So we’re almost two weeks into the two-missions-becoming-one thing, and the process is moving along, although it hasn’t been without its hiccups. However, we’ve been very appreciative of all the staff, especially in Canada (just because we’ve worked with them the most), who have been very helpful as we work out the details.
You might see that several things have been updated here at the website (I hope it’s working – I’m holding my breath). Mission specific information has been updated. And I think the general setup of the site has been improved, and should work much better on your mobile device. But if you see any problems, feel free to let us know. Oh, and check out the new photos in our gallery here.
Also, for everyone who gets our newsletter – you’re going to get one soon! It’s packed with things you need to know about – the latest news, information about this change, and more. And thanks to the whole family here for the work they put into getting it all ready for you! So watch your snail-mailbox for that – Lord willing most of you should see that in a couple of weeks. We’ll share some important things there that we won’t share here.
Anyway, ministry is continuing here, so I’d better get back to work. I’m looking forward to preaching tomorrow on Gideon and Barak, as we continue our trek through Hebrews. Talk to you later!
Today Camino Global officially unites with Avant Ministries, to create one mission with missionaries in 50+ countries. The work of both continues under the name Avant Ministries.
There’s a lot to talk about, but essentially our ministry will continue – making disciples and planting churches in one of the less reached areas of this hemisphere – central Mexico.
The main practical questions right now may be financial questions – but you can see all updated information on our donations page. If you currently receive our newsletter, we emailed you (if you didn’t get the email, let us know!), and will be sending you some snail mail, which you should receive in about three weeks.
But let me give you a little background and history – and since it’s Canada Day, I’ll focus on some early Canadian connections which you may find interesting.
Avant Early History
Henry Grattan Guinness
Some fascinating things were happening in the mid-1800s. For example, a new preaching evangelist appeared on the scene in Ireland, named Henry Grattan Guinness. Yes, it’s that family – the Guinness family – think beer (the founder of the Guinness empire was a committed Christian, but that’s another story!).
Guinness visited Canada in the late 1850s, and a Canadian in southern Ontario was converted under his ministry – Albert Benjamin Simpson. Bear with me – these threads will soon come together.
Guinness was a friend of James Hudson Taylor, and very passionate about missions (Guinness’ daughter later married Taylor’s son). Simpson, a teenager at his conversion, soon caught the passion as well, in the decades ahead organizing important missions ventures.
Fast-forward thirty years later. Two Canadian women in Costa Rica are praying that God would send missionaries – a prayer soon to be answered by the founding of the Central America Mission in 1890 and the sending of the first missionaries in 1891 (see Canadians, Coffee, and CAM). The C.A.M. would eventually become CAM International and then Camino Global.
Just before the founding of Camino, Guinness’ doctor suggested he go abroad for his health, bringing him back to the USA. In 1889 he inspired a group from the YMCA in Kansas to reach out with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Among them was YMCA secretary George S. Fisher.
Several YMCA members volunteered, and missionaries went out the following year to Africa, and others over the next few years. The early missionaries went out under the mission organization that Simpson had founded.
Early World’s Gospel Union logo
And so unlike Camino, there was a group in Kansas sending missionaries before they had a formal organization – but that organization would be formed 2 years after Camino – in 1882. It was called the World’s Gospel Union, later becoming the Gospel Missionary Union (GMU) – and later Avant Ministries. Like Camino, Avant was influenced by a group of people promoting foreign missions that included J. Hudson Taylor.
Fisher led Avant in the early years – his purpose was to “promote Bible study, consecrated Christian living, sound doctrine, and the preaching of the Gospel where Christ is not named”.
The early founders of Avant included R. A. Torrey, C. I. Scofield (an original founder of Camino), and Luther Rees (also an original founder of Camino – and also important in the founding of Wycliffe Bible Translators – but that’s another story!). But another one of the early founders was Canadian William Holmes Howland.
Howland was the leader of what would become the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada (founded by fellow Canadian A. B. Simpson), but he had just left a remarkable career as the mayor of Toronto (see Toronto the Good). Sadly, Howland died of pneumonia only a year after Avant was founded. He was only 49.
More Recent History
In 2018, Avant approached Camino Global with the idea of uniting the two missions together. The hope was that we would be “better together” as a combined organization, which would have about 500 missionaries in 50+ countries. In November 2018, the boards of both missions agreed to the proposal.
The missions unite today, under the name Avant Ministries (in Canada Avant Ministries Canada).
There is still much work to be done in the offices and fields of Avant as the two missions come together. A lot has been done on general vision and on legal and financial matters, but that’s only the beginning. We would appreciate your prayers as we move forward together, continuing the work that began in 1890.
The missions force of the new mission is made up of about 27% “Millenials”, and 36% “Gen-Xers”, with the other 37% “Boomers” and older. But the work needs to grow, as churches work to send out new missionaries around the world, preaching Christ where He is not known.
Missionaries currently serve in Africa, Asia, North, Central and South America, and Europe.
And so the work continues – for the glory of Christ. Who knows where He will lead, and what He will accomplish around the world! As the early logo above says – “Speed the Word over land and sea!” Lord Jesus, may it be!
Well, midsummer (summer solstice) has arrived here in the northern hemisphere. Since I haven’t had much of an opportunity to write lately, I’m taking a moment to look backward and forward to catch you up on what’s happening.
The last Two Weeks
Daryl and my Dad check out the new shed we assembled.
I just finished a brief trip to Canada, to help my parents move. They just moved a few blocks away – within the same town – but if any of you have tried such a thing, you know how challenging it can be!
