January 7 2003

Hola y Feliz Año Nuevo desde México

Hello and Happy New Year from Mexico

We are learning a bit of Spanish but our dictionary gets a lot of use.

Just got back from playing Grandparents with Beth as she took two sick children into Navojoa to the Pediatrician and it was a unique experience to say the least. This is the top pediatrician in a city of over 150,000 people and you walk into a little front office (all the glass is barred of course) with about 6 chairs and a couch and a receptionist who sits at a desk with a telephone, pen and a few pieces of plain paper. There are no records kept although the doctor apparently now does put on the computer the medications that he has prescribed. This is, Beth says, a very posh doctor and only the wealthiest people can afford to take their children to him. Both Gabe and Senora (Beth's children) 4 years and 14 months have bronchial problems and are quite ill. We met Ruth and Paul in Navojoa on their way back from the US with a nebulizer that we had ordered and both children need to go on it every three hours for the next 24. God does answer prayer. If this had not come today Beth would have had to take them 10 miles to Alamos every three hours for treatment in the hospital there.

The road from the ranch to Navoja is very rough and most of the cars and trucks on it very old and ramshackle. It also has Topes( this is one of the first spanish words you learn or you are in trouble) speed bumps, they are silent policemen and can be on any road, even the toll highways, which most of the main roads are. It is about the same distance as it is from Argyle to Yarmouth but much harder driving. Also the sides of the road are strewn in many places with garbage and today we saw a dead mule which the vultures were eating. Not a nice sight but just to let you know some of the things we see. It is a paved road but only patched with mud.

Just before you get into Navojoa there is a large area of shantys, very crowded and made from anything from cardboard boxes up to tin for the lucky ones. Apparently there are many of these on the outskirts of cities and they are squatter towns. After the people put some kind of shelter on them and live there just so long they are given squatters rights but you can imagine what this would be like with no water, electricity or sanitary facilities. We will try and get some pictures next time we go in.

Each different trip is a new adventure for you begin to take in more and more and realize what a third world country is and how the people live. We have so much and they have so little.

While we were waiting in the grocery store parking lot for Beth to get money from the ATM we saw a man come out of the grocery store and get on his bicycle which has two wheels on the front and a metal cage around it and a little girl was standing in it eating a tortilla and he has a box of groceries in it. Later on we saw a bicycle made into a vendors cart with two children sitting under the cart above and on Sunday we say one man riding his wife to town on the crossbar of his bike. Needless to say bicycles are the main means of transportation. The average wage, if you have a job is about 7 or 8 US dollars a day for a man and we looked at a new bike the other day and they were asking $180.00 for it. Almost a months wages for some and more for others. You can see why bikes are highly valued.

The grocery store baggers are little boys from I would say about 10 years old and up who are very clean and have their hair neatly combed and a white shirt on and stand on boxes to reach the counter to bag your groceries. After they bag your groceries it is customary to give them 1 peso or two if they carry them to the car and then there is a fellow in the parking lot who helps you park and watches your car? and you tip him 2 pesos. 1 pesos equals roughly 10 cents US. In Mexico also if you are in a restaurant (unless it is a very posh one which we have not been in) you never tip 10%. 5% to 7% is the standard tip unless you get exceptional service. Any more and it is considered bad taste. It is a good thing that we have good guides like Paul and Ruth to let us know these things.

January 14th,2003

Sorry last week seemed to fly by and we took no pictures and I did not get my letter finished. Charlie came back from Nogalos with a couple from BC and the four of them stayed until Saturday and took off for Las Glorias on the ocean until the end of February. Larry and Sherry, the couple from BC, managed to make some great signs for a couple of the Ranch cars in the few days they were here.

One night through the week Larry had the adventure of going to with Jake and a group from Osobampo, a small vilage up in the mountains where they showed a video and had a bible study under one light bulb. Before the bible study they walked around the village and called at each house to tell people they were there and invite them to the video. Larry was warned not to wonder away from the group as there is a lot of grass grown in these mountains and there are areas that are not safe. Anyone who goes for walks around here is warned not to wonder off of the ranch, but we are perfectly safe on the ranch.

On Saturday morning we went to Navajoa with Paul to pick up some groceries and then looked after 2 of Beth's Children and the 5 boys from about 1.30 until 8.00 that night so Paul and Beth could go to a meeting and then out to dinner to celebrate their anniversary. Quite an interesting experience as even though all the kids can speak English they are used to communicating in Spanish and that is mostly what they talk unless they are speaking directly to us.

Sunday was morning church in Alamos and then as usual we ate lunch at a Taco stand. This time pork in corn tortillas and all the complimentary condiments. We always ask for "Lima Por Favor" and squeeze it on the food. It gives it a great flavor and counteracts any problems you may have especially on things like lettuce. If we buy fresh vegetables we wash them in a solution of iodine and water and then rinse with water that has gone through our filter which brings water from the tank which has had bleach put in with it. The water on the ranch here is good from a drilled well but it is better to be safe than sorry

Off to Osabampo in the evening for service and as one of the buses is broken down we had 21 in Paul's truck. 5 Adults in the cab and 1/2 front and 14 kids and 2 adults in the back. The vehicles here get very hard wear as the roads are bad and they are usually loaded to the limits. When Larry went out the other night it was in the small school bus and it was loaded three to a seat and they picked up two guys on the road on bicycles and put the two bicycles in the back door. NOBODY if they need a ride is ever left standing on the side of the road no matter how full the vehicles are.

Yesterday was clean bathroom and shower day and sort and repack some clothes for Beth and the internet went down again as the workman in the new house were working in the corner where the arial is attached and pulled the wires out. So Larry and Paul W had to go over and pull the cables up on the roof and reattach them. Neither on having worked with this kind of cable before it was a long job and Larry, who hates heights was lying on the roof hanging over the edge while Paul was hanging out of the window trying to get the cable to the roof. As the houses are cement with overhanging metal roofs it was quite an accomplishment just to get the cable to the roof. Will try to get a picture of the house up this week so that you can see what I am talking about.

Bible study in Paul and Ruth's Florida Room in the afternoon and then I cooked a big stir fry and rice for supper. I told Larry to mark it on the calender as it was still so hot( in the mid 80's) and it would be a while before I would attempt that again. Should cook in the kitchen tent but it means carrying everything out and in so many times.

And so to bed and so go the adventures in Mexico. We are so glad we came and that God has brought us here as Larry's skills are so greatly needed and I can also be of some help.

We have had an email from Derek in Guaymas where we spent a day working in the church (North American Baptist) and he has managed to procure 6 computers and a printer and wants Larry to network them for an internet cafe to bring people into the church and also to teach the young people computer skills which would be a big advantage here in Mexico. He needs cables and network cards and a hub so until that is available Larry can be of no help. We were thinking about going up for a week and getting it done ( it is about 185 miles north ) but may do it on our way out in March. Nothing for sure yet.

Just saw Larry and Paul W head over to the main house where the satellite dish and main network is for the internet so it is probably down again. It seems to be a constant thing these days and a good thing Larry is here for there is no one else that could fix it at this point.

Must close and get some work done.

We love you all and miss you. How about some email???????

Shirl and Larry