February 2006
Laredos Unidos
We were appointed two years ago by PC(USA) as mission co-workers
and assigned to Laredos Unidos in Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo,
Tamaulipas, Mexico. Little did we imagine the changes that would
occur in the ministry or in us. Laredos Unidos is one of seven
sites of Presbyterian Border Ministry (PBM), which is partnership
between PC(USA) and the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico.
Laredos Unidos works in direct cooperation with the Presbytery
Noreste of Mexico.
When we arrived in Laredo we found a ministry engaged in give-aways.
This was in direct opposition to the mission statement of PBM,
which believes in creating independence of the Mexican people
and the Mexican church. This was a difficult tendency to change.
Our ministry has grown since we arrived. At first, Laredos Unidos
supported two Mexican churches, both in Nuevo Laredo. Now, two
years later, in cooperation with PBM, the National Presbyterian
Church of Mexico and Presbytery Noreste, the ministry has:
- Closed the two existing churches
- Built a new church in a new colonia in Nuevo Laredo
- Took responsibility for a closed church in Nuevo Laredo
- Expanded the ministry into Saltillo, Mexico
Laredos Unidos is also contemplating, at the behest of parties
mentioned above, fusing with another border site. In doing so,
Laredos Unidos would double in size, churches, and responsibility.
How have we changed? In two years, we have survived health crises.
We have grown in our skills, personal and ministerial. We thank
PC(USA) for sending us to language school, so now we can relate
more effectively with our partner, Noé, and the people
we minister to. It has been a wild, sometimes bumpy ride, and
we look forward to what God has in store for the ministry and
us.
John and Diane Davis
The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
66 |
