March 10, 2003

VOLUNTEERS from Yorktown Baptist Church in Corpus Christi built the house above right from the ground up to replace the house shown above left, in which a family of seven was living. With help from Texas Baptists, the Baptist church in Guerrero, Mexico, has gained strength in numbers and outreach.

Corpus Christians build a house of love in Mexico
___By John Hall
___Texas Baptist Communications
___GUERRERO, Mexico--A house built by Corpus Christi Baptists has expanded God's kingdom in Mexico.
___Members of Yorktown Baptist Church recently were touring Guerrero, Mexico, seeking mission opportunities when they were disheartened by the dreadful living conditions in the small town.
___Many of the houses had no foundation, running water or electricity. Many people gained their land by squatting on it and building their homes slowly out of whatever material they could find.
___One house next to a garbage dump struck hard at the heart of the mission vision team. The home of mismatched sheet metal, aluminum and rotten wood housed a family of seven, including two young girls, who stayed warm by lighting a fire and letting the smoke rise through a gaping hole in the roof.
___The house had no electricity, and family members received water through the neighbor's hose.
___Although not the church's original plan, the volunteers knew they must help the family, explained Mike Benton, an elder in the church. When the group returned home, Benton gathered a group of experienced builders from the church to partially construct a small house for the needy Mexican family.
___They hauled the prefabricated pieces of the house to Guerrero. In one day, they poured a concrete slab, and a team of about 30 almost completed the new home by the second day. Benton and a few other members stayed that Sunday to worship with the people and finish the house.
___"Going out and doing good for someone else is always a good feeling," Benton said.
___The trip helped the Corpus Christi church experience missions with their family while strengthening the outreach of a Guerrero pastor, Pedro Tobias and his wife, Maria, who initially showed Yorktown Baptist Church members the dilapidated house.
___In the weeks since the house was built, attendance at Tobias' church has risen from 23 to about 120. There were 14 faith professions in January, and about 50 children are attending a Bible club.
___"They see Pedro and Maria love them, care for them and that they're trying to make their lot better in life," said Ray King, mission coordinator of Coastal Bend Baptist Association. The Corpus Christi church connected with the Guerrero community with help from the association and the Baptist General Convention of Texas River Ministry.
___Members from First Baptist Church in Freer have volunteered to seal the newly constructed house, and three other mission groups have expressed interest in building similar houses for church members in the area.
___Additional mission volunteers have helped start food and clothing distribution ministries in the rural town.
___Yorktown Baptist Church members also have expressed an interest in returning to Guerrero to focus more on evangelistic outreach, Benton said.
___"When the Lord opened the door down there, he really threw it open," King said. "We just got out of the way and let the Lord do his work."
___

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