Sunday

       Today we went to Nueva Vida (New Life) Church on the outskirts of La Paz. This church was started several years ago by Cecil and Faye’s daughter Gwen, and her husband,Ramon. The church began in Gwen and Ramon’s house. They have since purchased some ground and four months ago, they built a roof where they now hold their services. The land, on the edge of town, is accessible by dirt road and water must be hauled in by truck. They were able to take advantage of lower priced ground in an area that is scheduled to be developed into a residential area soon. At the end of the service, the church had Rick, Brad, Gwen, Ramon, and myself, come to the front where they prayed for us and our trip. Gwen and Ramon will be traveling to the mountains with us. Ramon will be one of the speakers at the meetings in Santa Teresa.

I waited to take these pictures of the church until after the service was over to avoid being a distraction and the appearance of a gawking tourist.

The Cora

We have begun to prepare for our trip to the mountains. This includes constructing a fuel transfer and filtration system which we have begun building today. Fuel is available at one of the villages where we will be flying. It comes in 5 gallon cans and is of questionable purity. We are coming up with a filter system that will remove contaminants including dirt and water. I will publish a picture when it is completed.

The purpose of the trip is to transport pastors to Santa Teresa and Cora believers from the village of Gavilanes to Santa Teresa for the annual gathering of believers. The Cora live in remote villages, high in the Sierra Madre Mountains in the state of Nayarit. Cecil was the first pilot to land in several of these villages in the early 1960’s. Cecil and Faye introduced the gospel to the Cora and worked with them over the years, meeting both spiritual and physical needs. Today the villages are tied together by dirt roads, with the exception of Gavilanes, which is still only accessible by air.

The following pictures are from my trip last year:

Cora Children

 

Cora Sunday school

Giving out peanuts

Friday

          Thunderstorms are forecast to continue to come this week, so Brad and I went to the airport to tie the plane down better.  Security is very tight and it was harder to get to the plane than it is in the U.S. We first went to the Commandancia. I showed him the aircraft documents and explained what we wanted to do. He then informed security of our plans. We had to give them our identification and go through metal detectors. Once we returned, we were given our driver’s licenses back. I have never had to go through this much security to get to our own airplane. From the airport we went to a store to get more supplies for the roof.  I was thankful to have Brad with me to do the talking. Brad was able to communicate in Spanish, and he actually did a better job of getting the materials than he does when he runs to Home Depot for Dad! We finished building the roof today. There were two reasons for this project; the first was to protect the pool filtration system from the elements. The second was to keep children away from the chemicals. This evening Brad and I ventured into town on our own. There is a new Wal-Mart in La Paz.  While in town, Brad and I had to stop out of curiosity. We wondered how a Wal-Mart in Mexico compared to one in the U.S. (We don’t get out much.)

See Mom, we did use masks

This is before we put the wire on the front.

Dad, does it look ok ?

It takes very little to entertain us!

Campestre Maranatha

Fifty years ago Cecil and Faye bought seven acres just outside of La Paz.  They actually  camped under a mesquite tree with four children, the youngest being only three weeks old, while they cleared the land, dug a well and built their home.  They even cleared and leveled an area for an airstrip.  The property has changed a lot over the years, and has become Camp Maranatha, an oasis in the desert.  Churches come for renewal and to hear the good news of the Gospel.  The campground is used for youth and children's camps, Bible school, adult seminars, and spiritual retreats.  Each year many people are baptized in the pool.  The airstrip has been replaced by an RV area.  If you're traveling down Baja, this is a great place to stop with your RV.

Wednesday

Today Brad and I went into town with my mom’s cousin Cindy. Cindy and her husband Jose manage Campestre Maranatha. The trip included a stop at a lumberyard and hardware store to purchase some materials needed to build a roof over the pool’s filtration system. We arrived at the lumberyard around 11:00 and ordered what we needed. They told us that they would not be able to deliver it before lunch. This meant that we would have to wait until after their siesta for the lumber. While in town, Cindy taught Brad how to drive in Mexico. When we returned to the camp, she offered us the use of their car anytime we wanted to go somewhere. If we use it, I plan on staying close to Brad since his Spanish is much better than mine (That is one class that I should have taken seriously in high school).  Today we only got our project started and hope to at least complete the frame tomorrow. This evening, Rick took Brad and I into town for tacos and to do some grocery shopping.

An extra Teepee pole to use for the roof

All wood needs to be treated to keep the termites out.

Brad is the only one of us who can read and understand the directions.

