April Update

Happy May!!

It continues to get hotter here in Mexico. I hope you’re enjoying beautiful spring weather! April started off with a team from Southside Christian Church in Spokane, Washington. This was their fourth year coming to Cofradía, and their outreach consisted of an exciting VBS Kids Club that included relay games, dramas, music, and crafts. The local kids seemed to have a wonderful time, and it was very cool to walk around and help translate for the group leaders as they not only led their crafts but also conversed with the kids in their groups and got to know them better individually. And of course, every day after Kids Club was over, there was a ton of tag games and swinging and shouts of laughter as the Southside youth and the Cofradía kids played together and enjoyed each other.

The Days of Youth

Ecclesiastes 11:9 says, “Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.” This was one of our goals in April as we canceled our youth meeting in the middle of the month and arranged a day at the beach for the youth of Cofradía, Santa Fe, and Arrayanes. It was such a fun time to play together and just relax and ENJOY ourselves. We have such a great group of fun teens in our youth group, and it was a priceless time of celebrating that fun-ness as we discovered live sea creatures, dug mud Jacuzzis, walked on the beach, ate great food in the shade, and of course enjoyed the Pacific Ocean! I have posted about this day on my blog and included pictures there. If you get a chance, please take some time to read all about it.

In our youth meetings we’ve been talking about having vision in life drawing from material presented in Chazown: A Different Way to See Your Life by Craig Groeschel. Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision the people perish.” The main point of this study has been that the Lord has a vision for each of our lives, and knowing that, we are faced with a decision: we can either live stumbling through each day and arrive at the end of our lives with regret that we did not do more in life, or we can live on purpose keeping the end in mind and taking full advantage of each day that God has given us to fulfill the purpose that He has designed for us. We have talked about the need for vision in our lives, having an ear to hear the voice of the Lord as He directs us towards knowledge and completion of that vision, and finally three areas that can help us in discerning the Lord’s vision for us: core values, spiritual gifts, and past experiences that God wants to use. The youth have responded very well to this study and we have had some really great discussions. It’s great to see them thinking about these things and seeking to understand what it is that God has for them. We have encouraged them to dream and to dream BIG, an activity that is very dangerous for one trying to avoid disappointment. But they are responding and even sharing their dreams, many of which include serving the Lord somewhat vocationally: starting leadership schools, being youth leaders, missionary work, charity work, etc. The Lord is working great things in the hearts of these young people…

…including leadership! In April Julio (on the right in the pic above) gave the lesson at youth group one week. He spoke on respecting our leaders, and it was a stellar lesson. The kids not only listened to him, but they participated in answering questions, discussions, and even by asking questions of their own on the issue. At the end of the evening Julio provided a time for the youth that were present to thank us as leaders (that were present) for our leadership and investment in their lives, or if they needed to ask forgiveness or discuss something with us then they were free to do that as well. It was a really neat time, and even more so because it was led by one of their own! It was truly a blessing to be present for that!

Mentor Gazette

Sandy has also expressed an interest in taking on more of a leadership role with the youth. We have asked her to give the lesson in two weeks, May 25. She is in the process of deciding what to share/teach, and I’m excited about the potential that some of her ideas contain. In addition, we have talked with her very briefly about the possibility of making her a student leader next year for the whole year! This would include being part of the staff for our CHALLENGE event in September as well as possibly teaching on a regular basis in our Friday night youth meetings. She is very excited about this idea and looks forward to having that challenge in her life. She shared in a testimony at youth group recently that the passion in her heart is to share with others, especially youth, what the Lord has taught her and in that way to lead others to an understanding of the abundant life that we can have in Christ when we don’t just play around with Him but commit to a serious and life-encompassing relationship with Him.

Sandy and I have been doing the Beth Moore Bible study Living Beyond Yourself since my return to Cofradía in March, which is a study on the fruit of the Spirit. As we brain-stormed recently about possible ideas for her upcoming teaching (May 25), I asked her what has impacted her the most recently that the Lord is teaching her, impacted her in such a way that she senses in her heart that it’s something others need to hear or learn as well. Her answer was this study. “It has turned her perspective on life in Christ upside down,” she told me. “I always knew about the fruit of the Spirit, but studying each one like this has made me realize that I really didn’t know what they were and I didn’t even realize it. It’s like I didn’t know I was blind until my eyes were opened and I finally found out what it’s like to actually see.”

In addition to our studies, Sandy is trying to start earning money doing something she loves: photography. From the first time she picked up my camera in October she has been in love with taking pictures. Best of all, she’s pretty good at it, even without having a clue as to what she’s doing! You all have seen her work quite frequently, since almost all of the pictures I end up using on my blog or in newsletters have been ones she has taken. I recently bought a printer that she will be able to use (with some contribution toward paper and ink), and this week she had her first two photography “gigs”: the Mother’s Day celebration at the school in Arrayanes (May 10 in Mexico), and at an infant baptism for a family in her town. Not only that but there are also folks in Cofradía and Santa Fe who have heard that she is beginning to offer her services and have requested that she come and take pictures of their families or children. The response has been very promising, and we’re looking forward to how the Lord will develop this opportunity for her. In addition, we are considering printing some of her pictures to sell while I’m home in this summer in the states. If you would like to see her work, please check out the album on my photosite at: http://foreveramber.photosite.com/ThePhotographerInside/. Let us know what you think! She welcomes all suggestions, opinions, and instructions. I’m encouraged daily as I think about all the Lord has done and continues to do in Sandy as she continues to earnestly seek His face. Please continue to keep her and her family in your prayers.

Forward Thinking…

I’m beginning to think and plan for my trip home this summer/fall. My reservations are made, and I will returning home August 17 and will stay until the middle of October!!! I know that it’s numerous months away, but I’m already excited about having so much time to spend time with as many of you as humanly possible! I’m also thinking forward to fundraising during that time. I still need to raise the last 15% of my budget. In addition we have some exciting ministries going on in the church including our radio ministry and continued construction on the central church facility. Please be praying that the Lord would give me wisdom in planning and preparing for those precious two months, and that I would be sensitive to His guidance!