Jon and Nicolle arrived Tuesday to Mexico City. They stayed with us Tuesday night, and we took them to Cuernavaca on Wednesday. Jon will be doing his internship for Huntington University here in Mexico City.
Jon is a youth ministry major with a music minor, and Nicolle is an elementary education major and a Spanish minor. He’ll be studying in the same language school that we studied at for the next month, and then they will move up to Mexico City to help Huberto with the youth ministry at his church.
The benefit for us of having Jon and Nicolle working with Huberto is that we are trying to establish some model youth ministries in the city so our students at the seminary will have places to see the philosophy of youth ministry in action. We want them to have the opportunity to work in churches that are putting into practice what they are learning in the classroom.
I’m excited to have Jon and Nicolle here, and I know their ministry is going to help extend the reach of the Center for Youth Ministry here in Mexico City.
Today we’re heading down to Cuernavaca, Mexico. It’s the city where we studied Spanish when we first arrived in Mexico, located about 2 hours south of where we live now. It’s also where our friends the Cottrills have lived while studying Spanish.
We’re going to take Jon and Nicolle there for language school. Jon will be helping Huberto as an intern until December of this year. He’s a student at Huntington University, and he’s doing his PRIME internship here with us. He’ll be studying Spanish for the next month, and then they’ll be moving up to Mexico City to work with Huberto at Renovation Christian Church.
I’ll try to take pics and video of the city and post them here.
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(Image by: mehdi_mex on flickr)
Here’s a video of the 2008 graduation at the Mexican Baptist Theological Seminary, which included the graduation of the first student from the Center for Youth Ministry with a bachelor’s degree in youth ministry.
You can read my thoughts about the day here.
(Here’s a larger version on Vimeo)
We need your help. A few weeks ago, I sent an email to our mailing list that said that we really needed prayers for the last of 6 encounters for a Master’s program we are directing in Cuba. I have been going there each January and June for the last 2 and a half years (almost 3 years), and this time will be the last trip I make for a while.
Many of the 13 students in the program have serious issues at home or in their ministries that are affecting them in their quest to complete this once in a lifetime opportunity. Here are a few of the situations that they are facing. Please pray for them.
- Maykel’s wife is pregnant, and her pregnancy is very high risk. She is due right around when we should be in class. Maykel has been finishing up a thesis he is researching for another degree he is completing at the same time.
- Pancho was recently told by his doctor to avoid doing anything that requires much effort due to the amount of stress that is in his life. He is taking a sabbatical from his job as the director of the youth program at the Eastern Baptist Convention, but he is continuing his studies to obtain his Master’s in youth ministry.
- Abdiel and Leza are expecting their first child. While this is a good thing, it’s not easy to be pregnant and do the required work for the youth ministry classes.
- Giancarlos’s wife has very serious eye problems and may lose her sight if something isn’t done soon. They say there isn’t much that can be done.
We know that these are difficulties that need to be overcome, and we are confident that your prayers will help (James 5:16). Thanks.
(Image by: Carf on flickr)
Saturday was graduation, the first graduation in the history of the Mexican Baptist Theological Seminary that included a youth ministry student. After four long years, Huberto Perez Bravo graduated with a bachelor’s degree in youth ministry (licenciatura en ministerio juvenil).
The graduation ceremony was two hours long, and then we had a celebration dinner that lasted another 2 hours. It was a historical day, culminating years of hard work and investment. This graduation was more special for me than others in the past because many of the nine graduates had been students in my classes.
One of my favorite things about the graduation was seeing Huberto with his youth group and church members who came to celebrate with him. His church has been through a lot of things, and I feel that they deserve the diploma as much as he does. He has learned a lot by leading them, and I’m happy for them all.
We’re not done, at all. Next year, we’ll have another graduate, and then there are 3 more who will graduate the following year. I have a feeling that many students will be coming to the Center for Youth Ministry in the future.
Check out our pictures on flickr from graduation day.
Don’t forget to check out our thank you video.
