Safety in Mexico

***This was originally written in 2016, to encourage mission teams who were declining trips to Mexico based on fears of safety. 

Since every year the same fears prevent more teams from going on Mission Trips to Mexico, it feels necessary to share now, and hopefully encourage churches to continue supporting Mexico through Manos Juntas Ministry (and others like Casas Por Cristo)

Begin original 2016 post here:

Mission teams from all over the US visit Mexico on trips throughout the year, and have no issues regarding safety. Many of these teams come from cities that are likely more dangerous than Rio Bravo, Mexico on any given day.

 If a trip is questionable simply because of safety, then allow me to offer some simple suggestions regarding the safety of your visit to help the community in Rio Bravo and its surrounding areas. First, a little background:

I met my wife on a mission trip through Manos Juntas with First United Methodist Church in Muskogee, OK, in July of 2006. Juliet Otero (now Byers) was the translator for our worksite. I was in college at the time, and had gone on the trip at the last minute to help as one of the sponsors for the youth. It turns out Juliet had been off work the week I was coming, and had been called in at the last minute for extra assistance. I’m not sure if she realized her reluctant agreement to come in on her week off would have such a long lasting effect on her life. 

We kept in touch after that week, and just under a year later, her fiancé visa was granted, and she came to the states to marry me. We were married July 7, 2007, nearly a year after first meeting her on the trip. 

Since that time, we’ve made over 20 trips across the border to visit family. I’ve probably spent a total of 150 days in Mexico. In all that time, and during all those visits, I have never felt that I was in any danger. And, there are a few reasons for that which I will outline here:


Don’t take unnecessary risks

Anyone visiting a new city or country should be aware of this line of thinking. Still, with the media blowing much of Mexico’s violence out of proportion, it can be easy to think the average traveler is at a higher risk than what the may actually be. I’m speaking of any unnecessary risk like going somewhere without the help of a guide. Or, going out alone at night. Most of the idea of this rule revolves around not doing things alone in an unfamiliar area.

Visiting Mexico is no different than visiting any other new location in the US for your first time. You should come knowing enough info about the area to be safe. You wouldn’t drive to Chicago for the first time without knowing at least a little bit about the best and worst parts of town. Similarly, you should only travel in Mexico to locations with which you can familiarize yourself.

In the case of missions work, you will always have people who are familiar with the area to guide. Do not venture out on your own, and do trust that those guiding you have lived there long enough to have your safety and best interests in mind.

For example, I’ve travelled to Rio Bravo enough that I know the layout of the town. I could get to my favorite taco stand, stop off at Manos Juntas headquarters and get back to Juliet’s house during daylight hours and not feel lost.

BUT, I don’t do that alone. No matter how comfortable I feel with the layout of the area, it would be an unnecessary risk to just go driving around on my own. I like to compare this to Paul’s saying in 1 Corinthians 10:23 when he states,


“I have the right to do anything, but not everything is beneficial…(NIV)."

Though Paul is not talking about visiting Mexico in this verse, the concept can be applied. Just because I technically could get around Mexico on my own, doesn’t mean I should go wandering around on my own. And really this should never really arise regarding teams as they would always have someone from Mexico with them when venturing to restaurants or shops. Still, it can be a good bit of advice to keep.

Know your points of contact

Again, this comes down to common sense. I have family in Mexico. I have my wife, her parents and siblings all within about a 10 minute radius of the border crossing. For me, I know my contacts, and I don’t venture down without my contacts knowing that I’m coming. There wouldn’t be a surprise visit from Chris, because that would be unwise. Even knowing the relative safety of Rio Bravo, I’m not going to venture down there without telling someone I’m coming.

Mission groups will not usually have this worry because the points of contact are laid out before them well before the trip. Everything is organized and coordinated so that a representative of Mexico is with the teams at all times. This amount of control ensures the safety of teams and individuals associating with the ministry. A doctor wanting to come down for a day or two to help with a medical clinic will not just drive to Mexico on their own, pull up at the clinic and say howdy. They will call/email ahead, schedule a time, make sure someone can meet them, and go from there. Knowing and having points of contact within the area you plan to visit ensures your safety to a high degree.

So, if you know your contact points, and you don’t take unnecessary  risks, you’ve essentially given yourself the greatest guarantee of safety that can be had. What else could be done?

Don’t draw unnecessary attention to yourself

I’m very aware when I am driving from the border to Juliet’s house in Mexico that I am out of place. It’s not an unsafe feeling, but more of an acknowledgment that I am the minority in this scenario. In some ways it is intriguing. Getting smiles and stares from the little kids when they see the “gringo” come through is enjoyable. On the other hand, one tends to be very aware of their minority status when visiting any foreign country.

So, what can we do to maintain safety when we already stand out? We can keep a low profile and not draw more attention than is necessary.

I’m fairly convinced the US visitors having problems with Mexico (be it the cartels or whatever) were probably drawing some sort of unnecessary attention to themselves. For example, when Juliet and I bought our new car, we wouldn’t have considered driving it to Mexico initially because we know that often the people in Mexico driving new cars are the types of people with whom we do not want to be associated.

When a mission team comes across, they are given instructions on how to behave during their stay so as not to draw more attention than is necessary. Everything else usually is common sense.

If you come to Mexico with your contacts lined up, and you don’t draw extra attention or take unnecessary  risks, then your stay will remain pleasant and completely safe. You are more safe in Mexico as part of a mission group than any other means of traveling to the country because the community is aware of these groups, and thinks on them very positively. You are providing for and meeting a need that stretches beyond the boundaries of just the neighborhood and individuals you meet. You are helping affect positive change in a community, and the community (it’s good and bad people) will recognize this.

We must also be careful from where we get our information, and in what context it is being presented. Though the border areas are often presented in a very negative light in the media, much of what we see here in the US is exaggerated specifically to make us fearful. That tends to be the goal of a lot of our news. Once one visits Mexico in the context of fulfilling God’s call to serve the community through missions, they typically realize there is no inherent danger in visiting Mexico. Manos Juntas  Mexico needs teams to move past the unwarranted fear, and step forward to help. So many people rely on the generous offerings of time and service to a community with many ongoing needs.

It is time to bring back the desire and the passion for helping our neighbors to the south. Let us walk in assurance of God’s protection on this blessed endeavor.

Ultimately, our worries about personal health and safety must be balanced with our necessity to do the will of God, and to fulfill His great commission.  I am confident when we are within the will of God, His protection surrounds us, and He will enable us to serve willingly, fruitfully and safely.