Volunteers In Mission - Nuevo Progreso, MX

“What I learned from this trip is that when you bring helping hands together and the love of God, great things can happen.” -Tasha Ruth, regarding her recent trip to Nuevo Progreso

Have you ever considered participating in a foreign mission? Trinity is offering an opportunity to volunteer time and talents in Nuevo Progreso, MX in January. The trip, coordinated by Volunteers in Mission (VIM), will be from January 15th - January 19th which is also the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Weekend. Anyone over the age of 16 is welcome and encouraged to join the Trinity team on this adventure, especially those in the medical profession. Those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Passports are needed. The team will be staying at First United Methodist Church in Mercedes, TX and will be traveling over the border to Nuevo Progreso each day, a 5 mile trip.

As a group, we will be flying out of Columbus (CMH) and into McAllen, TX (MFE) most likely with United Airlines. We will be working with Manos Juntas Clinic and Ministries. Set up for the Clinic will take place on Thursday. The Clinic works out of The Church of the Good Shepherd in the Francisco Madera colonia within Nuevo Progreso on Friday, and out of the Nuevo Progreso City Hall on Saturday. More information on Manos Juntas can be found on their website at http://www.manosjuntas.com/Free%20Medical%20Clinic.html.

The total cost of the trip will be approximately $700-750. This will include: $250 for the trip fee, about $455 in airfare, and $45 in 'extras' - food, souvenirs, etc. that you may spend while in Mexico. Covered in the $250 trip fee is ground transportation, lodging, and all meals. A non-refundable deposit of $100, made payable to the West Ohio Conference, is required when you agree to come on the trip.

We will be fundraising support for our trip to cover the cost of the clinic fee and medical supplies, in the amount of about $4,000 (total, not per person). Please expect to participate in team fundraising initiatives (letter-writing, etc.)

VIM is overseen by The West Ohio Conference of United Methodist Churches (WOC). WOC has committed to partnering with Mexico, specifically Manos Juntas and the House of Mercy Orphanage. WOC also partners with The Democratic Republic of Congo, Russia, and Southeast Asia. The Conference committed to 6 trips a year to assist Manos Juntas. A church is then selected to coordinate a specific trip, both in terms of volunteers and fundraising. Trinity intends to sponsor the January Manos Juntas trip each year, so keep this in mind if you cannot join us in 2014! For more information on WOC’s take on VIM and how WOC sees this as “more than just a trip”, please visit this site: http://www.westohioumc.org/conference/news/vim-more-just-trip

The need in the area we are visiting is overwhelming. When asked about the living conditions for the colonia residents and the work the team did on her recent non-medical trip, Tasha Ruth shared this anecdote- “The families that live in the colonias are very poor. They have no electricity, no running water (so they cannot grow any food), no toilets, no cars, and no medical care. Their homes are made out of whatever scraps they can find and nail down. On our first day there, I heard one of the children say to the mom that he was hungry. She had two carrots (wilted and rubbery) sitting on a makeshift table. She cut the carrots up into enough pieces for the five children. Even though the husband was employed as a city garbage collector, I assume his pay was low and it was difficult for him to find rides to get to work. The family shared two beds. The father’s main concern was that the children were getting older and he did not want the girls having to sleep in the same bed as the boys. The new addition that we built will provide separate sleeping quarters for the children.”

Tasha also shared what she learned from the trip. “When I thought about the word “mas” (translations: “more”) I thought about a familiar phrase – “more is better.” As I looked around at the bleak, barren surroundings and saw poverty like I had never seen before I saw something else - children laughing, running, playing with their siblings, and standing side by side to slop paint onto the wood slats. I saw their parents smiling admiringly at the wall they had just constructed together – she bringing him bricks and he buttering them before carefully laying them into place. I saw a happy family, just being thankful in the moment for what they had and the blessing of a new home. I saw people who were not looking for more, but were thankful to know that God had provided this opportunity. I reflected on my own tendency to want “mas” of everything (especially shoes!). This trip reminded me that while we might think we need more of X, Y, and Z and won’t be satisfied until we get it, God already knows what we need and through Him we are fulfilled.”

In terms of specific roles we would like to fill, we need the following: doctors (2+), nurses (3+), pharmacists (1+), medical clinic helping hands (3+), medical translators (2+), and team cooks (1+). All others with specialized medical skills (physician's assistants, optometrists, dentists, etc.) are welcome!

If you cannot join us on our trip, please consider donating to our cause. Donations can be submitted by visiting http://www.trinityumchurch.com/donate.htm and entering “VIM Mission Trip, January 15-19, 2014” in the purpose for your donation.

