“Tell your children about it, and let your children tell their children, and their children to the next generation.”
Joel 1:3
If one word could encapsulate today, it would be generations. If we, as believers, want to see the great commission carried out beyond our lifetimes, we need to teach the next generation and prepare them to teach the generations behind them. Amongst the building projects, missionary support, and providing for material needs, POWER is also dedicated to this through its support of Magdiel Bible College in Matamoros, Mexico.
Magdiel and POWER have a special connection in that both were led by Ray Morlock. For this reason, the two ministries are intertwined. For decades, Magdiel has been preparing the youth of Mexico for their calling to ministry. POWER has contributed through financial contributions and construction projects for over 20 years. It has become a yearly tradition for the men to visit the students to encourage them and in turn, be encouraged by their stories of inspired faith. Although there are numerous accounts of amazing interactions between our group and the students, a few stand out above the rest.
Pastor Shane Prewitt of Cross of Hope Church in Ohio was overwhelmed by the energy put into the prayers of the students. If you haven’t prayed in Mexico, you might need a primer. Unlike a standard church we are used to, in which one person prays to a congregation, corporate prayer truly means corporate prayer. In Mexico, everyone prays at once out loud. The result is a deluge of praises, intercessions, and entreaties to the Lord. There will never be a time in which this situation seems ordinary; and God help our faith should this ever be the case for us.
Dave Buncher, also of Cross of Hope in Ohio, marveled at the dedication and specificity of the calling of each student. In the US, or other western nations, most Bible students feel they are called to missions, without any clear idea where exactly that may be. The students of Magdiel, on the other hand, have been called with a clarity of purpose. One student expressed wanting to be a missionary to Turkey, while another wanted to preach to the cartels. Still another had the calling to witness to the deaf of India, which apparently has the largest population of deaf in the world. It was encouraging to him to hear not only clarity of purpose but that Magdiel was preparing students to take the gospel to near and far; from Jerusalem, to Samaria, and all of Judea, and to the ends of the Earth.
A final moment of encouragement came with Pastor Dough Husen of California. He met a student who had a miraculous story. She had a problem with her throat, which required a tracheotomy. While having this done, she lost control and feeling of her body. As she lay in the hospital, a woman from the US arrived to pray for her. This mystery woman explained that her husband, a pastor, had sent his wife to intercede over her, despite them never having met. Shortly thereafter, feeling returned to her body as did her voice. Though her singing voice is not as good, she is still grateful to God for the wonderful prayers and God’s provision that saw her through this time.
It may seem tongue in cheek to say that there is power at Magdiel. Yet, this is what happens at this school. The next generation of Mexico is being raised up and trained. By God’s grace, they will go on to raise up the generation beyond them. Praise God that POWER had a hand in that.
Pray that God will continue to use Magdiel for years to come.