Calls have been frequent on Shane Padgett's phone since Monday, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory warning against travel to Mexico.
"I'm getting calls one after the other today. It's been nuts," said Mr. Padgett, a youth pastor organizing a mission trip to Cancun, Mexico, in June.
A team of 18, largely from Greenbrier Church in Evans where Mr. Padgett works, plans to build houses and lead Bible classes in a Mayan village outside Cancun from June 16 to 23.
The travel advisory and growing number of swine flu cases hasn't persuaded the team to cancel its mission just yet.
"As of this very moment, we're still planning on going, but we don't really know what will happen yet," he said.
Dan Upshaw was scheduled to leave Sunday with students from Georgia Tech to build houses in the Mexican state of Nayarit.
On Monday, he was told the Habitat for Humanity trip had been relocated to Honduras.
"There hasn't been any closing off of Mexico yet, but the leader of the team talked with folks at the CDC, and they felt it was the most prudent thing to do," said the 26-year-old Augusta resident.
Several churches in the Northeast Georgia Presbytery participate in an annual trip to Piedras Negras, Mexico, in June. Saint Andrew Presbyterian planned to send a group of 12, said Dave Iverson, who has helped build homes in Mexico for nine years.
On Tuesday, the medical and work missions were cancelled.
In a post to the Web site of Constructores Para Cristo, or Builders for Christ, organizers of the mission wrote, "This was a decision that was made with great thought and many prayers. As for the Mexican families who have prayed for years to have a house, our wonderful, Mexican staff will build the houses. In a few weeks we will make the decision concerning the second half of the summer."
Since March, groups from two churches -- Aiken Church of Christ and Fleming Baptist Church in Augusta -- have returned from mission trips to Mexico with no reports of illness.
Reach Kelly Jasper at (706) 823-3552 or kelly.jasper@augustachronicle.com.
Dave Iverson it is very apparent that you lack allot of faith. God is bigger than any virus out there and will take care of his children. Jesus went through one heck of a beating and God gave him the strength to endure that considering anybody else would have died during the first five minutes. God also parted the sea. Imagine walking on water during a storm like Katrina and being safe. At least Peter had faith. Noah built an ark IN THE DESSERT!!! Joshua obeyed God at Jericho to begin the Israelite conquest of Canaan. God gave the battle plan and the Israelites acted in faith. Oh well faith today is a thing in the past. Unless God himself speaks to you and says not to go then still go. By the way you can catch this in the US and there are new cases in Europe as well so there is no point in canceling a mission trip over this.
I commend you, Shane. While I am sure it was not an easy decision to make.....it is better to err on the side of caution when it involves other peoples lives. While the Lord may protect you from illness, He still gave us free will....which includes the right of anyone involved in any way to sue the Church if something were to happen. I believe in faith....and I have faith that you are doing the prudent thing.
Cancun?...take your "mission? to south Detroit...or rural GA...it's not exotic but they need your "mission"
AMEN sqachief! God does not ask us to be stupid. georgiasouthern, Sometimes God puts obstacles in our way so that we get the message that this is not in his timing. Condeming Mr. Iverson for supposibly not having enough faith in God is very judgemental. I'm sure he has been on his knees discussing the situation with God
South Detroit. God does not ask us to be stupid. If I'm going to tithe I'm going exotic!
"georgiasouthern" must not know Dave Iverson to write such a cruel and wrong-minded thing about him. I wonder if the writer now has enough courage to come back and apologize. It would be a real stand-up thing to do.
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