Monday, September 10, 2012

What would you say you do here??? We have been asking that a lot recently, about the ministry, El Pozo, as a whole and each individual that works here. With many changes taking place since this time last year, it has been a good chance to evaluate what we do here and the why behind it all. So after much discussion and prayer we came up with a simple but effective and truth filled mission statement that we will use to check everything we do.

We are a christian community that does this

Love students, Know Jesus Christ, Change the world

Our first three talks during our weekly events have been based on these principles and starting next week, we will start a four week series based on Family. It seems like so many of our students are struggling in some aspect with their families. From divorce and infidelity to over controlling parents our students are connected more than they know and we want to let them know that they are not alone. There are no perfect families out there, we all struggle in some way at some time with different issues, but the beauty of community and the church is that we have each other to lean on. Pray with us as we open our lives and share our stories in regards to our families in an effort to show our students they are not alone, we are all in this together, connected through Christ and part of a family so much bigger and deeper than blood or a last name.

Keeping with the family theme, we have revamped disciple/leadership and small groups this year. 7 of the 11 students we asked, accepted the opportunity and challenge to be a leader at El Pozo this year. These are students who are faithful in their walk with Christ, available and willing to invest their time and efforts into the ministry, teachable, and other focused will be challenged and poured into by each member of our staff in different ways to prepare and guide them as they take on a leadership role in El Pozo. Some of these students have been part of the ministry for years now and are about to graduate while others are just getting their feet wet and still have another 3-4 years of college left. There are all so different, coming from all over mexico and central america with distinct talents and gifts, yet connected through the love for their savior and desire to share him with others.
The leaders have been paired up and will start leading small groups next week. These small groups are called families because we see a need and desire for something more than just a weekly meeting to read the bible. Each student who walks though the doors of El Pozo has a desire to be loved and cared for during their time away from home in college. Some were so glad to leave because their homes were filled with more hate than love, while others have found an emptiness due to the lack daily love and encouragement that they used to get at home but now are separated from because of distance. Our leaders will be the parents of these families as they guide, teach and care for each member individually and as a whole. These families will study the bible together, pray together, serve together and just simply hangout and care for each other. The love of Christ will be the backbone of these families and the result will be changed lives and and a changed world, right now and forever.
Join us in praying for each leader individually and for the families they will be leading this year. My teammate Kami wrote a wonderful blog last week highlighting each leader that would be a great way to connect with them as you pray... http://kamiburns.cmfmissionary.org/2012/08/

God is moving in the lives of our students, in Cholula and la UDLA and using El Pozo as a tool. Thank you for your continued support and please don't stop praying for us daily. 

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