superNaturally

After the fall getaway we have continued to connect individually with students. Developing a community of students is important. On Sunday afternoon we invited all the men involved in Vida Estudiantil to come to the apartment. This space, which we will have about once a month, is just one more example of how things are slowly but steadily moving forward.
These guys lives will be transformed as they pursue truth together. One thing that is true of university students today is that if they do not feel like something is relevant and comfortable they are probably not going to come back. Commitment is not evaluated based on some objective truth, but rather on how they feel about the people and the experiences they have. This is just fine because Jesus is real, personal and is inviting us to live an abundant life. Commitment will come naturally as they have an authentic experience with their Maker. But it is a battle to help them move towards God in the midst of a society that invites them to be their own gods in so many ways.
On Sunday we invited them to get together once a month to build authentic friendships, consider what the Christian life is all about and pray for each other. We started by sharing with them how to experience the abundant life Jesus promised, the Spirit-filled life. Next month we will consider the signularity of Jesus Christ among so many other religous leaders or gods.

Leadership that Changes Lives

Isla Negra is a small city on the coast about an hour and a half from Santiago. It is best known for one of the homes of the Nobel prize winning Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda. Besides being a great poet Neruda was also involved in politics. He was a socialist who owned three luxurious homes. True servant leadership is really hard to find. And Latin America has had some (and currently has some) very poor leadership.

Mario Bloise, the Continental director, came from Argentina to serve our staff and students for the weekend. The content of the weekend was centered on being leaders that serve, bringing positive change for others. We had a great couple of days with the students. A high percentage of those who came were new students and non-Christians. Most of us were just acquaintances when we arrived, but we left having started new friendships. During the past couple weeks those relationships have continued to grow and we have had gospel centered conversations.

The students were challenged to develop their character and other leadership skills. Mario challenged them to establish clear convictions, to figure out what they are living for. He shared how following Jesus has transformed his life. I had the privilege of speaking to the new students at the close of the conference. By addressing several of the common presumptions that guide how we figure out our purpose in life I hoped to help us consider how we could live extraordinary lives of integrity... living to glorify God by enjoying Him as our greatest treasure, and helping others live this extraordinary life by faith.

Getting Started

It was the fourth time we met and the first time all four attended. Building commitment and community takes effort. I am so happy to see Diego, Mauricio, Patricio and Cristobal each forming a commitment to serve God together in reaching lost students in the university. Our first meeting we talked about how God could use us to start a spiritual movement in the university and I challenged them to develop a plan. At other times during the week we share our faith together. During the past few meeting we have talked about some of the vital aspects of our character; love, holiness, service and faithfulness. I am excited to see what happens as we help each other set clear objectives in our personal growth and effectiveness in mission. The mission of turning lost students into Christ-centered laborers is something that genuinely motivates these guys. It is hard to imagine all that can happen as God uses us to change lives in the university and outside of it! Please pray that God gives us great faith and grace to complete the goals that each one purposes each week.

Process

The start of the semester is over. Students are starting to experience the stress of the first round of exams. Last Thursday we finished the "Study Effectively" seminar. Alejandro spoke up at the end of the seminar, "thank you for all the affection and concern you have showed us by offering the seminar." The evening before Israel, one of our new Chilean staff, and I sat down with Alejandro to talk about a variety of questions he had about spirituality. He was curious about how we experience God in our lives.
Earlier in the semester we had a stand that allowed students to come to us. Several hundred stopped by and filled out a short survey. About 1/3 expressed interest in having an objective discussion of the Bible. That was encouraging. The vast majority of students also express a high desire to know God personally. But they usually don't have any idea how they would go about it and are hesitant to get involved in the things that might help them.
We also had an orientation event for freshmen, "How to Get Better Grades and Have More Fun". We faced many difficulties with this event, getting a time and place on the university campus, and being able to promote it like we had planned. We postponed it for two weeks. While I was hanging up another poster where they had been taken down two guys asked me what I was promoting. A few minutes later Rodrigo, Francisco and I were in a significant spiritual conversation.
I had to cut the conversation short to meet with my discipleship group. We scheduled a meeting, and a week later we talked at length about how we know what is good and true. Ask we talked through the typical answers (I if I feel good and it doesn't harm anyone else...etc) and examined if they were sufficient to help us deal with reality we eventually narrowed our focus. The gospel became our focus. We could agree that we are basically egocentric people and that many of the problems we face are caused by this heart problem. The law hasn't changed people. A personal relationship with a God who loves us perfectly is a unique and real solution. Rodrigo and Francisco are considering the gospel!
I am not completely sure that the strategies we used are the best ones, but as part of a process they are helping us connect with the campus as a whole and leading us into effective evangelism with students. The reality that about 1% of the students you invite will participate is a discouraging reality. My friend Pablo observed, "participation for me was to go to mass on occasion, that is what has defined participation culturally for centuries here in Chile."
I am also encouraged by how I have been able to re-connect with the many students that we got to know last year. As we invite them to things and are more direct in sharing our faith I am sure some will place their faith in Jesus. Today Christofer, a non-Christian student who went on summer project with us, had dinner with Israel and I. He got to consider the gospel one more time. While I would love to see things go more quickly (for example I believe we could see several spiritual generations before the end of the semester) I know that seeing a ministry become a movement is is about bold faith and patientce in the processes. Thanks for praying that God would start spiritual movements in Chile and for your prayer for our encouragement, perseverance as we face many barriers in the ministry here.

