Building . . . and Rebuilding:
On Saturday, July 14, 2007, 19 eager volunteers from First Presbyterian Church began a 24-hour journey to Reynosa, Mexico, just 9 miles south of McAllen, Texas to fulfill a mission of hope: build a 12 ft x 24 ft concrete block home for a family in one of the poorest colonias in Reynosa. Our mission would be made possible through the generosity of our congregation
and the guidance of the staff and volunteers of the Ministerio de Fe (Faith Ministry), a ministry founded in 1994 by Deantin Guerra, a Presbyterian (USA) elder from Brownsville, Texas.
With our vans loaded with cots, work clothes, water coolers, and compassionate hearts and hands, we left the unusually dry weather of Knoxville and began the first leg of our journey. Saturday’s drive took us to Louisiana, where we were welcomed with open arms and a hearty dinner at the University Presbyterian Church in Baton Rouge after a long 12-hour drive through four states and several intermittant rain showers. On Sunday, we made the 12-hour drive to the border town of McAllen, Texas, where massive rainfall had left soccer fields and pastures looking like swimming pools. As we unloaded our belongings at Melody Lane Christian Renewal Center in McAllen, the rain began again, and it was at this point that we realized the weather might play a larger role than normal during our mission trip. As we awoke on Monday morning, it seemed as if the rain in McAllen would never stop; streets were flooded and consequently barricaded, and we were forced to wait it out- no easy task for a group ready to work! For those of us who had completed the mission trip in years past, we knew the rain was greatly needed in Mexico, but we could not help but wonder: would construction be
possible?
Luckily, the sun broke through the clouds around 9am on Monday morning, and we were able to make it across the border. As we crossed the Rio Grande, we were immediately reminded that rain in Reynosa means lots of charco (mud)! To our joyful surprise, several main roads leading to the Ministerio de Fe had been paved during the past year, making our journey to the compound much easier; however, many dirt roads remained, and our group enjoyed several roller-coaster-like rides over the bumpy, muddy streets through the colonia. Once we arrived and unpacked our belongings at the Ministerio de Fe, we attended the daily 1:00pm bilingual church service at the compound with residents of the colonia and other mission teams who were constructing houses. The uplifting songs and spirited atmosphere were just what we needed to reenergize- after all, we had a house to build!
On Monday afternoon, we piled into our vans and made the 20-minute trek from the Ministerio de Fe compound to the house site to meet the family who would soon become the proud homeowners. The family’s teenage son, Angel, took a keen liking to our group and enjoyed our company from the start. As required by Ministerio de Fe, Angel had already completed numerous hours of sweat equity with the organization so that his family could have a home. The new home our mission team would be constructing for Angel and his family would be built behind their pre-existing home made mostly of steel and plywood scraps. Over the course of the first afternoon, we literally began building the concrete block house from the ground up. Prior to our arrival, the foundation had been set, so our first project was to construct the four walls and to tie rebar. As we began mixing the first batch of mezcla (concrete), Angel was eager to jump in and help, and we each found a task to take part in: mixing, lifting, laying, carrying, tying, and often times, translating! We were blessed with no rain, a great foreman (a native of Reynosa named Huggy Bear), two American volunteers from Ministerio de Fe, as well as several skilled block layers and one highly experienced rebar tier (Barry Iddins) within our own group. Through everyone’s tireless efforts, all four walls were complete by the second day, and the worksite was quickly looking like a home.
On Wednesday morning, the rain had returned, but it didn’t keep us from placing and securing the rebar in all four corners of the house and around the top edges of the walls. As our shoes stuck in the mud, we were determined to stick to our task so that we could fulfill God’s mission of building a proper home for Angel and his family. Despite the weather, we were able to pour mezcla into the four corners of the house and prep for Thursday. By the following morning, the rain had subsided, and we began mixing the large amounts of mezcla required to pour into the perimeter. Utilizing the muscle power of all of our group members, we created an amazingly efficient mezcla chain, enabling us to mix, scoop, lift, and pour the mezcla into the perimeter in less than four hours! 
On Friday, we laid two more rows of blockk on the perimeter, which is the last step before the roof is laid (this step would be accomplished by another mission team two weeks later, after the house has settled). After the last row of block was laid, Huggy Bear made a plaque on the outer wall of the house for each of us to sign: mission team, Ministerio de Fe workers and volunteers, and most importantly, Angel and his family. With “Jehovah-jireh” written above our names, we knew our Lord truly did provide.
One of the most special elements of the mission trip each year is getting to share meals with the family and experience authentic Mexican food. Many times, the families can barely afford to feed their own families, let alone feed 19 hungry mission workers, so it was with deepest appreciation that we accepted homemade lunches from Angel’s family each afternoon. In turn, we made traditional American sandwiches for the family. 
In the evenings, two local cocineras (cooks) created wonderful meals for us. From cheese quesadillas to chicken with mole sauce, the dinners were always delicious. On Thursday evening, we continued our yearly tradition of going to a local restaurant in Reynosa to eat, dance, and karaoke with the staff and other mission teams from Ministerio de Fe. After spending a week in cement-covered shirts, shorts, and shoes, it is a real treat to dine in a restaurant wearing clean clothes!
Unlike years past, the wet weather prevented us from working in the afternoons on several occasions, but this also gave us the opportunity to play and practice our Spanish with the children of the colonia, who love to gather at the Ministerio de Fe compound. Despite the weather setbacks, it became clear that our mission in Reynosa had been fulfilled: we had befriended Angel and many of his fellow residents of the colonia, we built four stable walls for Angel’s family’s house, and we learned that even in the rain, so much can still be done. During the dedication ceremony on Thursday afternoon, Angel’s sister said, “Words cannot describe how I feel”, as she thanked us for helping her family build their new home. In just five days, a tiny miracle had occurred: a house had been built, and lives had been forever changed.
To many, the thought of constructing one home may seem like a tiny drop in the bucket; however, as Ministerio de Fe’s founder Deantin Guerra reveals in the Starfish Story, even when you throw just one starfish back in the sea, “it makes a difference to that one.” With the help of mission teams like ours, Ministerio de Fe has helped construct over 1,100 homes and given proper shelter to over 4,800 people in the colonia. One by one, houses are being built, and our Lord is providing for the people of Reynosa. Jehovah-jireh!
The 2007 Mission Trip to Reynosa marked the 5th house constructed by First Presbyterian Church of Knoxville. We invite you to join us for our 2008 Mission Trip to Reynosa (week of June 23). It is truly a faith-affirming and life-changing opportunity for all!
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