We’ve had a lot of activities this week in Ixtapaluca with the Brubachers!
Lee helping with the karimbas at my English class.We had a very musical service on Sunday, with the Brubacher family joining the worship band and bringing some special music of their own.
On Monday we did some site seeing and orientation, driving all over the city and topping it off with some souvenir shopping.
Today was quite a crazy day of activity! Cheryl and Sierra led a baking class, with Cheryl’s Dad’s Cinnamon Rolls. 🙂 Cheryl at the baking class At the same time Lee, Kyle and Carter went with me to an English class, where we learned about Canadian food and Canadian geography, went through some sailing terms, and learned a song in English.
In the afternoon we madly prepared for the next classes, and were blessed with some wonderful food at the Frys’ house. A song at English class In the evening, more English classes. In one of the classes we made wooden karimbas, which was fun. And Sierra led the craft class, with Hannah translating. They made some little figures with clay.
We just dropped the Brubachers off, but they were still going strong – making a meal for their hosts. 🙂
Meanwhile we went back to Jesús MarÃa to get some things ready for our visit to the senior’s shelter, which will happen on Thursday. Out for REAL Mexican tacos! Tomorrow – well, lots on tomorrow (Wednesday). But first, a little rest is in order.
Sierra’s craft class Don’t forget, you can find out what the Brubachers are thinking on their blog, posted on their church Facebook page here >>> Burrito Blog with the Brubachers
We returned to Ixtapaluca today! The conference went well. I wanted to throw up a few pictures of the Brubachers doing their music (eventually I’ll get some HD versions up).
Also, you may be interested to know that the family is blogging over at Facebook – so you can see better pictures (though not as much of them!) and their insights there. It’s on their church Facebook page, so just scroll down until you see the image (there are posts for each day so far, so just keep scrolling down for each day). Click the image below to visit:
I’m in Antigua, Guatemala, for some meetings with Camino Global leadership from around the world. So far we’ve been doing a lot of singing and praying. We’ll be here until Monday when I actually go home. 🙂
Once again, I wasn’t thinking about it, and wasn’t expecting it. My main thought before coming was that I should keep quiet and try to learn something while I was here. 🙂
So I have been listening carefully, and once again I’m struck by something.
Although we have people here from various cultures, the dominant culture is still American (USA). And I’m struck again by just how differently people from other cultures (such as the USA) think.
I will go through an entire session, and think I know what we’re talking about, and then realize that it’s something just a little different (or maybe even a lot different).
I do have the company of Keith and Ruth Ann from Canada – and several others who are not from the USA. But of course I’m enjoying the time with everyone – and trying to be quiet and learn something from any American – or Colombian – or Guatemalan – or whatever. And what better place than in Guatemala – a land of so many different cultures?
I think one reason why the Church is made up of so many different cultures is so that we can learn to see things a different way, get out of our ruts, and ultimately see more of the character of God – that we would not see otherwise.
But let’s face it – I still have a lot to learn about – and from – my friends – brothers and sisters – from the USA.
We’ve enjoyed having four interns here serving with us over the summer. But it’s time to go from busy to CrAzY again as we host a team from Uncharted Waters over the next week.
So this means continued community centre classes, plus a sports camp in Jesús MarÃa in the morning, a sports camp in Las Palmas in the afternoon, some “beautification” of the community centres and surrounding grounds, painting the at the church property, and who knows what else!
Anyway, the caravan will head to the airport in less than an hour to pick up the team and we’ll take it from there.
When this team leaves, we do some frantic cleaning and … — welcome another team! Yeah, busy summer.
Thanks so much for your continued prayers! We look forward to great things this week as God works!
By the way, for more information about sports camps and why we do them, be sure to check out this post from 2013: Why a Sports Camp?
As many of you know, we have a team here from Pennsylvania. It’s been a great start to summer activities, with a soccer tournament, tiling at the church property, baking classes, visiting a home for seniors, a wheelchair presentation, English classes – and we’re not done yet!
Eventually I’ll post some pictures in our photo gallery, but here are a few just to show what we’ve been up to in the past few days…
So here we are, at the convergence of the past and the future. This week in particular.
We’re madly trying to finish all the year’s schoolwork, filling in end-of-the-year forms, asking final questions. At the same time, filling out registration forms and planning for next year.
We’re going over medical files from the past in order to plan for doctor’s appointments for the future. Preparing for future Bible studies, talking to a few different people about future long/short term ministry, while preparing for interns and teams coming this month. Planning meetings, taking care of van maintenance, updating paperwork, planning speaking engagements, complaining to customer service because they sent us the wrong item…
Missionaries around the world are frustrated. Not because they have to prepare for a Bible study or visit someone who is sick unexpectedly – those are very “spiritual” activities.
No, they’re frustrated because they have to find a new vehicle, apply for a visa, fix the leak, take someone in their own family to the doctor (again), go to the meeting, and carry the water up the hill.
You see, we just want to do “ministry”. No, not just because it looks good to to the family and friends back home (easy to fall into that trap), but also because it “feels good” to us. It feels like we’re doing something worthwhile.
Delayed paperwork, broken pipes and returning items to the store for the third time – these are more likely to be “attacks of Satan”, and reasons for discouragement.
I don’t think we’re entirely wrong here – Satan, the world, and the flesh certainly don’t want us sharing the Gospel. And these things can end up taking up far too much time if we let them, and sometimes when we’re doing all we can to not let them.
And missionaries are often dealing with an added level of complexity – language barriers, cultural barriers, and the expectations of many different groups of people.
But that being said, maybe sometimes – sometimes – we just shouldn’t get quite so worked up.
Remember those people back in your “passport country”? Guess what? They may be going through just as much – often far more. As believers, they want to serve the Lord too, you know.
And that goes for the people you’re ministering to “on the field” too. They just may have it a lot harder than you. Just like you, they have to balance the “spiritual” things with the mundane, the unexpected with the planned, the things that they are “gifted” in with the things that they “have to do”.
And let’s not forget Genesis 2:15. God made man – and put him to work right away! Doing what? Gardening. Farming.
Those forms and trips and meetings are very often about loving your neighbour, taking care of your family, improving the system. Without minimizing the importance of sharing the Gospel – sharing has to go along with all these other activities in order to be effective. All work – assuming it’s God-honouring – is “spiritual”. A fire hall, trucking, driving to work … which activity is “better”?As I preached this past Sunday about “the Church”, one thing I tried to emphasize was that we all learn and grow and serve in different ways. The brick layer can learn from the school girl. The teacher can learn from the banker. The housewife can learn from the saleswomen. God is in all these things, the Church is doing all those things. They’re not “extras” – they’re part of the Christian life. Most of “church life” goes on outside the walls of the building (if you have one).
The cross cultural missionary does have unique challenges. But it’s time we remembered that those “extra” things are only making us a little more like the rest of the world.
In fact, it may actually be helpful to remember: our specific tasks may not be the same as the tasks the people around us have. But they have to deal with health problems in the family, make sure their children are prepared for school, make sure they have the money to pay the bills – just like the missionary. Maybe if we can learn that God is in it all, and that we can serve God in it all, and serve the Church in it all … maybe we’ll be able to pass that wisdom on to someone else.
And now? I do actually have a Sunday School class to prepare for. 😉
I’m in Antigua, Guatemala, for some meetings with Camino Global leadership from around the world. So far we’ve been doing a lot of singing and praying. We’ll be here until Monday when I actually go home. 🙂 
We’ve enjoyed having four interns here serving with us over the summer. But it’s time to go from busy to CrAzY again as we host a team from 
