Seventy-seven volunteers descended upon Casa Verde in Reynosa, Mexico on Saturday, June 21, for partnering work, and I mean work, with Isaiah 55 Deaf Ministries (I-55). Casa Verde serves as the headquarters for I-55. Ministry offices, storage depots, team dorms, staff lodging, a dining room, kitchen and corporate meeting areas are all there at the “green house.” And it is from Casa Verde that volunteer work teams were dispatched daily to various places to do various work in conjunction with I-55's mission.
NoNo and Kate Beale, CPC-supported missionaries, serve as the field directors for I-55.
Of the 77 volunteers, 33 came from our church here in Chattanooga. The rest of the week-long work/ministry force came from PCA churches in Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; and Lecanto, Florida. Our team was awesome . . . and so were the others! I’m reluctant to use that term “awesome.” It tends to be overused and depleted of its real meaning. But, I can’t think of a better way to describe the tireless, selfless, joyful labor under some pretty difficult conditions of all 77.
Although I-55's principle work is the education, evangelization and discipleship of deaf children and their families, many opportunities for ministry and service to the greater Reynosa community exist. Our teams visited two orphanages in Reynosa — one Catholic and the other administered by the local state government. At the state orphanage, our team conducted a VBS and sports camp program one day. We were also able to do similar ministry (VBS and sports camp) for four mornings at another “alternative” school in Reynosa.
Construction-type work occupied a majority of our team’s days at several sites. I-55's recently acquired parcel of property, which will replace the leased space at Casa Verde, was cleared, cleaned and prepared for new construction. A grande cookout took place here one night with all the volunteers, I-55 staff, deaf students and their families, as well as residents from the neighborhood. Teams worked at an also completed “Ronald McDonald” type residential facility for families whose children were being treated at a local hospital in Reynosa. Teams also worked on some construction projects at Casa Verde.
Perhaps the most demanding physical labor occurred at Kelly’s place. Kelly Green is a young, single missionary in Reynosa and a dear friend to I-55. She ministers in one of the poorest areas of Reynosa where the infamous “Boystown” is located. This walled-off city block is home to legalized prostitution and probably every other vice. Kelly’s ministry focus is particularly towards the young women and single mothers who work within the confines of this “community.” Our teams helped in the on-going construction of ministry houses that will lodge work teams and serve as a base for this outreach.
Pictures of our trip should be posted on the church’s website soon or check out www.isaiah55.org. CPC’s team is scheduled to report on our trip next Sunday evening, July 13. Thanks for all your prayers and support. It was a great trip.
Pastor Mullinax