Next Trip To Cancun

Its finally arranged. Scott Congdon is scheduled to go to Cancun on November 18 to meet with Gilberto F and Steve H who will both be there already. Steve H is spending his Thanksgiving family vacation there and Scott is traveling there for a couple days to get caught up on current developments regarding CCU.

Gilberto F told us today that he is taking a two week trip with a business friend to China in October. We are still working on a planning meeting during the first weeks of January in Cancun to work on establishing an Extension of All Nations Seminary at CCU.

Hurricane Passed South of Cancun

Gilberto called to say that the hurricane passed over Cancun with winds of about 40-60 miles an hour. The eye of Hurricane Dean was some 150 miles south of Cancun. Even further south than Mayan ruins at Tulum. Almost no damage reported at Cancun, Gilberto said. I asked about the beaches since two years ago the hurricane washed almost all the beaches in the hotel zone out to sea. The government spent some 12 million dollars to pump the sand that had settled off shore by the corral reefs. Gilberto said the beaches in the hotel zone are fine! Hurray, since this is considered to be one of the finest beaches in the world.

Even Gilberto's daughters condominium which is located on the beach wasn't damaged. So it looks like we made it through this one. The University is under lots of water since it rained close to six inches on Monday when the hurricane passed over. Fortunately there is nothing at the University but a graded parking lot at the moment. So, good news for the Cancun and the cities near by. We survived another one!

Hurricane Dean Hits Cancun

The much anticipated Hurricane Dean has finally hit Cancun and the eastern coastal region on the Yucatan. Fortunately for Cancun, and the Cancun Christian University, the hurricane center is some 100 to 150 miles south of Cancun.

I called Gilberto who is at his apartment in downtown Cancun to see how things were going. To hear our phone conversation click the link below:



Phone Call Update From Gilberto In Cancun

Hurricane Dean Moving A Bit South Of Cancun

The latest news about Hurricane Dean from the Weather Channel is that it is moving some 100 to 140 miles south of Cancun at the moment. I called Gilberto to Cancun and he said they were ready for whatever Dean brought them. He acknowledged that it appeared that the center of the hurricane would land south of Cancun, more towards Tulum or south of there. This doesn't get Cancun out of trouble thought, as Dean is only a few miles an hour of being designated a category 5 hurricane, the most powerful hurricane there is.







The storm should arrive at the Yucatan by tomorrow evening. Their is rumor that the Cancun airport may close tonight at 5pm.














Gilberto said his apartment is full of people, functioning as a sort of hurricane relief center. His daughter, the University architect, and his assistant Javier are a few of the people who are waiting out the storm there.

Hurrican Dean Update

Gilberto Is Getting Ready For The Hurrican

Gilberto called from Cancun yesterday to ask if I was still flying to Cancun today. After a couple laughs, we agreed it was best to reschedule the trip. As a matter of fact, Gilberto was busy packing and arranging his emergency supplies to help him weather the incoming storm. I will be staying touch with Gilberto to see how he is doing.

A group in Cancun that I have made the acquaintance of just sent out a request for help if he hurricane does indeed hit there. I just received their e-news. Here is a part of that email:

"As most of you have heard we have another hurricane (Dean) coming this way. The projected path is either Cancun or Cozumel Mexico. Please be praying that Dean will pass through an area that is not populated.

That would have to be a miracle because of where it is headed.

I would ask that you join us in prayer and if you can send an offering to help with food and materials. Where ever it hits we will be helping with food and building materials just as we did with hurricane Wilma two years ago. It is a horrible thing but with your help we can turn this around and use it for an outreach. We will be able to share the gospel with everyone that receives the help."

For more information you can go to their website at: www.mexicomissions.org

Hurrican Heading Towards Cancun

As Gayla and I begin preparing for our trip this Saturday to Cancun, guess what is also heading that way? You guessed it! Hurricane Dean. We are now re-evaluating whether we should depart this Saturday for Cancun in light of this new weather development. I suppose by tomorrow we will know if we are going to get on a plane on Saturday. Check out today's forecast as to where Dean is heading:

Late Summer Travel Deals Really Do Exist

Cancun was mentioned in a USA Today recent article about getting good travel deals this summer. Go to the link below for more information. Hope to see you in Cancun soon!!!

