Mitzi Munsey Satterfield, Administrative Assistant | mitzi.satterfield@bereaministries.org

In May 1996, a volunteer group of nearly 200 Americans and Mexicans gathered on the newly acquired property of the Seminary of the Cross in Reynosa, Mexico. It was called the 100-man march on Mexico. All the workers came together with one purpose - to accomplish as much work as possible in one week. As a result of that week and many others on a smaller scale, we have a beautiful campus that God has used to train many, many Mexican nationals to reach their own people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Many years have passed since my late husband, James Munsey, coordinated that historic event in Free Will Baptist history. The years have not dimmed my memory of James and the accomplishment of that week. I can still see him directing an endless line of skilled and unskilled workers and finding order in the chaos. It was one of the busiest weeks of our lives and one of the most blessed. We all worked, laughed, and worshipped together. The long term impact of that week was incredible.

In January 2007, my family and I traveled to Reynosa to attend the dedication of the James Munsey Memorial Tabernacle on the campus of El Seminario Bíblico La Cruz. Many years ago James saw the need for a large space that could be used as an auditorium for the school, a meeting place for the association, and a local church for the community. He set the enormous steel beams, roofed the main structure, and put up the block walls. However, God called him home before the building was completed. Since then, some work has been done by work crews from the United States, but there remains much to be done.

In May 2008, exactly 12 years after the 100-man march, a group of 11 willing volunteers from Peace Free Will Baptist Church in Morristown, TN arrived in Reynosa for a week of work. I was blessed to be part of that group. Oppressive heat and hot tropical winds did not dampen the spirits of our group. We crawled out of bed every morning at 5 a.m. to begin work by 6 a.m. Our original goal was to avoid work during the hottest part of the day. However, we found, that as we saw the work coming together, it was impossible to leave the campus. We ended up working long 12-hour days.

Our chosen projects were to replace the simple slant-roof over the porch with a structure that would be worthy of such an impressive building, and to lay the block that would extend on each side of the building to form wings and give the building a look of stability and permanence. When we left Reynosa at the end of the week to travel back to Morristown, the porch was covered with a 14’ x 28’ structure and the block wings were up. We were all so grateful to the Lord for the opportunity to serve Him for one week in Mexico. Also, we experienced the same welding of the hearts that our Mexican and American workers in the original 100-man march felt. We were joined by a group of Mexican pastors, along with Leroy Lynch and Faron Thebeau, who helped us reach our goal. To be truthful, we could not have accomplished all we did without their help.

The James Munsey Memorial Tabernacle is now being used as a new mission. Pastor Marco Mendoza began leading regular church services on the campus this spring. The new mission is called Iglesia Bautista Libre Monte Horeb. Already dozens of people have been saved. I know in my heart that James would have approved of the new mission.

Perhaps you or your church would enjoy the blessing of a week in Mexico. We need skilled volunteers who can do electrical work, install air conditioning ducts, hang dropped ceilings, plumb, and do general construction work. We need unskilled workers who are willing to give a week of their time. The ladies in our group spent the week carrying block for the men who were laying the block. It was menial work but we all felt like we accomplished something great. You, too, can accomplish something great.

If you would be willing to give of yourself for one week, I promise you that you will be forever changed. The Mexican field does that to you. God will bless you in ways you never dreamed. Please contact me if you would like more information.

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