What is Del Rio/Acuna like?

Del Rio and Ciudad Acuña is a unique place along the Texas and Mexico border. Del Rio is a small town of about 36,000 people and is the home to Laughlin Air Force Base. Across the border from Del Rio is Ciudad Acuña which is a city of about 300,000 people. God has a heart to reach all peoples including those in this part of the world. There are many ministry opportunities to reach the poor in spirit and lost.

Lake Amistad borders both cities and is a beautiful place to take a day off from serving to fish or swim. Del Rio also has San Felipe Creek which is a natural spring-fed creek in the heart of the town that when down time permits allow for a quick refreshing swim or picnic.

Acuña is one of the safest and easiest border crossings along the Texas – Mexico border. Teams regularly travel for day trips to Acuña from Del Rio to serve and enjoy local shopping.

How dangerous is the border or Acuña?

Unlike other border cities, Acuña is very safe and does not have significant cartel issues. Of course, caution is taken anytime we are crossing into Mexico and we ensure we only work with trusted partners and travel and serve together when possible

Do you need a passport to travel to Acuña?

A passport is highly recommended but not necessarily the only identification accepted to cross back into the US. A birth certificate will work and so will an expired passport.

Where do mission teams stay when working in Del Rio?

Most mission teams stay at Su Casa Ministries which is a mission home run by “Granny B” and can house up to 28+ people. The home has a combination of bedrooms and bunkhouses as well as a living room, dining room, and kitchen. In addition, mission teams can stay at City Church Del Rio.

The mission home supplies all bedding and towels. City Church Del Rio has cots available with blow-up mattresses, bedding and towels are required

What are the costs of a mission trip?

• All food and other costs are the responsibility of the mission team.
• Su Casa Ministries and City Church Del Rio have a nightly per person suggested donation for mission teams of $10 per person per night. Please contact us for more information.
• In addition, a love offering for Young Living Stones ministries is appreciated to help cover our costs for meals, fuel, and other expenses.
• Project costs are something to be considered and built into the mission team budget if at all possible. At times the church or ministry we partner with will have funds to help or pay for the project, but we try to take this responsibility off their hands if possible.

What are some meal options?

• You can cook meals at Su Casa Ministries or at City Church Del Rio which has a full kitchen, refrigerator, and space available.
• Del Rio has many popular chain restaurants in town including Chick-Fil-A, Whataburger, Chili ’s, etc. And many small locally owned Mexican restaurants that are very tasty as well.
• We do have restaurants in Acuña that we regularly take teams to eat at. Also, teams can pack lunches to bring take to mission sites if desired.
• While in Acuna we also have the option to have meals prepared for us. These meals are prepared by the ladies of the church. These come at a small cost but funds are donated back into the mission, essentially it's a fundraiser for them

What is the typical Mission Trips Team Size? What is the general length of time a mission team serves in Del Rio/Acuna?

• Teams typically come and stay from 3 to 7 days.
• Team size depends on the project but typically ranges from 6 to 15 people.

What about transportation?

• Most mission teams bring their own church vehicles or personal vehicles. Crossing the border is easy, just make sure your vehicles are insured. If they are not insured there are companies that sell Mexican insurance by the day, week, or year.
• Young Living Stones has a 15 passenger van and small truck that are insured on both sides of the border that can be used daily, we just ask for a love offering to cover gas, toll fees, insurance fees, etc.
• Additional transportation can be arranged if necessary.

Who can participate?

All are welcome. We have had families come on missions to the border and serve effectively together. We frequently have youth group teams come with their leader and experience a mission trip for the first time. We have also had seniors with mobility issues find a place to serve and feel a part of the team and mission. We strive to find a place and a way for all to serve.

Are vaccines needed to cross the border? Are face masks required?

Neither the Mexican nor US border officials check vaccination status or require a COVID negative result at his time.  However in Mexico, there are regulations in place requiring a person to wear a face mask, so it's best to have one handy.

