EL RETO 2011 - WEEK THREE

EL RETO 2011 WEEK THREE

"TO BE CONTINUED..."

The beginning in Arrayanes

Eight more new students showed up as we started our third week of events.  This week we started in Arrayanes with the students painting their faces in order to get ready for one of our classic activities called "Gladiators." 

Guille, The Heirs Captain

Aidé, The Prudent Captain 

Alfredo, The Faithful Captain

Fernando, participant for The Heirs 

In Gladiators, each team is given the opportunity to throw water-balloons at the other teams as they run through the course.  The team running can hide behind block-aids, but they have to make it to the goal in less than a minute.

Each team made it through successfully within the time limit.  Most teams were hit numerous times with water-balloons, but there was one team The Servants of the Lord who impressed us all with making it through twice without even getting hit once.  They were the team to win the activity; they also hit the most individuals of the other teams when it was there turn to throw.

RESULTS:

• The Servants of the Lord - 1,430 pts.
• The Faithful ­- 1,350 pts.
• The Prudent - 1,040 pts.
• The Chosen - 930 pts.
• The Heirs - 790 pts.
• The Humble - 600 pts.

From Arrayanes we began another race, but this time in the vehicles with their drivers.  Each team started in accordance with the points they had with the last place leaving first.  The Humble used the Medallion of Power in this activity to give them a 5-minute advantage over the next team to leave.

As they broke the code to where they were supposed to go, they ran to the basketball court where the drivers were waiting.  Once they got to the Arrayanes Bridge, they had to decide weather or not they wanted to "pay" to go across or just run through the river below and not pay.  Every team chose to run through the river!

The Prudent running the race

Crossing the river

After the bridge, they made it to the entrance of Cofradía where they had to draw a bottle with a message in it.  Whatever the message said is the route they had to take.  There were three messages:  "Life," "Death," and "To Be Continued...".

Life: In "Life," the teams had to make their way to the center of town and memorize a verse from the Bible, recite it to the staff that was waiting for them, make their way to the store that sold gas, buy 2 gallons of gas (money was provided), and continue on to the town of Las Pilas.  The Servants of the Lord and The Heirs both had to take this route.

Death: In "Death," they had to make their way around the outskirts of Cofradía and once they reached the soccer field in San Marcos, they had to run around the field two times, then continue to circle Cofradía, stop at the same gas store, buy 2 gallons, and continue on to the town of Las Pilas.  The Humble, The Prudent, and The Chosen had to take this route.

To Be Continued: In "To Be Continued," all they had to do was drive right through Cofradía without stopping and make their way to the town of Las Pilas.  The Faithful drew this one.

TEACHABLE MOMENT:

Sometimes, life throws curve balls at us and certain things that happen outside of our control can be either really great and easy ("To Be Continued"),  or normal ("Life"), or even sometimes it can be something very difficult ("Death").  Even though things come our way, we can still trust in the Lord for his strength and give him thanks for the blessings he gives us.

As they left Cofradía, they made it to the main bridge to town and again all the teams decided to run through the river.

Their next stop was Las Pilas.  The week before I had told them to study Matthew 5:1-12, The Beatitudes.  So this week, I put together a quiz for them to fill out.  Each team did pretty well; only one had some difficulty.

Arriving in Las Pilas

RESULTS:

• The Faithful - 2,000 pts.
• The Servants of the Lord - 1,500 pts.
• The Prudent - 1,000 pts.
• The Heirs - 750 pts.
• The Chosen, The Humble - 500 pts.

In Las Pilas, we had one more activity for them to do.  Near the small lake, they had to fill a bucket full of water as a team.  While most of the team was holding halves of PVC pipe, three individuals were running down to the water's edge filling up smaller buckets and poured the water from the beginning of the line.  This ended up being a really exciting game!  Hardly anyone was dry at the end, even the staff got muddy from the splashes of the student's feet as they watched.

The beginning of the activity near the small lake

RESULTS:

• The Servants of the Lord - 1,500 pts.
• The Heirs - 1,000 pts.
• The Prudent, The Faithful - 500 pts.

Finally, we ended the evening in "Part Two" as we do every Saturday.  This week's teaching was what the Bible says about Hell.  Is it Real? Yes!,  Where is it?  The Bible doesn't say, and How do I avoid it?  Jesus!  Scriptures we used were, John 14:6 and 1 John 5: 11,12.  As well as many that describe what hell is like.

