Fear Not I am with You: Mexico, Missions, and taking the gospel to hard places.
I have been asked by a lot of people recently and heard others asking the question "Are we still planning to send a team to Mexico?" The answer is YES! The reason why many have been asking the question (and it is a legitimate question) is because of the violence that has been reported in the city of Juarez. In order to help give perspective on our decision to still move ahead with our trip, let me give you a few things to keep in mind.
1) The violence that has been reported has been going on for a few years now. The media coverage, however, has picked up in recent months and covered more of the stories involved. I personally led a team last year during talks of violence and there was never a moment of concern. I am not in any way belittling the situation, but I have led a team to Mexico for the past decade and trust the leadership at Casas Por Cristo (the organization we work with).
2) What is happening in one area of the city is not necessarily true of what is happening in other parts of the region. Most of the teams that work with Casas por Cristo build houses that are several miles (often 30-40 miles) away from the actual downtown area of Juarez (where most of the violence is happening). It would be the equivalent of violence in downtown Decatur and sending a team to build in Springfield. Could something happen? Sure, it could happen anywhere at anytime. But the point is that where our team will be building will be in a different region than where much of the violence has been reported.
3) The larger issue for me is that when doing missions, safety is never the first question (I know this is uncomfortable for some). If safety is the most important concern the church will not take the gospel to the places the gospel needs to be heard. Let me be clear, I would not lead a team right into the middle of danger just for the sake of it.
In the case of Mexico, if we had previous information that the location of our building site was in the middle of a violent area, we would certainly use caution before sending the team. However, at the end of the day if God has called us to go we must answer the call. If missions is about going with a guarantee of safety, comfort, and ease the Great Commission will not be faithfully followed. We want to be a congregation that uses caution, that thinks wisely, that is fully informed, but a congregation that is willing to send teams even to hard places, to do hard things, for the sake of the kingdom of our Christ!
I am more than happy to discuss this issue in person if anyone wants to talk about it. I would strongly encourage the congregation to remain open and positive concerning the sending of a team. We will keep a watch on the situation and make appropriate adjustments if needed. Until then, there is a family to serve, a home to build, and a Christ to proclaim. And we go knowing that He promises us, "I am with you, even until the end of the age."
That all peoples may know HIm,
Pastor Wes
Comments