This summer in Mexico there are AMO Program trainings occurring in-person as well as online. Please, pray for those meeting in-person.

Pray for Stephanie as she continues a training in Aguascalientes and Laura as she prepares for a training in Jalisco. There is also a consistent interest in the online video training.

Please, pray for Judith of Puebla as she guides participants through the online process and provides weekly mentoring as they progress through the video sessions. Pray for Rubi of Yucatan as she prepares to mentor an online group. Pray for congregations in Tabasco where the Holy Spirit appears to be working among many to engage deeply in the education of their children.

We continue walking with the Presbytery of Olmeca in Tabasco whose leaders recently completed the online training. Plans, now, are for a series of virtual events by AMO Trainers for parents and teachers that prepare the way for three large trainings in early 2022.

Pray for the July 17th online seminar hosted by Iniciativa Educativa Latinoamericana. Our dear friend Dr. Elizabeth Youmans has been invited to be the main speaker! Please pray for her and for congregations and parents throughout Latin America who are taking seriously the responsibility to educate and disciple their children.

Pray for our MeXed gathering (Christian education and discipleship in Mexico), November 5-6^th. Let us reflect on, and learn more together, about God’s sovereign and providential hand on Mexico over the last 500 years during this anniversary of the Conquest of Mexico (1521-2021). Watch for information on how to join us online.

Lastly, in these trying times, pray for the Body of Christ everywhere as she retakes the task of educating and discipling the next generations (Deut. 6:7). Prayerfully consider how you can help shape education in your sphere of influence given to you by God. AMO Program has resources that can help.

Thank you for your prayers! Please, let us know how we can pray for you.

Chris McReynolds

Various AMO Trainers organize and mentor groups from all around Mexico to take the AMO Training online. Here are just a few comments reflecting the importance of what is taking place.

“My wife and I are newly married and we were very excited to know that the program is designed for two generations. Our desire now is that these Christian biblical principles are present first in us and then also in the life of our daughter who is due to be born in two months. This knowledge has brought us peace and also high expectations regarding our mission here on earth and in this place.” ~ Jonathan, 33 years old.

“I am very excited to implement the AMO Program with its reflective method. This method is so important.” ~ Elfida

“This course affirms the great importance of our children and how we should not simply entertain them but, rather, train them up within a loving relationship.” ~ Lidia

“In this training we had a fourteen year old boy who has been one of our students in AMO. He is now taking the training in order to be an assistant to his teacher and later an AMO teacher. We are very excited to witness that our program is entering the second generation. Our future teachers will be former students of our AMO Program! Glory to God!” ~ Esther Suarez, AMO Trainer, Tlacolula, Oaxaca

We are thankful for all that has been going on with the ministry so far this year. Those of you who support it in the various ways are blessing a nation.

Additional AMO Trainers are being trained for their certification later this year. The five-day AMO Training videos continue to bless many in the absence of in-person trainings. And there seems to be greater interest than ever before for wholistic biblical Christian education by parents and churches across Mexico.

We are also excited as the Lord continues to raise up additional leaders in the ministry. Pastor Josias Luna, of Oaxaca, was invited by Dr. Elizabeth Youmans to teach, for the first time, last week’s online course for a class of forty leaders from different countries in Latin America. Josias and his wife, Elizabeth, were among the first of those trained in Mexico back in 2013. As they implemented the program in their church, they felt called to become AMO Trainers so they could better serve their church, INPM Amor y Proclamación, as well as train others in Oaxaca. Elizabeth earned her certification in 2016 (the first class of trainers in Mexico) and Josias in 2018. Today there are twenty-eight AMO Trainers in Mexico.

We ask your prayers for the Presbytery of Olmeca in the state of Tabasco, Mexico. The pastors and leaders of this presbytery are finishing, this week, the AMO Training on video. The Presbytery voted in January to implement AMO Program in all it’s churches and missions, beginning in August 2022. That is when their current curriculum cycle ends. Our prayer is that our AMO Trainers in that state will be able to freely train, in-person, the many teachers and parents throughout the Presbytery by August of next year.

