Articles by Dave

You are currently browsing Dave’s articles.

Our Winter Newsletter is Now Online!

December 14, 2011 in Media, Ministry by Dave | Permalink

As our thoughts turn to the birth of our Savior, we are reminded that God sent His Son into the world to seek and save that which was lost. What a privilege we have to be used by Him as He carries out His work in Mexico. Take a look at our online newsletter to see just a glimpse of what He is doing among us. Click here or on the picture to read our latest update!

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: , , , , ,

Assessing the Spiritual Climate

December 1, 2011 in Ministry by Dave | 2 comments

They say that politics and religion are two topics that you should stay away from in everyday conversation, but are people truly turned off to spiritual issues? My students at Instituto Biblico Bethel found just the opposite.

As one of their requirements of my evangelism class, I sent them out with surveys in hand to help them understand the status of the gospel in Mérida. Some of the results were expected:

Religion:

Catholic 74%
Evangelical 10%
Other 4%
None 12%

 

Bible Reading:

Daily 8.3%
Weekly 6.3%
Occasionally 39.6%
Seldom 12.5%
Never 33.3%

 

But other items were somewhat surprising:

Opinion of the Bible:

Ordinary Book 0%
Word of God 92%
Other 8%

 

Openness further spiritual investigation:

Interested 56.3%
Uninterested 43.7%

 

The other surprising find was the ease at which people responded to their survey questions. Although some rejected their attempts to ask them questions, the large majority of those asked stopped to participate. I guess this contradicts the popular belief, wouldn’t you agree?

Granted, this survey was in no way representative of the public at large, but the results show a respect for the Bible and an openness to find out more of what it says, at least here in Mérida.  That’s encouraging news as we set out to teach a new group of students how to engage and direct seekers into encounters with Jesus.

How about your situation? Are the people that you talk to open to finding out more about God or have you been rebuffed in your attempts to open conversations about spiritual issues? What steps are you taking to assess the spiritual climate where you live?

Tags: , ,

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 21, 2011 in Thanks by Dave | Permalink

In this season of giving thanks, we would like to express our gratitude for your your prayers and support that enable us to minister here in the Yucatán.

Happy Thanksgiving, from our family to yours!

Tags: ,

Pass it on…

November 9, 2011 in Maya, Ministry, Missions by Dave | Permalink

Here's a shot of the entire group!

There are things that we like to keep to ourselves. Passwords and credit card numbers, secrets between best friends, and perhaps our opinion of certain individuals may come to mind as a few examples. But, when it comes to training churches to multiply themselves, you’d have to agree that’s something better shared with others. This past Saturday, that’s exactly what we did.

In Yaxcabá, the seat of a municipality of a decidedly indigenous population, 4 groups from churches in surrounding towns gathered to hear how they can reach into that indigenous community with the help of the Jesus Film. Pastor Josué Novelo hosted the Jesus Film Team, Pedro Pablo Balam, and Angelino Ek, as they taught the church planting course that they had attended just a month before and put into practice in Cocoyol. Now, they were taking the theories and methods that they had proven, and were passing them on.

From left to right, Angelino Ek and Pedro Pablo Balam, members of the Jesus Film Team.

I had the privilege of preaching to this group as the seminar began, but the true blessing was to see these men, who had applied the vision, share it now with others. They did the teaching. They answered the questions, and they made themselves available to help these groups put the concepts that they were teaching into practice, and they were taking them up on their offer. On December 10th, the church in Yaxcabá will travel to Santa Maria for the next scheduled projection of the Jesus Film in Maya.

True, some things are better kept to ourselves, but, when it comes to church planting, the best advice is to pass it on!

To take a look at more of what went on, and to see the actual Action Groups, check out our photo album of the event here.

Sending them Out: The First Action Group is Commissioned!

October 24, 2011 in Maya, Ministry, Missions by Dave | Permalink

Abel prays for the Action Group members. The songs spoke of fulfilling the Great Commission. The sermon was from Romans chapter 10. Believers were called forward for special prayer to be sent out to do ministry. It sounds like any other missions service that you’ve witnessed in your local church, right? Except this service didn’t take place in the U.S. It was held in Chemax, Yucatán, where, this past Saturday, a group of believers were sent out to plant the first evangelical church in Cocoyol, Yucatán. (View more pictures of the event here.)

Kelly the kids and I traveled the 2 1/2 hours to be there for this special event, which marks the first outreach based on the Jesus Film Project that we have been promoting throughout the district. The church was filled for this Saturday service where a group of 7 church members committed themselves to the 8 week project of evangelism and discipleship guided by the Jesus Film material. Abel Can, the District Missions Director, and Miriam Pech, the District Coordinator of Ministry to Ethnic Groups were on hand to encourage and witness the event. Also present was the Jesus Film Team comprised of Pedro Pablo Balam and Angelino Ek, who will be guiding these believers through the church plant process.

I also had the opportunity to greet the congregation. I thanked them for their vision to break down the barriers to the gospel that many Maya speakers face. In many parts of the Yucatán, those who would want to learn more about Jesus have to learn Spanish to do so. As this Action Group moves to plant this church, they are announcing to the community of Cocoyol that God has come near, that He speaks their language, that He desires to dwell in their context. I commended them for catching the vision of Revelation 7:9 where those of every nation, tribe, people, and tongue, even the Maya, gather around the throne to worship Jesus, the Lamb of God.

It’s our prayer that this event is the first of many as the vision of reaching the Maya people is extended throughout Yucatán.

Tags: , ,

The Feeling that Something Big is Happenning

October 17, 2011 in Maya, Missions by Dave | Permalink

Cruzadas Estudiantiles representatives David Gamboa and Oscar Gonzalez pray for Pedro Pablo Balam and his wife Noemi Uitzil during our visit to Cocoyol. You’ll have to excuse me for my tardiness in getting this post up, I’m a bit breathless from all of the activity of the past week. In four jam-packed days, we visited two church plant locations, covered the Jesus Film church planting strategy, stepped through an 7-week discipleship course for new believers, and outfitted our Jesus Film Team with all of the tools that they need to put the plan in action. The seminar ended on Thursday. The Yucatecan pastors, and the representatives from Power to Change, Canada and Cruzadas Estudiantiles, Mexico, have all returned to their homes. The the event is over, but there is the feeling that a movement is just beginning.

As I had mentioned in this previous post, our goal is to plant churches among the Maya of the Yucatan. The seminar was a first step, but the vision needs to be defined. The dream needs to be made concrete. What has been studied on paper will need to be put into practice in the real world, and that is exactly what we plan to do.

On October 22nd, Kelly, the kids and I will travel, along with Abel Can our District Missions Director to Chemax, Yucatan, to commission the first Action Team who will be charged with planting a church in the comisaria of Cocoyol, where there is currently no evangelical presence. Our desire is to recognize the step of faith that these believers are taking as they are being sent out from among their own to make disciples.

Missionary Ken Priebe from Power to Change inspects the Jesus Film equipment. Following the commission service, The Jesus Film Team, made up by Pedro Pablo Balam, and Angelino Ek, will organize the first projection, which will take place on Sunday, October 30th at that site. But more than simply showing a film, these gentlemen are committed to evangelism and follow-up in the area until 15 adults are registered to receive discipleship studies. The Action Team that the church has raised up will provide the support and oversight to solidify this new work in the weeks that follow.

But the founding of the new work in Cocoyol is not the end of the project; it is only the beginning. Eleven other pastors and congregations are waiting their turn to put the Jesus Film strategy into action in their area. The month of November has been designated to help those pastors form their Action Teams and receive the training that they need in order to replicate these church planting efforts throughout the Maya speaking regions of Yucatan and beyond.

Tomás Vera speaks before the commissioning of the Jesus Film Team and equipment. Our District Superintendent, Tomás Vera, has stated his vision for the next two years: one hundred new churches planted and one hundred new ministers for the state of Yucatan. That kind of vision requires much more that the efforts of a chosen few. It’s a vision that requires a concerted effort on the part of pastors and congregations alike. There is the feeling that the Jesus Film Project might just be the right tool at the right time to fulfill that vision.

Tags: , , , ,

Church Planting Seminar a Week Away

October 3, 2011 in Maya, Ministry, Prayer by Dave | 1 comment

As I’ve mentioned in a prior post, to date, no coordinated effort has been made by the Assemblies of God of Yucatán to plant churches directed at reaching the Maya-speaking population of the Yucatan peninsula, but soon that’s all about to change.

Next Tuesday, October 11th, we kick off our church planting seminar in coordination with Cruzadas Estudiantiles of Mexico, Power to Change of Canada and the Assemblies of God District of Yucatán. We’ll be working together with 12 pastors and a team of two church planters to direct our efforts toward planting Maya-speaking works in the states of Yucatan and Quintana Roo. Our goal is that at the end of a year’s time, 12 new missions will be running, doing their part in God’s plan to redeem the Maya people.

We’re excited and confident that the road-tested program and the months of planning will pay off, but at the same we’re keenly aware of our need for God’s presence to guide and direct us. For that reason, we’re appealing to you. Please take a few moments and pray:

  1. For the safe arrival of all of the participants before the seminar and safe travel throughout as we tour various church planting sites.
  2. For the tangible presence of God and a keen awareness of His voice throughout our meetings.
  3. For an openness among the pastors and church planters to new ideas and new ways of doing ministry.
  4. For an honest evaluation of the program and a meaningful, culturally relevant application of its principle ideas.
  5. For communication of the information being passed on, that clear understanding would lead to decisive action.

Thanks for your support, and be looking to hear from us next week during the event!

Tags: , , ,

Our Fall Newsletter is Available!

