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Reaching Hermosillo, Mexico with the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Archive for July, 2009


dog days of summer

Things are going well in Hermosillo. Our ministry continues to expand, even though most people are just trying to get through the hot summer. Last week we had about 45 at our meeting in Villas del Sur, and on Sunday we had a total attendance of 53 in our Las Lomas meeting. In both cases, we were joined by some first-time attenders. We are grateful that some of our regulars are inviting and bringing others.

We have been discipling some new believers for the last several weeks and we now have three graduates of the first course. We have presented them with diplomas and hope this will encourage them to keep studying and grow deeper in the Lord.

Donna had her regular checkup with the cardiologist this week and everything looked good. She’ll have some bloodwork done in three months and return for another checkup in six months. She’s feeling good, and that’s a good thing.

We have not been very good about our exercise program lately. It all started with the volunteer teams in June. It’s difficult to host volunteers and maintain any semblance of a “normal” routine. After the volunteers, we took vacation. We have one more major event on the horizon, but have pledged to each other to get back into the gym by the first week in August. I know that I have gained a few of the pounds that I lost, but as we say here in Mexico, “Ni modo”. Hopefully, I’ll be back in the groove for the fall.

it’s july

Wow! Seems like forever since I wrote anything here. June was a blur for us….one of the busiest months we’ve had since coming to the field, and perhaps one of the most fruitful.

We ended the month with some much needed and much appreciated vacation. I didn’t say anything about vacation in a public forum. It’s a security thing. We’ve been made more and more aware that we live in a changing world. A changing world that’s very connected. One blog entry or one Facebook announcement and the whole world could know your next move. Maybe that’s not such a big deal where you live. But in our country, I don’t want to advertise what my next move is going to be. If you get my drift…

Anyway, we departed Hermosillo in late June and had the “water” experience across Texas. Actually, with temps in the low 100s, it was quite refreshing. We stopped off for swimming and snorkeling at Balmorrhea State Park. It’s a 4 million gallon spring-fed pool that is up to 25 feet deep in some places. We swam and floated and soaked up the sun. It was good. Next, we stopped off at Pedernales Falls State Park and floated on the Pedernales River. At least what there was of it. The Texas Hill country is in drought right now and the river was low. Nonetheless, we spent a few hours splashing and relaxing. Finally, we made it to Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels, Texas. We’ve been wanting to do that for several years, but one thing or another has interfered. We were there on the perfect day. It was hot and dry and the water felt good. We got there when it opened and stayed until it closed. You have to do that to feel good about paying $40 to get in!

After we were completely water-logged, we headed to Louisiana to visit family, drop off our granddaughter, and celebrate the 4th. We were glad to see my grandmother, who just turned 96. She’s in a rehab facility now and having trouble walking. But she got a day pass and we all visited comfortably at her home.

On our last day in Louisiana, we celebrated Izabella’s first birthday. She was not feeling great, but had a good time anyway. We left the party late on Sunday evening, headed for Hermosillo. One more stop in El Paso to visit with our colleagues there, and we made it home on Tuesday.

Since we left we have a new governor, new mayor, and several other new politicians. The government is still investigating the daycare fire….several people are under arrest and some have evidently fled the country. Mexico is calling for Interpol to help locate about half a dozen of the partners who owned the daycare.

We can’t wait to get back into our ministry roles today, as we head out for Villas del Sur late this afternoon. Pray for us!