Arriving at La Paz Tuesday

Our day started at 5:00 Tuesday. Mexico does not allow flight at night unless the airplane is operating on an instrument flight plan. Our original plan was to depart Yuma 15 minutes before sunrise and to cross the border at sunrise. At 5:30, Rick called the FAA on some paperwork that we were waiting on. They told him that they were still working on it and to call back in several hours. Not wanting to waste any time, we went to the airport to ensure that everything else was ready so we could depart as soon as the paperwork arrived. We received the new aircraft documents by fax and were off the ground by 7:20. This was 10 minutes before the airport was scheduled to close for a half hour. After a three and a half hour flight, we cleared customs at Loreto. We then waited about 20 minutes until they could find the immigration official who would give us our tourist visas.  It was then a short one and a half hour flight to La Paz. While approaching the airport, a thunderstorm was building to the south. Within an hour of landing, the thunderstorm had reached maturity and had moved over La Paz. Had the documents arrived ten minutes later, we would have had to wait to depart until the Yuma airport reopened. We would have then arrived at La Paz at almost the same time as the thunderstorm. We arrived just in time. To God be the glory! Due to the heavy rains brought by the storm, the road to town is closed and our internet connection is down. We made it to Campestre Maranatha just in time. Brad and I will be staying and working at the camp until next Tuesday when we leave for the mountains. I will post this as soon as the internet connection is working again.

Crossing the border

The Sea of Cortez

Loreto airport

A shrimp farm north of La Paz

The thunderstorm

The entrance to Camp Maranatha

We've Arrived in Yuma

We have arrived safely in Yuma, Arizona. After nearly 8 hours of flying, we finally arrived in Yuma just before 6:00 pm. Due to the forecast of a headwind, I decided to add an extra fuel stop to ensure that we had adequate fuel reserves. We plan on crossing the border at sunrise tomorrow morning.

My Copilot

You can still get peanuts on some flights.

Crater Lake

They're Off!

Craig and Brad took off from the clover field at 7:15 this morning. I have enjoyed a few rides with Craig, but most of all it’s been so much fun watching from our deck as he takes off and lands in the field. Craig and Brad are headed for Yuma, Arizona, where they’ll spend the night before crossing the border tomorrow morning. Rick will meet them this evening then fly with them the rest of the way to LaPaz. It would have been so hard to see them go if we didn’t know this is what God is calling them to do and if we didn’t have prayer support. We thank the Lord for how He’s working in their lives, and there’s no place we’d rather have them than in God’s hands.

Thank you so much for praying for Craig and Brad; we appreciate it so much.

Val

 

His Treasure in Earthen Vessels

       My great-aunt Faye just finished her book, His Treasure in Earthen Vessels, telling of the work she and Cecil began in 1955.  I just finished reading it, and it’s a great inspiration to see how God has worked through them, ordinary people, who were obedient to the Lord.  Throughout the book, she tells of tragedy, hardships and adventure over the past 50 years. It's amazing to be a small part of this ministry and to observe God continue the work He began many years ago.

       This book is $13 and 100% will go to evangelism in more Cora villages.  We have some copies of the book if you would like to purchase one from my mom or me.

I got the plane!

Thursday I brought the plane down from Washington and landed in the clover field by our house.  Rick said that the more I fly, the better.  Aw, ok, if I have to!  I’ve been working on short field take-offs and landings in preparation for mountain flying.  It’s been so much fun having access to a plane and taking the family all over the valley.

These crazy cousins have no confidence in me.

Maranatha Ministries

            Maranatha Ministries in Mexico is the fruit of my great-uncle and aunt, Cecil and Faye Byers which they began as missionaries over 50 years ago.  The ministry now focuses on three areas: Camp Maranatha in LaPaz, church outreach, and ministry to the indigenous Cora in the mountains of Nayarit. 

            Brad and I will spend our first week at the camp in La Paz where we’ll do maintenance or whatever work is needed.  I’m thankful for the training I’ve received from my dad in construction, and it’s exciting to be able to use it to serve God.  The second week will be spent flying in the mountains in Nayarit, assisting the missionaries and Cora.

Hello

I do not consider myself to be a blogger, nor do I have any desire to become one. This is merely an attempt to keep family and friends updated on our trip to Mexico. I know how hard mission blogs are to maintain, but I will do my best to keep you posted as internet access allows.

Brad and I will be flying a Cessna 182 to Maranatha Ministries which is based in La Paz, Baja California Sur. We hope to leave Monday September 28^th. The airplane will facilitate Maranatha’s ministry to the Cora people in the mountains of Nayarit. The trip will last three weeks, and the airplane will remain down there through the winter. Both of us are really looking forward to this trip and helping out however we can. The first and third week will be spent at Campestre Maranatha in La Paz. The second week will be spent on the mainland in the mountain villages of Nayarit. The photo with the blog title was taken at Gavilanes during our trip last year.