Dan and Lyndsay in Tijuana

November Newsletter

2010-11-12T15:27:00.000-08:00

Here is a PDF version of our November newsletter from Baja Bible School. As you will read we are finishing our time in Tijuana with the school at the end of the year. We have worked hard and achieved some things and learned a lot. We leave in a spirit of thankfulness to God and Baja Bible School staff and students knowing we have received more than we have given.

Some of you might be interested in reading a recent objective security analysis of security in Tijuana. Thanks to Kenn Morris from Crossborder Group Inc. and Flavio Olivieri from the Tijuana Economic Development Council for their willingness to share this piece of research with us.

Dan and Lyndsay Silver

Quieter Summer

2010-09-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

Less hectic, but still full.

I (Dan) was busy running and teaching in our summer internship program. We had three excellent summer interns that I thoroughly enjoyed working with. Our goal was to make the summer internship a free, short version of our year-long program and at the same time use the interns to accomplish some of the goals that BBS needed to be working toward (recruiting, improving the campus).

One of our interns, Justin, was an engineering student from Riverside, California. He had a great summer and after hearing us talk a lot about God's mission to the world - he decided that he wanted to be a "internationally sent" part of it. (It sounds funny, but I say it that way because ALL of us who know Christ are sent on His mission to wherever we are.) So he'll be finishing his degree and then looking possibly at an area of the Buddhist world in which to work.

We are continuing to see lots of young people challenged, and broadened, and coming to grips with Gods calling for them after being here (and it's not always international missions, either).

Some of the best days I have are the ones where I get to sit in my living room with a student or a group of students and I get to be a part of encouraging them and helping them process who God made them to be and what work He has fashioned them for.

Dan

ZUMBA!!!

2010-06-09T15:26:00.000-07:00

It was probably a year ago when I first saw the sign " Zumba horario: Lunes 7-8, Martes 6-7, etc.." I had wanted to go way back then, just never did. I now mourn my lost year.

When we arrived I introduced myself to couple of girls in the back, Julia and Maria, who graciously made a little room for us. They said they came every night. I could tell they were serious. They had jingle skirt overlays. Later I would end up meeting a few more ladies, mostly ones I had stepped on, whopped, or run into. They were gracious, as well. It seemed my accidental assaults had not ruined their fun at all.

It would have been a bit awkward, but I wish I had had my camera. Here's what it looked like: At least 60 Latinas of all ages and sizes decked out in their sweat pants, t-shirts, make up, and little jingle skirt overlays... we'll get to those. They (and the two misfits: myself and one of our summer interns, Richell) were packed TIGHTLY into a little room dance-exercising our hearts out. If you stepped left when everyone else went right, you were stepping on or getting stepped on.

Eva, our instructor wore her "Zumba" tank top and a special Zumba necklace with some cargo capris and her jingle-skirt-overlay (JSO). I think only those who were really serious about Zumba dared to don a JSO - about half the class had them. Still, I have to admit, I really wanted one. It's sort of like ballet dancing without a tutu. You can do it without the tutu, but a tutu brings legitimacy. Anyway, instructor Eva, all of 5'2'' and maybe 100 lbs yelled our orders like a Mexican sergeant. Often it sounded like "frente...arriba...bajo!", sometimes it was just a "hup!... ehhhii." We danced "latin with a bit of hip hop" for a solid hour. We jumped, turned, kicked, shook, and basically owned that industrial tile floor. By the end, most of us were still standing, most breathing pretty hard, and I was DRENCHED. It was the most fun I've had exercising since...7th grade when Ms. Lisa (my dance teacher) surprised us and had "jazz" night instead of our regular ballet class.

In short, Zumba is a BLAST! But I'm pretty sure that having experienced Zumba IN Latin America more or less tipped the scales for me.

PS - Dad, all those years of dance class are finally paying off!!!

Baja Bible School's First Graduating Class

2010-04-05T13:52:00.001-07:00

We're so proud to present the first graduating class of Baja Bible School! The graduation ceremony was held Friday and was a huge success. We're so excited for our students as they take all they have learned and embark on new adventures, courses of study, and other exciting commitments. Our staff team feels a great sense of accomplishment, and as we discussed in our debriefing this morning, has a number of areas which will be used for learning and improvement as we move toward our next school year. And I think everyone is looking forward to a change in pace in the upcoming weeks.

Please pray for our staff team this summer as we take on different responsibilities. Pray for our recruiting efforts and for God's provision for us and for our school. Pray for the interns who will be joining us for the summer and the summer program that Dan will be running for them. Please pray for safe travel as many of our staff will be connecting with family and friends, taking a vacation, or doing mission work in a different country this summer. Pray that all would be refreshed and renewed in God's Word and by His Spirit. Please also pray for the work that will take place over the summer on our campus and that God would impress on the hearts of those He would have come to Baja Bible School.

And please, know this: WE APPRECIATE YOU!!! For those of you who so faithfully support us in prayer, financially, in service and hospitality, in being a sounding board, a support, and an encouragement. You have been used by Christ in a mighty way in our lives and we are so thankful for you. Friday's graduation would not have been possible without the work of the Body. Thank you and Congratulations!

Lifted Hands

2010-03-10T15:41:00.003-08:00

I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

Psalm 63:4 (NIV)

Our small Heartline Ministries Hospital had around 40 inpatients depending on the day and many more clinic patients during the week. While I was there I usually took care of our female patients and during that time, I learned many of their stories. I'd like to share one of them now.

Marjorie was a school teacher in Port Au Prince, and at the time of the earthquake, she was at the school - a structure not built to withstand an a earthquake. I'm not sure how long she awaited rescue, but she eventually made it out with her life. Sadly, she would be the sole survivor of that school; her entire class perished. Her recovery has been difficult, not merely as a result of her extensive injuries, but due to the chaos around her, long waits, tropical weather, and consuming sadness. Marjorie had severe trauma to her left hand and one of her legs. Her hand had to be amputated, but her fractured femur was repaired with surgery. The first time we removed her stub dressing it was very scary for her. She neither wanted to look, nor did she want others to see. She insisted we cover it up again, which we did. One day I noticed that the physical therapist had gotten her up to walk with crutches - which was an exciting, albeit common site at our hospital (first walks after femur fractures). What made Marjorie's experience especially inspiring was that she was walking with crutches without the use of her (now absent) hand. To me, it looked pretty hard. Marjorie has a quiet, incredibly sweet, but determined soul. There are few times I have been so moved as when I noticed her worshiping one night during a service. Below there is both picture and video of Marjorie praising her Lord - though you may have to look hard to pick her out (she's wearing pink in each of these). Also pictured below: Marjorie with her good friend and fellow patient Siliene and 2 of their nurses (Melissa and myself).

Haiti, a tour

2010-03-10T15:41:00.001-08:00

So, you arrive at the Port au Prince airport, an adventure in itself. Once you step out the front door, outside the fence, you're "greeted" by a large group of shouting people (who, for a small fee, would like to help you with your bags) and a surprising amount of traffic.

Some of the tent cities you spotted from the plane, are brought closer. Not all tent cities are created equal, you learn. You hear stories of knife fights over tents, brutal robberies during the night. The walls of a tent, though preferable to the crumbling walls of former homes, offer little protection. Some are not tents at all, but bedsheets, plastic, and cardboard hung from make-shift poles.

Then, you get a glimpse of the rubble, sporadic at first, but as you make your way into the heart of the city, you realize it is nearly uninhabitable. The cathedral is a before and after picture (top/bottom), the other pictures were taken on the drive through Port au Prince. The palace you may have seen on the news. Many of the government buildings - among the oldest structures in the city, were utterly flattened. "Mountain" goats seize an opportunity to explore the remains of a home and children play on what used to be a roof.)

Imagine being trapped under that concrete. Imagine the utter pain of a compound fracture, knowing you were bleeding, without food or water, unsure if you would be found, rescued. Lying day after day in the sticky heat, night after night alone under what used to be your home, your work place, your school. We found that everyone had a vivid memory of the 53 seconds of earth shaking terror. For some, the horror didn't stop for many days.

So what was Haiti like before, you wonder? As you rove through the city you notice that some places don't seem to have much rubble, perhaps these parts looked quite similar prior to January 12th.

And that's the tour. Thanks for coming folks... OK, so it's hard to know how to finish this post. I want to end with hope. But Haiti is very much a worst case scenario and hope, though alive in the hearts of her people, is elusive once you take in the scope of what has happened - even before the quake, and what is happening today. We have to pray for Haiti. What hope is there apart from Christ? Apart from the body of Christ interceding on behalf of a broken nation? Apart from a miracle?

I've been reading my friend Barbie's blog again. I don't mean to hound you about it, but she gives such an amazing, raw recount the situation on the ground in Haiti. Her most recent post is about a dying girl who is denied entry into the emergency room that could save her life - a true story - a purely political power play. Disgusting. It's coupled with a call to action - a plea, really.

Special thanks to Laurel Clay and Sarah Holm for the use of a few of their photos!

Stories of Kids at the Hospital in Haiti

2010-03-10T15:21:00.000-08:00

I'm back in our Tijuana apartment and am starting to process bits of my last 13 days. Needless to say, there's a lot going through my mind.

I was privileged to work with a number of outstanding health care professionals who came to serve in Haiti. One of those fine people was a physician's assistant by the name of Barbie B. She does an amazing job of capturing her/our experience in Haiti in her blog.

The kids
One of my favorite parts of being Haiti was hanging out with the children in our hospital. They have proven amazingly resilient and irresistibly adorable.
Lisa came to us for recovery from a broken pelvis, Dina for a broken leg. Close in age and proximity (their cots were side by side) they quickly became best friends. If Dina needed crutches to walk, then Lisa would require them as well. If Lisa was having pain, both would be taking some Ibuprofen. We called them the little twins. And it was difficult to walk by their bed without smiling, without them wanting you to stop and tickle or hug them. (As you see below, Dina took quite an interest in her care)

There are three little boys who stick out in my mind, though there were many more girls and boys at our facility than I will mention here. Ramon is the first, he had a terrible wound to his foot which required skin grafting. By the time I had left he was fully mobile and seemed to feel quite well. You could tell 13 year-old Ramon was sharp and liked to have fun. He picked up a bit of English during his stay and really liked the phrase "You (are) trouble." He said it to me many times throughout the day, to which I would respond with English I knew he would understand "No, you're trouble!" And this would go on with smiles and laughter.
Rosemon was the 10 year old mentioned in a previous post. He lost both parents in the quake. His grandmother was at his side, still, he had many tearful days. Yet, his last several days with us he was more happy than sad. He was becoming more mobile, his wounds and skin grafts were healing and I think he was beginning to see some hope. His hand, fractured in many places and now contracting was still painful to touch and needed to be splinted (for comfort) at night. He would show up like clockwork at the nurses station door every evening so that Ruth, our physical therapist could wrap and splint him. To pass the time, he enjoyed singing. "We are the World" was a favorite of his, and I've posted a short video for you to enjoy.
Rony is the thrid little boy who warmed my heart. Rony and his father wandered the streets of Port au Prince for four weeks in search of help for open fractures of his eye and face. When he was finally examined, the crushed eye was swollen and inflamed and bot fly larvae were found growing in the infected tissue around and behind his eye. This little eleven year old came to us unable to smile, open his right eye, and rather lethargic. Before I left he was smiling with both eyes open. He was a brave 11. He required many IV antibiotics - a couple of them especially harmful and painful to the veins with a number of side effects and will likely continue to require multiple IVs in his little hands and arms. He cries a little, but he doesn't pull away. I think he knows that these IVs have saved his life.

Nursing by Headlamp

2010-03-06T01:25:00.001-08:00

Tonight is my last night-shift to work, at this moment I have the time and the internet connection to tell you just a little about it.

After the worship service, the patients usually watch a movie together (tonight it was one of the Narnia movies - in French). Sometimes a few of the more ambulatory patients will re-inact the movie and then, eventually, everyone will settle into their cots for the night. Since a majority of our patients aren't fully mobile, getting them to cot (to bed :)) doesn't take too long. It's getting them setteled down that can take a while. Tonight was a night that took longer than some. We had a patient return from surgery (at a different facility) who needed pain and anxiety medication. Unfortunately the medication made her a little loopy with a desire to sing quite a bit.

It gets dark around 6:20p.m., after the main lights are turned off, all of our work is done by head lamp. I've never been so thankful for my little Petzl!

Several of our patients are on IV antibiotics, so we will "hang" those at the appropriate times - sometimes from a homemade IV pole (I noticed one is fashoned out of a Chrismas tree stand and some rebar), sometimes from some railing or curtain rod that may be conveniently near the patient.

There have been 3 nights so far that women have showed up in the evening to have their babies! Tonight is not one of those nights. However, one of our new moms had her milk supply come in tonight and the baby and momma had some trouble adjusting. Fortunately, Emily, the nurse with me tonight, is virtually a breast feeding expert and was able to set our new mom on the right track!

The three year old at the end of a long line of cots typically wakes up 2-3 times a night crying out "mamon, mamon!" You can guess what that means. She's always right at his side, though.

Usually one of our patients, Garry, will decide to have a nice, long chat with his wife, lying in the cot beside him. This usually starts around 3a.m. Whispering doesn't seem to be something the Hatians in our hospital are accustomed to. For some reason many of our patients have cell phones and 4a.m. seems to be the prime time for them to receive calls.

