Hola!
Hijole! Sorry about the last post...I had it written but experienced some technical difficulty with the photos and just now got it published...Since then, other things have happened, so I decided to write another right away. Here's the news that happened in the meantime!
First, we've had a lot of rain (around 2 inches earlier in January in only a day or two) and more this past week. To have so much rain is unusual for this area over the last 10-15 years or so, but actually pretty normal historically according the old-timers around here. I'd sure like to see the relative drought over the last decade or so come to an end, as would the rest of Mexico, I'm sure. The whole country has been much dryer than usual, with shorter rainy seasons, dying trees, lower water table, etc. The farmers have had to irrigate a lot more than usual, which is a considerable burden. I believe this is a continuation of what's happened over the last few years in California, etc., with historically dryer years that increase the risk of devastating wildfires. All that to say, I cast my vote for more mud and dreary weather in the Sonora desert!
Second, we had some remarkable winds about that time and the center concrete/styrofoam wall of the new house being built collapsed entirely, being open, exposed, and unsupported at the time. Quite a setback in terms of labor, time, and material, but thankfully no one was hurt. The Cissna Park team had to spend their last day stretching cables between the exterior walls to keep them from bowing out due to the unsupported roof weight.
Third, visitiors! In addition to Fairbury and Cissna Park, a small group from Peoria stopped by to do some small jobs. Thus, the kids had a chance to get a violin lesson from one of the group members and lots of other little details with painting, storage shelves, organization, etc. got done around campus. The Cissna and Fairbury teams made some big steps toward completing the fence around the property: all the brush is cleared, the posts are set, and we just have to stretch the chain link and barbed wire. Right now we have a Hungarian man from the sister church visiting and tearing into our immense woodpile, cutting, splitting, stacking, and making a cool bench out of some of the logs. Today the Eureka/Congerville/Goodfield team comes, bringing with them my aunt, uncle, and cousins, so I'm excited. It will be the first family to see where I live, work, etc. The day that team leaves, my parents and a mentor couple of mine will arrive for a week-long visit, making me even more excited!
Fourth, with Jonathon and Bere (two staff members) getting married soon, there are a lot of changes in store for the kids: Joel and Kristy Leman will take Bernardo (Beni), Jose, Angel, Daniel and Isaac, and Seth will take Frankie, Fede, and Michel. Uriel and Lili have already moved in with the Schicks as their adoption process moves forward. Isaac is an 8 year old, new to CVE, Daniel and Michel were two of the problem boys (Michel is profiled below), and Beni is the 6 month old we recieved in November. What all this means is that the old girls dorm will be remodeled (starting this week with the ECG team) for Joel and Kristy and their boys, while Joel Rinkenberger, Seth, and I will be with the other three boys in the other dorm. In the meantime, however, while the dorm is being remodeled, all the boys (7) and single males (4) will be crammed into the dormitory I currently live in with just Seth, Frankie, and Daniel. Please pray for patience, wisdom, and vigilance for the young men as the young boys will have greatly increased opportunities for problems among themselves. Please pray also that the remodeling (pretty extensive) will be completed quickly!
Don't forget to look at the pictures on photobucket! New camera, new photos, etc!
Prayer Requests:
Michel, profiled below, has a lot to learn about submission, obedience, and brokenness.
I have a lot to learn about pride, humility, and being a Mary instead of a Martha.
Jonathon and Bere have a lot of logistics and obstacles to work out in their budding relationship, what with distance, language, red tape, and culture and everything else.
There are lots of things to think about regarding the school...summer program, volunteers, plans for high school for the oldest kids, teachers for the coming year, certification, etc.
Haiti will disappear from the news, but the need will not.
Now then, for Michel...Michel is almost 14, but seems to have stopped maturing at a much earlier age, physically and mentally and spiritually. His mother committed suicide when he was very young, which obviously has had some very legitimate negative effects on his heart, but he has also used it as an illegitimate excuse for much more. He desperately wants attention from men older than him and boys younger than him, but his attempts to get it only drive people away from him, making him very difficult to love. Pray that this move to a dormitory of 3 men and two other boys, all older than he, will have a maturing effect. As it stands now, his heart is very hard and ill-prepared for the gospel.
