March 20, 2008 - Eleven students, along two faculty members spent a week in Mexico City over reading week learning and engaging in ministry. The students are part of the one-year ACCESS program which is directed by Dave Brotherton. Also on the trip was Tim Moore, who along with Dave teaches youth ministry at Ambrose. They were also accompanied by a local Calgary youth pastor who was checking out future mission partnerships.

Perfect weather, a lunar eclipse, awesome food, pollution and extreme people congestion was the backdrop for the week.

The trip was designed to give students a balanced academic and missions experience. The group spent about 50% of the time learning and engaging the people, culture and religion and about 50% in direct ministry with the local missionaries.

According to Brotherton, "The trip turned out to be an excellent week of learning about ourselves through the looking glass of a different world. Their beliefs are very foreign to us, their culture is dramatically different but the people, surprisingly enough, are much like us."

The group spent three days at the University (UNAM); a campus of 350,000 students. The students were guests in advanced English conversation classes. It was a great opportunity to learn about the Mexican people - and an opportunity to talk about God. The missionaries the group linked with are using English language learning as a key part of their work.

The students, in preparation, did the research on the places we visited and presented their research at those locations. It really made the history, culture and religion come alive while seeing it first hand.

Contact: Dave Brotherton, Associate Professor of Youth Ministry/ Director of ACCESS

Phone: 403.410.2000 ext. 6911

Email: DBrotherton@ambrose.edu