Photographs and Volunteers Build Relationships in Mexico

Can God use 12 people in the short span of five days to reach hundreds of homes to share the Gospel? Yes! The First Baptist Church of Mt. Juliet, TN, flew to El Paso, rented a van, and traveled to Ciudad Juarez where they worked with missionaries to do door-to-door evangelism and delivered invitations to family life conferences.

The volunteers teamed with members of Communities of Hope: A Baptist Cell Church. They prayerwalked, testified and supported family life conferences held in parks in the same communities where the church wanted to begin new house churches and cells. Results were phenomenal. The Mt. Juliet team opened the way for Communities of Hope to move into two huge housing areas, and a follow-up team from Ridgemont Baptist Church, Abilene, TX opened even more doors. As a result, two new, large house churches have begun in Paraje San José and Finca Bonita.

Besides going door-to-door, the resident missionaries, Larry and Peggy (Churches Without Borders Team), have a unique way to connect with the families. The missionaries set up a tent and photographed as many families as possible. One hundred-forty families received free family portraits. What a terrific way to build relationships!

The team members commented on how receptive the families were to their visits. This did not surprise them as they had prayed for the Holy Spirit to prepare hearts to receive the volunteers.

How about you, have you ever thought of taking a short-term mission trip but just keep putting it off? Are you a Southern Baptist church that senses God leading you to get involved in missions, but have other agendas you think are more important? Begin with intense prayer and, if you still feel God guiding you to help our missionaries, we invite you to bring a team to the MAC region. It will change the lives of your members forever! God can use you and so can we.

Contact us at the information above and we will help to get you started on an amazing journey. For more information about ministry in Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, check out the team's web page: http://www.churcheswithoutborders.com/.

Helping to put a face on missions!

Fourteen volunteers from Taylors First Baptist Church, Taylors, South Carolina, spent eight days on a short-term mission trip to El Carmen, Mexico. The team worked with missionaries Don and Ethel, and the local church, Centro Familiar Cristiano, which they helped plant several years ago. This is the fifth year that a volunteer team from Taylors has labored together with the church members in El Carmen.

This year the team ministered and shared with four new communities in and around El Carmen. The team also provided a construction crew to help assemble and erect a greenhouse.

The local church has a vision for planting new churches and Bible study groups in several outlying communities. To enhance these opportunities, the Taylors volunteer team prayerwalked, led craft projects for women and held children activities in El Carmen and in the four outlying areas. These activities enabled the team to work with/encourage and present the Gospel to over 850 people. Several accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior during the ministry efforts, and ten Bible groups are now meeting in the communities.

The El Carmen Church leadership had a vision for a greenhouse mission project – which has tremendous potential for the community. One family in the church donated four acres of property and provided the initial funds to launch this project. In addition, the International Mission Board made a grant from the Baptist Global Response's Human Needs fund to help purchase the materials for the first phase. The Taylors team helped in the installation of the two major structural parts for this facility. Eventually, the greenhouse operation will grow tomatoes, beans, peas and onions, and provide employment for the local men. The sale of the products will generate funds for financial aid for local and international missions.

Those who have experienced short-term missions know that what God does in the hearts of team members is as significant as what He does through them. It is great to see the positive impact that this project had on the lives of everyone involved.

Below are a few comments from team members about the trip:

"This trip changed my life completely."
"I went on this trip to do God's will and He turned it around and used it to bless me."
"This was my first mission trip and it put a face on missions."
"This mission trip reinforces for me that God is calling me to do more mission-type work."

Volunteers are so welcome and needed. Allow God to change your life forever by coming to the Middle America and Caribbean region on a short-term mission trip! Contact information is provided under "For Other Volunteer Opportunities" in the column to the left.