A final closing thought...I have recently been impressed with the perfection of God's plan for the family, society, and church. All have been designed to include a broad range of ages, from very young to very old, with intense interaction and discipleship. As I've struggled with how to help these boys who can't seem to grow up or worked with younger kids who don't mind adults very well, I've had to think about maturing experiences in my own life...older brothers who gave me kicks in the pants in not so gentle ways, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, middle-aged mentors in the church, etc. We do not grow much by being segregated into similar age groups with similar maturity levels and life-perspectives. Rather, we grow by being discipled, corrected, encouraged, and spurred on by those who are younger and more energetic or older and more experienced. Unfortunately, the trend is away from God's integrated, rather uncomfortable discipleship and interaction plan to our own more convenient, more comfortable self-segregation. It's easier not to deal with the "impetuous, casual, disrespectful, change-minded younger generation." It's easier not to deal with the "stubborn, rigid, outdated, tradition-minded older generation." "What is this world coming to?" "How much longer until we are in charge and can change things to the new, better way?"
In schools, kids spend all their time with kids their own age (and thus have no pressure to grow up...they feed on each other's immature interests, thoughts, and opinions). In families, parents and siblings are detached and kids are attached to their friends (same age) either physically or electronically (once again, no pressure to look beyond their own little world, interests, obsessions, etc.). Sadly, in church, via single groups, separated worship services, contemporary vs. traditional worship styles, etc., we are also self-segregated by age (no pressure to gain the perspective of others more mature). What can be done to counteract this counter-maturational trend? Do young men my age have to be consumed by movies, video games, sports, and other entertainment, or can we look beyond ourselves to a world in need? Do teens and preteens have to be continually enslaved to the latest diva, hot stud, singer, fashion, or electronic device, or can they move beyond the narrow confines of American consumerism and pop culture? Will middle-aged adults always think money, position, power, prestige, and security are worth living for, sacrificing the things most important? Will the elderly be continually caught with a sense of declining productivity, constraints, and limitations, consumed with ever more miniscule concerns? I'm hitting on a lot of stereotypes and generalities, but my point is, what are we doing about the church, the family?
I've heard several times over the pulpit the need to reach down (mentor those younger than me), reach across (learn together with those my age), and reach up (be mentored by those older than me). This, of course, takes a lot more effort to move out of my little group and be inconvenienced, but I can look back on at least 5 special brothers who have gone out of their way to learn with me or mentor me, and countless more who have touched my soul in other ways. Now, will I continue looking across, reaching up to build relationships? Will I in turn disciple and take special interest in the younger generations? Will I reach out and integrate myself or stay comfortable and segregate myself with those who are like me?
Thanks, and sorry for the ramble!
Todd
Hijole! Sorry about the last post...I had it written but experienced some technical difficulty with the photos and just now got it published...Since then, other things have happened, so I decided to write another right away. Here's the news that happened in the meantime!
First, we've had a lot of rain (around 2 inches earlier in January in only a day or two) and more this past week. To have so much rain is unusual for this area over the last 10-15 years or so, but actually pretty normal historically according the old-timers around here. I'd sure like to see the relative drought over the last decade or so come to an end, as would the rest of Mexico, I'm sure. The whole country has been much dryer than usual, with shorter rainy seasons, dying trees, lower water table, etc. The farmers have had to irrigate a lot more than usual, which is a considerable burden. I believe this is a continuation of what's happened over the last few years in California, etc., with historically dryer years that increase the risk of devastating wildfires. All that to say, I cast my vote for more mud and dreary weather in the Sonora desert!
Second, we had some remarkable winds about that time and the center concrete/styrofoam wall of the new house being built collapsed entirely, being open, exposed, and unsupported at the time. Quite a setback in terms of labor, time, and material, but thankfully no one was hurt. The Cissna Park team had to spend their last day stretching cables between the exterior walls to keep them from bowing out due to the unsupported roof weight.
Third, visitiors! In addition to Fairbury and Cissna Park, a small group from Peoria stopped by to do some small jobs. Thus, the kids had a chance to get a violin lesson from one of the group members and lots of other little details with painting, storage shelves, organization, etc. got done around campus. The Cissna and Fairbury teams made some big steps toward completing the fence around the property: all the brush is cleared, the posts are set, and we just have to stretch the chain link and barbed wire. Right now we have a Hungarian man from the sister church visiting and tearing into our immense woodpile, cutting, splitting, stacking, and making a cool bench out of some of the logs. Today the Eureka/Congerville/Goodfield team comes, bringing with them my aunt, uncle, and cousins, so I'm excited. It will be the first family to see where I live, work, etc. The day that team leaves, my parents and a mentor couple of mine will arrive for a week-long visit, making me even more excited!
