CrossRoads Missions is asking for your support in our ongoing ministry to and with the refugee population in Piedras Negras. The difficult conditions of 2020 have placed an increased strain on our resources dedicated to this ministry. We currently only have enough funding to continue for another month before it would become necessary to scale back aspects of our ministry. Please consider donating to assist our ministry.
The difficult and unpredictable circumstances of 2020 have forced many refugees to stay in our city of Piedras Negras longer than they ever expected. U.S. Customs remain closed at least until the start of the new year. There is a cautious optimism that, in 2021, asylum hearings will be able to begin as scheduled and without further delays. While we eagerly look forward to these refugees being able to pursue new opportunities in the United States, the chaos of this year has allowed us to put off saying difficult goodbyes and nurture meaningful relationships.
Meanwhile, we have developed a new aspect to our ministry by making care packages and delivering them to families or individuals in need. The contents of these care packages range from cleaning supplies to food products, including some from Venezuela to provide a small taste of home. Through these care packages, we have been made aware of many new refugees that we had not yet been able to connect with, while also reconnecting with some who have withdrawn during the chaos of this year.
Our work days continue on a regular basis, currently providing opportunities to four Venezuelans. We see this as a beautiful opportunity to help people who have lost work because of the shut downs and general commotion of the pandemic as well as integrating our refugee ministry with our ongoing work in the neighborhood.
The open meal program at Good Samaritan has been able to return to normal operation and plays a vital role in caring for both the physical and spiritual needs within the refugee community in our city. This meal service has been invaluable in creating opportunities for CrossRoads to connect with new arrivals in the city, as well as connecting refugees to one another.
The Ranch is constantly being pushed to its capacity as they try to provide shelter and security to refugees who have nowhere else to stay. The difficulties and dangers that they are fleeing have only been amplified by COVID-19, as has these refugees’ desperate desire to find somewhere better for their families.
For many of our refugees, the experiences that brought them to our city and to encounter our team have made them extremely receptive to hearing God speak in their lives. This is a first-time experience for some. A church that meets in the community center in the neighborhood, Iglesia Betania, has been blessed with a surge of refugees wanting to be a part of their community of faith. In recent weeks they have had as many as 55 refugees at their services. The gathering of people from so many different countries and different circumstances to praise and grow nearer to our Lord has been a beautiful thing to see grow.
We thank you for your continued prayers and financial support making much of what we do to care for the refugees in our city possible. Currently our funding for our refugee ministry is running out, with only enough money to continue all of its facets for a month. We would ask that you search your heart in prayer and consider making a one-time donation or even a recurring gift so that we can continue to care for our brothers and sisters to the best of our ability.
