A letter from Chris McReynolds on the U.S.-Mexico border
November 2010
God’s Plan Is Big!
As a longtime volunteer and now a mission co-worker for Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), I have been blessed to see the transformations that God makes through the partnership work of the National Presbyterian Church of México and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). Individuals, congregations and whole ministries are transformed by the slightest glimpse of God’s vision.
A local father experienced firsthand how God’s vision transformed a bad situation into a blessing. Federico had reasoned poorly. He mistook the “close calls” he had with the United States Border Patrol as a sign from God that smuggling people across the river into Texas was God’s will and provision for his family. During the year he spent in jail in the United States, his family became more vulnerable to the harsh realities of poverty. His four young children suffered from a lack of fatherly guidance growing up in the dangerous environment of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.
Olga Caballeros and granddaughter Alexandra preparing to teach their classes at Club Amistad.
By God’s grace, the family received extra help when they needed it most. Federico’s family was ministered to by Club Amistad, the children’s ministry of a local Presbyterian mission church. His children received the love and guidance of local church members serving as teachers, meal preparers and helpers in the Club. When Federico finally was able to return home, he found his family being blessed and actually excelling as the Club’s Christian education classes helped them to understand that God loves them, provides for them and gives them wisdom. Federico now participates regularly in the life of the small church that hosts the Club and is hard at work on the extremely difficult task of building his own business to supply the needs of his family. [See also photo album pictures 2,3, and 4.]
Club Amistad Bible Class at El Buen Pastor Presbyterian Church of Castaños, Coahuila.
Churches are also experiencing transformation. Longtime church partners from Sapulpa, Oklahoma, and Castaños, Coahuila, worked together again this summer. With a desire to do more for the children in the community, the two churches embarked together on a new vision of Christian education for children. As a result, the local church in Coahuila has begun their own Club Amistad with year-round help from their Oklahoma partners in the form of prayer and material support. Together they are impacting the lives of children, the community and their own congregations with these efforts. God’s vision in our lives transforms us as well as others.
Club Amistad of Victoria en Jesucristo Presbyterian Church, Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas
The ministry I serve, Presbyterian Border Ministry’s Proyecto Amistad, is responding to God’s call for more extensive and transformative Christian education. Proyecto Amistad has begun this journey by developing Club Amistad for children. By using excellent Christian education curricula and providing quality teacher training and material support through our United States and Mexico partnerships, we provide small churches with the tools they need to carry out the Club activities and classes each weekend. The Clubs are currently reaching over 120 children in three communities and their schedule coincides with the public school year. Two more churches are in the planning stages of beginning their own Clubs with Proyecto Amistad’s help. Through our work together, we are called to transform our communities and even our nations. [See also photo album picture 7.]
The National Presbyterian Church of Mexico has a plan to build 200 Presbyterian schools throughout Mexico. The impact of these schools on the nation would be substantial. With the many difficult challenges facing Mexico, we, as Mexican and U.S. Presbyterians in partnership, can offer hope and be servants in God’s gracious transformation for millions of people in both of our nations. It is vital that we keep our sights on God’s vision in the midst of crisis.
News photo of destruction resulting from United States/México drug traffickers battling for smuggling routes to the United States.
Violence and destruction from the United States/Mexico drug trade is being suffered by many families — even families we know in the Presbyterian churches. Families like Magdalena’s, whose husband was abducted over two months ago and whose children attend Club Amistad. There is also Marie, a devoted Sunday school teacher who was forced by a local drug cartel to resign from her municipal job of 12 years in order to gain control of her position — strategic for their purposes. [See also photo album picture 9.]
In this kind of environment it is understandable that we can become distracted from such things as a simple children’s club. However, when God speaks, our job is to listen and obey. Even if obeying seems insignificant, it’s not. God is a master craftsman and we are helpers carrying out smaller parts of a magnificent project.
We are thankful that, even in the midst of such difficult times, we can rejoice because we know God has a plan and we are called to help carry out that plan. Keeping our eyes on God’s vision for the future gives us guidance, hope and joy. If your view of the future is bleak, look again. God has a plan!
Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad!
Chris McReynolds
The 2010 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 275
