One of the many ways we are celebrating 30 years in ministry is the re-creation of the original participant t-shirt. The lucky few who received this shirt came on a trip in 1980. To the best of our knowledge – only one still exists – and it is unwearable (though it looks great framed and on the wall in the Amor office).  So, for those who remember the crazy days of yore, or those who have benefited from this ministry and its mission to serve those in need, or those who just dig cool shirts – this is for you.

As with all of our gear, proceeds for the purchase of “The 1980 Original” benefit Project Hope Please join us as we celebrate 30 years of God’s faithfulness to this ministry! Stay tuned for more ways you can be a part of the festivities.

To get yours, click here.

The X Project is your opportunity to join a movement of individuals who will provide a tangible gift of love to families in Mexico by building a home! It only takes two simple steps:
1. Sign up
2. Show up
The outcome will be an AMAZING experience and AWESOME act of service!

We have done our best to keep the cost for each trip as low as possible. Your trip fees includes: Building materials and tools, meals, local transportation, devotions, camping equipment (for three-day builds only), and an eXperience you’ll never forget!

Make an eXtreme commitment! You will be an answer to prayer for these families who are anxiously awaiting a home. Come to San Diego on any of the dates listed, and let Amor Ministries do the rest!

Additional Trip Details

A 50% deposit per person is due upon registration. Your balance must be paid 21 days before the trip start date.

You will meet at the Amor Ministries headquarters in San Diego, CA at 7:00 a.m the morning of your trip. Participants are asked to bring sleeping bags and proper work clothes. We will provide all other necessary supplies and will facilitate a nightly campfire program.

All minors under 18 MUST be accompanied by an adult. Additionally, Amor Ministries will perform a background check on every participant prior to participating in the project.

Video: Courageous Volunteers Wanted

I recently sent out this email to members of Amor’s National Advisory Board:

On Sunday, I will be on a missions panel for a local church. One of the questions I will be asked is:

“Many of us here have been the beneficiaries of seeing our teenagers affected positively by volunteering their spring break to go to Mexico to build an Amor house. How have you seen God change hearts of volunteers or recipients through Amor’s ministry?”

Since a great many of our stories are your stories also, I thought I would pose this question to you as well. If you had two minutes to tell a story about how an Amor trip has changed the heart of someone you know, what would you say?

The responses have been amazing. What I began to see with fresh eyes was a theme of a deeper commitment to act, serve, and change stemming from eyes and ears being opened to the suffering all around us and a true grasp that we can and must do something about it.  Please check out these responses to that question and then tell us what you are doing.

Jason Barger of Columbus, OH responded with this:

I remember standing in the Amor campsite late one night with Drew. He was a high school student who was having a profound week. He could barely spit the words out with his heart beating so deeply. As we processed that night what we thought it meant to serve out God’s love in the world, you knew it was a sacred moment. Since then, Drew has carried that spirit into another journey.  I have no doubt his experience with Amor that week was a catalyst to even more committed service.

Love is Free Trailer from Homeless Drew.

Steve Ensz of Garden City, KS sent us this:

I have to say that the Amor experiences have had a profound impact on all of our students over the past 19 years.  I have seen individuals go on into ministry in a variety of ways and I believe the Amor trips were key to these career choices.  Missionaries, Youth Pastors, Worship leaders, Health care, Foster care work…the list goes on.  These trips have instilled a heart of compassion and God has been able to work in their lives in amazing ways.  One story stands out among the others: Luis, a little boy crippled up from birth defects, just melted the hearts of our students.  This song was written and recorded by these youth, and I couldn’t put it any better:

We are so excited that God has used what we do as a catalyst into full-time service for so many. To our core we desire to see the Kingdom of God revealed more and more through the love, joy and compassion of those working and serving in His name.  So what are your stories? How has this or any other act of  service changed your or someone else’s heart?

I recently sent out the following message to members of Amor’s National Advisory Board:

On Sunday, I will be on a missions panel for a local church. One of the questions I will be asked is:

“Many of us here have been the beneficiaries of seeing our [church members] affected positively by volunteering their [time] to go to Mexico to build an Amor house. How have you seen God change hearts of volunteers or recipients through Amor’s ministry?”

Since a great many of our stories are your stories also, I thought I would pose this question to you as well. If you had two minutes to tell a story about how an Amor trip has changed the heart of someone you know, what would you say?

The responses have been amazing. We have to share them with you! Look for more in the coming days.

