Rocío Carmona, Christian education leader in Oaxaca, speaking at MeXED 2014

We are happy to report that his year’s MeXED conference, held in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, was a great success for the almost one hundred leaders who gathered. The theme for this year’s conference was Christian Education in a Post-modern Context.

This larger-than-normal gathering (the usual goal is to have 50-70 attendees in order to facilitate relationship-building) was especially tailored to help meet the expressed needs of our partners in Christian education in Oaxaca. Oaxaca faces some of the highest hurdles in providing quality education to children in the state, according to the Secretary of Public Education in México. Millions of children lose out each year due to teacher’s strikes, corruption, low standards for education, and inadequate outreach to the large population of indigenous peoples in rural areas.

Some of the MeXED participants are seeking to supplement children’s education with the AMO® Program that we teach. A few of the churches represented are using it in their own schools along with their regular curriculum. Other churches are using the program in family groups and community outreach programs. Approximately, 250 children have enrolled in AMO® in Oaxaca since the first of the year. By the end of the year, with God’s help, we will have completed three AMO® trainings in the state.

Each year the gathering is meant to help leaders from various parts of México and the United States to build relationships for the development of wholistic Biblical-Christian education and discipleship in México. Participants include parents, pastors, teachers, Children’s Home staff, publishers and teens-who-teach. This year’s conference was organized by volunteers from host church, Centro Familiar Christiana Nueva Vida of Oaxaca, Semilla, Walk With Mexico™, and AMO® México. Tentative plans are for MeXED 2015 to take place in Tabasco, a state in southeastern México that is poised to impact the nation for Christ.

This year’s conference speakers included, Rev. José Luis Montecillos Chipres (author and historian), Rev. Rocío Carmona (Assemblies of God District Director of Christian Education in Oaxaca), Esteban Cortes Solís (Christian educator and professor of Pedagogy at UNAM), D.Min. Francelia Chávez de McReynolds (Co-director and National Trainer for AMO® México), and Lic. José de Jesús Lucero Ramírez (Christian educator and professor of Law at UNAM). In addition, representatives from several ministries from both the U.S. and México gave their testimonies and shared about the work that God is doing in their midst. One of those is Foundation For His Ministry children’s home of Tlacolula, Oaxaca.

The home for approximately 60 children is developing their own school and expanding their campus. The MeXED and AMO® trainings have proved useful for the home for contacting new teachers for the school that have God’s vision for the children’s great potential and individuality in Jesus Christ.

Points for Prayer: 

Pray that vision for wholistic Biblical-Christian education, for all vocations and every part of life, will continue to spread throughout Oaxaca and all of México.

Pray for strength and encouragement for the teachers and parents that we train using AMO®. Pray that those around them would understand and support them in their calling.

Pray for the children at Foundation For His Ministry, and for children throughout Oaxaca and all of México and the America’s to know God’s love, potential, and purpose for each of their lives.

Jose Curiel of YWAM Guadalajara speaking at MeXED Guadalajara 2013

We will gather with other Christian education and discipleship ministries from all across Mexico and the United States in Oaxaca this next week (23-25 September 2014). This will be the third annual conference of MeXED which stands for “Christian education and Discipleship in Mexico.” Please, pray for this important event to serve God’s transformation and renewal of Mexico. We will post reports from the conference soon.

The third week in June, for us at AMO México, was spent in Mérida facilitating a new Master’s level course at San Pablo Theological Seminary. Twenty-four students – consisting of experienced pastors and seminary students – heard teaching centered around the book As the Family Goes, So Goes the Nation – Principles and Practices for Building Healthy Families, written by Dr. Elizabeth Youmans (author of AMO® Program), Dr. Jill Thrift (co-laborer with Youmans), and Scott Allen of Disciple Nations Alliance. The purpose of the 5 day course was to give pastors and other church leaders insights into biblical principles surrounding the importance of family and practical ways to help parents nurture and strengthen their families using principles learned from God’s Word.

Pastors and students gaining access to new tools to help parents and teachers throughout México to disciple their children.

Francelia Chavez McReynolds (interpretor) and Dr. Jill Thrift, teaching biblical principles that benefit families.

Yesterday, in Oaxaca, we shared with pastors and church leaders, at their regional meeting, about the AMO® Program and how we train parents and teachers to teach from biblical principles. About 120 leaders were in attendance.

The meeting was held at a church located in a Zapotec community where the indigenous language, customs, and traditional dress are part of everyday life. Interesting side-notes…the Bible is translated into Zapotec and it is estimated that over a half million indigenous people in México, mostly in Oaxaca, speak the various versions of Zapotec language.

Efforts in Oaxaca last February (with former ministry Proyecto Amistad) resulted in great success with 50 people in attendance for the five-day training. As a result, we were invited back to conduct a second training. Our participation in this regional meeting was to introduce our work and to invite the group to the second training event planned for Oaxaca, July 21-25. We ask for your prayers for that.

In addition to the regional meeting, we were able to spend an evening with Pastor Josias and wife, Elizabeth, before returning to Mexico City. Josias and Elizabeth have been pioneering the use of AMO® in Oaxaca since they were trained in 2012. We were blessed to hear of their challenges and successes and also to pray with them. We also made plans to visit their congregation in July.

We invite you to add Oaxaca to your prayer list. Education in that state is among the nations worst and, it seems, God is imparting a vision among church leaders and parents there of how they can help serve children with God’s Word and vision for life to help overcome the disadvantages and challenges they face.

Praise band of Zapotec girls lead us in songs for the regional meeting of church leaders in Oaxaca

Introducing our work at the regional meeting

The last two weeks have been full. We trained parents, teachers, and church leaders in Biblical Principles for Christian Education and the AMO® Program. The first week we gave a training in downtown Mexico City at Principe de Paz Church. Then, the second week, we traveled to the troubled state of Michaocán. It was the first time we trained in that state. Both weeks were full of blessing and we expect much fruit. More and more children are being served as additional teachers are trained.

Our next training is planned for Oaxaca, another state where children face big challenges in accessing quality education. We will be visiting with church leaders there this month (May) to prepare a training for July. This will be the second time we’ve trained in Oaxaca in 2014. We invite your prayers and support. Write Chris McReynolds at mexico@amoprogram.com.

Please, visit http://www.amoprogram.com for more details on the program that we use to help families prepare themselves with Biblical principles that heal broken lives and transform the future of our families, communities, and nations.