Trailer Court Ministry to Immigrants
An EFCA church shares a description of their excitement and passion in working with immigrants in a local trailer park.
Thank you for underscoring in such a powerful way through the information in the recent EFCA Update, what we believe God is calling our congregation to do.
Currently, this week, we are in our 7th year of ministering at our local trailer court – home to over 200 undocumented immigrants – men, women, and children.
We have Bible School, Women’s Bible studies/testimonies, car repair, home improvement, we have rented garden space from the city and we garden together, free frozen meat distribution, Bibles for every family, a free garage sale, potluck supper, family to family partnerships and year-long ongoing evangelism and discipleship ministries.
We love our Hispanic neighbors and their needs are often beyond anything we can humanly meet, but mostly, we care about their eternity and want to love them with the love of Jesus, and yes, improve their earthly situation.
The ongoing list of trailer repairs is endless. Our men go out every Thursday night and work with the Hispanic men to repair their trailers. Women’s Bible study meets during our AWANA Club. We are the only evangelistic church in our small town that actively works to love these dear ones, year round.
Our Pastor is our captain and is just a wonderful man of God, leading the way and showing us all how to serve like Christ. Our Pastor of Family Student Discipleship is also up to his elbows in this ministry and is serving alongside our Jr. and Sr. High students every night this week and all year long. Our pastor of worship leads the singing and opening skits each night. He too, is involving our teens, parents and kids in caring for our Hispanic friends. He just loves, loves interacting with children.
We’ve had about 60 Hispanic kids and also children from our congregation at VBS each night this week. In addition, 15-20 women attend testimony/prayer/craft time, and about 20 men and older teens do major home repairs and painting; dozens of trailers in such need of help. Sometimes the projects start small and then get bigger as they go on.
We have received donations from area businesses-even a new hot water heater! Most people around here are good-hearted, but have pretty much categorized the trailer court as a black hole of need and with heavy conservative political leanings, it can get rather testy if we push too hard. So, we seek out supplies and help, but mostly, we trust God to provide the funds and materials because we so believe we are pleasing Him as we love our neighbors.
Last night, an 18-year old new mom, who is a new believer, with her boyfriend awaiting deportation, was showing verses in her new Bible to a newcomer at our women’s study. They lingered and lingered together. Our translators (often college students who attend our church and my own 25 year old son and 23 year old daughter who were Spanish majors) were not even needed. Hispanic women sharing Jesus with Hispanic women! Yeah God!
The weekly women’s year round Bible study meets at the local Mexican Restaurant during our AWANA club. Many of their “mates” will not let them come to our church, so we meet where it’s familiar and safe. It started after our first year at the trailer court. Oh how we love these dear ones and ache as they live in fear, poverty, with abuse and bottomless need. Yet, their eagerness to know more of God’s Word, to open His Word, often for the first time in their lives is just so exciting.
A little over a year ago a young woman named Kimberly, sat on the floor with her little daughter playing nearby and received Christ as her Savior with me, kneeling beside her. She had to move as her “illegal” husband was without work and found a job a few hours away. I ache for more time with her, but she totally embraced Jesus and for the first time in her life, was astounded to learn that God would give His only Son for her!