Fourth, with Jonathon and Bere (two staff members) getting married soon, there are a lot of changes in store for the kids: Joel and Kristy Leman will take Bernardo (Beni), Jose, Angel, Daniel and Isaac, and Seth will take Frankie, Fede, and Michel. Uriel and Lili have already moved in with the Schicks as their adoption process moves forward. Isaac is an 8 year old, new to CVE, Daniel and Michel were two of the problem boys (Michel is profiled below), and Beni is the 6 month old we recieved in November. What all this means is that the old girls dorm will be remodeled (starting this week with the ECG team) for Joel and Kristy and their boys, while Joel Rinkenberger, Seth, and I will be with the other three boys in the other dorm. In the meantime, however, while the dorm is being remodeled, all the boys (7) and single males (4) will be crammed into the dormitory I currently live in with just Seth, Frankie, and Daniel. Please pray for patience, wisdom, and vigilance for the young men as the young boys will have greatly increased opportunities for problems among themselves. Please pray also that the remodeling (pretty extensive) will be completed quickly!
Don't forget to look at the pictures on photobucket! New camera, new photos, etc!
Prayer Requests:
Michel, profiled below, has a lot to learn about submission, obedience, and brokenness.
I have a lot to learn about pride, humility, and being a Mary instead of a Martha.
Jonathon and Bere have a lot of logistics and obstacles to work out in their budding relationship, what with distance, language, red tape, and culture and everything else.
There are lots of things to think about regarding the school...summer program, volunteers, plans for high school for the oldest kids, teachers for the coming year, certification, etc.
Haiti will disappear from the news, but the need will not.
Now then, for Michel...Michel is almost 14, but seems to have stopped maturing at a much earlier age, physically and mentally and spiritually. His mother committed suicide when he was very young, which obviously has had some very legitimate negative effects on his heart, but he has also used it as an illegitimate excuse for much more. He desperately wants attention from men older than him and boys younger than him, but his attempts to get it only drive people away from him, making him very difficult to love. Pray that this move to a dormitory of 3 men and two other boys, all older than he, will have a maturing effect. As it stands now, his heart is very hard and ill-prepared for the gospel.
A final closing thought...I have recently been impressed with the perfection of God's plan for the family, society, and church. All have been designed to include a broad range of ages, from very young to very old, with intense interaction and discipleship. As I've struggled with how to help these boys who can't seem to grow up or worked with younger kids who don't mind adults very well, I've had to think about maturing experiences in my own life...older brothers who gave me kicks in the pants in not so gentle ways, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, middle-aged mentors in the church, etc. We do not grow much by being segregated into similar age groups with similar maturity levels and life-perspectives. Rather, we grow by being discipled, corrected, encouraged, and spurred on by those who are younger and more energetic or older and more experienced. Unfortunately, the trend is away from God's integrated, rather uncomfortable discipleship and interaction plan to our own more convenient, more comfortable self-segregation. It's easier not to deal with the "impetuous, casual, disrespectful, change-minded younger generation." It's easier not to deal with the "stubborn, rigid, outdated, tradition-minded older generation." "What is this world coming to?" "How much longer until we are in charge and can change things to the new, better way?"
In schools, kids spend all their time with kids their own age (and thus have no pressure to grow up...they feed on each other's immature interests, thoughts, and opinions). In families, parents and siblings are detached and kids are attached to their friends (same age) either physically or electronically (once again, no pressure to look beyond their own little world, interests, obsessions, etc.). Sadly, in church, via single groups, separated worship services, contemporary vs. traditional worship styles, etc., we are also self-segregated by age (no pressure to gain the perspective of others more mature). What can be done to counteract this counter-maturational trend? Do young men my age have to be consumed by movies, video games, sports, and other entertainment, or can we look beyond ourselves to a world in need? Do teens and preteens have to be continually enslaved to the latest diva, hot stud, singer, fashion, or electronic device, or can they move beyond the narrow confines of American consumerism and pop culture? Will middle-aged adults always think money, position, power, prestige, and security are worth living for, sacrificing the things most important? Will the elderly be continually caught with a sense of declining productivity, constraints, and limitations, consumed with ever more miniscule concerns? I'm hitting on a lot of stereotypes and generalities, but my point is, what are we doing about the church, the family?
I've heard several times over the pulpit the need to reach down (mentor those younger than me), reach across (learn together with those my age), and reach up (be mentored by those older than me). This, of course, takes a lot more effort to move out of my little group and be inconvenienced, but I can look back on at least 5 special brothers who have gone out of their way to learn with me or mentor me, and countless more who have touched my soul in other ways. Now, will I continue looking across, reaching up to build relationships? Will I in turn disciple and take special interest in the younger generations? Will I reach out and integrate myself or stay comfortable and segregate myself with those who are like me?
Thanks, and sorry for the ramble!
Todd
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