Christian Latina Leadership Blog

By Eva Martínez Vela

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I was born in Monterrey and have lived there for most of my life. This city is located in a transitional geographic zone between Mesoamerica and Aridoamerica, which makes its climate quite changeable. In a single day, we can experience cold, heat, wind, and even rain. That is why there is a popular saying: “Welcome to Monterrey; if you don’t like the weather, come back in five minutes.”

For a long time, this saying struck me as amusing and trivial. However, in recent months I have discovered that it can also describe what happens in our lives.

It is common to associate our state of mind with the weather. When everything is going well, we say we are having a sunny day, with a clear, blue sky. Conversely, when we go through difficulties, we speak of storms, gray days, or cloudy skies. We would like our emotional life to be as predictable as we might wish: to enjoy the sunny days and have time to recover when the storms arrive.

But what happens when joy and pain arrive at the same time?

Fifteen days before my daughter’s wedding, my mother, who was over ninety years old, fell ill. Within a few days, her condition became serious. As our family busied itself with the final preparations to celebrate the beginning of a new household, we also began to face the possibility of having to say goodbye to one of the most important people in our lives.

On one hand, there was the excitement, the plans, and the joy of seeing my daughter begin a new chapter. On the other, the pain and uncertainty surrounding my mother’s imminent departure. Two of the greatest loves of my life were stirring within me emotions that were profoundly different, almost opposite.

Due to logistical reasons, I was going to travel to the outskirts of the city to spend the night before the wedding near the venue, so I said goodbye to my mom. I leaned toward her bedside and whispered the words of Psalm 4:8 into her ear: “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.” It was a psalm I had learned from her, one that she, in turn, had learned from her own mother. How beautiful it is to discover that certain words of faith travel from generation to generation, becoming a refuge when we need them most!

Two hours later, I received a phone call. My siblings told me that our mother had departed to be in the presence of the Lord. That night, I shared some very meaningful and profound moments with my daughter, moments that will stay with us forever.

The following day, we held the wedding. How does one experience a celebration when one’s heart is in mourning? How does one embrace such great joy while enduring such a painful loss?

I believe I was able to get through that day thanks to the example my mother left us: to focus on love, even in the most difficult circumstances. That is what she taught us, not just through her words, but through the way she lived her life. And so, in the midst of our sadness, we were able to celebrate. Even though the loss of my mother weighed heavily on my heart, we experienced a wedding filled with joy.

The book of Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is a time for everything: a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. We might imagine that these times follow one another in an orderly fashion, much like the seasons of the year, one season giving way to the next. Yet, at times, life does not afford us the opportunity to bring one chapter to a close before the next one begins.

In my case, the saying from Monterrey proved true. If you have asked me how I am doing over these past few months, you have likely discovered that I swing between grief and joy, and from joy to nostalgia. I recall beautiful moments from my daughter’s wedding and I smile; then I think of my mother and miss her deeply. One emotion does not cancel out the other. I can be grateful for what I have experienced while, at the same time, mourning the loss.

As a general rule, a city does not change its location on the map. It has no way to escape the climate it happens to be in. In the case of my city, its geographical transition zone dictates that this state of flux is permanent. This leads me to reflect on how we live as women: always in process, always in transition, always on a journey, learning with every step. This is not a sign of a fickle temperament, but rather of adaptability in the face of what life presents to us.

I have learned that the wisdom of Ecclesiastes does not lie in demanding that we feel only one emotion at a time, but rather in recognizing that life holds a variety of emotions, and that God is present in all of them. Faith does not ask us to pretend that we are not in pain, nor does it compel us to hide our joy when we are experiencing a loss. We can weep before God, and we can also laugh; we can lament, and yet continue to be grateful.

As women of faith, we need to learn to experience our emotions in a healthy and sincere way before God. We may not always be able to choose the circumstances we have to face, but we can trust that we do not have to go through them alone.

In one of his compositions, my husband expresses an idea that has stayed with me:

Perhaps today you are enjoying a bright season. Or perhaps you are going through a storm that seems as though it will never end. It may even be that, as was the case for me, you are experiencing both at the same time. You do not need to compare your journey with that of other women, nor do you need to rush to feel a certain way. Give yourself permission to live this moment with honesty, patience, and hope.

Neither you nor I walk alone. In every season of life, in every unexpected shift in the climate of our hearts, God remains by our side.

And if someone asks you today how you are, remember that you can answer honestly: “I am learning to live through this time, with everything it brings along.”

Because, even if the climate of our heart changes in five minutes, God’s love and presence remain.

Eva Martínez has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a master’s degree in mental health and intellectual disabilities. She is the coordinator of Strengthened and Inclusive Families, Effeta ABP, an institution that seeks to promote the inclusion and rights of people with intellectual disabilities and their families. She is a CLLI Monterrey graduate (2018), and serves as a CLLI board member. In addition, she serves with her husband, Joel Sierra, in the pastorate of Jiréh Baptist Community, Monterrey, Mexico. She is the mother of 4 adult children, Andrés, Luz Daniela, Samuel, and Miguel.

By: Veronica Martinez-Gallegos

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We just celebrated Thanksgiving in the United States of America. This is a celebration that is part of the history of this country. Our Thanksgiving tradition originates from the first English immigrants who shared with the Native Americans a fall harvest feast and gave thanks to God.

Without a doubt, this should not be the only day where we express gratitude to God. We live in a culture that is characterized by ingratitude. Even when we pray, we begin with our requests to God, instead of our worship to God. Instead, we ought to first praise God and focus on God’s love and faithfulness. The result of this is God’s peace and strength as we remember that God has been and will continue to be on our side. Being grateful should be our lifestyle.

The psalmist wrote, “I will bless the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.” (Psalm 34:1 NLT) King David wrote this psalm of gratitude for divine protection after Abimelech, also called Achish, cast him out of his presence because David pretended to be insane so that he would not kill him (1 Samuel 21:13-15). God protected David, and he recognized God’s care: “I sought the Lord, and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4). In this psalm, King David teaches us how to focus our gratitude on God instead of focusing on our doubts, fears, anxieties, anger or impatience. Gratitude to our Creator is an antidote to life’s uncertainties.

Gratitude to God increases our faith as we remember God’s faithfulness during difficult or painful times. And remembering how God met our needs in the past helps us trust that God will be with us in the future. Gratitude encourages our spirit as we worship God for his goodness. Gratitude is a habit and a spiritual muscle that must be exercised. When we go through times of uncertainty or pain, gratitude becomes most difficult. Thanking God for difficulties is hard, but if we do it, we will begin to see situations from God’s perspective, and our trust in God will grow. Ralph Waldo Emerson highlights the following:

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for everything good that comes to you and give thanks continually. And since all things have contributed to your advancement, you must include all things in your gratitude.”

Emerson’s call resonates with me. Without a doubt, we have all been through much this year, and I, personally, have found that the more I consciously focus on gratitude, the more I see good things around me. Furthermore, I also see where the not-so-good things have taught me important lessons. This allows me to be grateful for these experiences as well, although I may not express that gratitude immediately.

Although King David had already demonstrated it hundreds of years ago, research has now shown that having an “attitude of gratitude” shifts attention from oneself to the world around you. It is a mental, physical, and spiritual change that makes a person more present in their daily lives. Practicing gratitude creates opportunities for both the person and those around them to experience joy and appreciation.

Let me share with you how God has invited me to learn to practice the habit of gratitude. And God really has a good sense of humor. We recently moved to a new house. Three days before the move, an industrial sewing machine that was sitting on the floor accidentally tipped over and fractured the big toe on my right foot. The pain was terrible! I remember that during the first two hours of pain I asked God, why me? And why now and at this precise moment when we must move? I had a conversation with God, and I heard God’s voice telling me: “This is not the right question, Veronica. The question is not “why”; it is “what for”. And you know the answer.”

That led me to think about another action that, as leaders, we know we must practice in our daily lives: Patience. However, we do not like to exercise it very much, and therefore sometimes it becomes something absent in our life. I wonder if we often say that we have patience, but the truth is that we have patience if things go the way we want and if everything is under control. But the moment things go off plan and get out of control, patience escapes us. It is then that patience no longer seems so pleasant to us.

My experience of physical pain and the initial question I asked God about “why”, instead of “what for”, led me to reflect on my tendency to be self-reliant. I have a habit of wanting to do things with my own strength and in my own way. Otherwise, I am fearful that things will not turn out well. God confronted me with my impatience at that moment, and led me to this passage in Colossians 3:12:. 

“Since God chose you to be his holy and beloved people, you must clothe yourself with tender compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”

In this passage, the Holy Spirit told me what my soul and spirit needed and invited me to clothe myself once again with patience. It is hard to explain, but it changed my perspective when I started thanking God for caring for me.

I was able to recognize that the accident could have been worse if my foot had been broken, but it was only the toe. Although it is true that I lost the independence of driving my vehicle for six weeks, God took care of me, and my husband was my driver for those six weeks.

You may identify with me. As a leader, you plan things that do not go as you thought they would, and you feel frustrated. James 1:2-3 (TLA) invites us to be happy when we go through difficulties because that is when patience is exercised. Patience makes us better people, and more grateful for everything.

I am truly thankful for the fantastic team God sent my husband and me to help us with the move. The answer to the “what for” of my accident was to accept the help that my ego otherwise would have shunned. I am grateful because it allowed me to exercise gratitude and patience. “Giving thanks to God in any circumstance. This is what God expects of you, as Christians” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (TLA).

We are close to finishing 2023. Over the next few weeks, will you join me in finding a moment or two each day to appreciate the things that contributed to our lives this year, the things that brought us joy as well as those that were not so pleasant?

Rev. Verónica Martínez-Gallegos, M.Div., BCC, ACPE Certified Educator and Board-Certified Chaplain. She also serves with her husband who is the senior pastor of La Voz de La Esperanza Baptist Church in the same city. Additionally, she serves at the CLLI in multiple capacities: Board member, coordinator of CLLI in North Carolina, and faculty.

By: Christina Rodriguez

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I was in my thirties, and I remember introducing myself to other women at the CLLI training and retreat years ago. As the years passed, I would introduce myself differently each time. I evolved into different leadership roles, titles, and whatever ministry endeavor I was involved with at the time. I would also share about my family and the circumstances that brought me to a women’s leadership community like CLLI.

