From mail at berkshiremission.org Wed Feb 10 20:35:29 2010
From: mail at berkshiremission.org (Berkshire Mission)
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:35:29 -0500
Subject: [News] Mission trip...
Message-ID: <1CDBA34371A643EC9936D3247AE0F887@eric>
Hello Berkshire Mission Friends.
2-10-2010
Hope all is well and God is continuing to provide for all of
your needs according to his riches and glory.
Well for those of us traveling to Mexico it's time to get ready.
Time is going quick and excitement is growing all over. Many have called and
said they can't wait, others are already packed and sitting in the car ready
to get to the airport. This will probably be the last email you here from
me. The next daily emails will start to arrive here in the states as my wife
Jennifer starts to inform you of all our daily adventures good and bad. Be
sure to have family on the email list. You must go to our website
www.berkshiremission.org and click on
the front page where it asks if you want to receive mail. Also we will be
able to receive emails that you want to send to us at
mail at berkshiremission.org If the letter is for someone specific please put
their name in the subject line and we will get it to them. If it is for the
group please put group in the subject line. We also like to receive
encouraging emails to the group.
Ok some things to remember: first for those meeting at the
church. Be on time 4:00pm sharp. We will have a lot to discuss, you may
leave your cars at the church parking lot and keys left inside the Pastors
office if you so choose.
Make sure you go over your what to take list. Tonight as I write
the high and low temp has been between 60 and 85 in Jititol and some rain on
and off. As the rainy season comes to the end you may want to bring some
light rain gear. It will be cooler up in the mountains where we are staying.
You might want to think about leaving some of your cloths with some of the
folks, they will appreciate what we give.
Please be sure to mark all your cloths with laundry marker if
you plan on using the laundry at the school. We will rotate laundry by rooms
every other day. We will weigh your baggage at the church and assign you
another bag of mission supplies to take with you. We have shipped totes to
others who are meeting us at different airports; we will all meet up in
Mexico City.
We will need 2 copies of your passport. If you can do that
before you come great, if not we will do it at church! We will have lots of
food for you when you arrive. The doors will be unlocked for those arriving
early. If you need a place to stay the night we return please let me know
asap. We have some folks that will take you for the night.
For all those not going with us continue to keep us in your
thoughts and prayers. Berkshire Mission still needs your financial help. You
remember the email I sent asking those who needed help with the decision to
send money to Haiti instead of Berkshire Mission. It worked_______ ______
(thinking) you get the message I'm sure. Don't forget your emails to us.
Jennifer will be writing daily so you know what we are up to each day.
Please remember to wear your Mission shirt to the airport. It helps us to
move easier as a group and helps as we go thru customs.
God bless you all for all you do for Berkshire Mission. I wish I could meet
you all. - Someday I will
Sincerely Bob Young M.D.
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From mail at berkshiremission.org Wed Feb 17 20:37:05 2010
From: mail at berkshiremission.org (Berkshire Mission)
Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:37:05 -0500
Subject: [News] Berkshire Mission
Message-ID:
Hello everybody
Just wanted to let everybody know that we have arrived and finished our
first day of work. Interent access is very hard to get but we are working on
a solution. All of our supplies came thru customs after being inspected and
questioned, but with some paper work and letters from the health department
and the local mayor we were allowed to go thru, I should be able to get out
the newsletters by tommorrow, Also check our website for pictures to come
soon. www.berkshiremission.org
Eric Young
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From mail at berkshiremission.org Wed Feb 17 20:52:35 2010
From: mail at berkshiremission.org (Berkshire Mission)
Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:52:35 -0500
Subject: [News] Feb 16th 2010
Message-ID: <7D3EAB6DF7A5449AAB83A95BB2203E7D@eric>
February 16, 2010
Greetings from Jitotol,
We Have arrived safely and in good spirits and prepared to be a blessing to
our Mexican neighbors. Situations at the airport was the usual organized
chaos, which is not bad at all considering we are traveling with 51 people
and much luggage and equipment. As most of you know, Bob had extreme
problems in securing a guaranty that our medicines would be allowed through
Mexico's very strict "no pharmaceuticals policy at customs. After receiving
a flat out "no" just 24 hours before our arrival the Lord once again turned
the winds of strife for us. Waiting at the airport for us were Adrianna,
Aramara, and Benenise. They carried the hefty title of "Health Officials
from the Department of Protocol" In their hands were documents for the
exception to the rule. One of the biggest reasons why we were turned down
over and over was because Mexico does not want any religious group coming
in trying to convert the people by use of medical care as a bribe. Once we
were able to convince them that our medical, dental and optical care would
have no religious strings attached but just the physical welfare of the
folks it was agreed to let us bring in our supplies We were prepared to let
them confiscate over 100,000 children's vitamins if need be and many totes
of medicines brought by Dr. Roy. But the Lord over ruled the situation.
The rest of our medicines we have planned to buy here in Mexico. Bob was
straight with them and explained that yes, we are a church group and yes we
would be having an evangelistic meeting. But, our medical care is purely
that. Medical care! No charge and no strings attached.
The airports in Mexico are beautiful and well maintained. The only concern
we had was for the graft that takes place by the local police. They
charged us $90.00 to bring the bus into the parking lot to load our people
and baggage. No receipts or documents were given to us for this payment and
Maria, one of our local helpers said that is how they pad their pockets.
A very interesting thing happened to Dr. Roy on our way to Tuxila today. He
had a conversation in Spanish with his seat mate on the plane about what we
have come to do here in this country. He then mentioned to the woman that
he has a brother Paul that lives in Mexico. Well guess who this woman's own
physician turns out to be? None other than Dr. Roy's brother! We have all
seen far to many works of the Lord to believe in coincidence. Especially
while we are on these Mission trips that are run by the Lord. How exciting
it will be when we are in Heaven and find out the rest of the story . There
is a reason he was placed next to his brothers patient when they don't even
live in the same country. You know the Lord has a plan in this meeting,
perhaps we will be allowed a glimpse of that working now, but if not now
then for sure in Heaven.
We are staying at Linda Vista S.D.A. University for the next two weeks. It
is a very impressive place in its beauty, cleanliness and dedication to
Godly education. They make all their own food as well as grow much of it in
the agricultural department. Even the uniforms the students wear are made
here in the sewing department. It is much cooler than you would expect for
Mexico, but that is because we are at a high elevation. This is part of the
cloud forest area. Driving to the school was a test of stomach strength for
some. This was by far the most continuously winding roads that we have
ever encountered. We are in areas over 5,500 ft. Although the school
itself is in a valley at around 3,500.
There is much to be done to ready ourselves for the work that will start
tomorrow. But everyone is in a good spirit and all are filled with the
excitement of being able to see first hand how our Lord works. The chance
to meet folks of a different culture and not only to help them but to make a
friendship with them that has the opportunity to last through out eternity
is a thrill and a blessing to all.
More news to come tomorrow. Keep praying for us and for these people that
God will be glorified in all we say and do.
Smiles to you from Jitotol
Jennifer Young, Mission Reporter.
He hath shown thee oh man what is good; and what the Lord requires of thee,
to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. Micah 6:8
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From mail at berkshiremission.org Thu Feb 18 21:14:46 2010
From: mail at berkshiremission.org (Berkshire Mission)
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:14:46 -0500
Subject: [News] Feb 17, 2010
Message-ID:
Feb.17, 2010
Hello mission friends,
The excitement has started and oh my does it have its rewards. I heard a
great statement tonight from Brian Caster who handles the construction site.