Students listen in "Part Two"

We also continued with "generosity" as we did a two-for-one for the encouragement points we call "Filipos" or "Philippis."  This idea comes from the book of Philippians, which is filled with encouragement.  The drawback to this was that we also did the same thing for the penalties; and there were lots!  Some teams lost 1,000 points or more!

The last item as usual was the voting time.  This week the teams voted for a team to have to do clean up.  The team that received the most votes was The Chosen, but they also were the only team to receive clues to the hidden treasures after they cleaned up the speed soccer court in Arrayanes.

The RETO Graveyard

The voting table

Teams vote

The Chosen were chosen to do clean up

FINAL RESULTS AFTER WEEK THREE ACTIVITES:

• The Prudent:  2,863 (3); 7,413 (Total)
• The Servants of the Lord:  4,414 (3); 8,416 (Total)
• The Chosen:  -178 (3); 5,928 (Total)
• The Humble:  2,678 (3); 5,917 (Total)
• The Heirs:  4,319 (3); 12,384 (Total)
• The Faithful:  4,577 (3); 7,726 (Total)

TO BE CONTINUED...

EL RETO 2011 - WEEK TWO

EL RETO 2011 WEEK TWO:

"To Be Continued..."

The energy continues as 64 young people (14 new students) showed up for the second week.  That makes 80 participants after two weeks.

As normal, we start by taking roll call.  Then, we immediately got into the activities as we gave points to the first team to be able to break the code to

"才哦年他一年我啊日啊"

The Chosen breaking the code

This was the sign they would see as they made their way on foot to Arrayanes, a town just under 3 miles north of Cofradía.  The sign says "Continuará" which in English means "To Be Continued."  Each sign would have an arrow indicating which way to go.  Accompanied by chaperones, the teams took off one by one according to how many points they had from the previous week.  Before reaching their destination, they will have put together a brain teaser in Cofradía's center plaza, decided between toll road and free road in order to head to the river where they were to run through a long puddle and match photos one by one.  Once they matched 10 photos, they came to a tug-of-war station in the mud where they had to wait for the next team to arrive in order to realize the activity.  The winner kept going while the looser would then wait for another team.  Once they made it out to the main road (Plan A was to cross the river, but it rained too much so we had to go with Plan B).  After crossing the bridge, they came to the ruins of an old church and had to search for their team's color ribbon amongst the rocks.  From there, they made their way to the Arrayanes graveyard to unscramble some words before they reached their final destination:  the Arrayanes baseball field.

The Heirs working on the Brain Teaser

The Prudent working on the Brain Teaser

The teams that had arrived waited for the other teams at the Arrayanes Baseball field

This week ended up being one of the most impactful teachable moments in the history of EL RETO as the last team to leave Cofradía (45 minutes after the first team left), surprisingly arrived second in Arrayanes.  It seemed pretty odd that they could pass up four other teams.  However, after chatting with the captain, we learned that they made a wrong turn and accidently skipped the two activities near the river.  This caused some tension between our staff and the team until we were able to reason with those who were upset that this is "just a game."  One of the main purposes for EL RETO is to learn about God, life, and leadership.  This was the perfect opportunity of which to take advantage.  There are many deceptive philosophies and beliefs that look a lot like the truth, but are only counterfeits.  I have written a post about this circumstance titled "The Great Deception" on our blog.  I encourage you to read about it, as "Deception" was the lesson to be taught during "Part Two".  Everything that happened that day fit right into the teaching.  We had made counterfeits of the Chinese code signs the teams worked with at the beginning.  They looked very similar to the real sign, but they were counterfeits.  Every team had gone down a wrong road, but eventually found their way back.  One team was permanently lost...ironically, their name is "The Humble."

RACE RESULTS:

• First Place-3,000 pts. - The Chosen
• Second Place-2,000 pts. - The Heirs
• Third Place-1,000 pts. - The Servants of the Lord
• Fourth - Sixth Place-500 pts.
• The Prudent
• The Faithful
• The Humble 

The Medallion of Power was used by The Chosen at the beginning of the race to give them a 10-minute advantage over the rest of the teams.  They passed it to The Servants of the Lord who decided not to use it and passed it to The Humble who now have it in their possession.

In "Part Two" this week, we had the teams all come in together and meet in the sanctuary where we showed a PowerPoint of real signs and logos as opposed to fake ones.  This is where they found out that there were fake signs to Arrayanes.  Once we explained to them that in real life they will encounter counterfeit products, logos, signs, money, and even Christs, we had them one by one head over to the "Part Two" stage.

