The tree keeps growing.....

   Thanks for your prayers for Jenn and and for me during our time at Young Life’s Cross Cultural Orientation training and then for me in the DR in January. It really was great to be at both events.
YL CCO 2014
CCO is always refreshing. We get to be with missionaries who are going to be sent all over the world to minister to teenagers. This year ranged from Mexico to Singapore to Armenia and beyond. The training we offer is meant in big part to prepare for the great challenge of ministering in and transitioning to new cultures and languages, but it’s also always a great reminder of how God calls and specially equips imperfect people like us to be part of His great plan.  We were able to look at 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 together and be reminded of how we’ve been picked, called, ‘surprised’, invigorated and enlivened by the Lord to do this work. What a privilege.

      I was also able to spend a few days at our camp in the Dominican Republic for a training time with our staff and student staff there. There’s a short video from YL in Africa that I’d love for you to check out here-- https://vimeo.com/59980049 that I think helps show what we're excited about in Latin America.   In it Alexis explains our ‘tree’ model for doing leadership training. We use the same tree paper he shows in Latin America (makes sense since the Mango trees are common J). The tree really is all about living out discipleship. It focuses our leaders on feeding into 
Our Young Life DR staff and student staff
a few others, and then those leaders also feed into a few others, and so on. This does take time—a lot of time spent praying for and with your 3, walking in ministry with them, modeling leadership and training them in what it means to be leaders. But it’s also the reason Young Life in the DR keeps growing. Rafa disciples Fernando who disciples Zurdo who is now discipiling university students in Bonao who will be leaders at camp this summer discipling new believers.  It was great to be here with this group and see how God is still calling and equipping leaders I worked with while living there—and also with leaders from whole new generations that have been raised up since then. So thanks for partnering with us to train and support these leaders and let God use the growth of this tree for the good of his kingdom.

Two other quick notes I want to get to here. First, I'll be speaking at Brookside CRC for a few minutes for a missions update this Sunday, February 9th at both the 9:00 and 10:30 AM services. Love to see you there if you'd like to hear a little more about what's happening in Latin America. Second, Jenn and I and our kids made a big announcement on facebook this past week.  Caroline and Jack are both excited to be welcoming a little brother or sister in early August! (Jenn and I are excited too.)  Pray for Jenn's health and energy during these coming months!

 

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