Over the last few months we have been receiving many calls and emails in regards to the current situation that is taking place here in Mexico in regards to the reports of a “Drug War” and the possibility of Mexico’s Government collapsing due to this drug war. Just to let you know, we also watch the news and I spend time visiting different internet news forums to read into some of the details in regards to the “Drug War”, and the Drug cartel, so we to have our concerns and we in know way take this lightly. We understand that as Leaders and parents you must first and always take the safety of your children and loved ones in to a very high level of concern as you send them into a foreign county. I must also let you know that Debbie and I have lived here in Mexico for 14 years and in no have we ever felt threatened in any way, however at the end of this letter I will share some personal statistics in relation to our family that might surprise you.
For those of you who are concerned with how the Drug War is affecting the area of Ensenada let me just say that at this point Ensenada is not affected. Most of what is being reported at this time is taking place in certain targeted areas in Mexico due to the fact that they are main “Drug Traffic Routes”. Most of these areas are in remote areas east of Tijuana and in the States of Sinaloa and Chihuahua, and Baja California as well. Juarez is in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua and this is where the highest level of Drug related violence seems to be taking place. Although yes, TJ has also had it’s share of violence due to this drug war much of it is between rival Cartel families and those that desire to put them out of business, such as Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon.
Tijuana for many of you is the point at which you will cross the boarder and although there are alternative points, this crossing at TJ is still the largest international crossing in the world and to this day I have yet to read of an incident that has taken place on the route from the TJ crossing and the route that leads to Ensenada. There have been attacks on tourist, but if you read into many reports they are due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, such as traveling alone and at very late hours of night. This is not to say that there is no violence in TJ, it is just to say that the crossing at this point seems to be very active and safe. Tijuana sits about 90 miles north of the city of Ensenada and being so Ensenada sits far and away from the drug traffic route, and as stated in just about all reports the violence is concentrated along areas of the Mexico/US Boarder. Also, as I read a letter similar to this on that I am sending out, Tijuana has a crime rate equal to that of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
I think this current situation leads one to think of one question in regards to Missions in Mexico, and it’s a question I had for many of the groups that came down last summer, and that question is—”Why are you Here?”. Why do you desire to come to Mexico and what are you willing to risk to come here and make a difference for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ? For some yes, this might be more than you are willing to risk, for others your calling to missions work might be BIGGER than that of the mightiest Drug Cartel Family, but after all, that is because your Calling comes the the all mighty. When is comes to missions I think we must ask ourselves that question as to why we desire to go,,,,is it because it’s fun? Is it because everyone else is going? Is it because my parents want me to see how bad some other kid has it, therefore I should return home with a new appreciation for my home? Is it to say “Our church sends X number of kids”, Is it because you’ve heard about the Great Beach Camp fire and fireworks that follow? Or,,,is it because Jesus has laid on your heart the desire to go out in to the world to make a difference in his name? Who’s bigger? The Drug Cartel or God? This is not to say nothing will happen, this is not to say you will walk in an absolute Bubble of protection, and Real Life Ministries can not give you the guarantee that nothing will happen, because as we walk in God’s direction he will use ALL things for his Glory, even those things we see as “Bad” or “inconvenient”. This can mean a Van will have an accident as you pull out of your Church parking lot, or yes, the violence of the Drug war will find it’s way to you–there is now guarantee from danger at any level.
I ask you to seek those out that are willing to cross the boarder and take a possible risk for God’s kingdom. You might find that your numbers smaller, but you for us it has never been about numbers, but the quality of those numbers. There is still plenty of group activity and as I write this we are preparing for out busiest Easter Break in years, and like wise we have a very busy summer scheduled for this year as well, just take a look.
One question, and believe it or not, it has only been brought up by one leader is and that is “how is this affecting You and Debbie the Ministry?”. So far we have only had one group cancel, but others are very concerned. Not only has the reports of violence affected the locals, but the economic situation has affected the locals as well. There is a saying here in Mexico, “when the US has a Cold, Mexico has the Flu”. So, yes, there are those here locally that have had more of an affect over the economy more than they have tourism, which yes tourism is a big part of the economy, but over all this world wide situation is hitting everyone at all levels.
Personally Deb and I are fine and we do not feel as if we are in “Danger”. We still make our trips to the States, we go about business as usual, Deb still takes the dogs for a walk every morning, and we just arrived home from a beautiful trip to Southern Baja California and the trip was without incident. However, one thing that is difficult is that as of now we can count on one hand minus a finger or two the number of times we have been asked on a personal level as to how we are doing in relation to the reports of violence, and honest it’s a hard pill to swallow. We simply ask all of you to not only pray for us, but pray for those Missionaries that are really in Danger, pray for those Missionaries that can’t even walk outside holding their bible, and pray for those that must walk into areas where no man has ever taken the Gospel News. Take time to not ask “is it safe for us”, but write the email, make the phone call and ask–”is it safe for you? and we are thinking of YOU and praying for YOU?”. Here is a statistic that many of you might not know about our family, and mind you there are four of us. A number of years ago I was robbed and stabbed in the back, One of our daughters was held up at Gun Point, and our other daughter was beat over the head and assaulted 2 out of these 3 incidents happened in the US, the other was here in Mexico. A chilling realization for Debbie is that on 3 occasions she came very close to loosing one or all 3 of us, thank you Lord above for your Protection!!
