The Month of the Youth!
July has been a very hot month (certainly none of that rain from last month in sight!), and we had four teams hard at work in Reynosa, the last of which is working here this week. The majority of these teams have been high school youth teams, and in total, they built nine houses and poured eight roofs! Teenagers bring a special joy to our community in the way they laugh and joke with the local volunteers, despite language barriers. They truly formed unforgettable friendships!
As we said goodbye to some interns, we said hello to others as five new interns – Lizzy, Will, Sydney, Maddie and Will – arrived this month. They have continued to be a blessing to us as helpers on the job site, photographers, translators and more! We have been lucky to have them with us in Reynosa this summer.
Progress at the Community Center
We are continuing to make great progress on our new community center in Miguel Alemán! We are hopefully just a few months away from wrapping up construction and being able open the center to serve the community. We are so grateful to all of you who have supported this project and to God for making possible this project that once seemed impossible. Check out the video below for a virtual tour of the center with our executive director David!
December 2015
July 2018
VBS in Naranjito & Miguel Alemán
This month, our churches in both Naranjito and Miguel Alemán hosted Vacation Bible School for the kids in their communities. In Naranjito, they learned about God’s worth with an aquatic theme, and each kid was gifted a t-shirt donated to us by Southport Presbyterian in Indianapolis. For five days, around 70 kids and youth did crafts, danced to songs, ate good food and performed skits, all with the help of Pastor Carlos, the adults of the church, our Berea Bible School interns and our interns from the U.S.
Pastor Benito, his wife Carmen and the church in Miguel Alemán hosted a local VBS, but also hosted a VBS in their mission of Guardados de Arriba outside the town. A combined 65 kids came for the week of activities, games and food, with a maritime theme teaching them that the only lifeguard is Jesus. We are thankful to Benito, Carmen, our Berea Bible school intern Cassandra and all the adults of the congregation for their efforts!
Prayer Requests
We believe in the power of prayer, so please join us in praying for:
- Our founder Deantin continues to need prayer for his health. His follow-up appointment earlier this month was a positive one with good news, but he has since been in and out of the hospital with various health struggles, including extreme pain in his shoulder. Pray for his health and for his wellbeing, as well as for his wife Lidia. As a reminder, you can send him a note or a card to let him know you’re thinking of him! Send by email at northside1@sbcglobal.net or by mail at PO Box 4413, Brownsville, TX 78523.
- Ezequiel, our retired foreman, and his wife Petra, still need our prayers. Petra is continues to slowly recover after a stroke a few months ago, and Ezequiel is her sole caretaker, while also dealing with his own health issues. Pray for her recovery and for him, that God might give them both strength and good health!
- Dora, our caretaker in Reynosa, continues to recover from her fall in February. Her fractured wrist is taking a long time to heal, and we are ready to have her back with us! Pray for her as she continues to recover.
- July has been very hot, and Reynosa and McAllen both broke heat records last week. Pray for families in Mexico who don’t have luxuries like air conditioning and cold running water in these hot summer months.
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Romans 12:12
Anyone who has spent time in Reynosa knows the joy and peace of enjoying the sunset on the roof deck.