After a Houston Chronicle article in 2009 declared the city of Juarez, Mexico the "most violent zone in the world outside of declared war zones"1  most Americans and many Christian mission organizations stopped travel and efforts to help the poor of the estimated 1.5 million people who call the city home. The violence spawning from the drug cartel wars has claimed many lives and mission work in the city was deemed too risky. But there were a few organizations that still dared to carry on the work - meet Missions Ministries. Started in 2002, Mission Ministries worked at constructing homes for Juarez's poor and they partnered with churches throughout the southwest United States in order to build relationships and help

For Rev. Mike Anderson, the Bethel Orphanage in Juarez, Mexico has been a place that has captured his heart for years so when he heard that CrossTraining had some extra soccer gear from the Colorado Rapids that was available as part of the Timothy Project, he jumped at the opportunity. We went down to Juarez about 18 years ago to build a house and stopped by a local orphanage, and, being adopted myself, I've really had a heart for orphans. About five years ago, a fellow minister invited me to Bethel Orphange to take some trees to plant in the neighborhood and at orphanage - we stayed with the children and workers and God just grabbed my heart as they

Recently, the Colorado Rapids cleaned house - boxes of used team gear were simply taking up too much space in the confines of Dick's Sporting Goods Park and after the annual "garage sale" for Rapids fans, there was still plenty left over. That's when team staff contacted Rapids Chaplain Brad Kenney. The text message read: Yo. We have 4 boxes of donations for you. Everything from boots to jerseys. You want to get them at some point? Well, four boxes turned into 20 - jerseys, boots, pants, compression shirts and shorts, socks - the amount was nearly overwhelming. Chaplain Kenney conferenced with Associate Chaplains Hugo Venegas and Ricardo Orellana - how can we quickly move this gear and get it into

On the last day of 2013, there is occasion to pause for reflection. There is much debate around looking backward in order to move forward in our culture. Some criticism - that the only reason we look back is so that we can make more efficient our practice or modernize our mechanistic attitude. Some wisdom - that we ought to learn from mistakes and strive to not repeat them, to teach our children how to overcome them. Some practical application - goal-setting, resolutions, and the like. Some fantastical dreaming - see above. In looking back and contemplating 2013, there are several poignant moments (notice I didn't use the word highlights) for 2013 that have shaped and framed 2013 as its

When CrossTraining began in 2002, there was a simple focus: chaplaincy to the Colorado Rapids. You can check out our History page to learn more of the story, but essentially as CrossTraining came under fiscal sponsorship, one of the requirements was a clear "missional" type of work supported by CrossTraining. Enter the Timothy Project. The idea behind the Timothy Project was to enable others using sport (soccer, specifically) and faith to reach a community to tap into the network and resources of CrossTraining and to also receive funds and equipment to carry out that work. Consider it CrossTraining's way of giving back - each year, CrossTraining gives away a portion of the monies donated in order for an individual or