THE FULL EXPERIENCE (A Full Week)

We have had a busy start to the summer and I will have to catch you all up with our updates of the previous month latter on in another update.  In the meantime I will share the most current experiences.

EXCITEMENT:  (Youth Camp)

This past week was our annual youth camp.  With the participating churches we ended up with about seventy in total.  This was also Anna's first year as a full time camper and she was EXCITED!  Peggy and I were very hesitant to allow her to stay overnight but in the end (after much prayer) we did allow her to stay and all went well.  We had four others from our work attend and as was our experience last year, it made quite an impact on our youth.  Personally I believe this was one of the best camps to date.  I'll share more on that in a future update.

EXCESS:  (Water)

For the last two month we have not had much water.  For a period of about three weeks we did the bucket shower thing and even then had to leave the faucet on for the whole day to get that bucket full.  About the first of July is our monsoon season and it has arrived.  In fact the Mexican government has declared our area a disaster area after last nights storm.  We enjoy beautiful storms here in Magdalena.  When it rains - it really rains!  Last night it began to rain so hard during the evening service that we had to move into one of our enclosed rooms so that I could continue preaching and still be heard.  We were not there too long when a strong sewer stench overwhelmed us immediately followed by instant flooding.  We ended up with about two inches in the building.  The street outside was at the same level.  Two of our folks homes had over a foot of water in their houses and we spent the rest of the evening helping them bail out their houses and then we met today to clean the church.  The tremendous rains are really beautiful though.

EXTORTION:  (Life in Mexico)

Saturday morning I answered our house phone and my "nephew" was on the other side.  "Surprise Uncle Steven, I am traveling with a friend and want to stop by and catch up with you all."  After making all the necessary plans including telling me my address and other personal information relating to the family he says that he will see us in about an hour.  I immediately called family to see if my nephew was actually traveling, he was not.  A few minutes latter the phone rings again and it is my "nephew",  "Uncle Steven, I have been in an accident.  Let me pass the phone to this guy."  Supposedly my nephew had run into him and his wife and baby were badly hurt and for my nephew's protection blah, blah, blah needed to be handled immediately.  After listening to the whole spiel I informed the man that my only problem with the whole scenario was that my nephew was not in Mexico.  Our conversation was immediately terminated for his part.

Thankfully I had been able to contact family and know the truth.  Still, the unrest for Peggy and Anna were and are a real issue.  We just never know who is watching us and how far they are willing to go for the chance of quick riches.  We thank God for His power, His strength and His peace.  Without those we could not stay here - with God's help we are really having the time of our life!  God is good! 

Fighting the flooding

The water just kept coming

The buildings High Ground

A Memorial Day to be baptized!

Mario is Baptized