A Quince Party

On Sunday afternoon, we went to Chicoloapan, a city to the east of Mexico City for a Quince celebration. The church hosted the very important 15th birthday party for Karina. The significance of the celebration is obvious from the festive decorations, the careful coordination of colors, her beautiful dress, her many escorts, and the attendance of a large number of family and friends.

The church was a great help to this family; they began to attend three months earlier as divorce was threatening the parents’ marriage. By the grace of our wonderful God, they found a new life in Jesus Christ and a new love for each other.

Children in the church

On Sunday morning we went to Centro Christiano in Nualcapan, to the west of Mexico City. Nualcapan is a city of contrasts, and many hard working people can't find time or opportunity to go to church. Almost one-third of those in the service were children. They doubled and trebled the energy as we sang and clapped and worshipped God. These three little girls spontaneously formed a circle and danced to the music.

The children sang a welcome song for those of us who were visiting and then every one of them, tweny or more, gave a hug to every visitor. The pastor asked Walter to bring greetings to the church and asked me to speak to the children and to give them a word of blessing. Our translator was Roberto. Walter's greetings always include a reference to the leadership of the local church, and to the leadership of Daniel Ambriz. Before my prayer of blessing, I told them that their presence enhanced the joy of the church service and said that, while we delighted in their enthusiasm, our greatest hope was that they would receive Christ and become strong in character and life.

This little church is reaching into people's homes through the lives of their children. A daily after-school program with 4 leaders has 40 children attending, doing their homework and singing songs. One Saturday per month, the church holds a children's fiesta and 75 children attend on average. The pastor and family, pictured above, hold a weekly Wednesday evening outreach for children on the neighboring hillside.

The city is densely crowded, yet people walk up and down the mountain streets for up to 40 minutes to come to this church. Their joy is contagious and their devotion to God is genuine and inspiring.

Intergenerational Seminar in Mexico City

It is Saturday evening, and we are back from an all-day seminar. Walter Erion and I spoke 5 times. Walter spoke for one session on the subject of conflict in the home, especially helping people to recognize the impact of differing temperaments on a marriage. As people learned about their own temperament type, they were very excited. This picture shows Walter speaking about The Blessing. With him is our translator, Daniel Valencia.

I spoke for 4 sessions, beginning with what the Bible says about children in the church and home, understanding the various ages and stages, organizing the church for ministry to children, and evangelism with children. It wasn’t all talk and PowerPoint presentations; we had a lesson demonstration, as well as a time when each of the ten participating congregations could discuss their plans for reaching and teaching children.

We experienced something quite unfamiliar in Canadian settings. As people arrived for the day-long seminar, entire families arrived togther. 

There weren’t special parallel children’s sessions in another area. Instead, the children and youth were there with their parents for the entire day, capturing the experience. The day was instructional, and also very joyful. At different times, people sang, and prayed, and listened to instruction, and cheered, and laughed, and ate, and discussed. The children could take in as much as they were able to, and they expected that this ``seminario`` would benefit not only the adults, but that all ages would receive and contribue something. The presence of children added a whole new dimension of anticipation and excitement. As a presenter, my energy level was heightened and stimulated in this environment. I could tell that the content was applicable and appealing. This was my heaviest day of the entire trip, and I came home satisfied and refreshed.

A small group leader in Calgary heard about me trip and offerred to help me. I want to say thank you to Angeles Mendoza in Calgary, who interrupted her own research work to translate one of the PowerPoint presentations in advance. Gracias Angeles!

A day of Teaching in Mexico City

Today was our first full day in Mexico City. This evening we spoke at “Philadelphia Church” in the southern suburn of Xochimilco and, to my surprise and great joy, we met Margarito and his wife. I met them on a visit to the "flower mountain", Xochitepec in Puebla State in 2001, and we still remembered each other. On that trip, she prepared and served food and ensured that our team of 20 people was healthy and well cared for.
The Philadelphia Church meets to pray every Friday evening. It is growing at an enormous pace, and includes new converts to Christianity, a number of children and youth. Many people came up to ask for prayer that God would help them in their spiritual life, and in their troubles. Our message to them was about passing on the blessing, and a key implication about the development of children. It is incredibly important to anchor them in the scriptures and the love of the family of God by age 10. When troubles and temptations come, they will have a set of values to carry them through.  The love of the people is beautiful and precious. It is a thrill to be here with them.

