The team center is very nice relative to its environment. It's a compound with rooms, running water, air conditioning, electricity, dining hall, and a medical clinic. It's surrounded by tall wall with barbed wire, topped with broken glass, and with a guard dog. Because outside is not so nice. The homes in the neighborhood don't have running water. A lot of them are just made up of cardboard or pallets. The people burn old tires to keep warm in the winter. There are gangs walking around which make it unsafe to go out at night. It's dirty, there is garbage and debris everywhere, tremendous poverty and overall it's very sad.
The Mission Ministries team is just making an incredible difference. So far this year they’ve built about 45 homes for people in the area. Also and perhaps even more miraculous is the personal transformation of the people around this activity. Several of the local people working with us were former gang members, drug addicts, killers, etc. now they have devoted themselves to helping others.
Mission Ministries also provides free medical care to people in the area out of their clinic which is staffed by volunteers. We had a dentist who came with us who worked out of the medical clinic there while we were building the house. We only had one doctor with us, but other teams come with several doctors and nurses. In the afternoons, we were done building at the house (it was 105°F at the construction site) we came back to the medical clinic to help out. My daughters and some of the ladies on the trip gave manicures to the local women who were waiting to see the dentist. We also did some arts and crafts projects and played sports with the local kids.
If you have the opportunity to go yourself, or even to take your children, I highly recommend it. It was a tremendously rewarding personal experience. You will see the difference God can make in action. My kids left inspired to help out and anxious to return again. I posted some photos of the construction and time we spent at the clinic here.
Posted about 1 year ago
hello, I found this website while I was searching google for Juarez, mexico… build houses. My oldest son, 24, and youngest son,13, left this morning with a nice size church group to go build houses in Juarez. Unlike you, they are staying in tents and, like the locals, will not have electricity or running water. The group is driving from the FL panhandle. Thanks for posting your photos.
Posted over 2 years ago
I had the opportunity to go to Juarez shortly after September 11. We set up makeshift medical clinics and examined many adults and children in the course of 10 days. I also stayed at the center...the staff were wonderful and their devotion to the Lord and His work was awe inspiring. It was a life changing experience.
Posted over 3 years ago
I agree with you about the Mission trip to Juarez, my church youth group went there from July 15-18, 2007. The team at Mission Ministries is doing an outstanding job helping our less fortunate brothers and sisters. What a moving and life changing experience! The bus ride to the compound was extremely quite; all the youth and adults were in shock when they saw the conditions people are living in just across the boarder from the US. We spent an entire afternoon at a local Women’s and Children Center, hopefully bringing a few moments of happiness and joy to the women and children. Our church group is planning on returning to build another house for a deserving family. May God continue to bless this wonderful ministry!
Posted over 3 years ago
hello, I found this website while I was searching google for Juarez, mexico... build houses. My oldest son, 24, and youngest son,13, left this morning with a nice size church group to go build houses in Juarez. Unlike you, they are staying in tents and, like the locals, will not have electricity or running water. The group is driving from the FL panhandle. Thanks for posting your photos. I have now seen a little of what they are getting themselves into. I am proud of them. (and you too) Thanks again.