Late Summer Travel Deals Really Do Exist

Amor Group Builds Married Student Homes At All Nations Seminary

This past week Amor Ministries groups built six double wide homes for married students at the All Nations Seminary in Juarez, Mexico. Mission trip participants, 176 in all, from two US churches poured slabs, built walls, constructed roofs, and stucco'd these homes for some very happy students at the Seminary. This was a great need since last fall they had to turn away 8 prospective students since they had no place to house them. Its a great opportunity for both ministries to beginning working together while at the same time Amor CEO, Scott Congdon, and All Nations Seminary, John Lee, were undertaking arrangements for a planning trip to Cancun, Mexico this August. This planning team, also consisting of Amor Chief Spiritual Officer, Gayla Congdon, two Amor board members, Mike and Amy McClenahan and the Hispanic Pastor from Solana Beach Presbyterian Church will be meeting to plan an alliance with the All Nations Seminary and the Cancun Christian University

Below is a video shot by Amor showing the construction of the new married student housing built for the Seminary:

Amor Approves CCU Executive Summary Business Plan

At the recent Amor Ministries board meeting in San Diego, California, the Board of Directors unanimously approved the Cancun Christian University Executive Summary Business Plan. The Board has now commissioned Amor CEO, Scott Congdon, to present a full Business Plan for the University at the November 2007 board meeting.

Here is the Executive Summary:

THE CANCUN CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

BUSINESS PLAN

Executive Summary

Mission:

Cancun Christian University (CCU) is a non denominational ministry committed to training and equipping Spanish and English speaking servant leaders to share the love of God in tangible and compassionate ways throughout the world.

Vision:

CCU is committed to providing comprehensive and diverse opportunities to fulfill the Great Commission– equipping disciples to reach all the nations. To do so, CCU has four key programs that fulfill this calling:

· Residential Ministry Degree

· Ministry Certificate

· Mission Outreach

· Center for Courageous Enterprise

2007/2008 Strategic Objectives:

· Develop an All Nations Seminary Extension Program on the CCU campus.

· Develop strategic partnerships with other Spanish speaking seminaries and bible colleges.

· Develop strategic partnerships with English speaking seminaries and bibles colleges.

· Organize and facilitate 2 short term mission trips to the Yucatan through Amor Ministries with participants staying at CCU and working on the University and in surrounding communities.

· Work in conjunction with the Center for Courageous Enterprise (CCE) to develop and promote an (one) opportunity for corporate based and ministry leadership teams to serve in Yucatan communities. These teams will also work with CCE to incorporate leadership development into their activities.

Time Line:

2007

· Gilberto begins construction of classrooms.

· CCU property and buildings legally donated to Amor Ministries’ legal entity in Mexico, either Comision de Amor or Construendo Esperanza.

· CCU Board of Directors created.

· Strategic partnership formed with All Nations Seminary to start Extension in 2009.

2008

· Mission trips facilitated to work on the facility development of the CCU campus.

· Strategic partnerships developed with churches in Cancun and the Yucatan Peninsula.

2009

· Extension class started in Fall.

Great Meeting With Juarez Seminary

I am writing this from El Paso, Texas where I am working this week. Yesterday I participated in interviewing a prospective field team member for the Juarez field. Today Michael Williamson and I had the most amazing meeting at All Nations Seminary in Juarez.

We first attended their Wednesday Chapel and then met for several hours with the Seminary's President John Lee. Or "Juan Lee" as they call him here in Mexico. Amor is building serveral houses on the Seminary's campus for married students. It appears that we may be building them as soon as this June.
















Scott and John Lee at All Nations Seminary

What's most touching about us helping the Seminary with these homes is that the school is full and they had to turn away eight applicants for the Semiary this past August. They have the class rooms and other facilities but no place to house them. Imagine that, eight willing students want to study to become ministers and missionaries and there is no room for them. I felt honored that Amor could participate in serving the needs of the Seminary by providing housing for these willing servants of Christ.

We soon discovered that we had far more in common than we ever imagined. John Lee is formerly from Los Angeles, not far from Amor's first headquarters in Gardena. Tijuana was also the start of John Lee's ministry in Mexico where he began preaching in the La Mesa, Tijuana prison in 2000. Tijuana, of course, is also where Amor started.

The most amazing connection we shared is when John Lee told us how several churches in Cancun, Mexico had already asked All Nations Seminary if they would start a seminary in Cancun. Last year John Lee visited and met with these Mexican pastors in Cancun and there were some obstacles discovered that prevented them from moving forward; not having a facility to hold the seminary was just one of these issues.












Seminary President John Lee

All Nations Seminary has numerous extension around Mexico and they are now in discussions and in prayer with us to form a partnership with Amor to develop a seminary extenstion at the proposed Cancun Christian University.


The final thing I think that is worthwhile to mention is that the All Nations Seminary is located on the paved road right next to where we turn onto a dirt road to drive to our new Juarez camp. The seminary is probably less than two miles from our camp.

Google Location Of University

I thought it would be interested to see where the University is located in reference to the Cancun Airport and downtown Cancun. Here is a Google satellite map of the University's location:

New Plans For The University Received

We just received modified plans for the University from Gilberto. Several adjustments have been made to the plans including relocation of the parking lot. We will be reviewing these plans and constructing feedback for Gilberto so he can have the architect make any other adjustments that we agree upon.