We listen to the combination of snores, roosters, and baby coos and whimpers and try to let our patients sleep through the wee hours as best we can. As the sun comes up at 5:30 our patients begin to rouse. The day starts again and we leave them in the capable hands of the next shift.

Lespua Fe Vir

2010-03-06T00:27:00.000-08:00

"Lespua Fe Vir " is posted on our "hospital" wall by the "nurses station". It is a Hatian proverb that means "Hope makes life, by hope we live". I've been thinking about hope a little. And since I've been working the night shift, I've had a few extra madrugada (middle of the night) minutes to think on such things.

I'm sitting in the nurses station (an old dinning room table, a few chairs, another table with all of the supplies on it, a cabinet or two and some stacked rubbermade bins, some charts in front of me and a large black dog near my feet). The drone of the oscillating fan and rhythmic snoring outside is periodically interrupted by the cry of one of the 6 infants wanting to nurse or the crow of the overhasty rooster behind our building.

This could go in a really depressing direction. But instead of telling you about the devastation I have seen, I would like to share about the hope I have witnessed.

Erta is a lovely lady I met the day I arrived in Haiti. She speaks English well, and graciously taught me some basic Creole to help me get by. Erta has seven children. She told me the story about her experience in the earthquake, how her two oldest children who were in college in a different part of the city were trapped in the rubble. She told me that they were found and rescued and that this was a miracle from God. She then began to tell me that she has to be thankful to God everyday because He is SO faithful. She spread her slender arms as far as she could and said with a huge smile, but full of conviction "God is SO GOOD, I can measure His goodness!"

Here in the hospital there's a worship service for our patients every evening. It's all in Hatian, so I don't truly know what they're saying... but I think I pretty much get the jist. They talk and pray and sing and it's all about Jesus. His goodness, His faithfulness. The service comes right after shift change which is a very busy time for the nurses. But I always try to stop for at least a few minutes and take it all in. At the risk of hyperbole: The worship is joyfully rapturous. My brain does not connect the words, but my heart understands in full. Jesus is being adored.

So I'm thinking about hope tonight. What is the hope of Haiti? What is the answer to the devastation I have seen? To the loss and the suffering? The answer is Christ. He knows of and cares for the people of Haiti - their souls and their eternal future, as well as their bodies and their suffering today.

2010-03-02T22:09:00.000-08:00

Excerpt of email from Lyndsay received Tuesday night:

at this stage after the quake- we're starting to see some recovery, cast removal, wound healing in many of our patients. it's very exciting to see the progress, the hope in the eyes of people who are walking again, when they weren't sure that they would. of course, in many patients it's a painful process. it's also a difficult one. some of our patients are ready to be discharged from the hospital - but they have no home to go to. Unfortunately, for some Hatians who didn't get medical help until later - we're fighting serious, life threatening infections. Please pray for Rony - a young boy who has a severe infection and is on strong IV medications that have many side effects.
Please continue to pray for me for strength and energy. and that I would be the hands, feet, smile, and touch of Christ.

Keep praying for her! She just finished 3 days of 12 hour shifts and will have a 24 hour period off, then she will start working 12 hour night shifts.

Back in Tijuana we are working hard with the group from Ecola Bible School. I have put in 15 hours each day the last two days and the terrace we're building on our campus is coming together very nicely. We'll post pictures in a few days probably (and from Haiti, too, when we get them).

We appreciate your prayers and we LOVE getting emails or comments from you - so don't be shy in communicating. We'll write back!

Dan

First Shift In Haiti

2010-02-28T22:49:00.000-08:00

I heard from Lyndsay! I've copied and pasted her email below. She sounded in great spirits, though tired. In the email below she refers to the "Ecola group". A Bible school that we are close friends with (Ecola Bible School) is on a short-term missions trip to the same ministry as Lyndsay (although not at the clinic, obviously). Ecola also happens to do a missions trip to Tijuana every year - and they are here with us this week at Baja! Interesting how that works out. We'll be working hard tomorrow building some retaining walls on campus and finishing a lot of projects that have been a long time coming!

I think our Baja students (who all chose to stay here for spring break) will enjoy being the Mexico/Spanish/Missions experts as they lead Ecola students in their work here.

Good day in inpatient/outpatient hospital. I helped with walk-in's today and got to know some of our inpatients. Each has a story. Most have a sad one. Rosemond a 10 year old with a severe foot injury, multiple fractures in his hand, and many more scars on his face and body has the sweetest spirit. Today he was sad, though. He was probably thinking about his parents, both of whom were killed in the quake. It's always sad when kids are injured or sick. But to couple that with the loss of both parents is unimaginable. His grandma was at his side and he received lots of love and attention from the nurses, particularly Mary, an RN from Minnesota.

Another patient is a very young mother. She had an "open book" pelvic fracture (which is REALLY bad under normal circumstances. Both legs were broken, one was crushed and had to be amputated. AND she was pregnant!!!! They took the baby C-section (I think). BOTH of them are doing very well and the mom was in good spirits today :).

As we were mid- shift change in the middle of report- by flashlight (problems with the generator throughout the day)... a lady came to the gate...in labor! Fortunately one of the long term missionaries here is a midwife! She took the lady to the women's clinic... and those of us who had been there all day headed home for dinner. There are so many people, so many stories here. We did a number of dressing changes today - it really impacted me the number of people that (obviously) had things fall on them.

There was a nice devotion tonight in Ephesians 2:8-11 i think. The Ecola group is working REALLY hard - most of it is pretty dirty, tedious, heavy work. They have great attitudes (and way more energy than a 32 year old :))

Lyndsay Taking Shifts in Clinic

2010-02-26T19:58:00.000-08:00

Heard from Lyndsay this evening. She's in Haiti safe and sound and has an internet phone she can use!

She hardly slept at all since they were on a red eye. She's exhausted and has a headache, etc. so she asked to please pray for energy. She visited the make-shift hospital that she'll be taking shifts at and already helped get some things organized today.

I'm taking my parents to the airport tomorrow morning along with this week's teacher, Brad Harper, visiting from Multnomah University. It has been a really excellent week learning about church history and discussing how we can learn from the mistakes, and the wisdom, of the historical church.

Tomorrow afternoon I'll be coming back from the airport and immediately welcoming a group of 32 students from Ecola Bible School who will be receiving some missions teaching and working on our campus and a couple of other Tijuana ministries during their spring break. My younger sister Christina happens to be leading the group - so she'll be staying at the apartment with me while Lyndsay is gone!

Dan

Clinic Lyndsay Is Working With

2010-02-26T17:57:00.000-08:00

Here's a link to the blog of the ministry in Haiti that Lyndsay is working with.

In Haiti

2010-02-26T14:41:00.000-08:00

Well, Lyndsay, my mom, and I went on final errands yesterday on the way to the San Diego airport. This included:

picking up a bunch of antibiotics here in Mexico (available without a prescription) and praying they would let us over the border with the small quantities we had (enough to treat maybe 30 people)
going to REI in Chula Vista to buy a mosquito net for Lyndsay
getting huge quantities of triple antibiotic ointment and pain-killers at Walmart
dropping by the Mexico Medical Ministries warehouse to pick up their generous donation of gauze and suture kits.

At the end of the errands we were able to pack an entire large suitcase full of medical supplies - about 70 lbs!

We don't know how much Lyndsay will be able to communicate from Haiti over the next 12 days, but I'll keep you updated as I get updates. I heard from her very early this morning - she called from Florida as they were boarding the plane to Port-au-Prince.

More to come soon, God willing.

Tijuana to Haiti - Tomorrow!

2010-02-24T15:31:00.000-08:00

Well, I (Lyndsay) am packing today and catching the first of a series of flights to Haiti tomorrow! As I started to throw my camera in the bag I thought I it might be a good idea to empty the memory card so that there's plenty of room. In doing so, I found some pictures I wanted to share to give you a little glimpse into the last few weeks of our time in TJ.
First, the Super Bowl. As we were given a TV after inheriting free cable from our landlord, we were informed by our students and staff that we would be hosting a Super Bowl Party :). It was a lot of fun, with lots of especially yummy food. Here's a few pics of staff and students enjoying the Saints vs. Colts...

Not long after the super bowl was Valentine's Day. A special Valentine's Tea was held at our house for all of the Baja Bible School ladies. We had a great time and a - bonus - I got to use my cake stand!

And finally a picture of Dan hard at work. This is actually a big part of his job - discipling and mentoring the male students at Baja Bible School. We often have guys over to spend a night away from campus or come for breakfast or coffee. It's a really fun part of the job (as are Super Bowl Parties and Valentine's Teas).

Plans Solidified

2010-02-18T15:07:00.000-08:00

Lyndsay has officially received a flight itinerary! She will be leaving for Haiti February 25th and will return March 9th, Lord willing.

She will be traveling with a team from Ecola Bible School (www.ecola.org) and, once on the ground in Port au Prince, will be working with Heartline Ministries (www.heartlineministries.org) medical relief team. She has been greatly encouraged by your prayers and gifts. Please continue to pray for her as she prepares!

Haiti Next Week

2010-02-15T12:51:00.000-08:00

Due to logistical and travel difficulties Haiti Endowment Fund will not be sending a medical team to Haiti this week and is not yet sure when they will be able to get the next team on the ground in Hinche, Haiti. Therefore, you guessed it, Lyndsay is not in Haiti...yet.

She has found another organization and will probably leave for Haiti February 25. We will update when we know more! Please pray that this would work out, that God would provide all that is needed, and would give her physical health and spiritual and mental readiness before she leaves.
Thank you so much!

Planning to go to Haiti tomorrow

2010-02-12T14:49:00.000-08:00

According to the sending organization, the plan is to depart for Haiti on Sunday. Needless to say, logistics/travel/infrastructure are still quite difficult in the devastated country, therefore our travel plans are not yet been finalized.

Please pray that the flights would line up and we would be able to get into Haiti on Sunday as quickly and easily. Please also pray that we would be able to get to Hinche, the city we will be working out of, as soon as possible so that we can maximize our time with those who need medical attention there and in the surrounding villages.

Thanks so much to all of you who have already been praying, to those of you who have given financially, for the notes and emails, and for the other little things some of you have done to encourage us more than you know.

I received an update from a team-member who went on an earlier trip with the same organization. Here's a little of what he said...

Since arriving in Haiti we have seen over 400 patients in two of our regular villages and our compound. We have taken care of patients that were injured from the earthquake at every village we went to. On Feb. 10th we were able to go to a refuge camp for people displaced by the earthquake from PAP. When we arrived we witnessed a prayer meeting ...the emotional and spiritual pain that the people were expressing was enough to bring tears to anyone. In spite of all their loss they were still able to sing “All hail the power of Jesus’ Name ...What a testimony from the ones that are suffering. We have been taught much from our brothers and sisters in Haiti ...[Afterward we] attended to all their health needs working out of the tailgate of our trucks. Unlike our other clinics, we dealt a lot more with emotional stress from the aftermath of the earthquake. What a privilege it was for us to be able to minister to them in the little way that we did. God is so good to us.

Again, thank you. Please continue to pray. We'll let you know when Lyndsay is able to leave and post updates once she's on the ground in Haiti.

Haiti Medical Relief

2010-02-02T10:15:00.001-08:00

We've been looking for a way to get Lyndsay to Haiti to help. (She's a nurse practitioner.)

We finally found an organization headquartered outside of San Diego, the Haiti Endowment Fund, that is sending groups of medical personnel weekly for the next several months. So Lyndsay volunteered and she leaves February 14th!

The medical team Lyndsay will be a part of will minister to the physical needs of Hinche and surrounding villages. According to a group recently returned, she will see children and adults with wounds, fractures, infections, surgical needs, and post-surgical needs in addition to other primary care issues.

Please Pray:
For Lyndsay as she prepares to go to Haiti. That her heart would be prepared to give, to endure, and to see through the eyes of Christ.

For Lyndsay while she is in Haiti. For her safety as she travels. That she would have the wisdom required in medical and spiritual matters. And that God would use her how He desires.

For Lyndsay's friend Heather. Heather is an RN in San Diego who has agreed to go with the team. She will be of great value to the team, but this is the first trip of this nature for her. Pray as she prepares and goes to Haiti, as well - Lyndsay is so thankful to have a friend with her!

Paying For It
Getting to Haiti, immunizations, and medical supplies for the trip will cost us about a month's salary ($1200-1500) so we're buying the ticket with our savings and opening it up to you to help as you're led. We will give any gifts over the amount needed for Lyndsay's trip to other relief efforts to Haiti. Thanks in advance!

Tax-deductible donations can be made through our school (donate online on this blog, or send a check to the school with a note indicating the purpose of the donation)

"Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind" 1Peter 3:8.

Perspectives on the World Christian Movement

2010-02-02T09:24:00.000-08:00

A few pictures of Perspectives missions course at Baja Bible School

We are in the last week of our 3 week Perspectives missions course. All of our students, many of our staff, and some friends from another ministry in Tijuana are participating. We even have some Perspective students who have joined us from as far as Alaska and Idaho. I can't begin to relate how exciting and challenging this class has been for the staff and students!

We've read and heard stories from around the globe of people turning to Christ, God making himself known in miraculous ways, His faithfulness and power. Here's what some of the students have said about it:

The class teaches about "seeing the world through God’s eyes for His glory. [It's] interesting to look at the Bible as a story of how God is bringing his people, seeing the big picture”. (JV - student at Baja Bible School from California)

For me its been exciting to grasp the way the Bible, as a whole, completely fits together... [I've begun] understanding it as a whole story and God’s purpose in it, instead of taking it as individual stories that I apply to myself ... (TC - student at Baja Bible School from Alaska)

Something that keeps coming back is ...to think about and see God’s heart for the nations of the world (RB - student at Baja Bible School from Idaho)

We ask for your prayers during our last week of Perspectives. Pray with us that this class would help bring encouragement and challenge to those who experienced the class. Pray that each would respond to the call to action in the way that God would be most honored.

