Consider the Needy

• Program of assistance and visitation to underprivileged communities and low-income families in the Northern States of Nuevo Leon, Tamualipas and Coahuila, Mexico. Large scale distributions of humanitarian aid that include but are not limited to: food, clothing, educational supplies, medicine etc.

In Humanitarian Aid alone, we have procured and distributed:

• 44.181 tons of Food
• 16,800 Toys
• 24.409 tons of Clothing
• $30,000 worth of Medical supplies
• 8 tons of household items

These items have been distributed to well over 30,000 poverty stricken individuals during charitable programs conducted all over Mexico. And when the occasion has arisen, we have assisted with disaster relief projects, working side by side with the Red Cross and other organizations, utilizing our experience with large groups and morale boosting.

To give an idea of the vast need and subsequent gratitude there is for this program, here is a personal account from one of the beneficiaries, an elderly great-grandmother, Sra. Angela de San Juan de Pacheco:

Vanguard of Values

• An educational “Morals and Values” program for underprivileged institutions and children by means of a puppet show: “Small World Playhouse!”

“Small World Playhouse” is a highly acclaimed, wholesome entertainment for children of all ages, dedicated to the enhancement of learning by making it lively & memorable. The one-hour show is an upbeat combination of comical puppets, music, theater, dance performances, and lots of action.

This show is designed to contribute in a constructive way to character building & the education of essentially positive values and morals. We developed a program of visitation with the show called “Vanguard of Values” targeting the poorest neighborhoods and schools in an effort to boost the educational opportunities of the underprivileged children.

Our commitment is invested into the molding of our community’s’ future leaders – today’s children! Since starting this particular program in 2004 we have presented it in 46 different social institutions.

Following is an account of one such program, to give you a closer glimpse:

     “We performed our first Christmas show on November 19, at a poor school named “La Nueva Creación” in Colonia Monclovita, Monterrey. Attending the show was 194 children, ranging from 2nd through 4th grade. It took a group of seven adults, four teens and six children to pull off the puppet show and children’s performance.”
     “All the children come from underprivileged families & borderline on poverty, where the parents’ total combined income is less than $100 USD a month. For them to have a show troupe arrive for their school Christmas party was definitely an unusual experience and a first for many.”
     “You could feel the excited anticipation in the air as the children flocked around to watch the set up take place; nothing like this had ever come to their school yard, or neighborhood before.”
     “There wasn’t a dull moment in the show as the children were kept on the "edge of their seats:" (Note: Even though there weren’t any chairs, per say). Every new puppet on the stage was met with cheers of glee from the little ones. We had our very own puppet band "rock the house" with upbeat Christmas renditions; Mary (puppet) popped up to sing a song to Baby Jesus; the dancing angel puppets where a hit with their spunky choreography; and little old Pedro got the kids singing and clapping along to the Latin traditional carol "Burrito Sabanero".
     “The theme of the program was to teach the kids the real meaning of Christmas and the importance of giving and sharing.”
     “At the end all the children and teachers received Jesus into their hearts as their personal Savior and left with a beautiful Christmas poster in hand. And thanks to a dear friend in Laredo, TX, Mr. Shin, who so kindly donated 2000 toys, all the kids also took home some early Christmas presents.”
     “We received many thanks and grateful smiles from these appreciative children for the impromptu party reminding us that even a little love and joy can go a long way to brighten the lives of many little ones and their families who are otherwise most often forgotten in our big, busy world.”

Aid Tarahumara

• Annual program of humanitarian aid distributions & assistance to the indigenous communities of the Tarahumara Indians in Chihuahua, Mexico

The Native Indigenous Indians of Chihuahua, Mexico – commonly referred to as the “Tarahumara”, have always captured our attention as a forgotten and exceptionally disadvantaged community. Separated from the modern world by their own language, a large mountain range --“La Sierra Tarahumara” and one of the worlds’ largest Canyons -- “Canyon del Cobre”, this ancient tribe has almost been left behind in the advancements of modern culture. A humble and honest people, their customs run deep and their traditional lifestyle is stark in contrast to progressive society. As a result, many families of the Tarahumara have been reduced to poverty levels beyond belief.

