, then we talked, then we played (both on Play Station and the front porch). Mexico won 2-4, which i am glad of. I was rooting for USA, but it would have killed the pary if 95% of the party was sad because their team lost. It's been really cool to see the love people have for futbol here. I think we should train our teams that come to Mexico in 1) evangelism 2) futbol because if you can do those two things, you'll do just fine here. We're going to play tomorrow night and i'm really excited. I think i love soccer so much because i'm so bad at it and other people are so good. The futbolistas can use their feet to defy the laws of physics and it is amazing.
24 June, 2011
Mi familia mexicana
I'm getting more opportunities to do stuff with my family here. We got to go see Kung Fu Panda in spanish and have had other opportunities to just hang out together.
Every Sunday, Omar and i go to church early to help with set-up. I've really enjoyed getting to see his heart for the Lord, the church and his homegroup. He works in Saltillo (about an hour away), so i don't see him very often, but he has a real servant's heart. His group is smaller, but he prefers that because that means every person is growing and learning. We've gotten to have some great conversations about "all the things that matter most, like life and love and happiness and then the Holy Ghost"
Edgar (Omar's brother) is still studying at Tec to be a Lawyer. He's about 5 months older than me. Edgar is hilarious, he likes to imitate people and accents and is pretty good at it. He has a mischievous sense of humor; i usually realize he's making fun of me 2 minutes afterwards heh. I love watching him interact with Jennifer, his wife (they're just plain cute) and Sofia, his daughter. He and Omar are teaching me all kinds of slang spanish and mispronounced english (via Sofia)
Jennifer (Edgar's wife) has the best english of anyone in the house (sometimes i think that includes me). She is a couple of years younger than me, so we've had trouble deciding whether i am the family's long-lost son or Jennifer's slightly paler brother (my hair's not curly enough to be related to Omar or Edgar). She loves Muse, which makes me feel right at home (thanks Aaron Rice) and elephants (they're everywhere in the house).
Sofia is 3 years old. She's got Edgar's curly hair and her smile has all the mischief that Edgar's jokes do. She knows spanish and english, because Jennifer makes her practice. She loves to play with plastillo (play-dough) and my camera. She's an only child, so a little bit bossy to play with ("No Sam, no hagas esto!") but she's so. cute. it's hilarious to watch...
Canica (marble) is the fierce guard-dog. She's a little chihuahua and almost painfully friendly. Some dogs wag their tails, Canica wags her whole body.
anyway, that's my family here. They're hilarious and so hospitable.
Every Sunday, Omar and i go to church early to help with set-up. I've really enjoyed getting to see his heart for the Lord, the church and his homegroup. He works in Saltillo (about an hour away), so i don't see him very often, but he has a real servant's heart. His group is smaller, but he prefers that because that means every person is growing and learning. We've gotten to have some great conversations about "all the things that matter most, like life and love and happiness and then the Holy Ghost"
Edgar (Omar's brother) is still studying at Tec to be a Lawyer. He's about 5 months older than me. Edgar is hilarious, he likes to imitate people and accents and is pretty good at it. He has a mischievous sense of humor; i usually realize he's making fun of me 2 minutes afterwards heh. I love watching him interact with Jennifer, his wife (they're just plain cute) and Sofia, his daughter. He and Omar are teaching me all kinds of slang spanish and mispronounced english (via Sofia)
Jennifer (Edgar's wife) has the best english of anyone in the house (sometimes i think that includes me). She is a couple of years younger than me, so we've had trouble deciding whether i am the family's long-lost son or Jennifer's slightly paler brother (my hair's not curly enough to be related to Omar or Edgar). She loves Muse, which makes me feel right at home (thanks Aaron Rice) and elephants (they're everywhere in the house).
Sofia is 3 years old. She's got Edgar's curly hair and her smile has all the mischief that Edgar's jokes do. She knows spanish and english, because Jennifer makes her practice. She loves to play with plastillo (play-dough) and my camera. She's an only child, so a little bit bossy to play with ("No Sam, no hagas esto!") but she's so. cute. it's hilarious to watch...
Canica (marble) is the fierce guard-dog. She's a little chihuahua and almost painfully friendly. Some dogs wag their tails, Canica wags her whole body.
anyway, that's my family here. They're hilarious and so hospitable.
20 June, 2011
(this post is not about Mexico)
The easiest metaphor for Christianity for my mind is running. And i often find my running life parallels my spiritual life.
