Really impossible! How could we possibly begin to recount all that’s been going on with us since our last blog! I think this time around about the only thing we can say to summarize the last several months has been that we’ve probably never had a busier, more blessed, and more packed time of it.

Our resident visa documents are tied up somewhere in Mexico City right now, and so it looks like we won’t be able to make a visit to family and friends this summer. It’s a shame, but there’s always plenty to do here!

How we prize all of you who know us, remember us before the Lord, many who’ve been here and seen how things are, you who support us and the Clinic so kindly. We appreciate your confidence in us and faith in the God we all love to know and serve! We’ve had a number of wonderful and fruitful outreaches with visiting groups the last few months, but to keep this new blog entry from being hopelessly tedious we’ll talk about them and share their photos in another blog. For now we’re going to post some photos of other recent events without too much write up, with hopes that you enjoy them half as much as we enjoyed being a part of what they represent…

Laura doing a village consulation with nursing students looking on

Another village outreach with Dr. Smith instructing medical missions students

High Mixteco region medical brigade with PA Em Dewey

Missionary Danbi and Bethany, who is just finishing her medical missions internship in the clinic with Laura

Dr. Eder completes a physician oath ceremony in Oaxaca City

The whole Matus family getting ready for a medical brigade in Mixtec El Mosco

Rosi and Lori taking the nurse pledge at their nursing school graduation

Three years of study while also working in the Clinic! Congratulations!

Roca Blanca Spanish Language School doing a village children's program

Culture Day! Spanish student Joann in front of a pyramid at Monte Albán

Correen, another Spanish school student, volunteering at the April youth event, with thousands attending

Bible and Music schools graduation. More congratulations!

A long awaited visit from my daughter, Hannah, and her youth pastor husband, Ben, along with their Cooper and Sage. The AC didn't work in the truck, thus the "wind blown" look.

Finally got to hold my seven month old granddaughter!

Duane and Dave measuring for our house foundation. Yes, the Lord inspired a thoughtful and generous church to raise funds for us to have a house in Cacalote very near the clinic!

A short-term group from Missouri digging out for footers. Very hard work, but very gratefully received. We've finished with the foundation and will resume at some point in the future.

Sone of you will remember Adelfa. This was her wedding, a first for this Mixtec village, a Christian wedding with all the fun but without the drunkenness.

A happy man, thankful for his missionary wife, and both blessed to be serving here!

Laura, Lupe, and Dave at Lupe's birthday party in Dec.

Most of you are familiar with our adopted daughter, Lupe, a Mexican young lady who has lived with me (Laura) for about the last 15 years. She has been very special to me, offering companionship, love, and much loyalty to serve in the indigenous villages here giving medical care. Lupita went on to be with the Lord on March 12th after suffering a large cerebral hemorrhage on March 2nd. The loss has been difficult, but we know that she is now free from her suffering and rejoicing with Jesus!

Laura and Lupe on their way to Mexico City by bus

If I tried to tell her story, I’m sure it would be much too emotional, so I asked our dear friends, Drs. Dave and Mary Kay Ness, if we could share with you their account of Lupe’s life and her last weeks under their watchful care. They’ve been a rich blessing to my, Dave’s, and Lupe’s lives for several years now. They graciously gave us permission to borrow the account from their blog site. Following is their account with only a few slight variations:

Dave and Lupe at a village wedding

____________________________
In our eyes, she was a giant in her community. Fifteen years ago, Lupe , a 20 year old Mixteco girl, came to Roca Blanca Base, and trained under Laura as a nurse’s aid. She graduated from the Victory Bible Institute here and later from a nursing assistant’s program in Oaxaca City. She would go back to Yucucha’a, near her home town of Pinotepa de Don Luis, and give medical care including IVs and injections, medicine for pain, infections, and diarrheal illnesses. Laura truly adopted her from her young adulthood on, nurturing her and taking responsibility for her care when her natural family became unable to provide the medical care that she needed. At about age 21, during her first year at Roca Blanca, she was found to have damaged heart valves, probably from a childhood strep infection. Finally, 2 ½ years ago, she had surgery in Mexico City to replace these 3 valves, and after several complications, through much help from the Lord, and a strong will and determination, she returned to the Base. Other complications have occurred, including several strokes that left her with some limitations and easy fatigability. Recently, we took her up to El Mosco, where she had loved to work, in hopes that she would be reinvigorated and desire to resume her ministry. It was not to be. She stayed in bed and became weaker. The day after we returned from El Mosco, she sustained a large stroke, after which she never spoke, though she had times of real responsiveness; mostly she slept very peacefully, free of pain.

Lupe counting pills

Her large stroke brought to light some of the obstacles to medical care here. The nearest hospital with a CAT scanner was in Oaxaca City, a difficult 7 hour drive away. First, she needed to be taken to Centro de Salud in the nearby town to get a referral. Then she was driven by our Mexican Doctor, Eder, along with Laura and Bertha, to Oaxaca General Hospital. As the hospital’s scanner was down, she was transported to a private office. The scan showed a very large hemorrhagic stroke involving the right side of her brain. She remained unresponsive, but with stable vital signs. Lupe had made her wishes known over the previous year – if she had another stroke (especially a large one), she wanted to be allowed to pass on to be with Jesus.

