Monterrey, Mexico’s second-largest city, is considered one of the country’s most livable cities. In 2021, a four-person Campus Outreach team arrived ready to labor. Within four years, the team has grown to nine missionaries committed to serving long-term. They serve at Tecnológico de Monterrey (Monterrey Tech), one of the most influential Latin American colleges. The students hail from all over Mexico and tend to be either very gifted or very wealthy; future leaders in the making.
No matter where CO sends a team, culture informs the ministry. Mexico’s warm relational culture and strong family ties play a substantial role. A student’s immediate family is their safest space. Students talk to their parents daily and often ask their permission to attend events. These are the people they trust. CO staff are not family; building trust is imperative for the ministry.
Nominally Catholic backgrounds allow students a generally favorable disposition toward discussing God and Jesus, while previous experiences have left many wary of the church as an institution. Working with the local church, CO Monterrey began holding monthly “Nucleo Nights.” These meetings create a safe environment to gather, experience Christian community, and discuss relevant topics pointing to the gospel. This shared experience is an investment toward building trust.
When the CO Staff met Samuel, they began to invest time and build trust. They shared life with him: sports, cookouts, coffee, and Christ-centered conversation. Samuel began following Jesus. Following the staff’s example, he began sharing his faith with his trusted friends. At first, his friend Alex resisted any talk of God. But this spring, after two years of watching Samuel’s life transform and engaging with the scripture, his heart softened, and Alex surrendered his life to Jesus.
CO Staff Ben Ditlevson shared, “1 Thessalonians 2:8 says, ‘So we cared for you because we loved you so much. We delighted to not only share the gospel of God with you, but our lives as well.’ That has become a theme verse for our team. To share the gospel with people, we must share our lives with them.” As staff build friendships with and pour into students, more doors for the gospel open across campuses in Monterrey, Mexico.
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