Trinity on the Hill team members and the homeowner in front of the newly built home in Juarez, Mexico. Back row from left, Fr. Christopher Adams, Derek Selvage, Julie Bulthuis, George Marsden, John Bulthius and Chandra Marsden. Front row from left, Lynn Finnegan, Alina Bulthuis, Lizandra Miranda Gonzales with her children Hania, Kevin and Sophia and Mandie Gehring. Courtesy photo

 

Craft outreach project in the colonia. Photo by Lynn Finnegan

As the United Church leaves for its Spring Break mission trip to Mexico, another church in town is regrouping from its trip to Juárez, Mexico in early March, and making plans for next year.

Partnering with Missions Ministries, a team from Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church provided a food outreach program and youth craft activity in addition to successfully building its 16th house in the colonias on the outskirts of Juárez.

The nearly annual house building trek to Juárez began in 2005 with the formation of an ecumenical all women team who dubbed themselves “House of Hope women”. The ministry has expanded to include co-ed teams and partnerships with other churches. It boasts a long list of participants from pre-teens to octogenarians, many of whom return year after year.

Anyone who has been on one of the trips to Mexico knows that building the house is only a small part of the ministry. Team participants work alongside Mexican crew members and can develop long-lasting relationships despite language barriers. They are given an intimate look into the harsh poverty in the region coupled with the genuine generosity and warmth of the soon-to-be homeowner and the surrounding neighbors.

Team participants feel strongly that the opportunity to work and interact with the people of Mexico gives them greater understanding of the economic, social and political challenges in Juárez and rarely does someone return unchanged by the experience.

Missions Ministries, a non-profit organization based in Highlands Ranch, Colo., has been partnering with teams throughout the United States since 1992. While building homes is the “bread and butter” of their operations, they also have a medical clinic and a library, and they encourage those who prefer community education and outreach.

Trinity on the Hill is planning another build in Fall 2018 or Spring 2019 and welcomes anyone interested. The church is especially interested in forming a medical or dental mission team and would love to find a licensed doctor or dentist in Los Alamos interested in going. While Missions Ministries has a beautiful medical clinic, a lack of licensed professionals means they cannot fully utilize it.

For more information, contact George Marsden at george_marsden@mac.com. To learn more about Missions Ministries, or to sponsor a child through their ministry, visit www.missionsministries.org.