Finally a minute to sit down and catch up on what all has been happening here in our corner of the world.
We started last week off with news of a farm transport accident that killed 5 people and injured just about everyone one board. It was a flatbed truck with panel sides that was stuffed with 38 Oaxacan workers who were all riding standing up. It was hit by a Coke truck on a really nasty curve down on the highway. All of the people on board lived near us in the labor camps and some were church members and moms and dads of the children we feed daily.
The local police came up to the mission home and asked Francisco to come down and :”translate” as none of the people speak Spanish. In the ned they basically used him to notify families that they had lost a loved one and it was really pretty hard. However, we are thankful to have been available as loving Believers too do this as opposed to the families having to get it from some bureaucratic official. He was able to pray for them all at one point or another and hopefully seeds of the Love of Jesus were planted. No one of the deceased were church members but many of those injured and hospitalized were close to the ministry. Everyone is recuperating in their homes now though, praise God.
A big memorial service was held in town on Friday for all of the deceased. We arranged for a visiting Oaxacan pastor who speaks the dialect to minister at the service. By Friday Francisco was so worn out that he came home from the memorial and just slept and slept.
Saturday was a big day. In preparation for Sunday’s Baby Dedication Ceremony, I had asked several of the Trique women to come in to the church kitchen and cook the big communal meal. I’ve been asking and asking them to come and cook, but they have always declined, preferring too bring their offerings of chiles and vegetables and content to eat whatever I set before them. Francisco has always told me that they just did not feel worthy to cook in the church kitchen, that they were just not yet comfortable. Well, praise God, Saturday 5 women showed up in their long skirts and bare feet with baibies nad grandbabies on their backs and with 18 kilos of chicken ans assorted ingredients! They goggled at the way the gas stove lit automatically, and wondered at the freezer temperature and filled the church with laughter and storytelling as they prepared Pollo Blanco for the next day. I had not been feeling well all week and they made me sit down with the elderly
“medicine woman” and did not allow me to do a thing. I was so blessed! I spent my time listening to this elder’s explanation of her vision for her people and oolistening to stories about the God they worshipped in “their pueblo” back home. I really thank the Lord for this opportunity. I think it is very rare that any outsider is allowed such a glimpse into their lives and I cherish that time.
On Sunday, we had about 48 adults and many, many , many children (60?) show up. About half walked the mile and and a half to the church and we also brought 3 truckloads with us. Ernesto, Mario, Aquilino and Florenciano sang “El Shadai” and “Mighty to Save” in Spanish! The people who do not normally attend meetings were really awed too see little indian boys (just like them) leading everyone in song! They literally came up in the aisles to gawk at these little boys, but the booys didn’t flinch and just kept right on singing. I was moved to tears a couple of times during those songs alone.
Francisco preached on the resurrection being our Blessed Hope and then we prayed for and dedicated two infants, Moises and Desimaria , then he gave an altar call that focused upon asking Jesus to be LORD over our lives. Everyone present came up for prayer-EVERYONE- soo I can’t even estimate who newly dedicated their lives to the Lord, but it was awesome. I was very mindful as all of this unfolded of the prophecies spoken years ago that stated that one day many nations would coome too this church and that we would have the opportunity too break the curses off of their lives and set them on a path of blessing! Well, Sunday with people speaking 3 dialects and 2 languages in the house you can know that that prophecy was fulfilled!
Afterwards, we served upwards of 100 meals as people who lived in the pueblo came too eat as well. Praise Yahweh!
We continue will the daily feeding program. Right now, we are serving upwards of 350 plates a week, by faith.
Mario, the 10 year old , who is in need of a cornea transplant too save his sight is scheduled to see an American specialist, Dr Eanes from Georgia, down in Southern Baja on July 25. Somehow , we need to make away for Francisco to be able too accompany he and his father to Vicente Guerrerro foor this appointment as the father won’t go alone. Although the best doctors here in Ensenada have basically written him off as facing a life of blindness we believe that the Lord will restore this child’s sight. We have prayed for him and believe that he has recieved a powerful healing touch from the Lord. One way or another we will see the Glory of God in this child’s healing beacuse the Lord says so in His Word and we BELIEVE it! Please continue to agree with us in prayer on this matter!
We pray this finds all of you at Harvest of Faith blessed beyond measure! We so appreciate your giving
. I want to encourage you with this as well…….
recently it came time for us (Francisco and I) to pay our tithe. We had several things happen that caused us too be in a real bind, the truck broke doown twice, an unexpected root canal, you know how it goes……….Anyway, the opportunity came for us to hand over the tithe and truly it was a lot of money for us because we pay it once a year and at that we were literally left with $27. We had nothing left to eat on or to run the kitchen and boy it was tempting to hold on to some of it! But we did not. WITHIN 36 hours I recieved a phone call that someone who had owed me money for over 20 years had paid it and just like that the Lord blessed us with over $3,000!! This was truly miracle money from out of Yahweh’s Hand and there is no other way around it. I am still excited about how the Lord made that happen and just want too share it with everybody.
Anyway, I should sign off now. Many thanks to everyone. Know that we love ya’ll in the Lord and keep you in prayer constantly. Thanks for enabling us to touch so many lives and too be so blessed. Keep up the good fight of faith,
Sister Deedee and Pastor Francisco
Baja California Mexico