Shaken

Chile has experienced a series of earthquakes in the past day or so. This morning I woke up as a level 4 quake shook Santiago. That is the most significant earthquake that I have experienced. During my first months in Mexico back in 1999 there was a severe earthquake in Oaxaca. I was studying at the language school and didn't feel anything. In Santiago we feel tremors regularly.

Yesterday a 6.2 quake created significant damage and left 10 people missing in southern Chile.

Estudio Eficaz

One of the things we hear too frequently while talking to "freshmen" students is that this is their second year in the university but they are repeating many of the first years courses. The difference between high school and university study finds many unprepared. On top of that the number of distractions and temptations also multiply with the freedom that this stage of life offers. Today we hosted the first of four sessions of the Study Effectively Seminar. We had a good turn out and the students expressed an interest in the upcoming sessions. It is a lot of work, but serving students, loving them, helping them do well is a joy.
As we expand to more campuses in Santiago, strategies like this seminar will allow us to help student leaders cast the net broadly on campus, be visible and serve students needs.
Before speaking at the seminar today I spent a few hours with Mauricio. Yesterday was our first time going out to share our faith together. Today he was ready to talk to more of his peers. The platform of service to the student community encourages Mauricio to engage his peers in spiritual conversations. When people know that we care about what is important to them, they are much more willing to talk.

Three Phase

In Santiago we are trusting God to raise up student led movements on every campus. After one year we have a presence and student leaders on three campuses. While we could easily spend all our time trying to build up those ministries we don't want to build ministries, but rather be used of God to mobilize students.
During the next month we have a three phase process to identify and focus on three more campuses. The University of Chile and the Univseridad Catolica are the two most prestigious schools. The first phase is to visit 8 different campuses of those two universities. We will investigate the campuses and look for opportunities and key contacts on Friday. Phase two will be to explore another 8 campuses of private universities. We also will try identify where the 15 summer project students from the US can help launch movements in May and June. Phase three is to focus on 2 or 3 campuses where we see the best opportunity and contacts.
I am confident that we will find students who share our passion for seeing lost students become Christ-centered laborers. Through personal discipleship and our community of leadership development, Raices (from Psalm 1, roots) our team is being used by God to prepare students for living out the great commandment and great commission.

Weddings and Chinese Food

One year ago I was curious about the large corporate building across the street from my apartment. I asked a guy on the street what the company Endesa does? Pablo informed me that they were an energy company. It turned out we lived in the same building. A friendship was started and through the influence of several people Pablo eventually decided to follow Christ.

Friday my friend Christian and I met with the owner of a chain of Chinese restaurants for dinner. Chen is Chinese but has lived in Chile for 20 years. He is a friend of my former neighbour Pablo. I met Chen for the first time at a discotheque, celebrating Pablo's birthday. We shared with Chen about the ministry of Vida Estudiantil and invited him to invest with us in reaching college students. He was excited to hear about what we are doing. This Wednesday we will meet again at the national office of Vida Estudiantil.

When I arrived at church today I saw Pablo and Karen sitting towards the front dressed a little better than normal and I immediately knew... they were going to announce their engagement. Pablo and Karen had gone to Brazil for their summer vacation last week. And I suspected that he was going to propose. It is a joy to see Pablo continuing to grow in Christ and being blessed by God.

