For 4 days, a company of leaders and friends from Guadalajara and Mexico City escaped from the urban chaos, work, and responsibilities to encounter God together on the skirts of central Mexico's legendary volcanos. We hiked, fished, laughed, ate, ran, and sat around the fire together. As you know, we gathered together around Christ through the 9 Boot Camp conversations. We talked about the continued discoveries of our place in the the giant story, God's epic and it's course in central Mexico. One dear friend and leader said, “I carry with me the vision of building strong bands of brothers throughout the kingdom who know what it is to search for God and life together. I feel full of hope, and will give my life to something like this.”
We shared prayer together concerning the adventure and risk taking associated directly with our deepest desires to make Mexico something new, vibrant, and more centered in Christ. One friend left the experience saying, “I will take the next steps in my life by courageously taking steps of action. I will do so by writing down 12 things that I will do in response to God’s leading. I will check off each action when it is completed so that we will know that I am following up on this...if I am walking in the direction of my God given dreams or not.” This same brother talked about building a micro-finance organization to help the poor; he also said it was time to propose to his girlfriend, and spoke about his hunger to be a better son and friend.
We reminded one another of the noble commission given to us as fathers and husbands and boyfriends (there were 4 young unmarried men who joined us). We made commitments about the kind of servants and men we want to be for those closest to us. One father said, “I am going home and will spend more time with my son.” Another father said, “I will be a more authentically present husband and father to my wife and daughter. I will become a listener and be deeply attentive to them. I will ask them frequently, ¿Cómo estás?” Another family man said, “I will now put great emphasis on my relationship with my wife and children. We will discover God together...I will be a better listener.”
We experienced walking with God and walking with God together. We formed a stronger band of brothers for the struggles ahead. As one friend concluded, “I feel internal strength now, and know that I will live to grow in my spiritual life. My self-worth, identity, security, and sufficiency will be found in the hands of God from now on.” Another one said, “I can see with greater clarity that this group of men is truly on the front lines of the kingdom of Christ in Mexico.”
-James