Jen Pitera of Phoenix, AZ sent these quotes from her students:

“At the beginning of my first Mexico Mission, when we first had the opportunity to meet the family, I remember feeling a special connection with them but I was unable to identify it at the time.  Toward the end of the Mission I came to the conclusion that this connection was surely love; the bond that unites us was a love that God instilled within our hearts.  And that love is Jesus’ presence within each of us no matter our differences.  It was through these Mexico Missions that I really began to realize and actually see the true presence of Jesus within those around me and for that I am forever thankful.”  -Courtney

“I have always known what extreme poverty is and I have seen pictures of what it looks like, however, participating on the November Mexico Mission I was able to see it right in front of me.  It was a lot to take in, but the more I saw, the more I wanted to do for those people who despite their circumstances and unimaginable hardships have the joy and peace of Christ in their hearts.  I remember going to bed the second night in Mexico and being truly overwhelmed by the power of God and his love.  I really believe that there is no better testimony to the love, joy and peace found in Jesus Christ, then to go out and give fully of one to better the life and circumstances of others, without expecting anything in return.” -Danielle

“By breaking through the barriers of language and geographic location, we are able to identify with families from another region under the kingdom of God. For me, missions have always been about the fusion of two cultures.  Two completely different ways of life coming together under the common interest of hope:  The hope of a better life in the eyes of the families we build with and the hope of a better world in the eyes of my fellow missionaries.” -Nicole

“Through house building missions, I have realized how to utilize my faith as a gateway to work as one of God’s servants and help those who are truly in need.”  -Phillip

Tim Galleher from Saratoga, CA wrote:

For me I picture one of our post College students who just came back from a year stint in El Salvador with Campus Crusade.  On Sunday she and another student will be sharing what God did in their lives and in the lives of the college students that she led to the Lord.  Where did this compassion come from?  It came from her freshman year in High School when she went with Amor Ministries to build houses over Spring Break.  That’s were her compassion for the world came from, and it continues to grow and she considers a career in full time mission work. Simply life changing!

We are so excited that God has used what we do as a catalyst into full-time service for so many. To our core we desire to see the Kingdom of God revealed more and more through the love, joy and compassion of those working and serving in His name.  So what are your stories? How has this or any other act of  service changed your or someone else’s heart?

For the third time Amor has been named a Best Christian Worplace by the Best Christian Workplaces Institute!

The BCWI employee engagement survey gives us important information about how we are doing as an organization.  It tells us how engaged we are in our work, how committed we are to our mission, and how our values shape how we work.

So what did this year’s survey results tell us? We are more committed than ever to living out Christ’s mission for us to serve the poor, not only in Mexico, but now around the world.

Those of you who get to interact with our Team Members already know we have an amazing workplace.  But, then again, when we get to work with all of you, how can we not have the best Christian workplace?

By  Bruce Jones

Daily it seems like I’ve heard that the violence is terrible in Mexico, the border is dangerous and swine flu is going to get me.  I’m sure these things can be overwhelming to many.

I just finished reading a book called Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand.  He was in prison for fourteen years for preaching about Christ in Romania.  His story reminded me that we are often clueless about what many in the world endure for the sake of Christ.  That being said, I reflected on why I am leading our groups from the Pacific Northwest to Mexico. Here are a few of my thoughts:

• The need never goes away.
• Poor people matter to God.
• Teens need a chance to reach beyond themselves.
• There is always going to be one more baby to hold – like the one over 20 years ago that captured my heart.
• We can assist the pastors in Mexico in loving and serving their communities.
• The overwhelming joy of sitting in my truck on the last day watching families receive a house with keys, a Bible, and the understanding that love transcends borders.
• The Church needs to step up.

And the list goes on and on…

Truthfully, my motives come down to Jesus Christ being Lord of my life! We all serve someone or something. Many years ago I gave Christ my life because I was, and am still, convinced he bought it with his precious blood (1 Cor. 6:18-20). Each day since I’ve had to decide “whom do I serve.“  If the answer is Christ, then His command as laid out in the gospel seems pretty straight forward to me.  Go and Make Disciples.  One of the great ways to make disciples is to completely open ourselves up for Christ in every situation.

This means I will not be afraid.  First John says that “perfect love casts out fear” and “greater is He that is in me than he that is in this world.” So, do I fear going to Mexico? No, not really. I fear much more not going and not doing what my Lord called me to do.

I know that many who read this are parents or grandparents who want to protect your kids.  My question is from what? Pain? Death? Suffering? Sickness? We all face these issues daily – even if we have convinced ourselves otherwise. Even so, these things should pale in comparison to knowing and serving Christ as King.

I too am a husband and dad. My wife and two kids have been going to Mexico for years. This June, my kids will be joining our trip again and will be bringing their spouses. I can not think of a better place to have a family reunion. As each day passes and our trip gets closer, I sense that God is going to do something amazing because we decided to go to Mexico.

Bruce Jones is an Associate Pastor at Gladstone Christian Church in the Portland, OR area. He has been leading Amor Ministries mission trips since the late 1980s.

Here’s a video from a group who built in our Puerto Peñasco location.

It’s amazing what you can find on the Internet. As we all know, some is good and some is bad. For this post, I Googled the greeting, “How are you?” and came across a website called the How Are You Doing Project.