The lesson was all about Deception and our cry to them was that they would not be deceived by false teachings.  As they walked through the graveyard, they met up with three of our staff dressed up as people who are involved in false teachings.  Those staff members were pleading with the students to not go down the road they did (as if they had followed that teaching and already died).

Once they reached the voting room where I was, we talked with them on a serious note completely separated from the game of EL RETO.  We prayed with the teams for salvation.  There were at least one or two in each team who showed a genuine interest in accepting the Lord and their personal Savior.  We've never done this during a voting time, but I sensed it was the perfect moment for the message that was shared.

The Part Two Stage

Horacio representing someone who was involved in false teaching

Pastor Luis and Benito representing people into and influenced by false teaching

The Heirs praying to receive Jesus as their Savior.

The Servants of the Lord praying to receive Jesus as their Savior

FINAL RESULTS AFTER ALL THE ACTIVITIES OF WEEKS ONE AND TWO:

• The Heirs - 8,065 pts.
• The Chosen - 6,106 pts.
• The Prudent - 4,550 pts.
• The Servants of the Lord - 4,002 pts.
• The Humble - 3,239 pts.
• The Faithful - 3,149 pts.

TO BE CONTINUED...

September Update

Greetings Everyone from Cofradía, Mexico!  August has been a very busy month!  Two days before my 39th birthday, I got stung by a scorpion.  Rebecka’s birthday was a week later and we had a fun activity filled (RETO) birthday party for her.  Throughout the month, we planned details for our Student Ministry event of the year: EL RETO.  We have a number of blog entries with photos and videos we’d like to pass to you so you can read them at your leisure.

Links to the news:
The RETO Captain’s Retreat:  We took all 6 captains to the beach to start EL RETO with their choosing of team colors and Bible Stories.  We also introduced the Medallion of Power.  Watch the video to see what happens.
Identity Time in EL RETO Week One:  This is a very short video clip (48 sec) with an explanation and showing the students making their flags, banners, and epitaphs.  It really brings the atmosphere to life and makes you feel like you’re there.  Watch it here.
Full Report of EL RETO Week One:  This is a detailed report of the first week.  Read it here.
The Great Deception:  This is a report on one of the most impactful teachable moments we’ve had in the history of EL RETO.  Read here to see what happened.
Follow EL RETO on Facebook.
EL RETO Donations:  We have not received any donations as of yet.  This is the most impactful outreach this youth ministry has ever had.  It draws in many students who have never stepped foot into the church and don’t know Christ.  I believe in this outreach and Geña and I invest a lot of time and money into making this possible.  Please consider how you can help us.  We need $2000 to keep reaching the lives of students.  Click here for instructions on how to donate to EL RETO.
August Video Update:  Last month I put together a video explaining some of the ways lives have been touched through the ministry and some of the changes we’re going through.  Watch it here.

This Month’s requests:
Finances for EL RETO
Lives impacted through EL RETO.

Thank you very much for partnering with us through your prayers and financial support.
Click here to donate to our personal support.

Blessings,
Steve, Geña, Rebecka and Emma Rose Silberman
Missionaries to Mexico
Alternative Missions Cofradia
Area Director
SKYPE: “srsilberman”

The Great Deception

"But the sign said go this way!" 

There are many counterfeits all around us; counterfeit products, counterfeit logos, counterfeit money, and counterfeit Christs.  They are all "signs" that deceive us into believing a lie.

This last week in EL RETO, the lesson to be taught was "Deception."  As the teams took off from the church to run their race to Arrayanes, they didn't know that the Chinese code sign I gave them had counterfeits to lead them down incorrect paths.  They needed to make sure the sign really said what they thought it said; they needed to make sure the sign said the truth and that it was going to lead them to where they needed and wanted to go.  The problem was, they didn't know there were counterfeits and every team went down a road that led to a sign that said "Wrong Way; go back to the last sign that led you astray and don't pay attention to it."

There were activities throughout the race that they had to accomplish.  Some were individual team activities; others were activities to be realized against other teams so they had to wait for a team in order to do the activity.  Their final destination was the baseball field in Arrayanes.

One team showed up incredibly early.  We found out that they made a wrong turn, misinterpreted one of the signs and ended up skipping the two activities near the river.  This caused a lot of frustration on the captain's part, even the adult we had as a chaperone.  Once things got a little heated, I realized that this was going to need to be dealt with and looked at through the eyes of the purpose of EL RETO.  Learning things about God.

What happened next, turned into one of the most impactful teachable moments EL RETO has ever had.  In real life, we can get deceived very easily if we don't know the true signs very well.  There are many false religions, false prophets, and false Christs deceiving people into believing a lie that looks a lot like the truth.  The good thing about EL RETO is that it's just a game.

