Bringing you up to speed...

It has been a year to the date since I've written on this blog.  I realize that many of you are not on Facebook where I share my daily thoughts and ministry photos.  So, with that in mind, I will try to update and link you to our World of Facebook Pages and Blogs in days to come.  Yes, blogs in plural.  I am not good at keeping up with them as you see but I will give it a good shot once more.

We are living mostly in the Quiche Guest House that Agape in Action has.  We are back to host teams this year full swing.  Our teams have diversified to include Dental, Surgical, Medical, Construction of Homes for Abandoned and Orphans, World Racers, and next year it will include a team that will bring Bible Teaching and Encouragement to Local Pastors.  These groups keep us busy before, during and after their visits. They also bring us goodies from home from stuff for clinics to M&Ms, brown sugar and special deliveries from home.  We are truly spoiled.  

As we speak, Sally's small clinic in Patzibal where we are building our adobe home (yes, it is still walls) is having restructuring.  We are moving it from the Community Center to a rental room behind our rental home.  The walls have been plastered and flooring done to accommodate just a prenatal clinic and a teaching birth room to aid the midwives nearby.  She has waited hoping to recruit other American Midwives to do this project but God has led her to take a step of faith and open it.  She does have back up help in Colorado that are an inspiration and a great support system and they are a phone call away.  They've visited several times and are giving her the thumbs up!  She has also picked up her Midwife School books once more.

Sarah, our daughter, has adjusted very naturally to living here.  She has been here for almost 16 months and helps with the laundry, apartment upkeep, goes out with teams, and cannot wait to train to be a help to Sally in the small clinic.  Spanish School is also in her horizon.

Now we have chickens, ducks and turkeys at the Farm (where we are building).  We've planted coffee, nuts and fruit trees.  Erv built a bodega (storage room) to store the many gifts sent by the men that come in the short term trips.  They have blessed him with many building tools to help with ministry teams.  Just today, a generator came in, another great gift to be put to great use.  Hoping to have a garden someday but rainy season is the time to plant and is our busiest team season.

Erv keeps busy with 5 cars to maintain (ministry vehicles included), a large facility where we have 12 bathrooms and 12 bedrooms, large kitchen and large living room/dining area.  He also helps with the nearby ministries when they need his electrical skills.  He keeps the most busy of the three of us having to keep 2 women happy at home!

Hosting our own friends from home is a delight.  They come to serve with all their heart, mind and finances.  Our beloved Dr McCririe along with his daughters Paige and Morgan are frequent flyers, they come to serve with a surgical team every summer.  Our friend Jamie also comes to uplift us, to serve in whatever area we need it and has gone to the jungle to minister as a nurse.  Sally's sister Debbie also has come several times to bring us lots of joy.  In her most recent trip she also ministered doing consults in the jungle as well. Certified Midwives Peggy, Anita and Lisa also have visited to be a support system to Sally and her love for the indigenous women.

We thank the many that have supported our work here by praying, sending finances, working back home to make stuff to send, those that have sent things that are given away to the least of these.  Also to Lance and Sarah who have facilitated our visits home with buddy tickets, that otherwise we would not be able to afford. To our friend Sharron for her faithful help with our mail back home we give thanks.  Every time someone contributes in these many ways, they are touching the poor in a powerful way.  God bless you richly!

Our greatest joy this year (besides hugging and kissing our children and grandchildren on our trips back) has been our little Macario.  We met him at the hospital next door.  He came in with the worse case of malnutrition we've ever seen.  Macario weight 7 lbs at age of 3 years...he was dying, in fact, we prayed God would take him as he was so painfully weak.  He had no tears, no voice, could not support his own head, could not eat or be fed via tube, he was full of sores and his eyes screamed pain!  Some nights Sally would lay with him in the NICU (something now allowed by any parent), in the afternoons Sarah would hold him and sing to him.  The hospital did a miracle cure (prompted by the Holy Spirit for sure), they fed him colostrum, donated Moms first milk and his body began to heal.  Today he is a vibrant toddler, still weighs 16-18 lbs at his 4 year old life, he walks, runs, smiles, kisses loudly and hugs like no other boy can.  His parents have never come back in fear of jail.  He will go to an orphanage when he is bigger.  He is loved by so many at the hospital, the nurses, doctors, workers and our World Racers when they are here.
God has taught us all a lesson on who is the giver and taker of life.  We know Macario has a special call in his life.  He already taught us strength, endurance, and to smile even in our worse days.
Please pray for him as he continues to heal physically and emotionally.  His spirit is one of God's greatest attributes, we see HIM in Macario's smile, love and through his beautiful eyes.