“Turismo Altruista” – Progreso Mission Project Update

Turismo Altruista is what the headline read in the Yucatan Daily News on Friday February 17th. The article shared about our “mission excursion” the day before on the 2017 Love Like You Mean It® Cruise. We want to give a brief update and follow-up on that project.

As we shared previously, 30 people and a few of the FamilyLife Cruise team were able to pack up fifty food and supply boxes to deliver to needy families in the Progresso, Mexico, area. This was all funded by those participating in the project, and it was supported by a local family ministry group that works with FamilyLife in Mexico. Pastor David Lopez of the Iglesia Presbiteriana Jesus church also assisted our efforts and the mission project was held at his church.

The 50 families who received these food and care packages came from both the church and the local health and human services department. It was a sweet time of caring for and praying with these families as they were given their packages.

However, the story does not end there.

When meeting with Pastor David last year he shared that churches in the city struggled to be viewed as really caring for the community. He asked us for help in serving more of the city. We believe God gave us the right plan to do that, and there continues to be fruit from our efforts.

The article pictured here was very positively received in the community, and the local church and ministry there reports that it has helped in two ways. First, Americans are seen in a much more positive light, and second, the local churches are viewed as caring for the community which is their heart and passion. Pastor David reports that it has created more openness to the gospel work of their church in the community. Part of the funding of this mission project was also a donation to the church, which they continue to use to help the poor in their area.

In Matthew chapter 25 Christ says that “serving the least of these” is the same as serving him. We are so thankful for the opportunity to serve alongside our Mexican brothers and sisters and the church there in Progresso, and we pray that God continues to bless their efforts.

We are already planning and praying for work that we can do in the Dominican Republic on next year’s cruise. We think this is another way we can all love like we mean it!

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