"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!
  
  

Formative Evaluation bears fruit

A vital part of the IFI is giving the instructors opportunities to practice what they are learning. As they practice, we offer them "formative evaluation" and here are the new insights and perspectives they are gaining regarding the guided practices in the IFI:

• I am learning not to call my mistakes, “margin of error” but rather “the lesson of the day.”

• I am very pleased that I did so poorly on my first guided teaching practice. Now I see that to fail is to succeed.

• I am sorry to say that I have never said: I was wrong. I made a mistake. That’s how I was raised. But being in these classes here at the IFI, I feel like I’m in another world. For those who need to be active and playing with something, they give us toys, we even toss them at each other during breaks! We can speak freely. What’s more incredible is that we are free to make mistakes! I haven’t come to an IFI, I have arrived at God’s school for me!

• Oops, I messed up. Oh well, I made a mistake but no one got on my case. What’s more, they actually congratulated me the next round because I looked for help and learned from my errors.

How do you feel when you make mistakes? What has been your experience regarding getting evaluated? I'd love for you to share with me your thoughts!

How does my family feel with my travels?

We are in the airport, Alfredo, the children and I and the idea occurs to me to take out some index cards and ask my family to write me a little note that I can carry around with me during the next three weeks I’ll be absent while on a trip to Argentina to teach the Institute for Forming Instructors (IFI).

In celebration of our 15 years of marriage (April 13, 1996), I share the note that Alfredo wrote to me so you can see why I am more in love with this man than ever.

Jan. 19, 2011

One more trip.

One more opportunity to learn about my wife.

Invariably your absences allow me to miss new parts of you.

I love your presence in my life.

I love your enthusiasm.

I love your passion to live and to help me live giving priority to the family.

I love glorifying God together.

Nevertheless, I always knew that I was called to share you and let other be touched by God through you.

Enjoy your trip.

Allow the Lord to indicate what is your responsibility and what is His.

We will be here, taking care of the “kingdom” and waiting for the “queen” to return.

Your forever boyfriend,

Alfredo

When I shared this with a friend, Patricia, she said: Too bad he’s already married, were it not so, I’d take him!

Here's what Valerie and Victor wrote.

Part 2: What I learned in the IFI Argentina (2011)

Karina Echavarria de Zara from Marcos Juarez, Argentina

Karina serves as a pastor and has traveled through-out Argentina and Brazil ministering in song, she shares a bit of what she learned.

I was welcomed with games

I was taught with opportunities to practice what I was learning.

I was accompanied in love.

I discovered God’s design in community.

I was prompted to take a “leap of faith” (really a trust fall).

I was oriented with the teacher’s guides.

I recognized my need to grow through supervised practices.

The evaluation sounded like a sweet melody.

My perspective on God and His heart’s concern has been renewed.

This IFI has marked in me a BEFORE and AFTER.

Beatriz Bornschein Alves de Souza, Brazil

Beatriz recently left a 15-year career of teaching speech therapy at a University in Brazil to join her husband serving full-time in CCI Brazil in the training department. We found we clicked very well since we both do training for CCI.

As I sat one day during my quiet time, facing the mountain of Ongamira, I dedicated my life to be used by God in the ministry of camping. Glory to God!

I have learned that there is another way of doing things. I can change and better impact lives for Jesus in my country-Brazil.

I have learned to have a different perspective of Christian camping—and that I can, with God’s help, have a passion for it—a passion for the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18).

During this IFI, God has touched my life and I could get rid of things that were keeping me from being fully used by God. I will carry in my “backpack” only what I can carry and I will not walk alone. I feel equipped with some important and useful tools.

Part 1: What I learned in the IFI Argentina (2011)

Here are some quotes from the folks who attended our Institute for Forming Instructors- Argentina. On the last day of the 17-day long Institute for Forming Instructors (IFI) we just held last month in Cordoba, Argentina, the graduates filled out an evaluation entitled: What I learned in the IFI...

Edwin Velasquez, Peru:
I learned to make mistakes and let someone help me learn from them. (Here he is doing a practice teaching of session 3 of our introductory course to camp counseling: Building Relationships.)




Edwin, far right, tended to take over the leadership during the team building initiatives, his leadership being so skilled and capable that it opaqued that of others.

I discovered a new way to lead... from "one step back". I don't always have to lead from the front of the pack. I can stand behind others to help them learn to lead.

(By the way, the goal is for the group to maintain the pole upright while pulling it through a maze...until it comes to its final resting stop-an upraised platform.)


Claudia Aguirre from Salta, Argentina:

* I learned to value learning in community.
* I learned to recognize my weaknesses and strengths honestly.
* I learned to experience evaluation as a true instance of learning.
* I discovered my own unique form and style of learning.

I also developed the capacity of self-evaluation and reflection.

Claudia works as a teacher with blind pre-school students in the northern part (Salta) of Argentina.



Carlos Luyo, Lima, Peru:

I learned to aadminister the time I'm given to teach and the content through the use of a teaching agenda.

Carlos has graduated from Seminary and serves in a church.

Andrea Torres, Buenos Aires, Argentina:

She is one of our graduates from our first IFI in 1992 and she wrote this about her second IFI where she got "updated."

I got re-activated with the pleasure of teaching, as well as found once again the pleasure of sharing in community and enjoying being in a 17-day long camp!