Ministry glimpses
Just checking in…
Hi everyone!
I just wanted to check in quickly to let you know some of the things we’re up to (Shari and I), since we haven’t communicated much lately. This will give you a bit of an idea…
- Preparing for a Sunday School lesson
- Trying to get the van repaired (not as easy as you might think!)
- Sending out our newsletter
- Preparing for the CAMex Fellowship Conference (our team is in charge this year, so there are seemingly endless details to work out, endless things to prepare!)
- Preparing for a team which will be coming from Calgary
- Preparing a sermon
- Preparing a Bible Study series
- Preparing for the next 5 weeks of keyboard classes
- Helping kids with homework
- Christmas shopping (hey, when you need to ship things you need to start early! It’s not early anymore…
- Trying to get some important paperwork from Canada (trying… and failing…)
- Trying to work through some policy issues with CAM Canada
- Preparing for upcoming baking classes
Plus, of course, all the other normal things of life… Bible studies, meetings, and hanging out with people. Today Hannah and Nathanael didn’t have school. I spent all morning helping Nathanael with homework, while Shari was at her baking class. Then some of the neighbourhood kids came in to play, so we hung out with them. Then I did some errands (mostly related to conference), came home, ate, got Nathanael supper, got him to bed (while Shari and Hannah worked on yet more homework), and somewhere in there I sent a bunch of emails, printed envelopes, took care of some financial paperwork, did some laundry, dishes, talked on the phone, wrote this blog post…. and I’m just getting going. 😉
All right, so it’s a busy month! And a lack of internet access and water pressure today made things even more interesting.
Anyway, I still have lots of work to do tonight, so I’d better run! Thanks for stopping by for this day-in-the-life…
Ministry videos from the past year…
We had a good visit with the director of CAM Canada, Charlene de Haan, who came down for a few days over the weekend. She sure saw a lot for the short time she was here!
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I just sent her an email with some of the videos we’ve made over the past year, highlighting the ministry here in Ixtapaluca. There’s been a lot! So I thought I would share these with you.
Obviously, videos tend to focus on the more "videoable" things, such as big events. So this is not to say these give a decent overview of real ministry here, which would include private conversations, Bible studies, prayer – lots more! But it does give you a glimpse into at least some aspects. The videos are more or less in chronological order, with the most recent first…
- Unscrewing the Door: A Sunday Ritual (Video)
- Spring/Summer Internship 2010 (video)
- Canada Day Fiesta 2010 (video)
- Baptisms – 20 June 2010! (video)
- Context – Community Centre and Meeting Place (video)
- Women’s Conference Video from the 19th
- Children’s Day Event 2010 (video)
- Closing of Classes Program (video)
- Another Event Starting Now! (video) (Amigas del Alma)
- Video presentation for Chalco service
- How to Serve Breakfast by Boat (video)
- A New View of Ixtapaluca
- Christmas Event in Jesús MarÃa (video included)
Just a quick hello…
I haven’t recorded a podcast in a while, so I took a quick break today to say hello to you all…
Fall Activities Begin, and a Letter from the President
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Today I opened the door to our street, letting in the mail lady on her motorcycle, so that she could deliver these flags. It was actually a package with the words to the national anthem, and a letter from the President! Imagine! 😉
So, the celebration of Mexico’s bicentennial continues!
Meanwhile, fall activities are starting up at the community centre (Centro Cultural Tiempo de Vivir). Tonight the English classes start, along with basketball. And I hear that Tiffany will be starting a line dancing class – Ixtapaluca will never be the same again!
By the way, if you click on the church logo to the right – it looks like this –
– you can see a calendar of community centre and church related events. It’s in Spanish, of course, but it will give you an idea what’s going on at the moment.
I’m busy with some things that aren’t on the calendar (all right, gaZILLIONS of things that aren’t on the calendar!). Back at the church in Santa Barbara, I’m teaching a class on playing keyboard for worship.
We had a good time this morning at the first class, learning about what Colossians 3:9-17 can teach us about music and worship (of course, worship can be music, and music can be worship, but worship is much more than music… music is the minority of worship…. at least, it should be!), learning chords and the use of the sustain pedal, and other stuff like that there.
I’m also working on the next study. We’re doing a Tuesday night study now on some of the basics of the Christian life. But after that is coming something new – it’s going to be a blast – I’ll tell you about it once it has formed some more! 🙂
Shari is working on baking classes and Bible studies. And she’s been busy putting together the fall schedule for Sunday School. They’re going through the Bible chronologically with the kids – fun stuff! And in spite of the fact that they’re packed in like sardines in a small space, the kids keep coming!
And Hannah and Nathanael – wow, they only have 2.5 weeks left until their first exam week. Ah, the wonderful things we get to look forward to!
But after exam week, we’re looking forward to a visit from the director of CAM Canada, Charlene de Haan. How cool is that? Now that is something we can look forward to. 🙂
Anyway, I need to get back to helping Nathanael with his homework… then I’m going to see how the English classes are going. Bye for now!
Happy 200 Years, Mexico! ¡VIVA!
Today and tomorrow (hey, all week – why not!) we in Mexico are celebrating Mexico’s 200th birthday! It was just before midnight on the 15th of September 1810 that Miguel Hidalgo, a priest in the town of Dolores, ordered the bells to be rung. His battle-cry is now known as El Grito de Dolores or El Grito de la Independencia – the Shout of the Independence.
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That shout will be repeated all over Mexico tonight.
I mentioned José Morelos a few days ago – another Mexican hero, he took over as a leader when Hidalgo was executed in 1811. His vision for freedom and equality was written up in one of Mexico’s earliest treasured documents, the Feelings of the Nation (Sentimientos de la Nación). In it he called for the official end to all slavery and class distinction, with "only vice and virtue" to distinguish one Mexican from another.
So today, Mexico is celebrating a great tradition of freedom and equality!
Morelos is my favourite for another reason – he always wore a tightly wound clothe on his head – for relief from migraine pain.
Today the celebration will begin in one of the world’s largest central city square – Mexico City’s Zocalo. About 7000 people will be involved in the parade. A million or more people are expected to be there at the scene. Fireworks, concerts – the whole nine yards. After all, 200 years only comes every – well, it only comes once!
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Mexico’s president will be giving the shout tonight, broadcast around the world.
Last night our community centre kicked of the celebration with games and Mexican food in the community of Jesús María. This is also a bit of a yearly kick-off for the community centre – regular weekly activities resume next week.
Our kids had school Monday and Tuesday, but they’re off for the rest of the week.
So remember Mexico, pray for Mexico, and remember – there are a lot of great reasons to be thankful!