Pat Silvis: News From Mexico City

Dearest Friends and Family,

It’s hard to believe, but I’ve already been in Mexico City for over one month! October literally flew by, with classes, ministry experiences, my 24th birthday, and lots of time with family and new Mexican friends. God is doing a lot here and I want to share as much of His story as possible!

Every week we have ministry training with our Spearhead team (culture/history/ministry), an inductive Bible study, and Spanish classes. We’ve discussed Holistic Ministry (ministering to the whole person, not just evangelizing) and Incarnational Ministry (submitting oneself to the culture in order to understand how to effectively communicate the Gospel), which have really challenged me to think differently about ministry in Mexico. Two big take-aways have been that effective ministry is complicated, and takes time—Jesus took 30 years to live and learn His culture before starting His ministry.

We also talked about how part of Mexico’s history/culture has been to wear metaphorical “masks,” which effectively keep you “safe,” but prevent you from truly being yourself. In Spanish classes we have learned about love/dating and growing up in Mexico, but one of the most powerful classes we had was when we read through multiple newspapers to see what is currently happening in Mexico. There are many troubling situations here that we prayed for, such as the violence/deaths between the government and the drug lords (narco traficantes), government corruption, and the rise of sexual-social issues (abortion, teen pregnancy, legalization of prostitution, sex-trafficking). Please continue to pray for the Mexican government, the Christian church in Mexico, and the many people who are suffering here.

Please Continue to Pray for:
--Mexico and the many spiritual/physical needs here
--Wisdom for managing my time/energy/relationships
--Mentorship/Discipleship opportunities at church
--Alliances with businesses/ministries for the A.C.
--The Honduras mission trip (wisdom in forming the teams)
--My church here, Iglesia Cristiana Evangelica Generación de Fe y Poder
--Patience/discernment in dealing with cultural differences (Mexican, American, and the culture of God’s Kingdom)

Thank you again so much for your prayers and support. I would love to hear from you and be able to pray for you—please don’t hesitate to let me know how you’re doing!

-Pat

patrick.silvis@gmail.com