When telling me all they did today he added that they did a lot of smiling,
which is really odd to some people. Imagine, smiling all day at a hard job
that you have had to pay to work at! That really sums up the amount of joy
that comes from doing this. We all pay our way to come to a place that has
a living style that is really tough. Did I mention that toilet seats are
not something that is thought to be necessary here? And yet we all gladly
give up our luxury life styles and vacation time to work and minister to
strangers. The reason for loving this work is simple, Jesus teaches that
when we touch one of His people whom He died for we have touched Him. And
that is glorious.
The church building is off to a good start. The parts with the steel are
about 99% finished and they should be able to start laying block tomorrow.
The digging of ground where the stone fence will be placed started today.
That is tough work with hard rocky ground. Of course it is all dug by hand
and I hear Pam and Amy were so efficient that Bob was more than a little
impressed. Every person who has signed on to our team are dedicated, hard
workers, we are so blessed. Donna told me tonight that she has parts of her
body aching that she didn't even know she had. This is her first mission
trip and I am sure it won't be her last. These trips are like potato
chips, you just can't stop at one.
The medical clinic treated 150 patients today. Dr. Roy said mostly it was
for gastritis, some diabetes and hypertension and one broken finger. Dr.
Eloise had two patients in particular that stood out to her. One was a man
who was 100 years old, he was complaining that he has been feeling a little
weak lately! I am sure your heart is smiling right now along with mine.
The other patient was a young boy of about 10 who had a very curious
birthmark that started at his ear and went down his face and neck and onto
his chest. Her youngest patient today was a 3 month old infant who had some
bronchial problems and diarrhea. One of the first few patients she saw
spoke one of the Indian dialects and they were not able to communicate.
One of the other patients in the waiting room spoke her dialect and was able
to translate it into Spanish and finally it got translated to English and
she was taken care of. There are 100 people already signed up to see our
doctors tomorrow with more coming.
Stuart said they fitted about 100 people with glasses today. One pair went
to the 100 year old gent, who only needed a mild lens. All the people in
the clinics were cooperative and friendly, making it easy for the workers to
help them.
Pastor Bill gave an outstanding worship talk this evening telling a story
about going to Ethiopia to do evangelism. Seems he had just arrived and he
started seeing lights twinkling in his vision. He asked one of the doctors
and they said he was probably having a stroke and should go back to the
states. Well that put a damper on things for a few minutes. He felt sure
he was where he was suppose to be, doing what he was called to do. So, if he
died, then what better circumstances to die in? He stayed and he was well.
There was much more to the story but not enough space to tell it all here.
Before the worship talk Mathel played a few songs on the piano for us to
sing along and that was also inspiring. Bob asked if there were any
testimonies anyone would like to give about the day and Betty who is working
in the kitchen along with Mary said how impressed she was with the school's
workers. Before they start the days duties of feeding all the students (and
now us), they hold hands and pray together for blessings on their work and
each other. What a wonderful work place that must be , don't you agree?
Marcie thought it would be nice if our women and the Mexican women in town
could have a season of prayer together each day and we will try to work that
out. Language might be a barrier but smiles and a gentle spirit of love
always goes straight to the heart.
During this sharing time Richard told us that today marked 11 years since he
stopped smoking pot. He told me afterwards that back in those days he was
in continual danger as he not only used drugs but sold them and the police
were watching him. It would have been just a matter of time before he would
have been in jail. Now he has found Jesus and he is free in deed! He
estimates he had wasted about $25,000 on drugs and booze in a very short
time. But he answered the call of Jesus and in Sept. of 1999 he joined the
church and nothing has ever been the same. Praise the Lord, God is so good
to us and has such mercy.
Remember. Jesus has always loved you best!
Smiles from Jennifer Young, Mission Reporter
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From mail at berkshiremission.org Fri Feb 19 18:46:15 2010
From: mail at berkshiremission.org (Berkshire Mission)
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:46:15 -0500
Subject: [News] 2-18-2010 update
Message-ID: <36B635E2C6384A8D943617B9759A9FA3@eric>
Feb. 18, 2010
Happy Thursday dear friends,
Oh what a glorious day this has been. Everyone has a great tale to tell.
The construction crew are in full swing now and things are moving right
along. When I arrived Jim was hauling wheel barrels of mortar mix as if it
were flour, he makes it look so easy even though it must weigh a couple
hundred pounds.
Jeff was busy figuring the proper placement of rebar in the footings for
the fence that is going up. The bond beam is finished on the back wall of
the church. I saw Renita and Bev busy putting down mortar for it. Two
local youths stopped and wanted to help with the construction today and were
really caught up in the moment as they worked side by side with our folks.
Two little Ni?o?s sat on a pile of rock all day , just to watch the
Americans build a church. They were as cute as can be with their jet black
hair and shinny brown eyes. This is a huge thing for them as few have ever
seen Americans before.
Right behind where the new church is going up is the old church which
measures about 30 ft. by 50 ft. and held about 80 people. Bob had called a
meeting in there today for all of the local Pastor?s, Elders and church
officials to meet with him and Pastors Rigo, Dwight, and Bill. We needed to
agree on a time and support for the Evangelism effort that is about to take
place. There were 7 churches represented today and we needed to all be on
the same page as to the duties and outcome of the effort. We started the
meeting with 17 members of the local churches, not counting us and by the
time the meeting came to an end over an hour later, there were about 35
present. There were a large number of women present and Bob used a quote
from Marcie today to encourage these women to press on. It really is a
very true saying, it is this ?the women do all the clean up jobs that make
the men look better?. There is no doubt that men and women need each other
to get the job done well. It was decided that we would supply 1,300 flyers
to be passed out by the local members and the Pathfinders. The time to start
the meeting took a while to settle. Pastor Rigo stressed that the time
would be 7 p.m. ?pronto? , now pronto is the key word here as Central
Americans always seem to work on a different time schedule. So if we say we
will start at 7 p.m. it will be exactly that time. One of the Elders asked
if we could ?play? with the time a little as Mexico has a custom
if you say
6:30 then you can expect people to start to arrive at 7:30! He was very
serious about this custom but it did not go over well with us. So the final
discussion was to start at 7 sharp and to offer a prize to all who are there
on time.
The medical clinic was packed again today and saw 203 patients. Tresa said
it was unfortunate that a few of them had slipped in twice. We did call in
some Police to help keep the lines organized but for the amount of people in
line it wasn?t too bad. The optical clinic fitted 112 people with reading
glasses and gave out 40 pair of sunglasses .
The medical team was split up today and Dr. Roy, along with Delores,
Melissa, Jessica, and Allison were driven by ambulance 2 hours away to one
of the poorest of the Indian Villages. They had 6 police men escorting
them and as they pulled in to a secluded gated area far from any
civilization they started to wonder if they were safe and not being
kidnapped. But the fear left as they were surrounded by so many happy
little Indian children all speaking a little known language. Jessica and
Melissa each said this had been the best day of their lives and with tears
of joy counted it such a blessing to be part of this team. Dr. Roy said
most of the people were in good shape, parasites being the most prevalent
problem. One woman he treated did have a very serious skin infection but he
thinks the antibiotics she was given should take care of it. These Indians
have been more influenced by modern diets that the Guatemalan Indians and so
are showing more signs of diabetes and high blood pressure. The team were
able to see about 80 patients in this village today. I wish you could feel
the charge that was in the room when these folks returned from the village,
it was like lightening had struck. And to think that there are some people
who think Christians are deprived of all the ?fun? things in life. Ha is
that ever a joke.
Kim is practicing with her team tonight getting ready for V.B.S, the
children will be so thrilled and will learn so much from this program which
is always done well.