Please contact us anytime. Thank you for your prayers!

In Christ,

Chris

AMO Program is a study of the character of God. A look at who God is in light of scripture. We learn a lot about ourselves in comparison. We then set about nurturing the seed of God’s character that is within ourselves and the young people around us. After all, we are made in God’s image.

God’s character is our guide and our goal for education. Methods that challenge and encourage, along with curriculum that inspires and guides, help create a path of discipleship that transforms teacher and student.

Daily life is lived in an ever-broadening appreciation and understanding of who God is, what his will is, and how blessed we are to join him because of his son Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit that inspires the student in their study of God’s character also guides the student in practicing God’s ways – his principles – each day. This in turn disciples family and society.

The transformation does not just happen. It takes commitment and a life-changing reorder of priorities. Godly education is a lifeline that tens of thousands in Latin America are grabbing on to. Families and churches are transforming. Those who have eyes that see are reporting changes at the national level in Dominican Republic and Colombia. These changes began at the individual and family level.

By God’s reckoning, Mexico is on its way to a future when his truth, justice, and moral goodness dominate. We leave the ‘when’ to God. It all may seem overwhelming but God can do this in any community, including yours!

For help, see https://training.amoprogram.com/

In Christ,

Chris and Francelia McReynolds

• We ask your prayers for thousands of families in Mexico, including Francelia’s, who are recovering from recent flooding. Pray for Francelia as she travels to Tabasco to be with her family during this time.
• We pray for the people of the United States to unite under Jesus Christ, the only source and creator of true freedom and blessed lives.
• This Thanksgiving season we are especially thankful for the purpose that God gives us all…the purpose of living lives that are redemptive and restorative as He makes all things new in Jesus Christ!
• We thank the Lord that, in His divine providence, it appears He will be bringing an end to the Covid plague by way of the new vaccines.
• We give thanks to God for using the pandemic to increase how we, as the Body of Christ, connect in practical ways through video conferencing and other technologies.  We have shared in previous posts how this is blessing the AMO trainings and children’s programs. It is also bringing leaders in the Church together like never before (see photo of US and Mexico leaders meeting and praying together earlier this week). Also, world-class teaching for Christian transformation of nations is easily available to us. As an example, fitting for this Thanksgiving season, you can join this conference.
• As always, we are thankful for you and the many others who pray and support God’s work with funding through this ministry. For year-end giving, please, click here.

In Christ,

Chris and Francelia McReynolds

US and Mexico leaders meeting to pray together.

Dear Friends,

The Antioch Partners will have their annual One Night, Eternal Impact fundraiser, online, this Thursday, October 1st, from 7-8 pm. This year’s theme is “Partnership.” Francelia has been invited to be the main speaker, for which we are excited and grateful. Please, pray for her and watch.

We invite you to join us. Register here for free and receive a link to join the virtual event. There will be items from around the world available for auction, as well. Thanks for your support!

In Christ,

Chris

Francelia speaking with parents in Oaxaca, March 2020.

We pray that you and your family are well and growing in the Lord in these troubled times.

It has been a productive summer despite the pandemic, thanks to God’s grace, mercy, and providence. Enjoy the screen shots at the end of this post from various AMO Programs across Mexico. Pray for the teachers, parents and children of these programs as they disciple the nation for Jesus Christ.

• Since April, 164 adults from Mexico and a few from Texas have enrolled in the five-day AMO training online. Pray for new trainer Stephanie in Aguascalientes as she begins, next week, the first in-person training since the pandemic began.
• Chrysalis International, creator of AMO Program, has certified 10 of our teachers as additional AMO Trainers for Mexico. We are now mentoring 23 trainers, to date.
• 14 teachers have started AMO classes via Zoom teaching approximately 500 children (see photos).
• The ministry has assisted First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio, Texas, in their distribution of relief funds to 40 families of pastors in Mexico who have been severely impacted by Covid 19.
• Francelia McReynolds and Cristina Inchaustegui have teamed up to train 12 new AMO Trainers for Colombia via video conferencing.
• We are thankful for Judith Diaz of Puebla for her assistance in mentoring new teachers and helping to supply them with the AMO materials they need to teach children.
• Several festivals have taken place by the children by way of video conferencing. As children complete Classic Literature units in the AMO Program they celebrate what they have learned. The festivals follow as closely as possible to how they would be carried out in person. Preparations for plays, costumes, special meals, singing, decorations and more are all made at home by the children and their families. On the day of the festival everyone joins by video conference to celebrate!