Lupe in a medical brigade

But hospitals in Mexico do not provide hospice care, or recognize DNR (do not resuscitate) orders. So ultimately, she was returned via ambulance back to the Base, where Laura and Bertha and her family from Pinotepa provided compassionate nursing care. After 10 days, Lupita peacefully passed on to the other side at age 35, creating a void where she had been such a pivotal person in outreaches to her people, and a special daughter to Laura and Dave Nelson.

Lupe leading worship in Yucucha'a

Watching the immediate rallying of Base personnel and family was a stunning cultural event. People just dropped what they were doing, and calling hours started within a half an hour. Within 2 ½ hours, the body was being transported to her parents’ home 3 hours away. Laura and Dave, Dr. Eder, and Jesús and his wife Marisol went also to participate in the 24 hour vigil (through the night) that is customary here. Food was ready for them, and sleeping places had been found. The next morning about 20 of us went up to join them. Normally the body would be interred right after 24 hours, but relatives were coming from Guadalajara (1 day of travel away), so it was postponed to Sunday morning. Several of us left the base at 5:30 am to be there for the interment.

Lupe doing children's ministry in El Mosco

There were about 300 people in attendance at the funeral, walking up and down hills, with two teams of pallbearers, and a band leading the procession to the church, and then to the cemetery where the interment took place.

Lupe having fun with intern Katy D

We are richer for the inspiration Lupe was, poorer for not having her beside us now. But God honored her wish to be in a new and glorious body in His company, and to be finished with the troubles this earth brought upon her.
____________________________

Thank you, Dave and Mary Kay, for summing up so well the experiences of those last couple of weeks. We are thankful to God for the opportunity to have had Lupe with us for this time, and thankful to Lupe for the tremendous blessing she has been to us. She was a very determined young lady, accomplishing pretty amazing things with the basic medical and nurses’ training she had received. She truly put to use all that she had learned, and was very willing to give medical care at any hour to anyone in need. She pushed a lot these last couple of years to be able to remain active giving medical care and participating in the village church in Yucucha’a in spite of a lot of pain and mobility problems from the strokes. In the church, she assisted in preaching, worship, and children’s ministry. She was a part of the national team who worked in the Ixtayutla region about 6 years ago, which at that time was only very recently evangelized, and had a real love for that region. We have seen God do great things there with 2 churches having been planted and many other villages touched there over the last few years.

Laura, Lupe, Drs. Dave and Mary Kay Ness

Thank you all so much as many of you have given financially to help us with Lupe’s care, especially the heart surgery 2 ½ yrs. ago, and many of you have helped us to pray her through some very difficult times. We are very grateful. We treasure the many wonderful memories we have, and we thank you for helping to enable Lupe to serve God in a very full way during her 35 years here on earth.

We would appreciate your prayers for Lupe’s natural family. Her mother and father are still living In Pinotepa de Don Luis, a village 2 ½ hours from here. Her mother is in poor health and is struggling with the loss of Lupe , who was her oldest daughter. Lupe also has 7 siblings. Thank you for lifting them up.

We have created a photo album which can be accessed by clicking here Lupe photo album or from the “Lots of Photos!” link in the left hand column if you would like to see more photos of Lupe. We wanted to share these treasured memories with those who would like to see them. Thank you for all the e-mails you have sent and prayers lifted up for us during this time. May God richly bless each of you, and thank you again so very much for all of your support in so many ways. IN HIS LOVE, DAVE AND LAURA

Well, anyway, the answer to the first question is a happy yes! We’ve written a little bit in past blogs about the Corban Clinic’s expansion. Like now grown children, every ministry reaches a point at which it should reproduce according to its kind. Now that the Clinic’s expansion is taking more form toward its inevitable birth, we want to tell you about it. Think mirthful grandparents pulling out their wallet full of baby photos to “tell about it!” OK. Maybe not. Don’t want to scare you away. But please look on!

First, a tiny bit of history. Laura has been immersed in medical work and outreach into the unreached people groups of Oaxaca since she first arrived here eighteen years ago. Fourteen years ago the Corban Clinic was built on the Roca Blanca base land. From its inception (note the birth terminology!) the Clinic has provided regular and permanent medical care to tens of thousands of needy poor, and has served as the base of operations for the mobile medical outreaches into difficult to reach mountain villages. It also has housed varied medical personnel, both resident and visiting. It presently houses the Clinic pharmacy, two examination rooms, a dentist office for two, residence for Dr. Eder and Paulina, an office, warehouse, two other rooms for patients or visitors, laundry room, three bathrooms, reception, and a kitchen and dining area.

Corban Clinic

This all began as a personal gift from Drs. Ted and Karolyn Cook as a commemoration of their deceased child, Jonathan Corban (whose name means “a gift from God given to God”). There have been additions to the original structure over the years too, aided by the vision and generosity of others. Well, it seems like we’ve already got a lot of space and functionality, doesn’t it! But it’s all quite full now, and the mother Clinic is expecting a brand new addition to the family in the very near future!

Why a Clinic expansion, you ask? In order to expand our outreach, and to add some more needed services, and to facilitate some really cool training opportunities that have begun to develop  over the last several years, and are veritably begging to be better accommodated!

Dr Eder, Paulina, and Nelly!

