With permission, we are re-posting this letter from Pastor Mike Farra to his church, North Point Christian Church, in Lewisville, TX.

We returned from our Amor Mission Trip a little over 48 hours ago.   Here are some fresh thoughts…right off the grill:

To be sure,  I have a lot of emotions as I reflect back on our annual trip to Juarez. It has been two years since we last made the trip from Lewisville to the border town of El Paso. Two years since we built houses and took bucket showers and connected with people from another country. It was time to go again.

But going didn’t make sense to a lot of people. There has been a legitimate concern over violence in Mexico. But as i said in a letter to our men’s group last week, the war on drugs in Mexico appears to have escalated since 2003, but it has been being fought on the streets of border towns since I was in college.

Is there more violence in the past decade?  probably. The publicity in the media has certainly escalated! The Texas State Department is now saying things to spring break travelers that should have been said all along. The warnings to avoid downtown areas and night travel and public intoxication are all prudent instructions.

It would have been a lie to say that there were no risks in traveling to Mexico. There have always been risks. We have made this trip to Juarez 13 out of the past 16 years with our youth group…and 8 out of the past 9 years with our men’s group. It was with great awareness and tremendous sensitivity to the concerns of parents and loved ones that we chose to go this year.

As you should know by now, there were multiple acts of violence in Juarez while we were there. The final act…the attack on American citizens that caused the evacuation of the U.S. consulate…resulted in a decision by Amor Ministries to close down their operations where we were working and send us back across the border immediately.

First of all, I want to give a major shout out to Amor Ministries on their concern, informed decision-making and total professionalism in the way they took care of our group in the face of crisis. This is why we work with Amor and place our trust in their leadership! They constantly placed the needs and safety of our group ahead of every other concern.

Here are some lessons that came through loud and clear from this experience:

• The North Point Church family is the best! The support, understanding, encouragement, sharing of resources and expressions of faith were amazing.
• Our group has the “dna of service” deep in our spiritual genes.
• Our men were incredible. The friendship…the bonding…the humility…the honesty…the willingness to give…the sensitivity to god’s leading…all of it was simply awesome.
• It was so cool to see a bunch of brand new, young and inexperienced kids step up to the bar that had been set by youth groups of year’s past…and exceed it! Watching them assimilate into a culture of service was inspiring…
• Trust means everything. Without it, groups cannot function. The North Point leadership team trusted our staff to make the decision to go. We trusted Amor Ministries to give us an accurate assessment of the level of risk we would be facing…and provide a safe plan for our trip. Parents trusted our faith in Amor and our diligence in planning and attention to details.   Kids trusted our leadership on the trip. We trusted the decision that Amor made to have us stop our trip early and leave the country. Yeah, trust means everything.
• Because Amor is trustworthy,  we will resume our work in Juarez as soon as Amor says it is safe to go back.
• It was incredibly difficult to leave the work site with unfinished houses. The fact that it hurt so much to leave is, in itself, a great sign of growth!
• As we were leaving, a lady from the neighborhood asked how she could get a house. Knowing it might be a long time before anyone comes back was very, very sobering. And an absolute confirmation that we have to come back.
• There is a lot of bad stuff in the world. A lot of bad people doing bad things. I get it. But that’s not the whole story.   The world is also full of a lot really, really good people. We met some of them on this trip.  Many of them were people in the neighborhood.  Each time we traveled through the streets, we were provided a security escort.  As we left the country on Sunday evening, we had a security escort all the way to the border.  Amazing!
• I don’t know the answer to the problem of violence in Mexico.  It looks like it could get worse before it ever gets better.  I definitely don’t know the role that the U.S. should play in the plan…but i would love for us to remember that Mexico is our neighbor.  They are not our enemy.
• I was having a conversation with a good man yesterday.  He is an upstanding, honest, hard-working, church-going,  American citizen.  Here was his answer to the problem:  “We need to build the wall…put our military on top to patrol it…and then sit back and watch ‘em all kill each other.” That sentiment was echoed on the radio today as I drove around.  My heart ached.

There are no easy answers.  We live in a sinful, broken world.  But I believe that Jesus lived and died that we might have life and have it to the fullest (John 10.10).  I believe that people…all people…deserve to have their basic needs taken care of.  All people, regardless of where they were born, should have clean water to drink and a roof over their heads and food on their table and a safety as they live out their days.

I also believe that Jesus’ followers are called to respond to the needs of the poor and the oppressed and the broken and the outcast and the strangers and aliens. I believe the story of the good samaritan is a modern-day parable of the response the church should be having to the world.

When Jesus calls us to pick up our cross, die daily and follow him…there is inherent risk.  The calling is not to safety or comfort but to obedience and self-sacrifice and humble service.

I am often embarrassed by the priorities that American Christians live by.  This is not stone-throwing…just a realistic awareness of how far we have wandered away from the lifestyle of the early disciples and the heart of the gospel.  But the potential for change is never far away.

I’m glad we went to Juarez.  We are all better because of the experience. There is nothing I would do differently,  if I had it to do over again.  We will be back again.

Until then, pray for our neighbors.  Pray for the churches in neighborhoods that are gripped by fear…that they would be beacons of hope and shelters of peace.  Pray for families to be strong and wise and to turn to the grace of God through Christ.  Pray for Amor Ministries…for their vision and stability and purpose.