Tomorrow will be a big day at the clinic as all the nurses will be
vaccinating the children for the typical childhood diseases plus they and
the adults will get the H1N1 vaccine.
Continue to pray for us, we rely on your prayers. The prayers of a righteous
man availeth much.
We miss you all and enjoy your letters of encouragement and love, if you
haven?t sent one yet, please do so.
?But the end of all things is at hand; be ye therefore sober, and watch unto
prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for
charity shall cover a multitude of sins.? 1 Peter 4:7,8
Smiles across the miles,
Jennifer Young, Mission Reporter
Be ye fishers of men. You catch them-He?ll clean them!
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From mail at berkshiremission.org Sat Feb 20 17:57:28 2010
From: mail at berkshiremission.org (Berkshire Mission)
Date: Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:57:28 -0500
Subject: [News] 2-19-2010 update
Message-ID: <38B72E51A5BF4BFEAC398AA15D8D155B@eric>
Feb. 19, 2010
Happy Sabbath Eve!
We woke to the sound of rain washing the earth clean, but it wasn't long
before the sun was out and warmed us all. It has been cooler than we
expected so to have it now turn warm is a welcome delight. Our
construction workers did have to work in the rain for a short while but no
one complained. They put up some tarps to keep them somewhat dry. It
wasn't too long before it stopped. Today was a shorter work day than usual
so we could all come home and prepare for the oncoming Sabbath. Even with
the shortened work day they were able to put down 215 blocks. And that was
with framing the windows which is longer and trickier to do. I did see a
few very tired ladies tonight as the hard labor is catching up on them.
Needless to say, everyone was looking forward to the Sabbath days rest.
Both physically and spiritually. Ahh, the Lord certainly did know what He
was doing when He set aside that special day for us to meet with Him in a
special way. We will come away refreshed and renewed, in both body and
spirit. Thank you Jesus!
Today was the day set aside for the Mexican women to come and pray with
some of our women at the construction site. Marcie said there were about 25
women and teenage girls there. Renita blessed the group with her wonderful
translating ability. Seems that the Mexican women and American women have
more in common that different. One topic of concern was that age old
problem of teenage children and how to handle them. I doubt anything was
discovered other than the fact to just hold on, don't desert the ship nowJ
Marcie did say that she felt the meeting met all her expectations and more.
A blessing was had by all, the 30 minute meeting ended up being one hour and
30 min. So I would say it must of went more than well. Lots of smiles and
hugs going on.
Bob stopped and talked with the Chief of Police today, setting up a schedule
for them to be with us on Wed. and Thurs. as we go to other outermost
villages. Well Bob gave the man a Berkshire Mission tee shirt like we wear
and he was thrilled. Bob heard them laughing together as he left and Rigo
said he was telling the other fellows that he finally got a souvenir from
America. He had also given Bob a shirt that had Jitotol Police on it and is
part of their uniform.
The medical clinic saw 300+ patients today. There was a little stir this
morning after a mix up in letting the people that registered and got their
tickets didn't all get in first. The situation was handled fairly quickly
though. One man insisted that Rigo has told him him he would be first in
line this morning and would not have to wait. This is not one of Rigo's
jobs although he is there any time Bob is there and they recognize him.
Well Rigo handled it very well by asking the man at what time of the day did
he tell him this just to make certain somehow he said it. Well the man said
at 7 O'clock and Rigo was able to tell him that he had not even been at the
clinic around that time! It is amazing how some folks can think up all ways
to get in ahead of their time or to get in twice. Another thing that some
have been doing is managing to get registered twice and selling their ticket
number.
The meals here have been very nice. Everything is ultimate in freshness as
they produce most of their own food in their large gardens. Tonight we had
empanadas covered with fresh chopped tomato. peppers and lettuce. There
was also a barley and milk concoction that was very tasty. Little potatoes
and green beans were also provided For the grand finale of the meal 2
beautiful cakes were put out on a table with writing on the top of the
icing. It said Happy Birthday Alyssa! Today was her 11th birthday and
Berkshire Mission provided a special cake to celebrate the occasion, and it
was delicious. After dinner we all went over to the University church for
sundown worship. Oh what a gorgeous church that is, everyone was impressed.
They had special music played by a few of the staff and students and then we
sang several songs. Pastor Rigo translated the worship for us. And Eric
gave a wonderful talk on Berkshire Mission and the goals. Oh you might be
interested to know that the students sit with the girls on one side of the
church and the boys on the other, they looked so beautiful all dressed up in
their finest with all that gorgeous blue black hair just gleaming. Wearing
common clothes to church is not something that is ever practiced here.
Church is truly a thing of awe and respect and when they come to meet with
Jesus and His father they want to look their best, what ever that may be for
each. It is the level of respect that you notice right away when you enter
the sanctuary. These are people that know they are coming to meet with the
King of the universe and they act accordingly.
I hope you have a blessed Sabbath day's experience and you reap from it all
that the Lord intended as you set aside the world and have that special date
with the King. He has always loved you best and longs to sing beautiful
love songs into your heart and make you His for ever and ever. Oh who could
of ever loved you more? You will always be the apple of His eye, don't
miss out on those benefits!
"There remained therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is
entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did
from his. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall
after the same example of unbelief." Hebrews 4:9,10,11.
Love and smiles along with prayers,
Resting in Him,
Jennifer Young, Mission reporter
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From mail at berkshiremission.org Sun Feb 21 09:02:02 2010
From: mail at berkshiremission.org (Berkshire Mission)
Date: Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:02:02 -0500
Subject: [News] 2-20-2010 update
Message-ID: <9F33C40DE37440389C3DA33CC8FC71B6@eric>
Feb. 20, 2010,
Happy, joyous Sabbath,
The Lord is on His throne and all is well with our souls.
We left for the Central church this morning at 8;30 ready for an abundant
blessing and we were not disappointed. One of the theology students name is
John and he has been a blessing to us in many ways. He helped the local
Pastor this morning by translating for him. Bob spoke for awhile as pastor
Rigo translated then Pastor Rigo translated as Pastor Bill taught in
English the weeks Sabbath school lesson. and then the sermon At one point
we all turned to the book of Lamentations 3:23 and the Americans sang the
well known verse in English and when we finished the Mexicans sang the same
verses in Spanish. It was very touching and it went very smoothly,
especially as it was just an impromptu moment. The church was absolutely
packed, with 175 souls inside and probably 75 standing outside the church
listening. Also on one side of the church there were some benches under a
tree and people were gathered there along with many children. This weeks
lesson as most of you know was on faithfulness and Pastor Bill brought up
the fact that people today love themselves more than God and it was agreed
upon that this was the case in both our countries. Pastor Rigo spoke of
the upcoming meetings that will start Monday night and once again stressed
the importance of being on time, :Pronto" being the key word here. He said
he would start the program at 7p.m. exactly, with or with without them. He
went on to say that now he considered himself their friend that they needed
to make sure he did not look foolish preaching to an empty church! There is
a carnival starting this week on the same line as Mardi Gras and is mixed
with a lot of satanic influence. He asked the people today, "do you know
what the word carnival means?" They said no, He asked once more, "do you
know want to know what the word carnival means?" Again they said yes and he
responded with "then come here Monday night and I will tell you!"J After
services all of the Pastor's and Richard stayed in Jitotol and went to visit
families that have shown and interest in learning of Jesus. They visited
with 17 families, all very large families. Some consisting of 8 or more.
There were several who are longing to be baptized. There was one young
couple who were very interested but they are living together and have a
baby. The mama is only 15 years old and the policy of this area is that you
can not be married until you are at least 16 and then only with parental
consent. What a sad predicament they are in. Oh if youngsters only knew
the heart ache they are in for when they put the cart before the horse.