Something happened in my life after the age of forty. There was a shift in my self-awareness. I began to understand more about how I processed information and how I reacted to things. I started to question the things I perceived to be true. My academic journey led me from a conservative institution to a more progressive one. I began to wrestle with my faith and at times felt childish for allowing myself to be tossed by every wave of doctrine or ideal. I was 45 and I needed to “grow up.”

The COVID pandemic forced the world to stay inside, be still, or, in my case, be bored.

I found myself thinking existentially about my life and life in general. I was working in the emergency room at the height of COVID as a Chaplain and witnessed more death and dying than I had wanted. I had the privilege of walking alongside grieving families who were not allowed to enter the hospital and be with their loved ones. At times, it was unbearable to watch the dynamic of suffering from the families-Latinos grieve hard.

Some of the Latina mothers I met had invested a large part of their identity in their children who lay dying. They would often voice that they would not be able to live without them, they would ask me: “what am I supposed to do?”

As I was faced with all this, I had an opportunity to reflect on my own life. The values I was brought up on consisted of family and hard work—very, very hard work.

I come from a line of women on both sides of my family who sacrificed much for the family. They dreamed as young girls and then watched their sons and daughters become what they could never be.

My generation has slowly changed and adopted the concept of self-care. As I write this, I can see the bottles of vitamins that I take as well as a prescription for my occasional muscle spasms. As a result of my experience during COVID, I realized more and more the importance of taking care of myself.

In addition, the pandemic also brought forward a renewed emphasis on mental health. The flood of added resources and support was too plentiful to ignore. The care I was given through the hospital system and outside organizations saved my life. I remember recovering at a hotel more than once, mostly to quarantine but also to decompress from what I was witnessing. As I grappled with depression and anxiety from life’s circumstances, I also felt a supernatural lift. I was no longer the same person. The Bible refers to this transformation in the following way:

“We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”  2 Corinthians 3:18 (CSB).

I am sharing this because the world forced me to be still; otherwise, I would have kept moving.

There is a beautiful aspect to quietness and meditation on God, but there is also a profound spirituality in knowing yourself. As I was still, I realized I had begun following the same path my foremothers had walked, one of extreme work. Work yourself to the bone-work yourself sick. Perhaps they did not have the luxury of being still. The truth is that many of them were most likely in survival mode.

Today, the reality is that COVID still lingers as do other pressures of the world. Regardless of your particular situation, I invite you to be still, know yourself, become aware of where you are going, and make the necessary changes.

As I think on all this, I am reminded of a favorite song by international worship artist Sinach that affirms:

“We’ve been called forth to show his excellence; all I require for life God has given me, for I know who I am.”

God has given us all the necessary resources and skills to get to know God and ourselves. I invite you to reflect on what the spirit is revealing to you. Lean in, and you may be surprised to receive answers to the questions you have had about your life. I encourage you to greet this season in your life with unveiled faces. Only then will we begin to see God entrust us with secrets about this life that we never imagined, and in consequence, enjoy more and more the abundant life that Jesus offers.

Christina Rodriguez is a 2016 CLLI graduate and a Corporate Chaplain Supervisor who has provided care to companies such as Momentum Therapy clinics, Goodwill Industries, and Tyson Foods. She and her husband reside in San Antonio, Texas.

By Anna Rodriquez

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This season I have been thinking much about life and what brings us life. The context of my thoughts, to a certain extent, has been the relentless and challenging heat in Texas.

Last month, on a hot sunny summer morning, I came inside from working in the yard. I was disappointed with my garden. Nothing was growing like it should. The summer heat continued in the triple digits drying up my veggies. 

In my disappointment, I mentioned to my mother that I would like to take a trip to the Pacific Northwest to get away from the heat. I continued by saying, “Wouldn’t it be great to visit each state’s capital?” Not long after the conversation, my mom said, “When do we leave?”

We started out from Odessa, Texas, my hometown, and headed to Santa Fe, New Mexico, our first capital on the list. Off we went to Phoenix, Arizona, Carson City, Nevada, Sacramento, California, and made our way up to the Golden Gate Bridge. We continued into Salem, Oregon, upward to Olympia, Washington, on to Boise, Idaho, and ending in Salt Lake City, Utah. The drive was absolutely gorgeous. 

During our visits to the state capitals, I immediately took interest in the trial blazing women and the rich culture of each state. As I explored these places, I noticed a trend in the crown molding. Each capital was unique, but they all had a type of crown molding that displayed an egg and an arrow or dart.

In Olympia, the tour guide was well educated on state capitals and was familiar with my curiosity. I asked about the pattern that resembled the egg and the arrow. He replied, “The egg represents life, and the dart represents death, so that legislators, judges, and others will remember how the decisions they make affect people of their state.”

Life or death. I continued thinking about what brings us life, and how we also have opportunities to be sources of life or death to those around us with our words, decisions, and actions.

As we continued on our journey, I received an email from Dr. Nora Lozano, Christian Latina Leadership Institute Executive Director. After reading it, I said, “Mom we need to head home, I have to be in San Antonio for a board meeting.” As we traveled back to Texas, she told me, “I know you have been involved with this Latina Leadership Institute but, what is it that you do?”  

I explained that I started with the Latina Leadership Institute in 2008, and graduated in 2010. Since then, the name changed to Christian Latina Leadership Institute (CLLI). As I talked to her, I referred back to the idea that we had just heard about the egg and the dart as symbols of life and death.

The CLLI has been a source of life for me. It is rich in diversity. Women from all parts of the world meet and talk about building strong communities while giving honor to our Creator. It was because of the Christian Latina Leadership Institute that I became motivated and returned to school to complete a master’s degree in public administration.   

The women in CLLI are educated women serving their churches and communities, and looking for ways to expand God’s Reign. The CLLI was created by two Latinas, Nora Lozano and Patty Villarreal, seeking ways to develop Christian women leaders (Latinas and Latinas-at-heart). They brainstormed and by God’s grace and favor they, together with other qualified women, have been teaching those who have a teachable spirit and seeking after God’s heart. The teachings are rich, and the knowledge women gain coupled with God’s purpose, makes this program unique and set apart from other secular programs. I continued, “Just think Mom, when I started the CLLI we met at Camp Buckner for almost a week in January. Now the program is international with groups in the United States, Mexico, and Colombia. It is a big deal!”

As I answered my mom’s question about what it is that I do, I reminded her of my passion and my profession of helping people. The CLLI has found favor in me and offered me an opportunity to sit at the big table providing my skill set where needed. I try to serve, praying that I will be able to do it through God’s lens as the organization moves forward with its vision: Empowered women in leadership impacting the world from a Christian perspective.

The CLLI has been an avenue to help Christian women (Latinas and Latinas-at-heart) to experience more profusely the abundant life that Jesus offers. As I think about this, I am reminded about a verse that I learned during my first years at the CLLI:

“I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.”

Ecclesiastes 3:12

The CLLI participants learn that we need to be the best women that we can be as we heal from previous wounds and acquire new and vital knowledge and skills. Then, we are encouraged to invest that “transformed self” in doing good while we live. All this sounds to me like a source of life for all these women and their circles of influence.

I invite you to pray fervently for the CLLI’s ministry as it continues to grow and serve more women. If you are a Christian woman with a desire to hone your leadership skills, please visit the Christian Latina Leadership Institute website to learn more about what we offer. 

Finally, I also want to invite you to consider ways in which you can be a source of life to those around you. Like the state legislators and judges, we should all use words and make decisions that are life-giving for our families, churches, and communities.

Our trip was truly a blessing: To be able to see a glimpse of what God has given life to in more ways than one. As we arrived home, I had a chance to see that once more: My garden had lots of peppers growing!

Anna Rodriquez serves as a CLLI board member, and graduated from the CLLI in 2010. She has worked in the field of social services for more than 25 years, and has master’s and bachelor’s degrees in public administration from the University of Texas, Odessa, Texas.

By: Carolyn Porterfield

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Who doesn’t love a good celebration?  The birth of a child. A quinceañera. A wedding. Graduations. Birthdays. Anniversaries. Holidays. We need times of celebration.

Today, I celebrate the Christian Latina Leadership Institute because it is a place focused on Latinas and Latinas-at-heart who love God and desire to grow to become all God has created them to be.

From CLLI’s beginning in central Texas, the work has expanded to east Texas; North Carolina; Monterrey, Mexico; Metepec, Mexico; Mexico City, Mexico; and this month to Barranquilla, Colombia. That is something to celebrate!

I celebrate CLLI because it offers three unique things to Latinas and Latinas-at-heart.

A Safe Harbor

The first is a safe harbor. The CLLI harbor is a place of shelter, retreat, and refuge. It is a space where women come away from the busy demands of home, work, and ministry to hear from God, learn about themselves, and discern where God is leading.

This safe harbor is a place where women can freely celebrate who they are in God: Made in God’s image; Transformed by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; Gifted and empowered by the Holy Spirit. With united hearts and voices, women celebrate in worship and offer thanks to the God who declares them His very good creation.

Women learn how deeply loved and valued they are by God. They grow in their understanding of the place they have as women in God’s kingdom. They hear His call and surrender to Him even if it takes them out of their comfort zones or cultural norms. And it is all for the glory of God. Yes, it is good to celebrate a safe harbor called CLLI.

An Incubator

Not only is CLLI a safe harbor, but it is also an incubator. When a woman registers for CLLI she is declaring she wants to grow as a leader. The CLLI incubator is a place where conditions are favorable for growth and development.  

I have seen some women come with little confidence in their leadership abilities with no idea how they could use them. Others have more direction but recognize gaps in their knowledge or skill sets. Still others think they know the direction their life will take only to discover that God has something else, something more in mind.

No matter where a woman is in her leadership journey, the CLLI incubator offers favorable conditions for spiritual, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth and development. The curriculum is intentionally created to empower women to be their best selves in all areas of life to maximize their God-given potential.

I celebrate donors who believe women need the CLLI incubator and provide funds to make it happen. I celebrate with a grateful heart each CLLI site coordinator, staff, and faculty member who lovingly cares for those in the incubator.

A Launch Pad

A safe harbor is good for a time, but ships aren’t built to stay in the harbor. An incubator is a place that nurtures growth and development, but eventually you outgrow that space. Something more is needed – a launch pad.

