Pharr Update
Hello all!
It has been incredible and I’m excited to briefly share with you how God has been working here!
I got plugged in right away this summer. The work is very physically demanding and time-consuming, but also very rewarding. For example, on days two and three, I shoveled dirt to fill potholes in the church lawn for 6 hours a day. The local church that I’m working with, Iglesia Misionera Cristo Vive (Christ Lives Missionary Church) rents property on a campground. The church was started around 30 years ago by Hugo and Eunice Moya in the garage of their house. Since then, the church has held its services in a tire shop, and now, at the camp. The church has also just purchased a new building to be the permanent location in Pharr. The building was abandoned for about 20 years, so it is in total disrepair. The support beams are rusted, the windows are all missing, the roof has holes in it. I got to help clean up garbage bags full of rotting insulation, dirt, and garbage that people had left in it. The pastor of the church, Hugo Moya, passed away on April 10th this year in an accident while working on this new building. The church and the Moya family hope to open the new home of Iglesia Misionera Cristo Vive on April 10th, 2022, in honor of the work and legacy of Pastor Moya.
The church runs a sizable food distribution ministry from the camp, as well. We receive 10-15 pallets of food each week from local ministries and churches, mostly of fruits and vegetables. These pallets of food are then sorted, to make sure the produce is fresh. Then, on Saturdays, members of the church help pack the food into boxes and bags to be distributed to families. We usually pack around 200 boxes, and it takes 6-8 hours. I have learned more than any person ever should about the smell of rotting fruit. Then, on Sundays, after the church holds its service, the same families that packed the food help distribute it to people in the community. Families drive for hours to receive the food that we give out. Two weeks ago, the church, which only consists of around 30 consistent members, provided food to 598 people. Praise God!
I spend most of my time here leading groups of week-long mission trips, mostly for high school students. Border Perspective, the ministry that I’m serving, has students from all over the US come to serve in South Texas for 5 days at a time. I help by cooking, cleaning, and doing anything that needs to be done around camp, as well as leading teams during the day. We send teams to different ministries, churches, and organizations to serve for about six hours a day. They work hard to support these local ministries by doing mostly physical labor. Painting walls, moving gravel, shoveling holes, sorting clothing donations, cooking, packing food bags, cutting grass, moving garbage, and much more. I am blessed to be able to lead groups of these students on these service days throughout the week. It is incredible to see them so tired, yet so energized by the work they do and the effect it has on the community. They are excited to serve God by serving His people in South Texas.
Another facet of my job, while I’m here, is to be a “media intern.” That means I take pictures of the teams doing all the fun stuff they do! I’ll attach some of my favorite pictures from the weeks.
God is moving is South Texas and I’m excited and honored to be a part of it. My eyes are opened more and more each day to the need here. Yes, the border is a major hot topic in the news and politics, but those things miss what is perhaps the most important part: people need help. More than money and far away support, these people need hands to come and serve at the border. The teams that come to Pharr through Border Perspective are living out the biblical call to go. While they’re here, students' eyes are opened to the real issues at the border. They see the pain and hardship of young families who have just made it to America, as well as the hope and joy they have at finally being here. They see churches without roofs support the needs of hundreds of families. They witness the rawness of the border and their hearts change. They begin to understand that this great nation is filled with brokenness that can only be healed if they act. They are challenged to evaluate their responsibility as Christians, knowing what they know after a week in South Texas.
I know that my heart is being changed by this place and I’m so glad to be here.
¡Gloria a Dios!
Nicholas Pederson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nicholas will be serving in South Texas from June 8th - August 8th, 2021 as part of our Leadership-Development Program. He is involved in serving alongside Iglesia Misionera Cristo Vive, working as support office staff for Border Mission and supporting the Border Perspective’s mobilization program.