Young adult VIM team serves in Mexico
Showcasing a set of renovated closets at Juan Wesley Seminario are Jeff Jaynes, Adriane Ivey Jaynes, Justin North, Trina Bose North, Morgan Richards, Sheryl Powers, Hillary Ashton, and Tino Espinoza, all of Oklahoma.
By Trina Bose North
The Young Adult Ministry Council was formed to expand the programs and ministries for young adults in Oklahoma Conference. This year, the council sponsored a new program: a mission to Mexico. This was to be a time for young adults around the Conference to connect and to serve others. Eight people signed up for the mission.
Our VIM team left Oklahoma City on Aug. 3 for a bus trip to Monterrey, Mexico. After 18 hours of travel, we arrived at Juan Wesley Seminario (John Wesley Seminary).
The Mexican Methodist Church established the school about 30 years ago. Annual enrollment is about 50.
The seminary enhances the life of the Methodist church in Mexico, but the main facility has aged and needs a lot of renovation.
Our project was to reface closets in the men’s dormitory. On our first day, we shopped for supplies. Justin North was pleased to find a large building supply store with a familiar name. He expected it would be easy to buy what we needed. But upon entering the store, he discovered everything was marketed in Spanish.
"Can you find wood putty based on Spanish words or pictures?" he asked.
Our team worked for four days, completing the closet repairs and other tasks prior to the opening of the school term.
Seminary President Antonio Aguina said he prays for God to send teams to work on the structure. He said our effort not only improved the building, but also boosted the ministry to build up student pastors to shape a stronger church for God.
For the Oklahomans, joy came in interacting with people at the seminary. Co-leader Jeff Jaynes said, "While the work we did was important and worthwhile, the connections we made with the people at the seminary and with people from our own Conference were the highlight of the trip."