On the launch pad a woman is ready to reach new heights in her leadership journey because of all CLLI has invested in her. One of my favorite Dr. Seuss children’s books is titled, Oh, the Places You’ll Go which I think is a great statement of what happens to women who take flight because of CLLI. 

CLLI positions women to launch into their future with confidence and joy. Some of my favorite stories are from the women who thought they couldn’t fulfill a dream because life circumstances moved them off their launch pad. However, their dream lived on.  These courageous, determined, persevering women found their launch pad at CLLI and worked hard to achieve their dream. You can, too.

I celebrate a loving and faithful God for taking women to places they never could envision because God is able to do so much more in and through women than they ever could imagine.  Praise be to God!

Your Celebration of CLLI

If you have read to the end of this blog, thanks for staying with me. I’ve shared some of the reasons I celebrate CLLI. How about you? What causes you to celebrate CLLI?

Celebrations are best done when people celebrate together. With grateful hearts, let’s celebrate God’s good work through CLLI.

Carolyn Porterfield is a Latina-at-heart who is deeply blessed by the work of the Christian Latina Leadership Institute. She lives in Irving, Texas, and currently serves as CLLI board chair and faculty.   

By: Veronica Martinez-Gallegos

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For many years I wondered if my wounds were good for something. Out of curiosity, I asked myself, how? Where? When did my wounds begin? As I processed my thoughts, along with

the concept of the “wounded healer,” introduced by the Catholic priest Henri Nouwen, I also wodered if there are wounds that all people carry and that others cannot see. I also thought about people who are ashamed of their internal afflictions. They need someone who is willing to listen carefully by offering compassionate ears and perceptive eyes to see those invisible wounds.

One of those invisible wounds that Nouwen mentions is “professional loneliness.” Nouwen suggests that this wound can become a healing force in the “practice of hospitality.” However, he adds that, “…hospitality as a healing power requires that the owner be comfortable in his own home in order to offer hospitality to the guest.”¹ A person must search within herself to make an internal repair and provide constant maintenance in order to be emotionally and spiritually available to offer hospitality to another. You must own and remember both the loneliness and the healing process to use them as a source of empathy for understanding others who may not understand their own suffering.

How does this hospitality look like for us as Latinas and Latinas-at-heart leaders, educators, and mentors? As a host, I (we) need to feel at home in my (our) own home. By doing this, as a leader, I may be able to create a hospitable space. As a Christian, it would be nice to see other people without a personal agenda and be genuine when offering hospitality. In such a context, hospitality is about the other wounded person in the room. The healer facilitates the discussion of the other person’s hopes, dreams, and concerns, thus helping them make sense of their existence.

I remember a time when I extended hospitality to someone who came to me to vent her hurts and feelings of anger, pain, and vulnerability. She had questions, uncertainties, and did not know how to handle a difficult relationship at work. It seems that dialogue was not possible between both parties, and quitting from her job was her only option. I had empathy and identified with her story because I had experienced something similar where I was wounded. I listened to her, and with appropriate differentiation, I self-disclosed part of my story and the process that I followed in my journey. I knew I could not fix her situation. I could only be there for her as she needed someone to listen to her. I am grateful for the opportunity to have cleaned up my “home” so that I could be hospitable for her, metaphorically speaking.

Furthermore, it is important to remember that a house gets dirty constantly, and therefore requires continuous cleaning. Perhaps we will have painful experiences again, so we must continue maintaining our internal house, our spiritual house.

Therefore, seeing myself as a wounded healer helps me to understand that “vulnerability is not a sign of cowardice, on the contrary, vulnerability is courage, it is a strength”.² The whole process of finding oneself is a painful process, especially when a person is hurt in a place where shelter was found, and in consequence, trust is lost. For me, home should be a shelter where care, guidance, support, security, and protection are found. This kind of home can be found in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It is where we can truly experience intimacy and feel at home.

If we are wounded people, let us remember these words from the Apostle Paul:

“Who [God] comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any

     trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” 2 Corinthians 1:4.

Our responsibility is to clear our home in order to be hospitable to our guests and to those who need to be comforted. Let us offer comfort, in the same way that we have received it from God.

1. Henri J.M.Nouwen, “The Wounded Healer,” in Images of Pastoral Care, editor Robert C. Dyskstra, (Saint Louis, Missouri: Chalice Press, 2005), 78-82.

2. Brené Brown, Daring Greatly, (New York, NY: Avery, 2015), 33-34.

Rev. Verónica Martínez-Gallegos, M.Div., BCC, ACPE Certified Educator and Board-Certified Chaplain. She also serves with her husband who is the senior pastor of La Voz de La Esperanza Baptist Church in the same city. Additionally, she serves at the CLLI in multiple capacities: Board member, coordinator of CLLI in North Carolina, and faculty.

By: Nora O. Lozano

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As an organization that supports and promotes Christian women in leadership and in ministry, recently, the CLLI, as other organizations with similar goals, was questioned about its beliefs. The events that happened at the 2023 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) regarding women in ministry, prompted different people to ask: where is your organization’s position in all this?

I was thankful that the CLLI has a clear response based on the CLLI Faith Statement. In 2018, this document was approved by consensus by the CLLI Board. The goals of this document are to clarify what we believe as an organization, as well as to guide the Board in its decision-making process. Here is the statement:

                                                         CLLI Faith Statement

Guided by the Bible, God’s word, and as personal witnesses of God’s love, grace, and transformation, we believe:

• in a Triune God: God, the creator and preserver of all that was created; Jesus, the Savior and Redeemer of humanity, who is our example of life and ethics; and, the Holy Spirit, the sustainer of both the individual Christian and the Church, who equips both men and women with gifts for the edification of the Church, and the expansion of God’s reign.

• that human beings were created in the image of God, as male and female, have sinned, and are invited by God to experience salvation through Jesus.

• in the church as a community of faith where women and men are called by God to serve according to the gifts that they receive from the Holy Spirit.

• in the transformative work of this Triune God, that starts on this earth through Jesus’ salvation and regeneration, continues through the process of sanctification, and will be brought to completion in God’s eternity.

As I re-read this document, once more I felt good about it. While this statement is not exhaustive, especially for me as a theologian, it is comprehensive enough as it deals with the core Christian beliefs that support the CLLI vision and mission as organization.

Given the recent SBC events, this statement clearly expresses that at the CLLI we believe in an ecclesiology that affirms women in leadership and in ministry as they are called by God, and equipped with the Holy Spirit’s gifts. This affirmation is based on 1 Corinthians 12 where the apostle Paul describes the church as the body of Christ. In this chapter, God and the Holy Spirit give gifts according to their will.

⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 

According to these passages, there is no grounds to affirm that the gifts are given based on the gender of a person. They are given based on the wisdom and love of God and the Holy Spirit.

What happens at the CLLI if a woman disagrees with this theology? She is still welcome! We accept all Christian women (Latinas and Latinas-at-heart) who are willing to be respectful of others’ theologies. I remember a particular occasion when in one of our trainings, a student said that she did not believe that women pastors existed, and then another student raised her hand and answered: “I am a pastor. I do exist.”

As an educational institution that is open to women from different Christian traditions, the CLLI trainings are a wonderful space of respectful conversation that is good, productive, and challenging. The kind of space that allows for leadership development and growth.

For 18 years, the CLLI has been a space where women have found their voice and their particular divine given place in the body of Christ. I could share countless stories about the ways that CLLI students have been transformed and empowered, but I am aware that I am writing a blog, not a book. Instead, I want to invite you to visit our Facebook page to read many of these stories.

The Holy Trinity is working among us at the CLLI, and among many women and men around the world who have understood that God is sovereign to call whomever God wants to call, that Jesus saved all men and women who believe in him, and that the Holy Spirit gives gifts and equips according to his will.

What are we supposed to do before this? Follow the Holy Trinity’s guide and example, and contribute with all that we can to promote and realize their will, vision, and plan.

When the Bible urges us in John 4:35 to look around, and see that the fields are ripe for harvesting, at the CLLI, we see all these women who are in need of hearing the Good News of the Gospel. The news that affirms that they are created in God’s image, saved by Jesus, and called and equipped to serve in the ministries that the Holy Spirit has envisioned and opened for them according to his will. 

So, let’s continue moving forward. There is much to do!

Dr. Nora O. Lozano is CLLI Executive Director and Faculty.

By:Adalia Gutierrez Lee

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The basic needs of a human being go so unnoticed that sometimes we ignore them, or we do not even think about them as what they are—essential needs: eating, sleeping, having someone to take care of us, to love us, and educate us as children. Those first five years of life, the ones we remember the least, are the years that most form our personality and character. These are years that create the trust that will nurture and sustain us the rest of our lives.

This month when we honor our mothers, has been different for me. I decided to spend it focusing on the memories that remind me to thank God for the mom I had. I no longer have my mom with me. However, her love and influence transcend her physical presence.

My mom was an incredible human being that emanated sweetness and security. The simple fact of knowing that she was always looking out for me, no matter how far I was from her, gave me peace of mind. I knew that everything was going to work out because she was looking out for me. Whether it was with my studies, sports, church, or friendships, wherever or with whomever I was, my mom was a constant who inspired me and helped me to give the best of myself.

My mom was a prudent woman. She knew how to listen and when to speak. She always told us there are things that we may think, but should not always say. You have to speak to build people up. If someone doesn’t feel comfortable expressing themselves, we need to respect them and give them their space. We don’t have to force them and make them uncomfortable. I have to confess that this last piece of advice has always been hard for me to follow because I’m much more curious than she was!

Her words of affirmation were always followed by a tender caress, or an act of love. Sometimes she would wait at the front door of the house worried because one of her children had not returned home, thus reminding us that expressions of affection transcend logic and rationality. Was looking at the street going to speed up the process of our arrival? She didn’t care about the “absurdity” of love, she just showed us, with deeds and words, that her love was constant and unconditional.

Recently I spoke in a chapel service about God’s love as our parent. I shared that for me seeing God as Father or Mother when I was a child was not so critical, because I had in my parents an exceptional mother and father. Now as an adult, I understand Jesus’ insistence on relating to God in this most intimate way. Knowing that the love of God transcends all logic, and as Paul corroborates in his letter to the Ephesians, “it is greater than we can understand” (Ephesians 3:19).

