Finished!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have finished the church!  Despite persistent rain all day, the roof is on!  The block walls are finished and one sidewalk is finished.  We have accomplished more than any other short-term mission team in Mexico thus far.

The land was owned by Juan, the son of a church member.  He donated the land to the SDA church in Penitas so they could build this church.  Although Juan is not a church member, he noted that he plans on building a house for himself on the lot next door.  He said that he would be able to walk to church!  God is definitely at work here in Penitas.

More evidence of God at work:  Maria Molledo, the Maranatha worker here helping us, arranged for a man by the name of Carlos to drive she, Doug, and Cheryl around on the 27th of December to start shopping for the team.  Carlos was very happy to have the extra money...he even had had a dream that told him Christians would come to give him work.

Israel Torres, the Bible Worker O'Malley hired, is hard at work and getting souls ready for the kingdom.  There are 25 houses in his area and he has visited each one at least twice.  He now has 20 interested people doing Bible studies.  And one person is ready for baptism which was to be tomorrow, but had to be postponed since the Pastor was called out of town.

Tonight we welcome in the Sabbath by worshipping with the La Fe (The Faith) Church in Plan de Ayala where we are staying.  Tomorrow we travel out to Penitas for our final chance to worship with our new friends in the finished church.  We will have the opportunity to take communion with them and to present them with gifts.  The Anchorage Pathfinder group has purchased very nice hard cover Bible-hymnal combinations for the Penitas church.  In addition, we will be purchasing more Bibles to give to the people who are study with the Bible Worker as most do not even own a Bible.

Thank you for all your prayers--they were much needed.  To list the sick and injured would take too long so here´s the list of who stayed free of discomfort thus far:  Cheryl, Scott, Beverly, and James Rincon.  We have suffered from upper respiratory symptoms, dizziness, nausea, cramping, vomiting, and diarrhea.  Some had only one symptom for a day or so and others (myself included) had multiple symptoms.  Barney and I both wished at one point to be euthanized!  But just for a short time...

Jeremiah 30:17 became a Scripture to claim for our team.  God is faithful and we are on the mend.  The minor cuts, scrapes, lime burns, and bug bites are almost healed.  Even so the teams spirits remain high and we are so blessed to be able to do this work for the Lord.

Our team Scripture that we say every morning is Isaiah 30:21--¨Whether you look to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the way, walk in it´¨.  And throughout the day and night you can hear the Maranatha motto:  Flexibility, flexibility, flexibility!

The time has come to end our trip and we are ready to go yet we will leave a part of our hearts here in Mexico.  We long for family, dry weather, and HOT showers! 

A suggestion for family and friends:  help us ease gently back into our life in the U.S.  We are on a spiritual high and full of stories of how the Lord has been at work in our lives and in those around us.  We may feel the need to talk about it....endlessly!  We also may have some difficulty adjusting back into our normal routine.  Returning from a short-term mission is like smacking your head into a brick wall.  It can be emotionally jarring to go from one culture so unlike ours and back into our own.  Be gentle and patient with us as we readjust.  Keep us in your prayers.

We miss you and look forward to seeing you soon,

Lynda