September 26, 2011 in Media by Dave | Permalink

Summertime means vacation right? Not if you’re part of what happens during the summers here in the Yucatan! Take a look at our online newsletter to see what went on! 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: , , , ,

New Intro Video on discipleMexico.org!

September 19, 2011 in Media, SiteChanges by Dave | Permalink

Ah video, why do I avoid thee so? You speak to so many through your words and pictures. You inform, encourage, and inspire, yet I wait for years to update you. Perhaps it’s because we live in a Latin society, where the idea of complete silence for recording purposes is ludicrous. Or perhaps it’s because the tools that are frequently used to develop you are thought to only run on certain machines, or tend to be so expensive?

Yes, I’d waited over three years to make a new video to update our website About Us page, but finally, after recording, editing and uploading, the newest release is available. You can check it out above or here if you’re receiving this via email. Now, if you’re only interested in seeing the finished product, you can stop reading, but if you’d like to know how I pieced it together, and the free tools that I used to do all of this from my PC, by all means, read on!

It’s true, there are certainly challenges when it comes to piecing together a video on the mission field. One of the biggest hurdles is acquiring the right tools. I put the above video together using free software designed for a PC. Here is the list:

Windows Live Movie Maker (Available on Windows 7 PCs)
DVDVideoSoft’s Free Video to MP3 Converter (Available from DVDVideoSoft.com)
I also had Kelly’s Sony Cybershot DSC-T90 to do the actual filming.

The actual process involved writing out the script, recording the the script via video in its entirety (around 11:00 PM to avoid the noise of dogs, buses motorcycles, etc.), and finally doing the editing, where I added in pictures in order to illustrate what was being narrated.

The bulk of the work was done in Windows Live Movie Maker, but, although it’s easy to use, it lacks some features. One such feature that I particularly needed was the ability to separate audio from the video that I had recorded. I needed that feature to be able to superimpose pictures throughout the narration instead of releasing a complete video of yours truly as a talking head. That’s where Free Video to MP3 Converter came in. I simply ran the video through this software tool, and, viola! The result was an MP3 file, which I was able to use as audio along with the pictures that I had selected to give me the exact effect that I wanted. I then spliced the live video along with the pictures and audio narration mostly via drag and drop in Windows Live Movie Maker to accomplish the finished project.

Was it entirely painless? Absolutely not! Was it quick and easy? A resounding “No” as well. (That’s the reason for this post, so that you don’t have to scrounge cyberspace in order to get the tools that you need to do this job.) Nevertheless, I got the job done on time and without breaking the bank in order to make it happen.

Of course, my experience in this field is extremely limited. I am probably just scratching the surface when it comes to the resources available to make and edit video on a budget. So I leave it open for discussion:

What do you think of our most recent video? Let us know what’s good or what could be better.

Also, if you have experience in making and editing home video, I’d invite you to comment give us some of your favorite tools to do the job. (I’m using a PC, so I’m biased toward tools that run on Windows, but I invite comments from Mac users as well.)

Tags: , ,

Road Trip!

September 13, 2011 in Maya, Ministry, Missions by Dave | 2 comments


View Trip through Yucatán in a larger map

I’m testimony to the fact that we live in the age of text messages and tweets. In fact, my last short term missions team was almost completely planned through Twitter, but, here in the Yucatan, there is still something special about that face to face meeting.

Yesterday was a case in point. Teaming up with Abel Can and Miriam Pech, our District Missions Director and Coordinator of Ministry to Ethnic Groups respectively, along with the support and training of Power to Change, we’re committed to planting churches among the Maya of the Yucatan. To make this vision a reality, we need the cooperation of several local pastors. These pastors are doing more than simply taking a course or receiving materials, they’re committing their congregations to the task of planting new, Maya speaking works, specifically 12 in the next year. This kind of request can’t be made via cell phone. It required a road trip.

As you can see from the map above, we started the trip at 7:30 AM in Merida. We made our way to 5 towns, speaking with pastors at each spot. Each meeting was face to face, explaining the plan and clarifying questions. The personal visit broke down barriers immediately. The time in each location enabled us form working relationships with each minister. Fifteen hours and 455 miles later, we were able to confirm the participation of seven additional pastors in this church planting movement.

But the time on the roads was much more than the task at hand. It was a chance to spend time with fellow laborers and hear their heart as well. At the pastor’s meeting in Tahdizbichen, I sat back and listened as Abel encouraged the pastors to expand their vision, to look beyond the four walls of the church and to seek to fulfill the Great Commission. The time spent on the roads was more than worth it to hear his message.

Sure, I’m still committed to tweeting with the best of them, but I’m also a firm believer that technology will never replace the value of the personal visit.

How about you? Do you agree, or do you think that technology will make personal meeting obsolete? Let’s hash out the pros and cons in the comments section.

Tags: , , ,

« Older entries § Newer entries »