We made it to Chiapas, Mexico with a group of 16 from Birmingham We are excited to continue building relationships with the amazing people and places of the region with our wonderful missionary hosts, Salvador and Irma. We look forward to seeing what can flourish from the mustard seed that was planted by our 2022 trip!
We had the immense honor of attending the dedication of the new church building in Ciudad Agraria - a very small, rural community high in the hills. Last year our team wrote a grant that was funded by the Independent Presbyterian Church Foundation to complete the construction of the church. The outpouring of love and depth of gratitude, combined with the joyful worship and heartfelt prayers of the community, moved all of us emotionally
We returned to the community that captured our hearts last year, and they welcomed us with a huge banner and the smiles of over 400 children (which led to our tears of joy). We spent the day staffing a medical clinic, playing games with the children, sharing music with one another, and completing electrical work in the church. We all agreed that this is the most remote place we have ever been, and, despite that, one of the most connected communities we have ever observed
We returned for a work day to assist in applying primer and turning on power to the church (also made possible by a generous grant from the Independent Presbyterian Church Foundation) Our favorite part was having the kids join us in the work when they got out of school! Before we left, we were able to give each of the girls a special piece of jewelry that they hand-selected from our (free) jewelry store. The smiles on their faces were priceless.
We spent the day painting, repairing a swing set, and visiting with the congregation at El Buen Pastor (the Good Shepherd) church in the town 20th Noviembre The women prepare 3 meals per day for 150 people in their outdoor kitchen over an open flame Emphysema is a leading cause of death in women in Chiapas due to smoke inhalation from cooking! They are hoping to build a betterventilated kitchen and dining hall over the next year We then visited another congregation hoping to build a roof over their church under construction. Finally, we closed the day with a very special church (Templo Sinai in Ruiz Cortinez) celebrating the 4 year anniversary of their dedication. The service was filled with beautiful music by all ages of the congregation, a guest musical appearance by our team (video below!), a wonderful sermon by Rev David Seamon, and a pouring out of gratitude and prayers for their friends at Independent Presbyterian Church
SPECIAL THANKS to Emily Vanlandingham for the stories and photos to create this Photo Book.
IPC is forever grateful to you
