Mexico Update - 04.30.08

I've got some sad news about our mission trip this year.  The leadership of this mission has decided to cancel this trip as it stands at this time.

There is a Travel Alert from the U.S. State Department dated April 14, 2008, regarding travel in Mexico citing increased violence along the U.S./Mexican border. You can read about it HERE

We believe that ignoring such an alert in view of taking youth into the country is foolish. One of our highest concerns is for the safety of our youth participants.

Heavily armed drug cartels in Mexico have been in conflict with the police and military forces. Mexican President Felipe Calderón has been moving thousands of federal troops into northern Baja California to challenge drug cartel activity. A great deal of this violence and the violence between cartels is taking place in Tijuana.  Last Saturday there was a shootout in Tijuana between drug cartel members, which included the use of automatic weapons. The final toll, after deaths in a Tijuana hospital, was seventeen. HERE is a link to the story.

There has been some drug cartel activity in the Tijuana area for many years as well as non-drug related crime against American citizens. But we are seeing an escalation of this violence especially in the past year with the influx of Mexican military forces. We are also sensing a heightened civil unrest in the Tijuana area due to weak dollar causing factory layoffs along the border and exacerbating immigration issues as people feel the need to work in the U.S., legally or not. So, whereas we have felt relatively safe in Tijuana in past years we do not this year.

Contact has been made with other ministries in Baja or groups that do ministry there. Most are saying that it is a bad time to be in Mexico. When asked why the answer is usually “civil unrest” and “safety.” We have had quite a bit of experience in Mexico and we concur.

Students and parents are very disappointed about this decision (especially since more than 75% of the funds have been raised).  Many are disappointed because their lives have been changed on this trip in past years. So please pray for them AND for the Mexican people who are now living in fear on a daily basis. Also pray for the 5 homes that will not be built now because we are not going… which leads to prayer for Amor Ministries, who hosts us on this mission. I’m sure many mission teams are canceling their planned trips because of this.

Thank you for your prayers.

Comments

[LaDonna]

We will miss you and your team. If you have people still wanting to come, Amor has a 3-2-1 trip, Aug. 2-4. It is a great time to come and meet other people while helping families. For more information check out www.amor.org or give us a call.
Blessings.