We can’t help but be thankful for the support of key partners like the Southern Missouri District. This month, we received a visit from our Superintendent Don Miller and his wife, Vicki. During their time with us, we had the chance to show them what God is doing through the lives of some of the participants of our church planting pilot program. Click on the link or the photo above to experience a bit of that visit to San Pedro Chacabal.
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Tags: Church planting, San Pedro Chacabal, SOMO
Where you are, I imagine fall means cooler temperatures and the anticipation of seeing the leaves of the trees change their colors. It’s a great season to spend outdoors, especially after the heat and humidity of the summer.
Here in the Yucatán, however, where rainy season is in full swing, we’ve been seeking shelter from climate, never venturing outdoors without a trusty umbrella at our side. Still, our loss is your gain! Our time inside has afforded us the opportunity to produce our latest newsletter!
Click on the image, or hit the link and you’ll get in on all of the details about:
- The task of mobilizing for ministry within the District Evangelism Department.
- Updates on our church planting pilot project and the graduating class of Instituto Biblico Bethel 2017,
- And updates from our family as we move into the new school year.
Remember, our newsletter in PDF format viewable in Adobe Reader. If you don’t have Adobe Reader installed, you can download it free here:
This month is a month of some drastic change, but instead of writing about it, I’ve recorded a short video to fill you in on all that’s going on. Click the play button above to take a look.
The missionary task is two-fold. Primarily, it involves incarnating into the host culture, which includes partnering with the national church to spread the message of the gospel and discipling those who believe, but there is another part of the equation. Without the engagement of those who send, without inspiration to participate in the Great Commission in a practical way, it won’t be long before the missionary must return for lack of support.
Here in Mexico, the reduced costs of travel make it easier to bring these two worlds together, but this presents another difficulty–how to blend them. How do we utilize external support without harming the indigenous church? How can we insure a positive experience for those who come while producing a lasting effect for those who remain?
Such a balance requires a thorough understanding of the situation on the ground as well as flexibility on the part of those who come to minister. Fortunately, our partnership with church planters like Roberto Ortega, Josué Díaz, and Yónatan Segura provide that necessary insight into the local situation, while teams, such as our most recent from supporting church Chapel Springs of Bristow, VA, adapt to meet the immediate physical and spiritual needs our national partners express.
This past week, then, it was a joy to see this team of 19 youth and adults link arms with our Mexican brothers and sisters to make an impact in Kiní, Dzemul, and Motul, Yucatán. The trip began with a powerful welcome service, one in which a former spiritist couple committed their lives to Christ. This was followed by a week of construction on the church parsonage and bathrooms in Kiní in the mornings and Vacation Bible School ministry and sports in the evening in all three locations.
The week was not without its difficulties, heat and sickness among them, but, having worked together, a church building is nearer to completion in Kiní, a children’s ministry has begun in Dzemul, and a fledgling church plant has enjoyed increased public awareness in Motul. For this synergy in missions, we’re thankful.
Photo captions:
Rebekah gives explanation during VBS craft time in Dzemul (large).
David Bontrager gives shape to the parsonage in Kiní (top).
Mexican/American partnership in outreach to Motul (middle).
Bittersweet: The last missions team for our trio (bottom left).
Dave and Kevin minister in the midst of construction material (bottom right).
Tags: Church planting, Discipleship, Evangelism, team ministry
Summer must be here, because things are certainly heating up for us in Mérida, and I’m not simply talking about the weather! Click on the image or here for all the details about:
- An unprecedented opportunity to accelerate church planting!
- A chance to extend our impact among our partners later this month.
- A major milestone in the life of our oldest!
Remember, our newsletter is in PDF format, viewable in Adobe Reader. If you don’t have Adobe Reader installed, you can download it free here:
https://get.adobe.com/reader/otherversions/
Tags: Church planting, Evangelism, Newsletter
As I write this update, Mexico is celebrating its Cinco de Mayo (Fifth of May), the anniversary of the unlikely defeat of the larger, better equipped, and expertly trained French force near the city of Puebla by General Ignacio Zaragoza and his smaller Mexican army in 1862.
The event is a source of national pride and a cause for celebrations of Mexican identity, especially in the United States. However, it’s also a reminder of what it means to win the battle but lose the war. The French went on to defeat the Mexican army and the Mexican people were subjugated to French rule for three years under Maximillian the I.
Over Easter Week, we had the chance to join together with fellow Assemblies of God missionaries serving all across the country to reflect on the work here in modern Mexico. We rejoiced to hear of:
- Indigenous pastors being trained and launched into ministry.
- Church planting movements rising up in unreached areas.
- University students waking up to the message of the gospel.
It’s truly exciting to be a part of a group of men and women who are piercing the darkness that has shrouded Mexico, turning back the enemy in some of his key strongholds.
Nevertheless, we are facing some sobering facts:
- 9 out of 10 Mexicans do not have a relationship with the Lord.
- Quasi-christian cults like Jehovah’s Witness and Mormons are gaining influence.
- Organized corruption is a continued threat to social transformation.