We do not have to understand nor explain God’s love in order to experience it. The presence of God is a constant in our lives that allows us to live, sleep, play, study and interact with confidence.

While it is true that my mom was a great leader, and that I learned many leadership lessons from her, I think what I treasure the most is how to relate to God every day. That prayer that she taught me and repeated with me every night next to my bed is the same one that sustains me now in my adult life: “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O God, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8). This experience and prayer inspire me today in all the areas of my life.

Being leaders at home and outside the home is a great responsibility. In fact, sometimes it is more challenging to be a good leader inside the house where we are most deeply known. My mom was a leader* who inspired me and my siblings in the intimate world of our home, as well as many women and men around the world.

As I reflect on the life of my mom, my prayer is that I may be the kind of leader that she was both at home and in the world. If I am able to be just half of whom she was, it will make me feel really happy, satisfied, and accomplished.

As we honor our mothers this month, I want to invite you to think about motherhood in a broader sense: biological, adoptive, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual. Who are the mothers that you can honor in your life? In which ways can you inspire and encourage other people as only a mother can do?

*Editor’s note: Adalia’s mother, Edna Lee de Gutiérrez, was a well-known and accomplished leader among Baptists worldwide. To learn more about her life, please click here.

Adalia Gutiérrez Lee serves as the International Ministries Area Director for Iberoamerica and the Caribbean, American Baptist Churches, and is a member of the CLLI Board.

By Verónica Rodríguez Navarro

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Due to the Holy Week observances, during this month we have heard much about the women who were around Jesus. Talking about them gives us the opportunity to identify ourselves with them, and also to find useful practical knowledge for our lives.

In Mark 14 we find one of these women. This story tells us about the woman from Bethany who anointed Jesus’ head before his death. It also provides a space to reflect more deeply on worship.

While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head… Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Mark 14:3 and 9

Worshiping without conceit: “…a woman came…”

The human tendency is to obtain personal exaltation; make yourself noticed for your abilities, talents or great virtues so that people may see that you are a person worthy of exaltation and admiration. It seems that they seek with eagerness and desperation to occupy the stage of “worship”.

The woman from Bethany knew that Jesus was in Simon’s house. So, as she came to that place, she was only interested in getting to where the Teacher was. She entered that house with a firm purpose: to worship Jesus. She did not care about the people who were there. Her gaze, from the moment she entered, was focused on Jesus, and everything she would do was to please him, showing him that her worship, devotion, intention, time, and action were only to demonstrate that he and nothing else than him, moved her heart at that moment.

Our worship must be without conceit before other people, but perceived and accepted by God.

A detached worship: “…with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard…”

To detach, remove, separate, give away something valuable, luxurious, of great cost to someone else, are the words that can describe the action of surrender of the woman from Bethany.

What is the most valuable possession we have in our life? Would we sincerely be willing to give up that possession to honor God? It implies resignation, humility, submission, loss. What are you willing to lose to make your worship acceptable to God?

The essence of pure nard is very valuable, since it is obtained from a plant that grows in the Himalayas between 3,300 and 5,100 meters above sea level, and is used as a medicinal or perfumery item.

The perfume of pure nard in the life of a woman, and the fruit that it entails, are only obtained in the presence of God, in the heights to which daily prayer and communion with God transport us. These experiences could become the greatest possession of a human being, due to the place where they have taken us. However, presenting this perfume before God takes us even further: to detach ourselves from our will in order to do God’s perfect will.

A fragmented worship: “…She broke the jar…”

Brokenness is the state in which a human being hurts, suffers, is weakened and tried, and can die.

An alabaster was a container made of very fine calcareous stone, yellowish or cream in color with a great variety of designs. In these containers, expensive ointments or perfumes were better preserved. To open an alabaster and get the benefit of its contents, it was necessary to break the top of the jar, and thus dump the contents.

Fragmented worship is that which on many occasions breaks the heart of a worshiper as he is molded by the hands of the Loving Potter of the soul. The worship that the woman of Bethany fragmented in her hands was a reflection of her humble heart before her Lord.

The woman who is fragmented in the hands of God and who allows the pure perfume that she possesses in her being to be poured into God, is the fragrance that rises to God’s presence and releases its aroma to impregnate those around her.

A worship with understanding: “…she poured the perfume on his head…”. 

The woman from Bethany was fulfilling one of the last public acts in which Jesus announces his death. She was anointing him for the grave, and unknowingly she was God’s instrument for the fulfillment of the Scriptures.

We must be knowledgeable of the Word, and understanding of God’s movement in the midst of his people. We must be ready to anoint Jesus with our worship, and not lose the privilege that God has given us to be his instruments.

An acceptable worship: “…what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

Worship is a conscious and voluntary act in which the one who worships has recognized that God is the only Redeemer and Savior of her life. The grace of Christ on the sinner creates in the believer a “Cycle of Worship,” where God approaches the human being to bless her with His Presence and forgiveness, and the human being responds by adoring God consciously and voluntarily, without expecting anything for herself, just thanking God for the favor she has received. God blesses the human being again in response to her adoration and the human being worships her Lord with surrender. This cycle is repeated over and over again, as long as the human being has memory and the goodness of God does not run out.

The woman from Bethany found forgiveness and salvation in Jesus. Jesus found in the woman real worship and gratitude. The results of this worship were the peace of God in the life of this woman and that her adoration transcended to this day, being remembered as an acceptable worship to God.

Conclusion

More important than highlighting the act of worship of the woman from Bethany, is highlighting the person of Jesus, who moved her to worship in this way. Therefore, the best example of a worshiping person is Christ himself, who came to this world without conceit, detached of himself, was fragmented or broken, understood the fulfillment of his purpose, and was received as the perfect worship before God.

The very thought of offering worship to God in a similar way to what Jesus offered can be overwhelming. However, I invite you to think: What are the challenges that Jesus and this woman bring to your life of worship? What small, conscious steps can you take today to move closer to this kind of worship?

Verónica Rodríguez Navarro is Director of Hudbe School of Music and Ministerial Training. She has an Associate of Arts degree in Music Ministry and Ministerial Training from the Mexican Baptist Theological Seminary in Mexico City, and a certificate in Leadership Studies from the Christian Latina Leadership Institute. She serves as Minister of Worship at Bethel Baptist Church and as Coordinator of the Christian Latina Leadership Institute site in Mexico City.

By: Brenda Rincones, Mayra Rodríguez, Norvi Mayfield, and Nora O. Lozano

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For more than thirty years, I (Nora) have been fascinated with the biblical story about the woman sick with chronic bleeding. I have written about it in different publications, and I often refer to it in my classes. Due to my familiarity with the story, I never thought that it could bring anything more to my life.

According to Mark 5:25-34, this woman had been sick for twelve years. Of course, her problem was physical, but it went beyond that. Leviticus 15 stated that anyone who had a bodily discharge was unclean, and anyone or anything that this person touched would be declared unclean as well. Considering this, it was impossible for this woman to come before Jesus proclaiming her illness, so she quietly approaches him, and seeks to touch only his cloak’s corner.

As she did touch him softly, Jesus recognized power had gone out of him. When he asked about what was happening, he learned that a woman, sick with chronic bleeding, had touched him. Instead of getting upset with the woman for her audacity, or ashamed that an impure woman had touched him, he talks to her, forgives her, praises her for her faith, and sends her away in peace (Mark 5:34).

It is important to note that in this story there are multiple healings. On the one hand, a healing occurs when the woman touches Jesus’ cloak, and her body is healed. On the other hand, she is also healed when, full of fear, she shared the whole truth about her pain, sorrow, and suffering, and how Jesus had finally healed her (Mark 5:33). As she shares her story, and realizes that Jesus was not angry with her, she finds liberation. Since Jesus did not blame her or accuse her, but blessed her, no one would be able to distress or marginalize her anymore due to her previous sickness.

This story represents true healing and liberation as the woman is healed (spiritually, physically, emotionally, and socially), and is now free to live a normal life with the regular people of her time, and to visit all the places that previously were forbidden to her.  

By now, I am sure you can understand my fascination with this remarkable story that illustrates how Jesus can bring complete healing and liberation to a person’s life.

Can the story become better? I did not think so! However, it recently did.

Last November I had the blessing of going to the Holy Land with the goal of encouraging Christian leaders there, as well as visiting some important religious sites. One of these sites was the town of Magdala in Galilee, Mary Magdalene’s hometown.

Magdala has been famous throughout the history of Christianity; however, its significance was heightened in 2009 when important archeological discoveries were found there. As excavations started in order to build a new retreat center and guesthouse, an ancient part of the town started to emerge. Today this place is an archeological area in development, a worship site, a retreat center, and a guesthouse.

As you enter the worship site “Duc in Altum” (launch into the deep water), it is immediately noticeable that this space was designed to evoke and honor Jesus and the women around him. In the building’s lower level, you can find the Encounter Chapel, which is designed after the structure of the Magdala First Century Synagogue. This chapel has an impressive mural by Chilean painter Daniel Cariola that depicts the story of Jesus and the woman sick with chronic bleeding.

Since some members of the CLLI community had the blessing of visiting Magdala and seeing this painting, too, I invited them to reflect on their experience:

Mayra Rodríguez (CLLI North Carolina) shared: “I had the privilege of seeing this famous painting.  Impressive! While some people pay much attention to the feet in the painting, the most amazing thing for me is the woman’s hand that shows an incredible faith that led her to be healed, changed, and restored. Women at that time believed and had faith. Perhaps this is what we lack today. We need to trust and believe in him.”

Brenda Rincones (CLLI Texas) shared: “As I see this work, I’m reminded of the secrets we, as women, keep; as many of our moms and grandmothers did not share the struggles they endured. This woman tried to find healing in secret, but Jesus outs her, not to shame her, but rather to free her. Her healing needed to be made public so that everyone would know she was whole, worthy, and should not be excluded. The public declaration of her healing brought glory to God and freedom and wholeness to the woman. Don’t shy away from being vulnerable, for in our openness and honesty before God, God will be glorified, and we will find freedom.”

Norvi Mayfield (CLLI Texas) shared: “As I see this painting, I think about the power that Jesus shared with this woman; a power that affected all the areas of her life. In the same way, I want to touch Jesus, even if it is the end of one of his hairs, because by doing this his power will also affect my life completely: past, present, and future. However, I recognize that today, the only way that we can touch Jesus and have access to his power is by being daily at his feet to constantly discern the steps that we need to follow according to his will.”

