Okay, Amos (pictured here) was not a PW student…but he should be one! (Hear that, Amos?) Join us for a mini reunion of CA former PW students. Hear their take on what we missed in the news this past year, and then watch the rolling credits to find out what they are all doing with their lives – pretty impressive!
Palm Springs Area Potter’s Wheel Students from Sandi Youngren on Vimeo.
Get in a short visit with the Olsons! Heather worked with us and Compassion Connection our first year in Tecate, MX until only a year ago in Ecuador. Phil joined CC while we were in Oaxaca, MX. While getting to know each other as a part of our team, they fell in love, married and now have three kids. They are currently residing in Springfield, OR where Phil is on staff at Eastiside Baptist Church. Steve spoke in their church while we were there.
Keep praying for us as we travel in California raising funds for “One Block South,” in order to build CC’s Training Center!
On to Oregon from Sandi Youngren on Vimeo.
“Build the Base” Road Trip from Sandi Youngren on Vimeo.
Follow us in the U.S. as we connect with friends and share serious moments, fun, and a lot of laughter!
Watch a wrap up of last year with Compassion Connection HERE! If you are interested in coming for a short term trip, or bringing a team from your church, let us know at info@compassionconnection.net. We’re also accepting applications for Potter’s Wheel, our intensive missions training program. Let us know if you are interested! And with that, merry Christmas! We look forward to seeing what God has planned for this next year and we’re excited to work in the ministry with you!
The end of a challenging and wonderful six months of missions training. Graduation 2009!
Busy, busy week! Students are:
Please pray for all of the students as they prepare for the next leg of their life journey.
If you are a close friend or family member, please take the time to read through this document and help make a healthy transition from Ecuador to home for your PW student! Preparing For The Reentry of Your Missionaries
Noah and Cate Brennan have joined our Compassion Connection staff and have been going through Potter’s Wheel as their training for foreign missions.
Potter’s Wheel has been a great time of fellowship around the Word of God. One class that I really appreciated was based on Masculinity and Femininity. Sandi and Steve taught this class and gave challenging insights into a matter that most churches in today’s “modern” world do not want to tackle. We discussed the roles of men and women, both in relationships and in churches. We looked at the creation story (Gen 1-3) to help us determine whether or not these different roles came from God, which they did! How refreshing it was to learn more about Compassion Connection and their desire to hold up Biblical roles and to train the next generation in these as well.
We also finished a class focusing on a Survey of the Old Testament. Obviously this was a huge task and Steve had to teach it in just 4 weeks! What was wonderful is that he decided (due to lack of time) to focus more on theology. We really dug into Genesis and found out just how connected it is to Christ and the New Testament. God had an amazing plan from the beginning and it all points to Christ. The Word of God is an awesome story about Jesus right from the very start. The Old Testament is not something to be written off because it is “old,” but instead it should be valued for the great display of God’s promise and his plan to fulfill that promise that it truly is.
These past few months have been challenging, exhausting, and inspiring. I have had the opportunity to learn more about Compassion Connection (which is the main reason we are completing this program) and been forced to press into Christ for energy and desire. I am definitely benefiting from these classes and being challenged to grow in my knowledge of the Word.
All the staff and students are gathering at the CC base house to spend the whole day together and eat, play games, eat, watch Christmas movies, eat, and cook and bake so that we can eat some more! The guys were up at 5:30 AM preparing breakfast for everyone. On the menu: homemade (from scratch!) cinnamon rolls, rosemary cheesy eggs, fried potatoes, and fresh aero press coffee. Mmmmm!
Now the girls are taking over and creating a wonderful dinner.
We all miss our families, but we are thankful that God has given us each other here in Ecuador as “family” this Thanksgiving.
Noah and Cate Brennan are new staff members of Compassion Connection and have been going through Potter’s Wheel as their entrance training.
I really appreciate the doctrinal and practical aspects of Potter’s Wheel. It is great to be a part of an organization that sees the importance of having a strong foundation of ministry built upon fundamental teachings of the Word of God. It is also incredible to see that this teaching is applied to practical ministry opportunities here in Ecuador. It seems as though the evangelical faith has erred in one of two camps in this area in general: either very strong doctrinally and very poor in working it out in the world around them; or very good at doing work in the world around them but not having a proper driving force for doing it. Potter’s Wheel is obviously not a perfect program, just like there are no perfect churches, but it is very refreshing to be a part of a program that strives to hold up both facets of Christian living as vital.
