Revealing comments by US partners & the Latin Americans

Multicultural team of professors being taught by Dr. Plueddemann at Ligonier Camp (July 2013)

Said by US partners	Said by Latin Americans
How are things going in Mexico, Lisa? (I served in Mexico in the 1980’s)	I have never met any North Americans who are as proud of their city as you folks from Pittsburgh!
There are other churches in the Pittsburgh area supporting you? (Six churches support me, all from Pittsburgh)	I didn’t know you were Presbyterian. (Since CCI/LA is interdenominational, we don’t emphasize our church background.)
How long have we been supporting you, Lisa? (North Way Christian Community & Memorial Park sent me out as their missionary in separate ceremonies in the Fall of 1982 and I arrived in Costa Rica to learn the language Jan.11, 1983. Since then, North Park started supporting me in 1984, then First Pres. in 1986, then Union Pres. In 2004, and finally Elfinwild in 2011.	I had no idea that so many churches and individuals backed you.
I thought you only worked in Honduras. (I live in Honduras, but actively develop leaders in all nine countries where CCI/LA has national associations—Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Bolivia, Argentina, Peru & soon in Paraguay).	These churches have displayed great trust in you; they give you funds when they don’t even see you but once a year and they trust you to do what you say you will do. It’s good we’re here to show them the results.
Has it been that long? (Many supporters remember those first years I served in Mexico and can’t believe 30 years have passed.)	So many people congratulated us and spoke admiringly of our work as Latin Americans on the front line ministering to needy children. It was strange to be celebrated here. That rarely happens in our countries. We had to leave our own countries to fully appreciate what we are a part of.
I am a banker and understand ROI. As chairmen of the Mission committee of Union Pres., I feel like we have gotten a great ROI as I see the publications and hear the first-hand testimonies of what our church has been a part of.
This is far bigger than I thought it was!	This is far bigger than I thought it was!
Both sets of people said the same thing. Neither of them had ever seen all of CCI/LA’s publications together and arranged to show how leadership in Christian camping was being developed in layers, from the stage of being campers to becoming professors of instructors who in turn trained camp counselor who serve campers, an entire learning cycle.

Lisa’s two worlds become one

The Leadership Summit in Pittsburgh was a dream come true for me because my two worlds became one.

I have lived and served in Latin America for thirty years. I started when I was twenty-two years old and so apart from Mirna Sotomayor and my husband, no other Latin American with whom I work really knows the world in which I grew up in. I feel like an “ahistorical figure” in Latin America, like I dropped into Latin America and no one knew my roots, my family, my upbringing, and the role my churches and friends have played in my spiritual journey. Every day I lived and traveled with my Latin friends on the streets of Pittsburgh (really the North Hills), I felt more and more known.

Below you will find a short video (1.24 min.) of the tour I took the team of Latin Americans on.
(here is the link from youtube.com in case it's not visible from the blog:

Lisa's tour down memory lane (visits to her Pittsburgh homes growing up)

Here is a sampling of their impressions:

• Don’t despise rambunctious kids. Lisa was quite rambunctious and look how well she turned out. (Gloria, Mexico)
• Why would she leave such a nice neighborhood? It must have been a call from God. (Rixy, El Salvador)
• You can clearly see her healthy foundations; she was well invested in by her parents, church, and youth leaders. (Robert, Panama)
• As a child, she never could have imagined returning to these woods she played in forty years later with people from Latin America in tow. We can’t visualize the future—good thing! (Duglas, Guatemala)
• Don’t forget your past because it can be inspiring to others. I feel closer to “my professor” for having seen where she grew up. It’s important for me to understand the person whose leadership is so influential. (Alvaro, Bolivia)

Just because Lisa says so?

Interaction between Victor Hugo Martinez from Monterrey, Mexico and Dr. Plueddemann:

Jim Plueddemann questioned Victor Hugo: “You traveled to Cuba to teach them about recreation, but why did you bring non-competitive games there? Just because it says so in the books Lisa wrote?"

I was watching this exchange with delight since I have been a “victim” of Jim’s challenging dialogues for years and have benefitted enormously. 

Victor Hugo reacted passionately, leaning in as he spoke:

“Look, Professor Plueddemann, this is how it happened."

"A Cuban guy traveled to Mexico and there he found one of our camping magazines so he got in touch with the president of CCI LA/Mexico via email. Then our president put together a delegation to do a training in Cuba. My wife and I took our 20-volume Games Encyclopedia and although the Cuban leaders initially rejected the idea of substituting their annual camp soccer tournament with cooperative games, after the training camp they were all convinced. They came to that conclusion once they noticed that there had been less discrimination against the women who were no longer just cheerleaders but participants. They told us the story about how one of their churches had canceled having any camps whatsoever ten years prior because their pastors had gotten into a fistfight during a heated soccer match. After attending the “hand-on” training camp where they experienced a camp program that created an environment of camaraderie, full participation, free of rivalry, discrimination, hostilities, and ridicule, these pastors re-initiated their yearly camping program. They invited us to return each year to do the training and each year they invite more and more churches to send their leaders to attend. We have been doing this for four years. “

Leaning back in his chair, Victor Hugo concluded: “That, Professor Plueddemann, is why I believe in and teach purpose-driven recreation.”