Lately in running i've had the wrong mindset: my goal in running used to be running; i ran for the sake of the run. Now i find i run only to stay in shape... or worse, to avoid getting into noticeably bad shape (which eventually leads to not running). Running just isn't convenient, you know. It requires time and effort and to do it well; requires tough decisions in other areas like sleep habits and diet. Rather than being victorious in my running, i slipped into a survival mode. (Do you see where i'm going to take this? ha)
I've taken this same attitude towards my life in Christ. Rather than seeking intimacy with God in order to have intimacy with God, i began to seek intimacy with God in order for my (ha) spiritual life to maintain effectiveness in ministry...or worse, to avoid messing up while in leadership (or some such prideful thing). This too eventually leads to not seeking God. It just isn't convenient, you know. It requires time and effort and worse, humility and honesty and such things. Not to mention it requires things from other areas of your life... like...all of it. Rather than being "more than a conqueror" in my life in Christ, i slipped into a survival mode.
So... what then? This isn't a patch-on-where-you-need-it thing. This is a lifestyle choice. We aren't called to lives of comfort; we're called to live lives that glorify God. This doesn't mean that being uncomfortable translates to holiness. It means that we are aliens and strangers in this world. It means that this is not our home. It means that some day we will be with Christ and have eternity to be in peace. The time we have on this earth is the time we have to let people know about him. How are we going to spend it? My mistake has been viewing the life that most people lead as the standard (i feel like i measure up well to it). Average is not normative. We have been called to more; to live like few live, to pray like few pray, to love like few love, to die like few die... to be the light in the world.
We are the ones who stand out as different. How? Decisions...especially little decisions (will i read today? pray? say that thing? not say this thing? let my mind stay there? pretend i don't see that person's spiritual or physical need?). Our decisions define us, one small change at a time until we become something we never imagined possible (one way or the other). Choose Christ.
Lately in running i've had the wrong mindset: my goal in running used to be running; i ran for the sake of the run. Now i find i run only to stay in shape... or worse, to avoid getting into noticeably bad shape (which eventually leads to not running). Running just isn't convenient, you know. It requires time and effort and to do it well; requires tough decisions in other areas like sleep habits and diet. Rather than being victorious in my running, i slipped into a survival mode. (Do you see where i'm going to take this? ha)
I've taken this same attitude towards my life in Christ. Rather than seeking intimacy with God in order to have intimacy with God, i began to seek intimacy with God in order for my (ha) spiritual life to maintain effectiveness in ministry...or worse, to avoid messing up while in leadership (or some such prideful thing). This too eventually leads to not seeking God. It just isn't convenient, you know. It requires time and effort and worse, humility and honesty and such things. Not to mention it requires things from other areas of your life... like...all of it. Rather than being "more than a conqueror" in my life in Christ, i slipped into a survival mode.
So... what then? This isn't a patch-on-where-you-need-it thing. This is a lifestyle choice. We aren't called to lives of comfort; we're called to live lives that glorify God. This doesn't mean that being uncomfortable translates to holiness. It means that we are aliens and strangers in this world. It means that this is not our home. It means that some day we will be with Christ and have eternity to be in peace. The time we have on this earth is the time we have to let people know about him. How are we going to spend it? My mistake has been viewing the life that most people lead as the standard (i feel like i measure up well to it). Average is not normative. We have been called to more; to live like few live, to pray like few pray, to love like few love, to die like few die... to be the light in the world.
We are the ones who stand out as different. How? Decisions...especially little decisions (will i read today? pray? say that thing? not say this thing? let my mind stay there? pretend i don't see that person's spiritual or physical need?). Our decisions define us, one small change at a time until we become something we never imagined possible (one way or the other). Choose Christ.
19 June, 2011
Because He Sed So
Psalm 42 is the oft-quoted "as the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God." Desiring God is something i've often struggled with; shoud we seek God becuse we want to or because he is God? Should those be two seperate questions? Anyway, for the past year or so, i've been in something of a drought in terms of feeling close to God. For a while i kept seeking Him because i was supposed to, then i stopped for a while because i felt like it was just not helpful. I'm back on track, or at least headed back that way; but i wonder how much longer it will be until it rains. Part of me wonders if i'll be able to handle it when God does reconnect with me, part of me hopes i can't...
I've been reading the book of Job (i just recently finished), which is rhetorically fascinating and theologically confusing... but in a good way. Job says some pretty gutsy things about God and his friends say some things that make a lot of sense, but God condemns the words of his friends and supports Job. It's been really encouraging though.
