Another Chance To Be A Blessing in Mexico

I am excited as I sit in a hotel room in El Paso, Texas.  Tomorrow morning we go into Juarez for our annual home building week.  Throughout the day today I’ve found myself reflecting over the past seven years and the trips we’ve taken each year.  When we began back in 2007, we had a team of seven that built a home for a young couple with two small children.  I laugh now because none of us had any real experience at building a home, but with the help of our Casas team leader we not only built a great home but it’s still looking great seven years later. Little did we know how that first trip would lead to where this outreach is today.

With every year we found new men being drawn to our Juarez outreach and the trip increasing the love that we felt for each other.  But something else began changing during the second trip; it was no longer about the building of a home, but now we felt a bond to the communities where we were working.  A group of men felt compelled to make a Christmas run to take clothes, blankets, coats, and toys to give to the families of that community.  A 15-foot passenger van was packed from floor to ceiling with gifts to our Juarez family.  While driving to Juarez, the team received a call informing them of an orphanage in Anapra, Mexico with children who would not have a Christmas unless God provided a miracle.  Well, God did provide the miracle because not only were there plenty of donations for the original building, but the children at the orphanage in Anapra also had a wonderful Christmas.

The third build led to community outreaches where the men would do a cookout and offer candy and gifts for the families.  I remember that guys couldn’t wait for the day’s work to get done so we could start having fun with the families in the area.  Guys played soccer and baseball, wrestled with the kids, and offered smiles and a hand of friendship to the adults.  Even though most of us couldn’t speak any Spanish, we were building a special bond with these families.

It was on the fourth trip that the team leaders decided that we felt a strong pull to Anapra and were going to focus our ministry efforts on families in that city along with the orphanage there.  Every year since that decision was made, we have successfully built a home, had at least two community outreaches, made Christmas trips with gifts and clothes, and now make sure food is provided monthly for the children.  Every year the trip has taken place, and this year is the biggest ever with 25 men helping us.