The truth is:  (Jesus is) the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through (him).  John 14:6.

The lie is:  You need to be good and work for your salvation.

In "Part Two", we talked about the counterfeit doctrines, beliefs and religions.  We exposed how Satan is out to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  Here are the verses we used:  Matthew 7:15-23; 24:10-13; 23-24; Galatians 1:8; and 1 Timothy 1:3-8; 4:1-8.

During the voting time, we spent time with each team giving them the opportunity to ask Jesus Christ to become Lord of their life.  All the teams but one wanted to pray.  In each team, there were at least 1 or 2 who I could tell were pretty sincere.  That was time well spent.

WHAT IS TRUTH IS TRUTH.  WHAT IS NOT TRUTH, LOOKS LIKE THE TRUTH.  That is the Great Deception.

Identity Time in EL RETO

Here is a quick clip of the students working on their flags, banners, and tombstones for EL RETO 2011!

EL RETO 2011 - WEEK ONE

EL RETO 2011 "TO BE CONTINUED..."

WEEK ONE: AUGUST 27

This year EL RETO started on Monday, August 15 for the Captains as we took them on a Retreat to San Blas, Nayarit where we did some team activities, discussed some important issues about leadership and carried out some activities for them in order that they would decide what story and color they would use for their teams.  Also, we added a "Medallion of Power" to this year's event which gives the team possessing it an advantage in the next activity.  They don't have to use it, but can only obtain it for three activities; then they have to pass it to another team who has not had it yet.  It was a lot of fun!

RESULTS:

• Aidé Garzón (Arrayanes) chose her team to be brown and use the "Parable of the Ten Virgins" (Matthew 25:1-13) as the team's story.
• Fran Ruíz (Cofradía) chose his team to be red and use the "Parable of the Great Banquet" (Luke 14:15-24) as the team's story.
•  Chuy Orozco (Cofradía) chose his team to be green and use the "Parable of the Wedding Banquet" (Matthew 22:1-14) as the team's story.
• Jorge García (Cofradía) chose his team to be blue and use the "Rich Man and Lazarus" (Luke 16:19-31) as the team's story.
• Guille Orozco (Cofradía) chose his team to be orange and use the "Rich Young Man" (Mark 10:17-31) as the team's story.
• Alfredo Garzón (Arrayanes) chose his team to be yellow and use the "Parable of the Talents" (Matthew 25:14-30) as the team's story.

• Aidé found the Medallion of Power and she elected to use it in order to choose the color for her team.  She then passed it on to Guille.

The next Saturday, the Captains were given color-coded tokens to give out to students (maximum 10) in order to form their team.  Each student that showed up with a token on Week One (8/27), received 50 points and was placed on the team of the color of the token they turned in.

RESULTS:

• Aidé-300 pts.
• Fran-500 pts.
• Chuy-100 pts.
• Jorge-250 pts.
• Guille-500 pts.
• Alfredo-500 pts.

More students showed up after the allotted time for registration.  We had a total of 66 students for the first week; each team was maxed out.

We proceeded to welcome the students, introduce the Staff, and explain this year's theme, "To Be Continued..."

EL RETO STAFF

Instructions

"To Be Continued..." has to do with our existence.  This is a message that burns inside me and has ever since I was in High School when I began to actively serve God.  Our existence is "To Be Continued...". Jesus said in John 11:25, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies."  If we believe in Jesus, we will "continue" to live even though we die.  If we don't, we will continue in death; aware of our complete isolation from God's presence--there is nothing good about that.  1 John 5:11,12 says, "...God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."

We explained to the students the rules of the competition and sent them off to chose a name for their team as well as design a flag, a banner, and a tombstone.  Once they were finished, they were judged on a number of aspects as they presented their work to the judges.

RESULTS:

• Aidé's team is called The Prudent--310 pts.
• Fran's team is called The Servants of the Lord--255 pts.
• Chuy's team is called The Chosen--355 pts.
• Jorge's team is called The Humble--315 pts.
• Guilles' team is called The Heirs--415 pts.
• Alfredo's team is called The Faithful--360 pts.

Los Herederos (The Heirs)

Los Humildes (The Humble)

Prudentes (The Prudent)

Los Escogidos (The Chosen)

Once they were finished, their next activity would send them outside the church in order for us to prepare for what was next--the traditional take off from Survivor's Tribal Council.  This year it will be called "Part Two".

