An old rabbi was once asked why so few people were finding God. He wisely replied that people are not willing to look that low. Jesus was born in a stable, and God is especially concerned for the poorest, the lowliest, the lost, and the neglected. ---From Liberation of Life by Harvey and Lois Seifert--- | | | | Onnemi International Ministries is developing a family focused community center in one of the areas of the southwest side of Ciudad Juarez. We simply refer to this area as "Kilometer 33". This community does have a few different names, depending who you speak with. The area was established roughly twenty years ago but is still in early development stages. We have electricity, an elementary school and a middle school. There is no running water or sewage. People have water tanks that the city fills based off of vouchers. The water doesn't always last a full week but it is better than nothing. The city has installed purified water houses where families are allowed to fill 2 five gallon bottles of potable water. These water houses are not all close, some people have vehicles which they use sparingly to get water, others walk miles on dirt roads in the desert sun. Grocery stores are not very accessible. We have two local stores, Amaya & Robles, that are two miles away. The larger grocery stores are over an hour away by city bus. People in KM33 and surrounding communities have big obstacles in daily life. There are few opportunities for people to make a living. Many travel long distances for work in Maquilas and other factories, they open little convenient stores in the front of houses, some try their hand at pig farming on their property, often men will find labor jobs but these are short projects and pay very little. The Onnemi team looks to meeting needs in our community. We don't pretend to have a solution for many of these challenges, but we plan for the long road. Our desire to develop a family community center is for the equipping of people. We can't provide jobs for the immediate needs, but we can help the youth stay grounded in school and acquire skills for better opportunities. We have a dedicated room for women and offer classes that they are interested in; these classes range from art to sewing. Some of our ladies have plans of building their skill and selling some of their artwork in local stores. They developed the plan, all they needed was a place and the opportunity. Pictured below is our most recent building. We have a long way to go but are already using it despite its unfinished appearance! | | | Mexico recently celebrated a national holiday called Día de los Niños (Kids Day). Janeth and Pati invited a number of kids from the community and had a party. Janeth made pizza and all the kids had a soda to go with! We projected a kids movie on a wall and basically just let the kids relax and feel special. | | | Onnemi International Ministries is dedicated to church planting on the US-Mexico border. Our mission is to make disciples by preaching, teaching, and obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ on the US-Mexico border. Onnemi, a Nahuatl word meaning "he lives", exists to show how Christ can live in and through each of us in every area of our lives. We proclaim "Onnemi" so..."that by believing you may have life in His name!" (John 20:31c ESV). | HOW TO GIVE: Onnemi is a 501c(3) non-profit organization. To make a one-time or a recurring contribution to our ministry please choose from the following: -
Our mailing address is: P.O. Box 220719 El Paso, TX 79913 Make check payable to Onnemi International Ministries - Go to http://www.onnemi.org/donate.html
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