Built by Design: Faith, Hope, and Unity
- Yucatan Helping Hands
- 54 minutes ago
- 13 min read
Dear Family & Friends,
After a long season of traveling and being out in the pueblos with work teams this past summer, the past couple of months have been a time of catching up with rest and settling back into our home. Byron has enjoyed his walks to the neighborhood park, and Inez cherishes small routines like lighting an aromatic candle in the quiet of the morning to begin the day.
Kawika is adjusting back to life in Yucatán and is now working full-time as an online interpreter. We are grateful that the Lord has given him a position to use his language skills. It was also good to have him participate with our summer teams in construction and VBS, being back in rural communities where he feels at home.
Romans 15:5-6 says: May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This summer, the Lord gave us the privilege of witnessing this scripture come to life through the churches we partnered with and the great work of our interpreters, Josue and Aldo, and our ministry cook, Doña Cheli and her husband José. We hope what we have to share in this post will illustrate to you God's perfect timing and the synchrony of His people moving in faith.
To witness this on the field is an incredible gift from the Lord and because of your ongoing support and prayers, we can testify that Christ’s church is at work having the same mindset and sweet desire to honor God together.
As always, it's with joy and gratitude that we share this update post with you. We look forward to the cooler months ahead as 2025 will soon to a close. We remain thankful for your ongoing prayers and support of our life and ministry in Yucatán.
Blessings & Aloha,
Inez & Byron
FPC North Palm Beach: Lifting Roof Beams for a Higher Purpose
The Port of Chuburná, a small coastal town, known for its fishing, rich marine life, and white beaches along the Gulf, serves as the setting for the Peninsular Presbytery’s camp retreat. This is where churches look forward to holding their ministry gatherings, especially in the summer for children and youth teams.
For families living in remote pueblos, a trip to the beach is often out of reach and it's not just because of distance, but also due to cost. That’s why the experiences the retreat center offers are so meaningful.
In the beginning of June, we welcomed a youth group from FPC North Palm Beach, FL, who helped construct a cement roof for a new room on the second story of the retreat center as well as refurbishing tables and benches in the dining room.
When FPC reached out with interest in helping complete the new room (originally planned for construction in 2020 but delayed by the pandemic), we were thrilled. Pastor Jose Antonio and Pastor Ricardo, two pastors who have counseled us from the start of our ministry belong to the Peninsular Presbytery, and so it was wonderful to engage in a project like this with them.
We also had the blessing of reuniting with Pastor Gonzalo, now the Pastor of El Cristo Salvador church in Chuburná, who we had worked with for many years while he pastored in the pueblo of Mani.
God Stirs a Young Heart through Nature's Beauty
To help the FPC team understand the depth of what they were building, Inez shared a story with team leader Ben. During a retreat years ago, Pastor Antonio noticed a teenager quietly crying at the beach. When asked what was wrong, the young man replied that nothing was wrong—his tears were of joy not sadness. It had been his first time seeing the Gulf, and he was overcome by the beauty of God’s creation.
Stories like this remind us that God often uses nature to draw people closer to Him. And they affirm how camps like the Peninsular retreat center, where many people make decisions to follow Christ and form lasting friendships (even marriages), can truly change lives and shape faith journeys.
In 21 years of ministry here, it was our first project where a team had to carry roof beams up a flight of stairs. We were impressed with the group’s ability to sync together by communicating well with one another, moving carefully in unison, and all the while persevering through the heat. Days followed with mixing cement and hauling bricks and buckets upward bound to apply the perimeter and layers for the roofing.
To help with construction, a group of eight local youth from different churches in the Peninsular Presbytery traveled from rural areas and stayed with us during the week. They also helped the team paint the dining hall, tables, and benches -- just in time for summer retreats.
We’re so grateful to them and for the FPC youth and leaders who came to serve with an open mindset in a different culture environment. Their spiritual preparation to adapt and push through adversity as a team paid off as they served trusting in the Lord.
