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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prayer PresentationFor those of you who prayed and have been waiting for my schedule to break in order to give you an update, I want to say thanks. The Prayer Wall presentation was overwhelmingly received here in the Yucatán. We had a full house in the church “Cordero de Dios” as well as our superintendent and assistant superintendent present.

Phil presented his vision for a continuous wall of prayer across Mexico as I interpreted. The photo to the left shows one of our more in sync moments. It was a stretching experience for me to be sure, but it was extremely rewarding as well as tens of volunteers signed up to be a part of a 230 strong group of prayer warriors interceding 24/7 for Mexico.

Again thank you for your prayers and notes of encouragement as I stepped out in this ministry.

Phil BennettIn May, I received a phone call from Phil Bennett (pictured to the left), a minister from Concord First Assembly in North Carolina, concerning extending his “Watchman Prayer Ministry” to the Yucatán. The ministry consists of recruiting 168 people to pray one hour each week for the needs of the area. Here in Mexico, he’s been active in Mexico City, Tlaxcala, and Veracruz. Knowing that prayer is vital for our ministry and that our superintendent, Raul Sanchez, has been emphasizing prayer in the district, I asked him if he would be interested in having Phil come to share about this ministry. Three months later, this idea is being brought into reality. Phil and his team will be here in Mérida tomorrow at 7:00 PM. I’d appreciate your prayers concerning the reception of this program.

I’d also appreciate your prayers concerning the event itself. I will be serving as a translator for Phil as he shares with an exclusively Spanish-speaking group. The only other opportunity that I have had came during an impromptu gift-exchange during my brother Mike’s visit to Muna back in March. So as we take a step forward in prayer, I’ll be taking a step forward in my abilities as a missionary. Pray that I’ll be able to use my nervousness as a tool to listen and correctly convey the message he will bring.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor Julian Puc and DaveThis past March, we had the opportunity to work in Muna, a small town south of Mérida. We arrived with a group of American University Chi Alpha students who were dedicating their Spring Break to help make a difference in the lives of the residents of this community.

Just two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to head back to Muna as part of a class trip of sorts for students involved in ISUM. We took in the pyramids at Uxmal, and also got a chance to stop for panuchos at the church where we worked. I got a chance to greet those who were hosting the students as well as view the progress that has been made on the church and the pastor’s home where we worked.

Click on the picture to view an album of the progress.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mesa de EscrutadoresI spent the last half of last week at the Yucatan District council. This 8th District Council in Ticul, a city about an hour south-east of Mérida, included three days of meetings featuring a missions night, where we saw reports from two of the three Yucatan missionaries either on or headed to the field, and the discussion of many items of business. One of those items is pictured above, the election of our district superintendent, assistant superintendent, and treasurer.

I was selected to sit on the “Mesa de Escrutadores” (Table of Vote-Counters), a group of ten pastors and officials that separated and counted each round of votes. I snapped the picture in the middle of the process. Serving as the head of the table was our national secretary, Samuel Vázquez, who is also the son of the senior pastor of our home church. In a fairly tranquil process that lasted only through one morning, we saw all of our current officers re-elected with little to no competition.

While it was good to see our current leadership back in office, it was a bittersweet taste that the council left in my mouth. On the last day, after Silverio Blanco, the director of the Bible Institute, issued a challenging message on the continued need for evangelism in the Yucatan and beyond, an initiative from the District Evangelism Department was struck down. The motion would have appropriated resources to gather information from each municipality in the state, presenting the reality of Silverio’s message and giving the information necessary to strategically target the areas of need. Unfortunately, because it also suggested the investigation of other parts of Mexico, Latin America and the world, perhaps as a comparison, the pastors voted the measure down. Without this initiative, our district may be condemned to fighting blind, seeking to make progress, without touching the real needs.

I think the failure of this motion reflects the failure that we often see in our lives and ministries. Congruence, the correspondence of our thought, speech, and action, is so very difficult to achieve. We say we desire the advance of the kingdom, but we fail to appropriate the time, effort, and resources to go about doing it. We say we want the lost to come to know Jesus, but so often we loose contact with them in our daily lives. We say we desire God’s power, but our prayer lives, weak or perhaps even non-existent, tell a different story.

God help our district, and each one of us in turn, to prioritize your plans, to be the people the you have called us to be, and to truly take an interest in the Great Commission–to go in your power and make disciples of all men.

Following our series on the Muna Missions Trip, things have been pretty quite here on disciplemexico.org, but that is not to say that we’re without things to write about. If you’ve been watching our sidebar events calendar, you’ve seen that the Godzwa family has been busy. We’d like to catch you up to date on all of the information with a round-up post:

Evangelism Series

Agua de VidaTo start, Dave has been teaching an ongoing evangelism series at the Golgotha Christian Center in Mérida. Each Thursday night for the past month, we’ve been meeting to discover the God’s heart for evangelism, returning to the Bible to discover the guidance it gives to those who would join in His search for the lost.

Beyond the teaching, we’ve also been offering opportunities for the members of the church to involve themselves in practical forms of evangelism. The last Saturday in March, we joined with the children of the church to celebrate the arrival of Spring. In the 90 degree heat, the evangelism team handed out bottles of water along with cards that read, “Do you feel dry? Jesus is the Water of Life!” We also handed out copies of Luke’s gospel to those who received the water. It was quite a site to see so many neighbors receiving and reading the information.

Preaching Engagements

Natanael's PuebloOur family was invited to three separate preaching engagements. The first was Palm Sunday with Pastor Natanael Ku. We traveled about 30 minutes outside of the city to spend the day with his family and celebrate the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, the official start of the Holy Week. We were able to share with the congregation as well as spend time with many in the community, Christian and Non-Christian, coming face to face with many of the needs that Pastor Natanael faces on a daily basis.

Beyond our time in the country, we were also invited to discuss, at Golgotha Christian Center, an interesting teaching of Jesus during the traditional Tuesday of Controversy. This evening we considered the passage in Matt. 22:15-22 where Jesus displays the conflicted righteousness that man uses to justify his actions in contrast to the freedom that following Jesus brings.

In addition to these events, we spent time in Mount Hermon Church, which sits to the south of the city. There we were able to observe Good Friday with the members of the congregation, observing the work that Jesus did for us on the cross.

Water Baptism

BaptismalThis past Saturday, a highlight of our busy weeks, we were able to witness the baptism of 6 members of our home congregation. With the whole church traveling to the Gulf of Mexico to to take part, the baptismal candidates received their charge, waded into the waters and one by one were dipped below the waters, symbolizing death to their old life and their rebirth with Christ to life anew. We’re including a video attached to this post to for those who visit the site.

Of course, none of this activity would be possible without your prayers and support. Thank you for being involved in what God is doing here in Mexico!

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

Thursday, March 15th

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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