Letter from Paul Kroeker to parents of Outtatown students (Feb. 25, 2009):

Greetings to all families/parents/leaders;

Some of the following prayer requests refer to specific events where names have not been included for reasons of privacy.  However, the families who are directly involved have been informed of these events by my office or by their own children personally.  This letter is not intended to increase your worry or concern levels, but it is important that we pray and ask for God's continued blessing in what we do.

So, we invite you and others to please pray for our students and leaders in both Guatemala and South Africa - you can find blogs for all sites at www.outtatown.com where photos and stories emerge as they gain internet access.

Specifically, we invite you to pray for:

- Pray for safety in South Africa.  We have had two events where students were confronted by the threat of violence and theft.  In one case, two of our female students were present in a home where armed men entered in order to steal from the family.  The theft was interupted and the thieves fled with a few things taken, but the girls were shaken by this event and we continue to pray for them to deal with this event, and for continued group safety.  The other event involved two male students who were unwise, but no serious harm or violence took place.  Violence born of desperation and despair is very common.  It is a place that needs the healing love of Jesus, but there are some very real challenges to the work that we are doing.

- Pray for Health and Strength for the Guatemala team.  I was there with the team as they lived in remote villages in the cloud forest region of Guatemala with a Mennonite church in Semesche.  It was an amazing experience that included reforestation, ministry to children in the village, and an amazing three/four day eco-hike through the jungles and mountain regions of this amazing country.  I came home exhausted, trying to keep up with 18 yr olds, but the next day they were headed to Rio Hondo, where they are now building houses with Habitat for Humanity.  They are tired too, and so they will need extra energy and mental strength to finish this project well.

- Pray that God will continue to touch the hearts of our students, and through them to communicate God's love and grace to the lives of others.  In visiting our students, I know that they are being impacted deeply by the things that they see and experience.  They are also an enourmous encouragement and blessing to our Christian partners in Guatemala and South Africa.  At the same time, it is called "discipleship" for a reason.  We are not always faithful, and neither are our students.  All of us have much to learn along the way.  Pray that God would continue to guide us in ways that more fully express the love of Christ in authentic and purposeful ways.

Explanation about the Outtatown Discipleship School Program - During my recent time with our Guatemala students I was reminded daily of how important it is for us to pray for their safety and God's blessing.  All travel comes with an element of risk.  But in a program like the Outtatown Discipleship School, where we want our students to experience life, and to live with people in another cultural setting, it can be even more difficult and at times dangerous.   This is a very intensive program which goes to places that no tourist would ever visit, and where Canadian travel advisories are generally of little value.  However, in all of these locations and adventures, we try to work closely with Christians who live there, know what is safe and culturally appropriate, and will guide our learning and our whole experience.  In doing so, we come under their care, and we can feel safe, since we are treated with a great deal of love and respect that has been earned in that community by this group of believers.  For example, if I was to go to the Soweto by myself, it would not be viewed as a wise or safe thing to do, but if we are there with the Soweto Vinyard Church, who is loved and respected for the work they have done with orphans, single mothers, housing, finding employment, and reducing violence in the Soweto, we can feel safe within the circle of their influence, and the peace of Christ that has been experinced in that place.

Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.  I am most readily available by email, but you can also phone the office since I will be here the next couple of weeks.

Love in Christ,

Paul Kroeker
Dean of International Programs
Director of Outtatown Discipleship School

Cell 204-291-6242
Office 204-487-3300 ext649
Email pkroeker@cmu.ca
www.outtatown.com or www.cmu.ca