In addition to construction, the FPC team also partnered with El Cristo Salvador Church in Chuburná to lead Vacation Bible School (VBS) for local children at the municipal court’s sports center while the presbytery youth group participated in the fun (as shown in first photo below).
The El Cristo Salvador VBS team led the children in Bible lessons and songs, while FPC conducted games and assisted with crafts. The court was sure buzzing with a lot of energy and dancing too.
Pastor Jose Antonio said over 200 youth attended this year's summer’s camps, along with 100 children and 40 parents. He says because of the facilities the retreat center is now able to offer, people from further distances were able to camp there. Photos below show campers at the retreat, the added room with the new roof FPC helped construct, and children having their meal in the newly painted dining hall.
Special thanks to:
Pastor Ricardo Santana for working with us and leading the construction and painting efforts with his energy and experience.
Translators, Josue and Aldo, our son Kawika, and Pastor Antonio’s son, Jonathan, for contributing to the effort using their bilingual language skills and their muscles as they were actively engaged in construction as well.
We give thanks to Pastor José Antonio, for the partnership of FPC North Palm Beach and its youth leaders, Ben and Annabelle, the Peninsular Presbytery youth, Pastor Gonzalo, and El Cristo Salvador Church.
Witnessing these different groups unite to make an impact in Chuburná reaffirms what we already know: the projects we undertake are more than just construction -- they are acts of building up the global church of Christ.
Prayerfully Consider Donating Funds for a Camp Scholarship a the Presbytery Retreat Center:
Going to camp is a special deal, and there are always children and youth who aren't able to go because of cost. If you feel moved to help the presbytery provide camp scholarships, the cost is roughly $50 usd for each child or youth. You can contact us at ahinabk@gmail.com for more information.
Churches Collaborate on New Water Plant Project in Muna
As we witnessed Christ moving churches together in Chuburná, we saw that mirrored in Muna, where a new Living Waters for the World plant is being built. Here's an account of three churches joining forces to make this a reality.
Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church, WA
In June, we also welcomed a development team from Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church (RBPC). They arrived for a meeting with a church in Muna to solidify plans for a new Living Waters for the World (LWW) water plant at La Trinidad Presbyterian Church.
As we’ve shared in previous updates, RBPC serves as an Initiating Partner (IP) with LWW. Their trained volunteers advocate for communities without access to affordable purified water and raise funds to establish new water plants. The LWW water ministry is a non-profit effort, with local church members employed as plant operators and oversight provided by a local water committee and health educators. This model enables the distribution of clean water at an affordable cost, while churches often donate water to the most needy in their communities.
RBPC is planning to send two teams next year. In February, a work team will assist with the final construction details of the new water plant. Later, a second team will arrive to train members of La Trinidad in plant management, operations, and health education. This is deeply meaningful work, though it requires significant faith, time, and resources.
That’s why it was such a joy to reunite with Laura and her development team from RBPC this past June. Together, we finalized plans for the new plant and Laura signed a covenant agreement with Pastor Geronimo and leaders from La Trinidad. Pastor Freddy, the local LWW network coordinator, signed the document as well. His wife Tere, a volunteer health educator with LWW, joined us too.
During our time in Muna, we reviewed project documents, architectural plans, leadership roles and responsibilities, as well as budget estimates. After the covenant was signed, Pastor Geronimo organized local masons to finish constructing the building shell. Men from La Trinidad assisted by contributing to the labor and helping the masons prepare the structure for roofing. Then in July, our team from Mitchell Road Presbyterian Church (MRPC) completed the roofing work.
Mitchell Road Presbyterian Church, SC
MRPC’s involvement began over a year ago when Pastor Scott -- who had previously brought teams to Muna from Florida through his work with us -- returned with a team from South Carolina to help build a church roof in Akil. During that trip, he visited Muna to reconnect with Pastor Geronimo and members of his church. It was a reunion that proved to be timely.
Just a month later, RBPC visited Muna to explore launching a water plant ministry, referred by Pastor Freddy. As plans progressed, RBPC asked for help finding a financial and construction partner. We reached out to Pastor Scott, and soon after, plans took shape for a summer team to help build the plant's roof.