We pray the Lord will guide and direct all of you as you plan for this spring and summer and we know you will take the safety of your group into consideration as you should, but again we ask you and those that will come this question—”Why are you Coming”, and “Why are you Here?”
We do appologize for not sending a hard copy letter in regards to this situation, but we feel this is the fastest way to get this information to you.
God Bless
Dennis and Debbie Hollenbeck
Real Life Ministries of Mexico
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Hi Debbie & Dennis
I do wonder how you guys are when I hear the News of the trouble you all are haveing in your part of the country. I want you to know that I could not do what you are doing for the Lord’s work and I can pray for you all who can do his work in a hard land. May God Bless you & Debbie and all who work with you is my prayer. May God keep you safe! All our love Betty Graham
March 15th, 2009 at 5:31 am
i just got back today from RLM and i felt super safe the whole time i was there i didnt see any crazy drug dealers shootin people in the streets you know what i didn’t hear one gun shot when i was there. also the RLM facility had a fence around it. plus Debbie and Dennis are always on there guard about certain things to stay away from. this week i read a verse that really kept me going all week its 1 john 3:16-18
“16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”
March 20th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
Thank you for writing this email. I was not familiar with your family until a friend posted a link to your write up through Facebook. I will definitely keep you and your family in my prayers.
Blessings,
Joyce
March 20th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Welcome aboard Joyce! Thanks for visiting our Blog!
Hi Andrew, glad you made it home safe. Thanks for coming to Mexico and we had a great time working with you!
Hi Aunt Betty! Thank you for your kind words,,,it’s be very crazy here, but in a good way. Say hello to everyone for us.
March 26th, 2009 at 4:32 am
I’m here in Ensenda with RLM and my team of 19 people from Oregon. We had our share of worries about coming down and plenty of warnings. We made a little shift to make sure we crossed the border during daylight and got down here around 6pm last Saturday. We didn’t hit a hitch crossing the border or on our way to the toll road. It was smooth sailing. It’s funny that I even worried. But it was a good test of my faith. I say I believe that angels, the armor of God, and the prayers of the saints cover me, this was a chance to flesh that out and not believe all the media hype. God came through and He will for you. Our whole time in the quiet streets of Chapultapec have felt very safe and neighborly and Casa Esperanza (where we’re working) is even quieter!
BTW - I’ve been coming to Mexico for 16 years and I still haven’t been pulled over, arrested, put in jail, or hassled by locals. I think when you are here for the right reasons, obey the law, be smart and humble, your safe quotient skyrockets! So be encouraged and do something you won’t regret, be a part of what God’s doing. Acknowledge that at least a part of the fears and concerns are the enemy’s plan to separate you from making a dent in history for Jesus.
Hope this helps,
Russ Richmond
March 26th, 2009 at 7:01 am
Hi All,
I just wanted to take a moment to share my experience in Ensenada over the past two years, in particular my experience with Dennis & Debbie. I have been working with Dennis & Debbie frequently for the past 4 years and fairly heavily for the past two. Over these last two years, I have been to Ensenada about 10-12 times with groups of students ranging from 8 to 80 people, and never in all this time have I felt even the slightest degree of concern for the safety of anyone in our group.
As a matter of fact, I just spent last week all over the greater Ensenada area, travelling paved roads and dirt roads, during the day and at night, with a group of 39 people, and never experienced anything that I considered to be in any way unsafe.
Dennis and Debbie know what they’re talking about and know what they’re doing. They take measures to ensure that each team working with them will be safe. They brief each team that visits on practical, cultural, and common sense practices, each of which helps to ensure that teams will be safe throughout their trips. And, they live in Ensenada. They know the people, the culture, and the environment. If they ever felt, for any reason, that it was wildly irresponsible to be accepting visitors, they would certainly advise us not to come.
That being said, Dennis is also correct when he tells us to examine our reasons for visiting. If we are simply out for a vacation or for a time to blow off steam or be with friends, then maybe Mexico isn’t for us right now. However, if we are motivated by a genuine desire to make much of Christ among the people of Ensenada, how could we not go? How could we allow simple human circumstances to prevent us from going in response to Christ’s call to go? Either we believe that “Our God is in heaven; and He does whatever He pleases” or we don’t. As a parent of one of my team members said to me recently, “How can we be soft Americans who wilt at the first sign of danger when there are people out there who need our help? That is an affront to God’s faithfulness.” Keep in mind this was a parent!
I didn’t intend to ramble on and on. Sorry about that. But, let me close with a couple of thoughts from men much wiser than me. First, John Piper, in his book, Don’t Waste Your Life, writes, “Risk is woven into the fabric of our finite lives. We cannot avoid risk even if we want to. Ignorance and uncertainty about tomorrow is our native air. All of our plans for tomorrow’s activities can be shattered by a thousand unknowns whether we stay at home under the covers or ride the freeways. One of my aims is to explode the myth of safety and to somehow deliver you from the enchantment of security. Because it’s a mirage. It doesn’t exist. Every direction you turn there are unknowns and things beyond your control. The tragic hypocrisy is that the enchantment of security lets us take risks every day for ourselves but paralyzes us from taking risks for others on the Calvary road of love. We are deluded and think that it may jeopardize a security that in fact does not even exist.”
And second, Jim Elliot, whose story we all know and love wrote, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
Are you taking a risk in travelling to Mexico? Sure you are, just like you would travelling anywhere else. But isn’t it worth it!