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Life Challenge International (LCI) is a non-profit Christian charitable organization serving the Juarez/El Paso border area and future missionaries from around the world. Our vision is to see individuals and communities transformed by the Holy Spirit, educated and equipped to fulfill God’s will, living lives of compassion towards the hurting and lost, and committed to the unified effort of building the Kingdom of God.

The Lord has assembled in Life Challenge a family of ministers and missionaries from Canada, the United States and Mexico with wonderfully diverse backgrounds. The staff share nearly three hundred years of ministry experience as pastors, assistant pastors, youth ministers, full-time missionaries and teachers. Despite all our differences, we unanimously agree that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, without whom none of us would be here today.

Tim Gamwell incorporated Life Challenge International in 1997, after working with World Challenge Southwest, a David Wilkerson ministry, since 1992. As he followed God’s commandment to reach out to the hurting and the lost, LCI began to reach into Juarez with compassion and love, committed to helping others know the heart of Jesus Christ. As opportunities to work with short-term mission teams and youth groups arose, LCI focused on using available resources to build up other ministries. Over the last eight years LCI has had the privilege of assisting many orphanages, drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, homeless shelters, crisis pregnancy and women’s shelters, as well as churches throughout Juarez. The direction of our work was based on a desire to build the Kingdom of God, which means putting the needs of others above our own. Striving to live out these beliefs has lead Tim and the LCI staff into a deeper understanding of God’s principles of Kingdom building, and community development.

Today, Life Challenge is involved in many areas and projects of community development, emphasizing personal responsibility in home and community. Our hope is to see the transformation by the Holy Spirit, of whole communities, through education, encouragement and assistance.

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New Home Program:

We have typically stayed away from building individual dwellings, and focused on building up other ministries (orphanages, rehab centers, churches, etc.) as well as on the construction of community centers, where the opportunity is much greater for influencing the whole community through educational programs and community events. However, due to the availability of resources provided by mission groups interested in building homes, we offered some practical suggestions to improve the quality of home and the quality of life for the families. Consequently, the Mexican government has taken notice, and asked us to work with them in their effort to eliminate cardboard homes. They have offered to provide all of the materials for the homes, except for sand and gravel, the windows and doors and the little bit of electrical wiring and boxes. These materials add up to approximately $500.00. So a home that would normally cost over $4000.00 to build can now be built for $500.00.

The only other requirement is that we provide the labor. We requested that they allow us to use family members of the home recipients to make up six man work crews, where each crew would build six houses (their own and that of their neighbors). This way, they would learn to help one another, take pride in building their own home, and possibly learn a new trade. It also provides us the opportunity to build relationships with members of the community. We are required to provide a crew chief, to guide them and teach them how to build the houses. This costs another $200.00 per house, but provides work for some in the community and saves thousands, which are spent on each team coming down. In total, $700.00 can build a home and a neighborhood.

We have committed to thirty homes. The Government would like us to commit to another fifty, but we cannot. At this time we are in need of sponsors for the first thirty homes. We are still very interested in the teams coming down, but we would like to capitalize on their talents and abilities to help build up the communities and at the same time understand more clearly their own calling in life.

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Community Development and Transformation:

Each service that we provide is requested by the community, through research and discussion. Some we have begun, and others are pending program support. One of our goals is that, through discipleship, each program will foster a mentorship and eventually those in the community will be able to take complete responsibility for themselves and their community.

We have a community center designated to be used for educational programs. English classes are in their third semester. GED classes have over forty students and graduates have returned to thank us for providing them with the ability to acquire work. Computers are being installed, and registration is taking place for computer classes. We also use the center for public meetings, conferences, children’s Bible clubs, and other events.

We have begun the construction of one of the vocational training centers, and have about one-third of it completed. Through discussion with those in the community we are determining which business and vocations we will begin to set up and train for. We have also begun an athletic center. We have the foundation completed and some walls begun. We already have a few pieces of equipment on the foundation and have started working with the local boys in the community, with exercise routines and soccer teams. We have regular events on holidays, and spend much time building relationships and encouraging the people to know God.