Jesus can work this out, but it is certainly not what He had in mind for
their lives, so He is has to turn too plan B for their life when the first
plan would have been the best for everyone involved.
The local church members went out door to door handing out the 1,300 flyers
that were printed for the meetings Monday night. They were faithful in
their duty and now the way is open for them to gather souls for Christ.
Two of our team members were not able to come with the group and were
scheduled to come in early Friday. But you know the saying, about the best
laid plans of mice and men. Doctor Mark flew out from Boston and in to
Mexico City and after going through Customs he decided to just close his
eyes for a bit while he waited for his flight to Tuxila. Well are you ahead
of me already as to what happened? Yep, you guessed it, he fell asleep and
missed his flight. Once he realized it he went to the agent and tried to
get the next flight out. They were going to charge him another $500.00 for
the ticket. His reply was wonderful, he told him he had to go talk to his
supervisor about this first and then walked away. So he talked with the
Lord about it and told Him how he had only budgeted for a certain amount
for this trip and the rest of his money was to go to some sort of donation
down here in Mexico. He then made a covenant with the Lord and said that
what ever money you save me on this flight Lord I will put towards a worthy
cause here. After praying he then went to a different agent and she put him
on the next flight for free. Ah, when you work for the right boss all
things come together for good. Now he has an extra $500.00 to bless others
with. Don't you just love hearing those kinds of stories? They just lift
you up so much and cheer you on when things don't always go just as you had
thought they would. Audrey had flown out from Hartford and had trouble with
her tickets right from the get go. Somehow the person checking her in had
deleted her tickets instead of verifying she was there and on time. She
finally managed to get that cleared up but not before they had told her she
had no ticket for Tuxila and that the police would be waiting to arrest her
in Mexico City if she couldn't find that Tuxila ticket. She was able to
reach Ellen Butler our dear travel agent who got it all sorted out. But
even after all of this the flight was delayed and she got into Mexico City
late making her miss the connecting flight to Tuxila. Six hours later than
planned she was able to meet up with Dr. Mark and Maria our Maranatha worker
who came to pick both of them up. You might think that was the last of
their woes but no, the car broke down on the way to Jitotol! There is much
more to it but she will have to tell you the rest when she gets home. The
good thing is they are here safe, happy and laughing about it! And with a
story to tell that will last a life time in the adventure categoryJ
This afternoon after lunch many of our group went on a hike with our new
friend John the theology student,
Others decided to stay back and catch up on some well deserved siesta time.
Those that went had a great time. It was divided into 2 parts and those
that had enough of the fast paced walk and wanted to turn back could.
Others went on to explore caves and such. Well Courtney wasn't too happy
about the bats, rats and spiders the size of her hand or the bat that flew
through her leg. But she made it through and was still a happy camper even
with the bat poop on her shoes! Amy, and Dillon also were with the group, I
am sure Amy didn't care for the bat poop but I doubt it would bother
Dillon. Jeff was just showing me some pictures of the rats.. I thought it
looked rather cute but am certain I wouldn't have thought that had I been
there.
Tonight's worship time was heavenly. So much so that when some of the
students here heard our singing they had to come down and join us. I think
there were about 10 young men who stayed through out our worship time and
also gave some beautiful testimonies. One fellow said how much this event
has meant to him and how happy he is to have people learn of Jesus. He also
added that even though we might be together here for a short time we will be
together for eternity at the 2nd coming of Jesus. Another fellow also said
he felt we were in the last days and encouraged us not to forget to pray
and not to forget the Father.
One of the local Doctors has been working with us and he stood up and with
tears in his eyes. he told how his family is very against the Adventist and
how his wife tried so hard to stop him from helping at our clinic. He said
God won and he has been so blessed being here with us.
Keep on looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. He is
looking at you with love in His eyes, waiting to bring you with Him to your
new forever home. Oh how is He loves you!
And when trials seem hard remember the words that were in the song we sang
tonight. Because He lives we can face tomorrow!
Smiles to you my friends,
Jennifer Young, Mission Reporter
"When we have faith in God, we act in faithful ways."
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From mail at berkshiremission.org Tue Feb 23 17:32:27 2010
From: mail at berkshiremission.org (Berkshire Mission)
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:32:27 -0500
Subject: [News] 2-22-2010
Message-ID: <9686E5F494BF4DFBB4C54B3042FD14FA@eric>
Feb. 22, 1010
Hello dear friends,
Well the race is on and with the grace of Jesus we are fit for it. This is
the day that not only do we have our regular work to do but now add on an
evangelistic thrust. We have been fed well, both spiritually and physically
this past week and should be up for it. The excitement is high that is for
sure,
Today the construction team started the slow tedious job of framing the
doors and windows. Some of our team took advantage of this time to walk to
the local school and speak with the students who are learning English. This
was a great time for them to practice speaking in real context. Those doing
this were Amy,
Dave, Donna, and Jan. It was a fun and useful diversion for both sides.
There were 199 blocks set today on church building, it is coming along
nicely and on schedule. Don't forget we are planning to do more than what
is usual on these buildings. We are planning on putting down a side walk
and a stone wall in front of the church, all paid for by Berkshire Mission.
The medical clinic saw 300 patients and the nurses vaccinated 200. In the
dental clinic 25 patients were seen and 75 extractions were done. The
optical clinic fitted 175 pair of glasses which Nancy said was the busiest
day here so far. Tresa said they had a problem in the pharmacy today with
folks coming and demanding drugs without a prescription and they had to be
turned away.
Now for the news of the meetings. We arrived early at the Central church
only to find it already filling up with people. Kim had set up a coloring
station for any early arrivals ,which was a good thing as the children were
pouring in. Well Pastor Rigo's stress on starting at 7 "pronto" was well
heeded, and the folks were flowing as a great wave into the church. Every
seat was filled and they were still coming. We asked that our team and all
local members would please step outside to allow for guest to have the
seating. We all did this and were still overflowing. There was and
estimated 450 adults present and 175 children. and they were here before the
start. There were some local women presenting special music for the folks
as they waited for Pastor Rigo. Then at exactly 7 p.m. Pastor Rigo began to
speak and instantly the electric went out! There was a wide spread outage
in several cities. Now the fact that it happened right on the moment of 7
pronto is very spiritually suspicious. While wide spread outages is not
unusual here the exact timing was. It was only a few minutes and the local
members had candles lighted in the church and in the VBS area. They carry
them in their pockets for just such a time. Not one person left the meeting.
With out having a microphone it was rather hard for the folks outside to
hear what was being said clearly. Pastor Rigo said his opening sermon was to
be on the plan of salvation, but during his prayer time the night before, he
heard the Lord tell him to change it. He was to preach on the 2nd coming of
Christ. He had no idea why it was to be changed but that he heard the Lord
correctly was no doubt. Perhaps the Lord will reveal to us the reason for
the change as time goes on this week, but if not we will wait until Heaven
to hear the rest of the story. These people are hungry for the word of God
and by His grace and mercy they will be fed well this week.
Of course with out power VBS was changed drastically, not being able to do
the puppet ministry or use the projector . It was amazing to see how quickly
our team came up with ideas to fill in. Wonderful stories were told by many
of the workers to the children. Lavinia told a very animated story while
Tom translated it to Spanish. Melissa was still able to give her little
health nugget talk and engaged the children's help. Our Berkshire Hills
students had drawn beautiful pictures depicting the laws of health and were
put on a large whiteboard for display. The children were all able to see
this as they came in to the VBS before the electric went out. Tomorrow's
meetings will go much easier, and after seeing that the people were still
involved and staying without lights gives us courage to know all is well and
the Lord is still in control.
