We're Off!
(click on any photo to view
a larger image)
Day One: A mission team of six
people set off early Friday morning, May 30th for the long trip to
Los Fresnos, Texas and Metamoras, Mexico. Day one went smoothly ...
for awhile. We hit a little thunderstorm around St. Louis and then
had beautiful weather as we drove through the Missouri hills. 5 PM
found us driving through Tulsa, Oklahoma, thinking what a smooth trip
we'd had so far and actually running ahead of schedule. And then ...
the air conditioning stopped working in the van. With outside temperatures
nearing 100, it didn't take long to decide that we had to stop. By
the grace of God, as we drove through the busy rush hour traffic,
Don spotted a Chevrolet Dealer off to our right. It was after 5 but
the service bay was open and we drove in. The service manager, Lucky,
thought it was probably something in the electrical system but they
wouldn't be able to fix it until Saturday morning. Forced to end the
first day of our journey about 2 1/2 hours earlier than we planned,
we decided to take advantage of the gift of time and enjoyed a delicious
and leisurely Italian dinner at a local restaurant. Quotes for the
day are:
"I don't think I've ever been this
full ... at least for a long time" said Jane after we feasted
at the Itilian restaurant.
"Man, it's HOT in here" by
everyone when we were without air conditioning in the van.
Day Two: Found us well rested
and back to the Chevy dealer before they opened. We were prepared
to be there all morning but greatly relieved when Lucky came to tell
us the van was fixed and ready to go. The problem was a simple wire
that had become disconnected. We were back on the road by 9:30 a.m.
and ready for a very long day of driving.
Lucky, the Service Manager with Don, after
giving us good news about the van.
And drive we did ... to Oklahoma City,
Ft. Worth, Austin, San Antonio and all the way down to Los
Fresnos, Texas, arriving at Southwest
Good Samaritan Ministries at 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning.
Quote for the day: "Aren't we there
yet???"
A prayer for the Journey
The light of God surrounds me, the love of God
enfolds me, the power of God protects me, the presence of God
watches over me. Wherever I am ... God is! (Robin Roberts)
We were shocked at the damage from recent
tornadoes in Moore, Oklahoma. These photos are of what was once
First Christian Church.
Day Three: Soon after awakening,
we were greeted by members of the Iglesia Christiana Ebenezer Church
(Disciples of Christ) and enjoyed a wonderful and spirit-filled service,
mostly in the Spanish language. It's strange how we came all this
way, thinking we might find the culture and language here so different,
only to find that we share so much in common and we serve and honor
one God. One of the songs sung in both Spanish and English was "Sheaves
of Summer". The third verse reads:
Como granos que han hecho el mismo pan,
Como notas que tejen un cantar,
Como gotas de agua que se funden en el mar,
Los christianos un cuerpo formaran.
Like the grains which become one same whole loaf,
Like the notes that are woven into song,
Like the droplets of water that are blended in the sea,
we as Christians, one body shall become.
Our group at the close of the worship service.
One of the youngest church instrumentalists
we've ever seen!
The afternoon found us on the go again
as we headed for South Padre Island for sight-seeing, shopping and
of course, some more wonderful food. The photos below show a little
of the beauty of this corner of God's kingdom.
Entering South Padre Island
What a group!
Warren and Alice, everyone's favorite missionaries!
A beautiful sunset over the Gulf of Mexico
as we crossed back to the mainland -- a beautiful ending to
a beautiful day!
Day Four: Monday morning found
us heading to our work site for the first time, Bayview Refugee Center,
a new outreach of Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries. The refugees
who will eventually live here are sent by the INS and will be mostly
women, children and families who are waiting for their green cards
and other papers needed on the long road to permanent residency or
American citizenship. Our task this week is to frame the walls for
a new dining hall. We worked until mid-afternoon in the near 100 degree
Texas sun when these northerners felt it was time for a shower and
a nap. We'll hit it hard again in the morning and look forward to
hoisting the walls up. Quote for the day: "Whoo-whee, it's HOT
out here."
Preliminary work to clean off the concrete
slab foundation
Lucy at the circular saw
Oh, my aching back!
Day Five: And the walls go up!
The temperature today was 100 or more as we worked a full 8 hours
at the site, finishing the preliminary work and raising the stud frame
for the dining hall at Bayview Refugee Camp. Thank goodness we had
lots of help from the youth and sponsors of First Christian Church,
San Angelo, Texas, who are also working at Bayview this week, insulating
and drywalling the new kitchen and bath facility which is located
next to the Dining Hall. Each day we learn more about the refugees
who will begin coming to this camp in the next few months. They will
come from Mexico, Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Columbia,
Nicaragua and more, sometimes walking hundreds of miles to reach the
safe shores of the U.S. They will bring with them their hopes and
dreams for a better life. As we work in the hot sun, it is our prayer
that each moment of our labor may become a gift of God's grace to
them.
7 a.m. -- Fixing lunches to pack before we
leave for the worksite.
Master Carpenters!
Everyone is working hard as we finish building
the frames.
The sign on the new kitchen/bath facility
And the first wall goes up!
Securing the frame!
Two walls up and two to go!
A well deserved break
The final wall is pivoted into place - Yeah!!!!!
Day Six: After a few hours of
work in some pretty miserable morning rain, we went back to the church
where we're staying, cleaned up, ate lunch and headed for Mexico to
spend some time at the Colonia and Medical Clinic near Matamoras.
We had seen photos and had beed told of the living conditions in the
Colonia but none of us were prepared for what we actually saw and
experienced as we drove and walked and visited with the residents.
There are several Colonia's in the area (clusters of refugees and
homeless who purchase a tiny, barren lot for about $300 and build
shacks out of whatever they can find) but the one we spent the most
time on is built on an old city refuge dump. As we drove the rutty
dirt roads to reach the community, a long and deep canal lay on on
right. The canal is a toxic dump in itself, filled with Benzine and
other chemicals and human and animal waste. The water in it was totally
black. We were lucky ... the wind wasn't blowing our way. We're told
there are times you can hardly stand the stinch that comes from the
canal. Rows and rows of shacks filled the area, some with tin roofs,
some with no roofs at all. Most have sheets hanging in the doorways
to provide a little privacy. There is no running water or plumbing
in any of the shacks and electricity was just made available in the
last year to those who can afford the extra expense. For the most
part, radios and lights run off batteries. Each little structure (most
probably no bigger than 8' x 8') is just one room and can house as
many as eight or more people. The human spirit prevails, however,
and most people seem happy. We saw some of the most beautiful smiles
we have ever seen and were overwhelmed with the ways we were welcomed
into the community. The children were especially thrilled to be able
to see their own faces in the digital camera screen. At many of the
homes, beautiful flowering plants were blooming and bringing color
to a somewhat colorless environment. One bright spot was Dr. Nancy's
clinic and the school which was located just next door. Dr. Nancy's
clinic is the only medical facility available in the eight colonia's
in the area (roughly 14,000-16,000 residents). She was truly grateful
for the supplies we brought her as gifts from the members of Central
Christian Church -- over-the-counter medications for adults and children,
first-aid supplies, infant formula and pedialite. She immediately
grabbed two bottles of pedialite and one large can of formula and
delivered them to the home of one very sick child. We were honored
to go with her to visit three different families in the colonia. It
was a sobering day and one we will not forget.
The canal as we entered the colonia
A typical shack
Several family members live in each shack
A new bike brings smiles to young faces
Ramon, Manuel and Imelda in front of their new, sturdy house
built by Southwest GoodSamaritan Ministries
A family on the road
A little boy on the street
Children at the schoolyard
Lucy and Dr. Nancy with just a portion of
the supplies we brought for the clinic
This little girl never leaves her yard, surrounded
by a barbed-wire fence
This baby is recovering from dysentery and
enjoys the pedialite given her by Dr. Nancy
Hamming it up for the camera
Day Seven: This, the final day
of our mission project in Texas, began with hopes that we would finish
the siding on the dining hall at Bayview. Nature, however, had other
plans when it began to rain just about 45 minutes after our arrival
at the site. Within 30 minutes, it was obvious that we would not be
able to do any more. The unexpected and unseasonal rain was coming
down in buckets and soon flooded the entire worksite. We scurried
around, getting equipment, tools and supplies picked up and out of
the rain and then proceeded to install air conditioners in the newest
dorm at the complex, a job which could be done even in the rain. Our
last task before saying goodbye to Bayview was to dig and push our
van out of the mud. It was with mixed feelings that we pulled away
from the refugee camp, disappointed that we had not finished our project
but elated about the things we had learned and seen and done throughout
the week.
Caroline, a SWGSM volunteer and John, a summer
intern from the Board of Global Ministries
And the rain came pouring down! Mike and Warren
pause for a quick rinse-off as we scramble to put away supplies
and equipment.
This is the way we left our project -- partially
sided with only about half the windows cut out.
Within an hour, the camp was flooded with
a foot or more of the torrential rain.
Day Eight: The time has come for
us to bid farewell to Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries, at least
for this year. The people that are leaving have been changed this
week. We have seen God in some unusual places and circumstances and
have learned a great deal about ourselves in the process. It was a
great week!
We pause for one last photo before driving
away from the place that had become our home for the last week.
We gather for devotions and prayer before
beginning the final day of the long drive home.
We're Off!(click on any photo to view a larger image) |
 |
Day One: A mission team of six people set off early Friday morning, May 30th for the long trip to Los Fresnos, Texas and Metamoras, Mexico. Day one went smoothly ... for awhile. We hit a little thunderstorm around St. Louis and then had beautiful weather as we drove through the Missouri hills. 5 PM found us driving through Tulsa, Oklahoma, thinking what a smooth trip we'd had so far and actually running ahead of schedule. And then ... the air conditioning stopped working in the van. With outside temperatures nearing 100, it didn't take long to decide that we had to stop. By the grace of God, as we drove through the busy rush hour traffic, Don spotted a Chevrolet Dealer off to our right. It was after 5 but the service bay was open and we drove in. The service manager, Lucky, thought it was probably something in the electrical system but they wouldn't be able to fix it until Saturday morning. Forced to end the first day of our journey about 2 1/2 hours earlier than we planned, we decided to take advantage of the gift of time and enjoyed a delicious and leisurely Italian dinner at a local restaurant. Quotes for the day are:
"I don't think I've ever been this full ... at least for a long time" said Jane after we feasted at the Itilian restaurant.
"Man, it's HOT in here" by everyone when we were without air conditioning in the van.
Day Two: Found us well rested and back to the Chevy dealer before they opened. We were prepared to be there all morning but greatly relieved when Lucky came to tell us the van was fixed and ready to go. The problem was a simple wire that had become disconnected. We were back on the road by 9:30 a.m. and ready for a very long day of driving.
 |
Lucky, the Service Manager with Don, after
giving us good news about the van.
|
And drive we did ... to Oklahoma City, Ft. Worth, Austin, San Antonio and all the way down to Los Fresnos, Texas, arriving at Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries at 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning.
Quote for the day: "Aren't we there yet???"
|
A prayer for the Journey The light of God surrounds me, the love of God enfolds me, the power of God protects me, the presence of God watches over me. Wherever I am ... God is! (Robin Roberts) |
 |
We were shocked at the damage from recent
tornadoes in Moore, Oklahoma. These photos are of what was once
First Christian Church.
|
 |
Day Three: Soon after awakening, we were greeted by members of the Iglesia Christiana Ebenezer Church (Disciples of Christ) and enjoyed a wonderful and spirit-filled service, mostly in the Spanish language. It's strange how we came all this way, thinking we might find the culture and language here so different, only to find that we share so much in common and we serve and honor one God. One of the songs sung in both Spanish and English was "Sheaves of Summer". The third verse reads:
|
Como granos que han hecho el mismo pan, Como notas que tejen un cantar, Como gotas de agua que se funden en el mar, Los christianos un cuerpo formaran. |
Like the grains which become one same whole loaf, Like the notes that are woven into song, Like the droplets of water that are blended in the sea, we as Christians, one body shall become. |
 |
 |
|
Our group at the close of the worship service.
|
One of the youngest church instrumentalists
we've ever seen!
|
The afternoon found us on the go again as we headed for South Padre Island for sight-seeing, shopping and of course, some more wonderful food. The photos below show a little of the beauty of this corner of God's kingdom.
 |
 |
|
Entering South Padre Island
|
What a group!
|
 |
 |
|
Warren and Alice, everyone's favorite missionaries!
|
A beautiful sunset over the Gulf of Mexico
as we crossed back to the mainland -- a beautiful ending to
a beautiful day!
|
Day Four: Monday morning found us heading to our work site for the first time, Bayview Refugee Center, a new outreach of Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries. The refugees who will eventually live here are sent by the INS and will be mostly women, children and families who are waiting for their green cards and other papers needed on the long road to permanent residency or American citizenship. Our task this week is to frame the walls for a new dining hall. We worked until mid-afternoon in the near 100 degree Texas sun when these northerners felt it was time for a shower and a nap. We'll hit it hard again in the morning and look forward to hoisting the walls up. Quote for the day: "Whoo-whee, it's HOT out here."
 |
 |
 |
|
Preliminary work to clean off the concrete
slab foundation
|
Lucy at the circular saw
|
Oh, my aching back!
|
Day Five: And the walls go up! The temperature today was 100 or more as we worked a full 8 hours at the site, finishing the preliminary work and raising the stud frame for the dining hall at Bayview Refugee Camp. Thank goodness we had lots of help from the youth and sponsors of First Christian Church, San Angelo, Texas, who are also working at Bayview this week, insulating and drywalling the new kitchen and bath facility which is located next to the Dining Hall. Each day we learn more about the refugees who will begin coming to this camp in the next few months. They will come from Mexico, Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Columbia, Nicaragua and more, sometimes walking hundreds of miles to reach the safe shores of the U.S. They will bring with them their hopes and dreams for a better life. As we work in the hot sun, it is our prayer that each moment of our labor may become a gift of God's grace to them.
 |
 |
 |
|
7 a.m. -- Fixing lunches to pack before we
leave for the worksite.
|
Master Carpenters!
|
Everyone is working hard as we finish building
the frames.
|
 |
 |
 |
|
The sign on the new kitchen/bath facility
|
And the first wall goes up!
|
Securing the frame!
|
 |
 |
 |
|
Two walls up and two to go!
|
A well deserved break
|
The final wall is pivoted into place - Yeah!!!!!
|
Day Six: After a few hours of work in some pretty miserable morning rain, we went back to the church where we're staying, cleaned up, ate lunch and headed for Mexico to spend some time at the Colonia and Medical Clinic near Matamoras. We had seen photos and had beed told of the living conditions in the Colonia but none of us were prepared for what we actually saw and experienced as we drove and walked and visited with the residents. There are several Colonia's in the area (clusters of refugees and homeless who purchase a tiny, barren lot for about $300 and build shacks out of whatever they can find) but the one we spent the most time on is built on an old city refuge dump. As we drove the rutty dirt roads to reach the community, a long and deep canal lay on on right. The canal is a toxic dump in itself, filled with Benzine and other chemicals and human and animal waste. The water in it was totally black. We were lucky ... the wind wasn't blowing our way. We're told there are times you can hardly stand the stinch that comes from the canal. Rows and rows of shacks filled the area, some with tin roofs, some with no roofs at all. Most have sheets hanging in the doorways to provide a little privacy. There is no running water or plumbing in any of the shacks and electricity was just made available in the last year to those who can afford the extra expense. For the most part, radios and lights run off batteries. Each little structure (most probably no bigger than 8' x 8') is just one room and can house as many as eight or more people. The human spirit prevails, however, and most people seem happy. We saw some of the most beautiful smiles we have ever seen and were overwhelmed with the ways we were welcomed into the community. The children were especially thrilled to be able to see their own faces in the digital camera screen. At many of the homes, beautiful flowering plants were blooming and bringing color to a somewhat colorless environment. One bright spot was Dr. Nancy's clinic and the school which was located just next door. Dr. Nancy's clinic is the only medical facility available in the eight colonia's in the area (roughly 14,000-16,000 residents). She was truly grateful for the supplies we brought her as gifts from the members of Central Christian Church -- over-the-counter medications for adults and children, first-aid supplies, infant formula and pedialite. She immediately grabbed two bottles of pedialite and one large can of formula and delivered them to the home of one very sick child. We were honored to go with her to visit three different families in the colonia. It was a sobering day and one we will not forget.
 |
 |
 |
|
The canal as we entered the colonia
|
A typical shack
|
Several family members live in each shack
|
 |
 |
 |
|
A new bike brings smiles to young faces
|
Ramon, Manuel and Imelda in front of their new, sturdy house built by Southwest GoodSamaritan Ministries |
A family on the road
|
 |
 |
 |
|
A little boy on the street
|
Children at the schoolyard
|
Lucy and Dr. Nancy with just a portion of
the supplies we brought for the clinic
|
 |
 |
 |
|
This little girl never leaves her yard, surrounded
by a barbed-wire fence
|
This baby is recovering from dysentery and
enjoys the pedialite given her by Dr. Nancy
|
Hamming it up for the camera
|
Day Seven: This, the final day of our mission project in Texas, began with hopes that we would finish the siding on the dining hall at Bayview. Nature, however, had other plans when it began to rain just about 45 minutes after our arrival at the site. Within 30 minutes, it was obvious that we would not be able to do any more. The unexpected and unseasonal rain was coming down in buckets and soon flooded the entire worksite. We scurried around, getting equipment, tools and supplies picked up and out of the rain and then proceeded to install air conditioners in the newest dorm at the complex, a job which could be done even in the rain. Our last task before saying goodbye to Bayview was to dig and push our van out of the mud. It was with mixed feelings that we pulled away from the refugee camp, disappointed that we had not finished our project but elated about the things we had learned and seen and done throughout the week.
 |
 |
|
Caroline, a SWGSM volunteer and John, a summer
intern from the Board of Global Ministries
|
And the rain came pouring down! Mike and Warren
pause for a quick rinse-off as we scramble to put away supplies
and equipment.
|
 |
 |
|
This is the way we left our project -- partially
sided with only about half the windows cut out.
|
Within an hour, the camp was flooded with
a foot or more of the torrential rain.
|
Day Eight: The time has come for us to bid farewell to Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries, at least for this year. The people that are leaving have been changed this week. We have seen God in some unusual places and circumstances and have learned a great deal about ourselves in the process. It was a great week!
 |
 |
|
We pause for one last photo before driving
away from the place that had become our home for the last week.
|
We gather for devotions and prayer before
beginning the final day of the long drive home.
|
|
  
 
|
Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
(217) 428-4336