CMO in a COVID-19 World

On January 17 of last year, we announced the opening of registration for CMO 2020. We had all the usual plans: a new Info Pack, an updated Application, dates for the project, the works. Young men began contacting us for more information, applications were submitted, and as in years past, CMO 2020 started to take shape. And then the world changed forever.

COVID-19 exploded onto the world stage, and we began to realize that our plans were not so certain as we had thought. We discussed various options, but as the weeks progressed, we saw with increasing clarity that CMO as we had known it could not happen in 2020. Not only were there the usual concerns about contagion, but Ukraine even closed its borders for a time, rendering it impossible for our team to get here. In the end, we were forced to cancel the project.

Colorado Mountain Outreach 2020

Despite the cancellation of CMO 2020 in Ukraine, God opened the door to a new project, affectionately known as Colorado Mountain Outreach (CMO) 2020! Led by CMO alumni Ben Sargent and Elliot Shupe, this one-week project was a short, focused outreach executed with many of the same outreach methods we use here. While I was not personally involved in the project, the testimonies we heard were exciting and encouraging.

What about CMO in Ukraine?

After last year’s cancellation, I was determined that, God willing, CMO would be back for 2021: in Ukraine, camping, open-air preaching, literature campaigns, the works. We knew there might be some limitations, but given current developments here, we were optimistic that the project could still happen.

But again, events have transpired differently than we had hoped. COVID remains a very real issue on the world stage, and it makes planning international travel uncertain at best. In addition to all of this, my parents’ health has been in decline, and this introduced yet more uncertainty into my world.

In short, we have made the difficult decision to delay CMO for yet another year. While we are sad that this is the case, we are trusting the Lord as always, knowing that when He closes a door, He opens a window.

And speaking of open windows…

Say Hello to RMO!

We know. You had your hopes set on CMO 2021. You’ve been collecting that camping gear and waiting for registration to open. And now you have to wait until next year?! 😩 Well not quite.

Once again our good friends Ben and Elliot have been hard at work to organize a State-side version of CMO. This year it’s been dubbed “RMO” for Rocky Mountain Outreach. We fully endorse this project, and if you’re excited to get your hands dirty with real, front-line ministry, you need to check it out.