Let them catch your JOY!

Almost every time that adults and children along with neighbours and the needy) are commanded to go together to worship God, the book of Deuteronomy says, “Rejoice.” Joy is about more than circumstances, but about having a deep confidence in God. That is the bedrock of security and of joy. Joy is contagious, when we are glad about following God, people catch it.
Ross Mair is in my small group. Ross, who has had Cerebral Palsy all his life, just hit sixty. On his party night, the lights went out all over the whole city during a spring storm. That didn’t stop our small group from celebrating.

You can also see Hashim and Hafido in the picture. They joined in, just because they care about Ross and about people with developmental disabilities. That made the party that much better. Ross and Hashim and Hafido are people who are thankful for good things and who care for people in trouble.

This last picture shows my daughter Katie and her husband Allan blowing out the candles at their shared birthday party. The two helpers are daughter Makenna and nephew Ethan.

Deuteronomy 16:11 (NIV)

And rejoice before the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, the Levites in your towns, and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows living among you.

Mexico Schedule

Well, we are 5 days away from the ministry in Mexico. Here is the schedule for our time down there.

Thursday, May 13 –

· 7:30 AM Depart on Mexicana MX 871

Friday
· Briefing at VELA (Vision Evangelizadora por LatinoAmericana A.C.) office
· Evening seminar at New Life Christian Center (Pastor Jose Aquilar)

Saturday
· Day long teaching series at Candelabra Church - a GREAT day.

Sunday
· Participate in services at
    Philadelphia Missionary Church (Pastor Francisco Rangel)
    Lion of Judah Christian Church (Pastor Evaristo Villa)

Monday
· Free day

Tuesday
· Pastoral visits in the day time
· Outreach message to the AA Group in the God is Love Church (Pastor Ricardo Arizmendi)

Wednesday
· Devotional and sessions with VELA staff
· Evening seminar at New Dawn Christian Centre (Pastor Josuet Alvarez)

Thursday
· Pastoral visits in the day time

Friday
· Pastoral visits in the day time
· Evening seminar at Church of Jerusalem (Pastor Ruben Velazquez)

Saturday
· Day long teaching series for Pastors and Pastors families
  Another GREAT day!

Sunday, May 23
· Participate in services at
   God is Love Church (Pastor Ricardo Arizmendi)
· 3:35 p.m. Depart MX 870
· 8:00 p.m. Arrive in Calgary.

Thank you all for your interest and your prayers! We're looking forward to this experience.

A Trip to Mexico City
I am almost ready for a series of connections with pastors and church leaders. I will travel with a colleague, Rev. Walter Erion, and we will speak in churches and lead a series of workshops on Reaching and Teaching Children, and on The Health of Pastoral Families.
One of the main things that I want to do is to draw from these exciting Bible passages (plus a few more) and draw out five priorities for spiritual relationships with children.
"For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”" (Genesis 18:19, NIV)
"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them." (Deuteronomy 4:9, NIV)
"“In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." (Exodus 13:14, NIV)
"There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you." (Deuteronomy 12:7, NIV)
"The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “ ‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise’?”" (Matthew 21:14-16, NIV)

1. Let children know that they belong in God’s living, earthly family
2. Let children participate in God’s living, earthly family
3. Help children see Christian living practiced through God’s living earthy family
4. Teach the Bible as a way to explain life.
5. Help children to exercise more and more choice.
If you have studied children’s ministry over the years, you might pick up on a familiar ring in these 5 themes. That’s because they first appeared in A Theology of Children’s Ministry, written by Lawrence O. Richards in 1983. These themes are as alive as ever.

What are spiritually alive, thriving children? They are build kids who know they are part of a family, a spiritual family, and a glorious creation; kids who really connect with their spiritual family, and can see people living life out loud in the joy of the Spirit, and who see the BIG picture of the Bible though all of life; kids who are given courage to make responsible personal choices. Such children can be anchored in a deep, abiding confidence in a God who loves them despite all their wrongs and failures and sins. Jesus said “Let the children come.” (Luke 18:16) He made the way for a relationship with God. Children with deep spiritual health will come, and then they will turn the world upside down.

Where we will go?
We will go to Mexico City on May 13, and will spend eleven days with the staff of VELA Ministries and the pastors and leaders of partner churches. We will be onsite with seven different congregations! This post is  getting a little long, so I'll put up the schedule on another day.