To find out more about Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, you can visit: www.perspectives.org/bajabible

A Baja Christmas Wish

2009-12-04T17:53:00.001-08:00

Better late than never???
In any normal circumstance, I would just let this one go. But this video is a little too dear for me to just scrap. I had prepped this to be posted before Christmas.... and then, obviously, didn't post the thing....

Just wanted to wish you a very Merry Christmas from the folks at Baja Bible School. After an unexpected gift of red-hooded, misprinted, high school choir sweatshirts (now the unofficial Baja Bible School Uniform), our students and even a few staff break out into song. Enjoy!
ps - maybe I should mention that this was not a planned production :).

Fall Retro Party

2009-11-23T17:21:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!
Not a ton to say in this post, but thought you might enjoy some of the crazy pictures from our Fall Retro Party. In addition to the usual Baja Bible School crew, Caravan Staff and Ventana Students came to celebrate with us. Hope you get a kick out of the mullets, bright colors, leg warmers, fingerless gloves, flower power, greasers, sweat bands, cowboys, roller derby champs, and big hair, cause we're bringing it all back! Don't miss it, several of our respected staff are among these shady characters.

Week 11 and Holding Strong

2009-11-23T16:13:00.000-08:00

I finally put some recent pictures on the computer, so at the end of this post, we'll have some pictures and I'm planning on posting pictures of our fall party and of Dan's parents' visit in upcoming posts.

We've been at it for 11 weeks now...make that 12. Though we look forward to the holiday break, we have really enjoyed having students here! After Spanish class finished, one of the things we began doing in the afternoons was "Life Stories." A life story is simply the story of someone's life - all the significant things that have impacted them/made them who they are up to this point. A life story typically lasts 30 minutes and is followed up by 30 minutes of questions from anyone listening.

We have found Life Stories to be an amazing thing. Not only do they allow you to know someone on a much deeper level, they help you to identify with the person, understand them, and empathize with them. Knowing where someone is coming from, why they make some of the choices they do, can really help you to love and serve them in a way that is extremely powerful to them. The life stories of our students have been very impactful. Because of the deeply personal nature of their stories I won't share any specifics. However, I'd like so share a few things we have learned about our dear students: the hurts they've struggled with, immense loss they've endured, dangerous coping mechanisms they've come out of, battles for acceptance, and so much more. We've also been able to hear about the unbelievable grace of God through their stories, about hope, of endurance, of healing and hope for healing, of lives so impacted by the gospel they they want to give themselves up for it. It is truly a blessing to know them in this way, to know how better to encourage and challenge them, to merely sit back and watch as Jesus heals, changes, equips, and sends them out.

The first 3 pictures below are from a "dress up" birthday party for Kim - our beloved cook (toward the center of the first pic, white dress w/black flowers and blue sash), the second picture has a very special friend: Michelle Sorensen, who also happens to be Stephanie's sister-in-law... and friend, of course. The last two pictures feature Elena Sorensen; first lofted high by Dustin - she seems to like it; second with her parents and aunt and uncle (dear friends TJ and Michelle Sorensen).

Blessed to be a blessing

2009-10-29T12:35:00.001-07:00

There’s finally a bit of a chill in the air around here. This is a welcome change after a summer without air conditioning – which is the norm not only here in TJ, but in many homes in the San Diego area as well. But I know what you’re thinking, “Hey, the temperature around there is only about 71 degrees most of the year anyway, what do you have to complain about?” It’s true that this area has some of the best weather on the face of the earth. But it can still get pretty warm in the summer. That said, I have been especially looking forward to the cooler weather. Yesterday I broke out the scarf, hat, and sweater. Most of our staff and students will likely not see the top of my head again until May. I love it when the air is crisp and cool. There are not too many leaves that change color, but the two cities tend to take on Seattle hues of gray, the Latina girls break out their high-heeled boots, and hot drinks become the favorite part of the day. As much as I adore the fall and winter, the newness will wear off in a couple of short weeks, I’m sure of it. At the Castillo, we eat our meals outside in the shade and as often as we can, attempt to follow it up with some hot chocolate, tea, or coffee. By late November, the layers are on as thick as will still allow stair climbing, sitting, and using utensils. Last year’s maximum layer award went to yours truly, weighing in at 7 layers of clothing. However, I doubt I will manage to hold on to the title this year.

All joking aside, soon it will begin to rain. I love the rain infinitely more than I love the cold. And if there’s thunder, which there seldom is, so much the better. When the rains come, the thirsty ground drinks and green climbs out of every crack. Our campus, which already has many trees, becomes a pasture of grassy, emerald weeds. They’re actually beautiful. Dan and I are impatiently anticipating a big growth spurt in some creeping fig we planted earlier this year.

It’s going to be great.

But then, it’s not really going to be that great. You see, as much as I love the rain and the cold; when the weather changes around here, the people feel it. They get cold; they get wet. Very few have heat in their homes. Even if they had a heater, few could afford to use it. Insulation is rare. But perhaps what is more concerning is that there are gaps in the walls and windows. Some roofs have tar paper but no shingles. When it rains, some have a few leaks, others have many; still others have full rivers running through the middle of their dirt floor homes. I imagine some homes are washed away altogether from time to time.

Wet and cold.

I honestly started this post with the intent of telling you how excited I am about the change in weather. Then I remembered that thousands of people not that far from me are dreading it with good reason. It certainly wasn’t intended as a guilt trip. Rather, let it be a reminder to you and to me that we are blessed. God has lavished his blessings upon us. Let us be thankful, truly so thankful. But why? Why has he blessed us?

“Now the Lord said [1] to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” Genesis 12:1-2 ESV

God blessed Abraham, so that he could be a blessing to the nations. He didn’t bless him so he could be full, content consumer of blessing. He had purpose in it. In the same way He has blessed us to be a blessing. How will you, how will I use our minds, our money, our bodies, our talents, our gifts, our education, our insight, our service, our time, our families, our friends, our connections, our ideas, our passions, our dreams, our very lives to be a blessing to others? What do we have that He didn’t give us? How better to give it back to Him than by being the blessing He calls us to be?

So, a carefree sharing of the anticipation of the season becomes something of a sermonette. What can I say? God has blessed us with this blog so we could bless you (that was an attempt at humor ☺ ).

Just as this was not intended to be a guilt trip, it was not intended as an advertisement, but since we’re on the subject… if you ever have an inclination to bless people in our area who truly do get cold and wet in this season there are several Christian ministries that help provide and build small homes for families in need (not unlike Habitat for Humanity). Mexican Caravan Ministries (http://www.mexicocaravanministries.com/) is one that we are particularly fond of. As a bonus, they have a great page on safety in TJ on their website. Take a peek.

Perspectives Course and Campus Changes

2009-09-28T14:13:00.000-07:00

First Week

Well, we've officially got one week of school under our belts. The first week was a success, a great time, full of learning - for both staff and students, and somewhat of a blur at this point. We've seen one visiting faculty come and go and have welcomed the next. We also welcomed our Spanish teacher who began classes last week and will be continuing for the next four weeks. I'm confident that he covered most of Spanish 1 (or 101 at any university) during the first week. He moves fast, but he's an excellent teacher. Still with 3 hours of Biblical training in the morning and 3 hours of Spanish in the afternoon - those student's heads must be swimming, if not drowning!

I thought you might be interested in seeing some of the physical changes that have occurred on our campus over the summer. Steph Sorensen took this video and has graciously allowed me to share it with you as well.

Also, we've got a picture of our 2009-2010 Staff Team, complete with our newest member, Elena Sorensen, though she's being a bit shy in this picture.

Intensive Perspectives Course in Mexico

We want to encourage you, our friends, family, 'ohana, and hermanos to come stay on our campus for a special three week course in January. We are offering the missions course Perspectives on the World Christian Movement which is available for 3 credits (graduate or undergrad.) through Trinity Seminary.

This course was personally very influential for us when we took it in 2001 - you've heard us talk about it before in this blog.

For more information visit the Perspectives page of the school web site. Here are bios for just five of the fourteen teachers. They are ALL this interesting!

Jeff Johnson
Jeff joined Frontiers in 1988 and has been on church planting teams in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. He and his wife were recently deported from Uzbekistan and are currently back in the states.

Dr. Elaine Vaden
Elaine has been a missionary in Zambia and the Philippines and is now director of scholars program for John Stott Ministries. She is an adjunct with Fuller Seminary and Azusa Pacific University.

Dr. Larry Dinkins
In 1980 Larry went to Thailand with OMF International. In 1981 he and his wife Paula started a church-planting ministry with leprosy patients in Central Thailand. Larry was founding director of the Chiang Mai Theological Seminary in 2000.

Dr. Elizabeth Brewster
Betty Sue is associate professor of Language and Culture Learning at Fuller Seminary. She grew up as an MK in Venezuela where she came to know the Lord and discovered her interest in languages at a very young age. She has since written several books and traveled in over 90 countries, teaching and consulting with missionaries.

Brad Buser
Brad spent 20 years living and working among the Itari people of Papua New Guinea, who before that time had never had outsiders live among them. He and his team were able to share Christ with the Itari people, disciple the new church and translate the New Testament. With the Church well established and thriving, their need to be among the Iteris was over. Since the year 2000 he and his wife have been Representatives with New Tribes Mission.

School Is Now In Session!

2009-09-17T12:04:00.000-07:00

Students are here, school has begun! This is such an exciting time and I wanted to post just a few pictures to show you a glimpse of life at Baja Bible School over the past couple of weeks. It is truly a blessing and an answer to prayer all that the Lord has provided! Things are in full swing and busier than ever. Enjoy the photos.

The Students
The first week of school also happened to have in it one of Mexico's biggest holidays, Independence Day. Some staff and student's went to the Palacio (something like a state capitol) to celebrate with the rest of the city. It was a great cultural experience and a really fun evening! I've included a couple of my favorite pics from the celebration below.

The Campus
The days leading up to the start of school were intense. Many of us worked from sun up to sun down to ready our campus for students and guests. A LOT was accomplished in a very short amount of time. Below I've posted a couple of the completed projects (well, almost completed). From left to right: The flagstone walkway with stone walled planters (soon to have benches), a partial view of the new library, and our classroom with newly finished floor - this one has been a dream for a long time!

I hope you enjoy the pictures. We'll have more to show you soon - there's so much happening here!

Sandal's Mission Retreat: Zona Norte

2009-08-29T10:12:00.001-07:00

The Sandals group just headed down to Zona Norte where they will have some more debriefing time at the Purple Palace (an orphanage on the edge of the red light district) and prayer walk in the same area... Hopefully we'll have more on that later.