Despite leaving their homes at the wee hours of the morning and experiencing a flight delay, the MRPC team came eager to start work. During construction, the group members were focused and highly motivated. "Relentless," as Kawika described them. At the end of the week, the lead mason complimented the team giving them a score of "10" (top of grading scale in Mexico) for their work because "the key to a strong team," he explained, "is the ability to endure.”
And as hard working as they were, what also struck us was the team's intentionality to connect with people. We saw that at the job site, during meals, VBS, and while playing afternoon sports with the community. Witnessing their interactions with each other and those they served was uplifting.
During each afternoon activity, the group took time for a youth from their team to publicly and courageously share their testimony of how they came to know Christ as their personal savior. We were deeply encouraged by their boldness and openness to share their faith journey with strangers. We are certain they spoke to people’s hearts and opened them to Jesus.
La Trinidad Church & a Pastor’s Hands-On Hope for His Community
Pastor Geronimo turned 60 this year, and he certainly feels it. Yet each day during construction in Muna this July, he came ready to pull up his sleeves alongside the MRPC team.
He poured sweat with them as they helped build the roof for a new water plant that will serve his community. Pastor Geronimo was all in -- helping the men in his church lift cement vaults and roof beams before MRPC arrived, and then hauling buckets of cement with the team, being down in the trenches and getting splattered and sore in the process.
His commitment doesn’t come from a passion for manual labor per se, but from hope that one day people in his community won’t have to choose drinking contaminated from their pipes simply because they can't afford commercially produced purified water. He especially worries about the elderly, many of whom live on little to no income and can't keep up with the daily cost of clean water. With Yucatan's hot climate and summer heat waves, access to affordable water is crucial to good health.
Thanks to the ongoing support of Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church (RBPC) in Washington and Mitchell Road Presbyterian Church in South Carolina, La Trinidad church will have the opportunity to produce purified water on church premises for their community. We're also grateful to work with Living Waters for the World (LWW) through Pastor Freddy and other members of the LWW network in Yucatán. If all goes as planned, the inauguration will be sometime at the end of February or beginning of March.
Update on Chalmuch Water Plant
The day after the covenant agreement was signed in Muna, we traveled with the RBPC team to Chalmuch where RBPC and Northwest University's Women's Volleyball team built a plant last year.
As a sustainability visit, we toured the plant with Pastor Jeremias of the Solo Cristo Salva church while Nayeli, the plant operator, gave us a run down on operations and accounting records with us. She also shared some of the issues she runs into.
After we learned from Nayeli about a safety concern, RBPC asked us to purchase and deliver
a fiberglass ladder for her. She was deeply grateful. While there, Pastor Freddy was able to make an adjustment to the system making it easier for Nayeli to perform her work.
After the tour, we gathered at the church to meet with the plant's water committee and health educators. We discussed sustainability goals and areas where the committe and health educators feel they could improve on. It was great to see everyone, and we had a delightful dinner together to end the visit.
Update on Akil House
(From L to R: Family infront of home with new cement roof; laminate roof removed & walls raised higher; new roof under construction)
Thanks to Mitchell Road Presbyterian church who funded a house project in Akil last year, José Idelfonso and his family have a safer and larger home which was once covered by laminate roofing and limited to just 21 square meters.
Despite setbacks that required us to suspend the project halfway, the house was finished last month. Although we encountered issues with another mason overcharging for labor, our former ministry mason, Cristino quickly got involved and solicited the help of his brothers, all builders. They picked up where the project was left off from last year, building a new roof for the existing front room, finishing the layers of the roof for the new room that was added in the back and installing electricity throughout.
(From L to R: Electricity in new room built; installation of door & window; daughter Alexia studying in the new space)
A Mother's Prayer Answered
During a site visit to the project, we had the honor of sitting and praying at the bedside of Jose Idelfonso's mother, Maria, who was in great pain suffering from cancer. Six days later, she passed away with her husband and family around her. We were told that she went on to be with the Lord content knowing her disabled son and his family would soon have a finished home with a solid concrete roof and electricity.
