I spent the last week in Guadalajara, Mexico. It was a good week in that we got a lot accomplished, but it was also a very long week.
There is a group of missionaries and national pastors working with the Deaf in Mexico that gets together a couple of times each year to fellowship and learn from one another. This trip was the normal fellowship time coupled with our planning meeting for camp this summer. This always takes place between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. That is the week that virtually all Mexicans who work regular jobs are given time off. It is easy for the pastors and church leaders to travel to the meeting even if they are working outside the church.
We had a great time of fellowship. There were 3 national pastors as well as another national who is not the pastor of his church, but teaches the Deaf in the church’s ministry. Then there were 2 missionaries present. There were several others who were in and out of the meetings as church leaders and close friends of the ministries represented. But the main ones were the 6 of us present really just to spend time learning from one another and encouraging the pastors.
We also spent a couple of days planning for our upcoming camp. The camp will be in July. The camp facility that had casually been considered was not available the week we needed. We were able to confirm another location that we have used in the past and everyone likes.
I knew there were some grumblings of serious problems. I had no idea what they were or who they effected. Because of this, the other missionary paid most of my airfare to get me down there and made sure that I had my hand involved in the planning of camp. I am the camp director (for this final year), but felt like things could be handled without me. As it turns out, everything was handled well by one of the pastors. I let him take control and was pleased to know that the camps will be just fine without me in the future.
The problems were never fully revealed to me until the last night of the meeting. What seemed destructive on Monday turned out to be just a misunderstanding of an outside party who innocently spread some information inaccurately. For whatever reason, this information was withheld from me until the end. I think it worked out for the best. There was no need for confrontation and conflict.
It was a great week, but I had a couple of nights that were about 3 hours long. I am ready for some rest.