雷蒙孔特雷拉斯, MA ’04, 圣迭戈路德宗边境事务事工(LBCM)协调员, has established a unique partnership with his alma mater, 每年在康考迪亚大学欧文分校的学生建房时接待和培训他们, serve at orphanages and worship in churches south of the border.
“The trips are so popular that we have to turn people away,” says Jonathan Ruehs ’95, MA ’15, 他是尔湾康考迪亚大学校园事工的宣教和外展牧师, 艾比西. “吸引归国学生的是雷蒙监督和指导整个过程的方式. His personality makes him a very easy to person to talk to. It helps us go down and engage.”
DCE项目95级主任丽贝卡·杜波特(Rebecca Duport)也带领学生团队与LBCM合作.
“拉蒙’s a funny guy,” she says. “很高兴看到我们的学生在与他的关系中成长，并体验到他对康考迪亚学生的那种事工. It’s been a huge positive, and a recruiting aspect for our program.”
LBCM将墨西哥有物质和精神需求的人与美国人联系起来.S. who have the means and blessings to provide help. One group from America may want to build a house, another may want to bring food, or conduct children’s activities, or evangelize a community.
孔特雷拉斯说:“我帮助他们组织这次旅行，越过边境，做一些活动。. “I also explain how the culture works in Mexico.”
Contreras was born in Mexico City, raised mostly in Tijuana, and was in church virtually from the day he was born. 但他从未考虑过从事牧师工作，直到他和他的教会一起旅行，给生活在瓦哈卡州和韦拉克鲁斯州边境山区丛林中的人们带来衣服和食物.
“On Sunday the local pastor got sick, and my other fellows didn’t want to give the sermon so they said, “你能做到的, 拉蒙. Go ahead,’” he recalls, laughing. “So I did my first sermon at nineteen years old. 当我回来的时候，我的牧师说，‘你有兴趣哪天去神学院吗?’ I said, ’I don’t know.’ The next day I woke up and said, ’Why not?’”
I learned in those four years... I am the pastor and leader of a community.
孔特雷拉斯1996年毕业于墨西哥城的一所神学院，获得学士学位, 然后被提华纳的路德一小时事工(LHM)聘请为他们的媒体协调员. 他说:“上帝对我微笑，给了我一份不同于我预期的工作。. “That’s when I got connected with the Lutheran church.”
拉蒙 standing outside a church
He was particularly drawn to three aspects of Lutheran theology: the law and gospel; the right hand and left hand of the kingdom; and Martin Luther’s famous phrase, “我站在这里, 上帝会帮助我!” For three years he visited radio stations, 代表LHM安排电视台和报纸的播出时间和印刷文章. 但他的心被全职的事工所吸引，所以他决定去康考迪亚欧文学院.
But first, he had to learn English. “My English then was like my Chinese now,” he jokes.
康考迪亚大学欧文分校(Concordia University Irvine)让他参加了一个暑期英语作为第二语言的课程，孔特雷拉斯发现这是一个“绝妙的惊喜”. On a scale of 1 to 10, it was an 11.”
那年秋天，他报名参加了CUI的跨文化事工中心(前身是少数民族牧师认证项目)的课程。.
“I was really excited about getting to study at Concordia,他说. “我看到了很多可能性，可以通过这个部门帮助很多人.” His second surprise was receiving two As in his first semester.
“I was like, ’What?’ The teachers were so kind to me, helping me with things when I had questions, 被病人, 花时间,他说. “It was a big surprise for me that I could perform.”
他最喜欢的课是迈克·米登多夫的罗马书课和新约希腊语课. Though Contreras had never lived in the U.S., he felt at home.
他说:“我喜欢在校园里散步，踢校内足球。. “I was always invited to attend activities of different kinds. Those were excellent opportunities to make friends. I felt welcomed at Concordia.他还拓宽了对教会以外事工的理解. 他说:“我学会了如何建立一些影响你周围社区的新鲜事物。. “在那四年里，我明白了我不是一个牧师或教会的领袖, I am the pastor and leader of a community. That really helps me in ministry up to this day.”
