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May/June 2006
Partnering for Progress
Missionary work, perhaps more than most ministries and professions, requires adaptation and flexibility. Over the years, I have traveled on foot, used a bicycle, rode on local buses, driven a four wheel drive vehicle, and flown a light airplane. We use whatever means we need to in order to take the Gospel to the people.
The same is true in the types of ministries in which we are involved. In the early days it was pure evangelism. Soon we became more involved in leadership training. The need for teaching materials led me to write and translate. I would do whatever needed to be done to win people to the Lord, establish churches, and then train the local people to lead them.
In recent years, we have been challenged by the rapid decline in the American dollar in relation to the Colombian peso. The U.S. has lost a full third of its purchasing power in the last five years, while inflation in Colombia has been in the double digits. Add to this the occasional church problem that dictates a cut in mission support and you can see the need for flexibility and creativity. This has meant we have been forced to eliminate many ministries when we could no longer support them. In spite of this, we continue our core ministries such as evangelism and leadership training.
It also encourages us to partner for continued progress. We partnered with Universidad FLET for the accreditation of our Christian higher education. I teach and they provide the accreditation for what I do in that field. Recently, Dewayne Liebrandt, of Deaf Missions International was down for a two week visit. We checked out the possibility of beginning a work among the deaf here in Colombia. We hope to begin church services for the deaf and offer the only Christian higher education for them in Colombia in the very near future.
With the falling value of the dollar also it became much harder to offer college scholarships for our graduating seniors. In some cases it took ten times the funds to support a single student as it did a few years ago. So we have been unable to help most of our recent graduates. Recently we have partnered with FAME to offer a scholarship to one of our bright young graduates from Colegio Peniel.
Partnership is the key to the continued growth of Christ’s church here in Colombia. Others have stepped in because they see the potential here in Colombia. Maybe you are being called by God to partner with us as well. In order to make the most of the many doors God has opened for us, we also need to increase our regular support in order to offset the devaluation of the dollar and the occasional church that is unable to continue supporting this exciting and growing ministry. If you feel God is calling you to partner with us in mission here in Colombia, contact us today for exciting opportunities to share in this dynamic ministry!
Dale’s Blog
A hundred years ago it may have taken months to receive a letter or news from a distant country. Even twenty years ago, letters and packages would take months to arrive in Colombia, if they arrived at all. But times have changed and with the advances in technology, so has communication. Today, with the internet and email, Colombia is only a click away. Dale can now talk "face-to-face" with the grandchildren over the internet using his computer and a small video camera. We can e-mail him and instantly he can reply. It is almost as if Colombia has been brought next door.
The Colombian Christian Mission website is another example of how technology has changed ommunication. When the website was started eight years ago it was simply a way to show a picture of Dale, tell a little history and give contact information. The CCM website has been through many revisions. In 2001, we decided to start offering the newsletter on the website and through email. The number of newsletters that were sent through the mail was cut in half. This not only saved the office the time of printing, folding, stamping, and sorting but also saves the Mission money that can be used to help spread The Word in Colombia.
Recently, the website underwent another revision. We added a web log (blog for short) which is an on-line journal. Dale can post news, prayer requests, or just general thoughts and you can read about them the moment he posts them. In fact the main article of this newsletter was posted in the blog on May 4. This means that by regularly visiting the website you can know exactly what is going on in Colombia.
Another great feature of the blog is that you can post comments, questions, or encouragements within the posts that Dale regularly makes. Head over to www.ccmon-line.com and see what is happening.
SCHOLARSHIP NEWS
This past week we sent out the first batch of scholarship forms. We still have 50 students that need sponsors. If you would like to support a student please fill out the coupon to the right and send it in. This is a perfect project for VBS, a Sunday School Class, or a family.
*Please let us know if you would like to support the same student you supported last year ASAP!
(you can e-mail us at: SusyMorris@CCMon-line.com or give us a call.)
Pimary & Secondary Scholarship - $192
College Scholarship $800
You can provide a partial scholarship for any of these as well.
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