Welcome to the Light,
South Texans may be surprised to know that there is a pocket of the third world in their own backyard at the colonias.
Throughout Nueces County, Texas there are more than 100 colonias with more than 30,000 residents combined. Their lives center mostly around migrant labor until they join the more than one third living there who can no longer work because of injury, poor health, or advanced age.
One might say that the colonias have been hit by a perfect storm. Along with the day to day struggle to survive, residents are also faced with roads that are cracked and in disrepair, and there is no public transport system. Roughly half of the residents have cars. The ones that do not are forced to pool their funds and send neighborhood representatives to the grocery store via taxicab each month to buy food. Sometimes residents have been known to underestimate their needs, and can go hungry for days at a time.
Many of the water lines produce so little water that some of the fire hydrants have been painted black to show that they are not useable. In the Summer this leads to severe drought, and the risk of spreading wildfires. In Winter, since there is no working septic tank, the frequently rainy weather often causes the whole area to flood, leading to property damage, the spread of disease and an infestation of pests disturbed from their natural habitat, including rats, mice, opposums, snakes, spiders and scorpions.
With an average monthly income of around $500, $200 of which goes to rent, (as well as property taxes of $1000 a year) the residents are not left with much to live on. Also working against them is a large salt deposit underground that leaves the soil barren throughout the area, and unable to produce any crops. Severe mold is also common in many homes, leading to widespread lung and respiratory problems.
Sadly, inspite of all the issues faced by residents, their plight and very existence remain unknown to many Corpus Christians. Mission of Light(MoL) hopes to change that.
MoL was founded by Andrew Barbaro and myself in August, 2009 to bring relief and hope to these people. We have limited resources though, and we need your help.
Beginning in March, MoL hopes to launch monthly “Sandwich days”. The first of these will be held at Banquette Colonia, which has the highest percentage of unwed mothers and large families. At each, we hope to to distribute around 1000 sandwiches and gallon bottles of water. We will also give residents the opportunity to sign up for the affordable groceries of Angel Food Ministries. Then, throughout the next month, we will try to connect them with Christian families throughout town who can fund it for them each month. We believe that the best solution to the hunger crisis is to pair individual with individual, and family with family.
In the near future we also hope to bring in health care professionals who are willing to volunteer their time and medical supplies, showing Christian compassion as they work to treat ailing residents.
Eventually we hope to build a community center there as well, which will serve a variety of different purposes. Not only can it be a place to pick up and drop off food, it will also hold Sunday morning worship services, and be a place for community gatherings and job fairs. All that is required structurally is that it be hurricane resistant.
No ministry can survive without resources or people. So, if God has laid it upon your heart to donate a gift card or money to Mission of Light, please send to 8100 S. Padre Island Dr., #302, Corpus Christi, Texas, 78412. Your generous donation will help us to fund Sandwich Days, bottles of water, and perhaps the cost of U-Hauls. If you are interested in serving alongside us, please contact me at 361-290-8077. Together, we can make a difference!