When we got back to the University tonight the lights were also out here.
With the help of flashlights we were able to make it to our rooms and in to
beds that were calling our names. With a happy heart for knowing that we
serve a God that is all powerful we rest well tonight.
Thank you Father for allowing us to work for you!
Continue those faithful prayers for the souls in Mexico dear friends. Won't
it be wonderful when we will be able to sit at the feet of Jesus along with
our Mexican friends? Knowing that we have all eternity to hear the stories
we knew nothing about while on earth. What a lofty thought to fall asleep
to.
Good night my friends, rest well in Jesus, he has always loved you best!
Don't forget to P.U.S.H.
Smiles in thankfulness.,
Jennifer Young, Mission Reporter
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From mail at berkshiremission.org Tue Feb 23 17:40:19 2010
From: mail at berkshiremission.org (Berkshire Mission)
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:40:19 -0500
Subject: [News] 2-21-2010
Message-ID: <801E8A73B60F49D58B97A65504EBA3CC@eric>
Feb. 21, 2010
Hello Mission friends,
This was a beautiful relaxing day full of warm sunshine. Some of our team
went with Kim to set up for the V.B.S. that will start tomorrow on the side
of the church. When they arrived they were overwhelmed by the work the
local members had already done. The church itself was cleaned to sparkling
and fresh calla lilies filled vases throughout the church. The area where
VBS will be was transformed from a place that had possibilities to a place
that was going to be perfect. They had moved a huge stack of wooden boards
that had been stored there and made areas and backdrops for the projector
and for the puppets to perform. So much work had already been done on it
in cleaning and clearing. There were about 25 adults and children present
and helping out. When our team showed up with all the crates of supplies
and equipment they were ready and eager to help carry them from the truck.
Even two of the smallest children insisted on carrying a tote together.
Canopy type tents were set up and chairs placed and ready to go. The spirit
there was good and the unity of all was very inspiring. Kim thanked Bob for
once again for being right on his choice and direction. There is a little
joke amongst the team about Bob and Eric always being right in their
direction and some good hearted teasing goes back and forth. Mary felt
called to have all of us gather around Kim as a group and pray for her
ministry this week, so she lead out on that. This part of the ministry is
as important as the main meetings. If Jesus doesn't come first they will
end up being our future leaders for Jesus.
Dr. Marteres took Dr. Roy, Delores and Erica to his home in the city of
Tabasco,. He wanted to show them where he lived and he also took them to a
beautiful Catholic stone church built back in the 1500's! they stayed for
the sermon and said it was excellent. The topic was on "the golden rule"
and the importance of accepting all people no matter where they were from.
So their arrival was rather perfect for that sermon.
At our evening worship we were blessed to have 11 year old Alyssa speak to
us about Paul and Silas' work. She also gave us a testimony about how she
and her brother Dillon were saved from being hurt in an accident because
they chose to follow their families rules. I know angels were sitting in
the room with us smiling and cheering her on as she glorified Jesus and His
Kingdom.
After dinner we all headed to the University auditorium to present the
donated gifts for the school. Art Cheney Principle of an SDA school near
Nashville usually comes with us but had to miss this trip. His students
raise money to buy many items for sport activities to bless their Mexican
counterpart. So we had box's full of soccer balls, basket balls, Frisbee's
, nets, and ball inflators. Last on the list of gifts to be presented to the
school by Bob was a donation of $500.00 from Berkshire Mission . The roar
of cheers that went out was almost deafening. This was without a doubt the
most enthusiastic group of young people we have ever seen. They cheered and
clapped through every thing. The school Pastor interviewed Bob during the
program and then asked each team member to stand and tell their name and
home state. Well the applause each individual received was just mind
boggling. There were only 2 people who received a slightly different
greeting. When Kim stood up and told her name and introduced her daughter
Amy, the clapping and cheering was not enough . Along with it came the
sound of many young male voices saying "Hi Amy!" And of course we all
chuckled over that as Amy tried to slink down in her seat. The rest went
normal until the very last person was introduced and that was Pastor Rigo.
Oh my, you would have thought Elvis himself had be found alive, thin, and
wrinkle free! The girls literally screamed and waved their hands in the air
just as I remember seeing young girls do over Elvis! He was very
embarrassed of course but handled it well. Later Bob thanked them for their
enthusiasm and let them know that this handsome man of God was also a
husband and father, he also wondered why they hadn't responded to him that
way, but I think it was because gray hair just isn't the "in" thing down
hereJ (well ,accept with me, I still swoon over him) .J Before the evening
was complete I had been called up to give a talk of encouragement to the
students and spoke to them of the importance of education and faithfulness
to God. My time was not as light hearted and fun but it was taken to heart
and received very well. The boys dorm dean has asked if I would come and
speak with them alone tomorrow and I have agreed. Before we left the
auditorium the students were invited to come up and speak with us personally
if they desired and many did. The main questions were "how do I become a
missionary, and what are my next steps to take?" they were such dedicated
and sincere students that I am certain angel wings were fluttering
throughout that room watching these touched young hearts.
Well one story had escaped me until I was back in the dorm room and called
in to hear all about it. Little Dillon was slightly in shock and his face
almost a permanent red when I saw him Seems that two young Mexican girls
followed him onto the auditorium stage and each planted a kiss on his cheek
almost simultaneously. His father Jeff was able to get pictures of this
happening and I am thinking of selling the evidence to the highest bidders.
I am sure our local papers at home would be interested, at least our church
members for sure!J That night, 9 year old Dillon leaned over his bunk bed
and said to his dad: "do you know what it is like to receive your first kiss
at 9 years old.on stage? A double smoocher?" Don't worry Dillon, I am only
planning on telling 3 or 4,000 people and I needed a new retirement plan
anyway and those pictures will help me so much dearJ
Oh God is good and He always supplies wonderful memories and moments of
laughter to ease some of the pain we feel seeing so much hardship and
suffering on these trips.
"come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest
unto your soul." That He has done!
Thank you for reading and supporting us as we are so far from home. We miss
and love you dear family and friends. Please, keep writing to us with your
words of encouragement, it is so important to us and lifts our spirits so
much.
Because He lives I smile on,
Jennifer Young, Mission Reporter
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. And if God is your
co-pilot.swap seats!
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From mail at berkshiremission.org Thu Feb 25 06:55:56 2010
From: mail at berkshiremission.org (Berkshire Mission)
Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:55:56 -0500
Subject: [News] Feb 24th 2010
Message-ID: <49F31B5444AE4FE4BCCB7468C20015A8@eric>
Feb. 24, 2010
Hola!.
We are in full swing and still up for the race . Very few of us have become
sick but those that have are taking their cipro and bouncing back rather
quickly. It only takes opening your mouth slightly while in the shower to
change things for you. The kitchen help here at the University are
outstanding! Every day , 3 times a day the chairs are lifted up and the
floors washed with a bleach solution. All workers serving or preparing food
wear hair nets, plastic gloves and face mask. They are meticulous in all
they do. As we walk in to the dinning area we are met by a worker who
dispenses to each one of us a generous dab of hand sanitizer. The
nutritionist has worked for this school for 7 years now, she has everything
down to a science. Her day starts at 5 a.m. and she is done at 9:30 P.M. I
am sure she does leave at some point during the day for a siesta but for the
most part she is right on the job. Our meals have been well varied and
filled with every kind of vegetable you can think of. Today we had a veggie
meat stew with tomatoes and cactus plant, peeled and chopped in to little
cubes. It was tasty and unusual. Our drink for lunch was made from star
fruit. Some of the dishes have had a little kick to them with the typical
Mexican peppers but for those of us who can not handle that there is plenty
of other things to choose from. One thing is certain, no one here is going
to be low on any of the vitamin groups. We had an especially tasty 'mock
fish patty" the other day that was made with cauliflower and a little bread
crumbs. Beans are served with almost every breakfast and usually with one
more meal.