In this activity, the teams were sent out in 10-second intervals, as they had to immediately choose between "Suffering" and "Entertainment."  They did not know what either activity would involve; they only knew the title of the activity.  Later, we would use it as our TEACHABLE MOMENT in Part Two.

Suffering: They would have to go all the way to the next town (Santa Fe--3 miles) in the truck driven by their chaperon.  The clue they were given said to look for a Staff member sitting on the porch of a house in Santa Fe.  Once they found the house, they were to search for little tiny bottles with prizes in them hidden throughout the property.  As they finished, they received their reward--the alphabet of the Chinese code language we will use this year.

Entertainment: They would have to run up to the Mission Base (four blocks).  They would immediately receive their reward--a fake alphabet of the Chinese code language.  Then, they would enjoy soda, chips, popcorn, and cookies as they watched a movie (which would be turned off about 15 - 20 minutes into it in order for them to go back to the church for "Part Two"). 

What the students missed out on 

RESULTS:  Without knowing any details, every team chose "Suffering" instead of "Entertainment."  Every team received the correct Chinese code language alphabet plus the points they found inside the little bottles that were hidden.

• The Prudent--1,500 pts.
• The Servants of the Lord--100 pts.
• The Chosen--1,850 pts.
• The Humble--0 pts.
• The Heirs--3,050 pts.
• The Faithful--0 pts.

• Guille's team, The Heirs, elected to use the Medallion of Power to give them a one-minute advantage over the other teams.  Even though they were the second team to arrive at the house, it looks like it helped them.  The first team to arrive at the house to search for the bottles was The Prudent.  The Heirs passed the Medallion of Power to The Chosen.

All the teams returned to the Church for Part Two.  One by one, the teams entered into the church according to how many points they had accumulated up to this point.  The focus of Part Two was that you can choose to suffer now and have life later, or choose to follow your fleshly desires now and suffer later.  We used two main scripture references:  Luke 16:19-31 and Hebrews 11:24-26.

Part Two

Luke 16:19-31 is the Rich Man and Lazarus.  Here, we focused on how the Rich Man cried out in agony from Hell; a place he ended up because of his decisions he made on earth.

In Hebrews 11:24-26 we learn that Moses denied his right to be called the Pharoah's daughter's son.  He chose to be mistreated with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.  He chose Suffering instead of Entertainment because he had his eyes set on his reward.

TEACHABLE MOMENT:  We can choose to give our life to Jesus knowing that we will suffer ridicule and persecution.  But, we know that there will be a reward for us that lasts for eternity in our "Part Two."  OR.  We can choose to live our life the way we want and seek out pleasure and self-gratification.  But, if we choose that life, our "Part Two" will be suffering for eternity. 

I was more than excited when I heard that every team chose "Suffering."  As I waited for the teams to arrive at "Part Two," I could only imagine a glimpse of what God must sense when his creation chooses to serve Him instead of themselves.

In the end, each team would enter into the voting room.  If they found that their name was written in "The Book of Life", they could vote for a team to receive a reward (clues to hidden treasures).  Since all the teams chose "Suffering," they all were written in the Book of Life.  For each vote a team received, they got to choose a clue to one of the three hidden treasures:  Resurrection, Judgment, and Grace.  I would tell you what they mean, but that's a secret (smile).

RESULTS:

• The Prudent-0 votes
• The Servants of the Lord-1 vote
• The Chosen-1 vote
• The Humble-3 votes
• The Heirs-0 votes
• The Faithful-1 vote

The voting room this year is our upstairs youth room converted into a graveyard.  The tombstones the teams created have been set in place.  They walk through the graveyard, pass through a dark area (where we had a Staff act out the "Rich Man" from Luke 16), and arrive at a smoke filled voting room.  They voted and exited towards the end door through the smoke (from where I was standing, it looked like they were disappearing).

The Youth Room turned Graveyard

The Book of Life

The Walk

Voting

The Vote

FINAL RESULTS AFTER ALL ACTIVITIES OF WEEK ONE:

• The Prudent--2,508 pts.
• The Servants of the Lord--1,500 pts.
• The Chosen--2,754 pts.
• The Humble--1,238 pts.
• The Heirs--4,630 pts.
• The Faithful--1,397 pts.

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TO BE CONTINUED...

EL RETO 2011 - CAPTAIN'S RETREAT IN SAN BLAS, NAYARIT

This is a video that Macedonio Diaz put together for us of our Captain's Retreat last week at the beach in San Blas, Nayarit.  I plan on adding English sub-titles later.  The theme is "To Be Continued..." and the students are excited!  At this retreat we talked about what it meant to work together as a team, lead a team, and know our purpose (Reach out to youth, Bring in the Fringe students, and Learn about God, Leadership and whatever comes up).  EL RETO is a Youth Outreach that has become a Super Bowl of events in Cofradia.  Youth Group is just not the same without it. Enjoy the video...

