Mission Opportunities in the U.S. Southwest and Mexico

There are a variety of opportunities for you or a group to minister in the desert southwest. We have connections with several ministry groups that minister just across the border in Mexico. Distributing food, participating in building projects and other ministries are all options usually available. Juarez Mexico, the largest border city in Mexico is just 40 minutes away.

There are also a variety of ministry opportunities in Chaparral, NM, the local community that Desert Rain and Vineyard Chaparral serve. Chaparral is one of the largest (if not the largest) unincorporated townships in the United States. It is over 90% Hispanic and many families do not speak English. Most families have a very low average income, and many families are struggling to survive. Vineyard Chaparral does weekly outreach to the surrounding community in which anyone's help is welcome.

Local outreaches include free cook-outs at the park, food distributions to poor neighborhoods or at community centers, elderly home improvements, distribution of clothes and shoes, and any crazy ideas we may dream up. We'd be glad to have you join us or we may be able to aid you perform your own special ministry event in the local or surrounding area.

Local Building Projects

There are two building projects that are ongoing right now.

Vineyard Chaparral Church Building
Our Vineyard Chaparral Sunday morning congregation currently meets in a stripped-out mobile home donated by a generous local contractor. It is too small and lacks some important amenities like bathrooms and classrooms. We make do with an outside portable john and nearby houses for classes, but the Lord has something even better awaiting. The military donated two large chapels to the church and we've placed them end-to-end to form a very large chapel right in the center of the town. There is a lot of work to do remodeling the new building and bringing it up to code, but it will be a wonderful asset to the town once it is completed. Upcoming areas we in which we need help include: drywall, taping, painting, stucco, and cleaning. We can also always use donations for materials since we've felt that we should not take out a loan for any of the project.

Desert Rain Community Improvement Projects
With the completion of the 1600 sq foot chapel addition, we now have a lot of landscaping, patios and porches to add. We want the community house and grounds to be a place of beauty that encourage contemplation and remind us of how the Lord is our "Oasis" in the desert. If you would like to participate in any work projects around the grounds while visiting us, just contact us and we can probably arrange something tailor made for you or your group.