The medical group headed to one of the Indian villages again today. There
was a little controversy from our bus driver about driving there as he said
the roads were to bad. But after Bob spoke with him about it he changed his
mind and brought the team with no driving problems. They were met by happy
smiling faces and not the scared suspicious faces like on the pre trip
visit. They were ready for us and excited. The state had found out we
would be at this village today and decided to send several doctors to
perform pap smears on the ladies. Their reasoning being was because they
knew all the Indians would be gathered together today in expectation of our
arrival and they wanted to take advantage of having them all in one place.
It has been a very cool wet day and we are all uncomfortable. There has
been a mist in the air all day, not quite a drizzle. The wind that is
forever blowing here and has been so welcome on those hot days, is making
the cold go right to the bones. The temperature in the dorm today was 59
degrees. It poured rain at the work site and they were forced to stop
working for almost an hour. So they all piled into the old church building
and sang a song and then discussed what the reason was for the electric to
go out at exactly 7 p.m. on Monday night for the meeting.
The construction team put down 216 blocks today. Now there are only 10 more
to be put down to finish. There might be 100 or so more to finish the wall.
Dr. Mark had a local dentist work with him today . They saw 75 people and
did 125 extractions. The teeth of these folks were in much worse condition
than those in the town of Jitotol Dr. mark said they had zero knowledge of
dental hygiene. Tooth brushes were handed out to each patient to use. The
medical clinic were not able to get a total to me today but it was many
people! They did give 373 vaccines though for sure. Dr. Eloise said the
most common complaints she saw were gastritis, headache and diarrhea. There
was more high blood pressure in the village than in Jitotol. This is
exactly the opposite of what we found in the Guatemala Indian villages last
year. Those groups had the best of health of any group around. And that was
because they had stuck with the old ways of eating. I heard of a very
touching story today, so typical of our Berkshire Mission team. A little
girl in the village had nothing on her feet and it was so very cold. It was
pretty obvious that she probably didn't own any thing to put on. Alene took
off her own socks and put them on the little girl, fastening them with
rubber bands to stay up.
When we pulled in to the church tonight for the meeting adults were already
sitting in the church and children were lined up on the benches, just
waiting in anticipation. The little ones enjoyed shaking our hand so much
as we walked by. Kim takes close up pictures of the children and she puts
it into a slide show that will be displayed on Friday night. This is pretty
exciting stuff for little ones like these to see their own picture go across
a big screen.
Inside the church 8 men with guitars and one with a cello played and sang
beautiful music to the congregation before Pastor Rigo began his sermon.
His message tonight was on the signs of the second coming. He has such a
powerful voice that it would be impossible for anyone to drift off to sleep
in one of his sermons! At the end he had a plea for those who wanted to give
their life to Jesus and 17 came up for prayer. The plans are to have the
baptisms on Friday evening in the Central church. That will be the last
meeting. Then on Sabbath we will go and worship in the newly built church
as to make a connection to these folks before we leave. It was 48 degrees
tonight and of course nothing is heated in the buildings or houses here.
But even under those circumstances we had a huge turn out, but did loose
some to the weather. Please make it an issue of prayer that the weather
turns back warm for the baptisms.
Jessica gave the health nugget to the VBS program tonight and Brendy
translated it for her. During the puppet ministry time the children sat
glued to their seats, eyes wide not to miss a moment. When it was over Kim
asked them if they liked it and you could hear a loud chorus of "Si". "Si".
She then told a story of Joseph's dream and had one of the little boys come
up and dressed him in a coat of many colors. The little boy stood so tall
and so happy to have been chosen for such an honor.
Two of our team members received some tragic news from their home church
which is the Church of the Nazarene. One of the young men who attends with
them died in his sleep at the tender age of 22. We are all saddened and
have gathered in prayer for them. Our prayers go out to all our Nazarene
friends in Dalton during your sorrow. May Jesus comfort you at this very
sad time.
Keep praying faithfully for us dear brethren. We are at the critical point
of all our work and the devil is working over time.
Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions
never fail, they are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22,23
Smiles across the miles,
Jennifer Young, Mission Reporter
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From mail at berkshiremission.org Thu Feb 25 06:55:56 2010
From: mail at berkshiremission.org (Berkshire Mission)
Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:55:56 -0500
Subject: [News] Feb 23-2010
Message-ID:
Feb. 23, 2010
Dear Friends of Jesus,
Here we are ready for another day and waiting with great expectations for
the working of the Holy Spirit. We will not be disappointed.
Our medical, dental , and optical clinic was moved to the University today
to take care of the students and staff. Dr. Roy and Delores went to a
different city to meet with a local doctor and teach her and patients the
proper care and control of diabetes. While they were there doing this
service a woman came in and said she was ready to deliver her baby. Dr Roy
put in an I.V. line but said he didn't take care of the other end and left
it to his nurse/wife Delores and the local doctor to finish. A healthy
beautiful baby boy was the result and all are doing fine. Bob wanted to see
the little one when he was cleaned and wrapped but refused to hold him less
he break the poor thingJ The baby was a good size at about 9 pounds and the
mama only labored for 30 minutes at the clinic.
Bob and Rigo went to the Mayor's office to get a special wave of the law
that says you have to wait 15 days after applying for a marriage license to
be married. We have a couple who have been living together for some time
and have decided to accept Jesus and be baptized. And of course the church
will not baptize someone living in open sin , so the plan is for them to be
married this Friday and be baptized on Sabbath.. Bob was able to get them
to wave the 15 day time schedule even though the Mayor had been called out
on an emergency to Tuxila and could not meet with him. Bob told me he just
went to a higher power. When I kept at him to tell me who it was that was
higher than the Mayor in town he finally told me..God! Amen. After leaving
the officials office the two men had some time to spare before picking up
Dr. Roy so Pastor Rigo decided he would like to go and talk to some of the
families that were interested but had not made a commitment to baptism this
week. He really talked to them in a point blank manner about the necessity
of choosing Jesus and they committed themselves and will be part of the
baptism this Sabbath. One lady would not commit at this time but did say
she will be at the meetings. Pray for her to get off the fence and onto the
side of life.
The local church members had a meeting together a few days ago and divided
up all the different chores that would need to be done to make our meetings
run smoothly. Some would be in charge of flowers, some the audio system,
greeters, registration table and so on. They really have rose to the
challenge and are doing a great job. They had not been really interested in
evangelism or at least didn't think they were able to do it themselves but I
think now that they have a part and see that it is something that they can
do, things will change for them. This really is a ripe area just waiting to
be fed the truth of the Gospel. Great things are going to happen here this
week and in the times to come. The people are so sweet and kind that it
makes my heart long to be close to them. There is something special that
those living in conditions like these have that we don't. They have a
interpersonal relationship with each other that is so loving. There is no
outside influence to pull them away from each other and make them lonely.
They need each other to survive as material things are not to be had, or
ever expected.
As you remember, we had a large hall reserved for this evangelistic thrust
but because of the carnival in town we did not use it and moved to the
smaller Central church. Well Eric tells me that you can go to youtube.com
and search for Jitotol Mexico carnival and will get pictures of it. If you
are anxious to know what the word carnival means as I was I will tell you
how Pastor Rigo explained it to me. The word carni means "flesh" and vale
stands for the god Bael,, a demon god. That is why all the ugly mask and
the flesh part brings in the lack of modest clothing right down to nudity.
