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Building Relationships and Understanding Across Borders
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| David Oman Cifuentes (l) and his mother Lilia Velazquez (c) of Cafe Justo teaching Robert Uribe (r), owner of Galiano's Café in Douglas, how to make coffee "talega style". |
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September 30, 2015
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30 de septiembre, 2015 |
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A Message From The Board of Directors
This is a very exciting time in the life of Frontera de Cristo. At our September board meeting, we chose the contractor to build the Cafe Justo y Mas coffee shop, officially welcomed Rosendo Sichler Rubio, as our Street Pastor and Jake, Melissa and Chris as our Young Adult Volunteers, discussed the renewed vision of the Centro Comunitario Nueva Esperanza and as always had great reflection, fellowship and food.
September has been a wonderfully full month of ministry and the coming months provide us with exciting new opportunities: Bi-national Art Walk, Taste of Chiapas, Multimedia Workshop in Chiapas and much more (see below).
We are grateful for your partnership in our ministry and continue to need your prayers, encouragement and support! Please consider supporting your ministry here on the border with a one time or recurring
gift and/or in anyway that God may lead you to participate
(
Top Ten List: ways to support your b-national ministry
)!
On behalf of your ministry on the border,
Jeni O'Callaghan Ramon Garcia Jeff Krongaard Carmina Sanchez
President Vice President Treasurer Secretary
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Coffee, Migration and Faith
Small Business Delegation
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| View of Volcano Tacana from Salvador Urbina, Chiapas |
September 21-26 we facilitated a delegation of mostly small business owners to share life with the farming families of Cafe Justo. Below are the reflections of Conrad Rocha, Executive and Stated Clerk of the Synod of the Southwest PCUSA.
Café Justo has for several years been a ministry of social justice for which I have advocated. However, after spending 5 full days as a guest in the home of Hernan and Marquina Cifuentes, with their children and grandchildren in Salvador Urbina and having visited so many other members of the cooperative, I now realize that there is much more to my "advocacy" of this unique ministry of social justice.
Café Justo and all that it encompasses and all those whose lives are touched by it reflects a tangible expression of the Kingdom of God, of which all those who advocate or support it are beneficiaries. I went to Salvador Urbina to learn what impact the Synod of the Southwest's support of, and advocacy for, this ministry had made on the lives of the Socios (the Café Justo partners) and their families. I came back having been impacted by the sense of family, community and the love and trust in God which these people of little material means nurture in their daily lives.
I came back having experienced true Biblical hospitality, freely and graciously shared with others. That our encouragement of Café Justo, and the sales and marketing of its products, can be our contribution to making a positive difference in the lives of our sisters and brothers in Chiapas, Mexico almost seems insignificant when placed side by side with the love and graciousness which our hosts and their families shared with us during our visit.
So, what does Café Justo mean to me? In short it is the reality that I am not the "giver" in this relationship, I am the "receiver" of God's blessing and that everyone who buys, sells or drinks Café Justo is being blessed in ways in which they may never know or of which they may never be aware. But it is a blessing in their lives and certainly in mine. Thanks be to God.
The November Border to Border Delegation is full.
If you are interested in the November 2016 Border to Border Delegation, please email us.
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Imagine this . . .
by Brenda Cuellar, Migrant Resource Center US Coordinator
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Imagine this:
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| Hands of Brenda and Elisa |
You are running. Your heart is beating so quickly and you feel anxious and desperate. You are extremely out of breath. You have not eaten in days and you are dehydrated. You can't remember the last time you spoke with your family. And then you see lights. Someone screams orders at you in a language you do not know. You are handcuffed, detained for hours and get sent back to that which you were running from; poverty, violence, fear.
This was Elisa's experience right before she entered the Migrant Resource Center.
Elisa is one of the more than 85,000 men, women, and children the Migrant Resource Center has welcomed into its doors providing a safe space, food, water, coffee, first aid, phone calls, housing, medical, and transportation home referrals since it opened June 30, 2006. The Migrant Resource Center is open 365 days a year. Currently we are seeking persons who will be sustaining partners donate $25, $50, $100 or more monthly in order to continue to provide services for our sisters and brothers who find themselves far from home.
Click here
to set up a recurring donation on our secure online site and become a sustaining partners. Put MRC in Memo.
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| Dios Con Nostros, Immanuel, God With Us Delegations on the Border |
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| Lirio de los Valles and Immanuel participating in Bible School Together. |
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| Dios Es Amor "Family Portrait" |
Frontera de Cristo was happy to welcome two church delegations in the month of September. Joca Gallegos, FDC's Mexican Coordinator,helped facilitate the mission trip of Dios con Nosotros Presbyterian Church from Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas and Northminster Presbyterian Church of Tucson Arizona. They spent two days in Douglas/Agua Prieta sharing life and ministry with us. To view pictures of the delegation
click here.
