Worship the True God…

This has been a busy month..

New Name for CAM

CAM International now has a new name…Camino Global.

The organization, established in 1890 as the Central American Mission, was renamed CAM International in 1975 in an effort to better communicate the breadth of its regional scope. Now in 2012, becoming known as Camino Global, the change once again represents the desire to convey a broadening scope of ministry—not only in Central America, but also into South America, Europe, and Asia. Spanish-speakers can be found across the world, and Camino Global maintains the vision to produce and empower committed followers of Jesus Christ in Spanish-speaking areas to reach the world.

Click here to see the full story about the change.

Quick Trip to Hico, TX

My sweet friend Linda Sterne has recently moved to Hico, TX and invited me to check out her new town and the new business that she and her husband recently acquired. It was a fun weekend and I got to experience the town’s annual steak cookoff while I was there.

Henley’s Graduation

My brother’s son, Henley graduated from Scurry-Rosser High School…in the top 10% of his class. Smart kid! It was fun seeing all of the Scurry folks that I went to school with as a kid.

Elections

This year, the Primary polls were open on a Sunday for Early Voting. Amanda, Joe, and I took advantage of the convenient time and voted together after church. We are truly fortunate to live in a country where we are free to worship, live openly, and take part in the government. Even for those who are not active in politics, we should consider the responsibility we have as a country governed by the people to educate ourselves about the issues and candidates that we choose to make decisions on our behalf.

The primary election went relatively smooth. Two of my clients are in the runoff which is held at the end of July…so there’s still more work to do for that.

Intern Orientation in Mexico City

Amanda, Joe, and I took a short trip to Mexico City and Ixtapaluca to take part in the summer intern orientation that Rod Fry hosted (my Camino Global team leader in Ixtapaluca). This was a great chance for the kids to get a real look at how my life will be when I move there. They got to see the huge need to present the truth of Jesus being the only way for salvation, and the need for training the local Christians (most are first generation believers and are hungry for solid teaching). If you see the kids around town, ask them about our time there and they can tell you that it is much more civilized and safe than they originally visualized…and I think they are now “okay” with me going there.

Amanda and I were able to take part in some of the Jesús María (the newest church plant) youth activities. They are kicking off the summer’s community center activities with a jam session. To promote this, the youth painted speed bumps in the neighborhood as a community service. As they did this, we passed out flyers with schedules of all of the activities that are offered there (English classes, guitar, piano, basketball, football , coffee shop, etc). We handed out over 400 of these and people were very receptive…many of them asking questions and wanting more information. It will be fun to see how the response is as the summer develops. This is a great way to reach out to the community…giving them tools to develop, plus sharing Christ’s love along the way.

One thing we came across while in Mexico City was the presence of idol and spirit worship…on the street, you could see open ceremonies where people would pay to have evil spirits removed. The video below shows one such ceremony. There were many going on in the same area. Idols were also prevalent among the mainstream church as well, with Aztec idols and worship practices mixed in with the traditional pre-reformation Catholicism. So much so, that Jesus is presented more as just another “saint” than as The Savior. I would ask that you pray for these people to hear the truth…they are so sincere and devoted to their misplaced worship…my heart hopes for them to open up and see Christ. 

To see a photo album of our trip, click here.