Mennonite students, church help in Mexico

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SALEM, Ore.—Aubree Davis and Kala Talbott, seniors at Western Mennonite School in Salem, traveled to Mexico in February and for two weeks worked with volunteers from Warden (Wash.) Mennonite Church to build the foundations and walls for a new parsonage.

The parsonage will house pastor Juan Ruiz, his wife and two children. Ruiz is pastor of Bethel Mennonite Church at Campo 77, located south of Cuidad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico. According to Manual Ruiz, pastor of Cuidad Obregon Mennonite Church, the current parsonage is too small and has flooring challenges that make it unsuitable for living quarters.

Warden Mennonite has a sister-church relationship with a Mennonite congregation at Las Lajitas, Sinaloa, Mexico, that is part of the same conference as Bethel Mennonite. Curt Dorsing of Warden Mennonite has led volunteer groups from his congregation on more than eight work trips to Mennonite churches in Sinaloa and Sonora, Mexico.

Upon returning, Davis and Talbott described the trip as a unique experience that stretched them out of their comfort zones. In the past three years more than 11 percent of Western’s graduating seniors have gone on to serve in Africa, South and Central America, China and various states in the United States before attending college.

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