We were also very grateful to God for our sisters and brothers of Immanuel Presbyterian Church who shared life and ministry with us at the the Lily of the Valley PC. Lily of the Valley organized a Bible School for both churches.
Click here to view pictures of the Immanuel delegation.
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Walking With Jesus
Through the Culture of Drugs to the Abundance of Life
by Rosendo Sichler Rubio, FDC "Pastor de la Calle/Street Pastor"
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| Dios Con Nosotros Leading Singing at CRREDA |
"They asked each other 'Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" --Luke 24:32
I cannot thank God enough for my calling to be Frontera de Cristo's Street Pastor, for this valuable Ministry and for the power to raise awareness and have many people come to the border to walk with Jesus and experience his Gospel.
We had the blessing of having a delegation from the Presbyterian Church "Dios con Nosotros" from Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas at the CRREDA facility. Together we experienced how Jesus Christ speaks to people today. We could see this through the beautiful moments of singing, of sharing experiences and of sharing the spirit with the students of this delegation and the people at CRREDA. Strong testimonies were shared and praises where sung by the group asking the residents of CRREDA to sing with them:
"Cansado del Camino/Worn Down"
"Un Dia a la Vez/One day at a time";
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If you are interested in participating in the Tucson Taste of Chiapas or organizing a Taste of Chiapas in your community, contact Mark Adams.
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Come join us for this unique art event October 9-12!
Douglas/Agua Prieta to host Bi-National Artwalk
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| A prototype of the Repellent Fence land art installation piece, to be assembled across the border in Agua Prieta and Douglas through Oct. 9 and 12. |
"There's been a surge of creative momentum this past year in Douglas as local artists explore ways to build community within our city and strengthen the relationship with our sister city, Agua Prieta, Sonora," Sanchez said. "We are using our skills as artists to reestablish what previously existed here: an interconnected borderlands culture where we share ideas, art, music, creativity and relationships."
To read entire article click here to go to the Douglas Dispatch. Additional information can be found at the Art Walk on G website.
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Flying Samaritans:
Health Care Across Borders
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We are grateful to students at the University of Arizona, the Flying Samaritans, for their great support during their first semester of health clinicals.
We had a total of 21 people who had their sugar levels, blood pressure, and weight checked some were treated for minor medical reasons.
For Luis José, who is losing his sight gradually and has to be on top of his health and has no health insurance, the Flying Samaritans monthly check-ups are a great blessing along with some of the medications they provide.
We each person in our prayers and we continue to pray for each student and doctor coming, not only do they give of their time, but also of their hearts to provide these needs to the community.
This great work is a blessing to this community in Agua Prieta, we look forward to their return next month.
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Looking to deepen your community's mission work? Mark Adams, Frontera de Cristo's US Coordinator, will be providing leadership for this three day conference. Come to Mission Magnified - a mission leader conference on
Nov. 19-21 in Kansas City, MO. Gather for worship and reflection, resourcing and practical tools. Only $100 to register, including meals! Learn more at
www.pcusa.org/mission-magnified
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Multimedia Workshop In Chiapas
January 9-16
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Frontera de Cristo is currently working with partner Stanley Leary, a professional videographer, to do a workshop with our partners of Café Justo helping build the understanding and appreciation of where our coffee comes from.
Check out this link to hear David Oman Cifuentes, secretary of the Café Justo cooperative, tell what Café Justo means to him and see the type of multimedia stories that will be produced in the workshop.
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| Support Frontera de Cristo by:
1) Joining us in giving thanks to God for: --the blessing of our call to witness that Jesus Christ is our peace across the borders that seek to divide us;
--for the former board members and staff who have already joined the great cloud of witnesses: Don Eckhardt Amelia del Pozo Betty Mae Seel Cecilia Castellanos Bertha Miramontes Margi Buehler
2) Praying with us for God's guidance and help in:
--Discerning where God is leading us as we seek a new Mexican Coordinator; --Responding to the reality of the impact of drugs on the families and communities of Agua Prieta; 3) Providing Support to the Migrant Resource Center:
-The MRC invites YOU to visit or volunteer. Come, learn, and be blessed by our brother and sister migrants.
-MRC Donation needs:
-Shoelaces
-Men's clothing
-Warm clothing (Winter is coming! Jackets, gloves, hats, etc.) -MRC Volunteers commute by bike-but we need helmets and bike lights! Please consider donating to help keep us safe on
the roads.
-Financial donations will help pay MRC operating costs, but food items when donations are scarce and keep our bicycles in operating condition.
3) Donating by clicking the donate now button. 
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