In a matter of hours, the river rose. Homes vanished, swept away by the swirling floodwaters. Roads and bridges flooded, making them completely impassable. The mission team from The Church on Rush Creek in Arlington watched and prayed for the families who had just lost everything. The team was stranded, and their mission changed.

 

“What started out as a VBS compassion trip turned into a humanitarian mission to help flood victims,” team member Bree Adams said.

 

The team arrived in Morelos, Mexico on a Saturday—July 3—prepared to conduct a Vacation Bible School with a local church and minister to the city’s homeless living in the dump ground. Rush Creek has sent teams to Morelos for the past five years, and has built a strong relationship with the people. The church partners with Rancho dos Countries, a ministry run by Fernando and Debra Martinez to serve families living in the dump.

 

“We start planning this trip in February,” Brian McFadden, the community pastor at Rush Creek, said. “Throughout the year we’re sending school supplies and food and all kinds of supplies down there. We’ve taken groups of men to build a soup kitchen. We’ve worked on the ranch where teams stay when they come in. We have a long-term relationship with that ministry.

 

“There are probably 50 to 100 people living in the dump. We meet different people every time we’re there. They are the homeless of the community. They live in the dump because they make a living by going through people’s trash. They sort through to find aluminum cans and other items they can resell for money. They build makeshift houses out of tarps and old discarded mattresses.”

 

This year’s plans were no different from previous years. The team would conduct Vacation Bible School at the Primera Iglesia Bautista. They were also taking supplies to the soup kitchen in the dump, known as the Dream Center. This multi-purpose structure has bathroom and shower facilities and provides soap, shampoo, and other hygiene items. It also has a small schoolroom where a volunteer teacher comes in to teach the children living in the dump ground.

 

Primarily, though, it provides meals for the people living in the dump. This year, however, that food went to help the people of community as well as the homeless.

 

Change of plans

The team had only just begun their work when a wave of storms from tropical depression Alex hit the area. The storm system released so much water that the area quickly flooded as water surged through on its way down from the nearby mountains in northern Mexico.

 

What had begun as a mere trickle of water a few feet deep and a few feet wide roared to life overnight. Within three hours of the rains starting, the 14-foot-high bridge spanning the Rio Grande between Mexico and Texas was under water. By the next morning the full force of the river rushed through, taking out anything in its path.

 

“We got to do a couple of things on our schedule, but because of the rain and floods it changed all of our plans. We had taken down a whole lot of food and supplies for the Dream Center, so we used that food to give to other families affected by the flood as well. Because of the flooding, all of a sudden, the regular community had nothing.”

 

Though stranded by the flood and their plans for the week impeded, the team did not let their circumstances hinder them from ministering to the people around them. They chose to stay and help the families in any way they could.

 

The area hardest hit was Zaragoza, a smaller city outside of Morelos. The river had been a dry riverbed for as long as many residents could remember. When the flood came through unexpectedly, it washed away homes and roads. Homes that were not washed away were filled with mud. The people were cut off from the larger cities around them, unable to go into town to buy food.

 

“We traveled to the area, which was about 15 minutes from where we were staying, when reports of the flood came in,” Adams said. “I thought a couple of streets would be flooded. We did not expect the river that raged through the town and tore the bridge down. Many of the residents do not have electricity and did not know that another 20 inches of water was expected or a tropical depression was coming. We were concerned for them getting to safety and being aware of the danger.”

 

The team collected food that had been donated for the Dream Center, what was available at the ranch, and pooled their own resources to buy enough beans and tortillas to feed 700 families for two days. They drove around to the most affected areas to distribute food to those who needed it most.

 

“We brought light and hope and much needed food and clothes to these residents,” Adams said. “We saw some salvations while we were delivering food. It was amazing how God took what money we could spare and fed so many families. It was the loaves and fishes scenario all over again.”

 

The team also set up a station at the community center, located on high ground, where people could come and check in to find out who had made it to safety. They were able to distribute food and go ahead with their VBS activities with the children of the community from this new location.

 

Even after the flood receded and roads became passable again, many team members remained in the area a few extra days to help clean out houses filled with mud. They provided cleaning supplies and helped families remove mud from their homes.

 

“This experience is a solid reminder that although I am here at home, there are missionaries in the field whose work did not stop when the week was over,” Adams said. “They will continue to serve and continue to help. Their work started before the flood and will continue after the flood. There is so much work God has for us to do. It is so easy to get lost in our own lives and forget about God’s children that need our action.”

 

The team returned home on July 11, and Rush Creek is already making plans and preparations to return to the area in the next couple months. They continue to collect food and money to send to their partners to distribute to those who need it.

 

“I pray that there would be no more overwhelming rain and for the continued well-being and hope of the people,” Adams said. “I also pray that Texans would go a step beyond prayer and put those prayers into action.

 

Rosita, Mexico

In the last few days, the city of Rosita in the mountains also experienced severe flooding. The team’s missionary partners, still in Mexico, are working diligently to feed hundreds of people sitting on the roadsides begging for food.

 

Rancho dos Countries has distributed 9,000 pounds of donated food and water, but more is needed. More storms are expected to wash through the area.

 

It costs $2 to feed a family for a day. If you would like to donate to this ministry that is making such a difference in the lives of so many in Mexico, you may do so through PayPal on the ministry’s website at ranchodoscountries.com.

 

Disaster relief Teams sent

The SBTC has disaster relief teams deployed along the border to help the Morelos area as well as other areas affected by flooding from tropical depression Alex.

For more information on getting involved in the disaster relief efforts, contact Jim Richardson by e-mail at jrichardson@sbtexas.com or by phone at 940-704-9346. You may donate to Disaster Relief online by credit card or writing a check to “Disaster Relief.” All funds go directly toward current or future disaster relief efforts. Checks should be mailed to the SBTC office at PO Box 1988, Grapevine 76099-1988.