Finally they are teaching you to think in the Bible study and not just to say "Amen"!

This comment was made by the husband of one of the women who attends the weekly Bible Study I hold in our home.
We are studying "Worldview Thinking" and last week's homework was to interview three people asking the following two questions:

1.What gives your life meaning?

2. Why did God create human beings?

This husband was delighted with his wife's questions and proceeded to give her such an indepth answer that she took two pages of notes! until she could take it no longer and said: Enough, that'll be enough for my class!

As the women shared, their answers were quite fascinating. Most had interviewed their own family members and the answers were:

• My family, my husband, my children bring meaning to my life
• Helping my country brings me fulfillment, now more than ever Honduras needs us.
• I have no reason for living (spoken by a friend who is struggling with depression right now)
• God made man to be happy.
• God made us to glorify Him.

We studied Isaiah 43:7 and John 10:10 and realized that we were made to glorify God and enjoy Him forever (Westminister Catechism). And that we strive towards that lofty goal by growing in Christlikeness (I John 3:2), since Jesus was the One who glorifies His Father without fail.

Each week brings us new discoveries and we delight in learning together. I will be gone to Chicago (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School for another class) for the next two weeks so I left them a very difficult homework assignment:
Interview an atheist.
They all looked at each other and said: Where do you find someone like that in a Catholic country like ours?
Try the universities, we concluded!

That homework will enable us to grasp an understanding of how a "secular modernist" and postmodernist would answer those same questions.

Pray for us as our worldview is being stretched and as the ladies say: Our gray matter is being exercised !

By the way, we do say AMEN at the end of our time together! :)
See me on the upper right? Just kidding! :)

Back in family

After being apart for the last 8 months, I feel like I am “back in family.” We have a saying in our Christian Camping International that says: Somos una familia. We are family! (sounds like a song!)

This week, prior to a CCI/LA event, the Congress for Camp Site Directors, we are meeting and what a joy it is. Let me present to you my family, from right to left, here we are:

Robert Bruneau is the executive director of CCI/LA and of Camp Roblealto. His position as director of a camp site enables him to have his finger on the pulse of the camping world in Latin America and around the globe since he also serves on the Executive Committee of CCI/Worldwide. As staff members, we are all self-starters and have plenty of initiative so his unique ability to see the big picture and envision long-range plans is essential to direct and coordinate our efforts.

Nina Perez de Bruneau, Robert’s wife, is our CCI/LA International Events coordinator and juggles these responsibilities together with her role as wife and mother of two young daughters. Her eye for logistical details and resourcefulness makes it a pleasure to participate in an event planned by her.

Marisol Morgan, a Panamanian, drove 18 hours on a bus to arrive to our staff meeting. Marisol, a mother of two teenage daughters, serves as administrator and regional coordinator of Mexico/Central America. She is very thorough and careful in handling administrative details which is a relief for the rest of us.

Bob Sabean, the veteran member of the staff, one of the founders of CCI in Latin America and author of numerous articles, monographs and currently working hard on writing a 10-chapter book on The Theology of Recreation. Bob brings a marvelous perspective to any and all discussions, bringing to bear theological and historical issues as well as simply providing a valuable voice of experience. His congenial manner and great sense of humor make us all laugh with his anecdotes.

Bessy Macotto is the regional director for South America for CCI/LA and just flew in from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her face was aglow as she walked into the cabin where we were meeting, Pinch me, she exclaimed, I can’t believe I’m here! Thanks to the encouragement and support of Miguel Angel De Marco, from our mission agency, Latin America Mission, Bessy is able to be present for this vital encounter.

These people make up the full-time missionary staff with whom I work virtually everyday so imagine the joy we experience when we finally are face-to-face. The virtue of this family is that all year we anticipate our time together, the relationships are healthy, a spirit of cooperation reigns among us giving no place for rivalry or “one-up-manship.” One’s success or accomplishments are another’s as well. The standard practice in our meetings is: Relationships first, then business. Evidence of this reality is the following anecdote.

Bessy entered breathlessly, set down her suitcases, threw out her arms and received the embraces of all of us. An hour before we had begun the staff meeting but with her arrival we all gathered around and with a focused gaze asked her: How are you? Tell us some of the accomplishments the Lord has given you this past year. Bessy launched into a detailed description of the team of instructors she is forming (Xenia from El Salvador, Analu from Peru, Patricia from Argentina and herself). Together they teach 6 courses per week in 3 different cities of Argentina. Intertwined in her sharing were lessons the Lord has been teaching her and the personal growth she has been experiencing. After nearly two hours of sharing and stories, laughing and crying, Bessy somewhat bashful said: “Sorry to have taken so much time from the staff meeting….” Bob placed his hand on her shoulder, looked her in the eye and said: “We are family. Family comes first, then business.”

