Greetings Everyone!
This is the first of four newsletters we will be sending out during our stay in Mexico this month. We will be hosting three groups, plus welcoming the Breath of Aire choir for a concert at our church here, Calvary Chapel Rosarito.
We arrived at the airport Monday morning the 18th at around 7:00 AM, and our friend Greg who is a Port of Seattle policeman met us at the car, helped us with our luggage and escorted us through airport security. He was a great help to us! We feel blessed to have people supporting us as we set out on these adventures. Thank you Greg!
When we heard about Bob Sanders’ health issues, we decided to drive from San Diego to Upland, CA where he is hospitalized. Last Saturday he suffered a hemorrhagic stroke while at his son’s home in Southern California. He remains in ICU at the San Antonio Regional Hospital in Upland, showing steady signs of improvement. When we entered his room, Jon asked him, “Do you recognize us?” He promptly responded, “Of course I do!” As Jon prayed over him the peace of God entered the room and he fell sound asleep. Please continue to pray for his full recovery.
From Upland we traveled to Pine Valley to pick up the “Man-Truck” where it has been stored since early November. We drove back to San Diego, dropped off the rental car and got a hotel room for the night.
On Tuesday morning we headed for the border. Many of you prayed that we would receive “The Nod of God” as we crossed into Mexico with the truck packed full of tools, food and household supplies. The Mexican authorities ran the truck though a giant X-ray machine, a border agent rummaged through two of our tubs, then signaled for us to proceed. It is always a relief to get past the border and on our way to Rosarito, arriving a little past noon. We will be staying in Bob and Janet Sanders’ condo on the fifth floor of the Las Olas complex for the month. As we sit writing this newsletter on Sunday afternoon, several pelicans have flown close to our front window welcoming us to Mexico.
The team from Bellevue Presbyterian joined us on Wednesday to build a house in Primo Tapia. It was a hard working team of dads, moms, and kids. The build began on Thursday. It was challenging because it rained off and on all day and the build site turned into a slippery, muddy mess. By the end of the day so much mud had been tracked into the house, that cleanup required a shovel. The decision by the Bel Pres leaders to make this a two-day build was definitely a wise choice.
The pictures below form a slideshow. Be sure to watch them all and check out the video at the bottom of the page.
The team worked under these less than ideal conditions without complaining and was able to finish the framing, siding and roof by late afternoon the first day.
By Friday morning the rain had stopped when we arrived back at the jobsite. While some of the team worked at painting the exterior, other team members installed, taped and mudded sheetrock. The house color is peach with lime green trim.
The house was built for a widow mom with three children ranging in age from 6 to 17. Elmer (age 14) is the man of the house, and helped us during the prebuild and on both work days. He was a great help.
The family attends Pastor Carlos’ church. As we prayed with them and handed Elsa (mom) the keys there were tears of joy and excitement knowing that this family has a safe place to live.
On Saturday Pastor Carlos hosted a Dia del Amigo (friendship day) at the church campus in Vista Marina. What a party it was complete with a bouncy house, face painting and a colorful piñata. Pastor Carlos took the time to share a Bible story with the children, the kids sang several spirited songs and the hotdog cart prepared 70 hotdogs and 70 hamburgers. The weekend was made complete by this awesome celebration of God’s love.
Coming up this week, Calvary Chapel Rosarito will be hosting the “Breath of Aire Experience” at the church on Friday evening. Pray with us that many will receive Christ at this event.
Love,
JoAnn and Jon