I think that the communal/everyday aspect of this program is one of its strong points, as well as its small class structure, with authentic relationships between students and mentors being stressed. One can easily attend church, or even a Bible school for that matter, and never be authentic in their faith. Of course this is possible here too, but it is much easier to spot and confront in love. The prayer is that this authenticity will carry on to life back in the States or wherever our missional lives may take us.
I want to thank all the people who supported me to make this trip possible. The Lord has removed the scales from my eyes and I realize from all the studies, all the experiences, all the people and most important the word of God that I’ve been blind. Classes have shown me what God is looking for in His people. We need to show love to our fellow man because without love the world is meaningless. So many times we get caught up in the things of this world and we fail to recognize a brother in need of direction or the lost that surround us at our job, school or even our own family that are hurting and are in need of a Savior.
From the “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement” I’ve realized I need to live missionally where ever I am; Instead of hiding my light from those who are lost and are in search of the answer.
Masculinity and Femininity class has taught me I need to be the man of God which He has called me to be and also the future husband and father that he‘s called me to be. We shouldn’t wait till we’re married or engaged to be the man of God that he has called us to be. I’ve realize I’ve made many mistakes in this area and now I’m kicking myself in the face (not literally) but now I realize how blind I was in this subject. Chivalry is definitely important but at the same time I shouldn’t lead girls on and give them the wrong impression. I’m probably not ready to get married at this point in my life so I believe I shouldn’t be looking for a girlfriend until I’m ready to get married. Girls are a distraction anyways and right now I need to focus on the Lord.
The experiences have been intense going from the jungle to the top of Cotopaxi and also the church planting. In the jungle, my home stay family and I went out planting corn for a good nine to ten hours on Saturday. We planted a field the size of two football fields which was exhausting but It showed me when you’re focused on a goal and people who are with you are also focused on the goal, great things can be accomplished. I also took part in a native tradition of drinking chichi. Which for the native people is like Popeye and his can of spinach for energy; which helped with work.
Climbing Cotopaxi was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life (this climb was not a part of PW, but something that four of the guys did with a guide…see video). So many times I felt like giving up and turning back. But through out the climb I kept my focus on the Lord which helped me push through. It was also a time to think of what my greatest fear was. Which I realize it’s failure and the fear that I’m not good enough, but the Word explains we are never good enough. That is why we are always in need of a Savior. Our race in life is not finished until we leave this earth to be with the Lord. After Cotopaxi I realized if I can conquer the mountain with the Lords help there’s nothing I can’t do with him as my main focus and also when it is His will.
The Church planting conference was awesome. The guys from Acts 29 came down to teach the Ecuadorians about what a new church plant essentially needs to be effective. They taught theology and went over a ton of great information. These guys were very sound in their doctrine and awesome to talk to. They made it clear that so many times people get saved and then focus on the things God blesses us with and we tend to forget the Lord and His mission. But really what we should center our lives around is Him because He’s called us to be part of His story and to leave our story behind. So many times our focus is on the redemption of man, but really it’s about God and His Glory.
The people here have encouraged and have kept me accountable which is very important. I can see the love they have for God by the way they interact with people. My Ecuadorian family has shown me what truly being dedicated to the Lord looks like. They as a family are dedicated to the things of God and spend time working hard as well as playing hard and in everything giving glory to God. I have had the privilege of spending time with them and I feel they have become apart of my family just as well as all my brother and sisters in Compassion Connection.
The word of God and the reading material we’ve been given to read, has really challenged me to excel (we are reading through the Bible in these six months). Reading has always been a struggle for me and has been something that has hindered me in the past. Before, the only book I ever read was the Bible and I even struggled with that. With school I would just skim and scan the text because I didn’t have the patience to read. I relied on my previous knowledge or the knowledge of my peers to learn the school material. Reading is great gift that not everybody has and those who do sometimes take it for granted. Reading the Word has given me a more in depth thought of what Gods’ character really is. His love is so great and awesome it’s sometimes hard to even comprehend. Also realizing how big he is and how small we are is mind blowing. He designed man to need Him for a life without him is empty. We need to give God the glory, “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!(1Ch 16:34)”
My time here is coming to an end soon and I’m looking forward to going home even though I‘m gonna miss all my brother and sisters here. I’m also looking forward to sharing my experience and all that I’ve learned. Well, LOVE you Mom, Dad, family, and all mis amigos hope to see you soon.
