Baja Christian Ministries
organizes and facilitates the house building trips. After we have made all the
arrangements with BCM, our Mexican point of contact is Pastor Hector.
Pastor Hector is a resident of Tijuana and ministers to the people of many local
villages in the Tijuana.
Pastor Hector Rubio Many have asked, "How are the families chosen?".
Pastor Hector selects the families. His selection process
has been great. He tells me that he selects the families that have
the greatest need regardless of their heart for the Lord. This gives us
the opportunity to show His love to the family and the neighbors.
Each time I visit or work with Pastor Hector, I am blessed by his unwavering
faith in the Lord. His involvement in the ministry began with a chance
meeting with Pastor Sergio (below). His
infectious love of Christ and his faith quietly demonstrates he is a great
believer and evangelist.
Pastor Sergio Gomez Once you have meet him, you will never forget him. He has such a
heart for the Lord! He makes his home, Rancho Solo available to many ministry groups.
On
the streets of a Texas/Mexican border town at 11, a gang member, fending
for himself.He awoke one day
to realizehe was the only
member of the original gang still alive.
After
spending time in and out of jail, he started to turn his life around.Sergio bought his first house, a car, then learned how to be a
mechanic.However,he felt a growing compassion for his people and their plight. He
enrolled at Bible College in Eaglepass, Texas and graduated with aBachelor in Sacred History. Later, atDallas Christian College he received his Bachelor in Theology.
After
moving to Tijuana and now Pastor Sergio founded a church in 1964. The new
church did not satisfy his calling to help street kids.He subsequently founded CITY OF REFUGE, an orphanage for 67
children.Sergio’s family
members carry on that ministry.In
1985 Sergio setup a second orphanage caring for 45 children, and in 1987
he built his third, NEW LIFE ORPHANAGE with 18 children.
That
was just the beginning!A small wrinkle in time brings us to now and a desperate
need.
The
Welfare Dept. of Tijuana estimates there are 6000 homeless children in the
streets of Tijuana. The Tijuana prison, originally designed to hold 1000
inmates, presently houses 6000 criminals. One problem is the Mexican
prison system allows entire families to live in the prison population with
criminal population.350
CHILDREN now live in the Tijuana jail. Sergio Gomez wants to break some of
those kids out.The newest
orphanage, CITY OF ANGELS was established for these (and other) kids.The first phase of construction is complete and the first
kids have already moved in.
Pastor Sergio is a engine for Christ in Tijuana! Please pray for both of
these Pastors!
Pastor Alvin Morales, and his wife Patti, planted a church in Valle
Verde in 1993 and received a BCM home. BCM groups, among others,
helped construct the church building and medical clinic. Through
God's blessing, and faithful work by his servants Alvin and Patti, the
church has grown to 500 members and Alvin plans to plant other churches as
God leads. Once on the peripheral edge of Tijuana, Valle Verde has
undergone tremendous change and growth, and the area remains an outreach
focus for project groups. Presently, he is helping with a church
plant in Diez de Mayo. He and members of his congregation are major
team members in our crusades in various communities
Pastor Jorge Castanada
Jorge Castaneda, and his wife Bertha, are pastoring our new church in
the coastal colony of Cumbres located in western Tijuana. The church
was founded with the help of Lake Avenue Congregational Church in Pasadena
which provides continued support through BCM, and is building the church
and parsonage. Jorge has extensive experience working with orphans
at a local orphanage and has a real burden to reach youth, as well as
adults. Playing the guitar, he and his family members also play praise and
worship music at crusades and rallies. The church in Cumbres is only a
little more than a year old. They currently have about 13 families and
about 70 in attendance.
I was born in South Africa. I had a
difficult early childhood. I was in high school when I had my first taste of
missionary work. I belonged to a volunteer club and we worked during school
holidays to help the less fortunate. I knew then at, eleven years old, that
one day I would be doing volunteer work full time.
I went to college and I served in the military. Later I started and ran my
own engineering company. I also ran a feeding program for street kids. I
managed to get some kids off the streets and back into school but I felt I
could do so much more.
A couple of years ago I made the life changing decision to get rid of my
house and assets to work fulltime as a volunteer. I put my self in Gods
hands and said to him " Do with me as you will"
A few days after 9/11, I found myself working as a volunteer in New
York city helping out any way I could. Still on the move, I went to
Pennsylvania hoping to open a trauma/rehab center for young people.
Unfortunately I was unable to get it off the ground.
I was given pastor Hectors email address by a mutual friend.
Hector and I communicated for eight months. I was able, with the help of a
local church in Pennsylvania, to raise enough money for me to travel to
Tijuana. When I got here, I lived and worked as a volunteer at pastor
Sergio's orphanage in La Gloria for two months.
Have no real means of financial support, Pastor Hector has graciously taken
me into his home, offering me a place to sleep and food to eat. He is a
great blessing to me. I will always be grateful to him. "Thank you Hector"!
I hope that
one day I will be in a position to be able to work more closely with the
local people and hopefully live within the community. There is so much to do
here. I pray every day to God and ask that I can do more, to reach out to
more people and lead them to his love.
I feel
greatly blessed to be able to serve God by serving the people here. I am
learning to love unconditionally. I am learning humility and true faith. I
see Gods great work every day.