Primary education is rare in their communities and most live in scattered & remote mountainous villages inaccessible by vehicles. Originally farmers, the men of the Tarahumara now commonly leave home and seek employment in the neighboring cities hoping to make a better living for their families. In their efforts, fathers and brothers are gone for months at a time lending to communities filled with “de facto” single mothers and children.  Marriage at 13-15 years old for girls is the norm, so the families and mothers are in fact only children raising children on their own.

The Mexican government has offered free schooling for the native children as well as free room and board for the students. Schools are sparsely scattered throughout the vast mountainside so most of the students walk home only one day a week to visit with their parents, a grueling trek of often 3-6 hours—barefoot. Despite the circumstances, the students are a cheerful and bright combination of the Tarahumaran resilience, as it’s a sacrifice for them to go because otherwise they would be at home sewing, tilling the land, or making nationally renowned handicrafts to supplement the families’ income. Despite having grown up under harsh conditions, they retain a refreshing optimism. In each of the institutions we distributed to, the children received their own pile of goodies to take home (blanket, school supplies, books), as well as a gift box stuffed with useful items and toys. Watching them open the gifts was always fun; jump ropes and yo-yos were among the favored items of “never seen before # 1 hits”, second were toothbrushes – true novelties. School supplies are luxurious so the Christian storybooks they each received were treasured.

In light of that, Rescate has committed to undertake the organization and dissemination of an annual Humanitarian Aid project in an effort to relieve some of the physical and emotional suffering these unique people experience.

Following are highlights of one such visit:

     “On May 23, a team of 27 volunteers from Northern Mexico embarked on a five day Project in The Sierra Tarahumara, in the state of Chihuahua. This is our 4th consecutive annual project of this kind.”
     "We brought humanitarian aid and supplies to 250 families in the following 8 communities: San Rafael, Divisadero, Mogotavo, Creel, Nacararei, Mesa de Sombrero, San Alonso, Urique, and Cusarare.”
     "Also in the following 7 Shelters & schools for Tarahumara children: Casa del Estudiante Indigena, Creel; Prescolar “Ignacio Manuel Altamirano”, Cusarare; “Centro de Integración Social” de San Rafael; Jardin de Ninos “Franicsco Montes de Oca”; Escuela Primaria Bilingüe “Alfonso Aivarez”
     "We also distributed $15,000 worth of medicine to a clinic for the Tarahumara in Cusarare.”
     "In all we distributed: 1000 blankets, 2000 lbs of Rice, 400 lbs of beans, 500 lbs of Fruits and Veggies, 2000 lbs of Clothes and Shoes, 1000 gift boxes of toys, 500 Educational books, 5 boxes of medicine worth over $15,000 USD, and 500 tracts.”
     "We had campaigned in Monterrey, Mexico for 4 months prior and collected much in donations both from concerned individuals and companies alike.  Charitable donations from our community included the transportation/shipping in an 18-wheeler semi truck of the also donated humanitarian aid (see above for more details); travel expenses and accommodations for the 27 volunteers; gasoline; translations, printing and publishing of Christian literature and much more.”
     "We began our trip in Chihuahua, meeting with the director of the “Association Tarahumara” where they enthusiastically offered us their services for this undertaking. Their help was essential as they supplied us with further transportation, (shipping the humanitarian aid from the city center on up to the mountain base) and throughout the duration of the 4-day project were our translators, guides and chauffeurs.”
     "In each of the institutions and schools we distributed to the children their own pile of supplies to take home, as well as a gift box stuffed with useful items and toys. Watching them open the gifts was always fun; jump ropes and yo-yos were among the favored items of “never seen before #1 hits”, second were toothbrushes – true novelties. School supplies are luxurious so the storybooks they each received were treasured.”
     "Along with giving them warm blankets, food, clothing and physical aid, we also prayed with them for any requests they had from their personal families or needs.”
     "As the truck wound back down the thin mountain trials, and got stuck in a storm, as well as lost for 3 hours in the forest that night, I just smiled and reminded myself of the analogy Jesus used of searching out for the one lost sheep in the storms until rescued and it made the long trip and 4 months of hectic ground work worth the effort.”

Renovate an orphanage

• A dual pronged project of local Orphanage renovations and improvement of the orphans living standards, and also vocational and social services training for Rescate teenage volunteers. By physically raising their environmental standard we hope to inspire them to strive for a higher quality life.

