Omar
and Milly, graduates of the Missions Training Institute, returned to Mexico
from their two year experience in the Arabic Peninsula and shared with the
students.As they shared tales of how
God used them to transform the lives of people in the Middle East,
Joseph, one of our students, listened attentively stirring the passion in his
heart for the mission field.
Excitement
filled the faces of the neighborhood children as we passed out the donated toys
from a church in Texas, and what a blessing they were to the children!We have been working with the children in the
area near the new location.We also handed
out food for the neighborhood families as many families in the area are going
through some hard times financially.Since that day we have tried to give out supplies to other families as
long as the rice and beans lasted and some of the families have started going
to the church that we have started in the area!
We are
so pleased that Yamil, Nazario and Betsy have finished their three months of
cross-cultural training in Yucatan, Mexico.When I asked them what impacted them most they shared the following:
Nazario: For me, it was
the desperate needs of the children, many of them were left alone all day and
all night.Many of them spend time
wandering the streets searching for food and someone to care about them.It was heartbreaking to see them; we spent a
lot of time in the streets giving them food and love.
Yamil: For me, it
wasn't just that we were seeing the immensity of the poverty within the Mayan
communities but the great differences between the culture and seeing God use me
as a leader.I had never seen myself as
a leader, and yet I know that God wants to use me in that capacity.
Betsy: I am from this community and I have grown up
in the area because it is my Father's church that we worked with; it was the
change that others saw in me since my time at MTI that has impacted me the
most.I know that I will be well prepared
for what God has for me next as I reach for the Goal to be the first of my
people (Mayan's) to go to the 10/40 window as a missionary to Mozambique in
Africa.
We
ask for continued support and prayers; we are going through a hard time monthly
and we need monthly supporters who will be willing to give on a monthly basis -
no offering is too little or too big!We
are planning a promotional event to recruit new students for the next school
term.Please pray also for our upcoming
Saturday classes that we plan to start to help the local pastors and leaders.
Reflecting
His Glory,
M.A. Zayas
For
further information on how you can share in this ministry please send all
inquiries to:
Adventures
in Missions
Attn:
Donor Relations, 6000 Wellspring Trail, Gainesville, GA 30506
Some of this year's graduates had the following stories to share with you about their recent experiences during the three months with an indigenous group in Oaxaca, Mexico.
The following is from John:
Maria and her husband John are living witnesses to the revealing power of God. Maria and John were Catholic and very much into the practice of worshipping saints until one night as Mary was lighting a candle for Saint Michael, Mary said that she saw a man standing in front of her in shiny clothes. He told her that what she was doing was not pleasing unto God. John also had a similar experience as he was cleaning the church one evening. He was dusting the books when he saw a bible in his language opened to Exodus, where it says, "Thou shall not worship idols". It would not have seemed strange except John did not know how to read and somehow as he looked at the pages the Holy Spirit gave him the ability to read the words and to understand the meaning. Since that time both of them have converted to Christianity and have not ceased to pray for evangelists and missioners to come to their city. They said that we were the answer to their prayers. How amazing to know that I could be an answer to prayer for someone. My heart is to return to work with these wonderful people and to reach others in their city.
Ethny told us ..... Antonia is a woman in the reading and writing class. At first, she would get mad and frustrated at herself because she couldn't seem to learn as fast as the others. Antonia would say that she was not smart enough and that she was a dummy and could not learn to read or write, she would repeat the words "cuba cazuna" in her dialect. However at the end of the term she had the best grades in the class and she moved up to the more advanced class to receive her diploma. Now she is moving to the next level. For my part it was a great joy to be a part of showing Antonia that with the grace of God you can do anything, even become a teacher.
Special Points of Interest
Another year and it is time for the students to graduate. Many of them will be going to work in Mexico. Some will be planting churches and others will continue their training so that they will be more equipped to work as tentmakers on the mission field in other countries. Please keep them in your prayers as they go forward in the will of God.
New School: Coming Soon!
Thanks to those of you who have faithfully given, we will soon be ready to move the school to the new location. To give you an idea of how far we have come, take a look at these photos!
So how do you move a school the size of MTI ? Well, we are doing it 18 wheeler style.... With only a week more to go before the graduation we are utilizing the students. Beds and cabinets are being taken down and even bookshelves have to go. MTI is all a buzz right now with screws being loose and furniture being moved. A friend of the Institute is loaning us an 18 wheeler so that we can move as much as possible at one time. The students are glad to be involved in this part of the new chapter of MTI as we move forward in what God has for us.
Christmas Update
For Christmas, the students raised money by selling handmade bracelets, necklaces and earrings. They reached their goal to have enough money so that they could give a Christmas party for the 30 children that they have newly planted in the Church in Matamoros. What a blessing these children are, sharing the joy of our Saviour's birth with the little ones.
Thank You
I thank you on behalf of the staff and the students of MTI. We are eternally grateful to all of those who support us financially and prayerfully. God is doing great things through the youth of Mexico and with your help many more lives can be changed to reflect His glory.
