Sometimes, when an organization is relatively new (like Destino), it can be difficult to define a clear picture of the group's heart and soul. I am not talking about a mission statement or set of goals... those are usually easy to identify. Rather, it is el sabor (the flavor, or culture) that can take some time to develop. I am always learning more about the real nature of Destino, and sometimes I come closer to understanding it by recognizing what it is NOT. Destino is a ministry that is part of, and was started by Campus Crusade for Christ. However, a breakthrough moment for me was realizing that Destino is not a standard Campus Crusade group for people who are ethnically Latino. It must be fundamentally different or something would be very wrong.
Campus Crusade is now 60 years old, and consequently "grew up" in the environment of the majority white culture. Even though it's culture is white, much effort has gone into making the groups on campus welcoming to everyone, and I believe they are! The interesting thing is that no matter how welcoming, enthusiastic, or understanding of other cultures a CCC group becomes, they will still operate with the norms that fundamentally define the group's culture. It is literally impossible for a single group to fully adhere to the norms of two cultures at the same time. We could not start a meeting both on time, and 15 minutes late. We can't dance salsa if the music that is playing is already classical. (You could try I guess... I would like to see a video of that!) The point is that some people will not feel comfortable in a cultural environment that is different than their own. They don't want to be a part of a group that is WELCOMING to their culture, they would rather find a group that actually IS their culture. The goal of Campus Crusade is that all people would get a chance to hear the great news of Jesus Christ, but if there were only one group... a culturally white group that is merely welcoming to other cultures... then the people who are not comfortable outside of their own culture would never hear the news. This is why Destino must exist, and why it must be different from Campus Crusade for Christ.
The apostle Paul said it this way: "I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some." 1 Cor. 9:22 He not only tried to be welcoming and understanding, he BECAME LIKE THEM! This is why Destino is a culturally Latino ministry. It is welcoming to all cultures, just like Campus Crusade, but it operates with a unique Latino flavor that gives it the ability to reach people that other ministries would not.
