We put label information in each New Testament that we give.
I received many calls this year from workers in different camps, giving thanks for the visit and the help they are getting from churches. A worker calls me saying that he has pain in his tooth and he need some guidance where to go and how to connect with the right person to receive help. The same day he received the help and guidance to resolve his pain. It is amazing how this simple label that we put in the New Testament is a very good tool to connect with the migrant workers.
S'mores, Pizza and Bingo is great if you don’t know the language or the culture
Many churches are encouraged to start visiting the migrant workers this year and the main concern is how to do it if they don’t know the language. There is one church who is visiting a camp and just a few of them knows Spanish and the way to start some fellowship was making a fire pit and prepare S’mores for the workers who never had that experience before. After the S’mores, the fellowship was much better and the friendship grow much more. Pizza also is a simple way to get together with a group of migrant workers as they feel happy and loved by their community who come to visit them. I went to visit a camp with a church to visit the migrant workers from Haiti and I thought what I can do to connect with them if I don’t know the language!!!! In that moment, the people from this church started to share some bingo to all the people who were there, somebody knows the letters and the numbers in Creole and suddenly everyone was playing and enjoying the fellowship. I don’t know Creole but we can overcome the cross culture barrier loving God and loving neighbor.
We are the body of Christ
I am so glad that the local churches are very motivated to do local missions with us. I see how the body (Believers) is being activated using the gifts and talents, when the body is working and moving is a signal that the body is healthy and if the body is not moving also is because is sick and need some physical therapy to heal. Local mission is the physical therapy to be in shape again, loving, sharing, testifying, praying, teaching, learning, preaching the Gospel. I see many believers who were sad, frustrated, discouraged and they start to visit migrant workers and their spirits are lifted, happy and their heart are full with joy.
New believers
This year it is being amazing with wonderful news and many beautiful testimonies, but the most important news is that we have migrant workers who gave their life to Jesus. Around 20 of them are new believers and they are encouraged to share Jesus with their families when they going back to their countries.
Local churches doing local mission
There is a group from Carlisle Evangelical Free Church (CEFC) that has adopted several camps and has visited a number of times, bringing fellowship, clothing, and personal care kits to the workers. They have brought pizza and beverages and even showed the workers how to make and enjoy S’mores! This relationship has become a part of the overall outreach and evangelism efforts of CEFC and will continue to grow. The folks at Mt. Laurel Church of God in Harrisburg operate a clothing closet and have become a partner by regularly providing various types of clothing periodically and also some items for personal care kits. We have been so blessed by this relationship and see it continuing to grow over the months ahead.
How to help FFCM
I encourage you to visit our facebook page (Fruitbelt Farmworker Christian Ministry) and you will see many activities that we are doing with the workers and share with others about our ministry. Keep praying for us to reach out the workers. The financial support always is important to be part of the ministry. I pray that you can help and support us in 2022.
Thanks again
Christian Aguilar, Executive Director FFCM
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