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Posted: 12/15/06
Violence deters Nuevo Laredo missions
By John Hall


Texas Baptist Communications


SAN ANTONIO—The number of Texas Baptist mission trips to Nuevo Laredo is down significantly this year, due in large part to violence between drug cartels there.


The Baptist General Convention of Texas Border/Mexico Missions office facilitated fewer than 10 mission trips to Nuevo Laredo this year, down from nearly 30 in 2005.


Dexton Shores, director of BGCT Border/Mexico Missions, attributed the drop largely to highly publicized violence between drug cartels in the region that has deterred church groups from coming to the area.


“The Nuevo Laredo area has continued to be a hotbed of violent activity this year, due to the ongoing fighting between two drug cartels to gain control of this significant port of entry,” Shores said.


Shores understands why mission teams are avoiding the Laredo area, but he noted violent acts can happen anywhere, whether ministering in Mexico or Texas. No team that has worked through his office has encountered any violence in Mexico.


Mission volunteers should take common-sense precautions in Mexico like they would in any unfamiliar place, Shores said. These include staying together as a group and keeping clear from areas where known criminal activity is taking place. From there, Texas Baptists must trust God to protect them as they do his work, he said.


“I am in Mexico at least 30 times a year and do not feel any more vulnerable or unsafe there than I feel in San Antonio,” he said.


“We daily have crimes reported in our communities in Texas of home invasions, random robberies/burglaries, murders and kidnappings, and we understand that we live in a sinful world and must always exercise caution.


“If we believe that Jesus was serious about his followers fulfilling the Great Commission unto all the world, we must be obedient, trust him to protect us and exercise caution on the other side of the border, just as we do at home.”