Mike Guerrero: ‘Take care of your neighbor’

BY GUS MORGAN

If you listen to Mike Guerrero, a Midland Basin North measurement foreman, talk about his years of volunteering in disaster zones, you soon understand why he lives a life of gratitude.

Mike's volunteer work has exposed him to heart-wrenching scenes that most people never witness. He's seen orphans scavenging for food in the gutters of Swaziland, Ukrainian families resorting to spoiled fish for supper, and tornado victims in Iowa distraught after losing everything. Such experiences have transformed Mike's outlook on life, reshaping his perspective and redefining his true purpose.

Over the years, Mike has routinely volunteered his time and skills for missionary work in the U.S. and internationally, including trips to Ukraine to build a church and Swaziland to care for orphans.

"We have it so good here in the U.S.," he said. "If you take a trip to a third-world country and watch kids fight over stuff that's in the trash or something you've just thrown on the ground, it'll move you and change your whole attitude. It makes you so much more grateful for the things you have."

Mike, who works as a measurement foreman in the Midland Basin, has been volunteering with a Samaritan's Purse disaster-relief team since 2017. "We're a chainsaw, roofing and mud-out team, serving together all over the U.S."

'We were feeding 10,000 people a day'

Mike remembers the turning point, the disaster that made him realize his true calling in life.

It was 2005, and Mike couldn't look away from the apocalyptic images on TV, shocking scenes coming out of New Orleans, La., where Hurricane Katrina had flooded the city, sparking a humanitarian crisis.

Hurricane Katrina killed approximately 1,833 people when it hit New Orleans in 2005. To help with the recovery, Mike Guerrero and other volunteers distributed food from a relief center in Slidell, a major suburb of New Orleans.

Spurred into action by the gut-wrenching pictures, Mike soon found himself on the frontlines of the disaster, running a forklift in Slidell, distributing meals to evacuees from dawn to dusk.

"We were feeding 10,000 people a day," said Mike, who was volunteering with The Baptist Men's Mission Group, a Christian ministry known for feeding the hungry after disasters. "I know that sounds astronomical, but if I hadn't been there to see it, I would never have believed it."

That volunteer experience, 19 years ago, marked a decisive moment for Mike, helping him realize that serving others was his true calling.

"I've always believed in mission work. It's where I feel most alive. This is what God made me for."

Samaritan's Purse, a path to helping others

In 2017, while helping with cleanup efforts in Houston after Hurricane Harvey, Mike joined Samaritan's Purse, a nondenominational Christian organization that provides spiritual and physical aid to people in need around the world.

In 2017, Mike traveled to Houston with members of his Midland church to help with recovery efforts after Hurricane Harvey flooded the city. While his fellow church volunteers had to return home, Mike had an extra week of paid time off, and he wanted to stick around and continue helping. He noticed Samaritan's Purse volunteers working in the area, so he asked if he could join them in their cleanup efforts. They welcomed him in, and Mike has been volunteering with the organization ever since.

"I fell in love with them, and I've been with them ever since. We offer more than help. We offer hope. If you look at the Samaritan's Purse emblem, it shows a cross inside the eye of the hurricane. It stands for Christ inside the storm. We often show up after a homeowner has lost everything and is shell shocked. We try our best to show them we are the hands and feet of Jesus."

In addition to his work with Samaritan's Purse, Mike volunteers at his church in Midland, helping with missions, playing bass for the praise team and serving as co-captain on the security team. He also volunteers in Midland with Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit affordable housing organization, and the Breaking Bread Kitchen, a nonprofit that provides nourishing meals, warm showers and support services to the homeless and families in need.

Small-town values, strong parenting

Mike was born and raised in Artesia, New Mexico, a small town located "between the Roswell aliens and the Carlsbad bats," as Mike tells it. "We're known for our 32 state championships in high school football."

Mike credits his parents for his values and work ethic.

"Growing up, I had the great teachings of my parents. They were very strong in their faith. I was taught to show respect, to say yes ma'am or no ma'am, give everybody a second chance and to have a strong work ethic. I learned at a very young age that if you want anything in this world, you need to get up and work for it. No one's going to hand it to you."

LEFT: Mike salvages dishes while cleaning a house after a fire in Santa Rosa, California. RIGHT: Mike helps install tarps on a damaged roof in Iowa. Mike's volunteer work with Samaritan's Purse involves tarping roofs, mudding-out houses, cutting up downed trees, sifting through ashes for personal belongings, and repairing or rebuilding damaged homes. In the U.S., Mike and other Samaritan's Purse volunteers stand ready to respond when hurricanes, tornadoes, storms or fires strike, providing emergency aid to disaster victims.

Measurement experience, fire and rescue chief

Such teachings and values have served Mike well, propelling him to a long and successful career in the oil and gas industry. For more than 24 years, Mike worked for The Navajo Refining Company in Artesia. He started as a crude operator and volunteer industrial firefighter and rescue worker. Over time, he worked his way up the ranks to become fire chief and a rescue instructor. During his tenure, he honed his health, safety and environment (HSE) skills and learned the ins and outs of gauging, measuring and refining crude oil.

Mike in the field with one of the latest LACT installations at the CrossBar Ranch ZZ Battery.

"A gauger focuses on quality control, working with pumpers (another name for multi-skill operators), to ensure the oil is as clean as possible. Purer crude is easier to refine."

In 2013, Mike moved from Artesia to Midland to work for Concho Resources as an HSE compliance officer. He held this position for 3½ years before transitioning back to Operations as a senior gauger. In 2021, Mike joined ConocoPhillips after it acquired Concho. As a measurement foreman, he supervises a team of four measurement technicians responsible for evaluating the proper functionality of flow meters used to measure the hydrocarbons being produced. This practice can enhance production data quality, which directly impacts financial transactions and inventory management. His crew oversees the Lease Automatic Custody Transfer (LACT) units that sample, measure and transfer oil from ConocoPhillips to third party pipelines. LACT units are often referred to as the "cash registers" of the oilfield.

After a deadly tornado hit Greenfield, Iowa, in May, Mike and his Samaritan's Purse chainsaw team helped homeowners with cleanup efforts, removing trees from roofs and offering comfort to those impacted. After a project is over, Mike and his team present homeowners with a Billy Graham Samaritan's Purse Bible as a token of support and encouragement.

'Give volunteering a chance'

Outside of his professional responsibilities, Mike's dedication to volunteering is unwavering, as he finds immense satisfaction in helping others and strengthening communities.

"There's just so much more joy in giving than there is in receiving. If people would just give volunteering a chance, they'd find out just how fulfilling it is. Anyone can volunteer, and you can do it anywhere. For instance, I take care of an older couple who live next door to me. I help them when something's broken or when they can't lift or load something. Love your neighbor as yourself. Take care of your neighbor."

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