It's Been A Long Time!

I haven't shared anything on my blog since April. That's too long! The treatments for Rosa and the Swine Parasite are going well. I have not noticed any new seizures for several months. We were able to spend the month of June in Montana, preaching at Fort Benton Christian Church and assisting with three weeks of Church camp at Little Rockies Christian Camp. We had several vehicle problems during that trip. But that will be something for another blog. I want to share some updates on the work in Mexico in this post.

We were blessed last week with a visit from George Martin, Little Rock, Arkansas, and Willie Drake, Wheeler, Illinois. They have been making annual motorcycle trips to visit our work for several years. This year, they accomplished many good things. Thanks to their diligent effort and financial support, they were able to paint the church building in Zaragoza.


George, Rosa and Willie just before George and Willie headed back north on Friday, September 23.

In addition to painting the building, they provided the funds for the materials to complete the electrical work on Jose and Ana's house in San Carlos and provide for the electrical entrance and panel on the church building in Zaragoza. They provided approximately $1,500.00 dollars in materials. These materials will allow us to work on site for the next couple of weeks. Thanks, George and Willie for all you have done for the Lord's work in Mexico!

George beginning to paint the side of the building.





The building really looks good!

  We are still short the funds needed to purchase the electrical meter for the church. Currently, we are "borrowing" electricity from the parsonage. that entrance is only a 60 amp 110 meter and it is wholly inadequate. The new meter for the church will be 100 amp 220. About $150.00 are still needed for the purchase and installation of the meter loop.

Our next group will be a team from Summit Christian College, Gering, Nebraska. They will be arriving on October 16. We plan to work with a short VBS type of program for the neighborhood children and also continue with the site development.

Your prayers and support are much needed at the present time. The political and economic situation is still very fluid. We hear daily of reports of drug related killings in our area. The Lord has kept us safe thus far! Today, when leaving Zaragoza, there were three military "hummers" in Zaragoza with about 30 soldiers. The soldiers have a big job to do, keeping our region safe. The problem is the drug lords have more money and bigger weapons than the government army.

Special Prayer Needs

For several years, I have been concerned about Rosa's health. She has been having a series of seizures or blackouts. I have not been able to share this publicly because it has taken a long time for Rosa to accept she has had this problem. We have seen a Doctor in Eagle Pass but, because of limited funds, we have not been able to fully check it out. She did have a test some months ago. The results were inconclusive. Additional tests on this side of the border would be several thousand dollars. We have been wanting to go to Monterrey for further tests but, because of the problems with the drug violence Rosa has not wanted to make the trip. Yesterday, April 5, she had another spell and realized she had the spell. We have an opportunity to attend a wedding in Monterrey over the Easter weekend. An appointment can be made for extensive tests following the wedding. We are not sure what the test will cost. But we do know the trip will more than we can afford at the present time financially. Our papers for the car will need to be renewed. We will have to spend a couple of days in a motel prior to the wedding. After the wedding, we can stay in a private home. Our finances have been extremely low during the past several months. We have also been using some of our personal funds to keep up with expenses in Mexico. Please pray the Lord might provide a way for us to make the trip and get the required tests for Rosa!

Jose and Ana's New House

A group from West Towne Christian Church in Knoxville, TN spent a week with us in March (March 12-18). West Towne has been a major supporter and contributor of the work we are doing in Mexico. They provided the funds for the purchase of land and poured the foundation in March of 2010. During the past year, we have been able to get the supporting walls up and this year, they were able to put the roof in place! Jose and Ana have 8 children. They had been living in a cardboard and pallet hut with no floor, water or electricity. They love the Lord and God has been blessing them with this new house. Much needs to be done but they are excited with the progress. Jose helped make the block used on their house and together they laid the majority of the block for their new home. Praise the Lord! Here is a picture of their original house and progress on the new one. The group also made substantial progress on a well near the new house.

Progress in Zaragoza

It has been several months since I have added anything to our blog. There are several items I need to share and have taken it upon myself to update our information today. I will be posting three blogs. Two concerning the work in Mexico and on concerning personal needs and opportunities. I will begin with the work in Zaragoza. Work has been continuing on the expansion of the church building. A foundation was prepared in November for the construction of two restrooms and a small storage/workshop.  The foundaton was set up in line with the current building but about 50 feet away. Plans call for completing this unit and then "filling in the gap" with another room. The additonal room will include a kitchen and provide additional space for activities. A group from Northwest Hills Christian Church in San Antonio helped our a 10 X 18 slab roof over the restroom on Saturday, April 2. We are making progress but the funds are very short at the present time. I have been trying to get Carlos $200.00 per week salary. He has been a faithful worker and is deserving. We currently are out of funds for his salary and will be curtailing further work until funds become available again.  Here are a few pictures showing the progress and a combined service which was held on March 13.

The Mayor of Zaragoza Killed

The Mayaor of Zaragoza was found killed late last week. The news of his death was overshadowed by the tragic events in Tuscon. Zaragoza is one of the communities in Mexico wherre we are working. It is a town of about 5,000 and is about 45 miles from Eagle Pass. He was on a trip to Saltillo for a governmental or political meeting. He attended the meeting and was not seen since. His body was found in the neighboring state of Nuevo Leon. We have been in communication with Carlos and Josefina in Zaragoza and all is still calm in Zaragoza. We would appreciate your prayers concerning the work in Zaragoza and for our safety as we spend time on both sides of the border.

Update on our quest for a house!

For those of you who have been following our quest for a house, we are now at a standstill. As you may know, we got the winning bid of $26,000.00 on a house which was being offered by a real estate agent in October in the neighborhood of $66,000.00. The bank had the right to refuse the winning bid. They countered with an asking price of $45,000.00. We increased our bid to $30,000.00 and then to $35,000.00. The bank wanted closing within 30 days of acceptance. We have been approved for a loan through the USDA rural development program. The USDA has approved 100% financing with all closing costs included into the load. But there is one problem with this program, since it is a government program, funding would not be available until Congress passes a budget. Since we knew we could not close within 30 days, we had to suspend negotiations. When we know we have funding of our loan available, we will once again get back into negotiations. The property is currently being offered at $66,000.00. There are a couple of other possibilities in the area we are also looking into.PLEASE KEEP THIS IN YOUR PRAYERS. Because of a the response to our situation, we do have $1,500.00 set aside for an Earnest money contract (Which would be returned at closing!) and relocation expenses.