Mexico CVE - Mar '25 ISU

One of HarvestCall's focus areas is “Our Journey of Learning”.
Many of us have taken short-term service trips to other countries intending to serve there, and we come back saying, “I gained more than I gave.” While we may say it tongue in cheek, that’s usually a true statement. We should be approaching our short-term international service trips with a humble posture of learning (receiving from the foreign culture) and only secondarily with the intention to give.

And really, if we’re being honest, many of us sign up for these short-term international trips looking for not only an opportunity to serve (actually, crossing the street could give us that), but also fellowship with other brethren, a bit of adventure, and some global perspective. Short-term international service trips provide these things for our benefit, but our benefit often comes at the local community’s cost. “Missionary tourism” is a huge global industry and causes a lot of damage as participants “serve” local communities through their own cultural lenses—not speaking the local language or having enough experience in the culture to carry out their “service” in culturally sensitive ways.

Experience:
We serve children and families in the Magdalena de Kino region of Sonora, Mexico by providing family-style care and holistic education rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. What began as a children's home in 2005 has become a three-branch ministry: a private, Christian school, an after-school program, and residential care for children. By addressing the spiritual, physical, emotional, educational and social needs of each child, we pray that they might become community changers and influencers for the gospel in Magdalena and beyond. This is an opportunity to participate in CVE’s efforts of serving these kids and their families by working alongside mission and local staff while also having the opportunity to see the school and HILOS (after school program) in action. There will also be opportunity to see the town of Magdalena and interact with the locals.

"SAMPLE" Itinerary (subject to change without notice):

Friday:
Arrival to Tucson, AZ and cross US/MX border
Saturday:
Hike Cross Mountain, BBQ, afternoon activities
Sunday:
Church
Monday:
Physical work, HILOS visit, visit town
Tuesday:
Physical work, bonfire, praise singing
Wednesday:
Physical work, followed by church
Thursday:
Trip recap, depart from CVE


Required training before you go:
HarvestCall is committed to encouraging short-term ministry participants to approach their unique opportunity with a humble learner's heart. We cannot learn from those we scorn or ridicule, so we do well to find ways to recognize and properly respond to the values of those who are different from us, who don't have the same advantages that we enjoy. We can also learn about ways that we might be disadvantaged in our culture!

Syllabus:
Helping without Hurting in Short-Term Missions workbook. HarvestCall will arrange to get copies of this small workbook to you through your trip leader at no additional cost.
Ideally, your group will get together in-person for at least one session. Your trip leader may also schedule video meeting sessions to review what you are learning through discussion with your teammates.
- How do you think of and interact with the materially poor?
- What is real poverty and how might it be affecting me in ways I can't see?
- What if I couldn't "do" or "give" anything for those I desire to help? How could I encourage their God-given gifts?
- Why am I going on this trip? Who am I focusing my attention on? How could I help those who serve long-term in this ministry?

Access and timing:
The pre-trip sessions will be arranged by your trip leader in conjunction with HarvestCall.
Typically the sessions are held over video meeting technology.
The session will typically take place in the month prior to your trip.


After your trip:
If you haven't posted your story on ServiceReef, consider doing so after your trip. Stories are a great way to connect with your loved ones and those who supported your trip. (Stories are subject to approval before posting online)
Opportunity participants may have the option to join your teammates for a post-event reunion! This follow-up event will happen at the discretion of your team leader, as your team desires.

Why get together? For one thing, it's just fun to see everyone again and re-live your stories! But we all could use the reminders and reinforcement of the life lessons we learned from our unique opportunity to serve. A reunion is also a great way to check up on your goals - how are you doing applying what you learned on the field to your everyday life?