Adventist youth from five Southern California Conference churches and two academies banded together for one week in July to build a church in Tijuana, Mexico.

William Sellers, associate pastor of Simi Valley church, organized the team effort, which involved 46 youth from the Northridge, Simi Valley, Hacienda Heights, Santa Barbara and Camarillo churches, and from the San Fernando Valley and Newbury Park academies. "I always wanted to see something happen, and I thought that our churches can and need to work together," he said. "We raised $17,000 for the mission trip, with all five churches donating some money." Sellers said the goal of the trip was "to influence the lives of children about Jesus."

Daniel Estay, youth pastor of the Hacienda Heights church, led a vacation Bible school for Tijuana children. "It was a great task," he reported. "Everything went well once we designated leaders. When everyone has a job in the church, people take ownership of the mission that God has set before them."

During VBS, the local children could choose from drama, Bible stories, baseball, soccer and other games. Cristina Fariaz, a 15-year-old student at San Fernando Valley Academy, led the song service for the children. "It helped my faith," she said. "It was wonderful to see how these people appreciate God."

She mentioned Carlos, a boy who said he wanted to learn more about God. "He would tell us, ‘Don't go home. Stay.' This showed me how we don't appreciate much because church might be boring, but they appreciate it. It was a refresher for me," she added. "We should bring people to God. The world doesn't revolve around us."

By the end of the week, the church was already 75 percent complete, and five individuals had decided to be baptized. Reflecting on all that was accomplished, Sellers said, "Prayer is our strength and power."