Ken’s Take On Mexico Spring 2019

Left town a little after 10 on a sunny, Thursday morning. Dropped off the dog and got on our way. Plane left O’hare airport around 6am, making an early Friday for us. And don’t forget to arrive well ahead of time! Two and a half hours in drive seemed best to land the day before. 

Grabbed lunch at a dine in Ottawa. The sky had now darkened and the rain was setting in. Place had a little bit of everything. Ordered an app of the Greek descent – cheese, set on fire before us (the name escapes me). Holly had a plate of fancified fruits and vegetables. I requested an Italian beef sandwich. Dipped in Au jus, an additional masterpiece to an already delicious sandwich!

Hotel was decent. Just needed a place to crash for the night. The bonus was that they allowed you to park your car while you traveled – not free, but at a reasonable rate. Had a restaurant on hand, which we made well of.  The bar was open till 4am. We arose early enough to say hey to some of those folks as they hobbled out. One gentleman voiced some drama around the abuse of his blow up pillow or mattress – I cannot remember which. Some of his more coherent cohorts advised him that Walmart could help him out at no large expense. This didn’t seem to settle things… We took the shuttle to the airport, less than ten minutes away. Wheels left the runway and I was beginning to feel the thrill of adventure. Today, we would be in Mexico!

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Quick After Trip Report – Mexico Spring 2019

Part of group jumps in back of the flatbed for a quick tour around the hacienda…

We had a really solid team and group at La Quemada, and we are really blessed by the growing friendships and deepening of “hermandad” that the Lord is doing there.  The leadership event was “retreat style”, so we had plenty of time to spend with each other and meetings were sort of not the main focus.  In this theme, we headed out to San Miguel one morning after breakfast, and had a great time strolling the city and experiencing the culture, which was awesome for all, and likely mind-blowing for those who were traveling for the first or second time to Mexico.  A mi gusta San Miguel!  Que Bonito! Not to mention they have churros among the best you will find anywhere!

This guy!


Felipe, my friend from southern Brazil, joined us there – the trip from his home was a lot longer than everyone else – and I am sure the Lord met his investment with a big return.  It was great to see him, be with him, and hear about his family and life in Brazil.  It has been 10 years since we were together, and Mexico was a fitting rendezvous, seeing we were there together in 2009.  This guy brings joy to all he comes in contact with, and has a huge leadership calling on his life.  I am grateful to be a small part of what God is doing in his life, and, don’t miss it, we are planning a trip to visit Felipe and other friends in Brazil in 2021.  Sounds cool, right?

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5 Levels of Leadership

Some years ago, I came into contact with the idea of 5 Levels of Leadership, I believe through a “cassette tape”… remember those? 🙂 To my knowledge (and memory, haha) it was an audiobook by John Maxwell, entitled, Developing The Leader Within You. Even tho it was years back, I haven’t forgotten it. It has helped my perspective on leadership and influence since that time, and has helped me understand more about how leadership works.

Recently I had an encounter that reminded me of this concept, and discussed it one of our core team members. I pass it on here, in hopes that it will add to your growing perspective and worldview on the subject of influence, authority and leadership.

At the time I initially encountered the 5 Levels of Leadership idea, I have to admit most of the authority I was familiar with (and was operating in) was level 1. Surprisingly, that was no discouragement to me. I was happy to find out that this was a good place to start and that you could only grow (or go up) from there.

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Nicaragua Nicaraguita – Update February 2019

Para leer este articulo en Español haz click aquí: Nicaragua, Nicaraguita – Informe Febrero 2019

One of many volcanoes in Nicaragua… Photo taken by “good friend” as we were heading north on the PanAmerican Highway.

A good friend and I have just returned from Nicaragua, where we spent a week visiting and affirming friends and brothers, intending to encourage them of God’s goodness and nearness to them in the midst of difficult time.  This title comes from a song that is sang in Nicaragua, and it is sang there as an expression of affection.  Nicaraguans are proud of their country, heritage and have a hope for good things to come.  Let’s join them in that hope.  As you likely know, violence and bloodshed gripped the country in the Spring of 2018, with much loss and damage reaching on a far scale.  While estimates vary, it seems 500+ were killed, thousands wounded, and several hundred are still unaccounted for.  This is not including those who are currently political prisoners. (To read our post from the time surrounding the eruption of violence in Nicaragua in 2018, click here)

We knew we had to get there to stand and show love to those who are dear to us, and weren’t sure what we would find, and what danger was looming…

What we found, in my opinion, was a country in trauma.

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