We thank God for His provisions to keep the ministry going and growing. You can support the ministry by clicking here.

Please pray for Francelia as she will be speaking for The Antioch Partners annual fundraiser, October 1^st. You can join us there online by registering here.

Thank you for your support and prayers.

Blessings to you in Christ,

Chris and Francelia

Heidi Festival with children and their families

Student, Dafne, during the festival for the book “Joel: A Boy of Galilee”

Adyele pleased to receive her AMO materials

A feast in Tabasco to celebrate God’s principles as witnessed in the book “Heidi”

Family celebrating together their children’s learning of the bible

Certificates achieved after completing the Heidi study

Charlottes Web celebration in Merida, Yucatan

Family in Yucatan celebrating together in AMO Program

Family celebrating in Villahermosa during Joel festival

Covid mask as Yarmulke during Joel festival!

Student wearing her title of Generous during the Charlotte’s Web festival

Sisters in front of the mural they made in Tecomán, Colima, México

Sharing our art work from home

Screen shot of Chris and Francelia celebrating with the children during the Narnia festival

Students at home preparing for the festival

Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe preparations

Mr Beaver and hand-drawn mural of Narnia at home sharing with classmates online

Family celebrating Narnia in home

Ready for tea in Tabasco!

Adyi sharing her talents with the rest of the children

Maestra Socorro in Comalcalco leading her class festival via Zoom as they complete the classic “Heidi”

One of the strengths of the AMO Program is the care taken in preparing new leaders. A nine-month training period is just the beginning of long-term collaboration with others who have special callings to raise the standards of Christian education in their nation. Biblical Christian ideas and methods are learned for inspiring the next generations.

Despite the pandemic, five new trainers from Mexico have recently been certified by Chrysalis International. Adriana, Lilia, Laura, Stephanie, and Pastor Ananias are the latest newly certified AMO Trainers for Mexico. A total of ten additional trainers have now been added this year.

These five teamed up to train thirty-six individuals by way of video conferencing. Everyone was blessed and the training was a great success. This practicum served as their final requirement for trainer certification.

We ask you to pray for these vital new leaders as they apply their training in the various places God has put them:

• Adriana specializes in working with indigenous groups and works throughout central and northern Mexico.
• Lilia and her husband pastor and teach in Oaxaca.
• Laura homeschools and teaches children in impoverished neighborhoods through her church in Jalisco.
• Stephanie is a teacher and leader in a Christian school founded by her family in Aguascalientes.
• Ananias is pastor at one of the largest Presbyterian churches in the State of Mexico.

We are blessed to walk with all twenty-three AMO Trainers in Mexico, especially, in these extraordinary times.

Thank you, for your continued prayers and support.

In Christ,

Chris and Francelia

Future AMO Teachers of children listen to, reflect on, discuss and practice what is taught throughout the week.

High School students joined us recently to help with our online AMO classes for children. In their study of C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe the children were able to hear the story in Spanish and English throughout the week. The daily vocabulary words and biblical principles expressed in the story were also taught by the students in English.

Caleb, seven years old from Veracruz exclaimed, “I always dreamed of having English speakers teach me English!” Caleb’s mother expressed her appreciation, as did the other parents. Many of these parents, seeing firsthand how the classes work and how their children respond, are enrolling in the online video AMO Training.

We ask your prayers for God’s wisdom on how to take even better advantage of technology in these days of pandemic and beyond. Having young people interacting together, each from their homes in different nations, promises so many possibilities.  We are thankful to the leaders and students at First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio who dedicated their time to teach the children and inspire their learning.

Chris and Francelia McReynolds

https://www.theantiochpartners.org/mcreynolds

High School students inspiring children