“Wake up…we are going for a hike!” Were the first words I heard on Saturday morning. As I woke up from my dreamy fog I realized this was not a dream, it was 6:30 AM, Saturday morning, and we were going for a hike. Little did I know we were about to do a 6 mile, uphill, hike to Iron Mountain. I assumed that it was going to be an easy 30 minute walk.

I was in for a surprise. When we got back to the car we saw we had taken 3 hours to hike to the top of the mountain and back. Remember you need lots of water (there are picnic benches at the top if you’d like to bring lunch). We took a long rest at the top of Iron Mountain, it was packed with hikers and there was so much to see from this little 50 x 50 ft. piece of land, it was unbelievable. The high air currents helped carry us down the mountain and it was a wonderful way to start out our weekend.

— Randy

Dave, Tom, Polly, & Randy

Randy

The view from the top

The Padilla Urena family is eagerly awaiting our arrival.

They live in a community called Franccionamiento del Trabajo, in Tijuana Mexico.  They are still paying for the land (about $50.00 a month); the family together makes about $200 a week.  Mario Enrique works as a laborer. Rosa Imelda also works as a laborer.  One of them is a brick layer assistant and one is a machine operator.  They believe in God, but say they are not very involved at church.  They are newlyweds and hope to make it.  They are in great need.  They currently live in one room.  The roof is not in good shape, made of plastic tarp, and the floor is also not in good shape, made of cement.  The walls are almost unusable, made of used lumber.  The outhouse is almost unusable.  They have access to propane, and a stove.  They do not have electricity, drinkable water, a telephone, a car, or a refrigerator.

The current Padilla Family home.

A message from the family:  “Thank you for your help!”

Please join us Saturday June 5. Donate some mission service time to Community Christian Service Agency. Northminster congregation has volunteered to donate time to pack food bags which will be distributed to the needy during the following month – that’s a lot of food! This missional service lasts from 10-noon at CCSA locared at 4167 Rappahannock Ave. – south Clairemont. All you have to bring are your hands. If you have any plastic or paper bags, they would be appreciated. Thank you! By-the-way, Carol Denton, director of CCSA will be speaking in church May 23, sharing about the program and agency.

Mario and Rosa Padilla Urena will have a new home by May 31, built by 11 Northminster Presbyterian Church participants. Working through Solana Beach Presbyterian Church and Amor Ministries, we will be a part of over 220 people building more than 12 homes during the Memorial Day Weekend. The NPC crew will work without power tools, working as a team to build walls and roof for a 2 room house, stand the walls, then wrap the walls with wire, tar paper, and chicken wire.  Once the roof is on, the house gets 2 coats of stucco and the family moves in!

Mario and Rosa have two children, Salvador, 8 months, and Kiara, age 2 years. They make $200 per week in construction and factory jobs. They learned about the chance to have a house built for them from a local pastor, who use this ministry as an outreach in the community where the Padilla Urena’s live and others in the Tijuana.. Amor Ministries is a non-profit organization working with a local pastor’s board to identify families in need, available land, and bring building supplies and volunteer builders together to build a house. The family is paying $50 per month for the land and the house will be built for them. Typically, the houses are 2 room wood frame houses wrapped and stucco’d, on a concrete slab.

Come Build Hope seeks to build relationships, people, and homes. Please join us in spirit through prayers as we prepare this month and journey to east Tijuana on Memorial Day Weekend.

Please contact the church office (858-490-3995) for more information about how you can participate in this ministry