Our last blog was dated September 26, 2011. We have had a lot of things happen since that post. This post will be a little long, so bear with me.
In late October, after working in Mexico for two days during the same week, I noticed severe swelling in my right leg. I had a regularly schedule Doctor visit scheduled for Monday so I decided to wait two day and mention this in my regular visit. On Monday, my Doctor sent me to the hospital for a sonogram. The sonagram indicated I had a large blood clot in my leg. I spend three days in the Eagle Pass hospital and was referred to a specialist in San Antonio. In February, it was determined it was not a blood clot but an aneurism. Since we had a a rather full schedule until the end of March, surgery was planned for late March.
We were also able to spend some time with my brother in Longmont, Colorado. He looked good however, the prospects of his getting out of the nursing home are not very good. As you may know, he had a hip replacement in October of 2010. Since that time he has either been hospitalized or in a Nursing Home. Your prayers on his behalf would be appreciated.
Apart from that trip, our plans for the balance of March and April did not see fulfillment. While we were in Nebraska, we received word of a major battle between the Zeta drug cartel and Mexican authorities in Piedras Negras. The "official" report indicated that only one female police officer was killed. Through private sources, we confirmed it was much, much worse.
We have learned the situation began when the Mayor of Piedras Negras tried to put the Zeta Cartel head in Piedras Negras in jail. When the authorities made the attempt, they were not able to capture the head of the cartel. However, they did place his entire family into custody. In retaliation, the cartel head had his men take over several of the busses in Piedras Negras. His men simultaneously began shooting up the passengers of the busses. Then the Mexican authorities entered into a full-fledged shoot with the Zeta members. Pictured at the right are some of the guns confiscated after the battle. Severely injured were flown to Monterrey and Saltillo for medical attention. We were able to confirm from several independent sources that over 200 people were actually killed and about half of them were civilian. Here is a picture of some of the guns confiscated during that battle.
You can imagine our concern for the safety of a group from Knoxville, TN which was scheduled to arrive within a week. We would be responsible for the safety of approximately 45 individuals, including two of our own infant grandchildren. After intense phone conversations, we canceled the mission trip. The group had sent down $6,000.00 for materials in advance. We had windows and doors custom made for the house in San Carlos and the roofing materials had been special ordered and waiting for pickup in Del Rio, TX.
Our son, Caleb decided to still make the trip. He, Kelly and their two girls were able to spend some time with us in Eagle Pass. But for safety reasons, they did not cross the border into Mexico. Caleb did help pick up the roofing materials for the church in Zaragoza. They were stored in Del Rio for later delivery.
We were grateful however because they were able to be with us during my surgery in San Antonio on March 28. I had the bypass surgery in my leg. The surgery was a lot more invasive than the hip replacements four years ago. Everything went well and I have had two follow up appointments with the surgeon. Although medicare is covering the majority of our expenses, we will still be short about $3,000.00 to cover all expenses. We are making payments as we can. The Doctor recently gave me a good bill of health and said he doesn't want to see me again until mid-July.
Since the last appointment, I was given the go ahead to get back into Mexico. I have made two trips into Zaragoza and San Carlos. It felt good to be able to travel in Mexico after an absence of almost three months. I was able to manage much of the work "long distance" and get funds moved through Western Union during that time.
We are now in the process of getting the roof installed on the addition for the church in Zaragoza. In San Carlos, Jose and Ana are also installing their new doors and windows. The well they have been digging by hand on their property has reached water. This is a big blessing for them as well!
Your prayers are needed as we continue to serve on both sides of the border. The violence in Mexico is not abating. Every week we hear reports of additional killings. We have several friends who have been affected. Most are not talking about the situation because of the fear of reprisal. We hear of people who have disappeared while riding on commercial busses from the interior to the border. It seems entire busses are disappearing! This war is real! I am convinced the only answer to this situation is the Gospel. However, all indications are that this situation will continue until the return of our Lord!