And of course with this kind of demonic activity comes the sensual dancing
and fornication. Pretty scary stuff once you know what it really is all
about. Gives a whole new look at Mardi Gras doesn't it? I have personally
never been to the one in New Orleans and now there is no way I would ever be
in any close proximity to it for any reason.
The optical clinic passed out 100 pair of glasses today. Some of the
younger folks who came didn't need glasses but just wanted to be tested.
One man had his own lenses but his frames broke so they were able to get him
new ones. The dental clinic saw 100 patients today for exams and extracted
10 teeth. I do not have a total for the medical clinic but I do know they
were not very busy today. At the construction site 264 blocks were put down.
The sides and back are almost finished. It is coming along nicely. Dave,
Ron, Jeff and perhaps one other spent the day putting up the wall which will
look very attractive when finished.
Tonight's meeting went very well. The topic was on salvation and there were
at least as many present if not more. And to think, most of these people
all walk in the dark to hear the word preached, Hallelujah!
The local church had brought in a generator in case the electric went out
again. It had been on all day here but just before it was time to leave for
the meeting the lights did go out for just a couple of minutes but then came
back on. During VBS Dr. Mark gave a dental hygiene health nugget for the
children to think about. The sound system was not as good as could be and
Eric will work on something for tomorrow night. The local church sill be
bringing in another sound system to put outside along with more chairs for
the folks tomorrow night. Isn't it just fantastic to have a church so
filled that they are flowing over? Praise the Lord! I heard Kim, Amy,
Courtney all remark on how well behaved these children are, in fact the most
behaved of any where we have been. Bob's comment was these kids are
perfect! Kim certainly had a happy contented look on her face when she came
in.
Now on to Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you
faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. To the only
wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power. Both now
and forever. Amen Jude 24, 25
Because of Him I smile,
Jennifer Young, Mission Reporter
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From mail at berkshiremission.org Fri Feb 26 06:56:10 2010
From: mail at berkshiremission.org (Berkshire Mission)
Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:56:10 -0500
Subject: [News] Feb 25, 2010
Message-ID:
Feb. 25, 2010
Dearest friends,
The Lord is alive and working in Jitotol, Mexico!
After a lot of maneuvering we were able to get other vehicles besides the
bus to take our medical clinic to the last village today. The road was in
poor condition, winding and way to steep for a bus to make it. After much
work Bob was able to get an ambulance, truck with a back on it, and a van to
take our team and supplies to where they were to work today. I hear the
views on the way up and over the mountain were spectacular to say the least
and that from the top you were able to look down and onto the Indian
village. When they arrived all the Indians ran and hid as they did on the
pre trip. They are so isolated and exclusive that any stranger is a
concern, but to see all these Americans coming must have been overwhelming
to them. But once the tribe elder spoke with Bob and decided it was safe
they became more trusting. It was a very united group that relied on each
other totally. School was canceled so that the children could come and be
vaccinated. It was a slow day for the medical clinic though. Dr. Mark said
they probably had no more than 20 patients all day. The children received
instruction on use of a tooth brush as Jessica and Allison demonstrated the
technique . the children were all amazed at such a thing. All were given
tooth brushes of their own and encouraged to use them. The medical clinic
saw 127 patients today (271 yesterday) and one lady there was 110 years
old! Mostly it was for headaches and skin problems. The optical clinic
handed out no more than 60 pair and that was including sunglasses. None of
the men came to any of the clinics until later in the afternoon. It was as
if they waited to see if the women were okay before they would come to the
Americans. It is hard to think that in today's world that there are still
people so remote that they are just not sure of anyone different. Of course
most of Mexico is not like that, we are in the most remote areas. Paul had
a special treat today in that he was able to leave the construction site and
go with the medical clinic. He said he was able to make a friend of one of
the men. They both knew just enough Spanish to understand a few things
about each other. The ladies in the village all wear the same patterned
homemade dress. It has a split on each side for easy nursing for the
babies.
Aurora stepped on a nail soon after we arrived here, she has been such a
trooper in that it never held her back from working at all. There are a few
more putting on the ole "frequent flyer miles" tonight but still not as bad
as it could be. All in all we have a pretty healthy group and without a
doubt a happy group, even with sunburn!
The last blocks were put down on the church, that part is finished. The
steeple is on and the roof is finished except one small spot. Only 14
blocks left for the wall to be finished. The Maranatha worker here said
this is the first group he has seen finish these "one day +churches". Plus
we put in a security wall. The windows and doors were welded in today also.
Steve told me tonight that he must have been "too available today" as he has
come back soreJ Thank God for wonderful, hard working people! The medical
team will become part of the construction team tomorrow as we clean up and
put all the finishing touches on the area. We will be having church service
in there on Sabbath.. Plus it looks like we will be having a wedding there
also. The woman and man that were living together will be getting married
on Sabbath. The mayor who passed the special grant to do away with the 15
day wait will be at this church on Sabbath also. He said he wants to stop
in at noon and say a few words to the people. He is so impressed with our
team and said so many people in town have commented to him about the great
work, thinking it was his doing. No .it is the Adventist! So he will come
to talk to us but he said he can't stay long as he is a CatholicJ He has
been just wonderful to us, as has the police department whom we have become
very friendly with.
We are back to almost the same size crowd as the first night of the
meetings.
So much has gone into this effort and we do not want to walk away leaving
any of the souls Jesus died for not invited into the fold. Pray for them,
time is so close.
The VBS is still going strong. The puppet ministry is still the hit of the
parade, they do such a fantastic job in there. Allison had the health
nugget for the children tonight and did a great job.
Peace be with you dear brethren. Don't forget to P.U.S,H.(pray until
something happens)
Smiles to you,
Jennifer Young, Mission Reporter
But let all those that put their trust in these rejoice; let them ever shout
for joy, because thou defendest them; let them also that love they name be
joyful in thee; Psalms 5:11
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From mail at berkshiremission.org Sat Feb 27 08:50:35 2010
From: mail at berkshiremission.org (Berkshire Mission)
Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 08:50:35 -0500
Subject: [News] Feb 26, 2010
Message-ID: <425BE95CC2CE4B5D83272E7F7D99CC0E@eric>
Feb. 26, 2010
Happy preparation day!
Well our work is basically over. We have finished the task, the church is
built and looking beautiful! Tomorrow we will fill it's pews and walls
with the sound of singing, and wonderful words of praise to the Creator of
the Sabbath! It will be a high Sabbath indeed and angels will be watching
along with the rest of the universe.
Many of the local members came down to help put the finishing touches on the
church,. They were busy washing down the pews and sweeping and hosing down
the floor. Helping to get everything just as perfect as can be for when we
have that special date with the King tomorrow. The excitement is high
amongst the Adventist in Jitotol that is for sure. As I said before, this
area is ripe for reaping and I know great things will happen here.
The optical folks while not doing an official work day still managed to hand
out another 50 pair of glasses to the folks that came to the work area
today. Some of our left over medicine has been donated to various places
and we will sell the rest at a discount to the next maranatha group coming.
They will have to buy medicines here anyway so they might as well buy them
at a lower cost. It will end up helping them and us.
Bob paid our bill here today at the University. For feeding and housing
us, plus the use of the school bus and pick up the cost was over $13,000.00
And that is in American money.
This has been an incredible trip as always and we feel so blessed to be
allowed to do this work.
Betty told me today was a "tearful day" for her and Mary in the kitchen.
They prayed with the ladies from each shift and had a lot of parting words.