Amen and amen!

Tell me about your experiences working in teams, what has it been like for you?

The power of play to help children grow socially and emotionally at camp (and in life)

Sometimes when you write an academic paper you don't get the opportunity to write about what makes your heart beat faster! That's not the case with this document. This paper stretched me beyond my comfort zone all the way into my "groan zone" and I'm glad (now that is!)
In Christian Camping International, we plan on turning this paper into a several-day workshop for camp counselors. I'm open for feedback, let me know if you have a problem viewing it on screen and I can email you a copy in .pdf!
There's a little icon in the lower right hand corner that will allow you to view the document in a "full screen."

The power of enhancing camper's emotional intelligence through adults engaging in play with children -Lisa Anderson-Umana

View more documents from Lisa Anderson-Umana.

Learning to receive criticism gracefully....

Going back to school has provided the Lord with a new means of knocking off my rough edges. I believe we are "diamonds in the rough" and God lovingly molds and shapes us into greater conformity to the image of His Son.
Although necessary, that process is not pleasant. Let me give a recent example.
For almost every class I take at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS), a final paper is due. This paper typically requires long hours of reading, researching, investigating and synthesizing what you have read into a well-written document. I enjoy writing and so after some 100 hours of work all-told, I finished my paper just in time to receive the work team North Way Christian Community (Pittsburgh) first of August. I was pleased and anticipated good feedback and a good grade.
Several weeks later I received my grade and the feedback.
The teacher graded my paper as a B- and gave me an opportunity to re-submit it, should I choose to improve it. In addition, my professor generously invested the time to give me detailed feedback on exactly why my paper did not meet doctoral standards.
I was not a happy camper.
Why was I not a happy camper?
My first theory was that the teacher was mistaken.
My second theory was I needed only to tweak my paper.
My third and final theory was that theories one and two were wrong.
Just like I teach my children that their teachers are their God-given authorities and must be obeyed and submitted to, God was giving me the opportunity to apply my own teaching.
After re-reading my paper in light of the professor's comments, I came face to face with my own incompetency. I thought I knew how to write. But not at this level. I moved to another level: I went from being unconsciously incompetent to being consciously incompetent. Ouch.
The crux of theory three is that the problem was me. My pride was hurt. As I shared my dilemma with my prayer partner and friend Marcela, she gracefully told me that I was very good at offering constructive criticism to others and that God was using this minor setback to help me become aware of how others might feel when I critique them.
Ouch.
Growth in sensitivity to others comes with a cost and God loves me enough to correct me.
What has made this experience particularly memorable is that I have re-written my paper in an effort to learn how to write academically sound papers.
In summary:

• Be humble and accept criticism.
• Don't become defensive.
  
• Study how to write academic papers. Read books on it.
  
• Re-read my paper with at least two other people to get their feedback.
• Find my own voice, don't just nicely compile and organize other people's quotes.
• Synthesize, not summarize what others write on the subject.

I have a long way to go in learning both to give and receive criticism gracefully, I thank God for His patience and persistence.

What area of growth are you currently struggling with? Share your comments, I"d love to hear them, we can learn together.

You haven't seen anything yet!

The other day I stood in my bedroom and looked out the window on the life God has given me.
...the children, home two weeks from school due to the swine flu playing gleefully out in the yard with the five puppies our dog Fofer just had....
...my husband peacefully working across the hallway in the home office...
...me, sweaty from riding my stationary bike...blessed with good health...

...Lord, I sighed, "I feel almost guilty I'm so blessed..... I've done nothing to deserve this or earn it....
Almost imperceptibly, I heard God whisper:
You haven't seen anything yet! Wait until you get to heaven. This is but a taste of what is yet to come. This is my nature, generous beyond belief.

I literally laughed out loud, joyfully surprised by His whimsical nature. I hadn't expected such a response, it sounded almost like: You ain't seen nothing yet! :)

Can you relate? Have you ever felt so blessed that you actually feel a twinge of guilt?
Tell me about it by clicking on "observations" below and sharing your story.

I had seen it as an uphill climb but now I can say "we are a team"!

Our impressions after touring 4 camp sites in Honduras, by the national CCI Latin America/Honduras team

The weekend of the 21st to the 23rd of August, 2009 the national team of CCI LA/Honduras visited 4 camp sites in the area of Siguatepeque, Yojoa Lake (Peña Blanca), and El Progreso.