As for me (Nora), I did not appreciate fully the power of this painting until I was back home looking at my pictures. We went to Magdala at the end of an enriching, but long day. I was tired as I tried to absorb in one day the richness of the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of Beatitudes, Capernaum, Arbel National Park, Jesus’ Baptism Site on the Jordan River, and finally Magdala. As I stood looking at the picture, someone suggested for me to extend my hand to the painting. I was asked to move a little more to the right, and I followed the instructions. Then, this powerful picture appeared among the hundreds of pictures that I took during the trip.

I think this picture has become one of the trip’s most significant pictures. Biblical scholar Joanna Dewey suggests that one of the hermeneutical tools that we should use in order to recover the women of the Bible is for us to immerse in the story. In this picture, I am in the story, together with Jesus and the woman. Thus, this picture functions as a constant visual reminder that I need to be brave and daring like this biblical woman. It invites me to reach out to Jesus, full of faith, believing that he can indeed heal all the areas of my life, and give me a future full of peace (shalom). It invites me to reach daily to him as I try to navigate the constant intricacies of life.

What do you think and feel as you see this painting? What is the invitation that Jesus is extending you? What is the example that this woman is giving you?  Think about this, and then take action. It will change your life!  

Brenda Rincones is Founder and Director of the Shine Girls Conference.

Mayra Rodríguez is G&R Services Vice President.

Norvi Mayfield is Director of the Mayfield Foundation, and Consultant in the area of missions  and non-profit organizations.

Nora O. Lozano is CLLI Executive Director.

Photos credit: Nora O. Lozano and Barnabas Team.

By: Jana Atkinson-Morga

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In this month when we celebrate love, if you were to stop people on the street and ask them for a definition, I bet you would hear a great assortment of answers. It is exciting that I have been asked to write about love. Now, not that I don’t know love. That I do in a great many ways. It is interesting to me because I have spent the last few months working on a Disciple Now weekend for my youth group. Get this, the theme is Be Loved.

This theme is the second part of a three-year plan to build, to guide, and to shape the youth ministry’s students into disciples through the ministry’s tagline: Be Known, Be Loved, and Belong. As we look to the second part of that tagline, Be Loved, it is crucial to find the words that define how students want all people to understand and be loved. When preparing for this upcoming Disciple Now, I asked our volunteers and our guest speaker to share with me what they think of the word loved. I was reminded that to be loving goes further than a feeling; it is an action, a verb. This verb, this action, is making someone see that they are known by showing them that they are seen and appreciated. When we value others for who they are, we love them. 

When seeking out a definition for love or being loved, one could look straight to the apostle Paul’s words in what is considered to be the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. There you can find a bulleted list of what love is and what love is not:

• Love is patient and kind.
• Love does not envy, boast, dishonor others, or delight in evil.
• Love is not proud, self-seeking, or easily angered.
• Love rejoices with the truth, always protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres, and never fails.

These words are big and important. However, without actions, these words are inanimate; these words are flat. When considering our lives with others, we must understand these words and take a step forward.

We indeed have a place with God, a partnership with God where we are to love others as God loves us. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book Life Together, says that learning to love others begins with learning to love who they are. Learning to listen to them, their hearts, and their hurts. This is why love is more than a beautiful and grandiose list. Paul teaches us that love is bigger, wider, and deeper than we can imagine.

Love is animated through the stories of scripture. Love is echoed through the continual deliverance of the Jews throughout time; love is understood through the words of the prophets, and it is animated in the wisdom and historical narratives. 

There is beauty in seeing the ministry of Jesus and embracing his message of love. He was counter-cultural. He changed the world not only through the work on the cross. Although his death and resurrection did indeed open the door for reconciliation, his life was one where love was always a verb; it was animated.

This practice of animating love through actions becomes clear and tangible to us in Jesus’ example. The experiences with those he encountered, and the calling of those deemed as outcasts or undesirable to be his disciples are our standard of life today. Furthermore, Jesus himself importantly shares with the disciples that we will be known by the love that leads our lives. This love is expressed by giving warmth to those who are cold, food to those who are hungry, fellowship to those who are lonely, kindness to those who cross our paths, and supporting every person in all walks of life, letting them know that they are beloved, they are known, and they belong.

This is where I find significance in salvation. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection allow us to be in relationship with God, to look forward to being in the presence of God after this life, and to being a partner with God in this life.

Lois Lowry writes in her book Number the Stars, “surely that gift—the gift of a world of human decency—is the one that all countries hunger for still.” This is a staggering truth. This world, our world, hungers still for human decency. I have come to understand that we are called by God to be ministers of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:18-20). We are partners with God to share great selfless and brave love with the world.

This love is personified in the push for change when the world’s brokenness overwhelms everything. It goes further than thoughts and prayers because faith without works is dead (James 2:26). The love of God is embodied by advocating for those who face war, pain, and injustice in this world. It is grace, mercy, and justice that carry the love of God to the corners of the earth.

This love is challenging indeed, but not impossible. How can you show this kind of love today?

Jana Atkinson-Morga is a CLLI graduate and Student Minister at Woodland Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas. She holds a Master of Divinity from Logsdon Seminary and a BA in Bible and Theology from Baptist University of the Américas.

By: Marcela Ordaz

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Almost everyone makes new year’s resolutions. As a new beginning, it is a time to evaluate life, and set specific goals or resolutions that will help us reach our objectives in this new year.

Normally, the most popular resolutions are weight loss, eating healthy, traveling, paying off debts, learning a new language, reading more, playing a sport, finding a partner, having a better job, quitting destructive habits, or for the most disciplined people: reading the bible in a year.

However, this tradition of new year’s resolutions comes with its challenges.

Has it happened to you that the end of the day comes and it seems that you did not achieve anything? Or that weeks go by and you feel a frustration of not having completed projects? Or that the beginning of a new year arrives and you did not fulfill the “new year’s resolutions” of the previous year?

Here we are at the beginning of 2023, and the overwhelming tradition of setting new year’s resolutions is upon us again. I’ve been there. It feels like the days go by without achieving anything. And at the end of the day, one is exhausted.

But what if I told you that there is a way to not only follow these popular new year’s resolutions, but to also live an abundant life?

You may ask: How is this possible?  I invite you to explore some of these ways with me.

Jonathan Murcia describes in his Facebook page: “A life of abundance is not just a life filled with material wealth. But a life filled with the grace of God, and the growth of the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

God’s Word offers a variety of ideas that inspire us to live an abundant life, much better than what we can plan or imagine. Jeremiah 29:11 states: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  

The letter to the Philippians (chapter four) also offers instructions that we can take as part of our new year’s resolutions, which will lead us to live an abundant life:

•  “Stand firm in the Lord” (4:1).
• “Rejoice in the Lord always” (4:4).
• “Let your gentleness be known to everyone” (4:4).
• “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (4:6-7).
• “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (4:8).
• “As for the things that you have learned and received and heard and noticed in me, do them…” (4:9).

And verse 4:19 stands out as it affirms: “And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

In addition to the Bible, there is Christian literature that also offers us ways to live an abundant life. Rick Warren in his book, The Purpose Driven Life, suggests the following:

• You were planned to delight God. Develop your friendship with God. Make yourself God’s best friend. By doing this, you will make God smile.
• You were made for the family of God. You have a place to belong to. Restore fellowship and cultivate communal life. Take good care of your church.
• You were created to be like Christ. Grow, be transformed, and defeat temptation. Take the necessary time to cultivate this.
• You were made to serve God. Accept the task, use your tools, strengthen your service mentality, and allow God to be manifested in your weaknesses.
• You were made for a mission. Share the message of your life, balance your life, remove envy and the desire to please other people.

It is always good to recap a little when we feel lost or when we experience moments of stagnation.

I recently read in a New York Times article that we tend to think of the dishwasher as a dangerous place for delicate items. However, the makers of the slimmest and most expensive wine glasses recommend putting them in the dishwasher, rather than washing them by hand. The reason: They are more likely to break or get damaged if they are banged against the sink or squeezed from being scrubbed with soap.

If the instructions for delicate glasses say that we should use the dishwasher, why do we necessarily want to wash them by hand? Do we think that our own methods are better than the original instructions?

If God’s Word mentions more than once that God’s plans will always be better than our own decisions, why insist on doing it our way? Proverbs 16:9 says: “The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps.”

How about planning our future by focusing on God’s purpose for our lives, maintaining spiritual, mental, and physical health?

Perhaps you are like me, and you did not make a list of new year’s resolutions. So, let me suggest that you apply the CREC method (Continue, Resolve, Evade and Confront):

CONTINUE: Go to your phone and take a few minutes to look at all the photos you took in the past year. Review which moments you enjoyed and which ones made you smile. In a few words, which moments would you like to repeat? Choose one and continue it.

RESOLVE: Think for a moment that you have one year to live. What do you need to resolve? Resolve it.

EVADE: Think about one thing that would make you a better person if you avoided it, for example, something that would make you healthier or more___? Thus, you already have what you need to evade.

CONFRONT: Choose one thing you have not done out of fear. Something that definitely needs to be confronted. Define it and confront it.

Maybe it will be easier if you set short and achievable goals. You can also break these goals down into smaller parts, so you will be more likely to achieve them. Start with a few small steps, such as deciding not to drink soda or calling your loved ones more often.

It is common to feel scared when starting a new project, but it is also normal to feel excited and hopeful. Getting started is always the first step to achieving goals. If you are feeling stuck this new year, maybe it is time to take a leap of faith and set some goals—starting now!

God invites us to live according to God’s plans and to taste the abundant life that God offers. Let’s accept the invitation with much excitement and hope.

 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Marcela Ordaz, a professional in the area of Organizational Communication, has worked as an international leader as a Tradeshow Director for FABTECH Industrial Expo, Mexico and Latina America for the past 15 years. She is a CLLI Graduate and now serves on the CLLI board and is a member of the leadership team at CLLI Monterrey. Additionally, Marcela has led in ministry for the past 25 years in Monterrey, Mexico.    