For the last year and a half payments have been prayed in and made in for the land purchase  immediately adjacent to the Corban Clinic. The last payment was joyously made just a month ago, and the land is now ours! Drawings have been created, and donations have already begun toward the construction. Many, many thanks to Drs. Dave and Mary Kay Ness who spearheaded the fundraising for the land. God’s obvious blessing was on them. And, of course, many, many thanks to all who gave and are still giving.

ORU students teaching nutrition in a public school

So, once again, why go to all the trouble and expense to expand the clinic? Just what are these needed services and training opportunities? We thought you’d never ask! Over the last few years nursing programs from Oral Roberts University, Oklahoma Baptist University, and Chico State University have done part of their training here at Roca Blanca under Laura’s tutelage. This January another school will be doing missionary medical training here, Elim Bible Institute of Lima, NY. Laura sees this trend as part of what God is doing through the medical ministry here. She’s worked hard and is now enabling others to do the same, imparting her ministry’s characteristic care and compassion that has opened so many hearts to the gospel.

Ralph Classen, paramedic, training Corban Clinic staff

What’s more (and this one really thrills me) is that, Lord enabling, we’ll offer a Community Health Worker tract for second year Mexican Bible School students, part of that simultaneous with the EBI Medical Missions classes. Right now for graduating first year students we offer Music School, a Pastoral tract, and this year we added a Foreign Missions tract. How thoroughly exciting to envision newly trained, ready to love and serve Mexican nationals taking health care and the gospel to the poor in their own villages and dialects, so many of which well fit within anyone’s definition of unreached!

Walking to a home visit during nursing students' time in Yucuchaa village

It’s necessary to expand classrooms, add a lab, clinic dorms, more consulting and exam rooms, and more space in general to make this work. We’re also believing God for an increase in staff, and means within and without of Mexico to cover the additional operating costs. The need for this is great, as anyone who’s been here for very long can tell you. And the labor’s fruit is very good.

How great is our God! And His love worth sharing. I’m sure that we’ll write some more about this in future blogs.

Thanks for letting us show you our snapshots of faith, announcing the eventual but inevitable birth of a new Corban Clinic extension for the glory of Him who we love above all things!

Dave and Laura

OK. It’s a lame title. But it may also accidentally make some sense as this writing progresses! We’ll sea…

Some of you know how much I enjoy fishing. (this is the part about “we can’t sea”! maybe it should read “we CAN sea”) Dr. Eder and I came up with a plan to get to know the men here in our town of Cacalotepec, so many of whom are fishermen. Laura’s done a lot of work in town over her years here but mostly with women. So Eder and I began fishing at dawn on Fridays in the local fishing boats. In the May 2009 blog Dr. Tom Ball wrote humorously about one of those fishing trips when he accompanied us while here. Some of the fishermen now have made the first steps toward following Jesus. In one of their homes we’ve been doing a verse-by-verse Bible study, starting in Matthew, for a few months now. Praise our Lord! (This and the following three paragraphs fit into the “without our classes” part of the title. Be merciful, please…)

pre-dawn boat push into the waves

This is part of a burden for our town that Laura’s carried for many years. Since last fall we’ve been seeking God about just how to help those who’ve prayed to receive the Lord to be His disciples too. With this embryonic start with the fishermen, plus the constant encouragement that the Clinic’s presence and service provides, we’re actively planning to head up a home groups ministry in town. With some Bible school graduates that live here we hope to only oversee the group leaders, providing materials and guidance but lead entirely by Mexicans. Let’s talk to God about this one together as it takes shape in cooperation with our small local church. Thanks!

We hit the adobe floor tiles running after our brief time in Florida, New York, and Mississippi. Classes are going strong, Laura teaching a Health and First Aid class in the Bible School, I teaching New Testament and Foreign Missions. I’m teaching again in the Music School too. And of course Laura is doing her usual round of 23 hour days in the Clinic! How extremely blessed we are! And God’s favor in the classes is obvious and sweet.

one of the July Spanish school classrooms

In our previous blog we wrote about July’s Roca Blanca Spanish Language School. We’re going full year with the school starting in January. I’ve finally finished, as far as I know, with the website for the school, having entirely changed the format and a whole bunch of information. There are already five people signed up for January, even though I’ve done very little to advertise it as yet. We believe in this and will do all that we can to make it known that the school is actively pursuing students, especially those with the best of reasons for learning Spanish, to “make disciples of all nations.” You’ll enjoy the site, revised and ready, which is rocablancaspanish.com.

One more item, which is to remind you about our donor information page linked on the top and to the left of this blog page. We’ve felt the downward trend in Clinic support ever since the recent economic downturn in the US, support which goes for salaries, medicines, village outreaches, etc.  You may have noticed that we don’t make insistent, frequent, and emotional funds appeals. The downside of that is today’s assumption that if a ministry is not making financial appeals then there must not be any need. Laura and I genuinely believe in what we do and in what the Clinic accomplishes, and we nor the Clinic receive any operating funds from the mission base we’re so blessed to work in. So, all this to ask, might our Lord be moving you to be part of His answer for the Clinic operation and outreaches? For some of you it may be yes. We’ve recently hired Dr. Eder’s wife, Paulina, an experienced administrator, to do half-time administrative work to free up Laura more to do what she’s called to do and loves to do, unhurriedly minister Christ’s love to people as she works. We’re confident in Him to meet us for these things!

