***NEW INFORMATION OF U.S.A./Mexico Border Crossing***

I spoke the Department of Homeland Security Office at the Starr-Camargo Bridge about the required documentation for American Citizens crossing back into America from Mexico.

Right now all citizens should be prepared to present a U.S. Passport or an original copy (certified copy) of their birth certificate and a government issued photo ID at the border checkpoint. A passport is currently required for all U.S. Entry points accessed by sea and air. These are the same rules that have been in effect for quite a while now. The reality is that few people are required to produce an original copy of their birth certificate, but the requirement is there so BE PREPARED!

Beginning on January 1, 2008 all Western Hemisphere travel, including land, sea and air will require a passport for border crossing. This means that all mission team members will be required to have a valid passport in order to enter the United States of America from Mexico, Canada or any foreign nation. Passport applications and information are available at most U.S. Post Office locations in medium and larger cities.

UIPDATE 10-4-06 – I read an article today that reported that there is currently a bill before Congress to move the passport requirement for land border crossing from January 1, 2008 to June of 2009. This IS NOT LAW – but is a possibility.

UPDATE 10-26-2007 – It appears that the passport requirement WILL GO INTO EFFECT on January 1, 2008. The wait time for your passport is several months due to the high demand.

UPDATE 2 – 15-2008 – The Feds have postponed the passport requirement again…probably until sometime in 2009. Persons crossing the border into Mexico via the international bridges will need valid photo ID and copy of birth certificate or their valid US Passport in order to re-enter the United States.

****Information on vehicles driven into Mexico ****

Most U.S. vehicle insurance companies WILL NOT cover your vehicles in a foreign country. The laws in Mexico are VERY DIFFERENT from those we are used to. Traffic violations and accidents are major problems if you are not fully insured and prepared to deal with them. We STRONGLY RECOMMEND that all mission groups, teams and individual obtain Mexico insurance from a reliable company. One of the local insurance companies with a decent reputation is Sanborn’s Insurance and they have an office in McAllen, TX. A Google search for “Mexico Insurance” returned about 186,000 returns; so there are a BUNCH of people selling Mexico Insurance. FBC Rio Grande City does not endorse, support or recommend any insurance firm over another, we list Sanborn’s because of their location and a few good reports we have heard about their service. Each group or individual is responsible to do their own research and make their choice based on their findings. (enough of the disclaimer stuff – you do the work and decide what you want to do)

Mission Opportunities

First Baptist Church is strategically located on the Texas-Mexico border in Rio Grande City, Texas. Rio Grande City has an international bridge to the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico near the cities of Camargo, Cadillo and Camalas.

First Baptist Church has housed church mission teams for many years. Our Velma Bass Fellowship Hall is equipped with a full kitchen, showers for men and women, air conditioning and a TV/Sound System. Our Youth Building has been remodeled and does include a full bath with shower. Servants coming on a mission trip would need to bring their own air mattress, sleeping bag or cot. Teams bring their own food, drinks and cooking equipment.

Because of the generosity of our mission teams we are able to open our facilities to mission teams on a love offering basis. We ask that you do consider our utility costs and facility maintenance needs as you budget your mission trip.

Rio Grande City is very hot and dry during the summer. Temperatures are often over 110 degrees and rainfall is extremely rare. The population of the Texas side of the border is very poor; Starr County is one of the three poorest counties in America. The people on the Mexico side of the Rio Grande River live on even less than we do. There is much need on both sides of the border and mission teams are welcomed and appreciated.

While First Baptist Church usually provides only housing for mission teams we may be able to place you in contact with churches on either side of the border you may want to partner with in missions and ministry.

Please call Pastor Bob at 956-487-2438 to discuss your mission team needs.

First Baptist Church has adopted a set of policies concerning the use of our facilities by other ministries, non-profits or community service groups. CLICK HERE to view a copy of these policies.

	2008 Schedule
Nov 29 – Dec 1, 2007	Pastor/Wife Conference	Princeton, TX
Jan 30 – Feb 7	Pastors Retreat, Pastor Bob in Bixby, OK and SBTC Evangelism Conference
March 9 – 14	Local Spring Break	Rio Grande City
March 15 – 21	Riverview Baptist Church, Bixby, OK	Mexico
April 6^th – 10^th	Revival Services w/Herman Cramer	FBC Rio Grande City
June 15 – 19	Vacation Bible School	FBC Rio Grande City
August 4^th - 8^th	Operation Lonestar	Rio Grande City

All other dates are open and available to host your mission team!