On Saturday, February 29, 2020, the United Methodist Church Desert Southwest Conference sent a group of short-term missionaries to Puerta Peñasco for the 2020 1Mission house building project.
Lakeview, Willowbrook and guests joined forces this year with Pastor Ross Parrott, Susan Briner, Bev Amperse, Liz Peck, Glenn Allinger, Harold Glick, Kim Parks, and Jim and Carole Smith. These nine workers joined together for the second weekend of a four weekend house build.
We were very blessed to help build with the Benitez Osorio family. Emanuel is a construction worker who also works at Flavio’s Restaurant, downtown. He works very hard, and brings in $65 per week. Emanuel and his wife, Francisca, have three children. Francisca’s mother, Benita, lives with them, too, and helps care for the kids.
Francisca is a homemaker who is taking a sewing class with 1Mission. Our gift of a sewing machine was well-timed; now, Francisca can make goods to sell and improve her family’s standard of living.
A generous monetary gift was also donated to this family and one other, so that they may choose to meet a specific building need such as adding utilities, building interior walls, or purchasing beds, curtains or other housewares.
These are simple choices for us; we take them for granted. But, the Benitez Osorio family does not see these in the way we do. These are precious gifts from American friends they will remember for years and years to come.
The material kindness that we have offered this family has greatly established and enriched them and their prospects, moving forward. For this bounty of blessings, they are extremely grateful to Jesus and to you. Thank you, so very much, on their behalf!
Each candidate family with 1Mission must agree to volunteer, learn or teach some type of community-builder or life skill for 400 hours before constructing a home through 1Mission.
After building their homes, many 1Mission aid recipients continue to serve with 1Mission. They enjoy serving the community and consider their work a gesture of thanks to Jesus, and to folks who made their dreams a reachable goal.
Thank you, Lakeview family, for making this a wonderful mission trip with many possibilities for life-giving growth. Not only did we see a family’s destiny turn around, but we also saw other churches from other denominations recognize that 1Mission activities are great for kids of all ages. 2019 and 2020 have been difficult years for volunteering; the numbers of missionaries dropped markedly. For this reason, 1Mission and the needy families of Puerto Peñasco are all the more grateful for your kind hand in their lives. Thank you!
May God bless you in His love and His abundance. May you find yourself planted firmly in the center of His will, each and every day of your lives.
With much, much love, Jim and Carole Smith