Here I share the observations of all (In the picture we are all gathered in one of the cabins at the Cerro de Luz Camp, directed by Ken Vissers).

Lisa Anderson-Umana:

It was easy to make the arrangements; God blessed the little effort that it required. This encourages me to go back to do another tour in the area of the Yojoa Lake in the spring of next year.

We began the tour traveling from Tegucigalpa with 6 adults (Alfredo, Lisa, Blanca, Cesar, Kenya and Blanca) and 4 children to spend that night at the Cerro de Luz Camp, where Ana Cerrato and Ken Vissers received us with open arms.

Early in the morning another group arrived from San Pedro Sula (Juan and Norma Canales, Nora Granados, her sister and her husband Julio Granados) and from Cofradia (Melba Argueta).

After receiving the guided tour of Cerro de Luz Camp, given by Ken Vissers, we all headed towards Peña Blanca where there is Camp Jerusalem, which belongs to the Shalom International Ministry, a church in San Pedro Sula. This time Ken was with us.

There was a strong spirit of camaraderie among us. We shared our experiences at camps and our impressions of the places that we visited.

After the tour in Jerusalem Camp (and a delicious fried fish lunch thanks to Shalom’s generosity) we went to Ovidio Decroly School’s site that is between Bufalo and Villa Nueva (see the pictures below)

At the end of the day, we went with Pastor Marsio Mejía from the Central American Church of El Progreso, Yoro. His property is an hour away from El Progreso, deep into the mountains, and they are still virgin lands. With a spectacular view of the Sula Valley!

When we got to each site we asked the following questions:

· What is your vision?

· How do you hope to use your camp or what use are you currently giving to this site?

Kenia Riera de Alonzo:

"When we formally established the national CCI LA/ Honduras team in October 2007 with the help of Robert Bruneau, I never thought that we would be able to travel visiting sites all together. In fact, we didn’t have that much notion of what camping was all about, so this tour was a dream come true!"

Blanca Cardona:

“As we travel from camp to camp, I realize that I have been stuck in a certain way of doing camp since our church has been using the same campsite year after year. Because I have not known other realities of how to do camp, we got comfortable and fell into a rut. Because of this tour, my eyes are opened to other ways of doing things and there is a lot of things to learn from what we saw at Ken Vissers’s camp (Cerro de Luz) and Nora Granado’s (Camp Jerusalem).”

Alfredo Umana:

“It’s noteworthy that all camp sites emerge from the vision of those who forge them. For example, an individual can look at a mountain and see nothing special, and yet another can look at that same mountain and see a future camp site full of animals, plants and flowers.

Another individual gets to a space and sees nothing, but then a person with vision comes and sees the same space and suddenly envisions a wooden cabin, hiking trails, and platforms (in the picture, only the plywood covering is yet to be build in order to tents to be place)."

“This tour was simple, we didn’t create high expectations neither for us who visited nor for those whose camps we visited. We didn’t promise to solve their problems, we didn’t criticize them either, we just encouraged the people in the hard work of developing camp sites in Honduras.”

Carlos Baca:

“I felt very excited when I saw the high ropes course at Cerro de Luz Camp, I imagined being up there in that great adventure (we didn’t have time to perform on them but I will on the next opportunity).

I walked on a path and I imagined myself being there with campers. I wondered how my youth group members would react in this Trust Fall and Hammock (giant swing).”

Nora de Granados:

“There’s growth when you get exposed to other points of view, this tour has done that for me. I learned that at Camp Jerusalem we need someone full-time who has both camping and constructing knowledge.

I appreciate more our strengths, like the fact that in our church, Shalom, we have over 150 camp counselors and program directors, all of whom have received CCI LA’s trainings. We do numerous camps all year in each of the varied ministries, children, young people, single mothers, women, men and this year we have started ministering to the Police Department of San Pedro Sula using on the Low Ropes Course that we built together with North Way Christian Community (Pittsburgh!).

I see where we come from. We started with only a jungle like mountain and now we have a tabernacle, a pool, and a Low Ropes Course situated in an old coffee plantation!”

Ken Vissers:

“It was a privilege for me to receive the CCI LA/Honduras team at our camp, Cerro de Luz, Scripture Union's Camp in Honduras.

I recommend we should start a directory of all camp sites in Honduras so that we can invite all of them to the next tour we make of campsites.