EL RETO and Facebook!

EL RETO now has a facebook page!  You can follow us here!

August Update

Here is a 5 minute video of our ministry for the past couple of months...

Dave and Kathy's final Newsletter

Tomorrow, Saturday, Dave and Kathy will leave Cofradía returning to Canada after 20 years of missionary service here.  They will be missed by all.  Here is their final newsletter...

July Update

Greetings Everyone from Cofradía Mexico!  It’s cooling down a bit now that the rains have finally come.  However, with that, comes more humidity...Praise the Lord!  :).  Thank you for your prayers this past month, we really, really appreciate them!  There have been a lot of exciting things happening, but one that was a nice surprise is the paving of the road into Cofradía.  It’s been paved before, but never like this, it even has painted lines!!!

This past month we asked for your prayers concerning...

• Transition Things are going well as we near the hump of the transition.  Dave and Kathy will be leaving in just a couple of weeks.  Thanks for your continued prayers for our staff as well as the Elias’ as they begin a new chapter as well.
• Sandy Garzon has joined our Missionary Staff and is receiving support from people like you.  Thank you for praying for her and her needs.
• Our Personal Support we still have not received any pledges since our home church has made a commitment to match them in order to help us reach our goal.  Please continue to pray about how you can help.
• Mily Garzon is in Oaxaca, she made it safely and is doing well.  She will be there for two months and possibly an extended amount of time.
• Short-Term Missions teams Canyon Hills from Bothel, WA is here and doing a great job building relationships with our students and children.  The outreach in Pilas on Thursday drew the best response we’ve ever seen.  Here is a quick update of their time here
  

Follow these links for more...
Speechless
New Church Construction— The final project of the new building is complete.
April Video Update
Most Viewed YouTube video of ours (Puerta Colorada Outreach)
Facebook—if you’re on Facebook, I’d love to get in touch with you!

This month, would you please pray for...

• Transition Please continue to keep our staff and church in your prayers as we adjust to the change.
• Our Personal Support as I’ve mentioned above.
• Mily Garzon continued prayer support for her as she is “alone” as a missionary to Oaxaca.
• Short-Term Missions teams Gateway Fellowship from Poulsbo, WA will be here July 5-July 14.  Pray for their safety and influence amongst the locals and everyone they come in contact with.
• New Staff Member We are about to invite another staff member in August.  He is a great friend of ours and will be a huge help with our ministry.  Click here to read about Macedonio Diaz from Tepic, Nayarit: l
  

Thank you very much for partnering with us through your prayers and financial support.
Click here to donate to our personal support

Blessings,
Steve, Geña, Rebecka and Emma Rose Silberman
Missionaries to Mexico
SKYPE: “srsilberman”

Canyon Hills Outreach in Cofradia 2011

New Staff Member: Macedonio Diaz

After making an acquaintance with Macedonio years ago, it wasn't until last summer that I got to know him better and our friendship started to grow.  Macedonio is an excellent sound man and his specialty is video.  As we were working together at youth camp last summer, I knew he was really good with video and I asked his opinion on a few things that I was planning on for our huge youth event, EL RETO.  What I was talking about interested him so much that he dedicated the next three months to helping the youth ministry here in Cofradía as he spent hours upon hours investing in the lives of the students, planning and making videos (he made 13 quality videos), and encouraging EVERYONE with whom he came in contact.  His energy and encouragement attracts youth from everywhere.  I'm convinced that part of the reason why we had a record attendance of 108 last year was because of his influence in the lives of the students.  In his words, EL RETO was one of the greatest growing experiences he's had and feels a tug to continue ministering in Cofradía.  We are excited about Macedonio's decision to come and work on staff with us this August through October.  He will be helping once again spending hours and hours working on videos and hanging out with the students.  In order to make this possible, he will need the support of people like you who are willing to invest in the lives of students as Macedonio's impact on them is incredible!  Macedonio will not receive a salary as he will be considered part of our Missionary Staff; he needs your help.  Please email Steve for more information on how you can make this Kingdom Investment and remember to keep him in your prayers.

Youth Room Finished!