Anyway, all of this got restarted in my head because i have been SO THIRSTY the past few days. Friday we set up a slackline on the Uni campus (FPF kiddos) to meet people and hang out with the ones we knew. The result was a lot of new friends and being super tired after being in the sun all day... then Saturday we went to Chipinque (chi-what?)... I thought it was a park... it was actually a mountain. We drove halfway up, hiked the other half, then on the way down; Jessica, Megan, Edgar, Cyntia, myself and a few others got "lost" (on a path) and ended up hiking the whole way down. It would have been fine....if we had water, ha. Jessica fell and scraped her knees pretty badly about 2K from the bottom. We met a baby bear, who ran away from us (but we got a photo), got sunburned and discussed theology*. It was excellent. All that said, i have not been that thirsty in a looooong time. It was crazy. All i could think about was water.
That's what got me thinking. Why don't we want God that way? Why isn't he all i can think about when i'm not with him? I claim to love him more than life and i claim that he is my everything, but do i truly crave him like i pant for water? That's what makes me think that he never really left me. People who don't have God crave him, seek him..they just don't know what they need. A desire that can't be quenched because they don't know it's thirst. But i have his Spirit sealed in me and don't truly know what thirst is. Anyway, Mexico rocks and you should come.
*Apparently not all (and by not all i mean almost everyone but fellowship) Great Commission churches believe in the continued working of the Holy Spirit with regards to things like gifts of healing and tongues (in a non-human-language sense). This has led to some interesting discussions when i tell the story about that time i got healed (ask me sometime, it's cool).
it's funny because "sed" means thirst in spanish
I've been reading the book of Job (i just recently finished), which is rhetorically fascinating and theologically confusing... but in a good way. Job says some pretty gutsy things about God and his friends say some things that make a lot of sense, but God condemns the words of his friends and supports Job. It's been really encouraging though.
Anyway, all of this got restarted in my head because i have been SO THIRSTY the past few days. Friday we set up a slackline on the Uni campus (FPF kiddos) to meet people and hang out with the ones we knew. The result was a lot of new friends and being super tired after being in the sun all day... then Saturday we went to Chipinque (chi-what?)... I thought it was a park... it was actually a mountain. We drove halfway up, hiked the other half, then on the way down; Jessica, Megan, Edgar, Cyntia, myself and a few others got "lost" (on a path) and ended up hiking the whole way down. It would have been fine....if we had water, ha. Jessica fell and scraped her knees pretty badly about 2K from the bottom. We met a baby bear, who ran away from us (but we got a photo), got sunburned and discussed theology*. It was excellent. All that said, i have not been that thirsty in a looooong time. It was crazy. All i could think about was water.
That's what got me thinking. Why don't we want God that way? Why isn't he all i can think about when i'm not with him? I claim to love him more than life and i claim that he is my everything, but do i truly crave him like i pant for water? That's what makes me think that he never really left me. People who don't have God crave him, seek him..they just don't know what they need. A desire that can't be quenched because they don't know it's thirst. But i have his Spirit sealed in me and don't truly know what thirst is. Anyway, Mexico rocks and you should come.
*Apparently not all (and by not all i mean almost everyone but fellowship) Great Commission churches believe in the continued working of the Holy Spirit with regards to things like gifts of healing and tongues (in a non-human-language sense). This has led to some interesting discussions when i tell the story about that time i got healed (ask me sometime, it's cool).
it's funny because "sed" means thirst in spanish
15 June, 2011
a parenthetical, homegroup-focused update
Now that i'm in Monterrey, one of the main things on my mind is....my homegroup, ha. I miss my Ebenezers. And, more specifically, what we need to focus on next year and who all i should encourage to come to Monterrey in January. I am not sure yet if we'll have a team, but i really, really hope we do.
Talking to the group leaders here and seeing their zeal for growth and multiplication just makes me think about how close we are to it... we have 9 people on our core team and 35 in the homegroup overall... I love each and every person in the homegroup and the thought of us being seperated makes me sad, but the people in the group can't be stretched the way they should in such a large group and i can't know people as closely as i could in a group of 17.
Besides that, the beauty of multiplication is that it allows us to reach more people. The church is designed to grow, the church is designed to reach more people. Evangelism is the point of our life on earth. We are made to give God glory; we are on earth to make God known. That's why Jesus hasn't come back yet, is to give us a chance to win as many as possible. Homegroup multiplication is a huge part of that.
I also can't stop wondering what we'll focus on next semester. I like the idea of focusing on Faith and all its implications..but i'm not sure yet.
Ebenezers that read this, pray about multiplication and think about the importance of it... it's sad, but it's beautiful. Also, consider coming to Monterrey in January; God is doing amazing things in this city.