Her last words to José Idelfonso:
"Dear son, I thank our good Lord who heard my prayer. I am thankful for (those) who have helped you by building you a house. I was worried because the disability that you have is not easy. But God is very good. I wish to see your finished house and lay in a hammock and contemplate your beautiful home. Take good care of it because it is made with the help of our great God. I am leaving happy, my son. One day, I will see you again in heaven together with the missionaries and all of my family."
Words that will remain in our hearts into eternity. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. ¡A Dios sea la gloria!
TidBit on Mérida: La Papelería Store
In Mérida, nearly every neighborhood has a papelería: a stationery store stocked with everything from school supplies and birthday decorations to last-minute gifts. Need to print documents, grab some snacks, or add more time to your cell phone? No problem. It’s all just around the corner.
But in our neighborhood, the papelería is more than just a convenience store. It’s a community hub—and at the heart of Papelería Tejera is Paty, the store owner. She’ll greet you with her booming, cheerful voice, even if she’s buried in paperwork at her desk. She knows everyone by name, welcomes newcomers, sends out birthday messages and informs us when someone in the community passes away.
Paty genuinely loves her community, just as her late father did before passing the store on to her. In fact, last year, when Hurricane Beryl was approaching Yucatán, Paty was the first to call us to say that her family was on standby if we needed assistance. As the head of our neighborhood committee, she coordinates everything from reports on power outages and thefts and works with her team on special events like health clinics for the elderly. She also manages our neighborhood chat group, leads efforts to organize holiday events -- and all of this is just a fraction of what she does.
You may be able to find just about anything you need in a Papelería store, but the intangibles like connection, safety and belonging? Those things aren't sold on the shelves. But Paty has plenty of them in inventory.
Prayer Requests For:
The Holy Spirit's leading upon Kawika as he takes this time to figure out his next steps in his journey.
God's wisdom upon us as parents as we navigate having an adult child back at home.
Christ's provision upon La Trinidad church as they work and raise funds for labor for the water plant in Muna and upon the Filadelfia church as they also continue to raise funds to complete the final touches of their new church.
The Lord's guidance as we plan for projects for next year as 6 churches and organizations so far have inquired about mission trips in 2026 and 2027.
Our general health as we continue to serve in Yucatán.
Gracias for reading amigos!
Blessings on your journey!
Thank you for your support in prayer and financial giving
For contributions toward our ministry & personal expenses:
Tax-Deductible Donations:
Go to MissionDispatch.org
→ Find our missionary page or click “Giving”
→ “Donate” (yellow tab)
Or mail a check (payable only to Mission Dispatch, not to us) to:
Mission Dispatch
PO Box 641
Edmonds, WA 98020
Include “Inez Ahina” in the memo line.
You may also set up automatic bill pay through your bank.
Non-Tax-Deductible Donations:
Mail a check (payable to Byron Ahina) to our U.S. address:
1918 214th Ct SE
Sammamish, WA 98075
To support food relief or construction projects:
Follow the same steps above depending on whether your gift is tax-deductible.
All gifts we receive from Mission Dispatch are considered as income to us.
Therefore, we will set aside a portion of that gift to cover for IRS taxes.
For non-deductible gifts (up to $15,000), please send to our U.S. address above and include a note:
“These funds are to reimburse Byron and Inez Ahina for [specific purpose]. Byron and/or Inez did not have any financial gain from this gift.”
For Personal Gifts (non-tax-deductible):
All personal gifts are non-tax deductible and must be sent to our U.S. address:
Byron or Inez Ahina
1918 214th Ct SE
Sammamish, WA 98075
Or via Zelle through our email address: ahinabk@gmail.com
Questions? Please contact us at:
Email: ahinabk@gmail.com
Call or WhatsApp Message: +52 999 129 6227
We can also call you (unlimited U.S. calling). Just leave us your number please.
Thank you again for your support!