Creatively Supporting Missions

Creatively Supporting Missions

We recently received a donation from a friend of ours who had never donated to the ministry before but we know has a heart for missions and has wanted to support us.

I wrote an email thanking the person for the donation, and they told me that it had come from selling M&Ms to everyone at work.

I was surprised to hear that. What a great idea! I love it when people are creative and look for ways to be involved in what God is doing regardless of personal circumstances!

We greatly appreciate every donation that is sent in to help support and extend the ministry in Latin America. We know that the markets are down and the economy is bad. But there are many people who have stood beside us from the beginning and have continued to stand with us and contribute to this ministry. Thanks!

(image by vernhart on flickr)




If you would like to help support our ministry in Latin America, please send a check to Youth Ministry International at 1300 Envoy Cir., Suite 1306, Louisville, KY 40299. Please include a note saying that it is for the Poulette Family in Mexico. All donations are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated.

The World’s Most Dangerous Jobs

The World’s Most Dangerous Jobs

People actually do studies of the world’s most dangerous jobs.

Here’s a list I found in my research for my introduction to my sermon this week in chapel at the Seminary.

8. Roofers
7. Power Line Technicians
6. Farmers and Ranchers
5. Waste Management Workers
4. Structural Construction Workers
3. Loggers
2. Airline pilots and crew
1. Fishermen (a la Dangerous Catch)

In some parts of the world, being a pastor could be life-threatening. But even in the parts of the world that have religious freedom, the ministry is a dangerous job. Check these statistics (thanks to Into Thy Word ministries):

  • Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their churches.
  • Fifty percent of pastors’ marriages will end in divorce.
  • Eighty percent of pastors feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastor.
  • Eighty percent of seminary and Bible school graduates who enter the ministry will leave the ministry within the first five years.
  • Seventy percent of pastors constantly fight depression.

I don’t have statistics about missionaries or youth pastors, but I am convinced that people who are in the ministry full time need our prayers and encouragement.

So stop what you’re doing right now and send an email of encouragement to someone you know in the ministry. Go get a card for your pastor or youth pastor. Tell him that what he does is valuable and that you are praying for him.

(Photo by: Laura Travels on flickr)

Ministry Multiplication

Saturday mornings we have started some informal training for youth workers. Huberto is teaching the first series, and it’s cool for me to see one of my former students interacting and training others (2 Timothy 2:2).

Here’s a qik video of Huberto teaching the YM Goal statement: “Develop a vehicle (program) through which every adolescent will hear the gospel in a culturally relevant manner and have the opportunity to spiritually mature.” (That’s my rough English translation of what we use).

I love how passionate he is about training others. He’s taught in the bachelor’s program at the Seminary, he went with us last year to Boyce College’s Youth Emphasis Week, and he’s taken a major role in the Saturday morning training we have started.

Please pray that the ministry will continue to expand and multiply.

Culture, Youth ministry, and a Japanese guy

Culture, Youth ministry, and a Japanese guy

“Identify the culture to use the culture to reach the culture” is a phrase that comes up often at both Youth Ministry International and the youth ministry classes at the Mexican Baptist Theological Seminary. Today it was something that slipped my mind.

I was in the airport with Jon and Nicolle awaiting their flight back to the United States, and we saw the Japanese guy who has been living in the Mexico City airport for a few months. Since he’s pretty much a celebrity, we decided to ask if we could have our picture taken with him. But we went about it completely wrong.

Jon and I approached the guy and asked him if he spoke Spanish. He just stared at us. Then we asked about English. We thought that surely he would speak English. Again we were met with a blank stare. Finally I motioned like I was taking a picture and he nodded in approval. We finally got what we wanted, but things could gave gone so much better.

As we returned to our table in the food court, we started talking about what we should have done differently.

For starters, we should not have assumed he would speak English. How ethnocentric of us! We looked up a few Japanese phrases after the fact that would have been useful in our quest. Basic phrases like good morning and how are you would have helped greatly. It’s always a good idea to speak people’s language.

