Restarting Programs & Assistance
After a break for the holidays, our staff in Reynosa and Miguel Alemán are slowly but steadily restarting our programs in Mexico, keeping a close eye on communication from health authorities regarding COVID-19. Our medical clinic reopened, and we resumed our grab-and-go nutrition programs this month. Our construction staff focused on maintenance around our facilities with the goal of restarting house construction next month. We also continued distributing grocery packages to families in our communities. We are grateful to be able to make a difference in lives here on the border in the safest way possible!
Update on Mission Work Groups
We know that many of you are eager to return to Mexico in 2021, and we are eager to have you back. We have missed everyone, and it’s been tough not to have teams down here for the past 10 months. Our number one priority remains the health and safety of everyone involved in the work we do, including our staff, our local volunteers, the families here in Mexico, and visiting mission work groups.
With that in mind, our staff and Board of Directors made the decision that we will not be hosting mission work groups from the U.S. until there is widespread availability of a COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. and in Reynosa, Mexico. At that point, every Faith Ministry staff member in the U.S. and Mexico will be vaccinated. In addition, we will require that every visiting volunteer from the U.S. is vaccinated against COVID-19 before coming to work with us. By protecting the safety of those we work with now, we are helping to ensure that we will be able to continue our work for many more years to come.
In the meantime, we are working hard to enable our construction staff to continue building houses, even without groups, here in Mexico because that need for families still remains. We hope that even if your group is unable to come in 2021 that you will consider providing financial support for a house to be built by our local staff.
As we continue to monitor the rollout of vaccines in the U.S. and Mexico, we will be working closely with our Board members, including Dr. Rick Casey, a pulmonologist who has been on the front lines in Louisiana, as well as our own staff doctor, Dr. Joaquin Rodriguez, who has a first-hand knowledge of how COVID is affecting the local population in Mexico, to further develop our plans of how to welcome back teams to Reynosa in the safest way possible.
We will be in touch with mission work group leaders regarding scheduled trips, and in the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to David (david@faithministry.org) or Colleen (colleen@faithministry.org).
We appreciate the patience and understanding that all of our mission work groups have had as we have navigated through this pandemic, and we are looking forward to the day that we are joined hand-in-hand singing Unidos, Unidos together again!
Reflecting on 2020
2020 was by no means an easy year for any of us, but we were overwhelmed by God’s faithfulness and the support and generosity of all of you through the challenges and difficulties of the last year. Click here to view, download, or print our 2020 Annual Report.
Prayer Requests
We believe in the power of prayer, so please join us in praying for:
- Ezequiel and Lupe, both of whom lost loved ones last year, and all those who have suffered loss. Pray for continued peace and strength for those who mourn.
- The health and safety of our staff in Mexico and the U.S., our Board of Directors, and all of the families living on the border in Mexico.
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Romans 12:12
In Case You Missed It
We shared a video recap of 2020 on our Facebook page at the end of December; check it out here if you missed it! Everything we did last year was possible because of your support. You helped us endure one of the most difficult years of the ministry and continue making a difference in the lives of families here on the border. We are starting off 2021 feeling strong and full of hope because we know that God is right there alongside all of us.
Click here to watch our 2020 video recap!
Thank You!
Thank you for everything you do to support Faith Ministry! We appreciate your donations, your prayers, and your dedication to the ministry.