Church ministry helps those in need in Mexico
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Nic Perez enjoys visiting the small rural town of Santa Rosa.
To get to the town, one must drive up the mountains of Coahuila in a one way dirt road with no rails.
“The elevation is so high, it feels like your driving into the clouds,” said Perez.
Perez and three others are part of the mission team for Rhema Fellowship Church.
In their tenth year, the goal of the ministry is to help those in need, he said.
“We are laying down a natural and spiritual foundation to build on,” he added.
The community they see every year is very closed off to outsiders. The group visits eight to ten churches in the area at one time. Each town has about 15 to 20 homes.
They spend five to seven days teaching the word of God in two different locations in Mexico - The Mountains of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon and the desert towns.
In the last ten years Perez said they have been able to bridge a gap between the belief system each town has and their customs.
“When we first started going ten years ago, the people were very gracious and they were very open to us in giving us food and housing,” he said.
But the residents were closed off in building a relationship with the team and getting to talk to them, he said.
The church ministry offers church services to build relationships with the town.
Activities such as interpretive dance lessons and sports activities are also offered.
“During the day we try to do an evangelism to let them know we are there and they can come to the service at night,” he said.
Some of the areas they visit have no electricity and no running water.
It is neat to see the people’s simplicity of life, he said.
“Shelter, food and water, those are things that are very basic to them and we tend to loose that from living in bigger areas,” he explained.
In a small rural town, water is a luxury and baths are a rarity, he said jokingly.
In recent years, the group has driven to Mexico, this year they will fly from Houston straight into Saltillo, where they will be picked up and driven to the small rural towns.
After their arrival, they shower and rest, taking some personal time of prayer and singing in preparation of their visits.
The group also makes stops are grocery stores to purchase beans, rice, eggs and water – food they will eat during their stay. This food is also shared with the town.
Once they arrive to their destination, they settle in and are greeted by the town.
“We get a small room behind the church and sleep there for the time of our stay,” he said.
That same night they hold church services.
One of the first things the group does when they get there is turn off their cell phones, he said.
“Many times we thing we are going there and giving stuff to them, but really we come back with a refreshing look on life just because of the simplicity of life there,” he said.