On the Road to Oaxaca...

I am heading to Oaxaca... to help people like this... Who typically live in homes like this... Get more of this... By using this... our water well drilling rig... Pray for safety, water, and God's blessing on what we are doing the next few weeks... I will post updates as I am able...

Ay Caray! Stories From the Field...

As he backed up the truck, he never saw the tree. At least this time. Americo [pictured above with his family] and I had just purchased a load of lumber to help a senior citizen of Mitla get her own house. He was excited because he loved being able to make a practical difference in someone’s life. When you live in Oaxaca, the second poorest state in Mexico, sometimes the only practical help you can offer your friends is some of your food. Because frequently you are in just as dire straits as they are. But today was going to be different. Through the donations of the church he pastors, Americo and the church members were able to buy enough lumber to help this woman get a roof over her head and have a dry place to call home. Few things make the human heart sing like it does when you are able to really help someone. And Americo and his family needed to sing that song. The last few months have not been kind to them. Being a pastor is no way to get rich. Being a pastor to some of the poorest people in Mexico during a global economic crisis is also not going to get you on Forbe’s List of Richest People. But in spite of declining tithes and donations, shrinking support from his home church, and a rapidly rising cost of living, Americo and his wife Norma struggled on. Trying to make a difference in the lives of the people they see each day in their ministry. I marvel at how they keep a positive outlook no matter what comes at them, confident that God will care for and provide for them. As Americo backed his truck up and hit that tree, the wood in the bed came forward and shattered his rear window, sending broken glass everywhere. However, more than a window was broken at that moment as I watched the spirit of joy, trust, and faith drain from Americo’s face and body. As we unloaded the lumber and began to clean up the broken glass, Americo started to cry. I put my arm around him he looked at me, tears running down his face, and said “Esta lloviendo sobre los mojados.” Literally, it’s raining on people who are already soaked. It’s a saying here in Mexico when you are wondering if you can take it any more, because the bad news just seems to keep coming. For a family that has literally been living on beans and tortillas, giving their lives to others, this was too much to bear. I have served along side Americo and Norma for years in Oaxaca. If you have served with me here, they have helped provide you meals, have served you, and have more than likely, helped get you to your ministry site in the white truck that hit that tree. Americo needs some encouragement, in a very practical way. If you would like to give a 100% tax-deductable donation to Americo and his family, you can do so through Adventures in Life Ministry. Just click here, and you will be directed to our Paypal Donation Page. Choose a donation amount, make sure to put Americo in the notation line and I will make sure !00% of your donation goes to Americo and Norma here in Oaxaca. Thank you and as we say here in Mexico, Dios le bendiga!

The Mission... Oaxaca 2011

Many of my friends have been asking to see some pictures of our work in Mexico. You can view some great shots not only of our ministry, but the people and area of Oaxaca here. Brother Joe Ramirez and his team of photographers from The Rock Church in San Diego came and tirelessly shot picture after picture of what we were doing to document the work and help publicize our mission. I have written about how his specific ministry can make an impact on people at my Adventures in Life Ministry blog, "notes from dave..." Check it out. In the meantime, here are a few pictures from my time in Oaxaca. here I am waiting for a glass of the aztec drink, tejate, with pastor chable hermanas julia, her daughter norma, and maria elena... they cooked all week for our group... our team of men, pastor jesus, and pastor americo and his family hermana julia heating up a batch of zapotec tlayudas on her comal see more of brother joe's photos and those of his team at MISSION Focused

Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Here's where I am headed... Oaxaca, Mexico for three weeks and then to the Yucatan for some time with family and friends. Our ministry time will be spent drilling one or two water wells, planting corn for a late spring harvest, setting up a couple of small green houses and finishing up construction of a training center for Zapotecan church pastors and leaders. I will post as I can to keep folks up to date. Blessings all and remember to pray for us!

Happy Anniversary AIL Ministry

Fifteen years ago this weekend, Grady Martine, Paul Lathrop, my wife Chelle, and I led a Short Term Mission trip to the village of La Mision, Baja California, about 60 miles south of the US/Mexico border crossing in San Ysidro. It was the first mission trip by a new mission organization, Adventures in Life Ministry. Grady and I founded Adventures in Life because we believed that if people got out of their comfort zones and served people, God could and would do incredible things in their lives. And we were right. We have seen the evidence of that time and time again over the years as Adventures in Life has grown. As the years have passed, Grady and Paul are now working together in central Los Angeles ministry, called Central City Community Outreach, and remain connected to AIL. Paul still serves on our board and without him we could not have grown to where we are today. And yet even as there is change, some things remain the same. Tomorrow, I will leave for Mexico again. As I have countless times over the last fifteen years to help a group of people connect with and serve their brothers and sisters in Christ in Mexico. We will be in a town south of Ensenada called Camalu. Most of the people in this area are from Oaxaca, one of the poorest states in Mexico. Here is a link to some of the churches that are prevalent in the home state of the people of Camalu. Please pray for us and the group that will serving with us. They are from a small church in Las Vegas, called Grace Valley. technorati tags: Oaxaca Mission, Adventures in Life, Mexico Ministry

Mexico Elections

Sunday, August 5 elections were held here in the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca. Following on the heels of months of civil unrest, many were expecting violence and protests. While I am happy to report that violence was almost non existent, I am not pleased with the results. Once again the Darth Vader of Mexican politics, the PRI, swept to victory across the entire state. This gives them control of all levels of the state government as they already own the governorship with the very unpopular Ulises Ruiz (URO) in charge. For those of you not well versed in what this means, let me try and explain. The PRI, won every national election in Mexico for over seventy years until Vicente Fox broke the string in 2000. They have held power in most of the poorest southern states all that time as well. This includes Oaxaca where almost 70% of the voters stayed home Sunday rather that participate in an election they felt would be won by PRI no matter how they voted. This is the attitude in an area where people are used to seeing votes bought and sold, intimidation, and outright rigging of elections. In a connected note, PRI was unable to break a string of three straight victories by the Nation Action Party (PAN) in Baja California. Despite spending a mountain of money, Jorge Hank Rhon was unable to beat the PAN candidate, Osuna Millan, to win the governorship of our close neighbor to the south. This is good for both Mexico, and the US as Millan and the PAN party are much better to deal with than either Jorge Hank or the PRI would be on our doorstep.