If you are still considering, please consider the following perspectives:

Rev. Katy Wheat: “This trip will be a wonderful way to get to know your neighbors in Mexico, and will provide much-needed medical service to the people of the colonias. Most importantly, it will be a wonderful way to put God's love in action while using the gifts God has given you.”

Tasha Ruth: “If you have never thought of participating in a foreign mission trip before, you should definitely consider it now. There is so much to be gained. You will learn so much about yourself and challenge yourself in ways you may have never imagined before. It will fulfill your heart, mind, body, and soul beyond your expectations. I will admit I was very nervous about taking my first trip. However, I felt very safe the entire time. The people you will meet, the relationships you will form, and the Spirit that will fill your heart are worth making this trip.”

This trip is a true opportunity to get out of your comfort zone and place your trust in God. I ask you to prayerfully consider joining this team, for the betterment of the people of Nuevo Progreso, our congregation, and ourselves.

An indescribable and glorious joy

1 Peter 1: 3,8

³ “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead … ⁸ Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy”

As I reflect on these past few days in mission in Nuevo Progreso, I will forever have in my memory the love and joy that I saw in the faces of the parents and children for whom we built a home. They live in such great material poverty but radiate the riches they have in Christ. The children were so full of joy and laughter as they played together in the blowing dust, making toys out of whatever they could find around their home. What we may call trash is possibly treasure in their eyes. I felt I wanted to give them so many things but realized that God’s love and grace is enough. The last day was so very full of emotion, not only for the dear family, but for all of us. Manuel, the father of the family, expressed how so grateful he and his family was for a mission such as ours and in a time such as this, that we could find it in their hearts to come so far to help and love as Christ calls us to do.  The family’s appreciation brought so many tears of joy, because they saw in all of us the hands and feet of Christ working right along beside of them building them a better shelter.  Manuel and Paula (parents) said they will forever have us all in their hearts, as we will also. Their hospitality was so wonderful. They gave us a feast – a beautiful meal to thank us all.  We broke bread together, giving thanks to God for the fellowship we shared with each other and for the new friends we made. I thank God for working through me to joy to bring smiles and hope to such gracious family far away yet so close to my heart. It is such an overwhelming feeling to feel such satisfaction in and through Christ.  It was so hard to say our farewells- I must say it leaves a hole in my heart!  I am so thankful and grateful for the opportunity to be a servant of the Lord, receiving joy in return. I hold the five precious children and their parents in my heart and pray for the Lord to keep a circle of protection around them and for the doors of opportunity to open for them.  I pray for their faith and joy and hope in God to remain steadfast in the midst of great poverty and drought. 

Psalm 126:2b, 3  “The LORD has done great things for them.  The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.”

Liz Winfree

What I'm taking away

As the mission team finishes up their work today and prepare to return home, Rev. Wheat has asked us to reflect on “what are we taking away from Mexico?” We certainly all have some many memories of laying cement blocks, roofing and painting endless number of boards which seem to just keep coming. I have acquired many memories of the families. I think everyone has very fond memories of the children playing in the yard. They certainly were very curious about what was happening to their home. They laughed, sang and played games with the volunteers. I was most surprised with how helpful they were with keeping things picked up and cleaned up. The mother was so excited to see each step of the build. As soon as the windows were installed, she was busily cleaning them. As we left, they family was busily moving into their new space. It was such a blessing to see the excitement in their eyes.

The area we are building in is so different from my world. The buildings are small and most are just 2x4s and plywood cobbled together. These peoples are just scratching out a life in a dry and barren land. They have no electricity and the water must be trucked in. Yet they are so thankful for everything they have. The children run and play through dirt roads and always seem to be smiling. A simple game of tag or playing with a sling-shot make them very happy. They so enjoyed being spun around by their arm. It makes me very happy to know these children will have more room to life and grow in. It looks like the 5 children have been sharing 2 beds. With the new addition the boys will be in one room and the girls in another. They will still be sharing beds but will now have spaces of their own.

I fill blessed to have been part of this mission and will treasure these memories for years.

John Fisher

Mas is better?

Well folks, after shoveling ourselves out of the snow, the VIM team to Mexico finally made it to Nuevo Progreso. Our goal: build two houses in three days for two families in desperate need. I have never built anything in my life let alone a house, so tackling two seemed quite daunting. Today we began by laying the block for the walls of the house and painting the wood for the roof. Within five minutes of my arrival I had a trowel in my hand and I began “buttering” the bricks. I quickly realized that despite the obvious language barrier, everyone was getting along quite well.

