Each year, Ciudad Nueva offers the kids from our youth programs the opportunity to go to summer camp. Our goal is twofold: We want to give campers an opportunity to have experiences they might not otherwise have, and we want to encourage them to take the next steps in their faith journeys. If you’ve ever been to camp, you know that these two things are not mutually exclusive. In fact, it’s often easier to be challenged to grow in our faith when we are in a setting that exposes us to new realities and possibilities. We recently sat down with our Youth Programs Assistant, Gustavo De Los Rios, … [Read more...]
Two Teenagers Lead by Example and Make an Impact on Our Middle School Program
Ciudad Nueva relies on our amazing volunteers to keep our programs operating. Without people to do all the big and little tasks, we wouldn’t be able to continue the work we do, nor would we have the capacity to connect with our neighbors and mentor the students that come through our doors every day. This past year two sisters involved in our high school program became middle school volunteers. They really stepped up and made a difference with the students and had a positive influence on the other volunteers in the program as well. Anika and Aranxa have been part of Ciudad Nueva since they … [Read more...]
Have You Met Joe?
You’ll see him doing all kinds of jobs around Ciudad Nueva. If you haven’t already, you will want to meet Joe. Joe Gavaldon had been working with Young Life for 25 years in south El Paso and had been collaborating with Ciudad Nueva youth programs. Then one day, it became clear that it was time for Joe to move on from Young Life. No one was expecting this — least of all Joe — and immediately Joe came to work at Ciudad Nueva. “I started the next day,” says Joe. “I felt like it was from the Lord because I was leaving one ministry and then coming to another the very next day. I enjoyed Young … [Read more...]
Having a Mentor Makes a Difference
The impact that we can have on one another’s lives was once described to me like ripples on the surface of water when a pebble is dropped in. The ripples keep on moving outward, far beyond the point of initial impact. I have always loved that image — that our actions and relationships keep rippling out beyond what we see. Most of what we do at Ciudad Nueva is relationship-driven, and nothing is more essentially relational than the mentoring groups in our youth programs. From the youngest students all the way up through high school, we rely on our mentors to make connections and … [Read more...]
Lexi Taking Over as Middle School Coordinator
Lexi Moles looks forward to her new role as middle school coordinator starting this fall. Lexi Moles has been an integral part of the Ciudad Nueva family this year. She came to us in the fall as a Border Fellow working in an administrative role and also as a volunteer in our middle school program. You can read more about Lexi’s journey to El Paso here and the Border Fellows program here. With our current middle school coordinator, Simon, moving on to law school this fall, and Lexi coming to the end of her Border Fellows year, the passing of the baton from Simon to Lexi seemed like a great … [Read more...]
