Planting Seeds with English Classes

English classes have been on my mind. The two WELS Kingdom Workers that have been with us for the past year - Andrew Gerlach, in the top picture, and Derek Bartelt, in the second picture - are heading back to the United States this week. They have summer jobs lined up and in August, they'll continue their pastoral studies at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN, and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, WI.

While I'm excited to welcome in the new set of volunteers (I'll introduce them next week), I always feel a little sad when it's time to say good-bye to the ones who have been with us for some time. Certainly, we'll miss them on the field, but there's a little more to it: I always think of the fruit they won't get to see, the results of their labor that we'll witness firsthand here while they're thousands of miles away.

I'm referring to the way our English program is set up. We have volunteers come for a year and teach English classes. During this time, the pastor of the congregation where English classes are held meets the students and offers Bible studies to those who are interested. Often some sign up for more information and eventually become members.

This process can take time - months or even years. Essentially, our English teachers plant the seeds (an important task, I always tell them - you can't harvest if you don't plant). After they're gone, some of the students will get confirmed and even become active members of their congregation.

I believe Pastor Esequiel Sánchez explains this process best. Here's a note I received from him today regarding recent developments in Torreón, where Andrew and Derek taught English classes from the summer of 2009 through December. Pastor Sánchez writes:

"English classes haven’t ended in Torreón; if we approach the English program as an opportunity to meet more people and tell them about Jesus – then it hasn’t ended at all. God continues to bless us: a few weeks ago we confirmed two adults that first came to us through English classes.

Let me introduce them to you: Señora Blanca Jaime and Señor Jorge Guerrero. They have been very involved in the congregational life and ongoing projects. Señora Blanca Jaime has shown a deep interest in painting our building, and a few days ago she expressed an interest to teach Sunday School classes. Señor Jorge Guerrero, who works in the medical field, is using his free time to cut the grass at church and tend to some of the building's electrical issues. Both have shared ideas about starting a Lutheran school in Torreón*.

So English classes haven’t ended here. We still have a list of people that we are visiting, and two other former students are taking Bible Information classes. One young man, the son of one of the English students, will be confirmed next month. My plan is to send a monthly bulletin and literature to the people we have met through the English program in order to maintain contact with them."


Above: Pastor Esequiel Sánchez

Thank you Andrew and Derek for your work ethic, flexibility, patience, and love for the ministry you showed while you were here. And thank you Pastor Sánchez** for continuing to water the plants and reap the harvest in Torreón. How richly God has blessed Mexico!

* note from Rachel: starting Lutheran schools in Mexico is a project that is currently underway, though I haven't mentioned it on the blog yet. I will post more information regarding it as the project develops further. For now I'll just say that the idea gets me so excited I feel like jumping up and down!!

** Pastor Esequiel Sánchez is one of the leaders of the Mexican Lutheran Church. Check back for more information about him and his gifts in the coming weeks when I profile him for the series on Mexican pastors and seminary students we're starting here.