On the Bethel front, our Sr High Youth Group will lead the congregation in a letter writing campaign on hot topical issues. Also, Matty, Kristen and Molly will give a recap about the Mission to Mexico trip last month. Please wear your T-shirts if you went on the trip.

Common Ground is singing as well. Meet in the Music & Education Room as 10am (band at 9:40am) to warm up for the service. Don’t be late.

Peace, Tom

We’re just cleaning up at the Posada before heading out around 7pm. Now comes the biggest challenge of the trip: Navigating the ever changing border exits. Should be fun

We’ll plan on seeing many of you tonight and look forward to sharing some of our experiences with the entire congregation on Sunday, May 2nd.

Peace Out for now, Tom

Luckily, today looks much better in relation to the weather and we’ll be spending the day beginning the foundation work of another house. The one we worked at on Sunday is still to muddy to work on and will be continued by the next group down.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we complete our final work day and prepare to come home tomorrow.

Peace to you all, Tom

We just finished a muscle fatiguing day of digging foundation trenches at a home in the colony of Santa Margarita. We had a great day working with about a half dozen people from the community and dug over 80 feet of trench 24 inches wide and varying from 3 feet to 5 feet deep.

Our morning began with some group time. Rich Teed led us in devotions and we spent about an hour talking about the situation in and around Tijuana. We have been welcomed warmly wherever we’ve gone.

Now it is off to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants: Carnitas Cocula. We spoke with their owner, Claudio, earlier today and he is very excited to see us again. I’m sure we’ll be ready for sleep early tonight.

More to come tomorrow.
Peace, Tom

“Kyle just got back yesterday from his Tijuana trip. He had a great time and said he felt really safe. The earthquake didn’t seem to affect them at all (he didn’t even fall off the roof he was working on). Another point of reference if any of the BLC parents are nervous about the trip.”

We are continuing to hold safety as a paramount concern as we travel this coming week. Please keep us in your prayers, not only for safety, but also that all hearts will be open to experiencing God in a new way through the relationships we will build with our friends to the south.

If you are a participant and/or parent and have any concerns, please contact me and I’d love to chat. You can email me at th----@------.net or call me on my cell at 408-309-9975.

On a related note, please bring all forms and as much money as you’ve raised so far to Bethel tonight between 7:15 and 9:00 pm. Please make checks payable to Bethel Lutheran Church. I need your stuff!

Peace, Tom

Dear Esperanza Groups,

Although the media attention regarding security along the border region continues to remain grim, Esperanza groups continue to enjoy enriching, life changing, safe experiences in Tijuana. The link below provides video testimonies from our most recent volunteer group from Western Washington University. We understand the great difficulty the travel warning presents to group leaders, volunteers and parents alike, however, we still do not find reason to believe that U.S. volunteer groups have any reason to feel at risk in working with Esperanza. Below is a list of reasons why we believe this that you may also want to share with volunteers and family of all participants.

There have not been any acts of violence against U.S. volunteer groups in Mexico. In over 20 years of working in Tijuana, never have Esperanza volunteers experienced a dangerous situation that has put them in harms way.
Our staff knows the neighborhoods and city of which we work. They know the areas of concern, take security matters seriously and are familiar with our organization’s security procedures. Should our staff believe that it is unsafe for volunteer groups to be in Tijuana, group leaders will be the first to be contacted.
Our facility and communities in which we work are located outside of Tijuana proper and at no time is it necessary to travel in or through downtown Tijuana or to areas outside of the communities that we work.

Our executive director Josefina Pataky and Esperanza board member Gilda Vilaplano, met with the US consul general Stephan Kashkett in Tijuana this past week to get his take on the security situation. He expressed his frustration that Tijuana has been lumped into the statistics of the border region when it is clear that the violence to which the media refers is “primarily taking place in Juarez and Reynosa while the perception is that the warning is for the whole border region”. His sentiment echoes our own and that of the people in Tijuana who are being affected by this negative press. The current warning is in affect until April 12th and we are hopeful that there will be a reassessment at that time.

We continue to stay vigilant regarding all matters of security and will remain open and transparent with groups.

Thank you for the dedication you all have to our programs. We know the incredible effort it takes to create Esperanza groups, especially during this time. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if there is information that would be helpful or supportive.