The Youth Room is finished.  This was the final big project left in order to complete the construction of the new church building.  A BIG THANK YOU to all of you who participated in one way or another to complete this project.  We are so excited about this and look forward to our first service this Saturday in it as we welcome the New Generation youth who are entering Jr. High.  Awesome!  Dave Elias even put up some basketball goals in the gym/sanctuary.

Speechless!

Words cannot express what it's like to be a Dad to these two!

Pavement!

We have pavement again!  This is the best it's ever been!  The road from the Interstate all the way past Cofradía to Santa Fe has been repaved after months and months (over a year) of potholes and canyons.  We're all excited about this, especially the vehicles as they breathe a sigh of relief.  This is the first time they've actually painted the stripes the way they should be, we're hoping that all this new pavement lasts through the rainy season.  What a blessing!

They Smell Like Sheep by Dr. Lynn Anderson

They Smell Like Sheep by Dr. Lynn Anderson is one of the best books I've read in a long, long time.  I think it's a must read for Pastors, Elders, Deacons, any Leaders in the church.


He focuses on the simplicity of what it means to mentor someone, what it means to pastor someone, and ends with the authority that a Pastor has (or doesn't have) amongst the sheep.


It's an easy read and very interesting.  I highly recommend it!

June Update

Greetings Everyone from Cofradía Mexico!  We had a great time last weekend (May 27-30) in Sinaloa.  Our family went to Mazatlan on Friday and we stayed the night at a hotel as we had promised the girls a trip to the beach since last April.  Well, they were more excited about the pool than the beach...we only saw the beach, didn’t even touch the sand!  They loved their time there!  The next day we went to the wedding of one of our students who married a girl from Mazatlan.  We are very proud of them for setting a good example.  You can see their picture here.  Sunday I spoke in the two services of Cosecha Final La Cruz church with my friend, Pastor Héctor Robles.  It was a great blessing to be part of their services and see what God is doing there.  Soon, our students will be attending camp there at the end of July.  Monday, we headed back home.

Last month we asked for your prayers concerning...

• Alternative Missions Staff “as we work through a transitional period.”  Dave and Kathy Elias have been in Mexico for over 20 years with most of their time here in Cofradía.  They have felt a call to return to their home in Canada.  Dave is the Area Director of Alternative Missions Cofradía and both of them have a big influence in many areas.  To fill their shoes is a huge task and something that our whole Missionary Staff and the Church body will need to work together in order to step up and take over responsibilities.  I have already been appointed as the new Area Director and we are moving forward in a positive way with this transition.  We are excited about what God can do through this, yet sad that the Elias’ will be leaving.  July 20 is their departure date.
• Pastor Gollo “for wisdom as he guides the church, it’s leaders, and the home groups that meet during the week.”  I was at a leadership meeting that Pastor Gollo held last night and the energy for being positive, strong leaders was very present.  He is doing an excellent job, the home groups are going well, and the Cofradía church is moving forward.  We have some quality people!
• Sandy Garzon will be joining our staff on June 23.  She has written a support letter that you can see here.  We are so excited about this new addition to our staff as she will be working with Short-Term Mission teams, helping with the administration of the church, and living on the Mission Base as a caretaker.
• Our Personal Support We have not received a response since last month’s update concerning our monthly support.  Here is what we wrote about it, “A few months ago we were seeking to raise our support $600 a month and asked you to give towards our immediate need of Health Insurance.  Many of you have given and others have started to faithfully donate each month and we thank you very much for that.  We are still short of our goal by around $200 of monthly pledges.  My home church, Gateway Fellowship, has generously made a commitment to match $1 for every $2 of pledges to help us finish reaching our goal.  Please let us know by responding to this email about how you can help us reach our goal.”
  

Follow these links for more...
TenBrink Update— The TenBrinks are fellow Missionaries in Cofradía and have done a great job of bringing things up to date.  
April Video Update
Most Viewed YouTube video of ours (New Church Inauguration)
Facebook—if you’re on Facebook, I’d love to get in touch with you!

This month, would you please pray for...

• Transition Please continue to keep our staff and church in your prayers as we adjust to the change.
• Sandy Garzon for support as she will be joining our Missionary Staff.
• Our Personal Support as I’ve mentioned above.
• Mily Garzon who will be working as an intern in San Martin Peras, Oaxaca for two months with a mission called “La Embajada.”  She leaves on June 26, here is her letter explaining her trip.
• Short-Term Missions teams Canyon Hills from Bothel, WA will be here June 25-July 4 and Gateway Fellowship from Poulsbo, WA will be here July 5-July 14.  Pray for their safety and influence amongst the locals and everyone they come in contact with.
  