Sandal's Mission Retreat: Q:A time with Pastor Miguel

2009-08-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

Dan translating for Pastor Miguel
He's talking about how Tijuana has changed in the last several years.
He is the pastor of a young church in east Tijuana called Monte Horeb (Mount Horeb).
He's giving some perspective on short term missions to Mexico/TJ.
Question: What happens after a short term group leaves.
Pastor Miguel: Everyone knows that the groups come to help. Some of them build relationships, some don't. Every group comes with an agenda; it's sometimes difficult to click with them.
Question: Are there any long term benefits from the groups that come?
Pastor Miguel: In the ways that they help, of course. In the relationships with people in the church, sometimes there is a lacking in the communication. When there's an activity with the church, the group is bringing their agenda, it can be difficult to work together. The people that speak English in our church are sometimes embarrased to speak English with the groups. It's not always a help to all the community.
Question: How helpful are the groups in reaching unchurched people in the community?
Pastor Miguel: It's more focused on meeting people's needs, social work than on evangalism/outreach.
Qustion: Do you see a dependency on U.S. churches in the Mexican churches?
Pastor Miguel: Sometimes I do. This is a century old problem. But there should be some measure of interdependence in the church. It is usually more financial/material dependence. There are different expressions of spirituality in the U.S. and Mexico. But there's not a dependency becauese we do things differently.
Question: What benefits do you see in groups coming down?
Pastor Miguel: When the groups come and stay with the people and spend a lot of time with the people. In the Mexican culture relationships are the most important. We're not loners; we like to be together in groups.
Question: Is there a common mistake you see short terms groups making over and over that we can avoid?
Pastor Miguel: When you take a trip, you have your purpose. The organizer has a goal and everything you do is to achieve that purpose. So this agenda and the schedule it creates can cause problems in relating with the people here.
Question: What is the best way we can avoid these problems?
Pastor Miguel: You have everything planned out and we understand, it's OK. But in Mexico we are more spontaneous. People are important. There is a different time/people priority. People in Mexico are much less tied to a schedule and much more relaxed about someone being late or even not showing up at all!
Question: Is this a distraction/problem for you?
Pastor Miguel: No, it doesn't create more work for us. Friend's of the group, the work of the TJ church; the U.S. church is viewed as part of the work of the church in Tijuana. If a group of more than 10 people come and a non-Christian sees them, he thinks "Oh, those are brothers"
Question: What would you suggest we do differently?
Pastor Miguel: Come and do whatever. Focus more on relationship, less on agenda. Be flexible, be with the people. If things don't go in the way or the time that you planned, it's OK. Don't be frustrated, just go with it. Plan on enjoying the time. God speaks to us all the time, when we're walking, when we're talking to people. Come without fear.
Question: Fear of what?
Pastor Miguel: Fear of people. I know there are bad people, but there are great people here, also.
Question: If a group never came down, would you be able to accomplish your purpose?
Pastor Miguel: Yes. This is a difference we have between pastors here in TJ vs. those in the interior of Mexico. Because the work is God's and God does it. With us, withou us. God's going to do it. And this has to be our mentality; because here we're talking about the problem of dependence - which isn't seen as much in the interior.
Qeustion: You decided to build a church building without the help of U.S. believers. Why?
Pastor Miguel: Because we need to have the mentality that God is the one who does the work, not U.S. believers or outsiders. It's not that we never need help, but it's to avoid the mentality that "if people from the U.S. don't help us, we can't do it".
Question: Can you define a short term trip?
Pastor Miguel: Well, it depends, if they're from a certain organization, they will come, build a house, eat some tacos, and leave. They don't take advantage of the time in any other way. Groups that come work with orphanages, they come down and spend time with kids.
Question: How does it affect the kids when groups come for only one day?
Pastor Miguel: They get used to it. They get used to the coming and going. Orphanages constantly receive this sort of help from outsiders.
Question: What can the American Christian learn from the Mexican Christian?
Pastor Miguel: Spontanaity, Sacrifice (I think we're a church that sacrifices a lot)... I know that we have to have plans, make goals; but not forget that it's the Holy Spirit that works in us. When I plan, I don't know that I'm not making a barrier to the Holy Spirit. In general, in the U.S. the church isn't ever going to start a project if they don't have everything ready for it. Here, we start with what we have.
Question: What types of sacrifice have you seen in your church?
Pastor Miguel: We let go of many comforts, things that aren't necessary for life or the the life of the church - in a way to practice more spiritual discipline. Spiritual disciplines are emphasized more in Mexico and the people are more ready to accept them. In the U.S. people say "WHY do I have to do that?"
Question: If, for some crazy reason, the border was closed and no one could cross, would it change the church in TJ and how?
Pasotr Miguel: The church in TJ would have to make a lot more effort themselves.
Question: How has the violence in TJ affected believers spiritually in Tijuana?
Pastor Miguel: People are thinking more about God. The TJ churches have come together and are praying for the city. There's a lot more unity.
Question: Is it possible to reach those involved in drugs and violence?
Pastor Miguel: We pray that God does! It will likely take place through their families. You heard about the pastor who was kidnapped? After he was freed, they took a Christian doctor. He said the people who kidnapped him were the same ones who took the pastor. But with him, they accepted Christ, and then freed him. They told him to tell Pastor Tec (the pastor they had kidnapped before) "The doctor finished the work that you started with use". A few weeks later, these kidnappers were killed by the leaders of their cartel. They can be reached. Sometimes with our own lives. But this is Christ. There have been a number of people from the cartels that have been converted. God reaches them.
Question: How can we pray for your ministry?
Pastor Miguel: Wisdom and that God would give us love for the people.

Sandals Missions Retreat: Saturday Breakfast

2009-08-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

Some pictures from this mornings breakfast! We're awaiting Pastor Miguel Altamirano, a local pastor friend who is going to answer the group's questions about his experiences working with short-term U.S. groups coming into Mexico. It looks like I (Dan) am going to be interpreting, so Lyndsay will be doing the next post.

Sandals Missions Retreat: Dinner at the Beach

2009-08-29T07:50:00.000-07:00

We finished the day yesterday by going and having a bonfire on the beach. Our friend Chuy brought an enormous pot of Birria (which is a stewed shredded beef in a broth) for dinner. We sang and some of us got coffee at the coffee shop Lat 32 on the beach in Tijuana (I exchanged my usual black coffee for a froofy sweet latte. It was good).

Sandals Missions Retreat: Q and A with Dave Burdette

2009-08-28T13:46:00.001-07:00

We've moved into the classroom in order to watch the 1000 questions video that I linked to earlier. Dave is fielding questions and comments.

Comment from Sandals leader: I've ignored my sorrow and anger toward the (fallen-ness and sin) in the world because I didn't know how to handle it.

Dave: If one thing grows out of this, it would be you guys saturating Riverside with prayer, that you expose, you find every possible way to expose the way that Satan has captivated people and held them as slaves. With the complete knowledge that our Father wants to set people free. He is referring to an article about prayer "Prayer of Rebellion Against the Status Quo" available here: http://www.billandamystearns.info/images/Prayer.pdf

Comment from another Sandals leader: For so long the church has been saying to people "you're going to hell, don't you want to go to heaven, don't you want to go to heaven, and they don't respond because they already think they're going to heaven, but once we actually come to them and show them a new way of living - that's going to change things"

Dave: Living as a transformed people, it looks so different that people wonder at it and say "what's wrong with you people"? We don't understand that we are a transformed, redeemed community that is now a transformed, redeeming community and we are salt and light simply because of what has already happened to us! (our transformedness). John Wesley talked about the persuasive power of a transformed life. But its our greatest weakness - the transformedness is not seen, and we must maintain the balance between not being perceived unnecessarily as culturally weird (we contextualize the gospel) but being transformed people.

Someone asked a question about Sandals Church needing a meeting space in the near future and purchasing a building. Dave is talking about great missions sending movements in history: "The greatest missionary movements (The Student Volunteer Movement, the Moravians, have peaked at sending 20% of their people as missionaries.) So you don't necessarily say "no" to having a church building in the states, but the question is how to build, when to build, where to build. You've got to be big-picture thinkers. If all you're thinking of is architecture than (that's a problem). I love to worship in song and be active in my worship - but I'll have all eternity to do that, and I want to do it now, but it's not going to be the determining factor for my decisions."

He is telling them to think about resources and ask the question: "How can the decision to purchase a building fit into reaching the world?" "You don't build a building instead of being obedient - if this is going to detract from what God's doing in Riverside you should be opponents of it. If it's going to contribute to God's work, you should be its biggest supporters. Figure out what is most going to contribute to the kingdom of God."

I want to remind us of something by telling a story. Baja Bible School grew out of a school called Ecola Bible School in Cannon Beach, Oregon. I've been teaching there for 12 years or so. Several years ago, before class there was a time of worship. And if there's singing I'm going to be there. My arms were up and I was reading the words because I didn't know it. The song was "The Song of the Lamb"

We will dance on the streets that are golden
The glorious bride and the great Son of man
From every tongue and tribe and nation
Will join in the song of the Lamb

And I was almost jealous of the understanding that women have of what it would mean to be a bride and give ourselves to Jesus.

A few weeks later I was telling a missions pastor's wife that. And she just cried. She said "Dave, we're here studying phonetics and learning linguistics and the training is dry and she started crying from the goodness of the reminder". And she calls me a week later and says "Dave" I was just at a wedding and this is what happened: The bride had actually broken her back and couldn't walk down the aisle, and the groom's father was doing the wedding. And he was talking about marriage being a picture of Christ and his bride and what the Father is doing is calling out a bride for his son, and then we go home. And the pastor turned to his son and said, go get your bride. And she told me this story as a reminder.

And it just clicked and all of this changed my approach to evangelism and missions - thinking about the kind of wholeness and goodness of the Father. And it hits me that we are inviters of the uninvited. When the bride is complete, Dad, sitting on this throne turns and says "mijo, ya es la hora" (my son, its time). I don't know if it will be Spanish, or Greek... We are here for one reason - every question you ask about ministry should be couched in these terms. We are inviters of the uninvited.

Sandals Missions Retreat: World Hunger Lunch

2009-08-28T12:26:00.000-07:00

For lunch, we're having an object lesson on wealth/poverty/hunger. Most of us (including me : ) ) are eating on the floor scooping rice and drinking unclean (looking) water. Some of us have a bit better of a setup and a few of us have a several-course meal at a nice table.

After Lunch

Lyndsay: The center table represents 15% of the world. They can eat whatever they want. The second table represents 25% they have mostly grains and a few vegetables. 60% of the world are the people eating rice and unclean water. If no one had shared with you, you would have run out of rice and of course, many people in the world would not have had enough rice to eat.

Group: Several comments have been made about the camaraderie felt in the group eating just rice. There was a lot more talking. "Immediately there was very active interaction in the rice group - and I didn't see people talking at all in the other groups and they were probably feeling awkward, and of course in much of the world, eating is a big social event". Others are commenting on the fact that there was plenty of food to go around, but the distribution was not equal - but the question is how do we respond to that?

Lyndsay: Some facts. 1 in 8 people in the world are malnourished. In the U.S. about 3% of the population would qualified as hungry. In the U.S. the rates for hunger increase in single parent families, among blacks and hispanics and among people below the poverty line. In the world 16,000 people a day die from hunger-related causes. The primary causes of hunger in the world are poverty and conflict. Distribution is a big issue in some places where food may be sent, but just rots in the ports.

How much grain would it take to feed everyone who dies of hunger every year? (lots of guesses from 2 tons to 300,000 tons) The answer is 12 million tons of grain. Next question: What amount would Americans have to decrease our beef consumption to save 12 million tons of grain (in percentages) (guesses from 5% to 35%). If Americans decrease beef consumption by 10% it would save 12 million tons of grain. "Of course, just because you don't eat beef doesn't mean a hungry person will eat the grain saved..." There is enough food in the world to provide 4.5 lbs of food per person in the world per day. Thats it! Thanks for participating in the world hunger lunch

Sandals Missions Weekend: Dave Burdette (3)

2009-08-28T11:12:00.001-07:00

The Lord's prayer as a grid for thinking about God's will.

"Hallowed be thy name". The word your is in the emphatic position. "DAD, make YOUR name irresistible".

The next portion: "COME the kingdom, YOURS" The essence of Jesus teaching is the kingdom of God - God's rule. Father, I want your rule exercised among our congregation, in our community in Riverside. Here's a question - whose rule is predominately being exercised in the world? Here's what John says: "the whole world lies under the control of the evil one" You know what Paul called him? "The ruler of this world." You know what Jesus called him? "The prince of this world."

Later we're going to watch a video called 1000 questions that talks about how our world has committed its allegiance to the snake.

We have lost our anger. We look at injustices around us - we look at the enemy having his way, and we have the audacity to shrug and say it must be the will of God. Do you think that's what we are going to see in heaven? We have a perfect revelation of the will of God the Father in the life of Christ. Did Christ put up with it? No - he said, "you cannot have these people". And to tell the Father - I want this back, we want this back for your glory. What would it look like for the Father to rule in those areas? Our prayers should be filled with anger. If you don't pray with anger, you don't understand the enemy, or what our Father is doing. You don't understand God's will. We've pledged allegiance to the snake, but the Father wants the world back. I want to rule every neighborhood, every tenement housing, but I'm not going to rule them by force. I want them to offer their love to me, to come to me with open hands and say "Dad, we're back". When I talk about strategic decision making, think about walking through the Lord's prayer. What is going to cause his rule to come, with justice and integrity and hope, setting captives free, which is a dominant theme in Christ's life - he is saying, I want them back, I want them back.

What is the last petition in the Lord's Prayer. "YOUR will be done". and the last point "On earth as it is in heaven" We want your will exercised here, just as it is being exercised in heaven. So when we make decisions - what about this decision is going to bring most honor to His name, see His kingdom most come, and His will most done? We've complicated understanding God's will by introducing comfort, and adding line upon line of steps.

Is it hard? Absolutely its hard. Is it complicated? Absolutely not. We've reversed it.

You better have a good biblical rationale for what you do - does this decision accurately respond to what God has told us is his heart? Once you've done the decision making, then you just excitedly go and do it.

I laugh at kids who get paralyzed about where to go, thinking there is just one right person to marry, one right place to go, one right place to build a church building. I have a list of 50 unengaged muslim peoples. I guarantee you there is not a wrong decision: "I decided to go to the Khoa people of Pakistan" - do you think that standing before the throne of God, God is going to come flying off the throne saying "what - you went to the Khoa people" I wanted you to go to the other one..." But Dad tells his kids - kids this is what I want, and once we understand God's will, when we respond - I don't think God cares what choice you make.

We want to be people who (want to see your will done). According to the Lord's Prayer, what should we pray for? YOUR kingdom, YOUR will. What do we get to pray for ourselves for? Enough to eat for today and for forgiveness - I want to be the most grateful child, to be overwhelmed by forgiveness.

He's done and we'll be eating lunch soon. More posts later!

Sandals Missions Retreat: Dave Burdette (2)

2009-08-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

The view on the left side of our outdoor "classroom" this morning.

Question from group member: How do we deal with extreme needs in our own church in the states - major medical problems, people losing their homes, etc. and the call to be hands and feet in our own neighborhood and also in the world?

Dave: Discussing God's will. Have you heard of cat and dog theology? You pet a dog, take care of the dog, the dog is the most faithful animal - they wag their tails, they are totally into you as the one who takes care of you. The dog is saying: "you must be god". But we live in a cat culture - cats say the opposite. They look at the master and say "I must be god".

