San Lorenzo outreach

Where's the highway?

We are back to Roca Blanca after a three day trip to San Lorenzo, a new
church plant about two years old. We arrived and walked across muddy road
construction and then walked a steep incline up to where the church sat
overlooking the village. It commanded a great view which is usually the
location of the catholic churches in the village. We hustled to set up
clinic and saw probably thirty patients that evening, entertaining the
children on the side with songs and games. They fed us well...all weekend
and housed us in separate places. John and I were led to a in a newly built
room with one hammock and one cot available. We were thankful there seem to
be no mosquitoes because it was necessary to leave our door ajar to get any
cool breeze that might become available. We had bathroom facilities
outdoors and were grateful for cold bucket showers during our stay.

outreach dinner

On Friday, we saw patients off and on all day. A dentist came that morning,
Adrianna who is wife to one of our Spanish teachers, and John and I helped
her with about 20 plus tooth extractions over Friday and Saturday. We held
flashlights, sanitized instruments, led patients in and out, sweep floors,
and whatever we could do to be helpful.

roadside barber

delighted patient

When working with the children, we were both involved in a drama that was recorded into the Mixteco language. Usually the children know Spanish from going to school but many of the adults do not so we always have interpreters. We had a visiting retired
surgeon with us and his wife. He had two interpreters to translate; one from English to Spanish and then another to translate from Spanish to Mixteco. He is only in his eighties and still going strong.

Friday afternoon, we took a break to have a church service at 5pm. It
started with a Mariachi style band that was very rousing and cheerful. I
thought then how boring the Catholic church would seem to the people by
comparison. The band made it sound more like a fiesta along with all the
dancing, clapping, and singing. The musicians set up in the small concrete
church building where we had been holding clinic. We were sitting outside
under tarps...till it starting pouring rain. At first, we would lift and
dump the tarps where they sagged so they wouldn't seep through but pretty
soon, it was a loosing battle. Some took shelter in a small overhang, some
of us took shelter in the kitchen shed. It was rather distracting to hear
any preaching with rain pounding the tin roof and people shuffling to find a
dry place but there were two preachers and they shared the Word for about an
hour. Many of the locals were still under sections of tarp listening with
all their hearts. Afterward, everyone was served hot weak coffee and a
sweet bread roll. We had a time of fellowship then tramped carefully
through the dark and muddy street under construction to our abodes.

Some of the interesting food we had was scrambled eggs in a real chili
powder/tomato sauce, chicken/rice soup, shrimp/Spanish rice, and entomatadas
which are tortillas dipped in bean soup and served with crumbled cheese over
the top. All entrees except the last came with beans and hand ground, hand
made hominy tortillas cook over the fire on a large clay plate. There were
8-10 cooks most of the two days with several servers. They had some
kneading the tortilla dough, some pressing it in a metal press, and several
cooking them around the plate. Other fires held the huge pots for cooking
beans or meat. They fed our group of 28 plus interpreters and then fed
their men and helpers so they were feeding about 50-60 every day.

morning devos

We are thankful every time for the opportunity and privilege to share the
love of Jesus with these needy people. John and I are thankful for the
wonderful truck the Lord provided us with to come here as we are always
carrying people, luggage, and other supplies when we go. It gives us a
double opportunity to serve. Thank you for your faithful prayer and
support. For each of you who participated in this way, you are the arms
that stretch forth the hands. You are those whom make it possible.
God's blessings on you with our thanks to you.
John & Joyce