Community Christian Church

Yesterday, John’s blog talked about what can happen in the church because of the unity we share in Christ. In particular, he said, “There is much that unifies us. There is real power and synergy when we do come together, putting our differences aside for a common goal.” That being said, next week, 14 people from Community will be making the trip to Tijuana, Mexico to build a home for a very deserving family. 

The Salomon family lives in a home primarily constructed of used lumber, a dirt floor, and a roof made out of tarpaper. If you’re not familiar with tarpaper, think of a really thick, large role of construction paper that preschoolers make crafts with.  You can imagine that won’t protect well when it rains even a little. They do not have electricity, drinkable water, a telephone, a car, or a refrigerator.

Kristi and I have been at Community for a little more than a year and a half and we’ve been blown away by this congregation’s generosity, and this trip is no exception. Through your help, and the help of Kid’s Connection, Community Christian School and Community Christian Preschool, we will be able to do three things on top of building the Salomons a home. We will be able to give them a water filter that will provide clean drinking water for life; we will be able to give them a great offering of money; and we will be able to bless the kids in the neighborhood with backpacks filled with toys and school supplies!

The last issue that I hope to address in this blog is the issue of safety. Safety is our number one priority when taking students anywhere, regardless of our destination. It is my commitment to get our students to and from our destination safely, and this trip to Amor is no exception. Recently, Amor Ministries released this statement regarding the safety of those attending an Amor Missions Trip. To summarize it, The US Government releases two types of warnings about international travel, which are unfortunately misused interchangeably.

The first is actually called a “Travel Warning” which warns American Citizens that the U.S. Government’s ability to assist American citizens is constrained, like in terms of long term threat of terrorist activity, military coups etc. The second is a “Travel Alert” which are concerns of immediate security for American citizens. Natural disasters, terrorist attacks or regional sports events are examples of conditions that might generate a Travel Alert. In this case, for this year, and recent years past, a travel alert has been issued because of the volume of college and high school age students going to Mexico to participate in underage drinking and other various, dangerous activities.

This year, however, the Government’s warning also pertains to the violence along the border that I’m sure you’re all aware of. This statement comes directly from the US State Department’s Website, “Common-sense precautions such as visiting only legitimate businesses and tourist areas during daylight hours, and avoiding areas where prostitution and drug dealing might occur, can help ensure that travel to Mexico is safe and enjoyable.”

We absolutely will exercise every safety precaution necessary to ensure the safety of those on our trip. Please pray for the safety of those involved, for the Salomon family, and, selfishly, for dry weather (i.e. no rain). We look forward to sharing the stories and success of our trip with our family here at Community!

-Zach