Southwest Texas pastors experience language, culture in Monterrey

Five Southwest Texas Conference clergy members spent a week in Monterrey, Mexico, last month in a cross-cultural experience with the Methodist Church of Mexico.
The Texas pastors were immersed in the Spanish language. No one was to speak to them in English.
As a result, the five report their facility with the language grew exponentially.
But what started out as an expectation to learn Spanish became a spiritual renewal experience for the visitors, said the Rev. Suzanne Isaacs of Helotes Hills UMC, Helotes.
Their hosts were the seminary students and professors at the Juan Wesley Seminario, who Isaacs said cared for and nurtured them in the power of the Holy Spirit.
“One of my personal goals was to be able to pray in Spanish,” she said. “Not only did I pray in Spanish, but the Holy Spirit enabled me to pray in ways I had never prayed before.
“Prayer is integral in each class, not as bookends but as a part of the learning each day. Prayers for all things are the everyday experience of the seminary.”
The visiting pastors attended seminary classes on administration, Acts of the Apostles and writings of John. Outside class, they exchanged ideas and shared experiences.
“The staff and students at the seminary treated us not as honored guests but as beloved family,” said the Rev. George Bradley, St. Andrew’s UMC, San Antonio. “As family, we learned about preparation for pastors, daily life, worship and Monterrey.”
Pastor Mary Powell of First UMC, Cotulla, said, “I am convicted that sitting smugly in the safety of Texas is not what God wants us to be doing. The students at Juan Wesley Seminario are pushing forward for up to seven long years to equip themselves to serve God in tiny parishes across their land.”
One of the highlights of the week was the group’s visit to Pan de Vida (Bread of Life) church in Apodaca, outside Monterrey. There they saw the Rev. Gonzalo Guardiola ministering to the poverty-stricken population.
Pan de Vida feeds more than 100 children three times a week. While their bodies are being fed, so are their lives.
“The children are learning about Jesus, how to pray, and how to have order and discipline in their lives,” Isaacs explained.
Pastor Cindy Layton of Memorial UMC, Austin, said, “What a blessing it was to see this man of God in such humble conditions. We knew beyond a doubt that he was working where he was supposed to be and doing God’s will.”
As the group left Apodaca, Isaacs reported, “[The Rev.] Mike Curd remarked, ‘That sets your priorities for you.’” Curd is director of the Lay Pastoral Institute, San Antonio.
On their final day in Mexico, the group worshiped with the congregation of La Trinidad, a large Methodist church in Monterrey.
“Sunday worship lasts for two hours,” Isaacs said, “and no one complains about the time and about standing for singing and praying.”
During the service, four people gave their lives to Christ, accompanied to the altar by sponsors, she said.
The Southwest Texas pastors dubbed themselves Los Primeros since they were the first in the Spanish immersion program. It is sponsored by the Board of Ordained Ministry’s Health, Wholeness and Education program and funded by Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas.