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Christianity Today, May, 2009 |

Faith on the Frontera

Drug violence halts church trips to short-term missions mecca.

C. L. Lopez | posted 4/16/2009 08:56AM

Escalating violence has canceled longstanding short-term mission trips to cities along the U.S.-Mexican border.

Juarez, two miles south of El Paso, Texas, is a highly popular missions destination for American ...

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Isaiah

Posted: April 22, 2009 9:08 AM


WHAT WOULD HAVE THESE MISSIONS TEAMS DONE DIFFERENTLY SINCE THE 50'S THAT THEY DID NOT DO? Is this situation calling for a review of these trips or the content and context of going? Isaiah

Mike	Posted: April 21, 2009 9:55 AM


I am being told that all the Catholic Dioceses have also cancelled all mission trips to Mexico as well. This is truly a sad situation.

Natalie

Posted: April 17, 2009 9:36 PM

Kevin..I see you went to Puerto Penasco? What were some of the needs your group were able to address & where did you go specifically? My family has a beach house down there & it would be helpful for them to know who to contact there & what are the needs that people from Arizona can help with. Contacts..needs etc.? Help with this would be great! Go to my web-site & you can contact me there please www.NatalieKsMusic.com Blessings & thank you that you went there!

Gordon Gathright

Posted: April 17, 2009 2:03 PM

While it is true that if we allow fear to drive us we won't do much it is also true for us to be on guard and hear what the Lord is saying to us. Being in the center of His will is always the best place to be. That is not disputed. For some it is going to Juarez and working with the people in Juarez. We have been going to Juarez since 1983. We won't be going this year for the first time and it's because the ministries we work with in Juarez have told us it is not safe for us to be there. Just yesterday a woman from Texas was killed as she was driving her car down a street. In the past we've brought 150 students and adults have not had a problem. We are listening to the ministries and staying and working in El Pas. There is much to do there with the people who live in El Paso who have come from Juarez. The Lord will use us to bring His life and peace to their lives.

Todd	Posted: April 17, 2009 2:21 AM


Great article. But why call the destination a "mecca" for short-term missions? That's a jarring cultural and religious term which could easily be misunderstood (or as in this case, misapplied).

Joshua

Posted: April 16, 2009 6:53 PM

Are Christians called to be safe or faithful? I work in Juarez as a missionary everyday and I feel that more and more American Christians are more concerned with being safe then faithful. This truly breaks my heart. Every day I see family’s in Mexico that are not getting the help that they need and are not seeing the love of Christ because churches are not coming to help. The families don't understand why the groups have stopped coming. To them the violence is a fact of life but it's not something that has ever affected them until now! In the past it has only affected those in the drug business! Now it is affecting the poorest of the poor and those that have no ties to the drug cartels at all. Because we have chosen to do what is safe for us and have stopped coming to help, those who need OUR help the most are not receiving it. These are the thoughts that keep me up at night.

Tom	Posted: April 16, 2009 5:00 PM

I've just returned five days ago from leading a mission trip to San Luis, Mexico in Sonora, a part of the Frontera. There have been no elevated levels of violence there. I had a couple people not come because of the news reports. All they did was miss a great trip. BTW, more missions teams shoud be trained to do evangelsim. That way there is more for them to do than repainting the same walls over and over again. There are always more people with which to share the gospel.

Steve M

Posted: April 16, 2009 4:35 PM


I am taking a group to Nogales at the end of July. Has there been anyone travel there recently to give me any input? Thanks.

Kevin

Posted: April 16, 2009 4:30 PM

Our group has worked with Amor Ministries in Juarez for 8 years. Amor diverted us to Puerto Penasco this year, but we spoke with one of the long term missionaries and were told that the military presence has brought safety, and groups are being allowed to come to Juarez again. I prayed for guidance when it still looked as if we might be headed into danger, but God revealed to me that I would be safe under His protection. God willing, we will be back in Juarez next year. We built two small houses for some desperately poor people, but more importantly, we tried to show the whole community the love of Christ. Pray for the people of Mexico, that God may give them the same protection He promised me.

Angelia

Posted: April 16, 2009 4:00 PM

I just visited with the pastor I work with when I go down there. He is a life-long resident of Juarez and runs a Christian school in Anapra. He said that if anything things have improved in Juarez because of the military presence. Now people follow the rules of the road and the curfew keeps the streets safe at night. He travels across town all the time and has had no problems. However, I would still want to be with him or another resident who knew the place--but that was true several years ago when I went down there. And I think adults only for sure at this point.

Dennis

Posted: April 16, 2009 3:20 PM


We sadly had to cancel our trip to Juarez. There is no way I could take someone's children into that kind of situation. I believe adults only groups are the way to go for a while.

Chris

Posted: April 16, 2009 11:45 AM


I know we should be safe, and not stupid. But we took a group to Mexico this year and God totally protected us. Let's have more articles about the teams that went, rather than the teams that didn't.

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