Dr. Eder and Paulina

How fascinatingly lovely He is! It’s all about and with Him, isn’t it! And some new news…Eder and Paulina had their baby girl, Nelly Miranda, on 9/9/09! And today is Laura and my 17th monthiversary! I wrote her a poem, which I taped to the bathroom mirror before I went fishing at dawn this morning. She had a king’s breakfast waiting for me when I got back!

May you have a full sense of God’s favor and pleasure today! Even if you don’t sense it, He’s still there, jealously keeping you for the best possible blessing to you, Himself. Until next blog…

Padrinos for Lorena, a Cacalotepec graduation

Nate and Erin - August 29th wedding

Joe and Miriam - August 16th wedding

Actually we’re really overwhelmed with what to write because so much has happened since we did this last – a number of great teams from all over the US, wonderful individuals to do medical and other work (consultations, general surgeries, eye  surgeries, dentistry), old friends and new. There’s not any way we’ll be able to mention them all or get photos of them all. Essentially our goal here is tell you that we’re still around and then to brag a little bit on our magnificent Lord Jesus!

From the frequent village medical, children’s ministry, and construction teams that Laura and others lead, literally hundreds of people (505) have prayed to receive and begin to follow Jesus during these last two and a half months. They’ve been full.

Praying in Panixtluaca

Our Clinic evangelist, Jesús

Another school year is on the horizon for the Bible School, Music School, High School, and a year round Spanish Language / Missionary Orientation School (starting in January). Right now there’s only a skeleton staff on base, but that will all change in just two weeks, with the 200+ people back, largely indigens from the villages and more staff, for ministry and missionary training.

This year as an extension to reinstating the second year of Bible School for pastoral training I’ll (David) be directing a foreign missionary track added on for those who sense a calling to outside-of-Mexico missions. THIS is exciting! Training people for missions, whether general missiological or ethnomusicological, occupies a big space in my heart.

And during July we had fourteen students from the USA here to do an intensive course of Spanish learning. I’ll be expanding that into a serious Spanish Language Learning School that will also serve to orient and help perspective missionaries in addition to whatever missions training they’ve had. The goal is not only to enable folks to do able ministry in Spanish, but also to give them what they’ll need to become healthy long term missionaries with a fruitful ministry. Of course non-missionaries can come, but you may experience the missionary flypaper phenomena and get stuck! That would be wonderful.

July 2009 Roca Blanca Spanish Language School

We wish you could sense the excitement in our hearts, too, as we’re planning the initial stages of the Clinic expansion as every month brings the new Clinic land payments closer to being paid off. There are some really great prospects on the near horizon for increasing the use of medicine and health to show God’s love and accomplish His purposes. We’ll have increased space for consultations, minor surgeries, guest physicians, nursing students and medical interns. Adding to the handful of nursing schools that already send their students here for on site training, Elim Bible Institute of Lima, NY will begin in January to do two months of classes for their Medical Missions track. We’re hopeful that this course will also serve to launch a Community Health Worker’s track out of the Bible School for Mexican graduates, enabling them to do medical education and return to work as Community Health Workers in their villages, possibly next academic year. We have high expectations for the lasting and eternal fruit that will come from that! Wow!

How blessed we are! Sincerest thanks to all of you who support us and  the Clinic with your regular or periodic gifts. We greatly value your trust in enabling us to serve here and to enable others.

And please receive our August greetings will all the love and gratitude that’s in our hearts today! Until next time…

Lupe, us, and intern Kay in our room

It’s blog time again! There are sooooo many things that we could write about, recent teams and visitors, outreaches, classes taught, Mexican men and women trained and equipped for ministry and missions, stories and numbers of people coming to Christ to start their lives newborn into His matchless reign, etc.  But we think we’ll save those things for another month. There are at least two reasons for that. Number one is that after awhile every new blog begins to sound the same, even though the “sameness” is God’s sweet work and fruit. Reason two is that one of our recent guests and coworkers wrote some really enjoyable little tales in his journal while here. They’ve made us smile every time we’ve reread them. We hope they’ll make you smile too, especially those of you who’ve been here before and can feel his experiences right along with him!

So this time around enjoy with us Dr. Tom Ball from Leroy, NY’s journal entries describing his first day here with us at the missions base and then his first day in a Mixteco mountain village outreach.

Huatulco                3/07/09

Arrived in Huatulco this afternoon to a friendly more relaxed airport where you walk down steps from the plane and across the pavement to a building with a thatched roof. I was able to bring Sarah’s soccer balls and the asthma medication without difficulty. I approached the inspector with my bag of medicines and literally got the green light. I was asked to push a button which randomly selects out whose bags will be searched. A bit like playing UNO.

It was a long and winding drive through the hills to Roca Blanca with the roads expertly handled by Dr. Dave Ness. As we drove in to the mission base I was struck by the beautifully landscaped grounds and the incredible ocean view. Have I died? Is this Doctor Heaven? We had a dinner (chicken fajitas) on the top floor patio of the guest house and got to know some of the other guests and meet the founders Duane and Sue Kershner. Unfortunately I was unable to use my cell phone, so I e-mailed home and will try to write some letters. I was taken to a room on the second floor of the guest house with a private balcony from which I could watch the sun rise and set over the Pacific. There was Roca Blanca, the guano covered rock after which the base is named. How will I ever become a self-denying saint living in these luxury digs? This is like a spiritual ‘Biggest Loser’ camp in that the stresses and responsibilities of work and family are absent, the distractions of the world are removed (TV, internet, phone) and you are able to focus on the Lord and be supported and encouraged in the faith by prayer, teaching and worship.

