Praying for our Mission Team

One of my heroes in the world is Marcos Samaniego. Marcos is a big man who has a heart that outsizes his body. You can’t help but feel good in his presence. Not only does he have a great sense of humor and an accommodating spirit, he has a spiritual presence that makes you aware of something profound going on.

Marcos is a trained physician who lives in El Paso but chooses to practice across the river in Juarez. It is an unusual choice for most people. You see, Marcos could make much more money by practicing in El Paso. He chooses to practice in Juarez because of his commitment to Christ and his understanding that God has called him to cross the Mexican border each day to practice his medicine and his Christianity in Juarez.

I met Marcos through a ministerial friend of mine who said, “You’ve just got to meet this guy. He’s the real deal.” And real deal he is. Besides the many medical clinics he has set up in the Colonias, the poorest section of Juarez, Marcos cannot bear the sight of a homeless child. Thus, he has developed several orphanages which take in children and give them back a future. Marcos has not only a heart for ministry but he has an incredible work ethic that strives for excellence. His homes and his clinics are run with a sense of competent care that rivals similar institutions in the States.

Over the years I have had the good fortune of listening to adults and young people talk about their experiences in Juarez. Churches I have served have yoked up with Dr. Samaniego to build clinics and homes. The model for our collaboration consisted of asking Dr.Samaniego to determine places that needed health or home care. The churches then developed construction teams of adults who took on the responsibilities inherent in building the buildings. Then, in the summer, youth groups went to host Vacation Bible Schools, sports camps, and other activities for the youth in those areas.

Amazing things took place on the other side of the border. I watched as people would go and share Christ in all sorts of ways. I watched in awe one day where a youth leader and her entourage discovered that a large portion of the young people they were working with had no shoes, and in response took theirs off and gave them to them. I watched older adults become so convicted with the work there that they came back home and immediately enrolled in a Spanish class so that they could better communicate upon their return.

The conversion that takes place in Mexico and other mission fields is not only one of foreign boys and girls, men and women being introduced to Christ. It is also the transformation that takes place in the lives of those people who go to serve. In short, people who go on a mission trip become missionaries for life.

This week a group of young people and their sponsors are going on a mission venture to Chattanooga. There they will work with inner-city children and do various work projects. My hunch is that in their work and play they are going to experience the love of Christ in personal ways . . . so personal that they will return glowing with a divine joy. I can’t wait to see what is going to happen. In the meantime, I want to pray for experiences that change lives forever, don’t you?