Battles are being won, but the war for the heart of Mexico is still being fought. So we appeal to you, our supporters, to intercede with us this month, praying for:
- Anointed leaders: Winning the war calls for strong leadership. As district conventions are being held across the country, will you pray for the right people to be selected, people with a vision to reach Mexico?
- Divine strategy: Here, in the Yucatán and throughout Mexico, initiatives are being considered to stimulate evangelism and church growth. Will you pray that the plans made and the structures put into place would be effective in reaching the lost and discipling believers?
- Perseverance: The work of transformation requires consistency and patience. Would you pray that we will stay the course to see this change take place?
Tags: Church planting, Culture, Mexico, Prayer, team ministry
March was a hectic month to say the least; playing host to two teams and a state-side trip had me wondering if I was coming or going. Add to that a seasonal sinus infection and I was primed for a personal pity party. At the lowest point, alone, on the road, congested and unable to sleep, I’m sure the thought “What difference does all this make, anyway?” had crossed my mind if not once then several times.
That’s not to say that good wasn’t being done. A roof was raised in Kiní, giving a growing congregation a place to meet, shaded from the blazing sun and protected from the rains that are soon to come. A church building was started in Tekax, breaking ground on a vision to reach that city of over 25,000 with its 90+ surrounding communities. Youth and adults were challenged to leave their comfort zone and join in God’s mission to reach the nations. But in the same way that prophets have been known to battle with self doubt, so this missionary was feeling the psychological burden of being over-extended, though his wounds may well have been self-inflicted.
A “chance” meeting on a Wednesday afternoon, then, was just what the doctor, or the psychologist ordered. A man by the name of Luis stopped by the building site in Tekax. He had met one of the team members from the church the evening before on the square and had wanted to thank him for taking the time to talk with him. While he was chatting with the pastor and the team member, he suddenly stopped and took a hard look at me, trying to place me as I took off my sunglasses.
“Did you lead a campaign here in Tekax eight years ago?,” he asked me.
“I had,” I told him. “My evangelism students from Bethel and I held a campaign in 2009 in one of the neighborhoods on the north side of the city.”
“Thank you,” he said. “I was saved on the last night of that campaign.”
All of a sudden, the hectic schedule, the physical exhaustion, perhaps even the sinus infection were but a distant memory. What difference does it make? For Luis, eight years ago, it made all the difference in the world.
Tags: Evangelism, Kini, Teams, Tekax
The groundhog might have declared six more weeks of winter, but our spring newsletter is here early! Take a look at some of what’s been going on in this last ministry quarter.
Click on the image, or hit the link and you’ll get in on all of the action with:
- A report from our most recent XA team visit.
- Updates on the status of church planting in the Yucatán,
- And a bit about what’s going on with our family.
Remember, our newsletter in PDF format viewable in Adobe Reader. If you don’t have Adobe Reader installed, you can download it free here:
Tags: Chi Alpha, Church planting
What could be better than kicking off the New Year, spending 3 days discovering how you can fit into God’s plan to save the world? “Nothing,” answered the 6,153 college students that attended the 4th World Missions Summit (TWMS4) from January 4-6 in Houston, Texas’ George R. Brown Arena.
TWMS4 is a joint venture between the Assemblies of God college ministry, Chi Alpha, and Assemblies of God World Missions to engage the next generation in global service. During the event, the attendees are challenged to “give a year and pray about a lifetime.” When the event ended, over 1,800 students had responded affirmatively to that challenge.
As a family, we were invited to participate in the conference where we had the opportunity to connect with these students during four “Meals with a Missionary” and in the Latin America Caribbean exhibit and experience areas, sharing our calling and ministry and helping them to determine their next step in responding to God’s heart for the nations.
While the overall response was amazing, the highlight for us was the interactions that we had with the students on a one-on-one basis. Whether it was helping Liam* connect the dots from his past life of dealing drugs in the rural Midwest to serving God on a foreign field or praying for Hunter to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, with each conversation we were encouraged by this generation’s passion to be a part of something bigger than themselves and humbled by the opportunity to direct them in living out that passion. Of course, confusing old and new friends alike by having my twin brother Mike at the event was pretty fun too! All in all, we return to Mexico blessed and revitalized for having been a part of TWMS4.
How is God leading you in the New Year? How do you see yourself engaging in missions in 2017?
Photo Captions:
Over 1800 students respond to the call to give a year (large).
Dave: making coffee and missions connections (top).
Kelly: stopping to visit with Lanley from Cape Girardeau (middle).
Rebekah: braiding hair in the LAC exhibit (bottom).
The whole Godzwa Summit crew (bottom middle).
*Names have been changed.
Tags: Chi Alpha
Although the temperatures don’t seem to recognize it, as we turn to the last page on the calendar, we welcome the winter months here in the Yucatán! With the change in season comes the opportunity to inform you on all that’s been going on in this last ministry quarter.
Click on the image, or hit the link and you’ll get in on all of the action with:
- A reflection on our last decade of Christmases.
- A report of the fruit of our church planting program,
- And updates from our family as we move into the new season.
Remember, our newsletter in PDF format viewable in Adobe Reader. If you don’t have Adobe Reader installed, you can download it free here:
Tags: Christmas, Church planting, Family