The most beautiful thing about latinoamerica for a strategic mind or for a people-focused mind is the openness. Culturally, most people here are Catholic, but mixed with superstition. That means that people have heard the gospel, but haven't understood it. When you sit down to talk with someone here; they are almost always willing to listen to you and to talk about pretty deep things. The also have the seeds of the gospel in their heart. They believe in God, an all powerful God who is just and loving. And they feel the weight of their sins and seperation as they try to work to earn his approval. When you tell people it is free and they see your joy and see the personal nature of your relationship with him; it moves them in the deep places of their heart and they want it. We don't have to sell God here as being something they need or as being something really wonderful.. we tell the story and they feel the truth of it. It's amazing.
Get excited about next year... it's going to rock, both in Texas and in Mexico :)
Talking to the group leaders here and seeing their zeal for growth and multiplication just makes me think about how close we are to it... we have 9 people on our core team and 35 in the homegroup overall... I love each and every person in the homegroup and the thought of us being seperated makes me sad, but the people in the group can't be stretched the way they should in such a large group and i can't know people as closely as i could in a group of 17.
Besides that, the beauty of multiplication is that it allows us to reach more people. The church is designed to grow, the church is designed to reach more people. Evangelism is the point of our life on earth. We are made to give God glory; we are on earth to make God known. That's why Jesus hasn't come back yet, is to give us a chance to win as many as possible. Homegroup multiplication is a huge part of that.
I also can't stop wondering what we'll focus on next semester. I like the idea of focusing on Faith and all its implications..but i'm not sure yet.
Ebenezers that read this, pray about multiplication and think about the importance of it... it's sad, but it's beautiful. Also, consider coming to Monterrey in January; God is doing amazing things in this city.
The most beautiful thing about latinoamerica for a strategic mind or for a people-focused mind is the openness. Culturally, most people here are Catholic, but mixed with superstition. That means that people have heard the gospel, but haven't understood it. When you sit down to talk with someone here; they are almost always willing to listen to you and to talk about pretty deep things. The also have the seeds of the gospel in their heart. They believe in God, an all powerful God who is just and loving. And they feel the weight of their sins and seperation as they try to work to earn his approval. When you tell people it is free and they see your joy and see the personal nature of your relationship with him; it moves them in the deep places of their heart and they want it. We don't have to sell God here as being something they need or as being something really wonderful.. we tell the story and they feel the truth of it. It's amazing.
Get excited about next year... it's going to rock, both in Texas and in Mexico :)
14 June, 2011
Retiro de los jovenes
That either means "Youth Retreat" or "youth retirement".... maybe both. At any rate, it was SCW in Mexico.
It was fantastic. We drove out Friday afternoon to the campamento and got everyone signed in and settled in, then had some dinner. Afterwards, Henry gave a teaching about discipleship and its importance in not only changing indvidual lives but changing the world around us.
We played some crazy games after the first teaching. They involved a lot of running around in circles and mass chaos sometimes, but they were really fun. They all seemed to revolve around marriage and society somehow. Finally, when everyone was thoroughly exhaused and soaked in sweat, we went outside for a campfire. We had a time of sharing (one girl told everyone she had accepted Christ earlier that day), talked about why communion was important, took communion, sang a bit, made s'mores and hung out til some obscenely late hour :)
The next day we had breakfast, 2 smaller breakout sessions (one about discipleship and one about evangelism). Omar taught the discipleship one and Andres and Armando taught the evangelism one. After that, we had a lot of free time, which I spent talking to Justin (the random American Diplomat who found the church through some random happening). In the Afternoon we had lunch, another teaching session (Alex talked about evangelism (seeing a theme to the retreat yet?)), and then free time until we left.
It was really encouraging to see eveyone get so excited and to hear really straight-forward teachings on Evangelism and Discipleship; the definitive points of the Great Commission.
Alex has asked me to teach a class on the practicals of evagelism, since all of theirs have been on the importance of it. They've talked about the "why" and they want me to talk about the "how." I don't think it will be too bad; the most effective ways are usually the simplest. Yes, there are creative ways like surveys and evangecubes and soulariums; there are less confrontational ways like inviting people to church and hoping they pick up on the gospel...but ultimately, nothing can replace the effectiveness of sitting down and talking with someone. Tell them about what God has done in your life. Tell them what the Bible says about Jesus and what he did (and why). Granted, if you sit down with someone, whether you know them or not, and talk to them about Jesus, there will be times you get rejected, mocked, or have terribly awkward situations. But if you sit down with people and tell them about Jesus, there will be people who listen, believe and have a relationship with God because of your obedience... definitely worth it.
It was fantastic. We drove out Friday afternoon to the campamento and got everyone signed in and settled in, then had some dinner. Afterwards, Henry gave a teaching about discipleship and its importance in not only changing indvidual lives but changing the world around us.
