Roxana, a student enrolled at a Adventist School in Tamaulipas, North Mexico is baptized after the special week of prayer that took place across the Adventist educational system in North Mexico in April. (Photo: North Mexican Union screenshot)
Mexico | Keila Urbano and Inter-American Division News Staff

Dozens of students in the North Mexican Union recently asked to be baptized after a special week of prayer organized by the Seventh-day Adventist schools across the territory. After a week of prayer, with the theme “I Will Go — Extraordinary Mission Adventures,” 74 students were baptized and another 132 are getting ready to follow their example. According to regional church leaders, a separate group of 50 students and their parents are also studying the Bible to learn more about God’s plan for their lives.

The virtual event took place April 19th-23rd and coincided with other evangelistic initiatives across the region, leaders said. The special week of prayer in the schools belonging to the Adventist Educational System in North Mexico (SEA MN) drew more than 5,800 students and their close relatives for a week of worship, studying, and testimonies.

According to Pastor Abimael Lozano, Mission Institute Director and Theology Professor at Montemorelos University, it is essential to clearly share the Seventh-day Adventist identity and mission with new generations, so that children can grow up with a sincere desire of using their abilities in God’s service. “Signs of the times show that Jesus is coming soon,” Lozano said, “and God is calling the new generations to join us in this effort to finish the task of sharing the gospel with the whole world,” he added.

For SEA MN Academic Vice-President Professor Enrique Dzul, it’s all about offering students top-notch spiritual learning experiences. “Our educational model seeks to offer our students the opportunity of surrendering their hearts to Jesus, and also to prepare them to become witnesses and disciples,” Dzul emphasized.

During the April program, students had the opportunity of getting to know various experiences of missionaries around the world, some of whom are former students of the Adventist Educational System. According to organizers, their goal was to promote the missionary focus of the Seventh-day Adventist Church around the world and motivate students to serve God locally and wherever He calls.

Organizers also shared that for the 2021 edition, students learned about the life of the Apostle Paul. “The goal was to let students know that God is... calling [each one of] us just as He [called] Paul,” organizers said.

Cedric Arenas, one of the students who participated in the special week and asked to be baptized, shared his experience. “Every day, teachers would dedicate time to teach us about God and read the Bible to us,” said Arenas. “We watched videos, sang and prayed, all things that motivate[d] me to grow spiritually and [have the desire] to get baptized.”

The resource that was distributed across SEA MN schools to be used during the special week of prayer was authored by Pastor Abimael Lozano, Mission Institute Director and Theology Professor at Montemorelos University. The materials, created for middle and secondary school levels, were also adapted for kindergarten and primary school students by Diana Ortiz, a teacher, and reviewed by Pastor David Hernández, a chaplain at Alpha and Omega School in the city of Reynosa.

There are 34 schools in the North Mexican Union. Recent statistics reveal that around 45 percent of students do not come from Seventh-day Adventist families. In 2020, schools ended up with 120 student baptisms across the region. Leaders expect that figure could be even higher by the end of the 2021 initiatives, as some of the students are waiting to be baptized together with their parents, at the end of an upcoming national evangelistic across Mexico called “Hope Beyond Uncertainty” scheduled to end on June 19th. The series will end with a week of evangelistic messages by International Speaker, Pastor Alejandro Bullón.

Throughout Mexico and the rest of Inter-America, leaders reported that Adventist schools have baptized hundreds of students and their family members during a special Week of Prayer in May.

This article was originally published on the Inter-American Division’s website 

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