Paso de Cortés

15 March 2020

Retro: Kids in the Pass

March 2010 was a busy ministry month. We held the very first service for the church in the community of JesÃºs MarÃa – ten years ago this month!

But everyone needs to get away – and we did, about two weeks earlier. We went up to the Paso de CortÃ©s (CortÃ©s Pass) between the volcanoes. And we got this classic photo of “the kids” – our kids, the Fry kids, and the Valtierra kids (a family we worked with in the JesÃºs MarÃa church plant).

So here they all are – 10 years ago today!

18 November 2017

Prayer Request: “Mega Service” – Tomorrow!

Jim Ministry glimpses, Prayer and Praise, ST Highlight 1

As far as we can tell, tomorrow is the 4th annual “Mega Service” for our associated churches in the Mexico City area. We’re heading out to an ecopark in the pass between our local volcanoes for an outdoor service (under a tent or tarp). It’s one of the few places that can hold 400+ people for a price the churches can afford! I’m thinking about 10 churches will be represented, but that’s just a guess.

(And yes, for us it will be a little chilly. Around 13â„ƒ, probably. Don’t laugh, Canadian friends.)

Mega Service 2017 Anyway, this is a particular prayer requests because our team is especially involved in the service. Yes, this year a lot of missionaries are involved – our friend Chuck will be leading the service, and Rod will be leading the music, with a music group made up of talented people from various churches, I believe. There will also be a communion service, led by a pastor friend of ours (Paco) from Mexico City. And of course a host of other people are involved in setup, take-down, organization, watching kids….

And – I’m the speaker! So I would appreciate your prayers for everyone involved, including me, that God’s Word would touch hearts. And that the fellowship would be an encouragement to many.

We’ll be heading up about 9am, and the service is supposed to start at 11am, with time before and after to hang out with people, eat lunch after the service, etc.

Thanks for your prayers!

9 March 2013

Nathanael and Jim Going Volcanic

Jim Family, Ministry glimpses 1

Ok, so it was a weird title, but Nathanael and I are heading up to the Paso de CortÃ©s today, the pass between our two favourite volcanoes. It’s a planning meeting for churches in the Mexico City area, but a special father/son edition. I have this strange feeling that the “meetings” aspect will be de-emphasized, and the “play” aspect will be emphasized. May it be so more often. 😉

7 April 2012

Pass

Jim Ministry glimpses, Prayer and Praise 1

Today we went up to the pass between the volcanoes – our family, Rod and Mayra’s family, the MI Team, their host families, and a few other guests. So it was a big group! Here are most of them in front of the active volcano, Popocatépetl:

A good time was had by a… well, ok, I had a bit of a bumpy day personally. Woke up with a crick in my neck. We got out of the house late, and I went to get money out – and got my bank card stuck in a bank machine. Finally got it out and went to another bank machine – where it promptly got stuck. Finally got it out – and had success at the third machine!

But by the time we got to the pass I was feeling pretty sick (migraine attack), so I spent the day in a tin can (what we usually call our van) under the hot sun, with smoke and dust coming in every crack, and crowds streaming around me. They kept bumping the van because it was parked so close to the other vehicles they could hardly get by.

I think the only worse place I’ve been in for a migraine attack was an emergency room. Now that was scary.

Anyway, other than that I think it was a good day for most people. Tomorrow we rise early – very early – for a 6am (Mexican time) sunrise service for Resurrection Sunday!

13 October 2009

Men’s Retreat 2009 (video)

Jim Mexico, Ministry glimpses, Prayer and Praise, Video Blogs 2

This past Friday to Saturday our church hosted a men’s retreat in the Paso de Cortés, the mountain pass between two of Mexico’s famous volcanoes, Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl. 16 men were there, not as many as we had hoped for, but I think everyone enjoyed it.

The night was cold and rainy, and the day was windy and cold, but we just kept moving and all was well. Rod Fry (see Rod’s take on the retreat here) put a lot of work into the weekend, and led some discussions on integrity which were really great.

Here’s a video to give you a bit of an idea what we did. For your viewing pleasure I’m posting the director’s cut, which includes the extended waterfall scene. 😉 I didn’t film what we had to eat on Saturday afternoon because I imagine we would soon have 20 or 30 people coming to Mexico to "help out" for all the wrong reasons. Boy, that was delicious. 😉

But here’s some better motivation for you. Besides Rod and I, I don’t think there was anyone there who had been in the Lord for more than 8 years – the vast majority 4 or less. So if you think it’s all been done in Mexico, or that God’s not doing anything, think of these first-generation believers worshipping God in the mountains…