We look at our world and think its all about us. It gets bad - I'll have people justify direct disobedience to scripture. And do you know what the last, bottom line, shoulder shrug is - "well at least I learned something". You've dishonored the word of God, you've given the enemy a foothold, but at least you learned something so that makes it all better? Guys that has to be rooted out. When it comes to making decisions, what should drive us above all else? The first word I'm going to use is "obedience". I want us to understand Dad has not been unclear. I want you to show me in scripture what God has shown you to do. I don't want it to be a feeling. Show me! God has been clear! What should we do? Do what Jesus told you to do. It sounds so basic. I want us to have a Dallas Willard kind of understanding (he's referring to the book The Divine Conspiracy): God made us and knows how we will be satisfied. "Set your heart on God and he will be your deepest satisfaction." CS Lewis, John Piper, gave us insight into that too.

When I came to Christ we were a bunch of dumb high school kids right off the beach. But do you know what the process of discipleship is? "teaching them to obey all that I have commanded" But do you know what we do? We teach them to know all that he has commanded. We give higher value to correct answers than to correct living.

The next word (in relation to knowing God's will) is counsel. Most of the conflicts in our church are cultural based rather than theologically based. In the same way we are ethno-centric, we are also ego-centric. We see life from our own perspective. I need people that don't think like I do, that aren't part of my own culture, that see things from a different perspective. I see the scriptures from a cultural grid thats not always correct and from a self-grid that is not always correct. I need counsel in my life as a corrective.

The next word is strategic. My preferred strategy grid is the Lord's Prayer. I loved the worship song this morning "say what Jesus says, pray what Jesus prays". I don't see a lot of people praying as Jesus taught us to pray. This was Jesus' answer when the disciples asked us how to pray. (to be continued)

Sandals Missions Weekend: Dave Burdette

2009-08-28T10:33:00.001-07:00

Dave Burdette is starting. He's talking about his own background - becoming a Christian in the Jesus movement. Having a different background that gives him a particular perspective on the world. Reading the scriptures and asking the question, "what would it look like if we responded to Christ's teaching this way...". As an outsider (not part of Sandals church) he is going to ask a lot of questions and give them a lot to think about. He says, "I can't give you answers ultimately, you're going to have to come up with that... but I commend you for coming here to go through this process." (Sandals church has called this retreat "Missio Dei: Missions Vision Casting Retreat")

I want to address your felt needs, but I also want to come as someone who is old - after a while you've seen so much, you've made some observations. He's asking to start by hearing from the group: their expectations; What are you doing here anyway? Why did you come? What's up?

Andrew (Sandal's pastor of small groups): "I want to be challenged to do things differently, I think our church is ready for that kind of movement, hopefully have some things to wrestle with and make the changes that God would want us to make..."

Dave: What I've realized that being in Mexican culture has done for me is it has helped me to see the U.S. culture from a different perspective. It's shown me some of our U.S. values that I believe are anti-biblical... our emphasis on comfort that leads us down the path of complacency. When you are doing war, comfort is not one of the values that determines our strategy. We've been deceived by the enemy, but we've also been brought up in a culture that we've learned certain things our whole lives. Everyone of us need to be a little bit prophetic when it comes to our culture. "My culture has taught me this, but the scriptures teach me this..." (to be continued)

Sandals Missions Weekend: Eddie Passmore (cont.)

2009-08-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

"We serve Jesus who has power over (everything) and persuasion over wrong thinking"

These are his points - we need to understand:
The picture of our position (looking at Luke 14 where individuals were fighting over the seats of honor). "One of the key things for us to advance to the kingdom of God in this world is to come as servants, nothing more, nothing less." "Jesus taught and commanded us to be servants." "We need to understand that our position is as humble servants, we need to understand that we can do nothing without him."

That we can do nothing without his gift of life "We become nothing but what his power makes us" Hebrew 2: through death he might render Satan powerless... he gives help to the descendants of Abraham... He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted." "I don't have anything to offer other than what Jesus gives us" "I want us to understand that as we think of global missions and our work around the world - I come as nothing but a servant, with nothing but what God has given me".

Eddie is telling a story about an old man with cataracts and old shoes who sold fruit. The man had a "gift" for everyone who bought the old withered fruit - he played the harmonica for whoever bought the fruit.

The proclamation of the promise Luke: "invited the poor and opressed... for you will be repaid at the resurrection..." vs. 21 "go invite the poor, crippled, blind... to the highways, that my house can be filled" The people who were invited made excuses not to come. If I could put a title on us I would say that we are "inviters of the uninvited". That's you and me - we get to invite the uninvited. Matthew 22 is the parallel passage. The feast was ready but people didn't want to come. I want you to get this setting - its a Jewish wedding feast. The groom would prepare for the feast for several months and when it was prepared, the father would say to the son "go get your bride" and that is what God the father will do in the end. But he hasn't done it yet because there are people that haven't been invited. We are the inviters of the uninvited. Sometimes I think we forget this - that he loves us, he laid himself down for us, he leads us. Do we really get that and is it motivating us? Do we get that its the kindness of God that leads us to repentance. But there are 4 billion people who have not been invited.

I'll tell you what I do everyday. I open up a book and read about unreached people. This month's global prayer digest is talking about the people of the Ganges river in India. These are "uninvited" people. And the church as a whole (is not responding) to the call to invite unreached peoples. Scripture in their language, none. Gospel broadcast, none. Churches, none. Believers, none.

I sit down and relish God's love for me - that its his kindness that leads to repentance and that I have an opportunity to invite these uninvited people.

The predicament of the people Luke 14:18 (listing the excuses that people gave for not going to the wedding feast) Satan has a hold on them, but Jesus came to declare war and says "You can't have them - I'm taking them back". We have people who are spiritually dead, deceived. But you, we, are inviters of the uninvited. And it needs to rip our hearts out to understand the predicament of people who are spiritually dead. We talk a lot about the 10/40 window (North Africa, Middle East, Central Asia). The large area of unreached peoples between the 10th and 40th parallel. We have an opportunity to respond. First of all to pray - my wife on the way over here prayed for you guys and we do that as a habit when groups come and visit, that people would be raised up and respond and be inviters of the uninvited. I want to read a quote from William Booth the founder of Salvation Army: '

Not called!' did you say?
'Not heard the call,' I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face -- whose mercy you have professed to obey -- and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world.

I'm going to close with a story - quoting from Adoniram Judson's letter asking Mr. Haseltine, his future father-in-law permission to marry his daughter.

"I have now to ask whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world ? whether you can consent to her departure to a heathen land, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life? whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean; to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death? Can you consent to all this, for the sake of Him who left His heavenly home and died for her and for you; for the sake of perishing, immortal souls; for the sake of Zion and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with a crown of righteousness brightened by the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Saviour from heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair?"

And everything that was written here actually happened in the end. But Mr. Haseltine understood that he was an inviter of the uninvited. I know that a lot of you are in ministry in the states, and some of you that's where you should be. But none us should close our ears to the fact that we are inviters of the uninvited and there are billions of people who have not been invited.

That's it! He's wrapping it up and shaking hands. Dave Burdette will be speaking in another hour about the biblical basis of missions. Stayed tuned, more posts to follow!

Sandals Missions Weekend: Eddie Passmore

2009-08-28T08:45:00.000-07:00

Eddie Passmore from Mexico Caravan Ministries teaching on being "sending" churches.

He's giving his testimony, talking about growing up in Pastor Von's youth group in San Diego (Pastor Von was a youth pastor in Southern California during the "Jesus Movement" and he discipled several kids who are now ministry leaders here and in other countries)

When we were kids we grew up coming down here to Tijuana with pastor Von - I've counted 60-70 full-time missionaries that came out of his youth group.

He's telling a story about his son Aaron during a visit to Ecuador. Its the story of a dinner/celebration mishap which included bamboo rocket fireworks that they bought from a man with no fingers. The pile explodes and catches a llama's hair on fire. "We're going to look at a banquet that did not turn out as planned". He's turning to Luke 14:1-22

Final Missions Weekend: Morning Worship

2009-08-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

The first day of our final missions weekend begins! Andrew Foster from Sandals Church leading worship. He's playing "Beautiful One". We just ate a great breakfast of pancakes, fruit, juice, and coffee and very soon Eddie Passmore from Mexico Caravan Ministries will be teaching about U.S. churches role in sending cross-cultural workers to the world shortly. I'll be posting several entries today during the talks.

2009-07-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

Dave Burdette teaches our staff every Tuesday and Thursday morning. He's been going through Matthew. This short video doesn't have much teaching in it, but you get to know Dave a bit and hear his thoughts on Baja Bible School. Dave is a very challenging teacher. But at the same time he is very soft-hearted and has almost been like a father figure to our staff as we figure out the challenges of living in another culture and being obedient and strategic in our witness here in Mexico.

Spring Planting

2009-06-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

For anyone interested in receiving the monthly Baja Bible School email newsletter, you can sign up in the right-hand column of this blog. Dan writes that update and you can read a lot more about what is going on in the life of the school. The June 2009 newsletter can be viewed here.

We were blessed by family and friends who provided us with frequent flyer miles and airline vouchers to go on two short trips recently: 1) We went to Little Rock to meet our new nephew and see Mallory (Lyndsay's sister) and Dusty (Lyndsay's cousin) graduate. Jacob - the nephew- is the most precious baby ever! A couple pictures from Arkansas:

2) We took a four day backpacking vacation in Colorado with our friends Kyle and Chrissy Christensen. I never feel more at home, more at peace, more in absolute joy than when I'm on the trail.

Back in Tijuana, our staff has been continuing work on our campus. Four more dorm rooms are so near completion that I can practically feel Baja Bible School students walking around outside on the deck and hear them having amazing conversations in their rooms! Below, I've taken a picture of one of Dan's pet projects: The walkway and walls. With the help of Ecola Bible School, we poured the concrete walkway in March. Dan and a summer staff guy made this concrete/aggregate wall just a week or two ago - those are creeping fig that we are going to plant that will eventually climb the wall.

As for our dorm construction: Each dorm room has a bathroom. Those on the 2nd floor will have beautiful tile vanities like the one nearly completed below. Cool huh?

What's next? We're continuing to work on recruiting from here in Tijuana, welcoming work groups and experience week/weekend groups. Dan will be speaking at another ministry here in TJ weekly - sharing some practical things about culture and sharing about BBS as well. Lyndsay has been and will be going to a nursing home with another staff friend and helping some of the residents there on a weekly basis.

We will also be making a short trip to a Village Missions pastors conference to talk about Baja Bible School with pastors and their families. Our biggest news isn't really "ours" at all. But Dan's sister, Lisa, will be getting married in August! We're so excited for her and her fiance, Jon, and are really looking forward to celebrating with them at the end of the summer. Congratulations Lisa and Jon!!!

Prayer Walking

2009-06-22T17:58:00.000-07:00

(posted by Lyndsay)

I just got back from Zona Norte (AKA: the red light district). I took a friend from Riverside, CA who has been down to Baja Bible School at least 3 times now. She was interested in learning more about the sex trade/prostitution in TJ and I suggested we go down there for a prayer walk. It was such a great reminder for me - as I haven't been down there for a while - of why this city so desperately needs Jesus (then again, I can't think of any cities that don't!). When I returned home, I was thinking about you guys because I wanted to share with you about prayer walking and update you on what's happening here in Tijuana.

What is prayer walking? A good friend explained it to me like this: Prayer walking is praying with insight as you are onsite (OK, and after a little research I realized this is also the title of a book on Prayer Walking, clever, huh?). By seeing the people and buildings, smelling the odors and aromas, hearing the voices and noises, learning of the situations and relationships, feeling what it is like to walk the same street as those you're praying for ---- you know how to pray better, more powerfully, with more conviction and urgency, even. This is what we experienced today.

We, of course, prayed for various institutions and women we came in contact with. The almost startling thing is that we also prayed for some men who were trying to make advances toward us. We found ourselves praying for pimps (pimps? Really, pimps?) - that they would have new life in Christ, that in this new life they would be Champions for women and children instead of their captors and persecutors. Honestly, these are not people I'm naturally inclined to pray for - but do they need Christ any less? Perhaps they are the most desperate for the saving blood of Jesus!

This is one reason I would encourage you to prayer walk - in your community, your neighborhood, your job, the courthouse, school, downtown, wherever! The experience itself opens our eyes, because we're intentionally trying to be perceptive and receptive, our prayers can be guided by the eyes of Christ.

So... have you ever been for a prayer walk? Would you be willing to share your experience(s) with us? We've been doing prayer walks both in our neighborhood and other parts of the city, but we're certainly not experts- we could gain a lot from your experience!
I googled Prayer Walk and came up with a couple of helpful tools/sites:

A guide to prayer walking (international):
http://www.newchurches.com/mediafiles/PrayerWalkManual.pdf.

Prayer walking in your city: www.hannahscupboard.com/prayer-walking.html

Sorry guys, no pics on this post - just seemed a bit odd to be taking pictures today in La Zona Norte :). I guess I'll save my TJ / Silver update for the next post, I got a little excited about this one and I think it would be better to start affresh on the next. Till then!

Tijuana Life: Search for Apple Fritters

2009-05-07T16:59:00.000-07:00

Lyndsay and I are getting prepared for a busy summer - the school is hosting several missions teaching/project retreats that are open to anyone interested in spending a weekend or a whole week with us this summer. These are partially filled up already but we would love to have some familiar faces on our campus this summer. Dates and details are here. We love having people visit and we especially love being able to show friends around.

One of our staff members has been working on a short video series about daily life in Tijuana - Here's video #3. Please rate, comment, and forward if you enjoy it!

