Exus in a (big) nutshell...

We often get asked, "What exactly is Exus?" This is an attempt to answer that question, which of course we tackle with more questions... If you think of another question we should include here that could help someone else, please send it our way.

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What is Exus?

Exus is a spiritual formation program that challenges Christian young men and women towards integral growth using intentional discipleship, extreme adventures, and community living

What is the Exus Challenge?

It's a semester-long retreat on steroids. That is, almost four months of discipleship, fellowship, adventure, classes, and challenges of various kinds, all with the goal of helping us know and love God more each day.

Where does it all happen?

Mostly, the semester takes place at our campus in La Calandria, within the Huapoca Ranch. And we say "mostly" because we spend several weeks visiting other ministries and canyoneering other areas of the Sierra Madre Mountains. We also spend a week working with and for an evangelistic ministry in a rural town in this region, with a setup similar to a short-term mission trip.

What classes are offered?

Five in total: Spiritual Formation, Missions, Intergal Application, Physical Education, Biblical Chronology, and English Conversational Workshop. PE is mostly hands-on, with a little theory to provide the necessary foundation. The first five are mandatory for all students to take. The English Workshop is optional, mainly as a tool for those who are considering intercultural ministry. If Spanish is your second language, we have a tutoring program available to help you with proficiency.

What are the semester dates?

For 2009, the program starts August 19th with the trip from Chihuahua city to La Calandria, and it ends December 5th with our trip back to the city. (If you are coming from out of town, you'll need to arrive in Chihuahua by the evenenig of August 18th - we'll take care of your housing that night).

What's the application deadline?

We'd like for all applications to be in by the last day of June each year. This doesn't mean, however, that there will be spots available until then - spots could be filled much earlier than that. If you would like to register and it's past the deadline, please contact us so we can explore possibilities together.

Why only one semester per year?

Because the rest of the year, the staff moves to an urban setting where we can live "in the real world" and not get rusty living in our Huapoca "bubble." During these months, we partner on a personal basis with various people-development ministries, sharing in their work of evangelism, construction, and general outreach, as well as doing follow-up for our Exus graduates.

What are our students like?

We accept - we WANT - students from all over the world, as long as they speak enough Spanish to get by. God has always blessed us with diversity. Ages range from 18 through 25 or 26. Some students come from wealthy families, and some come from poor backgorunds. Some are very athletic, and some would like to be so. Some are super quiet, and some are... well, a bit crazier than average. Some come from a pentecostal church, some from a conservative high church, and some from all points in between. This diversity has become a cherished resource for growth and depth, and fertile ground for eternal and Christ-centered friendships.

What's a typical day like at Exus?

There's nothing "typical" about Exus, really. But if we had to define a stereotypical day or week here, it would probably look like this: We start every day with a devotion from the Word and a hymn before breakfast. Then we have a couple of two-hour classes or a short adventure. Afternoons are "free" for students to do homework, work out, do laundry, or spend time alone with God. After dinner we just hang out around the table, play a board game, or go to bed early so we can be ready for the next day's work and play. Wednesdays we have a worship service, and Sundays we go to church either in Huapoca or Madera. Saturdays we usually devote to longer adventures like cattle drives or multi-pitch climbs.

How much does it cost?

The semester fee is $16,000 pesos (aprox. $1,500 USD), which includes room and board, and all in-semester trips and adventures. Please visit the Finances page for more info.

How is the minsitry funded?

We would like to eventually become a self-sustained organization (which is an oximoron for anyone living in Christ). In the meantime, we depend on the generosity of our friends and families who believe in what God is doing here. To all of you who make this ministry possible through your contributions and prayers - Muchas gracias!!! Visit the Donations page for more info.

The Board:

Staff

Currently, there are three families living this adventure in our community. We believe that God has given us a good combination of youth and experience, so we can offer our students the right mix of energy, safety, vitality, and life orientation. If you would like to know more about us, check out the info below, or contact us.

And if you're interested in joining this band of Jesus People, email us right away. We usually don't publish staff openings, so don't wait to see the job post you've been waiting for - you could be the one we're praying for at a particular time or stage!

Hector & Jennifer Martinez

Hector is the program director and Jen is the spiritual formation director. They are both graduates of John Brown University, and Hector holds a GMBA masters from Thunderbird Graduate School. They have more than fifteen years of experience in discipleship, intercultural ministry, and leadership development. Ana Victoria (7), Lilian Isabel (4), and Nada Sofía (1) complete this Tex-Mex team in ministry.

Magdalena Ramírez

Nena serves as coordinator of food services, children's education, and social activities. She is a graduate of Palmore university, with a B.S. degree in Visual Arts. Nena is also a graduate of Exus, and the first grad to join the group as staff.

Andres & Estefania Herrera

Herreras

Andres is the coordinator of horse adventures and assistant instructor, among many other things. He has a degree in theology from Word of Life Bible Institute, in Argentina. Estefania assists with some of the classes, besides helping out with children education, music, and sceduling. Her participation in JUCUM and the Conservatory of Music in Chihuahua have come in very handy here! The Herreras are joined by their one-year-old daughter Abi, who seems quite at ease with all the comings and goings her parents keep her entertained with. A&E are also a part of Pioneers, a missions organization based out of Florida.

And who holds the team accountable?

We have an advisory board, made up of five people from various backgrounds and cultures, who keep us accountable in terms of finances and spritual matters. They also make sure that we don't deviate from the original vision that God gave us, and review our results and methods to ensure the attainment of our goals. You can "meet" them below.

- Kathy Trezise	Kathy has lots of experience in the Christian education realm, including a Ph.D in curriculum development and a few years teaching at Houghton College - not to mention the five years of being the SF director at EduVenture Mexico for over five years. She now lives in Camp of the Woods, in New York state, with her husband Tim and her children Caleb and Joy. They work in discipleship and leadership development as a part of the LIFT program.
- Abraham Ramirez	Abraham has a strong passion for christian youth living out their faith in practical terms, which he tries to encourage through his ministry Fe Todo Terreno (all-terrain faith). He's a graduate from ITESM and - more importantly - from EduVenture México. He currently lives in Chihuahua, working for MEECSA in the electric component industry (that is, when he's not on tour or recording with country band Pedro Ochoa y Lazzo Doble).
- Alfredo Guerrero	Alfredo has shared God's Word in more than fifteen countries, addressing the need to reach oral-tradition peoples through story-telling. He and his wife Julia served as missionaries in the Tarahumara Sierra Madre Mountains for more than ten years, and has been since then a renowned advocate and facilitator for intercultural ministry. His experience also includes being the president of Comimex, representative of SIU for Latin America, and founder and pastor of Iglesia del Camino church.
- Luly Irigoyen	Luly has more than twelve years of experience as a therapist and family counselor, volunteering in various churches and non-governmental organizations. She is a graduate of LOMA Orientadores Familiares, and is currently finishing her Bachelor's degree in Theology from Facultad Latinoamericana de Estudios Teológicos. She and her husband Francisco live in Chihuahua with their two children Elizabeth (also an EduVenture graduate) and David.
- Heriberto Gonzalez	Heri (also known by some as "Erick") is the current Chairman of the Confraternidad Ministerial Evangélica de Chihuahua (Interdenominational Ministry Leaders' Association), and along with his wife Laura, pastors Centro Cristiano Vida Nueva church in Chihuahua. He is currently working on his masters in theology from UNPI, located in Florida, USA. Heri and Laura have two teenage sons, Eri and Jonathan.