Photo Submitted
Members of the mission team from the First Baptist Church of Madison took a quick picture on their way to Monterrey, Mexico to work at a children's home. Pictured, from left to right, are: Katie Krell, Andrea Krell, Kara Washington, Lillian Washington, Billy Washington, Holly Burket, Nita Fico, and Gage Washington.
Photo Submitted
Members of the mission team from the First Baptist Church of Madison help repair the roof at a children's home in Monterrey, Mexico.
Rick Patrick, Greene Publishing, Inc.
During Thanksgiving week of this year, a couple of families from the First Baptist Church of Madison traveled to Monterrey, Mexico to work at a children's home. Billy and Kara Washington; their two children, Gage and Lillian; Pastor Gabe Krell; his wife, Andrea; their daughter, Katie Krell; Holly Burket and Nita Fico, all worked in a children's home in the north eastern Mexico city, near the border of Texas. While in Monterrey, the Madison team helped repair the roof of the children's home, as well as painting, yard maintenance, and other work around the home. In the afternoons, the Madison volunteers took time to interact with the youngsters at the home, playing with them and helping to teach valuable social skills. Most of all, sharing the gospel message of love to those who may have otherwise felt forgotten and left behind. “It was exciting to see my own children playing and interacting with [the children at the home],” said Kara Washington, a teacher at Pinetta Elementary School.
The trip to Monterrey was undertaken with the cooperation of Back2Back Ministries. Back2Back Ministries is an international Christian non-profit organization dedicated to being a voice for orphans. “[Back2Back] strives to provide comprehensive care to all the children we serve, satisfying their spiritual, physical, emotional and social needs so they can overcome their life circumstances and be able to break the cycle of generational poverty,” states the ministry’s website.
For Thanksgiving day, the team spent the day with one of the “Hope Homes” in Monterrey. In Mexico, free education is only provided up until grade nine, leaving many unable to continue the education needed to break out of a vicious circle of poverty. The “Hope Homes” provide housing and educational support to those who would otherwise not be able to continue beyond a very rudimentary education. The Madison group worked with the young people at the Hope Home to prepare a huge feast that evening for about 150 people. That evening the group, along with their new found Mexican friends, enjoyed a Thanksgiving service with music, fellowship, and of course, a lot of good food.
The team from Madison helped build and strengthen physical buildings at the children's home in Monterrey. Moreover, they helped build and strengthen bonds of friendship and love that will surely be stronger and more lasting than any brick and mortar.