By: Carolyn Porterfield, Monica Salinas, and Nora O. Lozano

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The first chapter of Luke describes two fascinating narratives that traditionally have been recognized as the stories of “The Annunciation” and “The Visitation.”

In the first one, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary to give her the news that she would become the mother of Jesus. Since she was a virgin, betrothed to Joseph, one can only imagine how Mary felt with this news. As a way to invite Mary to believe in what was going to happen to her and in the importance of her son for humanity, the angel also shares that Elizabeth, the one who was barren and old in age, is also pregnant with a special son (Luke 1:26-38).

From the story, we also gather that no one else was a witness to the encounter between the angel and Mary. Thus, after the angel leaves Mary, she is pregnant and with a story to tell that is near impossible to believe.  

The second story describes how Mary, after receiving her news, hurries to visit her relative Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-45). Perhaps she went as a way to corroborate what the angel had told her, or as way to find some refuge, support, and encouragement. As she arrives, Elizabeth greets her with these words: “As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”  (Luke 1:44-45).

Both of these stories involve women who believed in God’s words, plans, and promises for them and their sons, John and Jesus. One wanted to be pregnant for a long time, but recognized that God has his own timing. The other one, most likely did not want to be pregnant, but willingly accepted God’s plans for her.

These two women become an example for us for the way that they embraced God’s plans and promises. They trusted God’s wisdom and overarching plans, and they invite us to do the same.

As a way to further explore this idea of believing in God’s plans and promises for us, especially in light of the new year, members of the CLLI community shared these reflections:

Carolyn Porterfield:

A teenage girl was living according to the cultural and religious customs of her day. She was engaged to a man and looked forward to raising a family. Her plan was interrupted by unexpected and life-altering angel’s words: “Mary, you have found favor with God. He has chosen you to bear His son, the Messiah.” What would your response be if God had said those words to you? Mary declared herself God’s servant and surrendered to His plan, one that would not only change her life but also ours. 

Proverbs 16:9 says, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.” Just like Mary, we all have plans for our lives. But what if God interrupts your plan with revisions and changes? What if God challenges you to aim higher and go farther than you ever thought you could? Do you trust God to direct your steps even though the way might be hard and costly?  

I know from my own experience that God’s plans are so much better than anything you can come up with. Go ahead. Take that first step. As you do, hear the same words the angel spoke to Mary, “Do not be afraid.” 

Monica Salinas:

The fact that the magnificent and glorious God of the Bible has given us such great and wonderful promises in his word never ceases to amaze me. Ephesians 1:3 says that “he has [already] blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ.” What does this mean? Those of us who believe in Christ enjoy daily blessings that we can only qualify as heavenly. Those blessings are God’s love, forgiveness, compassion, mercy, patience, goodness, peace, strength, and many other blessings that perhaps we do not see, but that we constantly receive. Sometimes we do not appreciate them, and other times, we take them for granted. However, if we think for a moment about what our lives would be like without God’s promises, we can better appreciate those blessings. 

Knowing that these blessings are there and have already been given to me by my heavenly Father, gives me hope and strengthens my faith to look at the future. For just as He has been with me until today, loving me, forgiving me, being patient and merciful, and holding me up through difficult times, he will continue to do so. Therefore, like Elizabeth, I can say: “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her.” 

What are the biblical promises that have become your stronghold?

We do not know what 2023 will hold for us. Perhaps you are starting the new year under some difficult or challenging circumstances. However, we know the one who holds the future in his hands. Thus, let’s believe with Monica that God will continue to bless us. Perhaps, as Carolyn’s reflections would imply, we may have to be flexible and open to alter our plans in 2023 in order to fulfill God’s most perfect plan for us.

Wherever we are in this new year’s eve, let’s remember that God is the same one, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. As we continue to celebrate the miracle of the incarnation, and what Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection bring to our lives, I invite you to affirm the promises that God has given you in the Bible. For me (Nora), this is the promise that I want to hold on to this new year: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

As we welcome the new year, let’s do it by following Elizabeth’s and Mary’s example. These women of faith trusted God and God’s plans. Were they uncertain, perplexed, and fearful? Of course they were! But they also were trusting God as they “believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises...”

Carolyn Porterfield is CLLI Board director and faculty. Mónica Salinas is CLLI office coordinator and faculty. Nora O. Lozano is CLLI executive director and faculty.

Art/photo credit: Visitation from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. 

By: Carolyn Porterfield

Para leer la versión en español haga clic aquí.

Passwords have become an integral part of our lives. They are designed to grant access and provide protection. We are encouraged to create “strong” passwords that are at least eight to ten characters and contain a combination of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and special symbols. You win the prize if you can remember all the passwords you use!

What passwords might be helpful to leaders? What could grant you access to potential leaders? Provide protection for the health and well-being of the staff or volunteers you lead? Guard unity against division? Think about these three.  

Scout1Talent=newLeader

A friend of mine has an uncanny “nose for talent.” She can be with a group of women for a few hours and discern who in the group has leadership potential. Then she spends much time and effort pouring into the ones who are eager to learn and grow. There is no telling how many women she has invested in over the years.

Who recognized your leadership potential? It was a seminary professor who saw something in me I did not. He became my mentor and guide without me realizing. He recommended me for a position I never would have applied for, coached me on how to do the interview, and then tutored me as I prepared to begin the new job!

After nine years in that job, I was offered a new position in another state. As I was saying my goodbyes, my boss said, “I was told that if I took a chance on you, I would not be disappointed, and I have not been.” The risk paid off!

Being a talent scout opens worlds of possibility for your organization, church, or business as well as the one who can grow under your mentorship. It has been my privilege to mentor women who have gone on to serve in strategic leadership positions.

2extendGRACE+patiENce

How do you handle the situation when someone you lead has made a mistake? A useful password is “extend grace + patience.”

A staff member came to me with fear and trembling and more than a few tears. She had made a huge mistake that involved thousands of dollars that would negatively impact ministries that were to receive funding from our office. She was ready to write a check from her personal bank account to help cover the shortfall and probably had a resignation letter ready to send from her computer.

After she was able to calmly tell me what had happened, we began to look for ways to solve the problem that her mistake had caused. It took time and sacrifice on our part, but we were able to come up with a workable solution. We still had to tell some ministries about the financial shortfall, but the damage was not as bad as it first appeared.

Grace was extended to the staff member. The problem solving was clothed in patience. The mistake became a huge learning point for us with new checks and balances put in place to ensure it would not happen again.

By extending grace and practicing patience, the staff member regained her confidence and became an even more vital member of the team. Everyone makes mistakes, even you. Investing in the growth and well-being of an employee will reap rich dividends.

Thank#3YOU!!!

While reading Psalm 100 from Eugene Petersen’s The Message, this amazing insight jumped off the page in the first part of verse four: “Enter with the password: ‘Thank you!’”

Thank you. Two simple words that take us outside of ourselves to focus on another. The psalmist demonstrates that “thank you” is a good password for leaders. It opens access to our generous Father who lavishes us with His love. There is also something unifying about coming together with thankful hearts before the One who created us and gives us so many blessings.

In 1863 the United States was embroiled in a Civil War that was tearing the country apart and devasting families in both the North and the South. President Abraham Lincoln signed a proclamation asking the nation to pray that God would give His tender and loving care to a wounded nation in need of healing. He declared the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving. In 1870 the United States Congress made it an official national holiday.

Lincoln used the password “thank you” with the expectation of bringing people together who were deeply divided, people looking for hope in desperate times. Perhaps he understood that looking toward God with gratitude had deep potential for creating peace in ways that a war could not.

Our world today is not so different from Lincoln’s time. Brokenness and hopeless are twin companions to many. A pandemic changed our world forever. Too many lives are touched by needless violence. People suffer economic challenges. There is political unrest around the world and here at home in the United States.

Like the psalmist and President Lincoln, gratefully enter God’s presence and encourage others to do the same. We cannot lead well apart from Him.

Share The Passwords

We are told not to share our passwords with others because that can create serious security issues. Leadership passwords are the exception to that rule. Leaders show the way, set the tone, and have the power to build up or tear down. We need good, strong passwords to open access to potential leaders, help them grow and mature, and guard unity.

Three passwords have been shared with you. They are meant to cause you to reflect on your leadership and ways you can grow. Don’t keep them to yourself. Add your own leadership password to these and freely pass them along to others.

All leaders are in process and learn from one another. Proverbs 27:17 reminds us that iron sharpens iron. We are thankful that the Christian Latina Leadership Institute is a good place for that to happen.  

Carolyn Porterfield serves on the Board of Directors for the Christian Latina Leadership Institute as well as being a faculty member. She finds great joy in helping women grow as leaders.

By Alicia Zorzoli

Para leer la versión en español haga clic aquí.

Years ago, I held a position in a Christian organization that required traveling to different parts of the world. Right after my induction, I bought a very large suitcase for those trips. That humongous suitcase accompanied me during all those years, holding everything I considered essential to fulfill my duties. (Things were different at that time: airlines did not charge to check suitcases on international flights, even if you checked more than one!)

Lately the rules were changed by the airlines and now there is a price for every piece of luggage you want to check. That made me change my perspective on traveling. It was not only due to the financial expense but, more important, it made me think on what I really needed to take for my trip and what is just clutter. I’m proud to say that on a recent almost three-week abroad trip, I just took a carry-on; and, it was not completely full! (I still need to work on taking no more than 3 pairs of footwear). As I see it, there are three takeaways for this new perspective: I saved money, my back was thankful, and I was sure my suitcase would arrive with me.

All of this takes me to the wisdom of God’s word regarding something similar but much more important. It has to do with cluttering our lives with non-essentials and the need to declutter. The dictionary says that to declutter is to remove from a space anything that does not belong in that space. 

It is easy to start filling our days with too much social media, idle conversations, compulsive shopping, overspending or any other kind of clutter. We may get to the point of finding ourselves surrounded by needless things that fill our space.

And the same can occur in the realm of our minds. We listen to voices that tell us what to think, that convince us of the need to achieve more, or to have what everybody else has.

Not only are those things not important; but also, they are taking the place of what really matters.  

God’s wisdom is very clear concerning the need to declutter: Let’s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up… (Hebrews 12:1, CEB.) 

As Christians, this is much more important than deciding to just take a carry-on on our next trip. It means getting rid of thoughts, goals, preconceived ideas or anything else that may hinder God’s perfect plan for us. 

