March 31, 2012                                 Progress in the Desert: Not just a story about constructing buildings

I hope you will enjoy this little story, as much as I am going to enjoy writing it.

Last night the missions group from the church arrived at Hacienda de los Arboles for their ten days of boot camp. These are all young people with one adult named Alejandro, (Alexander). These are youth that will be participating in two mission trips this summer to Buffalo Narrows in Canada, and to India. They can come here for their orientation, (boot camp) for the ten days of their Easter holiday, when they are not attending university or senior high. They will also be coming here two more times before they leave on the first mission trip. The group is arranged rather like our Canadian Bible camp arrangement. Some who are high school students are cooking-cleaning staff, and the majority are participants in the mission trips. However, they all do the activities together, when the work is done.

Alejandro came out and looked the place over and he said, “This is perfect.” He wanted it to be rustic so the team would be stretched in their ability to adapt to living conditions that might be less than ideal.

So,  Reg and I have had one night of hosting this group, and we can tell you it has been a joy to see them, and hear them also…. all night in fact.

One of the guys has his mattress on top of the church van. There he slept… we think. However, since they sang and played all night by the campfire, we are not sure anyone slept… including us.

The big grey building (called the Main Building, or the Main) did not yet have all the screens on the windows, and they had planned to sleep on the concrete floor inside the building. The girls were a little unsure about all the little bits of excrement on the floor, since the group from Winnipeg had cleaned it a week previous. “Is it rat droppings?” I assured them, it is just a little gift from the bats. “Will they bite us?” “Probably not, unless you have been watching Dracula movies.”  

Well, they came out and settled in, waiting around somewhat for Reg to do some things. Like make a hookup to the big propane kitchen stove in the dark, while I held the light. Then he had to make connections for lights inside the building. Then they began their orientation, with Alejandro teaching his passion, Missions. They first are studying the Pentateuch. These youth were all in university when Gus taught the Pentateuch at Seminary in February.   

Not long after Reg and I retired, and their campfire was built, we started to hear fun happening, beginning with some beautiful Choruses, then later, some fireworks. In addition, much later, they were hammering on something.

Ahh, 2:00 AM. The fire is glowing and there are wannabe missionaries out there.

Ahh, 6:00 AM, the fire is glowing, and there are wannabe missionaries out there. Reggie, with his classic dry humor, “There going to smell great after the whole night around that fire. They are definitely preparing for Buffalo Narrows. How long will it be until they ask about having a shower?”

 7:00 AM, I wandered out to the fire, to see who was there, and what was up.  

“Is staying awake all night by the fire, part of your orientation to missions?” 

With smiles of agreement and in concert, “Si”.

“We are wondering if maybe there are nocturnal people where you are going to in India. Was this a necessary part of your boot camp?”   

 “Si” I wanted them to admit, that this first nocturnal night was just for fun. They kidded, or thought they were fooling me, for some time before they admitted they were just having fun.

Amazing that Alejandro was right there by the fire with them, all night, and laughing because he had burned his shoe.   

“Ahh, they’ll be tired out in a couple a days and they’ll all be in bed by ten.

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AM 8:00 Alejandro is leading the exercise program. They are doing range of motion, and after that, a jog around the block. It’s a country block; not a Mexican city block.

 9:00 AM Alejandro asks Reg, “Do you have any provision for showers?   

Reg:  “No, not for at least two more days”.

9:30. Rojo and Mauricio  ask, “What can we use to build a shower? Then, referring to the old tub that came with the camp, “Can we have that tub over there”

“Yes, go ahead. Use anything you want. “

Linda: My request is build it close to the compost so we can re-use some of the moisture.

“It is so good to see these guys using their heads to make something from nothing. Hmm… Maybe I should delay that shower job for another couple of days. For the next couple of hours we noticed a continual parade of youth, going to the cistern, drawing up a bucket of cold water, and heading for the bathtub.  Brrrrrrh . Ahh sweet youth!

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About noon they are paying for their “free” boot camp. There is never enough money to purchase all the necessary things for constructing a place like this, and the youth… Where does the money come from to pay for 10 days away from jobs or school. Well, how about a little labor at Hacienda de Los Arboles. Noon finds 12 young energetic bodies (after a night without sleep? You gotta be kidding) shoveling gravel and sand, and mixing cement right there on the ground. Reggie says, he could not afford a mixer, so he called for Manuel….That’s manual labor.

About PM 3:00, and after some hours in teaching sessions, they began their Co-operation Game. Go to --------- to see  it. What a lot of fun. Next, we witnessed a game of American football on the street.
A testimony to the many neighbors driving by, that this place is being used.

Add another teaching session on the Pentateuch, the arrival of some of the church worship team, to join Abram in worship. Another hour of singing and praise, and everything is quiet. It is 10:30 PM.  Ahh, sweet youth!

A Great Day!  A Privilege to be here investing A cooperation Game and Test

Watch Winnipeg EFC- Soccer-Basketball Court Hacienda de losArboles.

