A wheel chair for Ricardo's Mom

I met this man named Ricardo.  His mother is 94 years old and a little senile.  She needs help getting to the bathroom and church because she can't walk by herself very well.  His youngest sister has downs syndrome and went blind 3 year ago.  She also needs constant help around the house.  Ricardo can't work very much because of the care they need.  He has opened the front of his house and runs a small store there, but it doesn't provide very much money.  

A few days after meeting Ricardo, my lead worker (Gonzalo) and I, were looking at a project for another family.  They needed a new roof.  While I was there I saw a wheel chair sitting in the corner.

I learned that this family's mother passed away at 112 years old and the wheel chair wasn't needed anymore.  It needed a little work, but they were willing to give us the wheel chair for Ricardo's family in exchange for the new roof.  We would have done the roof even if they didn't have a wheel chair, I am just amazed at how God can put pieces together to help everyone out!

Some things about the girls in mission life!

I thought it was about time to give everyone an update on the girls!

So Eliza lately has been obsessed with finding pretty rocks.  So, during our last desert day, Andrea found a rock during her prayer time and brought it back for Eliza.  How sweet right?

Eliza's response..."You didn't find one that was already pretty?"

Second good story: Eliza was having some Doritos for lunch and as she opens the bag says, "Smells just like Grandma's house!"

How to caption this photo: "Too cute for words"

This is what I love about being missionaries, we get to capture our daughter reading lives of the saints voluntarily!

 Theresa and Eliza love the looking at the animals in the Ejidos!

Mission trip #2

This week we have welcomed the second mission trip.  It is a group of High School students from a Maur Hill Mount Academy in Atchison Kansas.  It has been a blessed trip and we have really enjoyed the kids who came.

Group photo from Saltillo pilgrimage day

From the Left: Madi, Lucy, Andrea, Eliza, David, Julia, Ana, Megan, Sophia, Kyle, Ian, Theresa, Erik, Magdalena, Bridget

Photos from visiting the ejidos:

Eliza decided she wants to start helping holding the song signs!

 We had a very successful week for work projects as well!  First we put a concrete topper on a roof for a woman named Marta.  We put a concrete floor in her house as well.  Then we were able to put a new sewer line in for Fansisco who's wife is pregnant and due in April.  Their tank was full and the city had just put in a new sewer line, however they needed to provide the pipe and connection from the house.  We then wrapped up the week by installing an underground power line to the new chapel in Mogote!

 Marta's House

 Marta's Mother washing laundry

Mixing Concrete for the floor and roof topping.

  Kids playing on the street while the concrete is mixed.

 Marta in her room that now has a concrete floor!

 The new drain and connection to the sewer for Fransisco.

 Nothing like digging through dirt and granite to put an electrical line 4" in the ground.  

It is very exciting to have groups come and experience Mexico with us.  Consider coming on a mission trip yourself!

One Tiny Town

We have been reflecting on the reading Romans 10: 14-15: But how are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed?  And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"

We thank God every day for our call to serve Him in this way!  However, we can't help but think while we are here that this is just one tiny town.  How many other General Cepedas are in the world, so desperate to hear the message that they have a God who loves them, who wants to provide for them, who wants to spend eternity with them.

Here is General Cepeda, a town of 5000-6000 people:

Living here has brought a whole new meaning to the gospel Matthew 9: 37-38: Then he said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

I have become increasingly frustrated the past couple weeks that there is so much need and so little time and money to help.  Everywhere I turn around people have real needs in life.  Then I think more about how we are in just one small place.  There are so many other places in the world yet to even hear of the love of God.  2/3's of the world, that's 4.6 billion (with a b), have not heard they have a God who is seeking them.  

I have also been reflecting a lot lately on the Kingdom of God.  How much has America enjoyed the Kingdom of God (and the western world for that matter).  Yet we are throwing it away.  For many generations we have enjoyed stable families, relatively good income, peace in our country, relative safety in our homes.  And there are many who don't get to enjoy this.  Only Christ can bring this about in their countries.  Only Christ can help all.  We play a part and we help where we can, but Christ is above our human ways and can reach out to everyone.  All they need is to believe in Him as the scripture from Romans states.  

I pray first for the Lord to send out more laborers, to all the places that need His Kingdom.  