Jim smiled and reminded us all of the need to be conversant in the vision that drives us. 

If you have the opportunity to promote our 20-volume Games Encyclopedia to Spanish-speaking people, please direct them to amazon.com where they can place their orders or have them get directly in touch with me at capacitacion@ccial.org
(key words for amazon.com are: ENCICLOPEDIA JUEGOS CREADORES DE AMBIENTE)

Interview of me on the on-line Tech-ology Show

I'd love to hear your thoughts about the interview! Tony Casey, the man who interviewed me, and I attend Trinity Evangelical Divinity School together. He is very funny and the show has a fun, frolicking feel to it; one can imagine being at Starbucks together, sitting around a table and chatting.

The interview (http://youtu.be/fzClMVgmoFs) with me starts at minute 3:20 and ends minute 1:09, I speak of Christian Camping International, Latin America, what it's about, what my role is, how I became involved in missions, a story of how a camper's life was impacted for Christ and I close by sharing the story of how our Valerie and Victor were born as miracles.

I invite you to download the audio podcast or view it on line at (episode 112): http://www.thetechologyshow.com/

I'd love to hear your thoughts about the interview! Tony Casey, the man who interviewed me and we attend Trinity Evangelical Divinity School together, is very funny and the show has a fun, frolicking feel to it; one can imagine being at Starbucks together, sitting around a table and chatting.

Share your observations with me!

"May God bless you with discomfort"

This is from a newsletter from a fellow, LAM Mexico missionary, Sally Isaias, and I find it to be very relevant since this Easter season, I have found myself avoiding pain and discomfort:

"This last Wednesday, (the beginning of Lent) I met with a young man whom I have known since he was a child. I knew he was not doing well and wanted to ask him upfront what was going on. What an intense meeting! He shared his life and convictions with me and listened intently as I shared with him what I believe the Lord says in his Word regarding his situation, giving him hope in Jesus Christ. He has chosen to believe a lie and deep down admits that he is wrong but isn´t willing to pay the price to be healed. He kept repeating: “I don´t want to suffer, I don´t want to sacrifice, I don´t want to do anything uncomfortable. I don´t want to.” In the midst of it all, we prayed and he thanked me for confronting him in love. “No one has ever done that, they just look at me and talk behind my back. Thanks for coming directly to me. I don´t agree with you, but feel that you truly care for me and are not judging me. I want to be healed, just don´t know if I am ready to pay the price” he said. It made me think of how we all shy away from suffering, sacrificing and being uncomfortable So, I have taken to heart a Franciscan prayer sent to me:

May God bless you with discomfort. Discomfort at easy answers, half truths and superficial relationships,

so that you may live deep within your heart. Amen.

May God bless you with anger. Anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people,

so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace. Amen.

May God bless you with tears. Tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war,

so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain into joy. Amen.

May God bless you with foolishness. Enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world,

so that you can do what others claim cannot be done. Amen.

And the blessing of God who creates, redeems, and sanctifies,

be upon you and all you love and pray for this day and forever more. Amen.

What discomfort are you experiencing today that God can use for His glory?

I pray the Lord greatly enriched you this Easter season as you reflected on what Christ for you and for me on the cross.

15 years of marital bliss!

This April 13 we celebrated 15 years of marriage! What an adventure that has been. I love doing life with Alfredo and anticipate many more years of adventure together!



The slideshow starts with photos from when we were "just friends", then when we became "boyfriend-girlfriend", then when we got engaged, and finally ends with photos from our wedding!

We love the companions God has given us to accompany us on this journey!

How do you know if an IFI has been successful?

One day, during a meal we shared together, my boss Robert Bruneau was asked: How do you know if an IFI has been successful?

I was close by so I took notes.

• Success is measured by the depth of the lived community we experience. God Himself blesses us with His presence as we begin to intentionally walk together and share life.

• Success is visible through the discoveries we listen to and see people make: Ah! Now I understand! I just realized… I never knew…Wow, this is new to me.

• Success is apparent by the progression we observe of the guided-supervised practices. After watching you teach several times, we get a handle on how well you are grasping the concepts and able to teach them to others.
• But we recognize, that we can only see the outward signs, God knows what's going on in the hearts of us all and He defines success by His means and standards!