One of the main objectives of the Christian Latina Leadership Institute is to help our students to:

• Identify the things that are cluttering their lives, careers, or ministries, and take action to throw off any extra baggage in order to be all God wants them to be.
• Avoid getting entangled with ideas, teachings, ways of doing things that do not follow God’s plan for them considering them a sin that trips us up. 
• Identify and stand firmly grounded in what is essential, seeking the help of the Holy Spirit to clearly define God’s call for each one of them according only to His Word, and not allowing anyone with preconceived ideas to deviate them from the place God has given them. 

I want to invite you to reflect on your life and consider the areas that may require you to get rid of things that are nonessential, in order to make room for what is important. 

It may be a little difficult at first, but just as it happened to me, soon you will realize that it is better to travel through life with light luggage. It will allow you to concentrate on what is most important: God’s perfect plan for you.

I want to invite you to reflect on your life and consider the areas that may require you to get rid of things that are nonessential, in order to make room for what is important. 

It may be a little difficult at first, but just as it happened to me, soon you will realize that it is better to travel through life with light luggage. It will allow you to concentrate on what is most important: God’s perfect plan for you.

Alicia Zorzoli is a Bible teacher and international lecturer, she has published numerous articles in Christian magazines and books. For more than ten years she has been a part of the CLLI faculty.

By: Nora O. Lozano and CLLI Monterrey graduates

Para leer la versión en español haga clic aquí.

Often when I describe the CLLI trainings, I use the word transformation. Graduations are special occasions to hear about this transformation that the students experience. I want to invite you to revisit with me what happened at the CLLI Monterrey graduation two weeks ago, where 14 students received their certificates in Latina Leadership Studies. 

On the graduation day, the students met early in the morning for their last class: Capstone. This course offers an opportunity to reflect in all the classes that the students took as well as the different assignments. Furthermore, it is an opportunity to highlight the major learnings that each student acquired during her time of studies.

For me, it is always a moving experience. Often the students share with tears in their eyes how the CLLI training, under God’s blessing, helped them to improve in the different areas of their lives, and thus, experience a significant transformation. These stories are always a true gift for me as they bring encouragement as I serve in this ministry.

As I was listening to them, I thought that more people needed to benefit from this gift, especially those of you who generously support these students with prayers and resources. Therefore, I decided to ask the students if they could briefly write how the CLLI training helped them. As I invited them to do this, I asked them for permission to share their testimonies with you, our readers. 

As a way to organize these beautiful and powerful testimonies, I assigned them a heading that represents an important value within the CLLI community. While the testimonies have been slightly edited, for the most part they reflect the students’ exact words. 

Boldness and Encouragement to Continue – Flor Julieta Cortés Coronado

“I thought that my professional career had been cut short since 1998, and that there was no more in which I could develop myself. CLLI Monterrey allowed me to understand that I had an unexplored path, which I needed to return to. Thanks to this, I made key decisions in my life, such as continuing my university studies. When I started with CLLI I was looking for understanding, and I found it. Thank God for this program and for each one of the people who serve on it.”

Finding My Voice – Marina Rodríguez

“I thank God for this program. It represents blessings, growth, and learning. It helped me to make personal changes in my social interactions. Before I was very shy, and today I can make decisions and give my perspective in any situation. Furthermore, I can offer advice to my friends and family. Thanks to CLLI my life has been transformed.”

Empowering Women –  Anabell González

“Through this program, I understood that my leadership in my circle of influence can be used to give freedom and power to women, starting with my daughters, and continuing with my co-workers, my sisters in the church, and even my students in the classroom. My desire is to teach them that God’s purpose was never for women to suffer because they were considered inferior. In the Scriptures, there are many examples of women’s great influence and importance in the proclamation and extension of God’s kingdom on earth.”

Blessed to Bless – Jessica Zertuche

“God placed in us a leadership that we have to nurture every day. Through this training I was able to understand that God empowered us with many tools (classes, books, testimonies, and experiences) to fill us with power to serve and help other women. God wants us to fully embrace the identity of being His daughters. As such, God wants to show us and teach us things to restore, transform, lift, and bless the lives of many other women that God also wants to use.”

Holistic Self-care – Angélica Flores Chapa

“I learned to take care of my whole health, to detect when I need something, and to set boundaries in each of my relationships. Articulating my personal mission statement allowed me to visualize those areas that I am passionate about in order to serve, for God’s glory, in different ministries.”

Meaningful Relationships –  Samantha Ruiz

“When I started this program, my main need and goal were to establish connections. And thank God, I was able to meet and connect with other women who were on the same quest. But the most wonderful and surprising thing was that God led me to connect in a deeper way with Him, and to connect with myself. I thank God for the opportunity to live this miraculous experience, and for all the people who contribute to this ministry.”

Offering Empathy – Josefa Pacheco

“I learned that I can counsel only by listening and being empathic, showing other people that they can trust me, and that I am ready to serve, knowing that I am used by God, but the one who does the work is the Holy Spirit.”

Strengthening My Personal and Ministerial Life – Mónica Treviño Rodríguez

“This training has given structure and guidance to my leadership. It has helped me develop and strengthen my weak areas and identify talents that I did not know. The topic of resting has always been a challenge for me. The spiritual, physical, and emotional health classes have made me reflect on the importance of self-care. Now I have a broader view of leadership. All the topics were very relevant, and they have made me grow in every way.”

We thank God for all these stories that testify to the transformation that the students experienced. They are truly a gift! As you remember these stories, please pray that God may continue to guide the students’ personal and ministerial path.

As a conclusion, I would like to present one more testimony:

Expanding My View – Martina G. Garza Álvarez

“This training gave me many positive things. It gave me discipline, commitment, friends, empathy, renewed energy, freedom, clear expectations, emotional health, balanced life, skills, changes, strategies, experiences, and it extended my view regarding present and future achievements.”

Once again, we want to thank God for all these blessings in the students’ lives as well as the CLLI. And many thanks to you who constantly support us with your prayers and resources. Your generosity is helping us to transform women’s lives in Jesus’ name, and in turn, they are transforming their families, churches, and communities. To God be the glory!

Nora O. Lozano is executive director and co-founder of the Christian Latina Leadership Institute and has been involved in Christian theological education for more than 25 years.

By Ruth Mendoza

Para leer la versión en español haga clic aquí.

Fear. Doubt. Uncertainty. With the appalling events that have occurred recently and the shortage of educators across the nation, going back to school seems dreadful this year. 

I have taught for twenty years and each year has presented its own challenges. The thought of leaving education for good has crossed my mind several times. I even have a list of the reasons I should leave: the stress; the amount of work I bring home; the lack of discipline from some parents and administrators; having to walk on eggshells when expressing my opinion; the lack of physical security, and my list could go on and on and on. There have been moments that have felt like a walk in the wilderness, where I have been neglected and left to fend for myself and there have been fewer moments where I have felt the support from colleagues and leaders.  

However, when I walk down the empty hallway as the new year commences, I can’t help but think about the upcoming students and the privilege I will have to teach them. 

A new school year means a new opportunity to shine the light of Christ on the face of a new generation. This cannot be done if I let the past experiences dwell in my heart and mind. Thinking of the upcoming school year, I am reminded of verses 18-19 in Isaiah 43, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” God never stops working and has a higher purpose for our lives. The remnants of yesterday are still fresh in our minds. I don’t intend to lessen the pain of the victims or the suffering of teachers whose mental health has been impacted by the strain of the education system. 

I do, however, want to encourage my fellow Christian teachers to trust God’s sovereign plan as we enter this new season in our teaching career. It is so easy to get lost in the darkness of all that is happening and lose sight of the reason we chose this career: to see new generations flourish. Let’s allow that which is troubling to compel us into the new school year beaming brighter than ever.

If you are a believer, you understand this key concept stated in Spurgeon’s Light. Fire. Faith. Life, “The children of the light prefer the joy of the Lord for they find it to be their strength.” We must not allow the darkness, nor the prince of darkness, dim the light God bestowed upon us through Christ. Our lights, as educators, can easily be dimmed when we welcome negativity into our life, let stress control our decisions, overlook not just our needs but our students’ needs as well. It can get dark for us when we do not maintain a healthy relationship with God and others. In his book, Be Light (p. 57), Reverend Samuel Rodriguez sums up Spurgeon’s sermon quoted above: 

Spurgeon…argued that God’s light is reflected in us as we let the light of knowledge, the power of joy, and the gleaming beauty of truth shine through us. He knew that darkness always threatens to break into our lives, but he reminded us that those who believe the doctrines of grace and have the bearings of God’s truth will know what and where they are.

In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus clearly lets us know that we are the light of the world that cannot be hidden. We are to let our lights shine so that others can see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven. Let me encourage you to heed Spurgeon’s words “Get plenty of light, brethren, and when you have obtained it, give it out.”

            Fellow educators, our students need us! They need light amid the darkness the world entices them with. I urge you to stand as tall as a lighthouse and beam those rays of Christ’s light over your students. Do so extending God’s grace while putting forth the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). 

For those who are not educators, I ask for your earnest prayer as this school year begins. Please pray for:

• Teachers in your community. Pray for wisdom as they make decisions, pray peace and unity over their families and strength in any struggle they might be facing. Pray for their students and families whom they will serve this year. Pray for protection as they drive to school and back home. Pray for their spiritual growth.
• The support system in the school. This includes paraprofessionals, administrators and staff, custodians, and parents.
• Pray for churches to volunteer and bring an outreach program to the schools in our communities. 
• Pray for salvation of those who have yet to hear or accept Christ’s redeeming love. 

As the new school year starts, let’s embrace the opportunity to shine Christ’s light either by serving faithfully as teachers, or by praying fervently for all the ones who will be going back to school this year. 

Ruth Mendoza, BSIS, M. Ed, has been an educator for 20 years, she also serves as the Hispanic Ministries contractor for WMU of TX.  Being born into a pastoral family, she continues to serve faithfully in ministry in East Texas. Ruth is also a previous CLLI student.  

By Anyra Cano

Para leer la version en español haga clic aquí.

In the fall of 2015, Rosy Garcia traveled more than 400 miles to attend her first CLLI class in Monterrey. As she started her training, a great dream and hope grew in her heart. She quickly shared her dream with Dr. Nora O. Lozano, about how CLLI would start a training in the small town she came from, Metepec. Rosy was ready to share everything she was learning with her community.

