Posted: 3/07/08
Volunteer missionaries needed for Eagle Pass
By Analiz González
Buckner International
EAGLE PASS—It’s been almost a year since the tornados ravaged Eagle Pass, but huge needs continue.
Church leaders in the area are seeking to help, but they need the assistance of upstate volunteers, said Dexton Shores, Buckner International’s director of ministry development in Mexico and along the border,
“They showed me a list of 10 families with major house damage that haven’t gotten any attention,” Shores said. “Most of it is roofing, sheetrocking, window installing, door installing and things like that. Any size church could come and help, but it is something financially accessible for smaller churches who think they might not be able to afford a mission project.”
Iglesia Bautista Peniel, First United Methodist Church and First Baptist Church in Eagle Pass offered to provide lodging for $10 a night per person. They have also supplied construction materials. The churches are teaming up with people of all Christian denominations in the recovery effort through a project called Interfaith Recovery Effort.
“If there are churches that can bring more material, that would be great,” Shores said. “But if not, we can still use the help of anyone who can help with construction reparation. They just need someone who can hammer in nails.”
People also are needed to work with children and youth to teach Vacation Bible School.
“We’re afraid that if we don’t get some people signed up soon, they’ll make summer plans and then these people won’t be helped,” Shores said. “They need a lot of help.”
Monica Rich, volunteer coordinator for Interfaith Recovery Effort, said her group has brought together volunteers of different Christian denominations to rebuild homes.
“There are still about 21 families left that we would like to help,” Rich said. “One week we had Methodists, Baptists and Catholics all working together. It is always a positive thing to have peace building among the different denominations that haven’t necessarily been used to working together in our history.
“We are welcoming people to come have their youth summer mission trips here, bring their senior citizens—there is something for everybody to do.”
For more information, contact Dexton Shores at (210) 771-2904 or e-mail [email protected].
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