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Mission Socorro Mission Socorro began in Apr. 1972, when Janet and Ivan Smith returned from 9 years of missionary service in Venezuela. They were searching for a place where they could establish their ministry in the US, after Janet became very ill in Venezuela. They wanted to work with some of the Spanish-speaking people in the US. They saw an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, talking about the plight of the Mexican-American migrant laborers in the Red River Valley on the northern MN/ND border. In short order, they had the backing of the Foursquare Gospel Church to spend one year there to establish a church. They were not told that there had been a church in Grand Forks ND quite a few years before they got there (Oct. 1971) that had left a very bitter taste in the mouths of many of the people who had been involved with the church. The church had been closed by the district, who took all of the money the people had poured into their local church. Before the end of the year was up, the Smiths felt that they should branch out on their own to try to help the migrant people. They were living in East Grand Forks MN at that time. They began contacting farmers, job services, doctors, lawyers, police, hospitals, anyone who would have regular contact with the migrants. They offered free translating services to anyone who would need it. In less than one week, their phone was practically ringing off the wall from people who needed and wanted their help. The migrants quickly came to trust them, which was evidenced when they were the only "foreigners" invited to the baptism and following feast by one of the migrant families. In 1975, the Smiths moved across the Red River to Grand Forks ND. The phone company (Northwestern Bell at that time) asked them if they would be willing to have the phone number 701-775-HELP assigned to them. The phone company explained that they often received calls to information, asking where they could find help for many different problems. They had been looking for one central "clearing house" where they could refer people that would be available around the clock. The Smiths were working out of their home, which made Mission Socorro the ideal candidate for this service. At that point, Mission Socorro began expanding by leaps and bounds. While they were not helping less migrant workers, that quickly became about 20% of the calls they were getting. They focused primarily on families, although they have never turned anyone away. They have handled calls for evictions, homeless people, fuel assistance, medical assistance, young girls who have been kicked out of their homes when they became pregnant, helping young people who had run away from home get back, provided transportation help (for medical needs, employment needs, etc.), helped find housing for new families who have come into the area, help prevent suicides, provided medicine from people who could not afford it and who did not qualify for other "standard" programs, help with food for hungry families, help families through the maze of applying for Social Services, low income housing, etc., helped locate doctors when necessary. That is just some of the needs that come in daily to Mission Socorro. During the Great Flood of 1997 in Grand Forks ND and East Grand Forks MN Mission Socorro was very involved from the first scent of flooding problems, working closely with the city offices to direct people on how to get out of town. When the Smiths had to evacuate themselves to the Grand Forks Air Force Base, the Smiths were immediately "recruited" by one of the officers in charge on the base, and they worked hand-in-hand with the base personnel, handling many of the duties for the handicapped and people with medical needs. This entire experience is documented in Janet's book, "The Flood of the Millennium: The Real Heroes, the People," which is available on Amazon.com or almost any other online bookstore. Following the flood, many of the local supporters for Mission Socorro found themselves on the other side of the desk. They were in a position where they were calling Mission Socorro, asking for help, after they lost everything they owned. In addition, the Myrtle L. Atkinson Foundation of CA, which had given Mission Socorro a generous grant every year for many years lost the woman who had headed the foundation. It was taken over by her daughter, who decided to change the focus of the foundation and they allocated all of their funds to helping protect the environment. It has been a real struggle, financially, for Mission Socorro since 1997. There are no paid salaries, and 100% of the money that comes in goes directly to the people they help. There is no overhead paid by any donations to Mission Socorro. The Smiths live on Ivan's disability and Social Security now that they have reached "that golden age." All of Janet's earnings from her writing endeavors go directly to the account of Mission Socorro. Without this money, Mission Socorro would have had to end its existence, leaving hundreds of people every year with nowhere to turn because they "just don't fit" in standard traditional channels. Mission Socorro has very little "repeat business." Their goal is to help families become self-sufficient. They practice and preach "God helps those who help themselves," even though that saying is not in the Bible. They also firmly believe that they have been called to follow Jesus' example; He never preached to a crowd or an individual without first supplying the physcial need the person had, whether it was being hungry (feeding of the 5000 with the loaves and fishes), healing (many instances of this), or helping them believe in themselves (the woman at the well). With the onset of extremely cold temperatures in the MN/ND Red River Valley hitting almost a month earlier than usual, the calls have already increased tremendously. The temperatures have already dipped to the -25 degree range on many days in Dec., and it is possible for a person to freeze to death inside their own home in a very short time. One woman recently nearly died from the fumes in her bathroom, where she was hiding with a garbage can in the bathtub in which she was burning papers and some of her clothes to try to keep warm. Anything anyone can do to help with the extremely critical needs at Mission Socorro is asked to send them through PayPal to janetelainesmith@att.net and the funds will be transferred directly to Mission Socorro's bank account, where they will be administered carefully to the people in need. Mission Socorro is a bona fide 501(c)(3) religious, educational and charitable organization, recognized as such by the IRS. Every case, as it comes in, is carefully checked out to make sure it is legitimate. Thank you for your consideration and caring. Janet Elaine Smith, Program Director, PIVTR
Janet Elaine Smith, Program Director
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