The kitchen workers told her that our team is such an inspiration to them
with our cheerfulness and hard work along with attention to detail. That
was great to hear as I don't know how many times I have heard Betty and Mary
say the exact same thing about them. What a blessing all the way around.
There were 2 couples that were married this afternoon so they could be
baptized tonight. There were 8 pages of information on each couple that had
to filled out for the city. Each person had to have 2 witnesses each. They
were so happy it was incredible. Then it came to the cost of the municple
fees and it ended up being $120 American each couple. Neither of these
folks would ever have been able to come up with this fee so Berkshire
Mission offered to pay it. Then Bob had Rigo call the Mayor to see if he
could possibly wave some of the money as it was such a high cost. The Mayor
came back with the answer of "no fee"! Now how is that for the grace of God
shining down upon them and Berkshire Mission? I would say the favor of God
was upon all involved! So the legal marriage took place at the
municipality. Now tomorrow the new church will celebrate it s opening with
the honor of performing 2 weddings. Officated by Pastor Dwight and Pastor
Bill. Oh what a glorious start to a place of God. Just think how many
angels will be singing of Gods mercy tomorrow.
This will be our last night meeting at the Central church. The church was
packed and overflowed onto front yard. We had 17 baptisms tonight and more
that will be ready shortly. One woman who wanted to be baptized but was
afraid to go into that very cold water as she is nursings worried what the
cold would do to her milk supply . She will be baptized when it is warmer.
But her heart has already decided. Bob estimates that we had about 100 more
people than the opening night. It was so packed that it was impossible to
count. We did count the VBS though and that was 265 children and many, many
adults that we did not count. We are just so excited you might be able to
hear our hearts beating loudly if you stick your head out the window. What
a success for Jesus this mission has been.
May you rest safe in Jesus tonight and may you feel His arms wrapped tightly
around you , rocking you gently in love. May angels fill your home and sing
sweet love songs to you straight from the throne of God. You are the apple
of His eye and He is continuously wooing you into His home. May you be so
drenched from the dew of heaven, that water that drops fall from you onto
everyone you meet.
And remember my friend.Jesus has always loved you best!
Smiles as always,
Jennifer Young, Mission Reporter
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From mail at berkshiremission.org Tue Feb 23 17:32:27 2010
From: mail at berkshiremission.org (Berkshire Mission)
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:32:27 -0500
Subject: [News] 2-21-2010
Message-ID: <155E99659FEC48039F93F8D4509038D2@eric>
Feb. 21, 2010
Hello Mission friends,
This was a beautiful relaxing day full of warm sunshine. Some of our team
went with Kim to set up for the V.B.S. that will start tomorrow on the side
of the church. When they arrived they were overwhelmed by the work the
local members had already done. The church itself was cleaned to sparkling
and fresh calla lilies filled vases throughout the church. The area where
VBS will be was transformed from a place that had possibilities to a place
that was going to be perfect. They had moved a huge stack of wooden boards
that had been stored there and made areas and backdrops for the projector
and for the puppets to perform. So much work had already been done on it
in cleaning and clearing. There were about 25 adults and children present
and helping out. When our team showed up with all the crates of supplies
and equipment they were ready and eager to help carry them from the truck.
Even two of the smallest children insisted on carrying a tote together.
Canopy type tents were set up and chairs placed and ready to go. The spirit
there was good and the unity of all was very inspiring. Kim thanked Bob for
once again for being right on his choice and direction. There is a little
joke amongst the team about Bob and Eric always being right in their
direction and some good hearted teasing goes back and forth. Mary felt
called to have all of us gather around Kim as a group and pray for her
ministry this week, so she lead out on that. This part of the ministry is
as important as the main meetings. If Jesus doesn't come first they will
end up being our future leaders for Jesus.
Dr. Marteres took Dr. Roy, Delores and Erica to his home in the city of
Tabasco,. He wanted to show them where he lived and he also took them to a
beautiful Catholic stone church built back in the 1500's! they stayed for
the sermon and said it was excellent. The topic was on "the golden rule"
and the importance of accepting all people no matter where they were from.
So their arrival was rather perfect for that sermon.
At our evening worship we were blessed to have 11 year old Alyssa speak to
us about Paul and Silas' work. She also gave us a testimony about how she
and her brother Dillon were saved from being hurt in an accident because
they chose to follow their families rules. I know angels were sitting in
the room with us smiling and cheering her on as she glorified Jesus and His
Kingdom.
After dinner we all headed to the University auditorium to present the
donated gifts for the school. Art Cheney Principle of an SDA school near
Nashville usually comes with us but had to miss this trip. His students
raise money to buy many items for sport activities to bless their Mexican
counterpart. So we had box's full of soccer balls, basket balls, Frisbee's
, nets, and ball inflators. Last on the list of gifts to be presented to the
school by Bob was a donation of $500.00 from Berkshire Mission . The roar
of cheers that went out was almost deafening. This was without a doubt the
most enthusiastic group of young people we have ever seen. They cheered and
clapped through every thing. The school Pastor interviewed Bob during the
program and then asked each team member to stand and tell their name and
home state. Well the applause each individual received was just mind
boggling. There were only 2 people who received a slightly different
greeting. When Kim stood up and told her name and introduced her daughter
Amy, the clapping and cheering was not enough . Along with it came the
sound of many young male voices saying "Hi Amy!" And of course we all
chuckled over that as Amy tried to slink down in her seat. The rest went
normal until the very last person was introduced and that was Pastor Rigo.
Oh my, you would have thought Elvis himself had be found alive, thin, and
wrinkle free! The girls literally screamed and waved their hands in the air
just as I remember seeing young girls do over Elvis! He was very
embarrassed of course but handled it well. Later Bob thanked them for their
enthusiasm and let them know that this handsome man of God was also a
husband and father, he also wondered why they hadn't responded to him that
way, but I think it was because gray hair just isn't the "in" thing down
hereJ (well ,accept with me, I still swoon over him) .J Before the evening
was complete I had been called up to give a talk of encouragement to the
students and spoke to them of the importance of education and faithfulness
to God. My time was not as light hearted and fun but it was taken to heart
and received very well. The boys dorm dean has asked if I would come and
speak with them alone tomorrow and I have agreed. Before we left the
auditorium the students were invited to come up and speak with us personally
if they desired and many did. The main questions were "how do I become a
missionary, and what are my next steps to take?" they were such dedicated
and sincere students that I am certain angel wings were fluttering
throughout that room watching these touched young hearts.
Well one story had escaped me until I was back in the dorm room and called
in to hear all about it. Little Dillon was slightly in shock and his face
almost a permanent red when I saw him Seems that two young Mexican girls
followed him onto the auditorium stage and each planted a kiss on his cheek
almost simultaneously. His father Jeff was able to get pictures of this
happening and I am thinking of selling the evidence to the highest bidders.
I am sure our local papers at home would be interested, at least our church
members for sure!J That night, 9 year old Dillon leaned over his bunk bed
and said to his dad: "do you know what it is like to receive your first kiss
at 9 years old.on stage? A double smoocher?" Don't worry Dillon, I am only
planning on telling 3 or 4,000 people and I needed a new retirement plan
anyway and those pictures will help me so much dearJ
Oh God is good and He always supplies wonderful memories and moments of
laughter to ease some of the pain we feel seeing so much hardship and
suffering on these trips.
"come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest
unto your soul." That He has done!
Thank you for reading and supporting us as we are so far from home. We miss
and love you dear family and friends. Please, keep writing to us with your
words of encouragement, it is so important to us and lifts our spirits so
much.
Because He lives I smile on,
Jennifer Young, Mission Reporter
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. And if God is your
co-pilot.swap seats!
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