What’s new at YPM: 

Happy Fall from all of us at Yucatan Peninsula Mission! 

We’ve had a very busy summer in Leona Vicario and wanted to update you with some of the highlights: 

1. On August 27, Instituto YPM held a  graduation ceremony and dinner  in Puerto Morelos.  It was live-streamed on Facebook for anyone who was not able to attend in person. (see photos) 200 people were in attendance and degrees were given to 15 college and 14 high school graduates. Wilian expressed how impressed he was with this group of graduates because they emerged successful in spite of the limitations and difficulties that came into their lives due to the pandemic and other societal factors that sometimes get in the way of schoolwork. One student in particular that Wilian told us about is Jose Luis, who comes from a family of five brothers, four of whom are dedicated to hard work, but are also involved with alcohol and drugs. Jose Luis’s parents also have no interest in seeing any of them succeeding in life, so the young men walk the streets without ambition or desire to better themselves. Jose Luis was found on the street and invited to study at our school. He got involved with sports and was given work. It was not easy. Every day was a struggle for Jose Luis, but he did not give up, even without any support from his parents or his brothers. Little by little, he became disciplined and by the time he finished high school, the Anahuac University in Cancun expressed interest in him studying with them to become a surgeon. Today, this young man begins a new direction for his  life, very different than that of his brothers. He is in the process of rescuing himself from a life of misery, and freeing himself from the inheritance that his parents and society had promised him. What a blessing when we come together and start doing worthy things that glorify God’s name.
   
   

   

   
    
2. On September 12, new classes began at the Instituto YPM: 70 college students and 17 high school students. This year, we are excited to report that they will be integrating the English language into the high school curriculum so that when our students graduate from high school, they will speak and understand English and have access to resources in English, as well as  be prepared to attend foreign universities. 
3. Wilian and Erly are moving to Leona Vicario! They will be living at the YPM base full time and Andre will attend the YPM Instituto high school. They’ve been commuting back and forth from Cancun for so long and this transition will give them more time together and less time on the road!
4. We have a new water delivery truck at the  Ch’e’en Ja’ water plant! (see photo)
   
5. In-person mission trips are back on for 2023! Check the website trips page for open dates and opportunities to join with other groups!.