Reactions of the professors the first time they saw the entire set of CCI/LA publications

When the team of Latin Americans arrived to Pittsburgh, our first activity together, after having spent a couple of days with their host families, was to be presented with the entire set of CCI/LA's written curriculum for which they were being prepared to take over. Even though many of them had been teaching several of the manuals for years, these were the latest editions. Moreover, they had never seen all the materials together, not to mention the statistics of the fruit God had borne.

Evelyn Umana, El Salvador
Look at these books, there is far more than paper here, far more than ink, far more than attractive covers and layout, there are thousands of lives, even 1.3 million lives impacted for Christ. These book have evolved from the first time I received them as a student in 1993 into something I see now like a cadillac.

Norma Canales, Honduras

 I was greatly impacted by the statistics shown on the pyramid. I started serving with Lisa when she arrived in Honduras in 1990 and have taught those very courses over 40 times since I began an instructor. It was like God said: “Norma, your name is not only in those books as a contributor, but the names of thousands of campers are in the Book of Life as well! I was so moved that I started balling and the images of hundreds of camp counselors and program directors I have trained with those materials flashed through my mind. In my mind, I fell down and worshiped the Lord for giving me the privilege of serving him in Christian camping for the last 23 years. 

Alvaro Cordero, Bolivia
 I have worked with a number of non-governmental organizations to help the people of my country. One thing I can say of CCI/LA is that it provides a better way for the church to teach and impact lives for Christ. These publications are so complete that you will find something for everyone.

Analu Cornejo, Peru: 

What I see in this presentation is obedience to a call from God on the life of Lisa Anderson-Umana to equip the Latin church for the work of the ministry through Christian Camping. Glory to God! 

Rixy Leiva, El Salvador

 These materials are ours because we have helped to form them. Our lives are written on each page; our steps in leadership are illustrated there; our spiritual formation has taken shape with the turning of these pages. It has not been easy first to be students of these courses, then instructors of these courses, and now professors teaching the instructors. 

Duglas Aguilar, Guatemala

I have worked with Lisa for the last 10-12 years in graphic design, lovingly laying out the pages of each of these publications but as I see them all together and hear our testimonies, I am amazed at the breadth and reach in each of our countries they have had. 

Alfredo Umana, Honduras: 

"I remember the first time I saw these training manuals in 1992. They were in their first editions and now, more than 20 years later, I can barely recognize them. They are very impressive, well diagrammed, with written, and continue to change lives just like they changed my life so many years ago."

Karina Zara from Argentina con nuestro profesor, Jim Plueddemann

I am amazed at the extensiveness of Christian Camping International, Latin America's curriculum. As a professor of this material, I ask myself: Can my teaching do it justice? 

Safwat y Pearl Habashi

 I attended Lisa's presentation and we were overwhelmed by the immensity of what Lisa has done during her 30 years with CCI. The video clips give you a glimpse of the magnitude of the work. So far 1,300,000 children have benefited from their efforts. The testimonies I heard from the leaders she brought to Pittsburgh were very inspiring. These were all professionals in various fields who pledged their free contribution to maintain the programs in their countries.

Roger Rumer from Memorial Park Church (man in the black tee shirt) Thanks for passing along the video from Lisa Anderson-Umana. I watched it earlier this morning and it set the tone for my day. I too am praising God for the work that He has done through Lisa’s faithfulness. I also noted that Lisa was impacted by Naomi Sauter’s witness as a missionary and inspired to do something. What began as a “mustard seed” of Lisa’s first mission trip to Native Americans was grown into a fruitful tree of the ministry to Latin America. God is magnificent! Roger Rumer 

(see the links below if you haven’t been able to watch the videos)

  

Links to English video clips

Publications video, part 1

Publications video, part 2

Publications, part 3

Publications, part 4

My part in the written curriculum is complete.

This is the testimony of Safwat & Pearl Habashi, long-time friends of George & Bobbie Anderson, and faithful supporters of Lisa and her family.

“The day you presented the entire curriculum you and your team have written over the last 30-years I was stunned. I have tracked with you over the years, carefully read your newsletters, and yet had no idea of the breadth and depth of writing you were involved in. I am impressed with the professionalism of the materials. It is like you have an entire university curriculum completed for Christian camping, with college level professors prepared to teach it as well. These folks have chosen to belong to this team, they each have full lives, have their own jobs and families to take care of, but here they are with a long-term commitment. It’s obvious they look beyond themselves to the next generation of Christian leaders these materials will help them shape. They came as learners, with a vision to impact their sphere of influence in Latin America. They are not one-time camp counselors trained for one summer of service, they are being trained for a lifetime of service.”

The team of professors who are assuming the responsibility to teach instructors how to use these training materials to develop leaders in Christian camping all over Latin America.  

“Lisa, regarding your particular role in CCI’s publications. I see it like this: Once a house is built, the residents often celebrate with a house warming. That is what we did during the party held at North Way Christian Community—we celebrated. In a manner of speaking, you have built the house; the curriculum is completed. Now it is up to the residents of the building to maintain it. Let them make corrections, tweak, and improve it. Beware of the tendency to dependence, don’t become a nanny to the professors. Keep coaching them but don’t hold their hands, let them fly.”

This trip to Pittsburgh granted me many opportunities to listen to wise counsel like this.