Night in El Mosco

Arrived yesterday at our base in the Sierra Madre Mountains. We set up our tents and enjoyed a tortilla and a piece of chicken in broth with rice. Afterward, we shared communion and Troy read a passage from a book which spoke about the exchange that occurs between people when they listen and connect and when there is a healing touch-how one is blessed by being helped and the other is blessed by being able to know the joy of helping someone. Afterward, I asked if there was a time that we should be quiet for the night. This caused some laughter that I would only appreciate after the night in El Mosco.

The air was fresh and cool. I settled comfortably in to my sleeping bag complete with air mattress. A Mexican ballad descended from the hills above us. How quaint, I thought. Soon I became aware of a cacaphony of roosters. The dogs around our tent joined in the chorus. Their barking passed along to the neighbor’s dogs and moved around the valley like ‘the wave’ in a stadium. Snorers joined in. After a while there was a predictability to these sounds that was reassuring. That was the burro’s cue. The moment when it all seems like everyone is about to drift off, the burro’s job is to take the party to another level with a painful screeching roar that could raise the dead. Yet despite this, I somehow managed to fall asleep. Somewhere, someone in the village must have sensed this because three gunshots rang out jolting me from my slumber.

I must have fallen asleep at some point. I know this because I woke up to the crow of a rooster. Maybe it’s just an urban myth, but I always assumed that the first crow of the rooster was the sure sign that morning had arrived. But as I stumbled out of the tent and looked up at the stars, I realized my error. Making the most of things, I decided to take a “shower” (splash cold water from a bucket all over me). At least there would be no line. I then came back and lay down staring up at the tent roof until morning.

After a short while spent in prayer and reading the Bible, I joined the others for our group devotions. Dr. Dave opened in prayer, “Thank you Lord for the nights rest”.

Thank you, Dr. Tom, for so beautifully describing your first days with us! There’ll be more from him in another blog. Also we’re eager to write about and post photos of last month’s Lima Christian School, Springfield, Missouri, and St. James Methodist from Tulsa teams! More news about all kinds of things happening all around us too.

So, we’re very glad to say that swine don’t fly, and none of their flu came anywhere near our coastal area here! Things appear to be all back to normal Mexicowide now. The national government was ready, and did a great job at keeping the flu under control.

One more thing here…the Roca Blanca Spanish Language School happening this July still has some openings. It’s going to be a GREAT time of intense Spanish learning, fun, outreaches, and blessing, not to mention the beach and the blue, blue Oaxacan sky! Why don’t you come?! Take a look at rocablanca.org/spanish.html! (which is also is a link in the menu on the left of this page)

Receive our love today, and our wish that you enjoy the great grace of God fully today and forever! Until next time…

Dave and Laura

Teaching

I (David) am having such a great time teaching and walking with Jesus with the students here! I’m teaching classes in the Bible School made up of eager-to-learn Mexicans from all over the region and beyond. Interestingly a lot of them struggle with Spanish because their native tongues are the mountain village dialects! I also teach classes in the Music School. (More details about the Music School in another blog later) Plus I’m teaching a couple of classes in the Prepa (high school) on base. I also have the privilege of teaching Spanish to some of the visiting physicians, enabling them to do more and more of their consultations without an interpreter.

It’s a great and natural thing to multiply one’s fruit in ministry by training others. And the world won’t know what hit them as these able Mexican ministers and missionaries go out to spread the love of Jesus abroad!

Speaking of missionaries…next academic year I’ll be heading up the implementation of a 2nd year Bible School student Missions Track! I’m also starting a year-round Spanish Language Program for non-Mexican missionaries, with a purposeful curriculum full of missionary instruction to help them excel and to last on the field. Plus I get to oversee the various interns that come from U.S. Bible Schools to learn and function well in their foreign setting from 2-6 months at a time. Take a look at the Roca Blanca Spanish Language School program at rocablancaspanish.com. And join us in prayer for a few Mexican and foreign teachers that I’m still lacking for the two new courses that start in September. Thanks.

First Year Bible School Class - around 50 students

Laura taught a First Aid Course at the Bible School

An English class for staff workers

Intern Kay Donahue is a former Lima Christian School student. She alternates between the Guest House services (here with Leti) and the Clinic, and travels on village team trips. She's great!

Besides running and seeing patients in the Corban Clinic, both on the base and the village medical campaigns, Laura continues to serve as adjunct professor or host for nurses in a few U.S. universities, who send their students here for classes in this missionary setting. This is expanding to include an anticipated Community Health Worker course becoming available for U.S. Medical Missions students and as a 2nd year Bible School Community Health Worker track in the very near future here on the base. Praise God for work, and for laborers going out to the harvest!

In light of the expanding need for training missionaries and Mexican students, there has been in place a plan for Clinic Expansion. In September we began purchasing the land adjacent to the Corban Clinic, half of which is for the necessary new addition to the Clinic. The capabilities of the Clinic for patient care and training will be multiplied greatly. You’ll hear more about this in the future as we gear up for the actual building. If you feel pulled toward this project then feel free to contact us.