I pray also for more support in missions in general.  The document "Ad Gentes" has this to say about missionary activity:  "Since the charge of proclaiming the Gospel in the whole world falls primarily on the body of bishops, the synod of bishops or that 'stable Council of bishops for the entire Church,' among the affairs of general concern, should give special consideration to missionary activity, which is the greatest and holiest task of the Church."  The greatest and holiest task!  

In our mission specifically, we have hired some local help to help those in need of shelter and other things, and the only thing preventing our work is funds.  Materials here are not that much cheaper than they are in the States,  therefore these projects are expensive.  I my hope is that God will send us funds to keep the guys working all year!  Please Please pray and consider supporting this work.  Serving the poor and helping in their needs in integral to spreading the Kingdom of God!

Final product for Josephina

We finished the new roof for Josephina on Monday and she is all moved back in!  Her electrical was really old and poor so we were also able to put in a couple new lights and some outlets.  As you can imagine the way electrical is done in Mexico is very different.  Wires are just draped on the ceiling and connections are simply taped together.  The only protection is one fuse where the power comes into the house. 

She is very appreciative and I thank all our benefactors for supporting us and allowing is to do so much good for people!

A new roof for Josephina!

We have hit the ground running with work projects since we came back from language school.

As some of you know we have hired three local men to work on these projects every week.  It is a great tool for us to support some people here through their work while at the same time providing roof, floors, windows, doors, and other living essentials here for people who have no way of affording them.  God is so good for allowing us to participate in His plan for this community in such an intimate way!

This week we started a new roof for a very sweet lady, Josephina, out in the Ejido called Mogote.  The local government here provided her with some materials last year, but it wasn't near enough and she could not afford to hire anyone to install the new roof.

You can see by the curvature of this old morillo how close the roof was to coming down.

The old roof used bamboo sheets for the sheathing.  Plastic was on top of that but it had decayed.  Water was leaking in the room pretty bad.  Some spots were rotten to the point that Sergio almost fell through.  Josephina says though that this roof lasted 38 years, which is pretty typical for a roof of this type!

After installing the new roof joists and planking, plastic is laid down and topped with dirt. A parapet wall of one cement block is added to the top of that around the border.

Cement will be added to the top of this dirt for extra durability.

The top edge around the inside and outside is then touched up with new cement stucco.  

 

From the Left: Gonzalo, Josephina, Sergio, Pancho

The materials for these projects are fairly expensive.  I hope to do one project a week, however in order to accomplish that I need to raise some more funds for materials.  Please prayerfully consider supporting this important work for this community!  By supporting my family in mission you will be directly helping families in great need!  God Bless!

We Have Returned!!

Well language school in Guadalajara was good and learned so much, but it is even better to be back in General Cepeda!  We went to Mexico City for a few days to meet up with the rest of the team and have a 3 day retreat near the basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  God has blessed us so much!  The time there was extremely fruitful and will really help our team jump into ministry.

I owe and apology for not updating our blog for so long!  Stay tuned!

We took a day of rest after the long day of traveling back from Mexico City and Eliza and Dad decided to make a cool TeePee tent to play in.  Eliza Loves it!

We arrived by bus in General Cepeda on Thursday night and have noticed that everything is starting to turn green here!  I know its not super green, but hey, its the desert.... :-)

Just before we left for language school Father had several meetings with us to lay out how he would like to see the year go.  He assigned us as well as other people from the parish different ejidos to minister to and teach the faith.  We visited the first two of our five ejidos last night.  It was a good time to go around meet the people we will be ministering to. We were also able to handle out several blankets and a couple bags of clothing for the people there.  

 The first group that came here bought a cross for a chapel in Mogote (the first ejido)

The family that was here last year put up a chapel in this ejido. (I was fortunate enough to help on this project!)

 Eliza likes visiting ejidos!

Everyone Loves Lucy!

 

I wanted to post a few photos of what an ejido looks like so here is a taste of Mexico!

 

 This particular Ejido grows mesquite trees.  I'm not sure exactly why, but they use it for burning a lot and possibly their animals will eat the leaves.

 The second Ejido we visited last night has an abandoned church.  Not sure how old it was, but I think it must have been pretty cool before it fell in!