We played some crazy games after the first teaching. They involved a lot of running around in circles and mass chaos sometimes, but they were really fun. They all seemed to revolve around marriage and society somehow. Finally, when everyone was thoroughly exhaused and soaked in sweat, we went outside for a campfire. We had a time of sharing (one girl told everyone she had accepted Christ earlier that day), talked about why communion was important, took communion, sang a bit, made s'mores and hung out til some obscenely late hour :)
The next day we had breakfast, 2 smaller breakout sessions (one about discipleship and one about evangelism). Omar taught the discipleship one and Andres and Armando taught the evangelism one. After that, we had a lot of free time, which I spent talking to Justin (the random American Diplomat who found the church through some random happening). In the Afternoon we had lunch, another teaching session (Alex talked about evangelism (seeing a theme to the retreat yet?)), and then free time until we left.
It was really encouraging to see eveyone get so excited and to hear really straight-forward teachings on Evangelism and Discipleship; the definitive points of the Great Commission.
Alex has asked me to teach a class on the practicals of evagelism, since all of theirs have been on the importance of it. They've talked about the "why" and they want me to talk about the "how." I don't think it will be too bad; the most effective ways are usually the simplest. Yes, there are creative ways like surveys and evangecubes and soulariums; there are less confrontational ways like inviting people to church and hoping they pick up on the gospel...but ultimately, nothing can replace the effectiveness of sitting down and talking with someone. Tell them about what God has done in your life. Tell them what the Bible says about Jesus and what he did (and why). Granted, if you sit down with someone, whether you know them or not, and talk to them about Jesus, there will be times you get rejected, mocked, or have terribly awkward situations. But if you sit down with people and tell them about Jesus, there will be people who listen, believe and have a relationship with God because of your obedience... definitely worth it.
10 June, 2011
"...and by the word of their testimony."
Ok, so we've been meeting a lot of new people, here are some of their stories:
Carolina (La Uni): When we were at the Uni, Sheryl met Carolina...in the bathroom. Henry and I were waiting around in the courtyard, kind of awkwardly, and then Sheryl returns with another girl in tow and a piece of paper with all of her contact information already in hand. Carolina gave us a tour of the architecture department and introduced us (briefly) to at least 10 people that we saw that she knew. She was super friendly and Sheryl got to have a few good conversations with her as she hung out with us every time we've been back to the Uni.
Yazmin (La Uni): Henry knew Yazmin because they had met briefly once and talked a little online. She came to eat with us and Carolina and we all had a great ime laughing and just hanging out. Yazmin is very interested in Christianity and the culture surrounding and the truth that defines it. She has a lot of questions, but she's so open to hear the answers. She's also met back up with us to hang out every time we've been on the campus.
Zuly (La Uni): I don't know much about Zuly, but Sheryl and Brenda met her when we were on campus and they struck up a close friendship. She gave us all free tickets to go see a Sultana (the Monterrey team*) baseball game. We went and got to spend some good time with her and now she's expressed interest in hanging out with us next time she is able.
Daniel (La Uni): Henry and I met Daniel at the end of a semi-discouraging day. As we talked to him, he told us he was already involved in a Christian church in the area and as we talked more, we found out he was one of the leaders of Campus Crusade for Christ on the Uni campus, was considering working full-time as he director and that he knew when we walked up that we were going to evangelize him, because that's how they do it! That would be funny in College Station; in Monterrey, that's crazy. Henry said that was the first active Christian he had met when doing evangelism in 5 years. The thing that is most encouraging about this, however, is the possibilities for the future. There is a growing level of unity between churches; groups that usually don't work together are teaming up like they haven't done in a long time... and now there's a connection for this to happen here? It's beautiful.
Elizabeth (El Tec): We were getting ready to leave Tec campus for the day.. Alex went to go print something and while we were waiting, Javier saw a girl he knew and we stopped to talk for a little while. She said that she was a professional singer and Javier told us that she had the most beautiful voice ever. He kept trying to get her to sing, but she refused. The conversation went on and we talked about lots of different things, but Javier kept asking her to sing and she kept refusing. Finally, he said "If you sing, I'll jump in the fountain over there." and, much to his chagrin; she agreed. She sang, he swam and the friendship was cemented. She's hung out with us each time we went to the Tec and she even came with us to clean up a campgrounds for a retreat she can't come to...
Lulu (El Tec): Jessica and I met Lulu, who was sitting and people-watching on campus. She is a Communications major (whoop) who is looking to switch into either Psychology (hence the people watching) or Industrial Design (talk about different directions). We talked to her and she showed us around campus a little and we got to see where she worked and talked for at least 2 hours (which is crazy for me). She said she'd love to hang out so we got her information to facebook stalk her... Her favorite place in Monterrey is La Fundidora, which is a park-type area that used to be a factory...and which is where we happen to be going on Monday, so we'll get to see her then.