Just days before the graduation the students are finishing last minute details there are invitations to be given and things to be packed for the trip home after graduation. Emotions of each of them are racing as they prepare for this night, something that they have worked toward for two years.Each year the students choose the name for their class and this year that name would be, "Designed to Conquer" the perfect name for this class. Many of them have conquered many things to get to this place. Most have faced fear head on and pushed through those times when they did feel that they would make it. During the time that they have been here one of the graduates had to face the death of one of his parents, as difficult as it was he didn't return home but chose to stay and continue his time here to study.
Church Planting The students of MTI have embarked on a new adventure in church planting. On the weekends they spend their time reaching out to the surrounding neighborhood where the new location of MTI will be. This gives them the chance to put into practice what they have been taught. They teach, preach, worship, and do social work. They practice dramas for a coming youth event in the area. They also hope to have events such as Marriage conferences to reach couples in the neighborhood. Their goal is to reach those who have never been to church or those who are not attending a local church. They are very well received by the community.
Student Ministry
Since we reached San Martin in Oaxaca, we have been so impressed with how beautiful it is here. It is surrounded by mountains. We could have never imagined that in a place so tranquil and beautiful that there would also be poverty so great that you immediately feel the pain of the people.
My name is Ethny and I am one of the students of MTI. It is amazing to me to be in my country and be among people who are speaking another language other than Spanish. Because I do not speak the dialect the family and I have had to find new ways of communicating with each other. I have already learned to say thank you.
When we arrived Raul the director had a doctor come to give us basic first aid training, and nutrition classes that we would later be responsible for teaching. We had much to learn. We also had to take a class in teaching Spanish because that would also be another project that we would be involved in. The people are illiterate and few of them can communicate in Spanish.
After our preparation time we were sent out to work in different teams. I am working with Isaiah, leader of the Church. The community that we are in is called Santa Cruz. The people are very friendly and they received us well even though we could not openly spread the Gospel. Raul told us, now we will preach the gospel with our lives.
The men on our team are giving literacy classes to the adults and I am teaching English for the third, fourth, fifth and sixth grades. I am giving nutrition classes in San Martin. I give computer classes to them as well. On Thursday I am with children because I give them prizes for doing their best in the work that I give them. It is a great opportunity for me to be here and I know that it will be life changing for me and my fellow classmates. I believe that this will be fruit that will remain.
Closer to the Goal Thanks to the generosity of many of our donors we are at 91% of our goal for the renovations on the MTI property in Matamoros. We have raised close to $32,000 and need $3,000 more to reach our goal of $35,000. Your gifts large and small help us to improve our facilities so that we can train up missionaries. Final work is scheduled to be done this month. If you are able, please send a gift today!
This summer, construction began for the new site of AIM's Missions Training Institute in Matamoros, Mexico. For the past 12 years, AIM partner Richard Rogers has been heavily involved in the work down there and has been one of the school's biggest supporters. Raised Catholic, Richard never really had a good understanding of Christ until he attended a revival service at the age of 33.
After receiving a new understanding and commitment for what it meant to follow Christ, Richard spent many years teaching in the Sunday School program at his church. Later on, an opportunity to lead evangelism in his church, as well as other local churches, produced in him a deep compassion for people and a desire to minister to the lost and the poor. A reluctant trip to Rio Bravo, Mexico in 1997 ended up changing his life. "As I drove home through Texas, I'd pass a house and start crying because we are so blessed and don't really appreciate what we have," Richard shares.
He's been going back to Mexico ever since, playing a huge part in the growth of the MTI. This year he's felt directed by the Lord to focus on the school more than ever. He visited in January and April for preparation, as well as in June to help work. This October he hopes to help completely finish the remodeling job on the MTI building, and help the students and faculty move in. "The school is in the process of becoming self sufficient and they're starting new ministries, so I want to help them as much as possible," Richard states as one of his ministry goals.
Richard's words of wisdom for anyone even thinking about doing missions is to start developing their relationship, their love, their faith, and trust in Jesus. "All ministry is just a byproduct of this and if you don't have it, you won't have anything to give away when you go. You may have a degree or a great desire to help people, but without a real love for God and for the people, you'll only sound like a clanking gong or symbol."
The first week of construction flew by, but with many accomplishments. Here's a video that tells the story of the beginning of the new MTI. We have big hopes for the school and all the students and are excited to be a part of the Institute. There is still a lot of work left to do on the Institute before completion, but it is at a functional level. Thank you once again.
Here are the last two days of our week of construction. The men's sewage line was dug and installed, all the interior and exterior painted and more. Thank you for your support.
Wow - there has been so much accomplished these past few days. Please watch this video so you can see it in action. All the wiring is completely finished. The two water tanks and pumps have been mounted and installed, we ran the water supply throughout the MTI, all bedrooms are painted, along with the hallways, kitchen, dining room, and most of the classroom. Also, new walls have gone up in the interior, toilets installed in the bathrooms, girl's bathroom's walls now have stucco and the dorms are being cleaned and prepped for finishing touches. Thank you for your prayers! It has been a little difficult to work in this extremely hot weather, but God gives us strength and the ability to push through. Can't wait to see what the rest of the week will bring...
Here is a video over the first two days of construction at the new MTI site. Much was accomplished the first 48 hours, which laid the groundwork for the rest of the week. The site was cleaned, all the wiring was completed for electricity in the outer wings, bedrooms were painted, walls constructed, light made available, bathroom prep and much, much more.
