Jalapa, Mexico
Vida en Abundancia de Mexico
Most visionaries look for a green light to move forward in mission. For Dr. Jose Luis Guerrero, it was a red light that opened his eyes to a ministry opportunity.
The director of Vida en Abundancia de Mexico realized the immense problem with poverty and life on the streets after a small child offered to clean his windshield at a stoplight in 1999. That small gesture inspired him to start a project tackling street poverty in Jalapa, Mexico.
Guerrero connected with the Luke Society in 2002 with his vision to assist at-risk children. He later became the Luke Society regional coordinator in Central America and the Caribbean.
Today the ministry has expanded in ways Guerrero never envisioned. A health clinic operates at the street level of a three-story building. The facility also houses ministries for education, skills training, nutrition and Bible studies. Several years ago a church was formed and uses the facility for Sunday worship.
About the ministry:
Name: Vida en Abundancia de Mexico
Location: Jalapa, Mexico
Director: Cezar Muñoz
Partnership: 2003-present
Staff: 14
PMT: Dr. Richard and Patty De Jong; Henry and Karen Doorn; Barbara Kamp; Steve and Terry Huizenga; Skip and Kim Van Ryn.
Our mission:
To attend to girls, boys and adolescents through quality services for their integral development, bearing witness to God's love.
Why I love being a director:
Pleasing God through service or help to those in need, providing a respectful, dignified and friendly treatment to my colleagues in the ministry, as well as to the beneficiaries and their families.
About Mexico:
Population: 130.2 million
Size: 1.96 million sq. km, or about three times the size of Texas
Capital: Mexico City
Borders: United States to the north; Pacific Ocean to the west; Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea to the east; Guatemala and Belize to the south.
Religious groups: Catholic, 78.0%; Protestant-evangelical, 11.2%.
Primary language: Spanish
Literacy (age 15+): 95.2%
Physician density: 2.4 doctors per 1,000 people.
Population below international poverty line: 41.9%
Life expectancy: 76.9 years
Infant mortality rate: 11.6 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Major exports: Manufactured goods, oils, silver, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton.
Climate: Varies from tropical to desert.
Terrain: High, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert.