The Last Day of Class

It’s Friday afternoon here in the suburbs of San Jose. The sound of the birds mixes with the rumble of traffic and voices of kids playing soccer nearby.

Just a few hours ago, the dozen and a half students and staff of the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Discipleship Training School (DTS) shared their experiences from our week together. People from Canada, Holland, Brazil, the US, Mexico and here in Costa Rica (take a tour of the base here) spoke about what they had learned and felt, how they were both excited and challenged by it all.

I went around the room and affirmed the gifts and callings I saw in each one. Daniella, a Mexican-American with a prodigious intellect and humble spirit; Pila, a local with a statesman-like quality and desire to see his country know Christ; Frank, a Quebecois with a warrior tenacity and gentle demeanor.

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The glory of God is a person fully alive.

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I could go on and on.

This particular DTS is led by dear friends Ryan and Nicole Mackle, a young couple Jane and I have known since before they were dating. Now they are seasoned veterans of ministry here and in the Middle East. And they have a precious little girl named Olivia.

These weeks of teaching have a particular cadence. I wish everyone at Grace could experience it just once — so don’t be surprised if I ask you come with me sometime. See the group’s initial reticence when introduced to a new teacher, gradually warming to probing questions and then opening up to full-on engagement. I wish y’all could hear the stories of where these people come from, why they are here and what they hope to accomplish after they graduate.

Maybe you can get a taste of it in this poem Daniella wrote based on excerpts from the notes she took this week:

The glory of God is a person fully alive

We can’t understand without first obeying

Repent the Kingdom of God is here

Always be repenting

We can’t understand without first obeying

Imagine Freedom

Always be repenting

Active Gospel Imagination

Active Gospel Imagination

Repent the Kingdom of God is here

Always be repenting

The glory of God is a person fully alive.

Grace and peace, y’all.

John Ray is a missionary, spiritual director and the elder responsible for teaching at Grace Church of NWA. John and his wife Jane spend way too much time packing and unpacking, vacuuming dog hair and chasing raccoons off their porch. They much prefer sharing good food and good coffee with friends, reading and trying to keep up with their daughters.