Our first team....

As I begin this blog my ears are still filled with the riotous laughter of our last night with the team from St. James United Methodist Church of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The St. James United Methodist Church team as they were introduced to the Cacalote church

Back in the mobile clinic

Eddie will tell you that he doesn´t speak much Spanish but when he is working with teams he is sought out to speak to patients as we take vitals and information.

Jim weighing patients

Dr. Eder´s wife Paulina taking blood pressures in Charco Redondo

Barbara taking tempertures

Pam, Dr. Ross´wife Linda and Jim count vitamins, acetaminophen and ibuprofen for the pharmacy

Outreaches in three new villages

We did three days of outreach in different villages on the coast. Charco Redondo and Azufre were located in the Chacahua area which racially goes back to the time that black slaves either escaped or survived shipwreaks and populated the edges of the lagunas of Oaxaca. These black Mexicans are called "morenos". They live on and fish the coasts alongside the mestizos. Voodoo has also been brought to the area by these people. We also went to a little town called La Cañada a little more inland.

Hermano Maurico and Hermano Jesus praying for patients as their medications are being prepared.

These towns are being evangelized by graduates from the Bible institute here at Roca Blanca. It is they who will do the work of discipling the many, many who responded the gospel during our outreaches.

Rita R.N. and Dr. Ross in the pharmacy

When we were in La Cañada we had the familiar experience of trying to close up shop and pack up our pharmacy, while other needy patients kept arriving. Although you want to say you can take no more patients, usually it is those who arrive late that need us the most. This time a young woman with uncontrolled diabetes, and two little ones with impetigo got our last moments' care.

I was so blessed as I watched Dr. Ross Taylor work as it got dark, giving his undivided attention to the patients with his interpreter, Josue, at his side. Josue is Brazilian by birth but is now associate pastor at St. James United Methodist.

Berna and Angie, and yep, they are going to parents in May!


Altogether again!

Wednesday afternoon when we arrived home in the mosquito infested twilight we were delighted to be greeted by the rest of our Roca Blanca family minus one, Drs. Dave and Mary Kay Ness, and our adopted kids Berna and Angie! And surprise! Dave Nelson´s daughter Miriam arrived unannouced with them. Berta is back in Virginia helping her sister who is recovering from surgery. We hope to see Berta soon!

Casa Hogar de Nueva Vida

Friday, the day before the team flew back to Tulsa, we all went to the orphanage Casa Hogar de Vida Nueva in Puerto Escondido. Sally´s granddaughter back in Tulsa had suggested that a good gift for the orphans would be their very own Bible. So when we visited them we had the thrill of presenting each child with a Bible engraved with their name. What a wonderful inspiration. The directors of the orphanage said that it was an answer to prayer as the children had been asking for Bibles. And these were really nice, expensive Bibles which were bilingual, wonderful for the teenagers who are studying English in school.

Ashley got to hold the baby, of course, people were standing in line to hold her.

Eddie could hold two at once

These two little ones are sisters, who were brought to the orphanage with their older sister. Vicki, the "mother" of the home said that soon that week the three little girls would be going to Oaxaca City to another orphanage. Casa Hogar is full to the brim and just recently got the three little ones pictured above, they simply cannot stay.

The children with all their new, engraved Bibles

Mary Kay was directed by this little girl to sit down and read her new Bible story book to her.

The night before the team left, we had a wonderful dinner together on the 4th floor of the Mission Inn (the Roca Blanca guest house). After dinner Dr. Ross shared a inspired message challenging us to look into the heart of God and find where and in what way God has called us to express the love of Jesus.

He impressed me with the example of Mother Theresa´s work with lepers, likening those who live in the United States to the lepers who have lost their ability to feel. The difference being we are a nation of people who do not feel the pain and desperation of the sick, the poor and destitute in our world.

Please keep us in your prayers. We have two teams arriving this week and will be going up into the mountains, and to El Mosco.