Baja Bound just completed their very first commercial, so we thought we would share it with you all. Amor has a partnership with Baja Bound Insurance Services to help provide our Mexico bound mission trip groups with auto insurance for their Amor Mission Trips.

Check it out:

The spot features Fletch, the Baja Bound office dog in his debut comedy performance.

Throughout the year, we will be showing you interviews of random groups working with Amor in Mexico, San Carlos, and South Africa!  Just to show you that people are in Amor’s Ministry Locations building homes.

Here is the first video of many to come…

An interview with many people from Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church in Gig Harbor, WA.  They worked in Tijuana from February 20-25, 2011.  Added bonus: We got to hear from Ashley Fisher and how she raised money for the Project Hope: Back to School program that provides backpacks filled with school supplies for kids that wouldn’t have them otherwise.  Thanks Ashley, you are an inspiration!

By Andy Lyde

Each month Andy Lyde, the Amor Ministries Director of Mission Education, will update us on the work of Amor’s Ministry Planning Boards which consist of local Pastors in each location we work.

2011 is starting with a bang through our work with the Ministry Planning Boards, especially on the San Carlos Apache Reservation.  In 2010 , we spent time introducing ourselves to the Apache church, showing them the housing solutions we could provide and listening to their needs for the community.

In January, we collected our first biographies, chosen by the local church there, for families on the reservation that will be future home recipients.  As with each of our other locations, the Ministry Planning Board is responsible for selecting the families that receive homes. This is a big step in the development of our relationships with the Apache church.

It is always the philosophy of Amor to be partners with the local church which means that we submit to the leadership of the local church in directing our Ministry.  Pray for us that we would be good listeners as we continue to develop our work in San Carlos.  Pray for the local church in San Carlos that they would be bold in saying what we need to hear to be effective in their community.

By Andy Lyde, Amor Ministries Director of Mission Education

October is Pastor Appreciation Month and we certainly appreciate the Pastors with whom we work in Mexico and South Africa (and soon in San Carlos, AZ).  These men and women make up our Ministry Planning Boards in each of our Ministry locations and direct the work we do there. They choose who receives a house or who receives aid through our Project Hope programs.  They are present in the communities before we ever arrive and are there long after we leave. They encourage us when we’re discouraged.  They correct us when we’re arrogant.  They pray for us (and you) continually. In short, they are the Church and they are the heart of Amor Ministries.

Amor began working on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona in January.  We were invited there by friends and ministry partners Dale and Diana Lawrence to see the need for housing and see if we could do something about it.  We learned that there is an immediate need for 1,600 houses on the reservation!  To see what we learned, including our initial reactions as we drove out of town, watch this short video:

A foundational aspect of our model of Ministry is to partner with the local church in each community where we serve.  This ensures that we are meeting actual needs in the community and that we are connecting people to the local church instead of taking away from what the local church is already doing in that community.  It also reinforces that we are not a house building ministry; we are a ministry of relationships that serve the Church.

I was honored this past weekend to be invited by the Lawrence’s to attend the pastor appreciation dinner they held for the pastors of the San Carlos Apache Reservation.  It was a beautiful time of fellowship and encouragement in which the Pastors were told how much they are appreciated. Impromptu speeches were given by the Pastors about the need to unite in serving the people of the reservation and about the need for the Apache to be leaders in serving the poor.  Testimonies were shared about how God had worked in bringing people with needs together to have their needs met.

This is what we have been invited into – a community with significant material and spiritual need who is looking to lead itself by being the body of Christ.  This is what we invite you into – a relationship with the local church in which we give of ourselves and accept what it has to give us.

Pray for us as we continue to build relationships that will lead to a Ministry Planning Board in San Carlos, AZ.

Let’s appreciate the Pastors in our lives who serve us and lead us to service and transformation.

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