God on the mountain and in the valley

In the photo above,  TeachBeyond and Gateway board members and leaders gather to pray over the new school site.

Mexico in January sounds like a good idea to residents of “the Great White North” (aka, Canada), especially if you prefer green grass to snow, a swim suit to a parka, and a golf club to a hockey stick. But to a group of TeachBeyonders, January 2016 and Mexico weren’t about temperature, clothing, and high culture (hockey). It was about planning, praying, and exploring for Kingdom purposes. In case you missed it, Mexico became the 14th TeachBeyond country last year and a new school will open in August 2016.

The Canadian-American Board of Directors used a four-day visit to explore aspects of our vision, values, and mission. They did this while spending dedicated time with the newly established Mexican board discussing organizational distinctive and the wonderful opportunity God is giving us to serve Him in Mexico.

As our leaders saw what God was doing and reflected on the needs of the church in Canada and the United States, we felt the Spirit was asking us to think carefully about ways in which we could do more to serve the church in North America. The dynamic impact of migration and the emergence of aggressive secularism means that many churches are looking for creative ways to be salt and light in local communities. Using transformational education in its various mediums is something we could help churches and educational institutions develop.

Our theme over the days together was “God on the Mountain and in the Valley.” We praised God for the new and the old and asked that God would continue to supply all our needs, including the need for faith. Across the globe our colleagues, national and international, face challenges which we carry in our hearts. But we left encouraged, remembering that pain, loss, hope, and victory are either sequenced or co-mingled in life. Whatever our circumstance He remains sublimely good and sovereignly sufficient.