....oh yeah, and after we left Lulu, we ran into Elizabeth again... and she told us that she and Lulu are really close friends.
I truly believe that these 5 girls, out of all our contacts, will definitely join the church here... some of the others might, but these girls are already excited to know us, looking for friends and looking for truth... Daniel won't and i wouldn't want him to leave his ministry, but he may be a key contact for future amazing things in the Church (big picture church) here. The thing that saddens me is that there are no men in the strong contacts we've made. Henry says it's because it's so rare for girls to meet guys here that aren't "machistas," but i think it's because Sheryl is doing a great job connecting with these girls. Culturally, "religion" also seems to be viewed as the woman's part in the family. However, the church here is raising up some amazing men of God that have given him all they are.
Hopefully, I'll put some cool stories about the discipleship in the church up soon, but this weekend we're going to the Mexican version of SCW... I am SO EXCITED ha.
*Monterrey is called "la sultana del norte," "the queen of the north"
Carolina (La Uni): When we were at the Uni, Sheryl met Carolina...in the bathroom. Henry and I were waiting around in the courtyard, kind of awkwardly, and then Sheryl returns with another girl in tow and a piece of paper with all of her contact information already in hand. Carolina gave us a tour of the architecture department and introduced us (briefly) to at least 10 people that we saw that she knew. She was super friendly and Sheryl got to have a few good conversations with her as she hung out with us every time we've been back to the Uni.
Yazmin (La Uni): Henry knew Yazmin because they had met briefly once and talked a little online. She came to eat with us and Carolina and we all had a great ime laughing and just hanging out. Yazmin is very interested in Christianity and the culture surrounding and the truth that defines it. She has a lot of questions, but she's so open to hear the answers. She's also met back up with us to hang out every time we've been on the campus.
Zuly (La Uni): I don't know much about Zuly, but Sheryl and Brenda met her when we were on campus and they struck up a close friendship. She gave us all free tickets to go see a Sultana (the Monterrey team*) baseball game. We went and got to spend some good time with her and now she's expressed interest in hanging out with us next time she is able.
Daniel (La Uni): Henry and I met Daniel at the end of a semi-discouraging day. As we talked to him, he told us he was already involved in a Christian church in the area and as we talked more, we found out he was one of the leaders of Campus Crusade for Christ on the Uni campus, was considering working full-time as he director and that he knew when we walked up that we were going to evangelize him, because that's how they do it! That would be funny in College Station; in Monterrey, that's crazy. Henry said that was the first active Christian he had met when doing evangelism in 5 years. The thing that is most encouraging about this, however, is the possibilities for the future. There is a growing level of unity between churches; groups that usually don't work together are teaming up like they haven't done in a long time... and now there's a connection for this to happen here? It's beautiful.
Elizabeth (El Tec): We were getting ready to leave Tec campus for the day.. Alex went to go print something and while we were waiting, Javier saw a girl he knew and we stopped to talk for a little while. She said that she was a professional singer and Javier told us that she had the most beautiful voice ever. He kept trying to get her to sing, but she refused. The conversation went on and we talked about lots of different things, but Javier kept asking her to sing and she kept refusing. Finally, he said "If you sing, I'll jump in the fountain over there." and, much to his chagrin; she agreed. She sang, he swam and the friendship was cemented. She's hung out with us each time we went to the Tec and she even came with us to clean up a campgrounds for a retreat she can't come to...
Lulu (El Tec): Jessica and I met Lulu, who was sitting and people-watching on campus. She is a Communications major (whoop) who is looking to switch into either Psychology (hence the people watching) or Industrial Design (talk about different directions). We talked to her and she showed us around campus a little and we got to see where she worked and talked for at least 2 hours (which is crazy for me). She said she'd love to hang out so we got her information to facebook stalk her... Her favorite place in Monterrey is La Fundidora, which is a park-type area that used to be a factory...and which is where we happen to be going on Monday, so we'll get to see her then.
....oh yeah, and after we left Lulu, we ran into Elizabeth again... and she told us that she and Lulu are really close friends.
I truly believe that these 5 girls, out of all our contacts, will definitely join the church here... some of the others might, but these girls are already excited to know us, looking for friends and looking for truth... Daniel won't and i wouldn't want him to leave his ministry, but he may be a key contact for future amazing things in the Church (big picture church) here. The thing that saddens me is that there are no men in the strong contacts we've made. Henry says it's because it's so rare for girls to meet guys here that aren't "machistas," but i think it's because Sheryl is doing a great job connecting with these girls. Culturally, "religion" also seems to be viewed as the woman's part in the family. However, the church here is raising up some amazing men of God that have given him all they are.
