Things We've Learned - Some Mission Groups are Simply Doing Business

Some mission groups are simply a business and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Many provide help in organizing and transporting people. There is nothing wrong with this type of a business and many do a very good job at very little profit.

However, there are a few mission organizations and a few churches that simply exploit the poor for profit. We see fraudulent web-sites and we hear the stories from the poor.

Although I was aware of many situations where these people were exploited, I did not know that the poor were well aware of the scams and schemes. One day, a poor man in a colonia began warning me to avoid identifying our groups as 'being on a mission' in the colonias. As he spoke, a dozen people gathered around us. I was distributing food on a bright sunny day and families walked over to see what was happening. At first, they thought I was giving away the food at this particular intersection. They listened to what this man told me and eventually, I noticed the nodding of heads in agreement to what this man said.

"We are poor, but we are not stupid. We need the beans and rice that mission groups give to us. But we know what is happening. They come here after collecting money all year at their church. They take pictures of us and our children without asking permission. They take pictures of the house I worked so hard to build and shower me with pity. I don't want their pity and I don't want my family on display. They invite us to a church service and make it clear that we will receive the food we need for our children IF we come to hear them tell us about God. Look at our churches. They are filled. Tell me about the American churches. Are they filled? Why do they think we do not know Scripture?"

I was stunned. Several other people spoke. They talked about churches collecting money throughout the year 'for the poor in Acuña' and that very little of that money ever reaches the poor in Acuña.

More than one person nodded when someone said that they ran inside to get their Bible when they saw a mission group on the road. "I sit in my chair and pretend to be reading it."

I've found web-sites collecting money for shelters that we've supported for years and the house parents are appalled. They sometimes remember that the person in the photos came one time, many years ago, and have never returned. The fact that the photos are all very old was my first clue. When I telephone these thieves, they almost always back down and remove the reference to the shelters that I can prove are not receiving support. But their sites are still active with photos of the colonias and other children.

On one occasion, a lady on a Paper Houses Mission shocked me. As the little children come up to us on the road, we often give them small pieces of candy. This religious lady held each small piece of candy high in the air and told each child that they could have the candy if they said, "Praise to Jesus"! I warned her twice and then I took away her candy.

Although there are a few people in the colonias that may try to take advantage of us or scam us, the majority of the scams are from our side of the border. Most mission groups are very good and most do very honest work. It is a shame that some people are so low that they would take advantage of these poor people.

We are not a watchdog agency, although we do notify authorities and other groups about situations that jump out at us.

Paper Houses makes a point of continually explaining to the people, doctors, official, business people, and the poor that the help we provide comes from hundreds and hundreds of Americans. The board of directors contributes enough to cover our administrative costs and we are all volunteers. None of us receives a salary. There is no office. There are no vehicles. We use our own equipment and vehicles.

We also tell the people that there are thousands of churches and mission organizations working to help in the colonias of Mexico and we are a small organization that is still learning.