Thanks to Daryl and Iwona, and many from the local churches, who helped so much (and are still helping as my parents finish up the move!).
I also had a chance to see Hannah, and Shari’s parents, and many others in Three Hills before I took off back to Mexico.
During my absence from Mexico, lots was happening as usual! You’ll want to check out Rod’s post about the team that he and Mayra took down to Oaxaca – A Wonderful Week in Oaxaca.
“Regular” ministry continues, as I get ready for Sunday’s continuing teaching on the Ten Commandments, and of course Hebrews.
At the beginning of July, Hannah will be coming home for the summer! Yes, we tried to time it so that we could both come back together, but it didn’t quite work out. So, as Hannah finishes her exams, we will prepare for her arrival!
On the side of practical matters, Avant and Camino Global are rushing toward unification as one mission. There are a thousand details to talk about and work through. The official date of launch is the 1st of July.
If you receive our newsletter, and if I have your email address, I will try to get some information out to you on or before that date. Otherwise, hopefully you’ll be seeing some changes here on our website shortly with more information, and we’ll get a letter to you by snail mail next month.
So, yes, a lot is happening right now! But it’s the longest day of the year – I should be able to get something done, right? 😀
Thanks so much for your encouragement and prayers. I’ll try to keep you up to date as I’m able.
I haven’t written much lately, because Manic May is here (actually, it kind of started early this year)! But I thought I’d better stop by to let you know we’re still alive and kicking.
Some of the youth led worship this past Sunday at Las Palmas
One big activity has been paperwork – remember that? Yes, it never really ends. Two members of the family have had official paperwork to review, and as usual it’s a multi-step complicated process. But we’re getting there, little by little!
Some individuals have birthdays in May, as you may know, so we’re getting ready for that!
You could pray for our first visitors who will arrive on Thursday, from South Calgary Chinese Evangelical Free Church. We’re looking forward to spending some time with them, so we’ve been busy preparing everything for our time together.
For me (Jim), Saturday is the “Grand Finale” of our Chronological Bible Study. The final study is called “The Triumph of the Lamb”. We also continue with our study of Hebrews – lovin’ Hebrews 11 right now – and I’m preparing to continue the 10 Commandments study – we’re onto “Remember the Sabbath day…”.
Well, that’s just a few of the things we’re thinking about right now. Thanks so much for your prayers! We continue to be encouraged by the way God is working in our lives here. But we have a long way to go, by His grace!
I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve had a “normal” shower over the past month or two. The water pressure has been low-to-nonexistent in the house quite often.
But don’t worry – I’ve gotten sort of clean somehow most days – it’s all about systems of buckets and bins! Filling them, carrying them, saving them. And, of course, everything takes longer.
A bin for dishes…
It can sometimes take hours to do dishes when there is a mere trickle of water coming out of the tap – or perhaps, only out of a tap outside.
And a little cleaning can certainly stretch out when you are trying to clean a toilet you can’t flush.
The other day Shari and Mayra went to the ODAPAS office. ODAPAS is the water company. By the way, ODAPAS stands for the Organismo Descentralizado de Agua Potable, Alcantarillado y Saneamiento – that is, the Decentralized Agency for Drinking Water, Sewage and Sanitation (but DADWSS doesn’t sound quite as cool when you say it out loud).
Well, our sewage is working, sort of. Then again, actually, the shower is a little bit plugged, but that’s our problem, not theirs. And I go to the corner store to get drinking water, so that’s me carrying the 20 litres (5.28 gallons) of water down the street.
Anyway, Shari and Mayra went to the office to express their deepest concerns about the unending challenges of trying to do laundry with hardly any water, heard the obligatory excuses, and went home. Will the complaints accomplish anything lasting? We shall see.
Just another ongoing challenge. Regular readers know that this issue comes and goes but never goes for good.
Yesterday I had to use buckets to shower, and then all the lights went out when I tried to get ready (no windows in the bathroom). Oh well. At least the internet worked for most of the day, once the power went back on.
Anyway, just another glimpse into some of the things we work around each day! 🙂
My last time preaching in the party hall in Las Palmas (on Hebrews 9).
Six weeks – one more week – how about after Christmas? Maybe February. Basically, the owners were waiting for the paperwork to come through so they could start construction.
But, finally, we find ourselves having to move. We’re not moving far away – it’s a “party garden”, in the same community. There are pros and cons to this place, and we haven’t actually met there yet, so we’ll have to see how it goes. It is a little more expensive, but attainable at this point. The good news is that it should give us some room to grow.
Andasadi Party Gardens
I’ll try to give you more details after we’ve actually had a service there.
However, it is definitely another temporary place. I don’t just mean temporary as everything in this world is temporary, I mean that we’re not sure how long it will work for us. And we’re only renting it for a set time Sunday mornings. AND even those mornings won’t always be guaranteed, if other events take precedent.
So we would certainly appreciate your prayers that this place will work for us (this Sunday, the 10th of March, will be our first Sunday there), and that the Lord would provide a more permanent place that we could use to reach out to this community, and provide more services during the week.
I’ll try to take some pictures and/or video on Sunday so you can see what it’s like!
The old place – “El Rincón Feliz” (the happy corner) (with Nathanael running our music PowerPoint)
To make things more confusing, we’re there for a week, and then we’ll take a Sunday “off” to meet with the other two churches in Jesús MarÃa (the only building that can hold all of us!), where we will be having a special joint baptism service this St. Patrick’s Day.
No matter where we are – we’re thankful that the Lord is building the Church – the people that are coming to Him!
