Founded in 1992 by Carlos Garcia, Amigo Fiel has a long history of helping children in Ciudad Juárez. Carlos has been a humble leader who is seeking God’s will for this ministry. He continues to pray and pursue what God has for Amigo Fiel to this day.
Carlos grew up running the streets of Juárez but migrated to the United States in 1976 when he was 15 years old. Before coming to the US, Carlos had started getting involved in the drug scene, and soon he was crossing drugs from Mexico into the United States. It wasn’t until 1987 that Carlos gave his life to Jesus and left drugs behind for good.
Carlos always planned on going back to Mexico, but he never imagined how God would shape this desire. In 1992, a friend invited him to Juárez to volunteer and he said yes. After a few of these short weekend mission trips Carlos felt a strong calling from God to go back to his roots and reach the people that were without hope.
Carlos began setting up weekend mission trips to Juárez and many people from his local church in Santa Fe, New Mexico would attend. His family, who are strong supporters of the mission and vision of Amigo Fiel, also participated in these early trips to Juárez (his wife Sylvia along with their three children Santiago, Olga and Bianca). Not only did these early trips involve providing some basics like food, clothing, and shelter, but also time was spent equipping the local church leaders in Juárez to teach God’s word. However, most importantly, God wanted to make sure the people of Juárez knew that God loved them.
The conditions in Ciudad Juárez were sometimes unsafe, unsanitary, or flat out uncomfortable. In 1996 the idea to find a safe place to stay was born and God provided an old house for Amigo Fiel to purchase that would eventually become what we like to call “The Base.” This house would become a sanctuary; a safe, clean place where mission teams would find a welcoming smile, a hot shower, a delicious meal, and great fellowship. A home away from home. This facility currently sleeps 60 comfortably and we think we have some of the best cooks around.
The initial idea was to open an orphanage. After working with several day-orphanages, God revealed the need to not only protect and teach children, but to help clothe and feed them as well. Around this time God provided “La Casa Azul” or “the little blue house.” This house belonged to Carlos’ uncle and was about a 15 minute drive from the base.
After purchasing the land and building, the doors were opened in 1999 and we began offering lunches to the children in the local neighborhood. Many of the adults in the area expressed their gratitude for the care that was being given to the children. God used this to open a door to start a Saturday night Bible study, which Carlos did.
Initially, mostly women attended the Saturday night Bible study. That is to say, mostly wives attended. However, slowly but surely husbands would join their wives. Soon entire families were attending and finding renewed hope and healing in their family through the truth of the gospel. Today, Amigo Fiel has a Sunday morning service, a Sunday morning prayer service, a Wednesday night service, and a Friday night service for youth. We are seeing wonderful fruit from the church as members are serving one another and growing in their walk with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We soon outgrew the Blue House and the next purchase was the corner lot adjacent to the Blue House. Many people gave of their time, talents and money to make this happen, we thank you and God thanks you. The current Amigo Fiel facility was built with volunteer labor. There is a sanctuary along with all that is needed for the after school program.
Over the years the structure of Amigo Fiel has changed but God is still directing our steps. The initial vision was a full time orphanage; however, Gods plans are always better and today we have a thriving, living church and an overflowing after school program for youth. Children come daily for a hot meal, help with their homework, and are taught a character series based on God’s word. Most importantly, children have a safe place to go to after school where they receive love from the staff, have the security of a safe place, the listening ear of those that care and wise Biblical counsel for whatever they might be going through at home or at school.
In 2015, we came to the conclusion we had outgrown our facility and were in need of additional space. After much prayer and fasting, God provided yet again and the lot across the street from Amigo Fiel was purchased.
Demolition began in December of 2015 and the construction of a new facility will begin when funding is secured. We would love your help with this. As we go forward, you can be a part of this piece of Amigo Fiel history in many different ways. You can bring a group of volunteers down to help with construction. You can commit to being a prayer warrior for Amigo Fiel during this pivotal transition. You can donate supplies for construction, including tools, equipment, and materials. You can be a monetary donor.
Should you want more information on how God can use you at Amigo Fiel please contact us and let us know you want to be a part of the amazing things God is doing in Juárez.
None of this would be possible without God’s grace and provision. Thank you for your faithfulness over the years and we look forward to working with you in this next chapter of Amigo Fiel, stepping out in faith and believing that what God starts He will see through until the end.