Youth Culture Project Day

Today was presentation day in Youth Culture class. I divided the class into three groups of two, and their assignment was to investigate and give a presentation on a youth subculture. The investigation was to have at least 6 interviews with people involved in that subculture as well as research from books, magazines, or the Internet. Creativity in research and presentation would also greatly enhance their grades. The presentation was also to include a “ministry strategy” for sharing the gospel with these groups. The three sub-cultures that the students chose to study were: punks, goths, and ravers. Because of time limitations, only two of the groups went today, but their presentations were very good, and we will see the other one on Friday.

Some of the things that Lalo and Israel discovered about the punk subculture:

• Punks say they are against many things: government, religion, fashion, and the order placed on people by society
• One of the guys that they interviewed said he believed in God, but when he had problems, God seemed so far away.
• In order to be of any help to this group, the church needs to get away from traditional styles of thinking and develop relationships with them.
• They need to be accepted as they are.

Ceci and Angelica gave us many interesting insights into the gothic people they talked with:

• They are very intelligent, cultured people with an appetite for learning more about philosophy and various positions.
• One of the guys from this group actually listens to tapes of preachers in order to be able to defend his belief system against the claims of Christianity
• They live for today, not for the future. “I don’t know if I’ll be dead tomorrow,” is their thought.
• They stay to themselves. When they have a problem, they figure it out themselves.

Obviously, these investigations are only a snapshot of the subcultures here in Mexico City, but the project was a great opportunity for seminary students to get out of their comfort zones and see different subcultures as people with real needs and real lives. We need to engage the culture as Christians. Many times, our fear leads us to stay in our church buildings and hope that these people who are different than us stay away. That is not our mandate as the army of Christ. We are commanded to share the gospel with the world, not just people who think and act like we do.

Grandma Graham prayer request

Please pray: Last night, Janell’s mom called to tell us that Grandma Graham is in the hospital. Originally, they thought it was pneumonia, but they ran some tests and found a tumor in her lung. The early speculation is that it could be lung cancer. Please pray for her and Janell’s mom, too, as we are all concerned about this situation.

MCCA Spirit Day

Yesterday was “Spirit Day” at MCCA. Everyone dressed up in school colors, some painted their faces, and some dyed their hair. Rob Torbert cooked out hamburgers on the grill, and we all had a great time. After school, we had a “non-detention,” which is basically a time where we just play games and have fun. It’s a great time to get to know the group and build relationships to help with the ministry. They are a great bunch of students, and we are blessed to have the opportunity to minister to them and their families.

Contrast

On my recent border trip, there was one thing that stuck in my mind. It was the contrast that there is between the Mexican side of the border and the US side of the border. The Mexican town of Reynosa is a nice, little Mexican town, with the usual pockets of poverty. It is a town with very little as far as “modern” conveniences compared to what there is 20 minutes down the street and across the bridge. McAllen is a modern city with modern roads, tons of stores, and many things that are not available in Mexico. It is amazing how much we as Americans take for granted. We live in nice, air-conditioned or heated houses with very little thought about those who are on the other side of the border.

Back from Texas

I’m back from the border trip to McAllen, Texas. It took about 12 hours each way, but it wasn’t that bad. It’s always good to cross into the good old US of A. I’ll write more about it later, but in the meantime, check out the 45 photos I put up from the trip.

Road Trip

Tonight was MCCA Bible study. We had about 16 kids here and talked about acceptance. It was a fun time, with lots of good discussion and plenty of laughs.

Tomorrow morning, Joel and I are leaving for McAllen, Texas. We’re going to pick up some supplies for the MK school. I’ve never been up that way, so it should be a fun and interesting trip. Please keep us in your prayers as we drive all day tomorrow and return on Monday.