Something I’m thankful for is Lisa’s clarifying statement that when CCI members unknowingly make the statement: “CCI style camps”, it tends to exclude others. This phrase makes you believe CCI LA has only one particular way of doing camping, which is not true. There are a lot of ways to do camping. The four elements that CCI LA encourages are: (1) the use of Christ-centered experiential learning, (2) the use of small groups (3) the use of well-trained leaders and (4) ample use of God's creation, the great outdoors. Fulfilling these four requirements, there are numerous ways in which the CCI members can do camping. CCI LA provides thousands of tools that can be used in thousands of ways.”

(Ken has built The Wall with the platform at one side that helps as a ladder to get off the wall and also can be used as a platform for the Trust Fall.)

Norma de Canales:

“This tour reminded me of the Exchange program CCI Latin America has with CCI/ Canada where we visited a dozen gorgeous and well-developed campsites in Ontario. Here, in my own country, there are also gorgeous and developed sites. We hope that next time we can invite more people to come with us on this Site Tour.

We don’t force the sites to become members of CCI LA. But some are already members and others are considering it. I feel very happy that we were all in the same spirit, I feel that CCI LA/Honduras gave evidence of its existence to the campsites, an area where we had been weak.

I confess it had been very long since the last time I had laughed this much, it’s pretty relaxing being all together!”

Cesar Alonzo:

“With my personality, I tend to be very rigid and schematic. Once I learn a way of camping, I believe that to be a part of CCI LA philosophy, and that everyone should follow this same pattern. But with this Campsite Tour, I could see the danger of excluding other ways of doing camp.

Something else I learned is that for developing a site you should have vision, in other words, picture in your mind what you can’t see physically at that moment. Vision to observe a mountain and imagine a whole camp site.

In my church, after praying and striving for 4 years, there’s the opportunity of using a land that at first we only used for short intense retreats (we'd never leave the buildings). The church’s youth group is sick of that site because they’ve been visiting it since they were children. But now they are giving me the opportunity to have a say in the program. I used to see that land as a desert, but now, with vision, I can picture all the potentiality it has.”

Kenia Riera de Alonzo:

During the presentation Ken Vissers made about his adventure program, I heard him say that some of his leaders were not Christian. And there I froze! What? I thought. Ken continued explaining that these people have good skills which can serve the camp's purposes and then he slowly introduces them to Christ. This shook up my mental schemes. Ken clarified that these people don’t have tasks like teaching the Bible or other things related.

It also impressed me when Ken said that they choose influential leaders to work with, even though currently they have negative influence. But they are leaders, so people follow them, then through their training and working with them, they learn God's ways so their influence can lead them on God´s paths.

I always remember Bessy Macotto who encouraged us to establish a strong CCI LA team in Honduras. I had seen it as an uphill climb but now I can say “we are a team Bessy!”

Melba Argueta:

“I am used to environmental camps; all we take is a shovel! I enjoy what is rustic, were there’s no more than the forest or the jungle!” That’s why this last camp that we visited with Marsio Mejia on the mountain was so meaningful to me.

Plus, I felt identified with Ken because we both like camps that are both rustic and adventurous.

Lord willing, we will have a second tour, inviting more people and going to other camps in Honduras (by the Yojoa Lake for example) in April, 2010!"

If you know of any site which would like to receive an encouraging visit, tell them to write to me at capacitacion@ccial.org Lisa or leave a message below where it says “observations”. Thank you!

Lisa Anderson-Umana

Director of Leadership Development

Christian Camping International, Latin America

Reflections on the children's baptisms....

Valerie reflecting on her baptism August 29th, 2009:
"I felt cold outside because of the water,
but warm on the inside because of Jesus."

Victor,
"I felt like if I was entering into a new world with God."





Enjoy the brief picture slideshow below!




Our reflections as parents:
We had the good fortune of our home being chosen to celebrate the quarterly baptisms.

Valerie had read about John the Baptist with her first grade teacher and came home one day, eager to follow suit. For two years, we had been hesitant to let Valerie get baptized, waiting to see if she persisted with this idea or it was a passing fad. Now, just having started fourth grade, she communicated that she was still eager to get baptized. Prior to baptism, our church leadership taught those ready to get baptized a lesson on it's meaning and role in the Christian life. We rejoice with her decision to demonstrate publicly her commitment to follow Jesus.
Victor, within the last 6 months or so had indicated he was wanting to get baptized so we supported him as well in his decision. By the way, both sacrificed attending a camp to stay home and get baptized.

Our hearts are filled with joy at how God's spirit is evident in their lives.