Students International is embarking on a new ministry location in California, not far from our International Service Center in Visalia, CA. Ivanhoe is a small farming community with many migrant farm workers.
Joe and Rosie Torres have been working with and serving the people of Ivanhoe for several years and are now our field directors for SI California. They have built great relationships with families and are well respected in the community. Joe and Rosie are overjoyed to have students come and serve alongside their ministry as they bring hope and the love of Jesus to a city where poverty and lack of education are the norm.
This past month we had our first team of fifteen students and leaders from Heritage Bible Church in Bakersfield, CA spend their Spring Break serving the community of Ivanhoe. The students put on a Vacation Bible School every morning for the children and the afternoons were filled with various projects around the community. Some were involved in a sports ministry, others painted over graffiti, and a group of students helped an elderly woman clean her yard and plant a garden.
The team from Heritage Bible Church made an incredible impact in the community of Ivanhoe, and Joe and Rosie look forward to many more teams coming to work with them throughout the summers to come!
If you are interested in leading or joining a team to Tulare County in 2010, you can contact Shellie or Pam at the Students International Service Center at (559) 627-8923, or send us a message.
