Over 13 years of volunteer service to its neighbors in Mexico

San Diego Christian College

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(Santee, Ca) The San Diego Christian College foundational pillars of Truth, Purpose and Impact can be seen in the dedication of its missions teams and their service to people, communities and organizations around the world. One of the organizations SDCC has committed to partnering with and serving is the Tecate Bible Institute in Tecate, Mexico, a theological training school that specializes in evangelism.

For the past 13 years the missions team has been committed to visiting the Tecate Bible Institute once every month, during the school semester, and helping in any capacity needed. Their contribution has ranged from maintenance, construction, painting, to spending quality time with students and families at the institute.

“We like to provide encouragement and support for the people at the Tecate Bible Institute so they know that there are other people in world, especially at San Diego Christian College, that care about them,” Derek Rack, Student Missions Coordinator for San Diego Christian College, said.  The Tecate Bible Institute is a theological training school that specializes in evangelism and focuses on developing missionaries. The institute attracts people from all over Mexico. Their largest student demographic is families with three to four children, all of whom live on campus together. This semester has had a special place in the heart of the team as they have focused on helping build a playground for the children who live on campus with their parents.

“The eyes of the parents and children just light up when we get there,” Rack said. “It’s like visiting family.  They know there’s someone there to help, and they are so excited for the playground we are building.”  The SDCC Missions Team recently returned from their monthly trip to Tecate and are gearing up for the next trip on October 26th. Rack, along with 20 students and one staff member, began the construction for the playground during their recent visit on September 27th and 28th. The missions team partnered with Home Depot for donations and connected with Shadow Mountain Community Church while in Tecate for extra manpower. So far, the team has completed the instillation of astro turf and the building of a rock-climbing wall. The team’s goal for the next two months is the instillation of a swing set, cargo net, slide, teeter totter, sand box and stucco for a chalk mural.

“We are very excited for this project,” Rack said. “But at the end of the day it’s not just about going and building things; it’s about building relationships and showing them that we are here and that’s done through being consistent.”

For more information regarding donations, or any further questions, please contact Karla Rivera at (619) 913-8462, or via email at karla.alatorre@sdcc.edu.