BTW, two of our Clinic staff and faithfuls will be graduating as nurses in June, Rosi and Lori. They’ve already proven their dedication and worth many times over through the last years in the Clinic and on outreaches. Since starting school they’ve worked part time before going to classes in the afternoons. A goal is to enable two full-time functioning teams, one for the base Clinic and another for village work, so that both ministries can always be running. These and others like them are an integral part of completing that goal. God bless them for years and years of service ahead!

Rosi and Lori will graduate in June! They've worked hard to get there.

Teams

Here are some photos of recent teams who have come to bless these nations* (ethnic people groups in the New Testament Greek). What a tremendous and lasting blessing their contribution here provides!

Dr. Dave Ness in Xiniuva

Dr. Mary Kay Ness, Katie, and Berta Guild working the mobile pharmacy

Eddie and Leann Kelley, plus my son-in-law, Ben Clark! What fun!

Eddie getting a truck packed up for a village trip

Lupe teaching the kids in El Mosco, with Leann looking on in between medical consultations

It must be good because Lupe sure has their attention!

Mixteco volunteers Teresa, Marisol, and Teresita interpret for the doctors' consultations

Ralph and Ann Classen - always the greatest of blessings!

Ann doing massage therapy for pain in a Mixteco woman

Dr. Tom Ball on his first village trip. We hope he comes back often! Kay, as always, has a smile for everyone.

Drs. Mary Kay and Tom consider a difficult case. Treatment is so often very limited, and options few.

Lauren and Sarah from Honeoye Falls, NY Presbyterian Church team taking vital signs

Others have been here, and I don’t have photos. Troy Sledge, James and Cassie Olson, Janet Shell and her group, Kenosha First Assembly, etc.  Every bit of love poured out on the indigenous Mexicans can never be enough! And these folks have done it, and done it well.

Mexico Travel Warnings in Perspective

The press and talk radio have gotten a lot of mileage lately from Mexico’s recent violence problems. We’ve had at least two groups cancel recently because of the fear fostered by these reports. Without minimizing real risk where actual risk exists, except for many border towns and a few large cities on the coast, Mexico is still the safe place to visit that it has been for years, with the same common sense precautions that you would take traveling anywhere, as delineated in the US State Department’s bulletins. The press has no interest in the evangelization of Mexico’s unreached people groups, and here’s what they’re not telling you…

Did you know that more Americans will visit Mexico by noon tomorrow than will visit London in a year?  Or that most foreign destinations are more dangerous to visit for Americans than is Mexico on an incident per visit ratio? Or that 95% of the homicides in the Mexican border areas have been inter drug cartel exclusively? And unless you’re part of a drug cartel, visiting Mexico is safer than visiting most US cities. The degree of violence in border town Tijuana, for example, in murders per 100,000 was exceeded by about 1/3 of US Cities. (New Orleans still holds the title of most violent city, at 18.3 murders per 100,000)

The latest travel alert also contains references to demonstrations becoming violent. The same is true anywhere, including the United States. I’ve never seen or heard of a violent demonstration in our area. The closest was six hours away in Oaxaca City a few years ago.

It’s easy to forget just how big Mexico is! To say that “Mexico” is unsafe is paramount to saying that the United States is unsafe because there is gang violence in downtown Los Angeles! The problem is that you just want to go to Smallsville, Iowa.  Please understand that where we live and work is the equivalent of Smallsville, Iowa. And in most cases your flight leaves a U.S. destination non-stop to Huatulco, where we meet you at the airport and drive you here. You’re not within a thousand miles of a border town or five hundred miles from a metropolitan city. And we do a safety orientation upon arrival at the base and before the village outreaches. At no time is a team member unaccompanied off the base. And in no case would we be ambivalent about any team member’s safety! Your trust in our many years of safely managing teams is very much appreciated.

Just a great photo of some really cute Chatino children in a recent evangelistic and medical campaign!

That’s all for this time around. Thanks for letting us talk with you like this. We really do covet your prayers!

I know, my eyes are closed, but otherwise it's a great photo!

Fall and Winter indiscernibly arrived, and Thanksgiving and Christmas came without any special plans, since neither seems to be celebrated much in our part of Mexico. They were regular work days except that several of the missionaries decided to to prepare a good facsimile of American Thanksgiving and Christmas type foods for the American and Mexican staff. There were even pies, my favorite being the famous Mennonite shoo-fly pie! The Mexicans among us had to learn by observation what is done with things like cranberry sauce, dressing, and gravy, all utterly unknown to them. They managed to get it all down without putting chilies on it, (a favorite saying here is that food without chilies isn’t food!) and the rest of us had a very nice and unexpected treat! Valentine’s Day is behind us and Easter will be here before we know it. Laura and I hope that your holidays were great!

Before going any further allow us a just a little bit of praise to leak out before the rocks crying out beat us to it! We’re supremely thankful for the constant revelation of God’s great grace, the beauty of simplicity in His master plan of redemption, and the tireless unfolding of it and Himself to us, His servants and also His own sons and daughters! There’s deep gratitude also for the sweet blessing of being able to live and work here, to see fruit for our labors, and the people of this part of Mexico equipped and trained to multiply that fruit. Praise our Father and King! So let’s talk about some of what He’s doing here now…

Quite a few little and bigger things have been going on since we wrote late in October. There has also been a measurable increase in spiritual hunger and thirst in our outreaches. To give you an example of that, in a Clinic outreach recently in Juquila, where a certain image of the Virgin Mary draws many, many thousands on pilgrimage annually, 256 people were seen in the mobile clinic, and 196 of them prayed to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord! Normally the number who pray this way is right around 1 in 20 instead of 4 in 5! Jesus, of course, said that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled. Here are some additional and recent stories of the fall (autumn, that is) and winter of 2008/9. This time around we’ll mainly write about Laura and Corban Clinic things.

Charlie at the Corban Clinic

But first we’ve got to tell you about Charlie! Charlie Streb, from our neck of the woods in upstate NY, came for an entire month and painted everything in sight! He’s a painter by trade, and came to use his time and ability to bless the base, which he did abundantly. Almost every building here got a great paint job, plus Charlie trained staff workers and students to use professional painting techniques. He was a real blessing! He also went up to El Mosco in the newly reached Ixtayutla region, a whole different world from the coastal base.

Charlie, Pastor Miguel and family in El Mosco

Charlie with a few of the Mixteco kids in a new church building high up in the mountains

So many have come and gone recently, having been a blessing to the base and to our Oaxacan Mexicans! Two groups from Missouri made up of construction workers and medical personnel here and in the mountains, three adventurous men from Mississippi who crossed the border with two dental chairs and medical equipment (we have a very happy staff dentist!), others who’ve come to do eyeglass campaigns (so much need there too!), another medical group from Kansas/Texas, then nurses from ORU receiving part of their course instruction under Laura’s tutelage, Dr. Ross and Linda Taylor and their church team of extremely helpful businessmen from Tulsa (with special gratitude to Murray and Melodee Papke!) to do medical and children outreaches and financial and vocational strategizing, and Pastor James Olson also bringing two large teams of great physicians, an excellent dentist, and several construction workers. There has also been a prison clinic in Jamiltepec with one of our Mexican churches, and a Clinic staff only outreach in Usila in northern Oaxaca. It’s a little overwhelming to even try and mention them all, much less do justice to the fruit of their visits! Add to all that the arrivals of regulars, Drs. Dave and Mary Kay Ness, Eddie and Leanne Kelley, and Elizabeth Bojang, all of whom come for an extended time to work and bless Oaxaca, Mexico! Here are a few pictures to try and give you an idea of it all.

Dr. Canche doing an eye exam

Cheryl Harrell who fit glasses on scores and scores of people who've gone through life seeing poorly

Able to read again, with a Gospel of John in hand

Enjoying seeing clearer than they ever have

Three days like this with people patiently waiting to be seen and get fitted

Missouri nurses sorting and packing meds before an outreach trip

Laura knows which medicines will be needed more in the villages

Packing a truck for a mountain medical outreach can be interesting!

Finally in the village seeing patients who otherwise often have no medical care at all

A three language consulation in Chayuco with Dr. Ross Taylor

Clinic staff Rosi and Lori explaining the meds they're dispensing out of their mobile pharmacy

Melodee teaches the ever present children during the medical campaign

Prayer / spiritual care after the consultation

Dr. Dave in El Mosco

R.N. Elizabeth with one of our visiting doctors, again needing three language translations to do consultations!

Some good village mobile dentistry

Medical and construction team in El Mosco

ORU nurses were here for a month working hard!

Using homemade visuals to teach family health and preventative care in our own little fishing village of Cacalotepec

And in the Corban Clinic where there are always people in need of medical care. This little girl was stung by a scorpion.

Laura teaches more than nursing - she also teaches caring and loving our neighbor like Jesus does.

If you’ve read all the way down to here then you’re a champion in my book! One or two more tiny items…Laura was flown to Tulsa, OK this last week to receive ORU’s Alumnus of the Year Distinguished Service to God Award, a well deserved honor, though she really cares nothing about honor except to honor Jesus, her life’s Lord. Also, please accept our unwavering gratitude, those of you who have supported us and our work over the last several months. None of the above would be a part of our story if it weren’t for you – in all seriousness. And if any of you are interested in being part of our lives of service then please feel free to take a look at the Donor Information page on this site. God’s fullest blessings of peace to you today! Until next time…

Laura is sweetly and diligently working hard, as always, not only for the needy that come looking for her or for help at the Clinic, but also for the Clinic’s constant expansion and delegation of labor, ministry, and care to the other capable Clinic staff. And that’s without mentioning all the coming team preparation and constant correspondence with those interested in coming to work. There are so many wonderful things to write about regarding the Clinic that they’re going to have to wait until the next blog! Suffice it to say for now that one of those wonderful things concerns the land adjacent to the present Clinic building being purchased in faith so that more people can be trained to reach into every community in our region and beyond. If you can’t wait to find out more then take a look at Drs. Dave and Mary Kay Ness’ website at http://rocablanca.us/b2evolution and inquire. I hope you do!

We’ll write a little more fully in another blog about some other developments in our work, more things to do and walk with Jesus in and through, responsibilities to further and better enable all that’s being done here for the Lord Jesus. His immense love!

