September 2013
A small agricultural village in Mexico called Ojos Negros lies off of the main highway, east of Ensenada, and consists of dirt roads, makeshift shelters, and limited utilities. Oscar, the local pastor there, has communicated with the home building organization, Hands of Mercy, that there is another family in need of a more permanent shelter. This is where Santa Clara First Baptist comes into the picture and is stepping up to help this family.
Last year, after pre-building a house in our church parking lot, a 13-member team from SCFBC transported a small loft house down to Ojos Negros to give to a family there. The Perez family (seen in the picture to the right) was amazed as we re-assembled the house in one day. The battered shelter they were living in was one room with a dirt floor, some mismatched walls, and a giant tarp for a roof. Their "kitchen" was a small campfire outside with a metal pot hanging over it. The new freshly painted loft house, assembled just inches away, had a wood floor, a secure front door, windows, an upstairs loft with mattresses, a propane stove, and two tubs full of supplies for their new home. The joy on their faces when we handed them the keys and a Spanish Bible was unforgettable.
Help Build in Santa Clara
Again this year, on Saturday, September 21st, we are going to meet in the Sanctuary parking lot with a pile of lumber to frame out another loft house to take to Ojos Negros. All ages are invited from 8:00am to 1:00pm to help nail together boards and lay out the pieces. We will conclude with a family style lunch in the Bethlehem Barn.
Help Build in Mexico
A team is being recruited to drive down to the Ensenada area on Friday, September 27th, assemble the house on that Saturday, and then drive back to the church on Sunday. The cost is $50/person to help with gas and food, and a passport is required. All ages are welcome and friends and family are encouraged to join this team.
Talk to the Mexico Team Leader, Jerry Cintas, at 408-390-4696 or jerry@scfbc.org if you want to be a part of the pre-build and/or delivery team or if you want to financially donate towards the $1000 still needed for the materials.