On July 17, 2006 the Isle of Hope United Methodist Church sent a team of 14 church members to Tapachula, Mexico to assist Steve and Hope Shearouse with their ministry at the Mission on the Move Boy’s and Girl’s Homes. The group worked as a relief team at the Girl’s Home allowing the house parents and staff to take some well-deserved time off.

During our time there, we cooked, cleaned, washed and ironed the laundry, braided hair, doled out toothpaste and received innumerable hugs and kisses from the girls. We were amazed that a staff of four can accomplish everything that we struggled to do each day. The men in our group also painted the roof at one of the Boy’s homes and helped Steve with some needed repairs at all 3 homes.

We also had daily devotions with the girls and Bible study with all of the children. As with last year’s visit, we were blessed by the strong and mature faith of the children.

The ladies of the team had the privilege of visiting the children’s mothers in the prison on two different days. We had a precious time of Bible study and sharing. While we were at the prison, 2 mothers and one other lady in the prison accepted Christ!

Although we speak different languages and live in very different cultures, after our week together, our differences began to fade away and our similarities as children of God shone brightly. During our time in Tapachula, we didn’t build any buildings, but we certainly felt that we had been a part of building His kingdom. We draw strength in knowing that our brothers and sisters in Tapachula are our partners in building His kingdom to the ends of the earth.

Julie Vann
Team Leader