Thank you very much for partnering with us through your prayers and financial support.
Click here to donate.

Blessings,
Steve, Geña, Rebecka and Emma Rose Silberman
Missionaries to Mexico
SKYPE: “srsilberman”

Sandy Garzon's First Newsletter

Luis & Rakel

Luis Aguilar and Rakel Melendrez were married on Saturday afternoon in Mazatlán.  We are very proud of them both and excited for them.  Luis has been part of our Student Ministry for a few years and occasionally helps lead worship for us.  His twin sister, Veronica, was married two months ago.  Rakel lived in Mazatlán where her dad pastors a church in the Colonial Flores Magón.  Congratulations Luis and Rakel...Felicidades!!!

TenBrink Update

Here is an update from Cofradía Missionaries, Jay and Faith TenBrink.  Jay's done a great job bringing things up to date.

Mily Garzon to Oaxaca

Mily has been serving as a Student Leader for the past four years and is taking steps forward towards her desire to be a missionary.  She will be heading to San Martin Peras, Oaxaca for a two-month internship (July and August) with a ministry called "La Embajada."  Here is a translated letter explaining what she'll be doing and her needs (click to enlarge):

Sandy will join the staff in June.

Sandy Garzon who has been part of our Student Leadership Team for 5 years, will be joining our missionary staff on June 23.  We are extremely excited about this and so is she.  She will be a huge help with Short-Term Mission teams and the over-all Church Ministry.

Sandy will come on board as an Intern for three months with continuing to stay on staff in mind after her internship is over.  Please consider how you could help her out in the next few months.  Donations can be made online here.  Select Ministry Location Cofradia and write "Sandy Garzon" in the note section.  Or, you can send a check to Alternative Missions / PO Box 5835 / Goodyear, AZ 85338 with a separate note indicating that it's for "Cofradía: Sandy Garzon".

New Staff Member: Sandy Garzón

Sandy Garzón has been one of our Student Leaders since we started the Leadership program.  She is an incredible young lady and we would like to bring her on as a Missionary Staff member at Alternative Missions Cofradía.  Here is a letter of interest.  Please email me here for more information.  Thank you!

MAY UPDATE

Greetings Everyone from Cofradía Mexico!  This is what’s happening...

Last month in our video update we asked for your prayers concerning...

• Student Ministry Missions Trip to Puerta Colorada.  We mentioned that our plans were to go for three days.  In our scouting trips, we noticed that the Lord had not opened the door for us to be there and stay the night, so we changed it an evening of Missions Preparation and we spent the whole next day in Puerta Colorada serving the town, families, and children.  We cleaned yards, removed a wall, cleaned a kitchen, put a roof on a bathroom, cleaned the streets, set up inflatable games for the children, shared a story with the children, held an open air evangelistic meeting and the best part was watching our students scattered througout the plaza praying and ministering to the people.  Here is a 3 minute video report.  
• Student Leaders Some of our leaders are struggling with either personal issues or decisions they need to make that have the potential of affecting their future.  Please continue to lift them up in your prayers.
  

Follow these links for more..
New Staff Member—We are looking forward to adding another member to our Alternative Missions Staff.  Sandy Garzon has been working as a Student Leader for a number of years and senses a calling to come on Staff.  We are very excited about the potential of having her joining our team as she would be a huge asset to us.  Here is a letter explaining her needs, please consider how to help.
April Video Update
Inauguration Video
Facebook—if you’re on Facebook, I’d love to get in touch with you!

This month, would you please pray for...

• Alternative Missions Staff as we work through a transitional period.
• Pastor Gollo for wisdom as he guides the church, it’s leaders, and the home groups that meet during the week.
• Sandy Garzon for support interest as we hope to add her to our Missionary Staff.
• Our Personal Support A few months ago we were seeking to raise our support $600 a month and asked you to give towards our immediate need of Health Insurance.  Many of you have given and others have started to faithfully donate each month and we thank you very much for that.  We are still short of our goal by around $200 of monthly pledges.  My home church, Gateway Fellowship, has generously made a commitment to match $1 for every $2 of pledges to help us finish reaching our goal.  Please let us know by responding to this email about how you can help us reach our goal.
  

Thank you very much for partnering with us through your prayers and financial support.
Click here to donate.

Blessings,
Steve, Geña, Rebecka and Emma Rose Silberman
Missionaries to Mexico
SKYPE: “srsilberman”

Puerta Colorada 2011

Here is a three minute video report of our Student Ministry's one-day missions trip last week to Puerta Colorada, a town about 1/2 hour south of here.