Practicing what they preach, 11 clergy from the Mercer and Trumbull counties area will travel to Mexico to work, pray and fellowship with the Saltillo Pastors Alliance.

"Right now the spirit of God is moving in Mexico in a way that is like nowhere else," said the leader of the group, the Rev. Carol Missik, senior pastor of Living Word Church of Brookfield in Masury.

"The people are hungry for God -- they will stop and listen to you and ask you to pray with and for them. They will kneel down in the dirt right in the middle of the street. The harvest is ready there and our team is like migrant workers going in to help with the harvest."

The pastors will be part of a church building and prayer tower dedication during their week-long trip April 22-29. The pastors and their churches raised money for the roof of the building and the trip through two spaghetti dinners.

The leader of the Saltillo Pastors Alliance, the Rev. Tony Garcia, raised $8,000 for the roof while he was visiting churches in western Pa. and eastern Ohio last year.

According to Rev. Missik, these ministers also will preach, build, teach and evangelize while there.

"We're there to serve them, the Mexican pastors. Whatever we can do for them in this short time we will. We're like a SWAT team coming in with resources, strength and a servant's heart."

This multi-denominational group includes the Revs. Rob McFarland, Chestnut Ridge Church of God, Hubbard; John Vrabel, First Assembly of God, Hubbard; Jay Lucas, Coalburg United Methodist, Hubbard; Jim Mashburn, New Life Christian Fellowship, Girard, Ohio; Ed Hillard, East Side (Baptist-Disciples of Christ), Sharon; Dan Cesene, Faith Assembly of God, Brookfield; Jim Goodrich, First Baptist, Hubbard; Tom Thompson, like Rev. Missik from Living Word in Masury; Jim Erb, Antioch International Ministries, New Wilmington; and Hope Cummins, Emmanuel Methodist Church, Neshannock.

The group, called the Penn-Ohio Pastors Prayer Fellowship, has been meeting for six years each Wednesday to pray together.

It is Rev. Missik who has connections to Mexico. For 10 years she has been a representative of Harvest Preparation International Ministries, Sarasota, Fla.

She explained that she developed a relationship with Rev. Garcia over those years and has done joint mission trips with his Mexican church congregation. So when he asked for help, she accepted the challenge.

Minister-in-training Chris Grove of Faith Assembly of God, Brookfield, is also going with the pastors to Mexico.

"People in Mexico really respond and are receptive to the word of God," he said.

Referring to past trips to Mexico, he explained, "You end up being blessed more than the people there because it makes you appreciate what you have here. It is amazing what God can do down there."

According to Rev. Missik, Saltillo, Coahhuila, Mexico, is two hours south of Monterrey, with a population of one million. The area is growing rapidly and "the church must respond to this challenge."

Her hope is "that some other churches will catch the vision so that next year they may send their own teams to Mexico."