A Mexican Border church plays an essential role for all refugees seeking temporary shelter. They have a special mission to bring the good news to those in need.
Mexican Border Church
Pastor Gustavo Banda felt God’s call to plant a church in one of Mexico’s poorest neighborhoods. Just six miles west and only a short distance from the USA, the pastor never expected to move to Scorpion’s Canyon or Cañon de Alacran.
He told CBN News, “This area is on the outskirts of the city. Not everyone knows about it. Not everybody wants to come here either.”
Although there were only “cows, horses, chickens, and people with a lot of needs,” Gustavo was sure of God’s mandate to start a church in an underdeveloped community.
“God gave me a dream that I had to build a church. We worked for eight months, day and night. We knew God was going to do something special, but nobody had a clue about what was really going to happen.”
Then, Templo Embajadores de Jesus, or Ambassadors of Jesus Church, was born.
The church held Sunday services, and Gustavo and the team would go from house to house to proclaim the Gospel and minister to those in need.
A Place for Refuge
When Gustavo only thought that he would only win souls from the Scorpion’s Canyon, suddenly, 22,000 Haitians arrived in town.
In 2016, Haitians escaped natural crises and poverty and hoped to find a better life in the US. So, they tracked the mile of the US-Mexican Border, thus arriving in Tijuana.
Gustavo opened the church’s doors to the Haitians, providing shelter and warm meals. Above all, they shared the Bread of Life that brings hope and transformation.
Since then, the church has welcomed every migrant who would stay in the city.
“It started with migrants coming from Haiti, Africa, Pakistan, and the Middle East. Today, we mainly have people from El Salvador, Guatemala, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Colombia, and some from Mexico,” Gustavo said. “It’s hard to tell, but we estimate about 35,000 people have come through the church easily.”
He added, “I know that I have only a little bit of time with them, so my job is for them to know as much as they can about Jesus, baptize them, and send them to the United States believing in Jesus!”
“I don’t have the numbers, but for years we have been baptizing so many of them, and many more are surrendering to Jesus, and that’s my calling now.”
Reference: CBN News