The Mission Diaries

The 2010 edition of the Central American Missions Conference will be hosted by the Tegucigalpa (Honduras) Church of Christ. We are excited to announce that the title of the Conference is “Aviva el Fuego” (Fan the Flames) and the theme scripture is 1 Thessalonians 5:19 “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire” (NIV) The dates are June 3-6, 2010, and it will be held at the Tegucigalpa Marriott. For information about registration and lodging please go to the Conference web page.

J De Anda

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Our blog is dedicated to missions in Mexico and Central America, and missiology in general, but this time we’ll take a recess and delve into the field of Apologetics. Since I am Board member of the Apologetics Research Society (www.evidenceforchristianity.org), I try to keep up with topics related to Biblical/Christian evidences. An article in today’s Orange County Register caught my attention. You can read the full article at this link.

A well-known UCI professor, Francisco Ayala, received an award for his scientific work on evolution and for his efforts to bring into dialogue the opposing camps of science and religion. Professor Ayala is a distinguished scientist, so I imagine that many people would listen to what he says and give it plenty of credibility. Unfortunately, in the newspaper interview Professor Ayala commits what my fellow blogger Brian Colon calls “the straw man fallacy“. Read along if you’re interested… (Read the article)

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The Guatemala City Church of Christ hosted the first retreat for the administrators of the Central American churches this past weekend of March 12-14, 2010. In attendance were (left to right in photo below): J De Anda from Los Angeles (guest speaker), Ericka from San Jose (Costa Rica), Juanita from San Pedro Sula (Honduras), Carlos from Xela (Guatemala), Neftali from San Salvador (El Salvador), David from Panama City, and Betty from Guatemala City. Some of these disciples perform this function on a purely volunteer basis for their respective churches. Thanks to their tireless work, the churches are able to maintain a high level of integrity in their financial operations and legal status.

The retreat began on Friday evening with a meeting with the Guatemala City Church’s Board of Directors. It was a great time of learning about the development of such governance structure, and about the healthy interaction between the Board and the ministry staff.

Saturday morning the group received J De Anda from Los Angeles, who led them in a study about God’s guidance through dark times, based mostly on Job 23. It was a great bonding time as all had a chance to share about their experiences, struggles and victories in recent years. The rest of the day was devoted to discussions about strategic and tactical aspects of administration.

On Sunday morning the group joined one of the Guatemala City Church’s three regional groups for worship. David Pineda, the administrator for the Panama Church, led the church in that day’s Lord’s Supper. J De Anda then preached on the theme, “This Is A Hard Teaching. Who Can Accept It?” from John 6:60. The church was encouraged to hold on to our convictions and never compromise on Jesus’ teachings, even though they are challenging and difficult. The meeting hall was full. The Bible Talk group led by evangelist Alex Paiz had 12 visitors!

The retreat concluded with a lunch and round-table discussion after church, and everyone agreed that we should meet at least once a year, even if by web conference.

J De Anda

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Although MCA Missions is not directly involved in mission work in South America, we have been praying and following the news after the horrible earthquake that struck Chile last weekend. My good friends and brothers Christian Escobar and Hector Munoz have told me that the Christians in the churches in Santiago, Vina del Mar and Concepcion are safe, although some have had losses of property. For a recent update, please go to John and Kay Hoyt’s blog at this link. The Hoyts have been missionaries in Chile for several years.

J De Anda

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A new church has been planted in Mexico. Welcome, Cuautla Church of Christ! In 1999 the Mexico City church planted Cuernavaca, the first church in the state of Morelos. Then in 2003, the Mexico City and Cuernavaca churches jointly planted a church in Acapulco (Guerrero). In December of 2009, a team of missionaries went from Cuernavaca to Cuautla, second largest city in the state of Morelos. At the church’s first service on February 7, about 200 visitors came, with 35 new Bible studies set up! The brothers and sisters in Mexico continue to inspire us with their mission-focused hearts.

J De Anda

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