We have carried out three orphanage repair projects, and are presently in the beginning stages of a new undertaking. We need sponsors for the power tools, a work vehicle & trailer, as well as regular local donors of the construction supplies in order for us to make a BIG difference:

The two primary goals in starting “Renovate an Orphanage” are:

1. Improving the orphans’ standard of living, initially in Nuevo Leon, Mexico with intent to expand.

The capital city of Nuevo Leon is Monterrey. According to the DIF (Mexico’s Governmental Social Services Faction) there are more then 25 orphanages or halfway houses in this city.

Before becoming orphaned, most of these children did not have a clean, tidy, well-maintained home or surroundings. Statistically children who grow up in a clean and orderly environment in the future will in turn strive to create a similar environment for themselves and their families. So the hope is that along with improving their environment, we will be changing their perspective and life potential.

2. Training young volunteers.

Rescate has 4-10 teenagers and young adults at a time who dedicate their fulltime to serve others. When working on “Renovate and Orphanage” it is our intention that they will add construction, handyman, carpentry and a good work ethic to their résumé, enhancing their usefulness in life and in other mission centers.

Youth Challenge

• A Training course and program for teenage missionaries ages 16-20. This program focuses on teaching the many practical and spiritual aspects of Missionary Work as well as leadership skills to young apprentices.

We all know how rough it can be going through your teenage years--peer pressure, feeling insecure, wondering what in the world you're meant to be doing with yourself, what your place in life is, etc--so to be working on a project like this, that is helping young people realize their potential and build in them the confidence and actually teach them how to reach for it... is both awesome and rewarding!

With this course we take them through the basics of life-- professionalism, quality work ethic, personal growth and development, leadership and management, writing résumés, people handling skills, good interpersonal relations, dealing with peer pressure, and how to have a closer relationship with the Lord, thus boosting their self-esteem and confidence, teaching them how to be productive in life, how to be responsible to make things happen themselves, how to "think big" in life and go as far as they can possibly go, how to realize their potential and pursue it. Another important one is character building--love, patience, trust, making wise life choices and decision-making etc.

The material we're working with is excellent and is the result of about a years worth of extensive preparation—studying trends, learning about their mindsets, likes, dislikes, needs, weaknesses and strengths, —meetings, brainstorming etc. It's multimedia, a combination of online study, reading material, assignments, filmed classes, audio files, hands on workshops and much more. 

We can only begin to imagine how much it will impact these young people's lives for the better if they really apply themselves to the course and live it! And if they do, not only will it change their lives, personally, but also it has the potential to change countless others’ lives—their friends, families, and those they minister to as they complete the course & graduate.

Since the initiation of this program in 2003 we have made significant progress. Here are a few statistics:

• Rescate has assisted in 19 Youth Missionary Training camps
• Hosted 108 mini seminars for Youth Missionary Training
• Trained 18 resident apprentice Missionaries

"Reach out" Social Services Training

• A social services training and outreach program offered to University students and part time volunteers wishing to make a difference socially in their local communities.

With all our abovementioned programs, Rescate has an overwhelming need for more volunteers or manpower and we have found a valuable resource to be our local universities. In México graduating students must complete their Community or Social Services hours before graduating, so we have joined forces with local students to achieve greater strides of progress in the aforementioned projects of Rescate.

In this program volunteering students receive valuable, applicable training in both hands on practical experience and via orientation classes. Our goal with this program is to create a network of dedicated volunteers thereby multiplying the efforts of Rescate by team working to make this world a better place.

"Change the World... Change a Life!" Sponsorship Program

• A sponsorship program of the Conectate Magazine and other Christian literature for Social Institutions: Juvenile delinquent centers, Prisons, Rehabilitation Centers, Orphanages, Retirement homes.

This project features the sponsorship of motivational literature for persons unable to make the payment but needing the spiritual help.

Besides the social institutions mentioned above, there is a great vacuum for motivational & spiritual instruction in the form of literature from the lower income university students here. There are many pressures on the students to excel, and many are confused over the values of life and are seeking moral direction. There is also a very large community of students from outside Monterrey, who are lonely and seeking spiritual input. We have received a tremendously positive reaction to this program that is helping to replace fear with faith, hope, love and eternal life.

Photos of Rescate at work

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