Freshmen Orientation

This week I have been getting together with the guys who were involved with Vida Estudiantil last semester. We have been in touch with most of them throughout the summer. It is fun to see what develops as we invite them to trust God to reach their peers. Students have a better feel many times for where to be, when and who to talk to than we do as outsiders. Yesterday we were on campus because when I met with Jorge, a sophomore, on Tuesday, and he told me about a freshmen orientation event for his faculty. So we showed up to see what it was like. After a formal meeting with all the freshmen there was a breakfast where the student government and other student representatives got to present themselves to the students. We asked for a couple minutes to present Vida Estudiantil and invite them to our first event, "How to Get Better Grades and Have More Fun". Jorge is still just getting involved with us, but he opened some doors and got to see how he can reach out to his peers.
Next Monday classes start, but it will be a relaxed week, with lots of parties and the typical freshmen hazing. There is lots of talk about new rules limiting what the upperclassmen can do to students. We will see how that turns out.
Since mid-December we have been trying to get a meeting with the student activites director. Juan Carlos, one of our chilean staff, and Patricio one of the students leaders at USACH, will finally get to sit down with him Wednesday the 12th. This will be an important time for establishing a relationship with the university and getting access to information, opportunties, funding and meeting space on campus.

Rolando

Back in October I ran into a guy from Peru as I was walking home from church. I shared the good news of God's love and forgiveness and tried to help him cope with his wife's unfaithfulness. It was a Spirit-led time. I gave him a Bible and wrote my email in the back. I thought I would hear from him. Well more than two months past and I was starting to think that maybe I would never hear from Rolando. But he finally wrote me, basically expressing how important that short meeting was for him. What an encouragement to know that the truth is bearing fruit in his life!!

Back In Town, Still Unpacking

After nearly two months on the road I am finally back at my home in Santiago. I moved out of my old apartment in downtown Santiago December 20th and flew to Nebraska that same day. After a few great days with family and friends I returned to Chile on January 6th. A day later we started a week long theological development class that all our staff in Chile. Instead of studying I spent the afternoons trying to find an apartment and sign a contract. We left for summer project on January 17th. On February 1st summer project ended and I met up with my parents who had arrived in Chile the day before. We spent a week in southern Chile. And that brings me to today. We got home at 1 a.m. and I threw my backpacks on my bed. I realized that I haven't even gotten my suitcases from January unpacked yet. It is really good to be home. I leave next Tuesday...

Eusebius on the Evangelists

"Very many of the disciples of the time, their hearts smitten by the word of God with an ardent passion for true philosophy, first fulfilled the Savior's command by distributing their possessions among the needy; then, leaving their homes behind, they carried out the work of evangelists, ambitious to preach to those who had never yet heard the message of the faith and to give them the inspired gospels in writing. Staying only to lay the foundation of the faith in one foreign place or another, appoint others as pastors, and entrust to them the tending of those newly brought in, they set off again for other lands and people with the grace and cooperation of God, for even at that late date many miraculous powers of the divine Spirit worked through them, so that at the first hearing whole crowds in a body embraced with a wholehearted eagerness the worship of the universal Creator."
Eusebius compiled a history of Christianity in the early 300's.

The Margin?

Halloween was my official start date for History of Christianity I. I have enjoyed the readings and study. My first week went well, and then two busy weeks and weekends in a row hit me. Now it is the fourth week of class and I am just into the second weeks work. The concept of margin has been a helpful one for me. The idea is that if you think of your life as a page with many things on it, you want to maintain some white space, margin. Filling your life to the edges is not healthy. So I am wondering, with travel home at the end of the year, summer project in January, and leading our team into new territory at the beginning of the school year in March, if I need to postpone my studies. I know that I will further my studies at some point, but it seems now may not be an opportune time.

Happy Birthday Blanca

Friday the 17th was also sweet! Our staff team meets on Friday morning to share a time of fellowship, development and planning. It was Blanca's birthday, so we celebrated a little during our staff meeting. She had no idea what we were planning for later, je je. After staff meeting Christian and I met with the businessman we had met the night before to talk about our idea.
Later in the afternoon we had our student leadership time, Raices. Christian did an great job laying out the vision and historical reality of spiritual movements. Everyone left the meeting like they were going home. But actually we were all headed to celebrate our good friends birthday. As Blanca left the subway on her way home she was surprised by Mariachi and many of her friends and students. It was awesome! From the subway stop we went to Christian's and Blanca's home to continue our celebration.

