Meet Josué, A Pastor to the Community

Josué Chenoweth is a pastor and community development leader in the town of Miguel Alemán, and is an integral part of the 1MISSION team along with his wife, Irma, who runs our children’s programs. In this Q&A, he tells us what he loves about his work and the community God has called him to serve.

Tell me about how you ended up in Miguel Alemán and how you got connected to 1MISSION.
Eight years ago, my family and I arrived here with the purpose of serving the community spiritually, as pastors. Through that work, we started getting involved in social impact activities, which led us to a human development project in collaboration with 1MISSION. I didn’t know anything about 1MISSION at first, but as we helped with different workshops in the community, I learned more about how families earn houses by serving in these community initiatives. Our heart has always been to serve the community and give them opportunities, but through this process we also earned our own house and later joined the 1MISSION team. It’s been a great privilege.

What are some of the things you admire in the people of this community?
I especially appreciate their hard work and their great willingness to learn. They are people who dedicated and passionate about what they do. When they find their why—their purpose—they give themselves to it with all their hearts. I believe in this community. I believe in what we are capable of doing together and I love the potential we have to change our course.

Most 1MISSION supporters haven’t had the opportunity to meet you yet. What do you do in your role with 1MISSION?
In my role, I help to coordinate the 1MISSION project here in Miguel Alemán. It means doing a little bit of everything. Together with the team, I work with families so they can understand the process to earn a new home. We guide them and provide support in whatever they need.

We do administrative work to ensure all programs operate smoothly, from purchasing building materials and office supplies, to reporting on the progress of our work. And we are committed to keeping our vision front and center while meeting our objectives in workshops, construction, and more. Finally, we also receive and serve volunteers who come from the city of Hermosillo or from the United States, joining forces for the development of the community.

The thing I love most about my job is the people—and the potential for growth and development I see in them. I love developing people and my job allows me to see lives change through serving the community, earning a home, and then seeing how some families continue to grow even after completing the formal process with 1MISSION.

When you’re not working, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I’ll admit that one of the biggest challenges for me is keeping boundaries and personal life. That’s because for me and my family, we love this work! Little by little, though, we have learned to give ourselves space. I love spending time with my children and my wife, and we enjoy traveling to visit friends and fellow ministers.

Last of all, tell us something funny that’s happened to you while serving the community.
When we first arrived here, we were unknown. So the community formed an idea of ​​us based on appearances. Because of our skin color, they assumed that we were Americans, that we couldn’t possibly live here or be Mexican. They also told us that our oldest son had been left raw because of his skin color. We love our community!