Crisis in Tijuana Bringing Families Closer to Christ
Release No: 09-19
By Noel Hwande
Mar. 6— TIJUANA, Mexico: Last month, Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) staff in Mexico asked for prayers for a clergy family that had received death threats. They were unable to give details except to say that it was a result of "this evil that has become so prevalent here in Tijuana." The "evil" that they spoke of is the drug-related crime that has citizens in US-Mexico border towns living in constant fear for their lives.
Ahead of the spring break season, the US State Department issued a travel advisory for students planning to go to popular destinations in Mexico, saying that the increasingly violent drug war is becoming a threat to tourists. There have also been much publicized incidents of kidnapping, extortion, human trafficking, and murder as drug cartels battle one another, and government forces, for control of lucrative drug routes into the US.
One of the worst affected areas is Tijuana, bordering San Diego, California where the violent kidnappings are not only affecting the wealthy. Ordinary citizens who have businesses or family in the United States are being targeted as they are presumed to have access to large sums of money.
LHM-Mexico staff and volunteers counsel and pray with families whose loved ones have been kidnapped and are being held for ransom.
"We gather with the elder groups or single mothers - everyone that has been affected by the kidnappings, murders and beheadings which have overtaken Tijuana," commented Melissa Salomon, Director of LHM-Mexico (known locally as Cristo Para Todo Las Naciones or CPTLN).
During these times of crisis, uncertainty, and violence, LHM-Mexico staff has observed that people are being more attentive to Christ's message of hope than ever before. "Pray for open hearts. Pray for protection also for our ministry staff," Salomon said.
For the latest news and information from LHM-Mexico, please visit cptlnmexico.wordpress.com.
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