The goal of Youth Ministry International is to train local church youth workers for the people groups of the world. We have developed a strategy in recent years to train people who can train others, and we have been blessed to see God use that strategy to minister to more and more young people.
Last week I had the chance to go to Puerto Escondido, on the coast of Oaxaca, to participate in a youth leader’s training event for the Baptist Convention there. We also planned a graduation ceremony for the people you see in the photo above.
The Certificate level program that we have at the Mexican Baptist Theological Seminary has expanded to other parts of Mexico, multiplying the ministry. The students in the photo graduated from the extension in Puerto Escondido, which has been taught 100% by Juan Roman, a graduate from the Bachelor’s degree program in Mexico City.
It was a privilege to be a part of the graduation ceremony and see the results of ministry multiplication.
Janell dropped me off at the taxi stand, and he motioned me over as he hopped into his taxi. “How much for a ride to the airport?” I asked with a smile. “190 pesos”, he replied. So I hopped in, not realizing this was a divine appointment.
After a little small talk about the cost of gas and how they haven’t raised the prices of the fares in about 2 years, we continued on towards the Periférico, one of the most traveled roads in Mexico City, about 45 minutes from the airport.
Just before we got to the traffic, he told me that he couldn’t work all last week because his taxi had broken down and he had to fix it. He was obviously upset about missing work and commented about how the bills were stacking up. His thoughts on this were obviously affecting his attitude towards the traffic as he continued to mumble under his breath about it.
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A long time ago I wrote a post over on ministeriojuvenil.com about how to start off in youth ministry. It has been viewed almost 2,000 times in the last year. I’d like to believe that it has impacted over 1,500 youth leaders who are looking for ways to start out in youth ministry. I’m not sure.
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Last week we had a group visit from our home church in Florida. In the opinion of most, this group wasn’t that impressive and wasn’t going to make much of a difference for the ministry in Mexico City. Why? Because it was just one couple.
Doug and Debbie had planned on coming with a group from Gulf Coast Fellowship, but for various reasons, the group dwindled each month until it was just them who were willing to come. The size of the group left me, the organizing missionary, with very little options. So the purpose of the trip changed.
Instead of figuring out how much Doug and Debbie could do to minister to Mexican young people or Seminary students, they decided that the main purpose of their trip would be to minister to our family. I’m sure the week they spent here in Mexico made a difference on eternity. Let me explain.
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Sometimes our kids mix up English and Spanish, especially when they’re learning both languages at the same time. It’s a good problem to have, and it makes for really cute videos.
Gracias from Dennis on Vimeo.
Being a “Third Culture Kid” isn’t easy, and being the parent of a Third Culture Kid isn’t easy, either. But it’s worth it. I’m happy my kids get to experience another culture and language. It’s a challenge, but it’s a privilege.
We have so many special people in our lives. Our students. New friends. Family members. The list could go on, but it’s always fun to see old friends again.
Steve and Mary Waechter were some of the first missionaries we met when we came to Mexico. We lived in their house while they were in the USA for a year, taking care of their dog, cat, and bird (and killing their plants).
Steve taught at the Seminary, and we spent lots of time talking about ministry, missions, college football, and all sorts of other things.
Their family moved away about 3 years ago, and Steve came back this past week to teach a Master’s class at the Seminary. Besides the fact that he brought us some great stuff from the USA (and 35 pounds of homeschooling books for next year), it was just good to get to hang out with him again.
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