While the team from Word of Life was here, we did two events in two neighbourhoods to provide hearing aids and reading glasses to people in need. Various people had signed up ahead of time, many with notes from their doctors.
In the video below, you’ll see a few clips from both programs. The first was in the community of Los Heroes. The church in Jesús MarÃa has had an impact in this community for a long time, and we would love to see this develop into a new church plant. You can see pastor Ismael explaining that we ‘re not with any political party, but that we’re with a Christian church.
At each program, God’s Word was shared, both by local people and through the ministry of the visiting team. Many received literature and a Gospel of John (Gospel booklet thanks to the Pocket Testament League).
The second event was in the neighbourhood of Geovillas Ixtapaluca 2000. Some from the church in Las Palmas have been reaching out to a new group of people in this area.
Shari was helping people get set up with their hearing aids, and is always encouraged to see eyes light up as someone begins to hear for the first time in years!
These programs are part of long term works to reach out to new people in new areas with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Have a look – and consider joining us!
We have a busy weekend ahead! This weekend we have a guest from the USA who will be presenting several seminars, focused around Christian living and holiness.
Tonight we start with a workshop for the leadership of all three churches. Then tomorrow a general workshop for adults from all three churches, followed by a youth-focused seminar on the same topic.
The final workshop is hosted by our church, so the youth group has been busy getting ready. Nathanael has been working on origami butterflies, to help decorate according to the spiritual change & transformation theme.
On Sunday we head north of Mexico City to the city of Pachuca, where I’ll be preaching. It will again be a somewhat training-focused sermon.
We would appreciate your prayers for Rod and Mayra as they get everything set up, for our guests, for all those attending, and for us too as we’re a little tired after a busy week and a late night!
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!
Here is a five minute video from the baking classes – well, with a little extra from yesterday’s craft class. This was a community event from Word of Life Chapel along with the Tiempo de Vivir community centre and the Path of Life Bible Church in the community of Jesús MarÃa.
Sharing from the Bible at the end of the craft class.
So see if you can figure out what they’re making. Ok, I’ll tell you one, because it makes one scene near the end make more sense – they made whoopie pies.
I’m not sure what the final numbers were, but you can get an idea from the videos. There were two “classes” of three days each, so basically double what you see in one scene above. Some people snuck in their friends and neighbours to join them, and some brought kids – so the “official” numbers probably aren’t right anyway!
Amazing the amount of work that went into this – especially by the women on the team and Mayra and Shari, and also women from the church!
During or after the actual baking was a devotional/testimony time, where the gospel was shared. There were also some great one-on-one spiritual conversations happening.
So – friends from outside of Mexico – does this look like a ministry you could be involved in? 😋
Oh, one comment on the photo above. The person on the left sitting on the table reading the Bible is Marla. This is the end of yesterday’s craft class. Marla does some flower arranging in the USA, and is properly amazed at the price of flowers here. So – she did some flower arranging for the women at the class – everyone got to take home a bouquet of roses! 🌹
Just a few quick photos of the first day of construction and baking classes in Jesús MarÃa, with the team from Word of Life Chapel. Baking classes and a kitchen – I guess it’s all about food this week! I’ll try to post more pictures and some video when I have a chance.
There were two classes yesterday, and there will be two today and tomorrow as well. We had a good turnout – maybe a little low due to rain, so you could pray for better weather today and tomorrow. 🙂
The gospel was shared, relationships were built, and there were some good spiritual conversations. May the Spirit work again today!
Shari translates and gives some pointers.
Nathanael helps paint a table for the new kitchen in the church’s building.
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.