Another significant change is that the parking lot includes alot of "green" areas. One of the key environmental goals of this project is to protect as much natural ecology as we can. The University is being carved out of think jungle that contains an amazing array of fuana and flora.

Its Tractor Time

I talked with Gilberto today via cell phone and he had the great news that he had put a deposit down on a 20 thousand dollar tractor. In 15 days he says the tractor should be grading the roads and land in and around the University.

Gilberto also mentioned that there is so much construction going on around Cancun that wages for construction workers has doubled. Workers are now getting as much as 300 dollars a week! His big prayer request right now is to find the workers he needs to hire to begin construction of the University next month.

Gilberto will be celeberating his birthday this July in Ohio with his son. After that he will be traveling to San Jose from June 26th to July 2 or third. He plans on meeting with Scott and Steve either in San Jose or San Diego to discuss ongoing development of the University.

One key issue is the contract that Gilberto will develop detailing how and when the property and the University facilities will be donated to Amor Ministries or one of its legal Mexican entitites.

Steve and Scott are working on getting the recent modied plans of the University printed so they can review the new plans and send Gilberto comments and suggestions.

Finally, Steve was working on fine tuning the first, what I call, beta of the University logo. I call it beta because its just the first version to be used for internal documents. Well, Gilberto had great news on this front also. He has found a firm in the Yucatan who is donating the development three prototypes of a logo for the University. These logos should be forthcoming in the near future.

Huge Development South of University

There is another huge development going in south of Cancun Christian Univeristy called "Los Arboles Tulum".

Its down by the city of Tulum, some 70 miles south of the Universtiy and inland another 7.5 miles. Its a noteworthy development as it relates to the University because its an inland project and focuses more to an ecological setting versus a beach setting. Until now all resort type developments have along the coast of the Mayan Gold Coast have been on the beaches. This 4,500 acre project has major implications for developments surrounding the University. The University itself is surrunded by a 250 acre development that is being spearheaded by the Univeristy's developer and donor Gilberto F.

A Tractor Is Needed

I talked with Gilberto today and he said he needed to buy a tractor to continue grading the land around the University. The University is located in the western/center of nearly 250 acres that Gilberto owns and is developing. The University is comprised of about 12 acres of currently heavily overgrown jungle. There is a large quarry at the eastern front and entrance of the property that is located about 1.5 miles from the main highway running south of the Cancun airport (the Cancun airport is just 12 miles north of the entrance to the Univerisity). This quarry is being excavated by a private company that Gilberto had contracted with to excavate what is known locally as "caliche", a lime based road building material. The excavation of this building material is what if funding the construction of the University buildings.

This 250 acre project is guarded by a gated security building currently under constuction. The primary road from the entrance of the properto to just about the western end the property is nearing completion as the tractor clears the road through the jungle. Gilberto stated today that the barbed wire fence around the 12 acres designated for the University is close to being half done.

Gilberto is sending Scott the specifications for the tractor he needs to complete the grading and other earth moving needs for the entire project.

The Dream

After working in Cancun doing short term mission trips with Amor Ministries between 1996-2001, September 11, 2001 was a defining moment for our work in the Yucatan Peninsula. There were 500 people tentively scheduled to travel to and build homes for the poor in Cancun in the Spring of 2002 but US families' fears of further terrorist attacks on airlines caused cancelation of all trips scheduled for 2002.










The costs of re-establishing trips and projects in Cancun again was second guested as other projects along the US/Mexico border took presidence. Steve Horrex, Director of International Relations with Amor Ministries, and Scott Congdon, Founder and CEO of Amor Ministries, continued to maintain contact with Gilberto F. from Cancun, Resort Hotelier and Philanthropist. Gilberto had always been a major part of the success of working in Cancun with Scott and Steve having been amazing blessed by Gilberto with all the resources he donated to the projects. Mission trip participants were staying at Gilberto's resort hotel and he was also donating, among many other things, one of his staff members during the work projects, a pickup truck to aid in delivery of building material, and very generous use of the hotel facilites for meetings, meals, etc.



In the summer of 2006 Gilbert met with Steve and Scott in Temecula, California where Gilberto, on a trip to visit his daugter in Yucca Valley, CA, presented his dream to build a Chrisitan University in Cancun. Gilberto presented building plans and photographs of the property and facilities he wanted to donate to Amor Minsitries. His dream was that he would build it, with God's guidance and direction, and Amor would run it.

In February of 2007 the Amor Board of Directors approved the initial feasibilility study that Scott Congdon presented and authorized Scott to develop and present a business plan for "Cancun Christian University" at the June 2007 Amor Board Meeting.














Scott and Gilberto standing in front of the
future home of Cancun Christian University