My what a day it has been. today all of the women came to cook a feast a of Pollo Blanco in the church kitchen. In itself that is a victory as I have tried and tried to get them to cook here to no avail. Francisco says they feel awkward and unworthy, but finally they agreed to make this meal for a baby dedication Sunday.
So the kitchen today was filled with seven barefoot women in long skirts. They laughed as I showed them how the stove lit from the automatic pilot and giggled from a the ice in the freezer. Then finally about ten they settled in to cook.

I, having been afflicted with a fever the last few nights was just glad I could sit down and basically do nothing. at around 12:15 , Juana Isidra the lady who lives in the yurt down below came and sat down beside me. Before she settled in she offered me a grocery sack of lovely smoked chiles and I thanked her effusively. We passed quite some time in actual silence. This is something I love about these women. They seem satisfied with one’s presence alone. Apparently they do not require the social overtures of other people groups. At around 2, though she summoned Ernesto, a 10 year old who serves as our unofficial translator.

“Sister, she wants to tell you something,” Ernesto says. I motion him on, expecting a request for onions or flour.

The old woman looks to the floor,d crosses her brown and dry bare feet an then slowly raises a wizened face, her eyes meeting mine. Through the boy she says, “You and I, we are the same.”

Okay, I think, did he get that right? But I listen. She says, “I want you understand, WE both want the same. My people are lost but we want them not to be. I wish (quiero) to tell you about what we were and who we are.”

At this point, I am starting to awaken a bit from this feverish stupor I have been in for a few days and my heart is beating hard. Everyone in the room begins to fade from importance and I only hope my young translator will not quit on me as he often does.

I offer her ice water and ask her to continue. She seems as if she might sleep with the water and I immediately regret breaking his rhythm. Before today she has never spoken once to me although I have seen her clap during worship and smile at the movies we play.
At last again she speaks thru Ernesto. “I do not understand your lengua, but I know you are good and the same same with me. ”
What follows is a long coversation thru a translator, but it is so important and profound that I am going to paraphrase it for you. she tells me that she learned from her father’s father about their God, who is called Yaih-nawai-ah. She says that other girls marry, but not her. She only tells stories, not to a husband. And that this Yaih-nawai-ah that she learned of is the creator of all things, that He created corn in abundance, that their God never dies and never ends and wants only Good for her people. She tells of old men telling stories of this god and of the Rules he set down for her people. She says that her people have strayed away and listened to other Stories and even sacrificed to “malignos” (bad spirits) but that she knows that still her God will bring them back and not allow them to perish in such poverty and constant “bad”.

I am at this point really fascinated and my mind has placed Yahweh and Yaih-nawai-ah together. But here she stops. Seemingly, just worn out ,her stories are over and honestly Ernesto is relieved . He is wanting to go play with the rest of the bunch.

I am wondering if this particular group has worshiped Yahweh all along and if that explains the receptiveness of the children to the Gospel and their noble ways, because they are really not your average kids………………I am honored that she says I am the same with her. I am excited to hear her speak again, but apparently must be patient. I think she is between 75 and 80 years old and seems stout but is quite socially withdrawn around us.

Anyhow, it went well today. There was plentiful laughter and at the same time there was much talk of the people who died in the recent accident. I know that Frank intends to address this tomorrow. In fact it will be a very short ceremony after he explains the Hope that we have. I do not believe we will ever again have trouble getting these ladies to come in and cook here, that barrier is broken, praise God.

I really am so thankful that I felt well enough to go today. I spent again much of the night focused on healing Scriptures and rebuking a fever and wonder if in fact it is just spiritual warfare causing these symptoms and relating to the activities of the past few days and tomorrow.

Well anyway, i am encouraged. Thank you for your prayers and blessings to you all,
love-
sis Deedee