The word of the day was “mas.” For those of you who are a little rusty on your Spanish, “mas” means “more” as in “I need ‘mas’ (paint, mortar, bricks, wood, etc.)” Without fail, English-speaking or Spanish-speaking folks would respond with whatever the item you needed “mas” of. Together, we buttered mortar onto bricks and slathered paint onto wood. Everyone, from the young partially-paralyzed son of the family to the interpreter who pitched in not only his language skills but his masonry talents, worked together as a team to build this house.

As I thought about the word “mas” I thought about a familiar phrase – “more is better.” As I looked around at the bleak, barren surroundings and saw poverty like I had never seen before (these folks have no running water, plumbing, electricity, shower, washing machine, school , trash removal, toilet, or car) I saw children laughing, running, playing with their siblings and standing side by side to slop paint onto the wood slats. I saw their parents smiling admiringly at the wall they had just constructed together – she bringing him bricks and he buttering them before carefully laying them into place. I saw a happy family, just being thankful in the moment for what they had and the blessing of a new home. I saw people who were not looking for more, but were thankful to know that God had provided this opportunity. I am reminded that while we might think that we need more of XYZ, God already knows what we need.

As we continue to build in the next several days, I wanted to share a passage that reminded me of God’s power to “build” and provide: “So all of you holy brothers and sisters, who were called by God, think about Jesus, who was sent to us and is the high priest of our faith. Jesus was faithful to God as Moses was in God’s family. Jesus has more honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. Every house is built by someone, but the builder of everything is God himself. Moses was faithful in God’s family as a servant, and over God’s house. And we are God’s house if we keep on being very sure about our great hope.” (Hebrews 3:1-6)

Grace and peace,

Tasha Ruth

On expectations; or, why injustice destroys the world

I began to learn Spanish when I was 12 years old, and loved it so much that I went on to study it as a minor in college at Baldwin-Wallace. And imagine my joy when I discovered that following college, my work as a US-2 Young Adult Missionary would include community organizing and ESOL work with local Spanish-speaking communities! I’ve had the great privilege to travel to many places and work with people from many cultures, but I’ve never set foot in a Spanish-speaking country. It’s something that surprises many people; “How can you speak the language if you’ve never visited a place where they speak it?!” Ignoring the obvious answer – that I live in the US, where Spanish is spoken regularly – it’s a valid expectation of someone who speaks Spanish, I suppose. When I set foot in Mexico tomorrow, I’ll finally live up to this particular expectation, and, it must be said, dream of mine.

I’ve seen pictures. I’ve read books. I’ve watched documentaries. I’ve heard stories, so I have expectations of my own as to what I will encounter when our Volunteer in Mission (VIM) team sets foot in the colonias of Nuevo Progreso, Mexico, tomorrow. Our team from Trinity (Tasha, Liz, John, and Katy) will join with 29 other folks from Glenwood and Scioto Ridge UMCs, as together we construct two casitas (small homes) and serve folks in the Manos Juntas Medical Clinic. I’m curious, excited, and anxious to begin. I’m ready to see how my expectations stack up to reality.

Upon a first reading, Psalm 82 is a curious text. “God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment”, verse one reads. And we think: what? It certainly doesn’t meet our expectations of how our God rules. But if we take a step back to consider the teaching this psalm offers, rather than the face-value message it presents, we discover this: this psalm is about God’s expectation for how the world is ordered. God rules the world, and in this scripture God our heavenly Parent is putting on trial all the competing claims in our lives. God rules the world, and thus the things that concern God most must be human concerns. God is declaring that our time, our resources, our actions, our knowledge and understandings, must be used in ways that honor God’s gracious rule, and used in ways that live into God’s vision for our lives, and for our world.

It’s very clear what God expects of us:

“Give justice to the weak and the orphan;” the psalmist cries in verses 3-4. “Maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.’” Injustice – which we see so often when our brothers and sisters go hungry, when folks lack adequate shelter, when they go years without adequate medical care, when they don’t have shoes or a coat – is a violation of God’s desire and will for our world. And justice and righteousness aren’t abstract understandings. They’re not principles God cares about in theory. And I know this because we see Justice and Righteousness incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God whose anointed ministry on this earth was categorized by bringing “good news to the poor,” proclaiming “release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind.” (Luke 4:18) Jesus came so that all the oppressed might go free. So should we too, who love and follow Jesus. Doing justice means building relationships with the widow. It means taking the orphan into our homes. It means providing palliative care for the sick (and preventative care for the healthy).  It means building homes for those who have no homes. The expectation of justice which God lays out for us begins with work like that we’ll be doing this week in Nuevo Progreso. These are the foundations upon which God's Kingdom is built. It’s clear that in God’s eyes, anything less than this sort of justice destroys the world.

More tomorrow!

Pastor Katy