Sisters families to build in Mexico

Sisters families plan to travel to Vicente Guerrero, Mexico, this summer to build a house for a needy family and distribute food, clothing and essentials to migrant labor camps.

The Sisters Family Mission Team is the idea of residents David and Debi Schlatter, who took their family to Mexico on a similar trip in 2003.

Steve and Jackie Scott of Portland, co-facilitators of the Vicente Guerrero mission, will host two informational meetings for those interested in going this summer. The meetings will take place on Sunday, January 10, at Sisters Church of the Nazarene and Monday, January 11, at Sisters Elementary School. Both events are scheduled for 7 p.m. The dates for the trip to Mexico are June 20-26.

"Everyone is invited to come and learn more about this exciting opportunity," said David Schlatter. "It is meant for anyone in the community, whether or not they belong to a church, who wants to be a part of a team and serve others."

The team will drive to Vicente Guerrero, a town along the Baja peninsula about 175 miles south of the U.S. border. The area is primarily an agricultural hub where migrant workers earn about $10 per day and live in makeshift shelters of cardboard, wood pallets and plastic tarps. The team will stay at a mission facility there and build a home for a local needy family, plus be involved with the preschool. The expected cost is about $200 per person for food, lodging and construction materials.

"We think this year is a good time for our family to go again," said David Schlatter. "Our goal is to have other families from Sisters join us in this service project."

He believes the Mexico trip will "connect families together for a purpose greater than ourselves - to help others and experience a completely different culture."

They also plan to share music and culture with a local preschool.

"This will be the exciting part for me," said Debi Schlatter, music teacher at Sisters Elementary School. "We'll have the chance to sing and dance with the small children of migrant laborers. It will be a wonderful opportunity to teach and learn. I think Spanish music is rich with beautiful sounds and style. And music is a great way to reach across cultures, to share and learn together, and have fun, too!"

The Schlatters hope to involve families with children of all ages.

"During our last trip our own children's ages ranged from four years to 10 years of age," Debi said. "Other families came with kids of similar ages plus lots of teens, too. We believe anyone can serve. The younger ones will be more active with the music component, while the older youth and adults will be helpful with house construction. It's a good way to model service for our families by doing it together. So we're very excited to go again with other families from the Sisters community."

The team plans to meet monthly to prepare for the trip.

"There are lots of ways to be involved with the project," said David. "First, come to Mexico if you can. Second, even if you can't go on the trip, we still need sponsors for construction funds and items for the preschool operations and shop, including a large clothes dryer, office copier machine and table saw. Lastly, we need lots of prayer for traveling safety and positive interactions for the team families while in Mexico. It is all important and anyone can be involved. We appreciate all types of support."

For more details about how to join the team or support the trip, call the Schlatters at 549-4476.