Upon graduating, he prayed, “I’m ready, Lord. You called me and I’ll follow wherever you guide me.”
After serving in southern California churches for a while, 他于2010年加入LBCM，并开始寻求与墨西哥和美国更多的教会和宣教团建立合作关系.S. He also worked to expand programs to feed and sponsor children, 帮助年轻人继续上学，并在圣经学院培训平信徒牧师.
“Those changes made an impact on the community,他说. “我想通过大大小小的改变，以不同的方式接触到更多的人. You can blame my teachers at Concordia for that.”
In the last four years, LBCM has established five missions and two new churches, 加上他们之前工作过的七个教会和一个传教会. (At a mission, a lay person conducts the activities of the church.) LBCM每周两次在12个地点为贫困儿童提供早餐, and works with two orphanages.
“我衡量事工的标准是我们为来提华纳的美国人提供的机会, and by the people served in Mexico,孔特雷拉斯说. “更多的任务小组在帮助，我们在墨西哥帮助的人就越多.”
拉蒙 and Cliff Pawley with the group of mission trip students
杜波特说，与孔特雷拉斯一起工作总是很有趣，令人振奋，也充满挑战. 首先，孔特雷拉斯经常通过允许人们发现自己的解决方案来进行教学.
“我喜欢他经常不告诉我们做什么或怎么做，而是提出选择，”杜波特说. “He’ll ask, ’What does your group want to experience? Do you want to return to the same area, or experience a new area?他不会告诉你一个正确的答案，而是让你自己找出答案，然后肯定你有一颗仆人的心. I think that’s amazing.”
When it comes to building houses, direction is required, 孔特雷拉斯和他的同事亚历杭德罗提供了这种服务——但并不过分.
I wanted to reach more people in different ways...You can blame my teachers at Concordia for that.
“当我们到达那里时，混凝土板已经浇筑好了，”杜波特说. “Then you build four walls. Plywood and two-by-fours are all around the site. 拉蒙 appoints you on the spot. ’Who’s going to cut with a saw? Here’s a cut sheet.’ He gives a short lesson on how to hammer quickly and efficiently. Then we get to work.”
Instead of dictating every aspect of the work, 孔特雷拉斯更喜欢让学生自己思考决定, turning them into foremen or “little 拉蒙s,” as Duport calls them. 他对我说, 'If I tell them what to do, they’ll never learn, but if I let them figure it out, 他们将.’ He’s exactly right. 我从他身上学到了很多关于他如何在行政上做到这一点.”
And if you work too slowly, they let you know humorously. 钉钉子的时间过长，亚历杭德罗就会开始打鼾.
“拉蒙 teaches us a lot about the culture, 事奉和教会社区与邻里之间的关系,杜波特说. “We look forward to going every year.”
孔特雷拉斯在LBCM呆的时间比他预期的要长，因为他不断有机会做一些新的事情.
他说:“这让我很开心，也很幸运能有创造力，以不同的方式做事工。. “我在这里得到了三件事:我在做上帝让我做的事, which is to serve your brother and sister, love them and teach them the gospel. 第二个, I love that the people in Mexico get things like a home, 学校用品, 一个统一的, 还有教育, and at the same time the Word of God. 第三, 我知道当我从这个职位上退休时，会有很多工作留给我的继任者. The future is bigger.”
Contreras loves his connection with Concordia University Irvine, 并亲自花时间与康考迪亚大学欧文分校的每个学生团队相处.
“I pound nails with them, 和他们一起吃饭, 和他们一起笑, 和他们一起祈祷, worship with them and dedicate what they’re doing,他说. “我要感谢亚洲体育博彩平台给我机会接受训练，成为现在的我. I’m an Eagle at heart.”