Hopefully, I'll put some cool stories about the discipleship in the church up soon, but this weekend we're going to the Mexican version of SCW... I am SO EXCITED ha.
*Monterrey is called "la sultana del norte," "the queen of the north"
07 June, 2011
Culture on a Tuesday Morning
Yesterday we went to the Tec with Alex Handal. He had to go take a test so we planned when we would meet back and went our separate ways. Sheryl and i got to spend some time talking and discussing how the trip was going and what was stressful/what was encouraging.
The language barrier has been more difficult than i expected; even though many people speak english here and Sheryl and i both speak pretty decent spanish, the holes are often in the same places. The concepts that we don't understand in spanish are often the same ones that the people here don't know how to express in english heh. The interesting thing about going without the team and living with the families here is that we don't have a cultural retreat; when the day is over, we don't go back to our hotel where the jokes and the processing is done in english (though the people in the church here are doing such a wonderful job of making us feel welcomed, their hospitality is amazing).
There are two other "gringas" here (gringo is used really affectionately here ha...or at least with the church). Megan and Jessica who are from a GCM church in Iowa and also know the Handal family. They're currently involved in different stuff than Sheryl and i, but we still hang out together a veces (sometimes).
Today we're going back to la Uni with Henry and then tonight we'll meet with different grupos de crecimientos. The Uni and the Tec are very different and the people there each view the other differently. They are kind of rivals, but it's amiable until a futbol game. The Uni is the big public university, more the size of A+M, and the students there are not required to study english, so communication is more challenging. They also seem more open to hearing the gospel, though the students at the Tec have been very receptive too. The Tec is a smaller, private university. It has more of the familiar and laid-back feel that A+M campus has though (possibly the layout, possibly the fact that i've been there before). The students there are generally more well-off and you're more likely to find students from other countries at the Tec. They're required to take english classes, so it's a little easier to talk... (they like to practice their english and we like to practice our spanish so the conversations switch around alot)...
The language barrier has been more difficult than i expected; even though many people speak english here and Sheryl and i both speak pretty decent spanish, the holes are often in the same places. The concepts that we don't understand in spanish are often the same ones that the people here don't know how to express in english heh. The interesting thing about going without the team and living with the families here is that we don't have a cultural retreat; when the day is over, we don't go back to our hotel where the jokes and the processing is done in english (though the people in the church here are doing such a wonderful job of making us feel welcomed, their hospitality is amazing).
There are two other "gringas" here (gringo is used really affectionately here ha...or at least with the church). Megan and Jessica who are from a GCM church in Iowa and also know the Handal family. They're currently involved in different stuff than Sheryl and i, but we still hang out together a veces (sometimes).
Today we're going back to la Uni with Henry and then tonight we'll meet with different grupos de crecimientos. The Uni and the Tec are very different and the people there each view the other differently. They are kind of rivals, but it's amiable until a futbol game. The Uni is the big public university, more the size of A+M, and the students there are not required to study english, so communication is more challenging. They also seem more open to hearing the gospel, though the students at the Tec have been very receptive too. The Tec is a smaller, private university. It has more of the familiar and laid-back feel that A+M campus has though (possibly the layout, possibly the fact that i've been there before). The students there are generally more well-off and you're more likely to find students from other countries at the Tec. They're required to take english classes, so it's a little easier to talk... (they like to practice their english and we like to practice our spanish so the conversations switch around alot)...
05 June, 2011
Church!
Saturday was relaxing, i slept in, went on errands with Omar and Edgar and then went to a homegroup (grupo de crecemientos). I got to watch them practice for their musical, which is hilarious, and then we went and played futbol...which was exhausting. I got to eat my first real Mexican tacos of the summer!
Today was my first church service in Monterrey since last January (2010). It was so wonderful! The church here has moved to a new location in the nicest hotel in town. It is so big and there were so many people...at both services : ) The church here has gotten so big that they have an 11:00 and a 12:30 service. I got to go early with Omar to help with setup; the system is alot different than Fellowship in College Station, but it works really well...