Tijuana Life Video Series

2009-05-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

Andrew, the business manager at BBS, and I (Dan) have been making some short videos about daily life in Tijuana. We wanted people to see the other side of Tijuana and get beyond what most people experience during short visits here. Lots of people come through Tijuana and I think not very many get off the beaten track of either 1) one dollar beers and strip clubs or 2) short-term missions work projects in the poorest areas. Of course both of these are a reality here in Tijuana, but not the whole of reality.

We want to show daily life - where do local people go to work out? To relax? To eat a nice meal? To eat street food? To shop? We've also found some jewels to share with you. This second video in our series is definitely one of them. I love good coffee and Caffe Sospeso about five minutes from our campus has some of the best coffee that I've ever enjoyed. I only discovered it last week. If you enjoy the video, please rate it!

March, in the blink of an eye!

2009-04-08T16:37:00.000-07:00

Baja Bible School had a wonderful two "Experience Weeks" in March. This was a time where potential students, families, and friends of the school could come experience what a week in the life of a BBS student might look like. Teaching, activities in the city, and service projects in the area were a part of the week. A personal highlight for us was that my (Lyndsay's) sister came out for the first week with a few other students from her high school. Mallory, here is your long awaited appearance on our blog! The other picture is one I snapped as I went downstairs to prepare early morning coffee. I had a great view of a the dawn with her rosy fingers peaking out behind the eastern mountains.

I (Lyndsay) was recently so blessed to be a part of my friends' wedding and was able to visit with other dear friends in Hawaii. I have posted a few snapshots of the trip first from the wedding followed by visits with friends. It was such a sweet time of reconnecting with people that have been such a huge part of our life and mean so much to us.

You may notice I'm wearing a lei in a few shots. While I was away, Dan and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary - Dan surprised me by having a fresh lei delivered! I must have the most thoughtful husband in the world! I made him an anniversary bento (pictured below), thanks to Sue and Paige for letting me crash their bento party! Unfortunately, it wouldn't have made it home with me, so I also ate it in Dan's honor the same night :).

Lots of people are continuing to ask us about safety in Tijuana. We appreciate your concern! The short response is that daily life is normal and we have seen very few innocent people affected by the violence between the drug cartels. In fact, in the last three months, there has been little violence in Tijuana. Dan made a video about safety in Tijuana a few days ago that is available here.

Is Tijuana Safe?

2009-04-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

This is the first in a series of short clips about Baja Bible School, Mexico, and Tijuana. Lots of people are wondering about the situation in Tijuana and are concerned about us. Here is what I (Dan) have to say about it.

February and Recruiting Trip

2009-03-04T11:31:00.000-08:00

An evening in front of the Seattle skyline.

Three days ago we returned from our month-long, recruiting tour up I-5 into California, Oregon, and Washington. In the month of February we shared at 25 different venues or services, drove over 4,000 miles, slept in 16 different beds, and, amazingly, ate McDonalds only once - which seems reasonable to me considering the 4000 miles! It was a wonderful trip, we were able to see many old friends, make a few new ones; and I (Lyndsay) was able to meet - for the first time - most of Dan's aunts and uncles as well as a few cousins at various stops along the way! Unfortunately, we're lazy photographers for the most part and did not capture all of this love on film... or memory stick, rather. Regardless, I've included a bit of what we DID get.

BUT FIRST: Before we left for our trip, we had a few visitors. Our good friend Kevin was able to spend a week with us, however, I don't believe we owned a functioning camera during that particular week. Kevin, send us your pictures so we can post one! When we did once again have a camera, we had some day-visitors: Curtis and Blew (pictured with Dan at Hidalgo Market) and Charlotte and Mary (pictured with Lyndsay at a local Taco place with our Paletas - popcicles) a different day. It was so great to have them join us in TJ for the day!
WE LOVE VISITORS!!!

Most of our trip looked like this: Speaking engagements like this one (Dan sharing with Rolling Hills Community Church High School group near Portland) or arranging or following up on such engagements (with heavy use of computer and phone)!

Dan did an amazing job sharing about Baja Bible School, but more importantly, he was able to share with many groups about the Christian's foreignness as a citizen of Heaven. Jesus tells us about what the citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven looks like in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 and 6). The behaviors of the citizen of Heaven are noticibley different than the world. The love this person shows is far above and beyond what anyone would reasonable expect - it seems foreign. Dan's talk was an excellent reminder to many high school and college students and... well, even me... that our lives are to be a pleasant aroma - distinctly foreign compared to the world - and any culture - that surrounds them.

We decided to take an early Valentine's and were very blessed to spend a day and a half in Yosemite early on in the trip (a first for Lyndsay!). It was fantastically beautiful and amazing! We were able to get a night of ice skating in while in the Valley (Christie Yamaguchi watch out!).

Visiting dear friends was refreshing - and for those with children a bit intense (see Dan with 3 little Davis' hanging from him). Only regret- we didn't get pictures of everyone. Sorry guys!!!

And visiting/meeting family was relaxing and wonderful! Though, again, we're missing some essential photos!

And that's a brief summary of our February.

When we arrived on campus, students and staff from Ecola Bible School where already at here. They will stay for a week helping us with work on our campus as well as ministering in the community of Tijuana building houses (similar to Habitat for Humanity) and working at an orphanage and women's shelter we have relationships with. Things are getting really busy around here and I don't expect them to slow down anytime soon!

Aunt and Uncle!

2009-01-14T10:07:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official, Dan and I are (blood) Aunt and Uncle. Don't worry, Hawai'i Chamacos (that's local Spanish for children) we'll always be your Auntie Lyndsay and Uncle Dan! We are proud to present to you Jacob Noel Boley, born to Courtney and Rick Boley on 1/13/09, weighing in at 8 pounds 11 ounces, 20 inches long and he's as tough as nails. So far, that's the bulk of his biography. How exciting to have so many unwritten pages in front of him just waiting to be filled! I've included a few pics. Unfortunately, none of the proud Grandma Glenda "G.G", the beaming Father, or the Doting Great Grandmother (Mimi). If I get some, I'll be sure to add them. Here he is! (Pictured with baby momma Courtney, Grandpa Dave, and Aunt Mallory.

Still thinking of Christmas....

Yes, I realize Christmas is long past, but it doesn't feel that long ago for us. Dan and I had a great time in Little Rock with my family over Christmas. It was really wonderful. It was something of a "working vacation" and we did a lot of recruiting on our way to and while we were in the South. We waited as long as we could for Jacob to arrive.... but apparently he takes after his Aunt Lyndsay and he was just a tad late :).

We left for Tijuana last Saturday evening and drove straight through (just over a 24 hour drive for those of you thinking of making the trip). We arrived on Sunday evening, were greeted by our Baja Family, and welcomed our friend Kevin who would be visiting us for the week. After much unloading and unpacking we finally got to bed at a reasonable hour. Then on Monday morning I woke up and had a good cry.

A cry? Yes, a cry. Was it because I was overwhelmed at the unpacking left to do? Because I missed my family? Because I had a nasty cold and was still sleep deprived looking at a week of intense planning for our upcoming North West recruiting trip? NOOOOOO!!! It was none of those (though all were true, I'm sure!). Thanksgiving and joy were the reason for my tears!

Monday morning I sat down on our little couch and started opening the Christmas cards and presents our dear friends and family had sent while we were gone. I read every Christmas letter very carefully, smiled over every precious and clever picture, noticed the care taken in every heartfelt card, relished every detail of your hand-written updates and encouragement. I was overwhelmed by the love lavished on us. It was Christmas all over again. Thank you so much for your thoughtful gifts and cards. I can't tell you how encouraging they were or how much they meant to us. I'm thinking of keeping them out at least until our birthdays since we only just opened them and didn't really have the opportunity to display and enjoy them fully this season.

A little side: One of our Christmas gifts was money that will be used to purchase a camera. We are so thankful for God's provision and for how he has blessed us through you. We will once again be able to take pictures (and post them!)!

Favorite Things and Double Dog Dares

2009-01-07T15:06:00.000-08:00

Happy 2009!
We kicked off 2009 in Little Rock, then went to Nashville to visit with friends and talk to folks about the school. It was a great trip. We were able to spend time with dear friends and visit some of Lyndsay’s favorite places: Percy Warner Park, Bongo Java, Pancake Pantry to name a few. I couldn't resist posting some pics of those places, then breaking into "...and these are a few of my favorite things..."

Double Dog Dare
That’s right, we dare you to do something different this year. We dare you to take the Perspectives class. We promise, it will change your…you guessed it, perspective. Dan and I both took this class in Nashville. It left an impression, to say the least. It opened up our eyes to God's world missionary movement and the clarity of His purpose in the world from Genesis to Revelation. Honestly, if you asked either of us to recommend something to challenge you and delight you, it would be this course. The class starts in a week or two depending on where you are. We’ve listed a few of the classes and contacts below. The first class is free, at least go for that one!

Yes, this is for you Scott, Grace, Randy, Rebecca, Dad, Pam, and others…you know who you are…

Little Rock, AR—Thursday nights @ St. Andrews on Kanis. Class starts: 1/15/09. Contact: charlie.beckman@sbcglobal.net

Nashville, TN – Tuesday nights @ Christ Church on Old Hickory. Class starts: 1/13/09. Contact: rosetta@rosettadavis.com

Honolulu, HI --Tuesday nights @ YWAM Honolulu base Class starts 1/13/09. Contact: c_grossnickle@hotmail.com

Texarkana, TX -- Monday nights @ 1st Baptist on Moores Ln. Class starts: 1//12/09. Contact: bart@perspectivestexarkana.org

Spokane, WA—Monday nights @ Life Center Church. Class starts 1/12/09. Contact: spokaneperspectives@gmail.com

Seattle, WA – Tuesday nights @ Bethal Community Church on Green Lake. Class Starts: 1/1/3/09. Contact: mrandrewhlee@gmail.com

Portland, OR – Monday nights @ Trinity Fellowship on SE 67th. Class starts: 1/12/09. Contact: SEPDXPerspectives@gmail.com

Go to the Perspectives Website (www.perspectives.org) to find a class near you.

Dare #2

Now I did say “double” dog dare, I know it doesn’t exactly work this way, but give me a little grace in my literary endeavors…. The next dare is to come down to Tijuana for Spring Break. This year our school is hosting two Experience Weeks on our campus. Those of you who come will learn about missions from a veteran in the field and get your feet wet out in the community as you participate in a mission project.

Cost: 100.00 (includes housing, meals, and special events)
Dates: March 16-20 & March 23-27
Download application from the Baja website: http://bajabible.org/BBS/ew_application.htm

Thanks

Thanks to our dear friend and graphic designer Alexis Goodman for giving BBS a new logo. Here is her website: www.thevisualrepublic.com

Here's the new logo.

Prayers
We would love to start our family, but thus far, have not been able to. We trust God in His infinite wisdom and perfect timing. Before we were ever married, we had talked about the possibility and desire of adopting. God has continued to put this desire in our heart, but has changed the way we thought it would look. Please pray for us as we take the first steps in what could be a very long road. We hope to adopt a child from the area in which we live and we are praying that this will take place in 2009.

Also, 2009 will be THE year Baja Bible School accepts its first class. We’re all very excited about this. Dan and I have been recruiting from California to Tennessee most of December and will continue on into January. We will be back on campus for almost 2 weeks before we leave for a big recruiting trip through California, Oregon, and Washington. Please pray that God would bring the right students for our inaugural class. Please also pray for the recruiting process: that God would protect, provide for, and sustain us through our travels. It can be exhausting and has its ups and downs. Please pray that God would have the glory in all of our interactions.

We pray your New Year is getting off to a great start. That you are seeking God and finding Him.

Recruiting Trip - South

2008-12-16T06:59:00.000-08:00

El Mirador, on the road to Ensenada, Mexico - November 2008

Special Message for our friends in Hawaii:
We miss you this Christmas. We miss making holiday surfing plans with you, the feasts and the fun, the craziness of the Christmas play at church, Lyndsay misses the Christmas trolley, Dan misses roughing up on Christopher Miyashiro and the Lee boys after church. Just want to let you know that we love you and miss you especially this Christmas.

Christian Culture:
For those of you interested in literature, art, and Christian culture, I am posting some interesting links. The first is Books and Culture magazine, which is an excellent, excellent Evangelical magazine available online. It is intellectual and thoughtful and was once praised in a column by David Brooks, New York Times columnist (which is how I heard about it). www.christianitytoday.com/books/

The second is a website published by a large group of Nashville musicians, pastors, and writers. Lyndsay and I know some of these folks from our time living in Tennessee. Lots of free music, ideas, reviews. Highly recommended: www.rabbitroom.com/

Finally, if you haven't heard of the Advent Conspiracy, this is important stuff for Christians to remember during Christmas: www.adventconspiracy.org/

Spring Break Opportunity:
Selfishly, we just want you to come visit us, but if you need an (additional) compelling reason, here's one: Baja Bible School will be offering two spring break missions retreat weeks in mid-March in Tijuana. Pastors, individuals, and families are invited. This will be an encouraging and challenging time with teaching on missions, cultural discussions, worship, fellowship, and participation in a missions project in Tijuana. The school has worked to make it as affordable as possible ($100 per person for room/board/program) with extra discounts for children and pastors. See more information here: www.bajabible.org/BBS/ew_application.htm

Update: Lyndsay and I are now in Arkansas for Christmas. We have had a fruitful recruiting trip for the school so far and were able to speak to a handful of youth/college/missions pastors and one youth group on the way to Arkansas (we were in Flagstaff, Albuquerque, and Dallas). Please pray for the talks we will be giving in Arkansas and Tennessee over the next several weeks. I will be speaking at chapels for two Christians high schools in the beginning of January and we have plans to meet with a lot more pastors. Many thanks to Mark and Maryann Mayrand, Kyle and Chrissy Christensen, Kirk and Gretta Christensen, Jesse Taylor, Dan and Jenni Cole, Tim, Dale, Jason and Anna Wright, Kevin Gregorek, Amy Holland, Brannon Brown, Randy and Rebecca Brown, and Doug McClain who encouraged us, hosted us, and connected us with speaking opportunities!

