No One Left Behind

Before ITEC could even begin, we gave the participants a list of everything they would need in order to attend the course. For the social media and film training, each participant needed a phone with several apps downloaded.

Hermano C is a pastor from a small Huichol mountain village who was added to the class fairly last minute and has a very old phone. Unfortunately, his phone was unable to download the app needed for the training. After struggling with it for an entire day of the five-day class, the ITEC team asked us to explain to him that he would need to drop the course.

For him to travel all this way, take a week off work, and return to his village having failed would have brought a great deal of shame. We did not want to give him that news. We spent the entire evening trying to think of a solution. Could he complete the class without the proper equipment? Could he share with another student? Should we buy him a phone? None of the options seemed quite right. So we prayed and went to bed.

The next morning, I woke up with a plan.

We told Hermano C that we had one more idea that might allow him to stay in the class. Before breakfast, we hurried to transfer all of the videos he had already taken onto my phone. Then I lent him my phone for the remainder of the training.

Hermano C was delighted!

When class began, the teacher announced that the students had 40 minutes left to finish filming any footage they still needed before moving on to editing. Hermano C looked around nervously. Forty minutes was not much time to catch up.

Then something beautiful happened.

The other students looked at each other, and one of them jumped up and said, “Okay! We have 40 minutes—let’s do this!”

Immediately, everyone sprang into action. They helped him set up shots, arranged props, and worked together joyfully so that one brother would not be left behind. We had the privilege of watching the body of Christ work together in a beautiful way. Believers from the Huichol and Cora communities served side by side with joy and unity.

When the teacher gave the class a five-minute warning, the students smiled and said they did not need it because Hermano C was already finished!

One of the reasons Hermano C signed up for the training was because he had very little experience with technology. This class was extremely difficult for him. But with the help of ITEC, the other pastors, and the Lord, he successfully completed the course.

Now he can return to his village equipped with new tools and skills to share the Gospel and tell others about the Lord.

Written by Simeon Koranek, UIMA field pilot