Good things for those who love Him

December 2010

Florinda , Armando’s wife, was transferred to 4 different hospitals and was in intensive care (in and out of a coma) for about 2 months. She had an operation, in order to clean the infection from her stomach. When I visited the family, Willy translated my prayer into Maya for Florinda’s mom. We read Mark 2: the story about the man who was lifted through the roof, and when Jesus saw their faith, He healed him. The family drew closer to the Lord & their faith grew through these hard times. The day after her brother-in-law, Pedro, told the family to think positive and pray, she spoke a few words and became more alert & stable for a few days. When the infection spread to her brain and other parts of her body, the doctors said there was no hope. Three family members began texting me for encouragement and prayer. I was blessed that they reached out to me, that they were seeking God & claiming scriptures over her life. It was an honor to be part of their prayers, growth & unity. At the same time, it was heart-breaking to not see the miracle that we were praying for to come to pass. Unfortunately, Florinda passed away just before Christmas. It’s hard to understand why a 35 year old woman would leave behind 3 small children & an infant; but we know that God’s timing is perfect and He is in control. It is comforting that the family knows that she is in heaven now without pain (she and Armando accepted the Lord about 10 months previously, just after his motorcycle accident!). Thank you, ENE, for purchasing a hammock from this family, you have helped them to pay off Florinda’s hospital bill!

Willy, her brother-in-law, was really affected by Florinda’s illness. He came to Playa with me, in November, to look for work in order to help the family. On the bus, he opened up and shared a lot. He is thankful that the Lord has given him the strength to be alcohol free for over 1 year. He said that often times, people get closer to God when they have struggles; but he has just decided to follow Jesus in good times and bad! He also talked about reading his bible more and wanting to be baptized! We arrived to Tulum and went directly to the Lighthouse Church service, which he enjoyed very much. God is always turning things into good for those who love Him!

Bus update

November 2010
The new mayor, Gregorio, became the chauffeur for the 1^st school bus in E.B.. He began driving 4 handicapped children to the special needs school in Temozon (20 minutes away). He was also transporting 15 kids to the secondary schools, every day since September. Some kids have returned to school, just to be able to ride the yellow school bus! Isn’t that awesome!? PTL! Well, the bad news is that it only lasted 1.5 months. The government had agreed to pay for the gas; but then when the new President came into office, he said he was only willing to pay half. The parents are pitching in, a total of 100 pesos per week. They still need to raise 600 pesos (about $60 USD) per month, to be able to start using the bus again.

This special needs school has been helping these 4 children to learn & grow, since they inscribed a year ago! At age 13, Jose is now standing, on his own and walking with a walker- a huge accomplishment! Ronda, Vonda & Cindy (from Oregon & Idaho) were so excited to be there to see Jose walking & to be greeted with a big smile and bear hug from Maria-Imelda, Jose’s sister! These ladies purchased a hammock from Jose's mom, to help with the expenses for their education (every hammock purchased makes a BIG difference, so thanks ladies!). Some of you may remember a couple of years ago, a mission team purchased a tricycle for them, because they were using toddler bikes to strengthen their legs. Their grandfather used to ride with Jose into the woods to look for firewood (before passing away 2 years ago). The two handicapped girls, Maria and Celena , are improving little by little. Please be praying for the gasoline to be provided so that these children can continue attending this school!

Opening doors

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted! To bring you all up to date on what is going on in my life I will be posting a few separate blogs straight out of my journal from the past several months. Starting with November..

I saw Arnufo (plays guitar at 7^th day Adventist Church) in the park and he stopped to chat with me. He wanted to thank me for all my help, through the various projects that have been done over the years! He mentioned how useful the work boots & shoes have been. He also said that the hammock sales have helped the families a lot. Then he told me that about 50% of the men have a drinking vice. Celebrate Recovery (AA) would be a great asset to EB.! Pray that there is an opportunity to bring this ministry to EB!

Meaningful visits

We stopped by Liboria’s casa to agree on the time to head back to Playa. Alfredo has appointments at C.R.I.T. Hospital in Cancun twice a month now. Her husband, Paulino, will stay home to work in the farm. It’s the season for planting seeds. He mentioned that there are some vegetables that they can’t grow, such as tomatoes and habaneras, because they require more water. Good news… now that the political office is changing, there is a chance that the government will assist in getting the community farm up and running again. The new mayor, Gregorio, put the watering system on his top ten list. Let it be so, Lord!

Paulino invited us for lunch the next day and we accepted the offer. Their custom is to serve the guests first, so Lalo and I sat at the little wooden table and enjoyed the coleslaw and beef with handmade tortillas. Paulino said that he hadn’t been reading his bible, as he was before. I asked him if he’d listen to an audio bible if he had one, and he said that he would. (He now has one.) The following day, we picked up Liboria and Alfredo on our way out of the village.

Building reltionships & building the business

Lalo’s new inventory and accounting forms are helping to make the bookkeeping easier. We keep finding ways to do things more efficiently. Having the computer really is a Godsend (thanks to Holly, Steve and Hindrik). Rosa and I are learning together. I have had the opportunity to express my mistakes to her, which opened the door to talk about how the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy. I explained that, we have to choose who we will listen to and what we will act on. She understands how the enemy tempts and tricks us.

Prayer request

Unfortunately, the van, that had been donated by a church in Oregon and transformed into a school bus by Don Carlos, is still illegal. Lalo called several customs offices in Cancun, only to find out that at this point there is nothing we can do to legalize the vehicle. Apparently, it’s not legal to donate a vehicle that entered the country with temporary permission. The only hope that we have is that once in a while, the government offers an opportunity to legalize illegal vehicles.

Let’s pray that that door opens soon! Don Carlos, the other teachers, and the entire village were so excited to have their 1st school bus. Father God, we know that You have a solution to everything and we will wait on You.

Seeds that produce fruit

Eduardo, the dentist, donated another dental chair for the clinic. Lalo hauled it out to the village for us. Out of the 3, it’s the best quality. We have lots of equipment; now we just need to get him and his wife, Hades, to come back to provide service. They have had a busy year. About 9 months ago, Eduardo and I got together to chat. He told me that he was thinking about moving from Cozumel to Playa, so that it would be easier for them to travel to E.B. on a regular basis. He said the dental missions are what fulfills him; unlike any other activity that he does. I agreed, ”yup, that’s what following God’s plan for your life feels like. It’s a wonderful thing”. That day, Eduardo received the confirmation he needed, and went back to the island to begin planning this transition. I’m very proud of him for taking this big step of surrendering his plans, in order to seek God’s plans for his life.

Actually, Eduardo is the first person I led to the Lord about 3 and a half years ago. I remember that day he told me that he had done a dental mission once, and really enjoyed it. At that time, my E.B. mission was still in the beginning stages, but I told him that he may end up doing it again! It’s amazing how God orchestrates things.