After church, we went to Burger King (yea, Burgr King) to celebrate Andres' birthday. Lunch lasted from 2:00 til around 4:30, heh. Afterwards we rested awhile and then we went to see X-Men at the Cinemex. It was a really relaxing, really long day :)
Our schedule, as i understand it, is this:
Monday: Tec Campus
Tuesay: Uni Campus and grupo de crecimientos
Wednesday: Tec Campus
Thursday: Uni Campus
Friday: Uni Campus
Saturday: relax or community service and then grupo de crecimientos
Sunday: church and relax
Today was my first church service in Monterrey since last January (2010). It was so wonderful! The church here has moved to a new location in the nicest hotel in town. It is so big and there were so many people...at both services : ) The church here has gotten so big that they have an 11:00 and a 12:30 service. I got to go early with Omar to help with setup; the system is alot different than Fellowship in College Station, but it works really well...
After church, we went to Burger King (yea, Burgr King) to celebrate Andres' birthday. Lunch lasted from 2:00 til around 4:30, heh. Afterwards we rested awhile and then we went to see X-Men at the Cinemex. It was a really relaxing, really long day :)
Our schedule, as i understand it, is this:
Monday: Tec Campus
Tuesay: Uni Campus and grupo de crecimientos
Wednesday: Tec Campus
Thursday: Uni Campus
Friday: Uni Campus
Saturday: relax or community service and then grupo de crecimientos
Sunday: church and relax
04 June, 2011
Bienvenido a Monterrey
Today was our second full day in Monterrey. After we got in, we relaxed for the night and met the families we are staying with and then got some rest. The family I am staying with is wonderful.. I am living with a new leader, Omar, his brother Edgar, Edgar's wife Jennifer and their daughter Sofia. The first night I was here, Sofia gave me her copy of "Green Eggs and Ham" to read while I was here.
Thursday we went to the Uni; La Universidad Autonima de Nueva Leon. We walked around the campus and prayed. Afterwards, we went to hangout and played pictionary (in Spanish).
Today we went back to the Uni and began to do some cold-call evangelism/contact collecting. We met a LOT of people who seemed very interested in the church. Sheryl met a couple of really cool girls and one of them gave us tickets to come see the baseball game.
After the first day here, I think the most helpful thing we can do here is to share the evangelism methods we've learned and encourage the church here in their efforts at evangelism and discipleship. Though the Americans on campus are interesting to talk to, the students here are more comfortable and connect better with the believers in the church. The harvest here is indeed plentiful; and the sooner new believers can be trained in evangelism and discipleship, the sooner there will be more workers.
Thursday we went to the Uni; La Universidad Autonima de Nueva Leon. We walked around the campus and prayed. Afterwards, we went to hangout and played pictionary (in Spanish).
Today we went back to the Uni and began to do some cold-call evangelism/contact collecting. We met a LOT of people who seemed very interested in the church. Sheryl met a couple of really cool girls and one of them gave us tickets to come see the baseball game.
After the first day here, I think the most helpful thing we can do here is to share the evangelism methods we've learned and encourage the church here in their efforts at evangelism and discipleship. Though the Americans on campus are interesting to talk to, the students here are more comfortable and connect better with the believers in the church. The harvest here is indeed plentiful; and the sooner new believers can be trained in evangelism and discipleship, the sooner there will be more workers.
01 June, 2011
Delays?
So, everything worked out pretty well. I got my support all raised and Sheryl found her passport and everything was going to go smoothly...
We got up early to ride to the airport in Houston; it was a lovely morning and it looked to be a lovely drive. 5 minutes into it, however, we had a flat tire. We changed the tire and my dad came to the rescue with a different car for us to drive to Houston. (which means i got to drive Cliff (yay) but i left my car at home with 3.75 tires (sad)) We got a little turned around in Houston, but made it to the airport on time, whch meant our troubles were finally over!
So, then our flight got delayed... for 5 hours. We did some re-arranging of our flights with the help of a nice recorded voice on a phone line and we're now still in Houston, but our flights are lined up... for now.
I guess that can go down as spiritual warfare, or maybe it's just God reminding us how dependent we are on him for anything working out smoothly.. at any rate, i think everything s worked out now and we'll be in Mexico tonight.
We got up early to ride to the airport in Houston; it was a lovely morning and it looked to be a lovely drive. 5 minutes into it, however, we had a flat tire. We changed the tire and my dad came to the rescue with a different car for us to drive to Houston. (which means i got to drive Cliff (yay) but i left my car at home with 3.75 tires (sad)) We got a little turned around in Houston, but made it to the airport on time, whch meant our troubles were finally over!
So, then our flight got delayed... for 5 hours. We did some re-arranging of our flights with the help of a nice recorded voice on a phone line and we're now still in Houston, but our flights are lined up... for now.
I guess that can go down as spiritual warfare, or maybe it's just God reminding us how dependent we are on him for anything working out smoothly.. at any rate, i think everything s worked out now and we'll be in Mexico tonight.
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