I’m no Superman, but I was invited to teach a “Super-Course” at the Youth Specialties Summit this past weekend.

A Super Course is a two hour class that sort of takes place before the whole conference begins. The title of my course was: “Reinventing Success in Youth Ministry.”

I taught about how youth leaders in Mexico have an advantage: We can learn from 60 (or more) years of youth ministry success and failure in the USA. I based my course on research I did while studying my Master’s degree at Columbia International University, and we arrived at some conclusions about where youth ministry in Mexico should go to avoid some of the mistakes we have seen in the USA and to use some of the success stories that have also taken place.

We finished the class with 5 principles that we should apply in the youth ministry setting in Mexico:

1. Include the Family (especially ministry to Moms here in Mexico)
2. Connect with Meaningful Adult Relationships
3. Have a designated and trained youth worker
4. Be a part of the larger Church community
5. Teach the whole Bible

I also gave them homework: to think of ways to practically do these 5 things. I think that’s the hardest part of it all.

We’ll see how much of a head start we can have in Mexico after having learned from our predecessors in the United States.

Overall, it was a great event. One of my favorite things about the event was that I got to spend time with some of my students outside of class and away from the Seminary. It’s good to get away from the normal, formal things and just serve together. I wish we had more opportunities like it. The conversations in the car, at lunch, and over coffee were fun, and they also helped us get to know each other in a different way.

Thanks for praying for the event this past weekend.

Here are some pictures from the “Alto Voltaje”:

It’s Mother’s Day! So I took some time to make this video of the boys talking about their mom and what they love about her.

This is probably one of my favorite videos I’ve ever done.

One of our students comes over once a week to play with the kids and help them with their Spanish. She spends an hour or so with them, and she’s always bringing them fun gifts. The other day she brought chalk, which they absolutely love. Since she’s a graphic designer, she helps the kids turn the basketball court into a canvas.

This week, she brought some bubbles, so the kids played with her outside for a while, and I took the video above. You can also watch it on Vimeo.

It’s fun to watch our kids interact with our students. Sometimes being in another country is difficult, but God always provides people who step in and become “substitute family.”

Saturday night around 7:40 when I went out to see if the moon had risen, I was greeted with a cloudy sky. So I went back in and waited. I went back out a little later, and I still couldn’t see anything, not even the super moon.

I had to keep checking, and finally, around 10 PM I went back outside, saw it, and took some pictures. Some of them even turned out pretty good.

I learned 3 things from the Super Moon, though.

1. Always be Prepared – I had prepared to take some pictures of the moon, and this preparation made it easier when the moon finally came out. I knew the right settings to use on my camera and some basic things to make the pictures come out better. “Always be prepared” isn’t just a good motto for the Boy Scouts.
2. Always be Patient – I have to admit, I was a little frustrated with the way things were turning out. I wanted to take pictures as the moon was coming over the horizon. This would not be possible with the clouds. So I had to wait. I don’t like waiting. But it was worth it.
3. Use what you’ve got – I’d love to have a bigger lens for my camera, but since I don’t, I have to use what I have (if you’re feeling generous, here’s the affiliate link to the lens I’d love to have). My little lens did a pretty good job, even if it wasn’t the one that the websites recommend for taking awesome shots of the moon. Be content and use what you’ve got. That’s some pretty good advice for life.

So those are some things I learned this Saturday as I went out to shoot the Super Moon. What did you learn this weekend?

Some of our graduates invited me to participate in a youth ministry training event in Jiguani, Cuba, in April. I couldn’t go, but they had the training anyway.

They tell me it was a great training event with youth leaders participating from all over the country.

Hopefully I’ll get to visit them again soon.

We had his party last Saturday with some friends, so of course I made a video of it. He still doesn’t like it when you sing to him, but that’s something you have to do at a birthday party.

I think he was afraid, and didn’t want the tooth fairy to take it. So mommy and daddy bought his tooth for 20 pesos and hid it from the tooth fairy.

Last week we had a group visit from our home church in Florida. In the opinion of most, this group wasn’t that impressive and wasn’t going to make much of a difference for the ministry in Mexico City. Why? Because it was just one couple.

Doug and Debbie had planned on coming with a group from Gulf Coast Fellowship, but for various reasons, the group dwindled each month until it was just them who were willing to come. The size of the group left me, the organizing missionary, with very little options. So the purpose of the trip changed.

Instead of figuring out how much Doug and Debbie could do to minister to Mexican young people or Seminary students, they decided that the main purpose of their trip would be to minister to our family. I’m sure the week they spent here in Mexico made a difference on eternity. Let me explain.

Missionaries are supposed to be strong. They aren’t supposed to have many needs. Missionary kids are supposed to be perfect little angels that never need extra attention and get along in their new culture like fish in the water. But we aren’t like that. We need to be ministered to just as much as everyone else (sometimes more), but we’re not always on the radar of those looking to minister. Fortunately, Doug and Debbie came to invest in our lives and, in turn, our ministry.

Since I’m not a handyman we have some things around our house that need fixing. Doug came and fixed those things for us. Janell and I don’t have many opportunities to go out to the movies, so Doug and Debbie watched the kids so we could go out together. Our kids don’t get to spend a lot of time with grandparents, but the time they spent at the park with “Mr. Doug and Mrs. Debbie” while they were here helped them get some of that attention they need.

Doug and Debbie also spent time in class with our youth ministry students. Doug preached in chapel and went with me to a youth leaders’ meeting. But the time they spent with our family and the encouragement they were for us made a bigger impact on our children and on us than the time they spent “doing ministry.”

Please don’t overlook the little things that you can do for those who are serving overseas. Those little things seem insignificant to you, but they can be a life-changing encouragement for the missionaries. It’s amazing how encouraging it can be to have someone install a ceiling fan or fix your sink for you.