A-OK

I got news earlier this week that the thing that was removed from my back/shoulder was benign. Praise God! This was great news! However, it was tempered by the term the doctor used to describe the growth...barnacle (for those who prefer the sophistic medical version...seborrheic keratosis). Now, when I hear the word "barnacle", I think of old ships that have been at sea a long time. I feel like that ship that went to sea over 46 years ago! Better to cling to the good news that I do NOT have a malignant growth.

Sites from around here:

Jose Luis has been taking photos and I think he does a great job. From San Luis Majimachi (above) to the Piedra Volada (below) to the cable car construction aiming to install cables to carry a car across the canyon (bottom photo). What do you think?

An Italian company is installing the cables. Nevertheless, I think it would be safer and prettier to just hike into the canyon or go off-road in our truck! Could be that my fear of bridges just expanded to include hanging cable cars?

Finally!

Doesn't Jaynie's room look great - or at least her bed? She really amazed me this weekend. I told her weeks ago that we would get her a fish or little turtle IF she cleaned her room good and kept it clean for good. So last Friday, our base was full. We had a group of 31 people from Mexico as well as 3 translators visiting. The group stayed in all of our dorm rooms; the translators stayed in the Kaemingk's guest room, Dwayne's guest room, and Jaynie's room. Well, in less than 1 hour Jaynie's room was so very neat and orderly. She admitted that she hid some of her toys, but it still looked great! She has to keep it that way for a couple of weeks before we will go out to Chihuahua or El Paso to see about getting the fish or turtle. I got busy on Saturday and finished the afghan I started for her about 3 years ago. I am so thankful to finish one project, now on to the rag quilt I pieced together that just needs to be snipped.

How does your garden grow?

Thanks to the Lord providing rain and sunshine, our gardens are flourishing along with the weeds. And as pretty as our sweet corn looks, we have yet to see more than 1 ear of corn. I pray that God will work wonders and that we will harvest plenty of corn to share with others.

Jaynie took these photos - she is learning and I think she has a great eye for flowers!

WOW! Jaynie is 10!

It is so hard to believe that my baby is now 10 years old - it seems like just yesterday I was learning to nurse and change diapers on the run. Enjoy these photos from the small birthday dinner we had for Ruth Jaynelle.

Flowers, hospital, and blessings!

I just love this time of year here in the canyons/mountains. This is our equivalent of spring. It is when the wildflowers are blooming after the rains have come in June and July.

It has been one busy week, but we have been blessed in many ways this week. Jaynie keeps working away on 4th grade - just 4 weeks to go! She only has 5 subjects left so we can move quicker and cover more material each day. But we took Mon. off to go to the mission hospital in Samachique. Last week I became concerned by this thing that grew very quickly on my back/shoulder. I went to the hospital to have it checked out. Dr. Mike cut it out and sent it off for pathology. I am trying to keep my thoughts under control and only think about the things that I KNOW are true (Philippians 4:8). We should know the results in about 10 days.

We were visited by a couple from Indiana via Oklahoma. We had never met before but we know some of the same people back in Oklahoma. We enjoyed getting to know them and showing them parts of the Copper Canyon and parts of our ministry. It is always neat to see our world through the eyes of others. We pray that the Lord will bless and guide Chase & Leisa as they continue their travels.

We also received our only group from the USA to come this summer. What a privilege to serve our Lord together with our friends from Coronado BC - El Paso. The team did work around our base on Wed., went out to a Tarahumara community on Thur., and then on Fri. went down to the mission hospital. We were able to can plum jam, whole plums, and wild cherry jelly. The group and especially our friend Lynn brought us a great supply of sugar (brown, powdered, and refined) - I am ready to get serious about baking now.

Distributions & More

This week saw the Parra family pretty busy. Jose Luis took a group with another mission organization (Black Buffalo) out to Wajurana and Los Manzanos for distributions. The mission leader asked us to find a couple of Tarahumara communities where the team could give out food, blankets, clothes, etc. and where they could share their testimonies. First up was Wajurana on Monday - and with less than a day's notice, approx. 160 people came! Then on Wed. they went to Los Manzanos and also had a very good turnout.

One of the neat connections we have with Black Buffalo - he brought the first Christian team down to ever enter San Luis Majimachi in 1985. At that time the team gave out "Card Talk" record players with messages recorded on lp's. Jose Luis received one of these and some lp's along with a New Testament in Spanish and the Gospel of John in Tarahumara Alta & Spanish. What a privilege to serve together with another team from Black Buffalo's organization. We pray that the seeds that were sown will take root and bear fruit.

Rainy days

Some days are just hard days. Last week it rained every day - it was dreary and so very wet! Jaynie and I stayed in doing lots of school. I finally planned out the rest of 4th grade and we will finish by Sept. 11 if we do school 5 days a week beginning today. This is not as doable as it sounds. We will be receiving 2 groups during that time and we will be a bit occupied with the teams. I will be responsible for the planning/purchasing/cooking for the groups. Jaynie is such a great helper in the kitchen. She does a good job washing dishes and she likes to help me chop vegetables. Last Sat. she made a batch of chocolate chip cookies all by herself! I am so blessed by her. So, back to the rainy, dreary week we had last week. In the midst of this time God granted me a view into our purpose for serving here.

This is Maria Elena and Juanita. Aren't they precious? They, along with their mother, came to Bible study for the first time last Sat. in Los Manzanos. Maria Elena enjoyed laughing with me. I pray that she and her family will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Then, as Maria Elena and I were having a laughing contest, I looked around outside Crucita's house. And there in the midst of the drizzle was proof of hope - hope that one day soon the sun will come out and shine like never before.

I realize that a photo of blankets that are washed and left to dry on any surface available does not always inspire hope. But to me, in the middle of rainy season, it is a great example of hope and expectancy - waiting for the sun to come out from behind the clouds to dry things up.