Today I administered the last final exam of the seminary career of our first youth ministry graduate. It was an interview-type exit exam for my Professional Orientation to Youth Ministry class. Both students in the class did very well. It was bittersweet because it was the last final exam for Huberto, the first graduate in youth ministry.
Huberto has been with me from day one at the seminary. We’ve been through a lot together. We have spent a lot of time together in class and out of class, talking about ministry and life in general.
I can’t believe four years are over. We’re entering a new era of ministry in Mexico. Huberto will definitely be part of our team here in the future. He has the passion and calling to train youth workers, and I’m looking forward to seeing how he fits into the vision for youth ministry training in Latin America.
Please pray for him as he finishes up with a few projects for various classes.
Today is May 5th, or Cinco de Mayo. Guess what. There’s not a whole lot of celebration of Cinco de Mayo in Mexico City.
Mexican Independence Day is not on May 5th. Independence Day is September 16. May 5th, instead, is the celebration of a historical battle between the Mexican army and France in 1862. The battle took place in Puebla, where I’m sure they are celebrating a lot today.
The interesting thing about the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, is that the Mexican army was outnumbered by the French, but they were resilient and won the battle anyway. Of course, the French eventually won and occupied Mexico until 1867, when Maximilian was executed by Benito Juarez.
It’s interesting to me how a holiday so widely celebrated in the United States has its origins in Mexico but is not widely celebrated here. It’s amazing how little the two neighboring countries really know about each other.
Links: Kaboose info on Cinco de Mayo
Last night, I felt like I needed to write an email to those of you who have signed up for our email newsletters (if you’re not on that mailing list, you can sign up here), asking you to pray for the project we have that is finishing up in June. Many of you know that I have been traveling out of the country every January and June to take place in a very special project to train youth ministry trainers.
This is the sixth time we have organized a trip to this country, but this time we have faced many special challenges. So, I asked people to pray specifically for this initiative and the details that are going into this specific trip in June.
One of the problems was financial. We are running a little behind budget at this time, and the trip is costing us a little more than we had expected. I didn’t mention this in the email, as it was a request for prayer, not a plea for donations. In my opinion, the need is greater than just a financial need. It is a spiritual need as we have faced obstacles of all kinds.
One of the people who are on our list called the YMI president and asked him what was up with the trip. After talking about it, by faith, this family donated $500 to the project.
Later, I found out that they weren’t even sure if they would receive a paycheck this week, but that they had decided, by faith, to give to the project, regardless of their current financial situation. After they had agreed to send the check, they found out that they were getting paid, and that God was faithful to them.
Please keep praying for the trip. I know that we will be celebrating a grand victory in June, but we need your prayers to finish the project well. Thanks.
(Thumbnail by: Aussie Patches on flickr; Other image by: falsalama on flickr)
The graduating class at the seminary has 6 bachelor’s degree graduates and four others who will be graduating with the equivalent of an associates degree. It’s the first graduating class that includes a graduate in youth ministry. Here’s a quick video of them yesterday during their photo shoot.
You can also check out the video here.
Today was the last day of class at the seminary for this school year. I’ve got a flood of emotions inside. I’m excited, proud, reflective, a little sad, emotional, happy, and all kinds of other things that I can’t describe.
If all goes according to plan, and all of the work gets turned in, Huberto will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in youth ministry. He’ll be the first certified graduate in youth ministry in Latin America. In my opinion, he has definitely proven himself as a leader and great youth pastor.
I’ll write more about it later, but for now, I wanted to say how crazy it is that four years have gone by, and we are finally seeing some fruit from the labor.
