Hurricane Gustav hit Cuba pretty hard yesterday, forcing evacuations of more than 300,000 people. Having gone to Cuba a few times, some of my favorite people in the world live in Havana and Pinar del Rio, the two major areas that got hit by the storm.
Please pray for the country as they recover from the storm. I haven’t heard much from them, but I’ve been in the old buildings and have no idea how they could stand up to 150 mile per hour winds.
Today is the first day of classes at the Mexican Baptist Theological Seminary. The Center for Youth Ministry has the largest incoming freshman class that we’ve had in the five years of our existence. There are (at least) five new youth ministry students entering this year out of a freshman class of 13.
I’m excited because we really worked hard the last year to promote the youth ministry training program at various events throughout the country. Our students are spreading the word about one of the only bachelor’s degree programs for youth ministry in Latin America (link to Spanish website).
Below you’ll find the list of names of the freshmen youth ministry students. Please pray for them by name.
2008 Youth Ministry Freshmen Class
Victoria Castro Vázquez from Teziutlan, Puebla
Gerson Hernandez Vázquez from Teziutlan, Puebla
Josue Misael Lara Vázquez from Monterrey
Kareni Sadai Méndez Galván from Monterrey
Débora Osobampo Martinez from Sinaloa
Also be praying for the other youth ministry students who are beginning classes this week at the seminary. I’ll post more about each of them in the future. It’s going to be a great year of ministry.
“Hello, friend. I just finished a mission trip with 60 students that was stupendous, thank God. It was explosive, dynamic, and was very cool. Thank you for teaching us. I’m sending you the link so you can see the photos and download them if you want so you can have them. A hug…your brother.”..Giancarlos.
I received that email from one of the students in Cuba. He’s the middle school pastor of a local church who has seen incredible things happen in the last three years.
His group went on a summer mission trip that he planned using the principles we taught in Contemporary Youth Missions.
You wouldn’t believe the amount of opportunities we have to minister in other parts of Latin America. God is opening doors and giving us new contacts everywhere we turn. It’s a great thing.
Today, we got word about more ministry opportunities, and Huberto, part of our team in Mexico, told me last week about all of the invitations our Center for Youth Ministry in Mexico is receiving to train youth workers throughout central Mexico.
We need wisdom to decide what God wants us to do in each of these situations. It’s a great situation to be in, but it’s also an important time for us to establish some guidelines as to how we will advance the work that we have been given.
We’re also always looking for new members of our team. If you’re a youth pastor and feel God calling you to train other youth workers or to missions, I’d love to talk with you about possibilities with Youth Ministry International.
Giancarlos is one of the graduates from the Master’s program we just finished. He is the middle school pastor of his church, and his students are planting a church. He’s a good friend, and here are his thoughts about the Master’s program (Video).
In part one of this series, I talked about graduation. In part 2, I wrote about what the students are doing with their degrees. This time, I’m reflecting on how I’ve changed as a person after being a part of the program during the last three years.
You cannot visit the places I have been and return as the same person. There is a transformation that happens as you get to know these people and their situation. There is a change in the way you think about God, the human situation, and about yourself. I have changed as a result of my visits various places. I like to think I’ve changed for the better.
How I’ve Changed
The way I think about freedom – Often, we take our freedoms for granted. Certainly, the USA is not a perfect place, but we do have freedoms that other people in other parts of the world would love to have. Independence Day is coming up. When I see the flag waving, I think differently now. In fact, last December, when I went to see the Miami Dolphins’ game with my Dad, I started to tear up as I heard the national anthem. I have changed.
The way I think about blessings – Blessings come in many different shapes and sizes. One thing is for sure, the blessings I have are given to me so that I can be a blessing to others. God blesses people with different kinds of blessings. I have learned to look at what I have instead of what I want (although that’s not always easy), and to count those as blessings.
The way I think about missions – There are many mission principles that change when you visit a country other than your own. I have learned that sometimes being flexible is much more than a thing we preach to short term mission teams. It’s something that sometimes we have to do as long term missionaries as we think about strategy, principles, and ministry actions. I have learned to adapt strategy to the context.
The way I think about ministry – Sometimes the best way to get a real look at struggles in ministry is to watch what others have to do in order to minister to their congregations and communities. I have seen and heard stories of ministers who have been persecuted because of their ministry. Suddenly, my struggles in ministry are not as invincible.
The way I think about sacrifice – Calling is a word we throw around in church and ministry conferences, but sometimes I wonder how much we really feel called to what we do. The people I have met are called to work with young people and to work in the church. They are not receiving any other “fringe benefits” like many of us do. It’s a calling thing. Calling in many contexts requires sacrifice. I have changed the way I look at my calling and what God has in store for me.
I’ve learned many other things, too. These are just a few of the many things that I have learned in my travels with the opportunities I have had. I feel fortunate to have learned things during the last three years. It has been an educational experience for me, too.
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