New Brochure: Here's a link to our brand new brochure. It is the shortest, clearest synopsis of what Baja Bible School is all about. If you are interested in receiving one or more print versions of the brochure, feel free to send me an email: dan@bajabible.org

Here it is: Baja Bible School Brochure

Finally: If any of you blog, or manage a website, would you consider placing a link to Baja Bible School on your site? Also, don't forget to talk about us!

We appreciate all of you and wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Feliz Día de la Acción de Gracias (Happy Thanksgiving)

2008-11-26T23:53:00.000-08:00

News Bullets (and praise)
Dan was able to talk about the school with 20-25 pastors in San Diego on Tuesday this last week at a church planters meeting hosted by Harbor Presbyterian Church.

Dan met the director of the San Diego Luis Palau Festival that is in its planning stages. Pray for the possibility of the festival extending beyond the San Diego area into Tijuana.

Our school van was stolen several weeks ago. This week, we were blown away when we were given a nice bus and a van by two different organizations on the same day.

Student applications are starting to come in!

Our camera broke (actually, it broke because I dropped it from the loft as I was taking pictures for our last post) – which is why this post doesn’t have any pictures- sorry!!!

Our new brochure is at the printers. Dan designed it, and I have to say, it looks GREAT! The PDF version is available at the top the school’s website: www.bajabible.org

Happy Thanksgiving!
We are incredibly thankful for YOU! We hope you are doing well and aren’t too stressed out about turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, cleaning, family and the like! Dan and I will be spending the holiday here in Tijuana. Our staff will prepare a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, potluck style. We’ve invited another 30 or so friends and neighbors to join us, so it should be a blast!

Traveling Mercies
We leave for our first big recruiting trip this Friday. It will take us through Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas on our way to Arkansas, where we will spend Christmas. We have a short Nashville trip planned in there as well. Please pray for us as we travel: for safety, for a refreshing and encouraging time with the friends we see along the way, and for fruitfulness in spreading both God’s heart for the nations as well as the vision of Baja Bible School. We’re really looking forward to the trip!

Human Trafficking and Slavery
Human Trafficking is the worlds 3rd largest criminal enterprise after drugs and weapons smuggling. There are over 3 million women and children world wide in the commercial sex trade. Last year traffickers made 32 billion dollars. This is more than what Google, Nike, and Starbucks made…combined. These are some of the staggering statistics you’ll find if you go to www.generatehope.org, the website of a new organization intended to aid women caught in slavery in San Diego.

I was able to attend one of their first meetings a few weeks ago to find out what they will be doing in Tijuana and to learn how I could help. Because the organization is so new, Tijuana will not come into play for another 5 years or so in their current model, which aims at helping women in the city of San Diego. So what can I do about this problem? How can I help these women? To be honest, it doesn’t seem like there’s much I can do right now. But I can PRAY! Another staff member and I have been going down to the “red light district” and prayer walking once a week for a few weeks now. The experience has been eye opening for me. The purpose of prayer walking in that area (or anywhere for that matter) is that we would gain INSIGHT as we are ON SITE. In addition to insight, I have found that it puts a hurt in my heart for these women and children as I look at their faces, a hurt that I would not know had I never seen. A burden. It’s because of this burden that I write to you about them, the often hidden and forgotten. Although prayer, indeed, is the least I can do, it is also the most I can do. The least: because I’m not sure how to plug in any “skills, gifts, or talents” at this time, but the most because I pray to a Father who also hurts for these women and children, who cares for each of them, who is able to help them. I strongly encourage you to visit the www.generatehope.org website and click on some of their links to learn more about sex trafficking and slavery – but I warn you, it is not for the faint of heart.

Disclaimer
OK, so I have to apologize here, I realize that “Happy Thanksgiving”, “Traveling Mercies”, and “Human Trafficking and Slavery” don’t exactly seem to go together. BUT, I would really challenge you to think about the millions of women and children literally living a nightmare at the moment you read this. Think of them, pray for them, really pray for them. And then, look at your life, your precious family, and be SO thankful. Recognize the gravity and be thankful. And I hope this doesn’t come across as preachy, I am preaching to myself. Offensive? Well, Jesus, Himself, was known to offend a time or two and I know he loves these women and children… and yes, you and me.

Sweet Home Tijuana

2008-11-10T13:51:00.000-08:00

The Digs
Well, I’m surprised my mom didn’t beat them to it, but my friends, Kerstin and DL requested pictures of our new accommodations. On the off chance any such request was made, I went ahead and took some “before” pictures when we arrived. Carpenter husband and $20.00 Craigslist sewing machine did a lot for our cozy abode (one of the school's dorm rooms). I’ve included some pics of Baja Bible School's main building, the “Castillo” as well to give a better overall picture. Mom, Kerstin, DL and for anyone else who was curious, this is where we live:

The Staff
I wanted to include a picture of our staff. Dan and I have really enjoyed getting to know the amazing team of people God has brought together as a staff here at Baja Bible. We've posted links to their blogs on the official Baja website, so you can learn more about them by going to www.bajabible.org.

Los Suegros
Los Suegros is Spanish for “The In-Laws”. Dan’s parents graced us with a two-week visit recently. Supposedly this was a “vacation” for them, yet they were constant in their work of encouraging and teaching us as well as listening and counseling us (all of us!). They also put a tremendous amount of work into the Castillo grounds, Ruth with her ceaseless cleaning (we miss you, Ruth!) and Bob with any number of things from installing door knobs to improving the function of our toilets to revolutionizing our scrap lumber pile. They were able to rest some, as well, and explore the area – Bob has an insatiable desire to explore! We were so blessed by their time here. Here's a picture from their visit.

Headed North to The South
Even though we actually have to go north to get there, we’re excited that we will be headed to “The South” for the holidays. Our journey will be made by land as part of a South West/ South East Recruiting tour. Currently we’re making plans to have speaking engagements with different youth groups along our route to and while in Arkansas and Tennessee. We are also extremely excited (and hopeful that his arrival will not be delayed) to welcome the first nephew into our family while in Little Rock as well!

Remembering Not to Forget
My wonderful husband Dan is brilliant. He can do almost anything he puts his mind or hand to (excluding stretching and fast dancing). Currently He’s a guitarist-craftsman- philosopher-Spanish teacher-marketing strategizer. And, in truth, there’s so much more. He is so smart and so determined, there are few things that vex him in such a way that he would give up on them. However, while he is doing and so intently thinking his mind is completely filled and what sometimes results is that he simply forgets. He forgets simple things, really – to grab his passport before a border crossing, to call the phone company about a bill, to take the compost out. I can’t really fault him for it; he isn’t lazy, he just has so many things on his mind… he forgets (and just for the record, the passports are my responsibility, so he doesn’t even have to remember those).
Recently during our staff morning devotional, we read Mark chapter 8. It was so interesting to me how forgetful people can be! First the Pharisees wanted Jesus to give them a sign. Needless to say, this seemed to frustrate Jesus a bit (I can just hear him “sighing deeply in His spirit”); had the Pharisees not seen all of the signs and wonders he had been doing and had just done? And just a verse or two later we see that the disciples had “forgotten” to bring bread. The problem wasn’t their forgetting to bring bread though, it was their forgetfulness about Christ’s ability to provide. Enter Jesus who says: Don’t you get it? You have eyes and ears, but you are just NOT seeing or hearing or understanding, for that matter. And don’t you REMEMBER when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand…?

The truth is, I’m just like Dan. I’m just like the Pharisees AND the disciples. My mind gets so full of chores, tasks, communications, and conversations. I get so focused on what I want to see (like the Pharisees) or worried about what I’m not seeing (like the disciples) that I totally FORGET to REMEMBER.

I want to challenge you, as well as myself, to stop and willfully, consciously remember the ways that God has blessed you, the ways He has provided for you, some of the promises He gives to you. Is God like man that He should lie or change? Will He promise and not fulfill (Numbers 23:19 paraphrased)? Stop and remember where He has brought you from, how He has blessed or encouraged you, who he has brought into your life. Don’t forget to REMEMBER! These memories stand as monuments to God’s faithfulness, His power and goodness, and most of all His Grace. These give us great confidence that whatever lies ahead, He is big enough to handle and we can trust him – because He has shown us in the past. Keep your eyes open; He’s at work right now.

In our next post (coming soon) find out what Lyndsay has learned about human/sex trafficking and ministry to prostitutes here in Tijuana.

Settled in Tijuana

2008-10-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

(Left to Right- Jorge, our fabulous Spanish Maestro with us; Variety of beans at a San Cristobol market; Our friend Merideth with us in El Centro of San Cristobol- the square was lit up for the Independence Celebration).

An end to traveling… for now
We finished up our time of language school in Chiapas in mid-September and from there headed to the Mexico City to stay the weekend with a friend. Our friend, Francisco and his family showed us the city and some typical Mexican hospitality - which is amazing, by the way. We had a wonderful time and were amazed at the old downtown (El Centro) and the festivities (we were in the capital city for some of the Mexican Independence Celebrations!) we encountered during our brief stay.

(Left to Right - both in Mexico City- Two young Mexicans dressed to celebrate Independence day; Dan, Lyndsay, and our friend Francisco in the city's center.

At Baja Bible School
We arrived in Tijuana (finally!) on September 15th. Since that time we have been moving into and putting finishing touches on our 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment…. Or actually, our dorm room. That’s right, I said dorm room (and "room" is singular)! Honestly, it works out great for the time being. We have a loft- where we sleep and keep our clothes and a “downstairs” (more like downladder) where we have a little couch, a little chair, a little kitchen with a little fridge and, of course a little toaster oven (We’re so grateful to put those wedding gift cards to use after 2 1/2 years of marriage! Thank you- you know who you are!). We also have a bathroom now complete with running water…and hot water is coming soon! Because we’re on a hill, we have a spectacular view of the city and are quite cozy in our new quarters.

Since we’ve been in Tijuana (TJ) we have been busy getting settled, but have also had a lot going on with the school. We had our staff retreat – a camping trip a few hours south on the beautiful Baja Peninsula. This was a great time of personal spiritual retreat, worship, and community building. As is only appropriate, we had a ton of fun and nightly campfires… occasionally accompanied by smores! Since coming back to campus we’ve been preparing for students in every way possible.

(Taken on a hike during our Staff Camping Retreat: Left to right- Ryan and Andrew atop the summit, view from the summit - we made camp just below the lake in the left corner)

This year, Dan will be serving as the school’s head of recruitment. We will be reaching out to potential students in various ways throughout the next several months. Look for more on that and how you can be a part! Dan is also responsible for the language training we do as a team. Our first session was Tuesday and it was great! We are all so thankful for him and his willingness to share his knowledge.

I (Lyndsay) am going to partner with some other ladies in an effort to reach out to women in the community. More details on this in the near future, as well! Dan and I recently visited a women’s shelter called Deborah House. We met a few remarkable volunteers there as well as some wonderful ladies and their children. Dan helped pour concrete for a building that will be used to train women to sew as a means to support themselves and their children. While Dan was ankle deep in wet concrete, I enjoyed being mobbed by affection-loving children and was able to test out some of my new Spanish with a very gracious crowd of them.

Experienced Missionaries – a blessing to our team!
We have been blessed in so many ways already! One of the ways we are experiencing God’s provision is in the way He has given us teachers, wise counselors, encouragers, and mentors – in short, established Tijuana missionaries. Their insight and experience is priceless! Ruth is an American nurse who has lived or worked in Tijuana as a missionary for over 20 years. She will be a huge resource for me (Lyndsay) as I get acquainted with the city and various needs as well as ministries around the city. Ruth has agreed to show me around and let me accompany her to some of the parenting education she does.

Dave is another wonderful resource to us and our entire team. He has been a missionary in Mexico for many years - most of those here in Tijuana. He also serves on the board for Baja Bible School. This week Dave has been helping our team assess our gifts and engage in living in community in such a way as to really bless each other, help each other reach specific goals, and grow in godliness. This process will be extremely important as we prepare to welcome students come fall. It has already been a very rich time with him and we look forward to the wisdom and insight to be gained from his knowledge and years of experience.

In the News
If you’ve read anything about Tijuana in the news, you probably know about a recent surge in violence. As is often the case, the violence is linked to narcotics, arms trafficking and organized crime. I’m not sure that this makes the news any less concerning and it certainly does not make the violence any less tragic. But sometimes we like to remind our appropriately concerned family and friends that other Christian workers who have been here many years seldom, if ever, see this sort of activity or physically feel threatened by it. We are thankful to God that random foreigners are rarely targeted - organized crime researches their kidnapping victims to make sure there will be a substantial payoff for them and they are almost always from wealthy Mexican families. Still the danger is very real and very present for many who live here.