Sincerely,
Aimee Khuu

Testimony from recent volunteer groups- 4/2/2010
Western Washington University

Security letter to volunteer groups- 3/19/2010

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs089/1102586872221/archive/1103211473076.html

Interview with Hugo Salinas, Chief of Staff for the Office of the Attorney General of Tijuana

http://esperanzaint.org/aboutus_tjsafety.html

Other online resources:

http://www.bajainsider.com/baja-california-travel/mexico-travel-warning.htm

http://www.bajainsider.com/baja-california-travel/images/torresletter.JPG

http://www.petethomasoutdoors.com/2010/01/rosarito-beach.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/ahead-spring-break-state-dept-issues-travel-alert/story?id=9956535

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/feb/20/travel-alert-hitting-city-in-wallet-mayor-says/

–
Aimee Khuu
Esperanza Registrar
206-228-2082
es----@------.com
www.esperanzaint.org

Mission to Mexico Update
As you have probably heard in the news, the US State Department has raised the Travel Advisory for several areas of Mexico to a “Warning” status. While most of the violence is centered in Juarez (736 miles away), there are now five Mexican cities that have a “Warning Status” including Tiuana. The Board President of Esperanza just made a special trip from Seattle, WA to Tijuana to asses the situation. After consultation with Esperanza staff and local authorities, the determination is that risk for the average person is minimal and that violence has in fact decreased in Tijuana over the past 12 months. While we are currently planning on fulfilling our commitment to work with the needy families of Mexico (April 10th – 20th), we will continue to asses the safety of doing so. If it is deemed unsafe to travel, we will change our plans. During these troubling times, please pray for the families of Mexico and for those who are planning on participating on the trip. For more info, visit the Bethel Youth Website (www.blcyouth.com) and read the entire letter from Esperanza. Also, please contact me if you have any questions.
Peace, Tom Hoegel
Youth Director
408-252-8500 X113
th----@------.net

Esperanza International Security Update:

Dear Esperanza Group Leaders,

We realize the growing concerns of the security risks in Mexico.
I will begin by stating that, as a staff and through our own investigations, we have no reason to believe that the violence will affect foreign volunteer groups in Tijuana. In our 23 years of operation and upwards for 1,400 volunteers from the United States a year, we have never had a violent situation occur. Our volunteers are the top priority of our organization, and our staff is from Tijuana, knows Tijuana and keep volunteers out of any areas in which conflict has occurred. While we can never promise safety, I will ensure to you that we take the situation of volunteer safety very seriously and take precautions to keep volunteers in large groups, in safe areas and among populations that know our organization and its mission.

The violence that has generated this most recent state report is a tragic incident that took place in Ciudad Juarez- over 736 miles away from Tijuana and two states away from the state that the volunteers will be working. The murder of a US employee of the US consulate and her husband is unfortunate but in no way indicative of the security situation in Tijuana or the entire state of Baja California. The border region is often generalized and Tijuana is lumped into statistics and reports that include the instability of the cities south of Texas, including Ciudad Juarez.
Please rest assured that should the situation in Tijuana become precarious for volunteer groups- we will contact group leaders and participants immediately. At this time, the areas that we work and reside- the small neighborhoods that surround the city of Tijuana to the south- have not been impacted by the insecurity with which Mexico is struggling. Violence continues to be concentrated between drug traffickers, law enforcement and those actively speaking out against the drug cartels.

Esperanza Board Member, Jan Kline, has spent the past few days speaking with Esperanza staff and local Tijuana officials to fully assess the situation. All conversations have affirmed our understanding that the risk for the average person is minimal and that violence has, in fact decreased in Tijuana over the past 12 months. According to Chief of Staff for the Attorney, Generals Office for Tijuana, Baja California “16,000 Americans live in Rosarito..and the number continues to grow, and 50,000 people cross the border daily.” He adds that police in Tijuana are actually trained in 10 US cities including Seattle and Vancouver BC.

It is important that we all have open communication. We will be open with groups and volunteers and continue to be in contact. Please don’t hesitate to contact us. We ask that all participants know that risks exist in travel but Esperanza commits to do all that is possible to ensure a safe experience. In the same way, we ask that group leaders are open with participants regarding the new warning issued by the state department regarding risks in Mexico. http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_4755.html

Please let me know if you have any additional questions, comments or concerns. Feel free call or email me at the contact information below.

Sincerely,

Aimee Khuu
Esperanza International
(206) 228-2082
es----@------.com

www.esperanzaint.org