A Good Day

Thursday the 16th of November was a memorable day. The day before David, a STINTer from Argentina, got into Santiago to visit for a few days. Thursday's always start with a staff prayer meeting. I gave the talk at the weekly meeting about stress and final exams. The meeting went really well. We got lots of good feedback. Immediately after the weekly meeting I met with the other leaders here in Santiago to talk about our vision and goals for next semester. We needed to set the direction for getting to new campuses. The meeting served to reaffirm the vision of movements everywhere and helped us consider realistic steps for getting there. Later that evening Colo-Colo (a favorite Chilean soccer team) played Toluca(a Mexican team). Most of my team went to the game. I went home to rest and prepare for our staff meeting the next day. When I got home the electricity company had cut my electricity. A long story, but basically they were wrong:) It was already dusk, so I was at home with no computer or lights. Wanting to make the most of my time I went to buy groceries since my frige was pretty much empty. On the way I call Christian and tell him my story. He invited me to go watch the game on TV at a sports bar. Change of plans... I arrived at the bar as the first half ended. After the game (Colo-Colo won 2-1) we went up the street to talk to a friend and business owner in the area. He introduced us to another business owner who is a key contact for starting a new strategy that we had been dreaming about for over a year. A really good day.

Team Leaders In Talca

I got up early this morning to catch the train to Talca. We needed to be at Tulipanes restaurant in downtown Talca by 11:30 for a meeting with the ministry team leaders in Chile. There were 6 of us traveling from Santiago, Doug, Kurt, Christian, Clint, Maggie and me. Maria Jose and Veronica from Concepcion met us in Talca. This is our second meeting this semester with all the team leaders in Chile.
These have been important and productive times as we establish and grow the ministry. We are establishing a plan for national events (summer projects and conferences), adapting a discipleship curriculum for Chile and other resources essential to growing a healthy ministry where students are involved in spiritual multiplication.

Rolando

Today on my way home from church I decided to take the bus to Plaza de Armas. There are some international call centers there that are half price. Plaza de Armas is the main plaza in Santiago, surrounded old buildings that are now museums, the old post office, cathedral etc. It has also become the place where "evangelical" pastors and a few of their faithful go to shout at people. As I walked across the plaza on my way home I saw a guy reading some of their literature. I sat down next to him and asked him what he thought. Turns out he had just learned that his wife is cheating on him and... We talked for about an hour. Mostly about how we can love and forgive even when it is hard. And how God loves us and forgives us. Rolando responded the gospel of grace. He told me, "I've always believed God exists but I have never put Him first in my life. I am going to put God first. I feel a great relief." He leaves for Peru tomorrow.

Dario

Yesterday I met with a student who had come to a couple of our weekly meetings. In fact we showed a short interview with Dario at our meeting two weeks ago about self esteem. His honesty answering the questions was refreshing.
Dario is a classmate of several students that we have been getting to know. I think two of them have also trusted Christ and started follow-up Bible studies with Adriana, one of our Mexican STINTers.
When someone comes to our meeting we try to meet with them the next week and get to know them a little more. Dario and I talked for about an hour. We talked about how trust is so important for good relationships with friends, family and God. He indicated that he was about 60% confident that God would accept him. As we talked through the "Would You Like to Know God Personally" booklet Dario understood that God is completely trustworthy. And he placed his faith in Jesus Christ. It is a great joy to be part of God's working salvation in people's lives! What an awesome adventure Dario has ahead of him.

Against the Staus Quo2

This week I was inviting students to our weekly meeting when a student said (I think hoping that I wouldn't hear or understand) "these will brainwash you". His friend (I think hoping to make up for his friends blatant prejudice) asked me, "are you a religious group?" This is probably the most frequent question I get from students and administration. Given what we do on campus and how we have consistently presented ourselves this question can only be based in prejudice.
Today a student told me with a straight face that he has no personal conflicts. I wanted to ask him if he had ever told a lie! Another told me in his own way all truth (especially religious) is relative and that anyone who would try to persuade otherwise is not tolerant.
These prejudices, indifference, spiritual blindness and close-mindedness we see among students are difficult to deal with. "The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way--never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Against the Status Quo

A few weeks ago I started a project to help improve the gym at USACH. This week I met again with the assistant athletic director and another person in the athletics department. This time I got more help than my first visit. Juanita was the person I really needed to meet. She knows about donations, an existing process to expand the gym that lacks funding and other politics of the university. Next week I will meet with her again to get the information I need. As I was waiting at the reception desk to meet the assistant athletic director the tennis coach talked with the secretary about his perspectives on spirituality and salvation. He hopes that his good life will help him earn his way into heaven. Maybe I will get to talk to him one day on campus. It is those instances that I am looking for as I serve students and the university. Pray that He would give us opportunities to share the gospel!