Sight-seeing in Taxco (Day of rest during IFI Mexico)

This was the twelfth Institute for Forming Instructors (IFI) that Bob Sabean and I have led since the first one in 1992.

After a solid week and a half of labor, our team of professors and instructors were ready for a break-a day touring the colonial city of Taxco, famous for its silver mining, was just what we needed.
Here's a 3:27 min. video of assorted pictures to give you a taste of what the trip was like and see the beauty of a colonial city. You can see it in the blog below or view it directly on my YouTube channel: http://youtu.be/iPcRihtC61Y

What's your favorite tourist attraction? tell us about it by clicking on "comments" below!

We are on the right track! Strategic initiative of CCI/LA –Formation of a multicultural team of professors

Until now, the two professors responsible for teaching these Institutes for Forming Instructors have been two missionaries, two North Americans. The task at hand is to broaden this team of professors in a number of ways. How the top tier of our Leadership development pyramid is being broadened (see arrow):

• Instead of just one small team, we are creating two teams, one for the region of South America and one for Mexico/Central America.
• Instead of just two members, each team will have approx. 6 members, making for a pool of 12 professors to draw from.
• Instead of just one culture being represented, ten will be represented, from North to South: USA, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina.

We have started this process and feel God’s confirmation that we are on the right track! A flame burns in the heart of a number of very proficient instructors with a yearning to become part of this multicultural team of professors and they are counting the cost to belong to it. With the exception of three of us, all the rest are volunteers. God did a mighty work just to get these professors to Mexico and He used many supporters from around the Globe who prayed and gave generously so we could begin the process of preparing them to be professors of the IFI.

Here are the professors-in-training:

Gloria Garcia (Monterrey, Mexico)

Evelyn Umana (San Salvador, El Salvador, she's the one standing up)

Rixy Leiva (San Salvador, El Salvador)

We all aspire to be like Bob Sabean, who at his 74 years of age, continues to serve faithfully, impacting our lives with his wisdom, Biblical insights and historical perspectives.

Someone has to lead the games!? That would be me! I love to play, to teach others how to play, and to teach others how to lead games!

What do you love to do?

Tell us about it by clicking on "observations" below and sharing!

Two Institutes for Forming Instructors (IFI) held in 2011

Since 1990, the manner in which we impact children and young people’s lives for Christ is through our Leadership Development pyramid (see figure). Each layer of leadership is developed by the tier above it and grows exponentially with each new camp counselor, program director and instructor formed.

This year, 2011, Christian Camping International, Latin America (CCI/LA) has added a total of 29 new instructors to the pyramid (IFI Argentina in January—13 new and one former instructor from the IFI in 1992 “updated” & IFI Mexico in July—16 new and two former instructors from the IFI in 2001 “updated”). The addition of 29 instructors will result in directly impacting the lives of hundreds of camp counselors who will participate in the training courses they will hold throughout Mexico, Central and South America. These counselors in turn will impact for Christ the lives of thousands of children and young people who will attend the camps held by these newly trained counselors.

The impact of these IFI’s will be felt throughout Latin America as viewed in the map since graduates come from nine different countries of Latin America (Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina).

This July the IFI was hosted by the camp I served at during my initial five years of ministry (1983-1988), Camp Kikotén, Mexico. What a thrill it was to walk around the camp, with my children playing on the same recreational elements that we had built years ago!

I actually got to see one of my co-workers, Julieta Garfias, whom I had not seen since I left in 1988! She was 18 years old when I last saw her and here she is married with two children!

I love serving with the kids in ministry!

What do you love about the ministry where you serve?