• ESL classes
• GED classes
• Computer classes
• Tutoring
• Bible discussions/studies

• Sewing
• Gardening
• Carpentry
• Wrought iron
• Hair cutting/beautician
• Electrical
• Computer technician
• Local community based food and clothing store

• Weight lifting
• Soccer tournaments
• Aerobics

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Medical Services

A major part of Jesus’ ministry was meeting people’s medical needs. He provided the people who came to him with relief, with healing, and he used the opportunity to share the love of God and teach the principles of a Godly life.

We want to do the same. Everywhere that one goes, there are people with physical needs, people who are sick and in pain. We want to be able to provide the medical care that they need by various means. Often, we encourage the community to evaluate the sickness and coordinate the assistance needed, whether it be a doctor visit or medicine. However, if the need is greater than they are capable of providing, it may require our help and the involvement of outside resources. Unfortunately, the medical system in Mexico leaves many who are in serious need to fend for themselves. This is a tragedy, especially when there are so many capable and wiling doctors available to provide the specialized medical attention required.

We have been facilitating medical teams for several years, working with a local Mexican Doctor, Dr. Hugo Mendez. Every day Dr. Mendez does medical clinics in the outer areas of Juarez and surrounding towns, often with medical teams, which we bring in or others. What we have found lacking is the ability to provide specialized medical attention or treatment for lack of a suitable facility.

Bob Rust, a missionary in Mexico for ten years, heads up our medical ministry, which has now acquired a mobile medical unit, and a mobile pharmacy. These units are great for ministering to rural areas, but do not offer the solution for a more permanent facility equipped for specialized medical services. So we are now drawing up the plans for our medical building, where we can send patience for special treatment, surgeries, dentistry, ear specialist, etc., complete with a laboratory for blood work, etc. This facility will also provide a training ground for our missionary students, who are acquiring a year of practical field medicine. An important part of the medical missions is the prayer with each patient, and with the families, also the contacts, and the follow up. This is the time to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God’s love and his healing power. Our projected goals are to start the building of the facility in the summer of 2006.

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Missionaries in Training

Missionaries In Training (MIT) is the missions training division of LCI. MIT is involved in facilitating short-term mission trips for groups from around the country, as well as developing an internship program for those who desire to continue their missionary training. Our program introduces team members to the various aspects of missionary life, help them learn useful skills, and most importantly, to acquire an understanding of God’s heart towards the lost and hurting. During the morning briefings we explore the various aspects of the Christian life and missions in particular. With our Mexican neighbors across the border in Juarez and the surrounding area we offer cross-cultural interaction, the experience of third world conditions, and opportunities for hands-on ministry. Our goal is to share the gospel of God’s love. We do this through encouraging team members to utilize their skills and talents in serving and teaching in the many poor communities. We believe that everyone has a place in serving God.

There are many construction projects available for those who are willing to participate in building projects. We work with and assist in building several ministries in Mexico, including orphanages, and rehab centers, however at this time our focus is in building community centers, and developing programs, which will enable the people of the communities to take responsibility for themselves and build up one another. We encourage participation in these building projects and the development of educational programs as part of the missionary learning experience, the rewards of hands on work are lasting lessons, new skills, and feelings of accomplishment.

Along with our ministering in Mexico, we offer other ministry opportunities here in El Paso, so that each scheduled missions trip includes exposure to and participation in as many different areas of ministry as possible, such as orphanages, churches, rehabilitation centers, clinics, homeless shelters, comedores, etc. besides children’s bible clubs and street outreaches. Our desire is to expose every participant to as many ministry possibilities and opportunities as possible, hopefully allowing each person to experience the area of ministry that they best relate to, and to hear God's call on their life.

The leadership of LCI has over fifty years of combined experience in ministry to the Juarez / El Paso area, providing services of compassion and mercy in the name of Christ to the homeless, gangs, unwed mothers, orphans, and poor, etc. Consequently, we provide or are involved in many services and programs on both sides of the border. All of our services and programs are incorporated together to provide MIT participants with the most educational and rewarding missionary training and experience possible.