Last week was a phenomenal week spent with 35 YouthFront Staff at the YouthFront Mission Site in Croc outside of Monterrey, Mexico. Only a small percentage of our staff has actually been there. Even though most of our staff can articulate the basic story of what is happening in Croc the depth of what is really going on there was quite overwhelming to those visiting for the first time. We built two houses. We have now built more than 30 homes along with our home base and Community Center. We worked on several other projects like setting up the After School Program in the new home we recently purchased. We are feeding 150 kids a day who are in our After School Program. Those of us who travel frequently to Croc have been able to watch a group of young people grow up and become young adults who are now taking responsibility within the community of Croc. This trip was a wonderful experience for our staff, a time of intense team building. We laughed, played, talked, worked, cried, ate, celebrated, and prayed together. Dedicating a home and turning the keys over to a family in need (a home that you have constructed, through blood, sweat and tears) is an amazing and emotional experience. Our staff living in Kansas City has a new appreciation for our staff who resides in Croc for a significant part of the year. We had several long conversations about the complexity of ministry and effective community development in a place like Croc. We examined the typical short-term mission experience for North American teenagers and its effect on their Christian Formation compared to the continuity of community building and the long term impact this has, not only on our youth but also the people we are serving in Croc. We held a huge community fiesta filled with games, music and dancing. The opportunity to have fun and celebrate in a Christian context is something very foreign but extremely compelling for the people of Croc. Most of the churches in Croc embrace a legalism that would make Bob Jones look permissive. I am so blessed and fulfilled with what God has allowed us to participate in and accomplish in Croc. Kurt and Emily Rietema have done such a great job of leading this program for the last several years. It is so cool that our staff now fully comprehends how awesome Croc, the Rietema’s and the rest of our staff there is. Here are
a couple more pictures followed by a link to a lot more pictures.
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