My (David’s) first time being here during the rainy season was rewarded by a whopping flood at the base a few weekends ago. The water was up to our waists right outside and below our apartment. Fortunately we live on the second floor and had no damage in our little apartment. The Clinic and our new (to us) car are not on the second floor, however, and both got flooded pretty well. The river between the base and the ocean that appears during this season managed to break through the retaining wall. The damage in the Clinic was not bad, just requiring a good couple of hours of squeegee action for two days in a row. The car, however, was covered up to the windows, and we couldn’t get it out until the next day. A tractor from the fishing village that we live right next to came and pulled it out, the mechanic replacing all of the oils and fluids and washing out the gas tank before any damage could be done to them. We’ve had to buy a few things like a new battery, and are still buying some relays and electronic equipment for some of the things that aren’t working right. What a relief it was to know that there was no apparent serious lasting damage! Praise God for some friends who heard about the flood and donated what we needed for the repairs. We still owe for the car’s purchase, which made that act of kind thoughtfulness that much more appreciated.

Please know how much you mean to us, all you who read this and pray and give. We couldn’t plan and dream about any of the fruit of our work if you weren’t already there, God’s hand of sustenance for us and the work. Thank you so very much!

One little thing, too. I’m realizing that, if you’ve sent a gift of support to us, we may not actually know about it until up to several weeks later! Here’s why. When your gift goes to In His Service in Oklahoma, where most of you send it, the support is collected until the end of the month, then deposited into our bank there. At that point we receive an email with the donor information, and a few days later we can access the funds. If you mail a personal message in a letter or note then it usually takes even longer for us to get it! That’s because the mail is sent to us here in Mexico once a month, again at the end of the month, and we won’t receive it here until a few weeks later. So, please don’t despair, and don’t not write! – but understand that the response will not likely be quick. Thank you for understanding. For quicker response time an email is best. We can usually check it every so many days from the base.

Thanks you again for letting us “talk” to you through this blog, and for being such a blessing to our lives, which we hope to turn to a rich blessing to many others in our region. Feel free to write us. We love to hear from you! God’s constant revelation of His constant grace to you and yours today!

David and Laura

P.S. The last couple of photos are for those of you who are starting to feel the fall weather, and for those who wonder about our tiny, but sufficient, lodging (approximately 12 feet by 12 feet, plus a bathroom). First is Laura working at correspondence from our window (often the only way to get an Internet signal!). Next is the view from outside our door.  Come and visit and minister with us!

We leave for Laredo, TX to cross the border tomorrow the 26th. Then two more driving days to arrive in Cacalotepec, the fishing village where Roca Blanca is located on the Pacific coast. Can’t wait! We were blessed to be able to obtain a very good car for our travels to and in Oaxaca. Laura’s brother, Ben, found this 2004 Chevy Trailblazer with 4-wheel drive and an extra long chassis for us in Mississippi at a GMAC lease car auction. The price was VERY good, and we were able to pay for a good deal of it in cash that we had saved. The car only had 32,000 miles on it, and has two back seats, new tires, all ready to transport people and/or medicines on our mountain roads. Right now most everything we own is packed in it!

Since leaving NY we’ve been given many items by generous people who share the vision to facilitate the work we’ll be doing. Among those gifts are a new laptop computer, projector, and the excellent Rosetta Stone interactive language learning program for missionary training. Among other things, I’ll be directing a missionary internship program for American interns and Mexican national missionary trainees. We’re getting people ready for cross-cultural ministry, in and outside of Mexico! Part of the training is language classes in both English and Spanish – a real open door for many “closed” countries.

The recently donated medical supplies and equipment are too numerous to mention. Some we are carrying in, others are on their way. One on the way blessing are two operative dental chairs from the First Presbyterian Church in Corinth, Mississippi for the clinic. Our on-staff dentist will be ecstatic! The timing is perfect. God has confirmed many times over that it’s the right moment to plan a Corban Clinic expansion. Land immediately next to the present clinic is being purchased right now by faith, and a building plan being designed and drawn up that will greatly add to our capabilities to help the needlessly hurting. In addition to helping people physically, God has used the medical work so much to open doors into resistant unreached areas. If God is leading you to help with this in any way (we hope He does!) then you can contact Drs. David and Mary Kay Ness in Honeoye Falls, NY (www.rocablanca.us). There will be much more to write about this as things progress.

Another exciting piece of news! We’re about to receive help through the International Development Coordinator of the ORU School of Business who will bring a team to do a needs assessment in our areas, with the goal of helping self-sustaining new Mexican businesses, in league with the Bible Institute’s vocational program. This is a real need, and will turn to be a great blessing for many, both short and long term! A plan using micro-loans is envisioned to help make it all happen. Wonderful!

While Laura’s been gone these four plus months, many have stepped in to maintain and advance the work in the clinic, for whom we are extremely grateful. Drs. Angélica Swanson and Éder Matus have worked hard, as well as long-visiting nurses Sarah Cooper and Elizabeth Bojang, along with her husband Joseph. Willing hearts to serve the Master! God bless them richly!

I’m going to stop now, although it would not be at all hard to keep on! God’s goodness is true and overwhelming. You know, too, that we genuinely covet your prayer for us and our work among the precious people of Oaxaca. Thanks for your share in what we are able to do for Him! Until next time…