Jack Westburg's Mexico Mission

Who?
The community of Cerro Azul and its inhabitants


What?
Building homes for some homeless families in the community (most likely.)


Where?
Cerro Azul, Tecate, México
A desert town that is about 45 minutes east of Tijuana


When?
July 2016 for one week.


Why?
To benefit the community of Cerro Azul and make it a better place to live.


Where is the money going?
The money will be used to pay for supplies, food, and transportation to Tecate.


Why does it matter to me?
The money will go to helping families who are homeless and under dire circumstances have a home to feel safe in or to make a larger community center to feed over 500 hungry children. I will be flying down to Tecate and staying for a week with the rest of the church's Mission's Team to help accomplish this goal.


How will the money going to you be beneficial?
I am a volunteer worker doing what God is calling me to do. The money will be used to transport the team and I to Tecate so that we can help the men, women, and children who need assistance in Cerro Azul. It will also be there to keep us alive during our stay.




A brief recap of the previous mission:

Last year was my first Mission’s trip. I hadn’t done anything like what we were about to experience. We loaded our stuff into the trailer and sent it off and, a few days later, hopped on a plane and flew down to San Diego, California.

From there we got into vans and drove through the desert to the Tecate Port of Entry on the Mexican Border. Our trailer was stopped and they told us to get out of the vans. We stood up along a fence with armed guards standing at attention on either side of us. The trailer was unloaded so we may take our bags out. Each and every bag was run through an X-ray machine and were then given to us by a very serious, gun-wielding border patrolman. We were told to wait on the other side of the border, in Mexico, for the other members of our party. A few people had tools in their bags and the tools were thoroughly inspected.

The trailer and vans finally made it through and we were allowed to go drive freely on the streets of Tecate. After we had travelled down the highway for a while, looking at the foreign scenery, we turned off into the community of Cerro Azul. Across the dirt roads, we went up to a small facility referred to as “The Mountaintop.” Upon arrival, the members of our crew jumped out of the van immediately to meet the waiting party. There was an instant feeling of joy when they saw each other. Although I didn’t know these people who joyously hugged the Mission’s Team, it was clear that they had a deep, unshakable bond. It was clear that God had united these very different people for a reason.

The first-timers on the Mission’s Team were quick to meet the nationals and communicate with them despite the language barrier. The people, whom I had never met, quickly became great friends even though we couldn’t understand each other’s languages. It was a truly beautiful sight to see. On Sunday, a sermon was given by Divino Salvador’s Lead Pastor, Pablo, in Spanish and by Mountainview’s Lead Pastor, Tom, in English (with Pablo providing Spanish Simulcast.) It was beyond influential to see people affected the same way by the same words in different languages.

We worked hard throughout the week and woke up at 5:30am every morning to make sandwiches for the work site, eat breakfast, and grab our work gloves. Each evening we held a VBS (Vacation Bible Study) for the children in the community to learn the grace of God. Over the course of the week we built a Community Center in front of the church Divino Salvador that would allow the church to gain free food from the government and distribute it to the hungry in Cerro Azul, providing breakfast to over 500 children who don't usually get food in the morning.

In the evening of our final day in Tecate, the community gathered with us around the new building, anticipating the time they could go inside. Tom and Pablo gave a speech about how important the building is for the community and how God will use the building to change the lives of community members. We all placed our hands on the side of the building and prayed for its good use. There was a celebration immediately following the doors opening. The kids were given craft projects to build and they were all given books donated by Mountainview's Members to read (in Spanish, of course.) Other kids ran around and had sword fights with glowsticks. Adults wrangled the children and said goodbye to the Mountainview Team. Near the end, we gathered in the church with a few community members and their children. We listened Pablo speak about one of the families in the room. A woman, whose name I never learned, started walking around with a box, handing things out to people. Pablo was telling us how her family of five had no house, no food, no money, and no clean water. Even though they couldn't afford it, she wanted to express her gratitude towards our determination to change lives in the community by making us all something special. Even though she lived in a makeshift shed with buckets hanging from the ceiling, she took the time to make us all roses with thread and paper. They had a little spray of perfume on them as well so they would feel real. I didn't see her again after that, but I still have the rose.


I’m eager to return to Cerro Azul to make a difference in the lives of our friends in Mexico and to make the community a better place. This year, we plan on either building a house for the woman who gave us the roses, or improving the previously built structure by adding a second story.

Thank you for helping out!!



There is a tax-deductible option available as well! Send me a message using the contact button below and I'll send you the form!