We also should have treated him as a person. We really just wanted to say we had seen him, so we didn’t try to ask how he was or engage in small talk. People are much more open if you treat them like people and not like objects.

No wonder he’s looking at me funny in the picture.

I’m sure there are other things that we did wrong today, but reflecting on these two big mistakes will hopefully help me in the future.

Guest Post – Ping Pong Discipleship

Guest Post – Ping Pong Discipleship

I asked Jim Cottrill if he would write a post for this blog about discipleship. Here’s his thoughts on what it takes to reach people and disciple them.

Years ago I was involved in a church plant in Calgary, I had a friend who loved ping pong (or table tennis – let’s not get caught up in semantics!). I like ping pong too, but this guy really loved it. He had the whole setup in his basement, and his house was often filled with the sounds of chops, flips and smashes (I’m trying to make it sound like I know something about table tennis. It’s not working, is it?).

When this guy joined our very new little group, ping pong came along with him. And it became one of the many answers to one of our biggest questions…

How can we reach people in our community?

Well, with ping pong, of course. Before long there was a mix of Christians and non-Christians down in his basement for some pretty serious tournaments.

I’m not sure where we got the idea that reaching the world only takes one kind of person. Maybe a somewhat dull preacher who can sing a little and sadly endure the inconveniences of wherever-they-are. This narrow vision of missions is going to kill the missionary effort. Can we bury the whole idea of cookie-cutter missionaries right now?

Let me ask you – do you think I would have reached the ping pong players of Calgary? Nope. Not too many people could have.

Here in Mexico, we have the same incredible variety of people that there are anywhere else in the world. And it’s going to take a wide variety of people – both Mexican and non-Mexican, to reach them.

I have a group of Christian friends here in Mexico City who are looking for ways to reach people, just like we were in Calgary. Right now we have keyboard classes for those who want to learn keyboard. English classes for those who want to learn English. Our two kids go to two different schools, and we meet people who are also parents. Those who can build things built furniture to give to unsuspecting families. All these things and many more do something important – they mix together people who have experienced God’s grace in Jesus, and those who haven’t.

You already know Dennis and Janell, and you know they’re training youth workers. But maybe you don’t know how incredibly versatile youth workers in Mexico need to be! It’s going to take more than one kind of person to reach them. I’m betting this new generation has a more varied set of interests than any generation before.

We talk a lot about methods of discipleship, mission strategies, and so on. But it still comes down to this, just like it always has.

Mixing together people that have experienced God’s grace in Jesus with those who haven’t. And sharing stories of that grace.

Do you work in construction? Come to Mexico! Share how you’ve seen God’s grace as you’ve worked with the worker here who thinks he has nothing to live for.

You’re retired? Come on down! You can reach the mature Mexican in a way that the younger missionary never can, because you’ve seen God’s grace in a way she never has.

An artist? Fantastic! Do we have ideas for you! But much too creative ones to write here. 😉

You’re a doctor? We have lots of doctors here you could share ideas with. And show how God’s grace has transformed your life.

Computer tech? Come help us set up an internet cafe, that can mix together believers and not-yet-believers! Help non-techie missionaries with their computers.

You’re a student? Get together with other students, and just give your time. Speak English? Come teach and share grace with your smile and love.

Experience in youth ministry? Oooh boy – don’t wait, talk to Dennis today. 😉

Come for a few years and build deep relationships. Come for a week or two, and you’ll be surprised how deep your relationships get! Help us put on an event. Or develop a long term strategy. Give us a shot of encouragement, or make a long term commitment to stand with us.

Us – all believers in Mexico, no matter what passport we have. There are a thousand things you can do. Jesus is working, and building His church. He may even do it with ping pong.

Just don’t ask me to lead the ping pong ministry.


Jim and Shari have been in Mexico since 2006, and are currently serving in south east Mexico City. Their blog is called Finding direction. Check it out!