Well hello there lovely blog followers, friends, family & random strangers! It has been a busy and exciting (as always) time for us Nexus serving in Mexico. We, as a group, have been prone to reflecting on our weeks to one another as they come, and we decided as a group that we would like to make this blog entry just that – a thought or two from each of the Nexus participants – a quick opportunity to share with you some of our favorite moments of the summer so that you might be able to see Mexico and Amor Ministries through our eyes.  I don’t believe there is any one moment that far exceeds any other. Serving in Mexico has just been a stream of moments and events that has created this special, unique and fantastic place in each of our hearts. So, I introduce you to some of the inner workings of our hearts and minds as we share with you:

Mark  - A favorite moment of mine for this summer was at a dedication of  a house in Lomas del Pedregal when the father/grandfather of the household was unable to express words of gratitude because he was so choked up.  This was really emotional and showed the impact of Amor is more than building a house. It changes lives as people step out and put their faith into action. 

Rachel – The best moment of my summer was not one big event or particular day or hour. My best moment was a combination of all the little things. Being on a worksite and seeing someone use a hammer and pound in a nail or a saw to cut a board for the first time, and seeing them succeed. Watching the faces of a group that has never built anything before when they stand up the walls for their house. Seeing the local kids, who are always on the worksites make friends with the trip participants even when they don’t understand each other. These are the moments that make up my summer.

Jessica - One of my favourite moments was our third week down in Mexico, our first week with a group. We were working with a group from Florida. The father of our house was handicapped so he couldn’t help with most of the house building. One day, the group went to lunch, but Mark and I stayed back and tried to finish the chicken wire on one corner. The father came down and saw what we were doing and started to help. It was like he saw a window of opportunity to put his touch and be a part of building his family’s house. He didn’t let his disability hold him back from helping any way he could.

Jon - One of my favourite moments of this summer was working with a group called ‘The Peterson cousins.’ They were all family and they really seemed to just “get it”. I was truly blessed to work with them and I definitely took a lot from that week.

Kate – One of the most fun things that happened this summer was all because of four 9-11 year olds who weren’t afraid to put themselves out there. Back at camp there were three Mexican girls about the same age who were timidly hanging out at the Camping-Pros tent waiting for their relatives to be done working. I am still astonished by the way the four American girls who know no Spanish and the three Mexican girls who know zero English were able to form a bond that led to games, smiles, hugs and finally tears when they had to leave. I will never forget sitting around a table eating hamburgers eagerly trying to get to know each other through motions, smiles and laughter. I wish everyone would be able to experience this trip through the trusting, excited and loving eyes of a child.

Linz -  I could speak for hours if you gave me the opportunity, but I will limit myself to an experience I had in a circus tent while serving alongside the incredible people of Family Camp. They have been coming for anywhere in between 1-15 years, from all over the United States, and every evening they had a beautiful time of worship music led by John Thomas Oaks. As I sat in my far back, far right seat and observed the families in worship each evening, I was so incredibly moved, and even brought to tears as I watched the parents lovingly embrace and worship together with their children and spouses. Whether it was an arm around a shoulder with the older “cooler” kids or actually picking up their little one and swaying with them, every family was together and sharing the Lord together. It was highly impactful, and I realized what a truly beautiful gift these parents were giving to their children. They were instilling the highly important values and amazing gifts of family, servanthood, loving our neighbours and most importantly loving God in a highly apparent and direct way. Their entire week went this way, and I was so blessed to have served and shared with them and its directed values within me in how I would like to share God with my own family one day.

With hundreds upon thousands of memories and moments that we have each experienced this summer, I am so glad and blessed to know we could have the opportunity to share at least 6 of them with you in this week’s post. Hope you all have a blessed week and get the opportunity to reflect on some of your own special Amor moments!

- Linz and the Nexus team

To read more from the Summer Nexus team, click here

By Craig Parrish

It all began about 10 years ago on a “day trip into Mexico to help build a home for the poor” with a group called Amor Ministries.  Little did we know where we would be today!

After returning from our trip, my wife Sherri and I knew we were being called to help more, but didn’t know exactly what that looked like.  We had a dream to develop a ministry to help those in need in Nashville and wanted to call it “Double Impact” because when one helps others it not only impacts the person that is helped, but also the individual being used.  Additionally, we felt that it was time to mentor and encourage younger generations to reach out beyond themselves and change the world.

God led us to Mexico one or two times a year working with Amor over the next 8 years.  We saw so many lives changed on these trips and knew that it was only a matter of time before God would change our lives forever.  One of the many things that we noticed after these trips was that the young adults desired to carry their experience to their own communities throughout the year.  So, in 2007, Double Impact was officially formed.

God told us in no uncertain terms that the time was now. We aspire to serve Him through “Mentoring, Service and Missions.”  Much like Amor, Double Impact mentors everyone who attends a trip (leaders included).   We desire to bring God glory by being used as His vessels through missions around Nashville and the world.

