|
Fifteen-month-old Ezekiel relishes his biweekly front-yard frolics at grandpa Eddie Passmore’s home in Mariano Matamoros, a poor barrio on the eastern side of Tijuana. When Grandpa’s taking breaks from his ministry work there, Passmore said he enjoys watching the toddler explore his freedom while interacting with neighboring pint-sized peeps.
There is no fear.
You couldn’t tell, however, by the headlines:
“Progress in Mexico drug war is drenched in blood”
“Tijuana drug violence erupts anew, but the act is getting old”
“Violence in Mexico hits grisly level”
“Violent spillover from Mexico is focus of House hearing”
“Soldiers sent to Texas-Mexico border to curb drug war”
“Mexico troops move in to retake warring border city”
In the wake of numerous high-profile arrests of Mexico drug cartel leaders in recent years, an outburst of violence erupted last fall as warring factions fought for control of lucrative trafficking territory. Unlike the often-muted tones associated with the underground routing of drugs from Mexico into the United States, the murder sprees have played out on TV and front pages as gangsters haphazardly left calling cards in the form of tortured bodies.
In February, the mayor of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico—across the border from El Paso—relinquished his post after cartel members killed two of his officers and threatened to assassinate more every 48 hours unless he resigned.
And on Feb. 20, the U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory for Mexico, in advance of the popular spring break festivities south of the border, urging visitors to be cautious.
But Christian ministry workers living in the area scoff at the media reports, calling them sensationalized, adding that the violence is isolated to drug and gang neighborhoods, far removed from the poor enclaves served by the ministries. Most Tijuana residents, they said, go about their daily routines unaware of the violence that has prompted congressional hearings in the United States.
“People here are taking their kids to school, they are participating in church meetings, they are participating in any activity that people in the States do,” said Leonard Janssen, executive director of YUGO ministries, which operates outreach centers, plants church, supports a children’s home and does humanitarian relief from Tijuana to Ensenada. Although currently based in San Dimas, the ministry plans to eventually relocate its administrative offices closer to the border.
Trips canceled
Although Mexican nationals have shrugged off the reports of violence, short-term ministry teams from the states have not, prompting a serious shrinkage of the labor pool, numerous ministry leaders said. Since church and youth groups working in the region often bring their own supplies and much-needed donations, many of those resources are evaporating as well.
“It’s affecting every ministry I know here,” said Passmore, who heads San Diego-based Mexico Caravan Ministries. The ministry leader, who lives in Mexico full time, estimates that his spring break labor force has dropped 50 percent over previous years.
In recent months Passmore’s free time to enjoy Ezekiel’s playful outdoor antics is being squeezed as he fields panic calls from parents and pastors canceling their work trips. In one recent week he spent 15 hours tackling phone calls related to widespread media reports, including a piece on “60 Minutes.” And in one instance Passmore and several ministry workers traveled north to Santa Clarita, Calif., to soothe some jittery adults. He also drafted a letter to donors sharing his insights about the situation.
“We’ve really been dinged by people not coming because of the fear factor,” Passmore said, admittedly frustrated by the stream and tone of the media information. It was in the fall, he said, that the violence reached its peak.
“I don’t know what (the media reports) are fueled by, it just seemed to happen suddenly. Most of us down here who do ministry in the neighborhoods learned about (violence) from people in the United States. We didn’t hear it here.
“Bullets are not flying in Tijuana. People are not walking over decapitated bodies. The ordinary people who live in the neighborhoods are not ducking for cover.”
No guarantees
Passmore further pointed to the random shootings in early March that left 10 people dead in two Alabama communities and 15 more at an in-school shooting in Germany.
“Yes, there is violence, all over this world,” he said. “Alabama and Germany can tell you that right now.”
Bob Sanders, who has hosted home-building teams for more than two decades through his Baja Christian Ministries, said that he believes drive-by shootings in Los Angeles have a better chance at being random than the drug-related violence around Tijuana. Even so, fear is keeping teams away, prompting Sanders to also write a letter to donors.
“They don’t want to give it a stronghold, but fear is a terrible thing and it paralyzes,” the ministry administrator said.
“Tijuana really isn’t any different than some of our bigger cities in the United States. This is not just a Mexico thing. It gets messier because it’s a war on drugs. We have not seen anything of what they are talking about. There is crime, theft, but nothing of the magnitude of what’s been reported.”
Kevin Collins, who lives south of Rosarito and volunteers with Baja Christian Ministries, said he’s experienced more crime living in the United States and feels safe enough to leave his wife several days a week to conduct business in the states.
“In response to all the bad press the government here in Baja has gone overboard to try and combat the issues,” Collins said. “Now, more then ever, it is so safe due to the increased presence of local police, federalies and the military.
Diane Lester, administrative assistant for student ministries at Vineyard Anaheim, Calif., said a February trip to La Mision, between Rosarito and Ensenada, Mexico, yielded only 30 participants, although some teens opted out for other missions trips this summer. The largest group to head down to their twice-annual trip numbered 100.
Supplies were also down by 50 percent, forcing the team to cut one of two cooked meals for the local orphanage, Door of Faith.
The cutbacks, she said, have come at a critical time as restaurant workers and others in the tourist industry have lost their jobs because of the publicity and the economy.
“It’s had a huge snowball effect,” she said.
Support at the top
Despite the published reports, Lester said the church leadership, many of whom have been frequent visitors to Mexico, remains staunch in its support of the work.
“They see so much value in what we do, even in changing the lives of the kids that go down there to serve and get outside of their box,” she said. “It’s a valuable thing.”
For safety reasons the teams travel in caravans and stick close to the ministry areas they serve.
“We pretty much just drive through Tijuana on the toll roads in a caravan so no cars are traveling alone,” Lester said. “We see kids playing with a soccer ball on a dirt field. I can’t promise them it’s safe. I can’t promise that driving down their own street will be safe. We take every precaution we can, then leave it up to God.”
Jenssen, who labeled the recent news reporting “far from fair and balanced,” said those traveling to Tijuana and its surrounding areas need only to follow common protocol while there: stay out of gang neighborhoods, avoid being out after dark, and be aware of your surroundings.
“People ought to feel the peace of the Lord in what they are doing,” he said. “If they are shaking in their boots they are not going to be effective anyway.”
What’s the message?
Beyond the direct impact to the ministries, Passmore said he’s ultimately concerned about the message young people are getting when their advisers cancel missionary trips.
“Scripture tells us it’s not about safety, security and comfort,” the ministry leader said. “I wouldn’t bring down a bunch of teenagers if it wasn’t safe.
“There has to be a point where, as Christians, we need to trust the Lord and His sovereignty. What are we teaching our young people?”
For more information on the ministries, visit www.mexicocaravanministries.com, www.yugo.org, www.bajachristian.org and www.vcfanaheim.com.
|
