Hello everyone,
I haven´t written in a while. We are still here and doing pretty well.
Again, I understand that this isn´t exactly a good time to say how well we are doing in light of all that is going on in Burma and China.
Nevertheless, the Lord has been very good to us.
Christy graduated from her high school in Mexico last week and will attend the University of Virginia this Fall as one of the Echol scholars Well, she also received a full-ride! Praise the Lord.
I am doing well although quite tired from having to teach (with joy) Greek! I am putting some hours (anywhere from 25 to 30 hours, mostly at nights) making a powerpoint slides for all the teaching with sounds and images. I am hoping to leave behind a multimedia Greek curricula in the hands of a couple of Mexican pastors who teach Greek here in Mexico. (Actually there is only one who teaches it but hopefully we can have one more).
I am no experto but I can see that the Lord has had me prepared throughtout the years to be a point where I can teach and finally perhaps master (using the term loosely here) once and for all.
I am still carrying 6 classes which I will continue until the end of June, then take one month off (possibly until mid-august) for some much needed breather. I love what the Lord is having me do here but I need to cool down what´s left of my brain.
It is rewarding when I here things like the following from my Comparative Systematic Theology Class:
1. Having finishing this course that lasted close to 18 months, the leader of the bapstist pastors prayed in our final class:
"Lord, I pray for my Pentecostal brothers that you blessed them . . . "
I seriously doubt whether he would have offered that prayer before studying with me his systematic theology along with the theology of the Pentecostals. No, he is not about to become a pentecostal, since he now knows very well their real problems (both theologically and in practice); nevertheless, he understands that their movement has made its unique contribution to the expansion of the Lord´s bidding in the world. As a baptist, he knows that their movement has a big part in Lord´s enterprise.
2. One of the Assemblies of God leaders said in the classroom (after hearing my explanation about eternal security-not the kind where you get saved and continue to live like the world, but one where a regenerated person produces fruits):
"Brothers, before we tell someone that perhaps he lost his salvation, we need to tell him that what is lost is the fellowship with God. We must exhaust that possibility before speculating whether they lost salvation." Then, others chimmed in, saying, "It is possible that that person who has no fruit to show for perhaps was never saved."
I have been trying to persuade them that the baptism with the HS doesn´t always accompany speaking in tongues. It is hard for them to see nor accept that, but at least these pastors understand that they cannot be dogmatic about it because there are at least 3 passage in Acts where believers, upon being full of the HS for the first time (synonomous as the baptism of the HS or receiving the gift of the HS in Acts), did not speak in tongues.
In another class, right now we are dealing with the wealth and healthy theology that is inundating Latinamerica.
Anyway, I got carried away as always with my writing.
Hey thanks for putting up with us. We still like living and serving here although not forever, I suppose.
Thanks for your support!!!
PS: Christy was the valedictorian (though out of only 12 students but this particular class had some outstanding students) so it was an accomplisment. The school gives an award called Schoarship award for the student with the highest grade for each school (elementary but only the 5th and 6th count; middle school; high school). Justin got the award for the elementary school. Joshua who has won this particular award for 4 consecutive years (5th through 8th grade) did not win this year as a 9th grader but did turn in an excelent work as well. Well, the kids are a lot smarter than their parents, well, at least their dad! I am happy for them! We are very very thankful for the school (calleed Binimea) down where our kids seemed have strived! For that reason alone, we are grateful that the Lord send us down here.
Thanks for your prayer
I haven´t written in a while. We are still here and doing pretty well.
Again, I understand that this isn´t exactly a good time to say how well we are doing in light of all that is going on in Burma and China.
Nevertheless, the Lord has been very good to us.
Christy graduated from her high school in Mexico last week and will attend the University of Virginia this Fall as one of the Echol scholars Well, she also received a full-ride! Praise the Lord.
I am doing well although quite tired from having to teach (with joy) Greek! I am putting some hours (anywhere from 25 to 30 hours, mostly at nights) making a powerpoint slides for all the teaching with sounds and images. I am hoping to leave behind a multimedia Greek curricula in the hands of a couple of Mexican pastors who teach Greek here in Mexico. (Actually there is only one who teaches it but hopefully we can have one more).
I am no experto but I can see that the Lord has had me prepared throughtout the years to be a point where I can teach and finally perhaps master (using the term loosely here) once and for all.
I am still carrying 6 classes which I will continue until the end of June, then take one month off (possibly until mid-august) for some much needed breather. I love what the Lord is having me do here but I need to cool down what´s left of my brain.
It is rewarding when I here things like the following from my Comparative Systematic Theology Class:
1. Having finishing this course that lasted close to 18 months, the leader of the bapstist pastors prayed in our final class:
"Lord, I pray for my Pentecostal brothers that you blessed them . . . "
I seriously doubt whether he would have offered that prayer before studying with me his systematic theology along with the theology of the Pentecostals. No, he is not about to become a pentecostal, since he now knows very well their real problems (both theologically and in practice); nevertheless, he understands that their movement has made its unique contribution to the expansion of the Lord´s bidding in the world. As a baptist, he knows that their movement has a big part in Lord´s enterprise.
2. One of the Assemblies of God leaders said in the classroom (after hearing my explanation about eternal security-not the kind where you get saved and continue to live like the world, but one where a regenerated person produces fruits):
"Brothers, before we tell someone that perhaps he lost his salvation, we need to tell him that what is lost is the fellowship with God. We must exhaust that possibility before speculating whether they lost salvation." Then, others chimmed in, saying, "It is possible that that person who has no fruit to show for perhaps was never saved."
I have been trying to persuade them that the baptism with the HS doesn´t always accompany speaking in tongues. It is hard for them to see nor accept that, but at least these pastors understand that they cannot be dogmatic about it because there are at least 3 passage in Acts where believers, upon being full of the HS for the first time (synonomous as the baptism of the HS or receiving the gift of the HS in Acts), did not speak in tongues.
In another class, right now we are dealing with the wealth and healthy theology that is inundating Latinamerica.
Anyway, I got carried away as always with my writing.
Hey thanks for putting up with us. We still like living and serving here although not forever, I suppose.
Thanks for your support!!!
PS: Christy was the valedictorian (though out of only 12 students but this particular class had some outstanding students) so it was an accomplisment. The school gives an award called Schoarship award for the student with the highest grade for each school (elementary but only the 5th and 6th count; middle school; high school). Justin got the award for the elementary school. Joshua who has won this particular award for 4 consecutive years (5th through 8th grade) did not win this year as a 9th grader but did turn in an excelent work as well. Well, the kids are a lot smarter than their parents, well, at least their dad! I am happy for them! We are very very thankful for the school (calleed Binimea) down where our kids seemed have strived! For that reason alone, we are grateful that the Lord send us down here.
Thanks for your prayer