Today, Double Impact takes those same kids who started out on an Amor Mission Trip and works in food banks, soup kitchens, as well as local schools, all-year round.  Our dream was that people of all ages would have their hearts changed and would want to help those in need after a short-term mission experience.

Seeing how Amor Ministries operates and boldly goes out into the world to make a difference inspires us at “Double Impact.”  It makes us feel like nothing is impossible with God, and we see that in action every trip we take.  Thank you Amor, for mentoring us, even though you never spoke a word!

If you have a story about how the Amor Mission Trip transformed your life along with the interesting work you’re now doing as a result, we want to hear more!  Reply to this post and share with us.

Members of Community Christian Church Naperville building homes in Tijuana, Mexico alongside Amor Ministries.

Living in 4 small shacks huddled together, the Valenzuela Olague family struggled through many hardships. Throughout it all, this family has remained close, continually praying for one another.  Here is their story:

Q: Tell me a little about yourself and your family.

A: My name is Petra Valenzuela. I have a wonderful husband named Felix and five beautiful children, three of which are grown and have their own families. My youngest sons, Luis and Eduardo, are still teenagers and live in our home with us. Luis has suffered for many years with a lung disease and it has been very difficult to keep him healthy. My two older sons, Victor and Jose, were in gangs when they were younger and would drink excessively but, by the grace of God, they have come to know Jesus Christ and now live right next door to us with their families. My daughter, Anacira lives next door to us as well. We have been reaching out to people in our community to have a church service and share about Jesus Christ, but were only able to meet outside because there was no room in our houses.

Q: How did Amor Ministries come into your life?

A: Pastor Armando Ponce is a pastor in our community of Tlatelolco and he saw our need for a dry and sturdy house. We are an extended family of 17 and had nothing but 4 small shacks that we called home. We have battled many years with Luis’s lung condition and found it very difficult to keep him in a dry place to help him breath. Pastor Armando contacted Amor Ministries and a group of Americans came into Mexico to build us all houses!

Q: Did you have to purchase any of this?

A: No. People who had never even met us and were unable to come and build this house, helped to provide these materials through Amor Ministries. I was astonished as the materials were delivered to our doorstep before the groups even came. I was also amazed at the dedication and love that this group showed while building our homes! A representative from Amor Ministries dedicated these houses to the Lord and told us that they were a gift, not from the Pastor, from the group, or even from Amor Ministries, but from God. I truly believe that this gift is one of the miracles we’ve been praying for.

Q: Did you connect with anyone in the group that came to do the labor for your house?

A: Oh, yes. My husband built right alongside this group of about 75 individuals and sat on the roof talking with them while they worked. We had the chance to speak with many from the group and we will never forget them. My sons shared their story about how they used to be drunk all the time and were in gangs in this same community but are now able to minister to their old friends and the gangs by telling them about Jesus Christ and the freedom they now have because they believe in Him. My sons are very passionate about what Christ has freed them from and were very excited to share their testimony with the group.

Q: How has your life changed since you received these houses almost a year ago?

A: We are so excited to actually have bedrooms! We used to sleep in the same bed with our kids. Eduardo and Luis used to sleep on the floor. We did the best we could. Little Yuliana, my granddaughter, is 5 years old and now has a place to dream and enjoy her “princess” decorated room. Every child should have that chance to dream and be a child and, with a dry place to live, Luis’s health has improved! These homes have given us hope for a better tomorrow. We are so grateful and appreciative of the blessings God has given us. We now are able to hold our church services inside our homes.

Q: Have there been any other home improvements since the groups left Mexico?

A: Before, we didn’t have anything to be proud of and now we do. We’ve added flat wood panels and decorated each house according to each specific family. We also have pictures hanging up on the wall of all the individuals from Indiana and Oregon who helped construct our home. The pictures are up to remind us to continue to pray for them. We actually saw one of the individuals who had helped to build our house about a year ago in Mexico. He was driving by our home in an Amor Ministries’ truck! We learned that he now works full time with Amor Ministries and helps other families like ours. This young man, named Jonathan, stopped by to say “Hi” and we were able to show him all that we have done since last year.

Q: What was it like to see that Jonathon after all this time?

A: Oh, it was such a joyous reunion! We have never forgotten all the people from those groups and Amor Ministries is now a part of our family. Whenever Jonathon, the staff member from Amor, gets home-sick in Mexico, he is always welcome to come and visit us. Every time he drives by our homes, he honks his horn and we run out to wave. He has become like one of our sons.

Q: If there is anything else that you could ask for, what would it be?

A: God has given us so much already. He has shown us His great love through Amor, the Pastor, and the group. God brought my sons home from the streets and now has given them a ministry. I have so much to be thankful for and want to share that with others in our community. One thing that we lack is Holy Bibles. We ask the Pastor and Jonathon a lot of questions about the Bible when they visit and we relay those answers to the community. We wish we could afford to give the community their own copies of God’s Word.

Tecate, Baja California, Mexico

Photo By Katie Gardner.  View Katie’s portfolio by clicking here.

If you have a photograph from an Amor Mission Trip that you would like to see as our Photo of the Week, please email it to jon@amor.org