That dream continued growing, and the plans began to develop. In June 2018, Rosy graduated from CLLI Monterrey, and on August 17 of the same year, she started CLLI Metepec. A dream and a hope for her community were born. Rosy graduated as a student to become a coordinator. She managed to recruit students, and coordinate everything necessary to start this new CLLI site.

After three years of training, and one additional year of waiting, due to the pandemic, on June 18 of this year, 25 students graduated from CLLI Metepec, the largest group of graduates in the Institute’s history.

Rosy’s big dream also became the big dream of the students, the faculty, the staff, and the donors of the Institute. To commemorate this occasion, we have asked some of these people to share about the meaning of this graduation.

Norvi Mayfield, CLLI Texas graduate and CLLI Metpec donor, traveled with the CLLI staff to celebrate this graduation. She shares, “This graduation is a picture of the intergenerational transformation that CLLI produces in women and their families, for generations to come.” 

Norvi’s son Elias Mayfield, who is also a friend and donor of CLLI, says, “What an amazing, eye-opening visit to Metepec. I am grateful to the CLLI for the opportunity to see firsthand what they’ve done to impact the lives of these women, their families and their communities. Facing adversity, they pushed through and made it to graduation. So thankful to be a part of an amazing organization that is changing lives and empowering the leaders of today and tomorrow. May God continue to bless”

Rosy García, CLLI Metepec coordinator and the one who dreamed of starting this new training, says that this graduation is: “The faith that is seen in retrospect. I was able to see how the whole process began, and also see the fulfillment of God’s promises. When God gives dreams, God fulfills them because God is faithful. I have much gratitude because it was possible to achieve this despite the trials, a pandemic, and the changes that came with it. In everything, God was good.”

Pastor Carmina Hernández shared: “This graduation means effort, perseverance, happiness, joy, power, and much love that I saw and lived throughout these four years in my professors. From them I learned much about the good that God has for each one of us. One day I said I want to study; I want to learn. I have had other graduations, but this has been the most emotive, significant, important, beautiful, and blessed. I enjoyed it very much. Many thanks to all my professors for their patience and knowledge and to my beloved fellow students as well. God bless you very much. Glory be to God, to my Lord Jesus Christ, the great Teacher of teachers.”

Raquel Pérez expressed: “Renewing with a new perspective my service to God and equipping myself in strategic and necessary areas to continue serving with excellence.”

Christine Villavicencio, who is a medical doctor and who did not know anyone in the group when she started, testifies to the meaning of this graduation: “Gratitude, improvement, and personal growth. These three words come to mind when I think about my graduation. The simple fact of being accepted into the leadership certificate filled my heart with excitement and curiosity. Once the course started, meeting such incredible women and their stories not only reaffirmed the joy in my heart, but also filled my soul with love, empathy, and strength. And throughout the classes, learning to listen to the Word and to read it, to interpret each passage of the Bible from a Latina woman’s perspective led me to be much closer to my spirituality, and to grow even more in my faith. Getting to the finish line, to graduation itself, was an absolute joy. Realizing that it was possible to complete a certificate and meet the requirements to graduate, pushed me to be a better person, a woman of faith, strength, and love. I am filled with hope, knowing that, if my colleagues and I manage not only to graduate, but many undertook ministries that they did not even imagine, then many other women can also achieve it.”

Pastor Lourdes Rodríguez says: “I thank God for what God has allowed until this time of CLLI graduation, since everything that makes us grow in faith, knowledge, and in the practice of the ministry strengthens us as women, personally and corporately at the CLLI. It is one way our God is training women for more effective leadership today, achieving restoration to be able to restore other women.”

Romy García, who through her studies at CLLI was inspired to return to college and is very close to graduating with her bachelor’s degree, shares with us: “This graduation is evidence that with God I am capable and can achieve goals. I can make an effort and commit myself and God accompanies me and gives me wisdom. It means that God has plans for my life, the past does not define me, God always leads me to more.”

During the graduation service, Dr. Nora O. Lozano, Executive Director of the Institute, shared with the graduates that: “Education and its effects are a blessing from God, a gift from God. And how, whenever a person in the Bible received a blessing, it was to bless someone else.” With this, Dr. Lozano was encouraging the graduates to be a blessing by joining and collaborating in the transformative work that only Christ can do in our lives, families, churches and communities.

CLLI as an institution has been blessed through this graduation and the lives of the students, coordinators, faculty, board members, staff, friends, and donors. All these people are a gift to the institute, and they bless us with their support, dedication and commitment, in such a way that we can testify, together with Rosy García, that in the name of God, big dreams and hopes do come true.

Anyra Cano serves as a faculty member and Academic Coordinator of the Christian Latina Leadership Institute, Youth Minister at Iglesia Bautista Victoria en Cristo in Fort Worth, TX and Coordinator for the Texas Baptist Women in Ministry.  

By: Claudia Cano

Para leer la version en español haga clic aquí.

My experience on Saturday, August 3, 2019, changed my life profoundly. At the beginning of the week, I lost my mom to cancer, and by the week’s end, I was a victim of the horrific mass shooting event where 23 people were killed, and 22 more were wounded at the Walmart in El Paso.

As I was preparing to leave the store with my husband and mother-in-law, I stopped to use the restroom. A woman ran into the restroom, screaming, “Hay un señor con una pistola” (There is a man with a gun). Gunfire echoed inside the restroom, a sound that I’ll never forget. I called my husband. He told me to stay in the restroom. He picked up his mother and took her to the back of the store before coming back inside and meeting me in the restroom. He called out my name. I was grateful he was alive. He asked me if I was ready and to cover my eyes and follow him. Exiting the restroom, the smell of gunpowder was heavy; the horrific sight is imprinted in my mind forever. He guided me through the store. Unaware of the shooter’s location, we moved strategically, making our way out of the store. 

Once outside safely, we saw a Walmart employee shouting that someone needed help. Instinctually, I ran back inside where only seconds before I was running from danger. I found a woman on the ground, shot several times, and crying out for her husband and children. Her cries still echo in my dreams. I rendered aid and attempted to pick her up but was unable. I stayed with her until help arrived. Soon after, I could hear shouts saying “Clear!” I knew law enforcement was coming and they were clearing aisles as they were getting closer to us. A female police officer helped me put the woman in the shopping cart, and I heard the same question my husband had just asked me minutes ago, “Are you ready?” telling me to run to the front of the store. 

We pushed the shopping cart together, running as fast as possible. As we exited, the woman cried, seeing her husband, and called out his name. My husband called out my name, and I was able to answer. I told her that I would go check up on him after leaving her with the EMS team. I ran back towards the front and noticed the woman’s husband was seriously injured, as were those around him. I whispered to him that his wife and kids were okay and that his wife loved him very much. I believe he was able to hear me. The woman’s husband was the last person to pass away months after the event. 

Since August 2019, several other acts of violence have occurred. When I heard about the incident in Uvalde, Texas, I asked myself again whether I was ready. Yes, I’m ready, after two years and ten months. My recovery journey has propelled me into my new purpose of healing, hope, and honor.

I’ve learned 

Healing:

• Early in the recovery journey, it is important to have someone you trust help you communicate and coordinate on your behalf. Inform your church, work or school of your needs. Ask if your workplace has Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and seek state agencies that can help, such as the Crime Victims Compensation Program State Attorney General of Texas. 
• Mental Health: Resist the fear of being looked at as crazy or “está loca” (she is crazy). Entrust yourself to someone who can professionally help you through this trauma. After several unanswered phone calls, I finally found a therapist in my community who gave his time to help. 
• Let close family and friends help you. “Déjate querer” (let others take care of you). Allow them to be present and available to cry together. There will be days you will need help with running errands or offering comfort food. For me, it was sopita de arroz, frijoles y una quesadilla (rice, beans, and a quesadilla).
• Community and work/school colleagues: People sent text messages, emails, and mailed cards of encouragement during the first couple of weeks. As I got stronger, I was able to open them up and read them and found so much encouragement. 
• Social Media and Media: Be careful in what you share. The media only looks to feed a narrative. Family and friends should remember to respect the person’s journey of grief. 
• Faith and Meditation: I found an app called Abide; it was life-changing. I use this app daily. I was able to connect prayer and meditation while learning to breathe consciously. This time with God is a resting place, and I feel his presence where I can center myself, hear his voice, and find peace. “Blessed is the one… who meditates on God’s law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither. Whatever they do prospers” (Psalm 1:1-3). 
• Journaling: I started using my journal, drawing, doodling, and making small notes while meditating. It’s a photo album of my thoughts as I look back. It’s a record of my journey of the dark feelings of giving up and bright days where I could finally breathe. I feel proud to look back and see how much I’ve grown. 

Hope: 

• My therapist helped me see my experience as something on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being death. My experience was a 9. Since then, I have used the phrase “it’s not a 9” to center myself when my anxiety rises. I know what a nine feels like. Doing this self-talk, “it’s not a 9,” reminds me to breathe and tell myself it will be OK and that I’m safe. I have hope for a new future. It helps put things in perspective.
• Treasure time with loved ones. Tell them how much they mean to you. Live in the moment with joy, without regrets.

Honor: 

• I wish to honor those who lost their lives with my acts of service and by encouraging survivors through their journey of recovery. Additionally, I honor the victims by teaching CPR and First Aid/AED, providing knowledge and skills useful in an emergency.  

After the media trucks move on to their next story, families have buried their loved ones, and normalcy returns to the community, don’t forget about the survivors. They’re left with their own recovery journey. I call on leaders in the community to advocate for accessible mental health services, follow-up wellness checks, and offer relatable solutions for survivors. I also encourage survivors to share what we have learned to model a healing journey.

Let’s honor those who lost their lives by living our best each day. Are you ready? 

Claudia Cano is a CLLI friend, and a guest writer for this month’s blog. Claudia Cano is the CEO of Focusing to Learn LLC, a national education and training company that provides leadership consultation and professional development services. She holds a Master’s in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction. Claudia has served various leadership roles throughout her career, including adjunct professor at the El Paso Community College, and National Director Training with one of the largest grantees contracted by the Office of Refugee Resettlement for Unaccompanied Children.