You can view a series of 4 video clips on youtube.com where I present CCI/Latin America's written curriculum:

Publications CCI/LA English 1

Publications CCI/LA English 2

Publications CCI/LA English 3

Publications CCI/LA English 4

Bobbie Anderson's enduring legacy

Lisa translating for Baha Habashy's workshop: Living your strengths

One day when we were at North Park Evangelical Presbyterian Church receiving a workshop on “Living your Strengths” I walked into the bathroom and was greeted:

Bobbie Anderson! Oh I’m sorry, I know you are Lisa Anderson, but when I saw you, you reminded me so much of your mom. Do you know that your mother led me to the Lord when I attended her Bible study at Woman-to-Woman over at Memorial Park Pres. Church?

At this point my eyes are filled with tears as we embrace and I praise God for how the Lord used my mom in her life. I return all teary-eyed to the workshop to continue translating and everyone wonders why I am crying:

As I related this story, I said: Where else in the world could you be where you would hear first-hand stories of my mother? Only here in Pittsburgh can stories like these convey the impact my mother had on me and countless others whose stories we’ll never know until we are all together in heaven.

George & Bobbie Anderson

It happened again while we were at Ligonier Camp when Ray Speicher dropped in for a visit. As we introduced him to the team, he told a story about my mother that heretofore I hadn’t known:

After my conversion in Dec 1976, I was attending a Bible study at  Ingomar Methodist Church. There I met Betty Pomeroy who was talking to Boobie about the upcoming Easter play at Memorial Park. Bobbie told Betty that she wanted someone a little older than the kids in Memorial Park’s youth group (called F.U.D.D.) to play Jesus. Betty suggested to Bobbie that she call me. I came to Memorial Park to meet and talk with Bobbie about the play. The first person that greeted me was Marcia McCabe who is now my wife of 33 years. Bobbie was also a great encourager and mentor for Marcia.

While I was getting in involved with F.U.D.D. (Fishermen’s Union of Devoted Disciples) and the play, I met Dave Van Gorder and he told me about Vision 77, the evangelistic outreach at North Park. I started to help with the prep for this event and during a time of prayer Bobbie prayed for the Holy Spirit to come fill us. She prayed in tongues and it happened for me as well. Another wonderful thing that happened during the Vision 77 event was my younger brother received Jesus and he was born again by the Spirit. Bobbie in many ways was functioning in an apostolic way to the FUDD leaders and Pastor Jay Passavant. She was bold but gracious and effervescent. I loved her and admired her.

Where but in Pittsburgh could my dear Latin American friends hear first-hand stories about my parents and their impact as parents and fellow co-laborers in God's Kingdom work?

This is one more of the reasons why it was a dream come true for me to have had these Latin Americans in my hometown of Pittsburgh.

Do you have any memory of my mother or father that you would like to post? I would love to hear about it!

Alliance of churches--The power of unity

Alvaro Cordero admiring the Pittsburgh skyscape

The vision for the Leadership Summit in Pittsburgh was conceived after the summer of 2010. That summer, Henri Doren and I had invited a group of eight Latin Americans to travel to Pittsburgh to help lead team building initiatives for North Way Christian Community ‘s week of summer vacation bible school. We were impressed by the impact on both the Latin Americans and the very few church leaders they met with. Since I was in the midst of forming this other team of professors, we both felt the Lord leading us to project such a trip as this but for the entire team of Latin Americans and with greater participation of my supporting churches. She and I tweaked our ideas and during the summer of 2011 we presented our proposal. I still remember our first formal meeting when we gathered in the offices of Memorial Park Church, with one person attending via Skype and representatives from all six mission committees present and accounted for.

1.     Don Creasy, Safwat Habashi, Jim Crawford from Memorial Park Evang. Pres. Church

2.     Joe Lenkey and Walter Siegfried from First Presbyterian Church (representing Ligonier Camp and Conference Center as well)

3.     Bruce Allison from North Park Evang. Pres. Church

4.     Shannon Lidengood  and Chuck and Henri Doren from North Way Christian Community

5.     Tom MacLaughan and Kevin and Michelle Bowers from Union Pres. Church

6.     Bob Whitaker from Elfinwild Pres. Church

The group approved our proposal and we began—Henri, Don, Shannon, and Bruce—all worked on the details in Pittsburgh and my co-worker Bob Sabean and I prepared the team in Latin America.

Union Presbyterian Church

North Way Christian Community (Wexford campus)

North Park Evang. Pres. Church

Robert Bruneau preached at First Pres. Church

First Presbyterian Church

Memorial Park Evang. Pres. Church

These are their impressions as they got to know each church:

When we went to the daughter church of North Park (New Hope on the North Side of Pittsburgh), we saw the USA from a different perspective. We had not seen the needy side and we happy to see that we could help with specific tasks. (Analu, Peru)

Alfredo and Victor helping out at New Hope Church

I loved leading worship, each church was so different, its liturgy and physical environment. Each was unique and there I found the multifaceted grace of God. (Karina, Argentina)

I admire how they used their gifts in administration and logistics to back this Summit. I loved watching their faces when they saw the numbers and statistics of the fruits of their partnership with Lisa and CCI LA. (Manuel, Costa Rica)

We loved seeing Chuck and Henri’s servant heart, filled with compassion, they were flexible, and attentive to our needs. Truly without them, this trip would not have been possible. (Analu, Peru) 

So many of our co-patriots have had terrible experiences here in the USA but we never felt looked down upon by the churches, on the contrary, we felt affirmed, even spoiled by our host families not to mention the amazing Mexican meal we were served after church at the East End (North Way Christian Community).

 We realized that we need to pray for the USA to not discard their senior citizens whose wisdom and experience is vital. It seems that the bright shine of youth blinds them to the virtues of the elderly. (Analu, Peru)

What insights have you gained from an outsider's perspective on your country? Share them with us in the comments below.