From Player to Coach

In the world of sports we occasionally have the opportunity to see a player come to a point in his career in which he can make a greater contribution to the team as a coach instead of a player. One of the benefits of having an ex-player function as coach is that of his playing experience. Having experienced the pressure of a close game, a winning season, a losing season or different playing conditions, the player/coach has more than a strategic knowledge of the game to share with the players who are willing to submit to his leadership.

In this last year I think that the Lord has been having Noreen & I make this transition.

When I was coaching Soccer at Boca Raton High School, I learned two important lessons:

1. If you haven’t practiced it, don’t expect it to happen during a game.

2. During the game, the coach is the team’s biggest cheerleader.

Coaching doesn’t mean that you don’t play, it means that your play is in the context of teaching your players. As a coach, the responsibility shifts from focusing all of your attention on developing the skills necessary for your particular position to making sure that every position on the team is functioning correctly. When someone is not doing what is needed, it is the coach’s job to help that player make the needed adjustments.

As Noreen & I have been making this transition, we have had the great joy of seeing the Lord multiply the resources necessary for the growth of the ministry here in Mérida. His provision, not only of Mexican leadership to staff the school, but also of Julie, Byron & Noah as members of our PEF Team, has been a fulfillment of his promise to provide workers when we ask.

A good coach needs to be wise enough to understand that his role requires him to delegate the playing to the players. This means that he has to establish general parameters for each position and then allow each player enough freedom to fulfill those responsibilities according to his own particular skills and style. The coach has to take advantage of the strengths of his players and not put them in situations where their weaknesses are exposed.

This year, because we have been able to delegate the leadership of the school to those who are in the respective leadership positions, Noreen & I now have the time to dedicate to other areas of ministry. One of these areas is that of the growth of Shalom Church, the other is the development of our PEF Team. In the upcoming year we hope to become more involved at the church, with our team and also in the development of other Hispanic Ministries associated with PEF International. Please pray with and for us about the following:

1. Clear direction for Julie, Byron & Noah. They are all looking at important decisions in the next several months regarding their futures and their relationship to the ministry here.

2. That the Lord will provide financial support for Gabriel Glory & Sarah Black, as well as give them clear direction with regard to the development of their ministries.

3. That the Lord will continue to provide for all of the needs of the school. Although we believe that we will be able to meet our operations budget in for the 2006-07 school cycle through local funding, we still need to find additional funding for staff development in order to open College Degree programs. Please pray for our school staff and students.

4. For continued growth at Shalom. That the Lord will continue to raise up new leadership and that we would be receptive to his guidance with regard to the direction the church should take.

November 30, 2005

The School continues to progress... we are hoping to finish construction on our new building by the end of December! Although we had originally projected this building to be used as a Library/Computer Lab, we have found that we really need it to function as a Science Lab (Downstairs) and Art/Music Room (Upstairs). The old Science Lab will be converted into a Library. It has been exciting to see this project finally come to conclusion. Once we finish this building, we should be able to maintain "status quo" with regard to new facilities for a couple of years.

While we are bringing this phase of construction to a close, we will be trying to focus on increasing enrollment and improving our existing facilities. There are several areas that we feel we need to zero in on in the next 2 years:

1. Staff Development - In order for us to begin to offer College Degree programs, we need to have Lupita (our Director) begin her Doctoral Program. At the same time we need to encourage more of our current staff to complete Masters level programs. It is probable that Lupita (Right) will begin her PhD program next September.

2. Improved Classroom Equipment - This year we were able to alter our classroom structure so that we have workgroups of 5 students, each with their own computer for research and developing their team projects. We are hoping to be able to purchase equipment like LCD Projectors for each room and Notebook Computers for each teacher in order to get everyone on the same "technological" page and to be able to standardize the use of specific computer programs and technology (for teachers & students).

3. Afternoon Programs - The new neighborhood that we have been talking about for the last year or so has finally begun to materialize. There are approx. 1000 houses in the neighborhood across the street from us now. Folks are slowly starting to move into the houses. At this point there are maybe 100 families actually living in the neighborhood... we expect this to increase to over 500 before the end of the school year... probably more by the end of the summer. We are looking at resurrecting our children's soccer program, starting an English Institute and possibly an afternoon school program for students that are studying in the "open" school system (sort of a GED type program).

PRAYER REQUESTS
1. Continued development of Mexican leadership, especially with regard to the pursuit of "Upper-Level" Degree Programs.

2. Wisdom to discern how to proceed as we look at starting the afternoon projects.

3. Funding for the school and increased enrollment in the Senior High School next year. Hopefully, this will be the last year that we depend on an external subsidy for “operations” at the school. We also need to finish paying for the construction of our Library building.

4. New American Staff. Byron, Noah & Julie are all considering their options for next year. In January (next month) they will be letting us know whether they will be staying on for the 2006-07 school year.

October 31, 2005

In keeping with the general revolution that is going on in our lives and the changes that are happening with regard to our responsibilities in our ministry, Noreen and I are beginning to assume roles that require us to oversee the development of new leadership. By new leadership, I mean both our Mexican friends and younger Americans that are open to serving the Lord in foreign missions.

Noreen & I are slowly learning to delegate authority to our leadership at the school. This means that we need to allow our key leaders to advise us as to the direction the school needs to take in the next few years: a role that is quite different from the more active role in “daily decisions” that we had in the first five years of getting the school started.

With regard to our role as “disciplers” of younger missionaries, we are in the process of evaluating the different ways in which we might be more effective in this task. Basically, there are four different levels of commitment that we are working on:

1. Team Opportunities - We have been doing this for years and have found that many of those who participate in one of these trips would like to take a “second” step.

2. Individual Opportunities - For anyone interested in learning Spanish and having the opportunity to get to know more about living in another culture. We have Spanish teachers at the school and can provide a fairly structured environment (based on individual preferences) with regard to housing & transportation.

3. Short Term Internship - Basically, this involves a commitment of 6-8 weeks working with us in overseeing the different teams that come here during the summer.

4. 1-2 Year Service - With the development of the school, we are looking at developing a “Teach English, Learn Spanish” (TELS) project. This program would allow anyone interested in “testing their call” to spend an extended time in a needed ministry (Teaching English), while at the same time being immersed in a different language and culture.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1. Continued development of Mexican leadership and wisdom regarding our role in the school as we begin the process of stepping further into the background.

2. Wisdom and energy as we organize the different levels of involvement for Americans interested in missions and/or a cross-culture learning experience.

3. Funding for the school. Hopefully, this will be the last year that we depend on an external subsidy for “operations” at the school. We also need to finish paying for the construction of our Library building.