CRWM program a life-changing experience

by Mark Hofman, Guest Writer

In the middle of the city of Guadalajara, there is a cathedral that towers over the markets below. Down the block stands a governmental building dedicated to the revolutionaries who gave their lives fighting for the independence of Mexico. The market is full of grandmothers and businessmen and tourists, all trying to find what they need in the middle of the hustle and bustle of a still slightly European metropolis.

But on Wednesday nights, something unique takes place. You can hear the sound of hymns floating above the din of honking cars and bartering shop owners. The tunes are familiar, and sung with a passion that the Spanish language can capture like no other: ¡No hay Dios tan grande como tú – no lo hay, no lo hay! (Trans: There is no God as magnificent as you – there is none, there is none!)

The music is coming from a group of pastors that has been meeting at the downtown market for over two years. The pastors of all ages come from many different churches and denominations. Some Baptist, others Pentecostal, and one tall Dutchman who knows how to jam and give a convincing altar call (substitute a car-battery operated guitar amp for an altar in this setting).

The charismatic Calvinist is Wayne DeJong, my mentor and host last summer during a cross-cultural internship in Mexico. The internship was coordinated by Christian Reformed World Missions (CRWM) as a part of their Summer Missions Program (SMP).

The SMP is a program developed by CRWM to provide international experience for college and seminary students looking to fulfill an internship requirement or simply explore an interest in missions. Their staff is eager to have seminarians explore the program, teams will be going out this summer to China, Eastern Europe, Japan, Mali, and Mexico.

The teams are involved in a variety of different church and community settings, working closely with local leadership and with CRWM staff abroad. The diverse experiences of students in the past can be seen at a Xanga site that CRWM has set up (http://www.xanga.com/CRWMNews). Students raise funds to support their programs to help defray the costs of the overall mission.

After spending some time in downtown Guadalajara, I also visited the mountain village of Tapalpa. The small community welcomed my teammate and I, and we were treated to the festivities of first communion celebration. Amidst the eating, laughing, and dancing, we were asked about why we were visiting and what we were doing while in Mexico. Looking around, it was overwhelming to realize that I was there not only to learn about how God was working in another part of the world, but also to see how my ministry was being shaped through the hospitality of total strangers. I simply answered, “I’m here to learn more about who God is and where He is at work.”

If you desire to experience God’s work in a new way, consider the Summer Missions program – you will be changed forever.

More information about the Summer Missions Program is available at CRWM’s website at http://www.crcna.org/pages/crwm.cfm.

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