And give thanks to God for the courageous…those who would put the needs of others before their own safety and comfort…those who provide hope and inspiration for the rest of us.  We need them.

We need to be them.

Nobody gets a smooth ride.
Every child will learn how the asphalt burns
when he takes sharp turn too wide.
Nobody gets a smooth ride.
I’m really sorry the way things are going these days,
try to be careful, that’s all I can say

“Nobody Gets a Smooth Ride” The Choir

I find much of my inspiration from music. I have been listening to the song above for a while now. When I hear it I can’t help but think of the situation that has enslaved Mexico over the past year. What can really be said but that this is a dangerous world and please try to be careful? It has had a major impact on the city of Juarez and the surrounding areas of Chihuahua. This is the place God has put me; it is the people of this area that I have fallen in love with. It pains me to know that because of fear we are unable to pour out God’s blessing on these people.

For some reason in 2007 we were unable to build a home for the Davalos - Olague family. In 2008 we saw a large drop in the number of groups due to several factors – one of which was the fear that has affected every ministry working along the border. So, once again this family of six waited. Our pastors and field reps had to talk to them several times and ask them to be patient and wait on God. Needless to say, this family as well as a few others became a high priority for us to build for in 2009. Unfortunately, the beginning of 2009 saw the violence in Juarez rise to an all time high. On top of that, the swine flu made itself known to the world and Mexico became feared all the more. It was looking as though this family would have to wait even longer. The family told Alfredo Chavez, one of Amor Ministries’ Operations Coordinators, that they gave up hope. No one was coming to help. A few years ago our logo consisted of the phrase “Come Build Hope,” but  now so few are coming that this family lost all hope. They had made their home in an old eighteen-wheel trailer that must have felt like an oven in the summer and an ice box in the winter.

When we found out that First Baptist Church, Wichita was not going to cancel their trip, I wasted no time in assigning them to the Davalos - Olague family. This group came to offer hope and were not going to let anything stop them. Just before the trip, their numbers started to decline and they did not know if they could complete the size of project that the Davalos - Olague family needed. I kept telling them that their numbers were fine for a double house even as I watched the numbers slip into what I would normally assign to a single-sized house. I just could not tell this family to wait again.

They came. And they built that double with a little help from me and Alfredo. The community leaders were so grateful that they offered to help by escorting the group to and from the worksite and by checking in on them throughout the day to make sure everyone was okay. They understood the fear and wanted to do all they could to ease that fear. It was one of the most trouble free weeks I have experienced in all my time working for Amor. But best of all, after waiting two and half years, a hope lost became a hope restored.

At one of the nightly devotionals this group held, we spoke about the situation in Mexico and how it was affecting the blessings that God wants to bestow on people. They were shocked at just how profound it has been. One of the members shared a story of one of his teachers that I will leave you with. He lived in Houston, TX and I believe it was hurricane Rita that was headed straight for them. The streets were flooded and all his teachers canceled classes. When he asked his EMT teacher if classes were canceled, the teacher replied “We are EMT’s; this is when we go to work”.

The world is a dangerous place. Please try to be careful, but if we follow Jesus;

This is when we go to work.

Michael Williamson is the Chihuahua Field Manager for Amor Ministries. You can read his personal blog by clicking here.

Hello Chihuahua group leaders and participants!

As we have been talking to some Chihuahua trip leaders about next year, a few have asked to be updated on Amor’s ministry there. So, we will be periodically posting updates on Amor’s blog specifically about our Chihuahua location. While our policy has been “no news is good news” in the past, our desire is to build partnerships with our valued trip leaders through open communication. Some months we might not have anything to report on the blog, but from what we have gathered from talking with various leaders, hearing that nothing is going on is more helpful than no messages at all!

So, let’s get started! After a rough start to the year, violence around the city of Juarez has decreased recently. The army moved into town this spring, and our experience in other parts of Mexico leads us to believe that this action will help further reduce the violence. We anticipate a steady decline from here. We do have several groups scheduled to arrive this year, although not as many as we would like. The area surrounding our camp and worksites has been clear of violence, and so we are confident in bringing any group to Chihuahua that wants to serve. However, we do understand that convincing parents of this can be difficult, and so we have the following suggestions:

-Amor will be building in Puerto Peñasco, south of Arizona, once again this upcoming spring. It is a small tourist town free from the levels of violence reported in other parts of Mexico. Several groups served in Puerto Peñasco instead of Baja and Chihuahua this past spring, and they all had a wonderful time. We will gladly answer any questions you might have about planning a trip there.

-Amor is also looking into the possibility of building homes on an Apache Reservation in Arizona, about two hours east of Phoenix. Details are still being finalized in regards to serving the Apache people, but please let us know if you would like to be updated about the opportunities for taking an Amor trip to Arizona.

-Plan a trip for the adults! Prior to the youth spring break trip, invite adults in your church to come experience Mexico for themselves over a long weekend. Parents may feel more comfortable after hearing positive first-hand information from someone that they personally know…or if they see it for themselves! With a pre-poured slab, 10-12 adults could easily complete a house in three days.

As always, Mission Services is always happy to talk through any questions or concerns that you may have, so feel free to contact us!

God bless,

Mission Services

619.662.1200 extension 6