I was thinking the other day about what typically comes to mind when you think of Tijuana. Though I haven’t been here long, that concept is quickly changing for me. The thing that remains constant, though, is that it is a place with hurting people who need the loving power and grace of our Lord. As I thought more about the reputation of the city, I began to form a “Big Hairy Audacious Goal” – this was something I learned in my last job- thanks Kaiser! I began to form my Big Fat Audacious Goal and dream a little… What if… instead of being known for drug trafficking, partying, prostitution, and violence, Tijuana became a synonym for grace, refuge, peace, beauty. It were place of worship and a place where the name of Jesus is adored, the Latin American center for missionary training and sending. Now that, friends, is a Big Fat Audacious Goal! And here we are – not strong in number, strength, nor – frankly, lots of things. But we have a strong God who loves to turn things on their heads for His Glory. And though we are small, we are praying to this end. I ask that you join us. And though I am only one, I am a daughter of the King and will walk out of our gate to be an ambassador for His kingdom. I will go out and love on people (that’s for you Sonya) in His name, and serve them, and tell them that there is Something more! And He longs for them simply to come.

Do you have a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG)? We would love to hear about it.

Praise and Prayer
• We’re finally here! Praise the Lord!
• After minimal GI issues, we’ll spare you the details, we are both in great health!
• We have an amazing team to work alongside here at Baja Bible School!
• Please pray for ongoing language learning and improvement for Lyndsay, so that she can build relationships with women in the city.
• Please pray for the families of victims of the recent violence. Some were police officers.
• Pray for those involved in the drug trade, corrupt officials and for prostitutes in Tijuana. Might these be the “sinners” Jesus tended to hang out with in passages like Mark 2: 15-17? Please pray that they would know the love of Jesus and that their lives would be transformed! … Part of the “BHAG”
• Pray for the Fall 2009 Baja Bible School Students. That God would brush away any hindrance to their coming to Tijuana and provide all that they need to get here.
• That unreached people groups around the world would know Christ and proclaim his Glory! … I know this may be a bit general, but that is the root of why we are here and how we define our success influencing young people as they learn about cross-cultural ministry. On this note, pray for two volunteers, Brian and Duane, who were working on some of the building projects this summer and have now left to prepare to go to New Tribes Missions.

Thanks for visiting our blog and reading our update. We love to hear back from you and find out about your life, so please write to us! As you compare my post with the ones Dan has done you can see, girls really DO have more words to spend in the course of a day.

Grace and Peace,

Lyndsay (and Dan)

Hormiga Tostada (Roasted Ants)

2008-09-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

BLESSINGS
After spending five weeks with family and friends and connecting with some of you. We can’t help but say that God has used this time to bless, humble, and encourage us.

Here is a short list of unexpected ways we were blessed during our trip to Mexico:

The gift of a beautiful antique mandolin after Dan played guitar at church in Spokane.
Getting to meet Dan and Sarah Thomas in Fraser, Colorado – a couple working at Timberline Bible School. Having the opportunity to spend time with other young couples who have been raising support and who are preparing or just starting to go into full-time vocational ministry.
Lyndsay and I sent emails out to friends in Nashville telling them we would be at Bongo Java from 8-12 on Saturday morning – and about 20 came!
The gift of a ‘98 Ford Ranger in Little Rock that we are going to be able to sell to add to our financial support.
Continued, incremental interest in the ministry, including emails, prayers and financial support.
And though it wasn’t unexpected, one of the greatest blessings was the fellowship we enjoyed with those of you who we were able to see before and during our drive to Tijuana. Below are a few pictures of the end of our trip – we wish we could post all of them!

ENCOURAGEMENT to you
As we were driving across the southern border of the United States through Yuma, Arizona and finally on to San Diego and Tijuana, I was amazed by the desolation of the desert – but even more by our mastery over it. We were able to drive along at 70 mph in an air conditioned car while talking on a cell phone, all the time watching the old abandoned buildings, and the desert scrub brush flash past. As I drove and ruminated on a box of Good and Plenty’s, I thought that on many levels, we have conquered nature, but we have not and will never conquer ourselves, or the effects of sin in us.

The border area represents both realities. It’s an area which 80 years ago would have been a very difficult traverse, now made easy with our cars and interstates. But the border also clearly displays the effects of the fall – our always less than perfect systems of government struggling to deal with the complex political issues of the border, the poverty on display, the one-person per day death toll that the border takes on illegal immigrants, and the bribery and corruption on both sides of the border that allows drugs to come north and AK-47s to go south.

This is one of the grounding truths for Lyndsay and me: that we have not conquered ourselves, or the effects of the fall – but Christ has and will do so completely one day.

PRAYERS
Lyndsay is enjoying and learning a lot in her classes, but it is very intensive (3.5 hours a day) and she’s needs prayer that all of those grammatical rules and verb conjugations that are stuffed into her head would make their way down to her mouth.

Pray for our new friend Merideth who is a believer and is staying with the same host family here in San Cristobal. She is going back to another state in a couple weeks to work with agricultural development. Pray that God would work in her and through her to bless the people she meets in the state of Guerrero.

We have an opportunity to stop in Mexico City for two days during our layover to spend time with a friend of Dan’s that he met in Spain a few years back. Pray that this time is profitable, both in learning more about this country and culture (as we visit the capital) and that we would be a blessing to our friend Francisco who is hosting us.

We have received news that the school had an excellent board meeting during the past weekend and that they would like Lyndsay and I to take the lead in the recruiting efforts during the next year. This will probably involve some trips to southern California to communicate the vision of the school with pastors and youth pastors. Please pray that God would begin to show us how to best communicate the vision of Baja Bible School.

We are still raising financial support (about $800/month left to go). Pray that God would provide in His way and His time.

FINALLY

We are still happily engaged in language learning and planning for the upcoming year during our last two weeks in southern Mexico. We have an excellent Spanish teacher and a wonderful, funny, and communicative host family. And we are learning more than just Spanish – Two days ago, we even had the opportunity to sample some roasted ants in the local market. Yummy.

Chiapas, MX

2008-08-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

First, BUSINESS:

We are now in Mexico - in the southern state of Chiapas where many of our staff, (and now Lyndsay and I) have come to study Spanish. We will be here for a month and in mid-September we will settle into our little dorm room (with a great view!) in Tijuana.

As I mentioned last time, we will not be holding classes this fall. The board will be meeting at the end of this month to decide on a new start date and the school's director, Ryan Sorensen, will be giving them a proposal about how we as a staff will be spending our time in the interim. Here's a rough idea of our "to do" list:

We will be:

working extensively on recruitment (speaking, travelling, writing materials, updating materials, communicating vision of the school)

contributing to programming decisions for the school (Dan is writing some portions of the curriculum)

continuing to organize and minister to short-term missions groups that come to the school and to Tijuana (we generally send/go with them to work in the city for at least half of their time and they work on the grounds of the school for about half of their time)

learning Tijuana, Spanish, and Mexican culture

volunteering/networking with ministries in Tijuana - this is a big part of what the staff have been doing and will continue to do when we have students. Part of the developing culture of Baja Bible School is having our feet on the ground outside of the school grounds - in the past this has involved a lot of manual labor, teaching, working at orphanages, and getting involved with ministries at our local churches.

setting up a ministry teaching English as a second language in which we hope to eventually get some our students involved.

As you can see we have our work cut out for us! But we are thankful we have some time before classes start to get some of these things rolling.

Clearly, Dan's role in mentoring/discipleship with young men at the school is going to be on hold until we have students. However, Lyndsay will be continuing to pursue clinical work after several months of language work. But, if any of you who are supporting us financially would like to suspend your support or receive a refund of past support based on these changes, please email and let us know.

Next, PICTURES:

Top to Bottom: Otter's for chicken, Bongo's for coffee, and Jake and Larissa's for pool time. : )

Clockwise from upper left: A short picnic kayak on the Wilamette with TJ and Michelle; Lyndsay sniffing a rose in the beautiful Portland rose gardens; examining a sand castle with Dan's sister Lisa and her boyfriend Jon in Cannon Beach, OR; In Spokane, WA at Dan's parent's with his sister Christina.

Our spirits are good and we are happy to finally be in Mexico. Please pray for us as we work on our language learning during the next month. Next posting will include the final pictures of our trip here, and Dan preparing to be taken away by homeland security border guards.

On the way to Mexico: Arkansas #2

2008-08-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

I have posted our first newsletter in the "newsletter archive" section of this blog (bottom right).
Why are we moving to Mexico? Read this posting.

We are in Washington now visiting Dan’s side of the family after a very good time in Arkansas with Lyndsay’s side of the family.

Here’s an impressionistic word picture of the visit: late risings with big cups of rich black coffee (for Dan of course), gardens with ripe tomatoes, hot musky Arkansas summer, catfish fish fry with the extended family, deafening nighttime silence of the country (for our city ears), evening fireflies and cold watermelon, and sortings through of still unused two-year old wedding gifts.

We had a GREAT time. Here are some pictures:

Lyndsay on the farm in her muckin' boots

City folk posing in front of a tractor

Lyndsay and Hannah in Nashville at Grace Community Church, where we met

We filled a huge bowl with a single watermelon-sized canteloupe from Papaw's garden!

Our dear friends Scott and Grace from Hawaii. They live in Nashville now and we ate at a Mexican restaurant, we thought a photo in front of Montezuma carrying a woman would be appropriate, but only her "trasero" made the frame. : (

On a ministry note, I just found out today from Ryan, the director of Baja Bible School that the board has decided we will not run the school with students the first term. There were too few students. However, the board and we as a staff feel good about this decision. In the interim, Lyndsay and I have a lot to do. We will be: getting to know the city and will start volunteering with existing ministries, we will be working on Mexican Spanish (¡Qué padre!), and we will be doing program development and recruitment for the school.

Check back shortly for the next posting including the latest from Baja Bible School, and pictures of 1) Lyndsay sniffing in Portland, Oregon and 2) our building project in Cannon Beach, Oregon. (How’s that Amy Ponder?)

Travelling: Arkansas

2008-07-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

We have left Hawaii and are in Little Rock for a couple of weeks visiting friends and family. We have several weeks of travelling/visiting ahead of us before we end up in Mexico.

I have posted our first newsletter in the "newsletter archive" section of this blog (bottom right).

If you want to read details about why we are moving to Mexico, read this posting.

We had a great time during our last few days in Hawaii. Our move coincided perfectly with the annual camping trip that our church takes to the northeastern shore of Oahu. We left just a few days after the camping trip. Here are a couple of pictures:

We love our church family in Hawaii and will miss them a lot! Next update, I will include some pictures of our afternoon walk on Lyndsay's papaw's (grandpa's) farm.

2008-03-05T16:59:00.000-08:00

Welcome friends!

Glad you have made it here! This blog is dedicated to letting you know a little bit more about the ministry we are joining in Tijuana and what we will be doing there. Here is the website for the school that we will be working at.

WHAT is Baja Bible School?
Baja Bible School (one of the buildings is pictured below) is a ministry in development (FALL 2008 will see the first class of students). It is a place where individuals can spend a year studying God's word and engaging in cross-cultural ministry in Tijuana. A typical day at Baja Bible will involve Bible classes in the morning and outside ministry in the afternoon. The school has both inward (educational, spiritual formation) and outward (missions, humanitarian) goals.

The "inward" objective is that students would learn God's word and grow in faith and knowledge as they become servants and ministers in Tijuana. The "outward" objectives of the school are numerous. There are ministry opportunities building homes in the rapidly growing, very poor areas of the city and working at orphanages. There are also opportunities to start new ministries. Since my education is in language teaching, I will be developing opportunities for students to participate in/teach ESL classes (for which there is great demand in Tijuana). Tijuana is famous for its vices: prostitution, drug-trafficking, and organized crime. There are over eight-thousand prostitutes in the city - some of whom are pretty young. So there are obviously a variety of huge spiritual and practical needs.

Our vision for outward ministry involves working through local churches, with local people. We want our students to humbly serve and help provide resources and energy to ministries that will outlast their one-year tenure.

WHO are the students at Baja Bible?
Any of the following:

Anyone over 18 who wants to study the Bible intensively for a year
Americans, Mexicans, Canadians, or anyone else - Classes will be in English, we are pursuing the involvement of Mexican students, even if they are not matriculated full-time.
Future church planters and missionaries
Students taking a "gap year" (a year of special service/learning before entering college)

HOW do we fit in?
Dan will be on staff at the school as dean of men. A big part of this job will be discipleship and discipline for male students. A lot of his time will be spent with students, befriending, talking, praying, volunteering with, and advising. However, he will also be a Spanish language resource, and both Lyndsay and Dan will make community contacts to establish student ministry opportunities, and will work on student recruitment.

Lyndsay will be spending the first several months in language training and after that she plans to volunteer in one of the non-profit clinics in Tijuana. She will also be a medical resource for the school and will spend time discipling students.

WILL you support us?
More than anything, we hope that reading about this ministry leaves you encouraged, and reminds you that the cross of Christ is your only hope and the only thing worth living for. I know that for me (Dan), whether I live and work as a Spanish teacher in Honolulu or participate in a "more spiritual" endeavor in Tijuana (It's NOT essentially more spiritual!), I often really need to be reminded that I am part of a Kingdom that is not of this world.

We need help in this ministry! We need prayer (forever) and financial support (for probably 1-3 years until the school becomes financially independent).

If you would like to pray for us and receive our newsletter please email dan@bajabible.com. If you would like to support us financially go to the top right corner of the page to make recurring or one-time donations using our secure server. If you would like to send paper checks, please write Dan and Lyndsay Silver on the memo line and send them to: Baja Bible School / PMB 313 / 374 East H St. #A / Chula Vista, Ca 91910