We have had a very exciting 12 days of work and fun with the ministry Team from Winnipeg Evangelical Free Church 

They arrived with ambition and energy to complete a great deal of work.  All of their intentions were completed and more. Thus, at the end of their 12 days, this is what they accomplished. They leveled the games and barbecue area and built forms for the court. We hired the cement  truck with pumper, and poured first the barbecue  & food preparation slab and then the two halves of the soccer/basketball court each on a separate day. These were three intense days.  One of the men had welding experience, so he fabricated the goal posts, for both ends. While this was going on, we continued working on the bathroom building that Reg has  been building since our arrival in January.  Reg, continued working on the plumbing underground.  On the last day of their project time, we rented a cement mixer. With about ten people working we poured the concrete floor in the bathroom and the walkway on the front of the  bathroom building. The walls are now raised, up to the ten feet mark, making them ready to begin the top floor for the second story apartment. We hired a backhoe, to lift the steel beam in place that will hold the weight of the upper floor.

Two of the men worked taking down one more of the old white buildings and using the steel roofing,  they fastened it to the outside of the walls of the maintenance building. Two of our Mexican block layers began the walls of the storage rooms on the barbecue building. The ladies had a quite a time, cleaning up the old concrete blocks that were salvaged from the old concrete block cistern. The blocks had plenty of old mortar on them so the gals, with hammer and chisel cleaned them up. There were probably about a hundred or more blocks, which have already been used in parts of the new buildings. When the Hacienda was given to the Mexican church, it had in the kitchen area, a large walk-in type of cooler. Over the years, the door had been robbed. Reg wanted it removed as such a large space will be more practical to house freezer and refrigerator, as well as storage space, and it will make room for a small kitchen bathroom.  It took several days of nearly all the men on site taking shifts to topple the wall.  It will make the kitchen much more functional.

When the concrete games court was ready, several folks cleaned the surface and applied the paint to mark the soccer, and basketball lines.

 The first Sunday after their arrival the team attended the church service. After the service the church came out to the camp, where we the enjoyed barbecued beef and tacos called carne asada. It was a satisfied team of Canadians that watched the youth playing soccer that afternoon. The court  will be a well-used area, we are sure.

In preparation for the last truck-full of cement, the men had dug a trench to be used as the footing for the wall at the back of the property. The left-over cement was sufficient to make an 80’ footing for the fence. As of today, the fence is already eight feet high, and twenty feet long.

It was a special blessing for us to have our daughter, Lauri and son in law, Dennis here for a vacation, along with Candace. For three days, they worked hard on the project alongside the team .

Already we feel our soon departure from Hermosillo drawing near for this season.  We have little more than one month left to finish the bathroom building to the lock-up stage with sufficient toilets for use over the summer.  Please pray with us for this to be done.

PO Box 850, Langley Stn LCD1                Langley, BC, V3A 8S6                                  604) 513-2183
250-277-4485    Prince George #  that rings in Mexico                                                                             

"The EFCCM exists to serve in the birth and growth of healthy churches internationally."

This is Christmas. There is no other time of the year that one feels so intent on nearness, or so lonely without it. Is it because God hallowed the holiday with that intent… to make us aware of our need for nearness? The Christmas songs say it well. We all desire relationship and nearness to the ones we love.
We pray that you will enjoy the special gift of nearness in relationships this holiday season. And may the peace of God rule in your hearts.
Christmas Blessings,
Reg & Linda

A Little Update on Health Issues

First we want to thank you all for your prayers.  We know that your prayers are heard and that they are powerful. A verse of scripture was  given us yesterday.  Very fitting for us.  Psalm 138:8
The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me: Your love, O Lord endures forever - do not abandon the works of your hands.  Thank you Marilyn. 

Today, we need to let you know what has taken place since two weeks ago.
Well,  not much news can be reported about Reg's health. He has a monstor cold right now.  The doctor reported that the tests that were done on Reg in September, were mismanaged at the lab, and he had to be retested, so we will not have news on the results, for possible anther few weeks, even into January.  Meanwhile we have a team that is preparing to come to Hermosillo in March, and Reg needs to be there for that team.
So we are asking you to pray that the tests, and needed appointments with the specialist can happen sooner than we were told. Perhaps the request should be that the test results will arrive very soon, that the specialist has a cancellaltion, and can see Reg in December, (or even yet in November)  We are confident that as soon as he has a diagnosis, he can start treatment, and be shortly thereafter, on the road, or at least booking a flight.  Thank you for checking our our blog, and may we have many more times of connection.  Today, is the first day that I have sent the link to all of our contacts, even though it has been under construction for several months.
Reg & Linda

It is time for an update, of sorts.

Reg and Linda have been enjoying Canada for five months now. By now many of you will be wondering if we are returning to Hermosillo shortly. However, to the contrary, we are not planning to return until either January, or even February. We have both had some health issues to deal with, and it is prudent to know we are ready for another four to six months in Mexico, before leaving.
Reg has found out that his pain in the abdomen for so long, was indeed diverticulosis, compounded by bouts of diverticulitis. That will be managed by diet only. Reg has also been undergoing tests on his lungs to get a positive diagnosis on a problem that we think is related to working in the dust of Hermosillo. When we have a definitive diagnosis, we will pass the information along. Linda has been a couch potato for six weeks, with a back problem. The short of it is disk disease, and bulging disks that cause stenosis, (narrowing) of the spine, and related pain. The good thing is days on end sidelined on the couch and on the floor. Why would I say, "The good thing"?
It is because I identify so well with C.S. Lewis. What?! He often said that his dream was to be ill enough, that he had to rest, and well enough that he could read. That is one of the things I have read, a biography of C.S. Lewis.  And also, I had time to work on this blog.  A project I started in April, when we were in Mexico. 
Please tune in again, when we have more news.

Favorite Quote this Blogpost:
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Arbol de Vida Construction 2011 Spring