THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE THE MOUNTAINS

  After our monthly food outreach last Saturday,  with 150 families attending, along with a medical team headed by Wayne and Dianne Kelly. They forged through the mud to attend the outreach.
  We worshipped and Beth from the group shared with everyone the bracelet gospel, while Jaime translated. The team helped hand out the food, we ate lunch and all headed to Big Heart Orphanage in the mountains near Saltillo. 3 vehicles in convoy, loaded to the max. We arrived at Big Heart unloaded my van and the team headed off to Saltillo.
  Sunday morning we attended church on Ramos Arizpe. A Great little church plant by Americans. The service was in English and was translated into Spanish via headsets. We stopped at Lowe's to pick up wood to form some sidewalks around one dorm house. Monday we went back to Lowe's to by a cement mixer for the orphanage.
  The medical team came from Saltillo to hold a clinic for the locals near the orphanage. We also had coats, clothes and a food outreach as well. I think about 30 families came. There were several decisions for Christ.
  We hiked to the top of a nearby mountain that has a huge wooden cross on it. Quite a hike!! An architect friend of Gators came and drew up plans for a new team kitchen/dorm for the orphans. We came home Tuesday afternoon. The highway in Mexico runs through the butterfly migration route and we had hundreds commit suicide on our van.
  We plan on heading back to the orphanage in a couple weeks. Shawn and Carla Estes have been helping out there for the last several weeks and are praying about becoming more involved there, as are Paula and I.
  We just booked our airfare to the State of Chiapas, Mexico  where we will join Phil and Marianne Chain for Mexico Missions Christmas Outreach. We will be ministering in the mountains near Tuxtla Guitierez and will give out thousands of backpacks filled with toys for the kids, hold medical and dental clinics, kids programs, and much more. We could use some financial help with the cost of all the toys, food and medicine we will be purchasing. 6 Americans and scores of young adults from Chiapas will be there helping.
  I'll be going to Melodys Orphanage tomorrow and checking the progress of the addition. I'll need to buy drywall to finish the ceiling. Melodys is in need of supporters to sponsor the 7 kids they have. We get one donation monthly of $35.00 specifically for the orphanage , hardly enough for 1 days meal for them.

OFF TO THE MOUNTAINS AGAIN

 Last night Wayne and Dianne Kelly arrived with their team from Alabama heading to Saltillo to hold medical clinics, visit prisons, and visit Big Heart Orphanage in the mountains near Saltillo Monday. We spent today packing up everything in two vans.
  We'll head to the colonia in the morning for our monthly food outreach and then head to Saltillo. We'll be taking food to hand out in the Community surrounding the orphanage.
  We got a lot done at Melodys Orphanage last week and when God provides the funds, we're going to pay to have the drywall hung on the ceiling, the walls are done with cement board.
  We thank you all for the prayers and support that make it all possible. We are excited about what God has in store for us, as we trust His leading. 
  Power Ministry provided us with 22,000 lbs of rice last Tues. After buying 30,000 lbs of beans the week before, the rice was an unexpected blessing.

SO MUCH HAPPENING, CAN'T KEEP UP

  There's always seems to be so many different things going on, it's hard to keep it all straight,  that's when God says" relax, I've got this". Whew!
  Hulls Grove church left and The Power Ministry guys arrived Sunday night , I took them to the border to get Visas to go to Big Heart Orphanage in the mountains near Saltillo , Monday. We drove the 3-1/2 hours, ate lunch, toured the orphanage and then drove back 3-1/2 hours. It was their only opportunity to visit the new orphanage. They are busy scouting out opportunities for January. They have assigned us a team of 10 or 12 like last year to build a house.
  Sergio, Andres, Jaime and a couple others finished building and setting the trusses on Melodys Orphanage. We installed the purlins Tuesday before the rain, and got the roofing on Wednesday. It's going to be a great space for them. 24 X 28.
  We had hundreds of coats donated and we took a lot of them over yesterday, just in time for a 30 degree drop in temperature.  Travis and Rick Caywood brought us a whole truckload of food. 13 pallets of beans and 15 pallets of snack foods. Chips, Takis, Popcorn, Gateraid, water. A lot!! We had to pay for the beans ( First time in a while), but at 19cents a pound,  $4200 bought a lot of beans.
  A Huge repair on the diesel truck. All the front end parts, shocks, hubs, ball joints. $1500.00 later, I have a new front end.
  We're praying about the new opportunities to serve the orphanages in Mexico. Home building in the colonia is non existent with no teams, or donations to build, so we're making sure that the orphanages have everything they need, and we'll be supporting them with any excess support we have received above our personal needs. We need those of you who support us, to please keep up the good work, knowing that even though we don't build as many houses, we still hold our monthly food outreach, meet the needs of people in the colonia and countless other people in Mexico, as far as Chiapas.  Thank you for your sacrifice to the poor and orphans.

HULLS GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH, HERE, AND GONE!!!

  A week of hard work and ministry at Melodys Orphanage in Reynosa. The last group for the year that was willing to travel to Mexico and also stay in the Community Center in the colonia. We had to purchase 10 beds to accommodate them all, and will give them all away to make room for Paula's sewing class, which turned into a craft class for the week.
  The team worked through the heat, and framed the 24 X 28 foot addition, made more than half the trusses, scrapped and painted the whole metal fence in front of the orphanage. A lot accomplished in 4 days of work. Yesterday we joined Fortify Ministries at the garbage dump in Reynosa and handed out beans, oil, flour, health kits, and hot dogs, chips and lemonade.
  There is still a lot of work to do on the addition, and we're going to get it under roof this coming week. The team really connected with the kids at the orphanage. We ate with them most days and got a kiss and a hug from each one every day.
  We celebrated two birthdays,  Rosalba, Jaimes wife, and Bobby Farmer, the Pastor on the team.
  The Orphanage will now have a play space for the kids, a place for teams to stay, I guess a multi purpose room would best describe it. We will see how God provides the funds to insulate and install drywall. He always does! Thanks for the prayers and support that keeps us going. We also held our monthly food outreach last Saturday with the funds supplied by Naples Christian Church. Thank you!