Sunday...A Day of Rest for Rocky Mountain Mission

This is Mexico, and you must get used to the fact that things aren't always as convenient as they are in the U.S. Since the little house where Curt and I are staying with Greg and Ann from Michigan has lost its running water, Ann and I were up very early to walk next door to Casa de Esperanza and use the showers there. The place was quiet and peaceful, with the morning sun slanting through the trees, lighting up the stucco walls.

Here's a closeup of the morning sun on the ceramic frog on the curved wall. VERY Mexican!

I walked out back to see how the construction crew fared yesterday. They made great progress! The supports for the giant shade are definitely taking shape. Here you can see two of them leaning against the wall, and another lying on the ground in the bottom of the photo.

We try to keep Sunday a simple day for everyone, so Brenda told us last night that she would just set out some cereal for this morning's breakfast. OK, here's Brenda's idea of setting out cereal (I wish I'd taken a photo, but I got so busy eating that I forgot!): coffee, tea, freshly squeezed orange juice and grapefruit juice, hot oatmeal with brown sugar, hot muffins, hot sweet rolls, a huge platter of freshly cut fruit (cantaloupe, watermelon, bananas, papayas, kiwis, pineapple, & grapes), yogurt & granola, and a platter with 3 kinds of cheese. Oh, yes...and 4 varieties of the promised cereal and milk. Imagine doing that for 50 people, and cleaning up the kitchen before going a 9:00 church service. Brenda and her sister Eleanor are AMAZING! Be warned: we're all coming home a little rounder than when we left!

Here's Mark, our jeffe, and his lovely wife Maureen, enjoying their "cereal":

Fortunately, we got to walk off a little of that bounty. San Carlos Community Church is about a 15-20 minute walk from Casa de Esperanza. The morning was cool and the walk was delightful.

The church is growing quickly, as Pastor Glenn and the church leaders have worked very hard to incorporate the Mexican language into the service and encourage an international congregation. Since last year they have built a new sanctuary with a balcony that just opened up,last week. Today the balcony was totally full, and the new sanctuary was more than 3/4 full. It may be time to think about expanding again!

The worship,songs were sung alternately (and sometimes simultaneously) in Spanish and English. The church also provides about 45 portable headphone units to be used by anyone whose native language is Spanish. As Pastor Glenn preaches, a translator in the sound booth provides a real-time translation of the message. What a wonderful way to combine the two cultures and communities in San Carlos!

Curt and our long-time friend Himer visiting after church:

(We met Himer and his wife Bonnie 37 years ago in Lamaze class in Bozeman, when both couples were expecting our first babies. We had our first daughters about 5 days apart. Then we both had second daughters about 3 months apart. Then our sons were born about 6 months apart. When Curt and I adopted our second son, Himer and Bonnie declined to follow suit. Our whole families have remained good friends all these years.)

On the walk home after church, we passed a lovely casa with a profusion of bougainvillea. We couldn't resist taking this photo.

Back at "headquarters," everyone changed clothes for an afternoon on the beach. Before lunch, Curt drove our van load around to see some of the pretty spots around San Carlos.

And then on to a delicious, leisurely lunch on the beach:

Afterwards, we needed to burn off some of those calories, so we walked on the beach. The sand was so soft; WAY nicer than the ground-up rocks that Curt and I are used to on the South Texas coast! 

Since I've been staying up late writing the blog (I have to wait till everyone else gets off their phones and computers and goes to bed for there to be enough wifi "juice" to send it out!) I was operating on sleep deprivation. I took the first van heading back home and curled up on the sofa for a much-needed 2-hour nap. I heard later of all the fun I missed...shopping for shell necklaces with the beach vendors, and dancing to a live band on the beach. Ah, well, maybe next year!

Tonight after dinner we found all the young people enjoying a rousing good time under the outdoor heaters in the eating area. It so much fun to see them making new friends and to hear their laughter!

Tomorrow the R&R will be a pleasant memory. We'll be operating our clinic at another Yaqui village, Potam, also about 1-1/2 hours away. This is a village where we've been many times, so we've become trusted there. We know we'll find familiar faces. Last year when we arrived the community was grieving a death from a shooting the night before we got there. That gave us an opportunity to really minister to many hurting souls.

I forgot to mention it in yesterday's bog, but the same thing occurred in Vicam, where we were yesterday. There had been a shooting (though not a casualty) in the town plaza the previous night. Our morning started slowly, because many people were reluctant to leave their homes. But as the day went on, more and more people arrived, and we ended up seeing about 240 Yaquis on Saturday. There could be many more tomorrow if things have been quiet in Potam. We're not fearful for our safety; we are there in daylight. But we do ask for your prayers throughout the mission trip for our health and safety, and for Gods love to shine through each member of our team.