Basically, the website has an 800 number you can call and leave a message about how you are doing. The project is described as an “exercise in everyday empathy.” This website, in my opinion, seems to give people a false sense of empathy when they anonymously air their feelings in a message. It merely reinforces the belief that we are just trying to be kind when we ask, “How are you?” We don’t really want to know how someone genuinely is doing because it might ask us for some type of commitment.

Lately, I have wondered if anyone asked Jesus how he was doing leading up to the crucifixion and actually cared about how he was doing. Did Peter, James, or John sit down with Jesus on that final day to find out how he was handling all that was happening to him? Maybe their caring led Jesus to ask those three to keep watch. Even if they took the time to ask Jesus how he was, they couldn’t hang with the son of God; all three fell asleep. Honestly, I have to admit that I would have probably done the same, I would have fallen asleep as well.

Thinking of the lukewarm church in Laodicea, I have an image in my mind that at every service, people went through the motions of worship and asked each other, “How are you?” not really wanting to know. Lukewarm people probably don’t want to know how you are doing because you might actually tell them how you are, and that could require them to do something on your behalf.

Many of you have called, written, or emailed us at Amor Ministries to ask how we are doing. I usually respond with, “Do you really want to know?” I am going to trust that you do, and I will tell you how we are doing.

We have good days and bad days, just like anyone that is going through the challenges of the current economy, safety concerns of Mexico, and now the swine flu, which, by the way, isn’t as bad as the media made it out to be.

Every cancellation of a Mission Trip hurts. Our Mission Services reps have taken a beating by some of the things that have been said to them. The one that makes all of us the saddest to hear is, “We should take care of our own kind.” Scott and I heard that when we first started the ministry 29 years ago. Those people must have skipped over that perennial Bible favorite of the Good Samaritan.

Despite the difficult times, I want you to know that there is more good going on in the Ministry. We are experiencing team unity like never before. Efforts such as voluntary pay cuts and the Mexico Ministry Planning Board donating back their annual retreat money have allowed us keep of staff intact to this point. Most touching to me, individual pastors in Mexico raised money for the Casa de Amor house sponsorship program. I don’t have to remind you how little they already make. The pastors have been hit hardest by all of this because of commitments they made to families expecting new houses, yet they have sacrificed significantly in our time of need.

We love it when members of our National Advisory Board and Board of Directors consistently call with words of encouragement and e-mail us to say they are specifically praying for that day on our behalf. Others have written to say there is nothing that will keep them from coming, much like group from Bella Vista Church in Rockford, Michigan featured on their local ABC station.

Another encouragement came in the form of groups that redirected their trips this spring to Puerto Peñasco, some driving as many as 18 extra hours. I visited Peñasco several times during spring, and I met some pretty incredible group leaders. The list goes on and on. This is a shout out to all of you!

How are we really? Well, we are not at the point, nor are we even close, to the desperate end where Job found himself. We are trusting God in the present and with our future.
We do need your help, however. In the next week or so, you will be getting a letter from Amor Ministries asking you to stand with us during this difficult time. Your support is needed now more than ever. Without it, Amor could look very different as we enter our 30th year of ministry to the poor.

If you really want to know how we are, then email us or call us so we can tell you. And you can tell us how you are, as well. So, how are you?

By Gayla Cooper Congdon, Founder & CSO

This was sent from one of our amazing Group Leaders.

Our trip was AMAZING!!! A total gong show from start to finish . . . I’m sure you’re all wondering if you’d ever let us come back BUT It really was an incredibly life changing experience for everyone! I don’t know a person who came home the same – it looks different for everyone, but it was huge. It was being faced with poverty in such a real way, seeing that we could make a huge difference with so little sacrifice (by Canadian standards), it was kids coming to see that Hope was something far deeper than simply giving people a home, food or money, Hope is something that is much richer & deeper. It was coming to realize that poverty happens all over the world . . . the Mexican families we worked with maybe were impoverished as far as food, shelter & material things – but they were rich in love, generosity & relationship. They were rich in ways that many of us our poor. They were absolutely beautiful people in every sense of the word!

It is impossible for me to describe the 101 ways we were all changed & challenged. There are so many incredible stories! So many “trickle” effects too. It didn’t just affect our group, it affected our whole church & a lot of our community. It was the Hindi lady at our corner store who couldn’t wait to hear my stories & the teachers at one of local High Schools that wanted to hear all about it. It was the parents & families of our non-christian students that were blown away. It was parents who came on the trip who now “get” youth ministry & “get” why missions is so vital, why God asks us to serve the poor. All very cool! One definite high-light was getting to baptize 2 of the guys who came with us to Mexico . . . they were Muslim & were totally changed by the trip. How HUGE is the God we serve!

Thanks for all you do – for your ministry to the families of Mexico . . .for your ministry to groups all over North America so we can be changed in the midst of blessing families. We can’t wait to come again!

Lisette

Ah shucks… Thanks!