Mexico Mission Trips - the beginning of Mission of Hope I became involved in world missions in 2001, leading church mission teams to Mexico to build houses for the poor in 2002, 2003, and 2004. I called these Mexico mission trips "Mission of Hope", which described what I was trying to do - bring hope to the poorest of the poor. As a church elder and Ministry Team Leader for World Missions, I was also building a missions program which would introduce adults, youth, and families to world missions. My experiences in Mexico helped prepare me for more intense missions projects later in Sri Lanka (Tsunami & Civil-war), Mississippi & Louisana (Huricane Katrina), and Kenya.
The Missions of Hope in 2001-2004 took place in the El Florido area Northeast of Tijuana, Mexico. These missions were done in support of and under the direction of Mexico Caravan Ministries (http://www.mexicocaravanministries.com). This ministry was started in June of 1984 by David Burdette (a missionary with the Baptist General Conference). Mexico Caravan Ministries is a missions mobilization ministry whose primary objective is the revelation of God's heart for the world, the presentation of His plan for worldwide missions and the motivation of His people to take part in His global plan. Groups come from all over North America and typically spend a few days to a week learning about world missions and building homes for local families in need. I felt that this ministry was an ideal venue for teaching youth and adults about world missions in a rustic, yet controlled, safe environment. One of the biggest impacts from these mission trips was for me discovering that I was very interested in world missions as a missionary in addition to promoting it for others.