Do we need to know Spanish to work in Del Rio/Acuña or with the migrants?

No, we will have some bilingual speakers available. But, it is always a benefit if there are some mission team members who have some Spanish-speaking skills. At the immigration center, it will not be out of the ordinary to see multiple languages spoken.

What are some examples in which a church partner and serve along the border?

• Children ’s tutoring programs – We work with partners in both Del Rio and Acuña to support children's education and meet physical needs.
• Working with the asylum seekers at the immigration center (VVBHC)
• School backpacks – Every December thousands of backpacks are handed out to the children of Acuña whether for back to school or Christmas
• Medical Missions – Medical mission teams can work in Acuña with local physicians. In addition, medical supplies are always in need.
• Building Projects – We work with our partners to help with a wide range of building needs from beginner to expert in the degree of difficulties.
• Border Patrol – We like to support our hard-working border patrol agents. We do this through cookouts and other supportive events.
• Community Events – Evangelism outreach to both the Del Rio and Acuña communities can be done through cookouts, block parties, and other community engagement activities.
• Prayer Walking either city. Such an easy and necessary way to connect with God as he shows us the needs and His heart for the people.
• Provide training to the churches in discipleship, evangelism, etc.
• Essentially there are endless opportunities to partner that can match the gifting and talents of the team. It isn’t out of the ordinary to have a team doing a construction project and the rest serving at the immigration center as an example.

What are some of the ministries you work with on the border?

We partner with several churches and ministries on both sides of the border to obey our calling in the Great Commission:

• Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition (VVBHC) – Founded in 2019 to help meet the needs of the increased flow of migrants across the US-Mexico border. Migrants who are legally released by the Border Patrol are provided support and travel guidance as they head to their sponsor homes across the United States.
• IB Estrella DE Belen – This church located in Acuña is pastored by Antelmo Zarate and works to reach the people of Acuña for Christ. They also have a church plant and a children ’s schooling program in an area of Acuña called Noblasi that serves 55 for schooling and over 125 attend the mission church on Sundays.
• Su Casa Ministries – Run by the much-beloved “Granny B” this mission home welcomes people from all over the country to serve at the border.

Who are the migrants (asylum seekers) and how can we work with them?

• The migrants we work with are asylum seekers who have been released by the Border Patrol on their own recognizance to travel to be with their sponsors sometimes in Texas but throughout the country.
• We partner with the Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition to assist with providing supplies such as meals, diapers, and other basic needs. We also assist with making travel reservations for migrants to get to their final destinations.

Will our group be working together?

• Sometimes it's not feasible to have the entire team serving at one location because of size limitations etc. We want to be a good steward of gifts and talents but also need to stay focussed on the needs of the churches or ministries.
• Essentially there are endless opportunities to partner that can match the gifting and talents of the team. It isn’t out of the ordinary to have a team doing a construction project and the rest serving at the immigration center as an example.
• Please contact us if you are interested in coming on mission with us! We can talk through opportunities to serve that will fit your organizations’ goals, costs, scheduling and much more.

What is cell service like in Acuna?

• Service is available for all major cell companies while in Acuna and some locations we serve will have Wifi available.
• You should definitely check with your cell service provider to see if you are covered internationally. We hate hearing stories about someone being charged for data because they weren’t prepared.

Is our personal vehicle or church vehicle covered in Acuna?

• It will be a good idea to check with your providers about coverage limitations. Some providers cover up to a certain mileage into Mexico. There are companies out there that can cover your vehicles while in Mexico, it is a vehicle insurance policy that is exclusively for Mexico.
• You can google Mexican car insurance to see the options available to you. You can get these policies for a day, week, year, or your choice of time period at an affordable rate.

Can I use the Sentri or Global Entry pass that I possess?

• If you have a Sentri or Global Entry pass you may use it if the vehicle you are driving is associated with your pass.
• All passengers that don’t possess the card must exit the vehicle before entering the inspection point.