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Local Outreach Border to Border Hope for Hopeless Give Ye Them To Eat Japan - Tim Boyle

Agua Prieta, Mexico 

 2007 Trip

 Aqua Prieta

   
   
 

UMYF Update
   
    Seven of our high-school and college aged youth have joined Central United Methodist's mission team to Agua Prieta, Mexico.  The group helped prepare and served lunch for about 350 children. The youth had the opportunity to transcend language barriers while playing games and interacting with the children.

   
   
   

    In late April 2004, a group of six from Central United Methodist Church drove to Douglas, and worked on "El Buen Pastor" in Aqua Prieta.
    The church structure is up and the inside walls are plastered. Our job was to paint the walls and that mission was accomplished.
    The congregation of approximately 50 members are very happy about the progress that has been made. Some of the congregation stopped by as we worked. 
    Central UMC has a long history of working at the church. We are the only church that has consistently worked on the sanctuary. It will be our task to see this to completion. The following tasks are in need of completion: install a drop ceiling, and place duct work for heating and air conditioning, paint an additional coat on the walls, tile the floor and perform some electrical work.
    Our history with "El Buen Pastor" begain August 2002 when the first brick from the foundation of the sanctuary was laid by CUMC. It will be up to us, with God's help, to see the project to completion.  
                                -- Patricia Magyar

Agua Prieta

  A group from Central Church went to El Buen Pastor in June of 2003. The major goal was to clear and level the ground for laying the cement floor. In Mexico, they lay the floor after the walls and roof are constructed.

      Our Volunteer in Mission team has spent four weekends in Agua Prieta, Mexico helping the Church of the Good Shepherd build three class rooms for Sunday School.
     The Good Shephard is a Methodist Church of the Northern Conference of Mexico.  Our last work project was December of last year. 
      The city of Agua Prieta  is the fastest growing city in Mexico and is located just across the border from Douglas, AZ.  The population is about 150,000.    
The incredible part of this project is that the pastor and his wife, even with the problems of renovating their church building and constructing a new sanctuary, have undertaken a mission to what they call the Colonia.
    The Colonia is the poorest area of the city. Streets there are not paved, there is no electricity, no sewers nor running water. 
    Our Desert Southwest Conference has purchased two pieces of property in the Colonia for the establishment of a new church, the develop of a medical clinic and to provide social services. Some eight adults were baptized at Easter.  They have some 100 children in a program at the Colonia. 
   The Church of the Good Shepherd needs volunteers to help build the new sanctuary. The old sanctuary was torn down, and new class rooms were built in the back.                                         -- Robert Rahn

Agua Prieta Mission Update

      Our mission project in Agua Prieta, Mexico, is helping the Church of the Good Shepherd. I should mention that Agua Prieta is just across the border from Douglas. It has about 125,000 people, mainly attracted there hoping to cross the border. It is an impoverished area. Last year we finished three Sunday School class rooms including a bathroom. They are the most beautiful rooms in all of Agua Prieta!! The pastor and his wife are very dedicated and are friendly and warm. Andrea his wife is about to have a baby girl. This will balance out their family which consists of a son, Cesar junior, about 9 years old. The members have been so appreciative of our efforts and for our friendship.
      Pastor Cesar Duran and his wife attended as a guest to the Saturday session of the Desert Southwest Conference on June 8th. I had an opportunity to talk with him about continuing our mission to Agua Prieta. He is eager for us to help build a new sanctuary. The old sanctuary was taken down last year because it was crumbling and very inadequate. They have been meeting in a rather new social hall in the rear of the sanctuary. The second floor of the social hall is the parsonage and back of that are the three new Sunday School class rooms which we completed last year.       A local mason has completed the footings of the new sanctuary. The stem wall is finished with reinforced rods for the columns. Their Board has voted to use adobe like blocks for the 20 foot high walls. They have estimated that this first step in building the sanctuary, the putting up of the four walls, will cost about $8,000. This includes the blocks, the cement, other materials and mason labor. We will carry materials, make cement and help with laying the blocks.
       Our present plan is to put in 8 days from August 2nd through August 10th. We have about $1,500 from gifts and the Easter Offering. I hope that we can raise about $3,500 more for this project in our church. The Sun City UMC is contributing $3,000. As in other mission projects, no gift is too small. We also can use extra hands to help work. Please make your check to Central UMC and note that it is for Agua Prieta mission.
      The people of the Church of the Good Shepherd are very gracious and cordial to their brothers and sisters in Christ from Phoenix. The experience last year was rewarding and heart warming for those of us who participated.