Dear Praying Friends,
We hope this finds you happy in the Lord. Our family is doing fine and things were going along as usual until a couple of weeks ago when we experienced a very emotional time. Penny, our family dog, was run over by a car in front of our house. She lived, but was badly hurt and it was very traumatic for all of us. It seems crazy to put such importance on an animal, but Penny is like a part of our family and we were deeply affected. Here on the field, we don't have much that is common or familiar to hold on to. Having a family pet adds a lot to our sense of stability and normality. Dogs in Mexico are not highly regarded and we think that she was hit on purpose. The closest vet is 90 miles away and was out of town that weekend. A local dentist helped us with medicine to keep her stable until we could take her to the vet two days later. Once there, the doctor gave her several injections for pain and inflammation. He said that she was in pretty good condition, all things considered. We didn't know if she would walk again or even live, but this week, she is more alert and has started to walk in small amounts. Please pray for her and our family. We hope that she will make a full recovery. Recently, our son Isaac was the neighborhood hero during a flash flood. The cabin at the end of our road was flooded. The water in the road was 7'deep, and Sergio, a boy that cannot walk, had been left home alone. Isaac was waist deep in the raging water as he carried the boy in his arms to safety. Everyone was fine and a crowd of bystanders cheered as they watched the rescue.
It is hard to believe, but our daughter, Jessica, has finished her first year of college and we have been enjoying having her home for the summer break. In June, she along with Isaac and Bethany started a special children's service that was a real blessing. It keeps the children's attention better and also allows the adults to concentrate in their service. With no inside space available, they constructed a shaded area in our driveway by tying a plastic tarp to the side of the house and using blocks of firewood for benches. It is rustic to say the least, but the kids don't mind and seem to like it. The Lord has also been blessing and encouraging us with the adults. As you remember we have been memorizing the books of the New Testament together and awarding Bible to those who can recite them from memory. Miguel, an Indian, saved under our ministry, recently returned to the Sierras and has been faithful to our services and helping in the building project at the mission property. The Indian people here often grow up without schooling, and Miguel only attended a few years. He can read, but with difficulty, so it was a real blessing to have him stand before the group to receive his new Bible after naming the twenty-seven books without error. During the week, Miguel proudly displays his new Bible on a simple shelf above his bed in the one room home where he lives. While working together at the mission property, he sings hymns and recites Bible verses that we have learned on Sundays. We practice by taking turns saying the next word in the verse until we make it through to the end or laugh together when one of us makes a mistake. It is a real blessing to see God working in his life. Please pray for him.
Recently, we had a real exciting time with Miguel and his wife Maria. One day, Miguel arrived and told us that Maria had been having severe pain since about 5:00 am. They were expecting a baby, but she wasn't due for another month. I asked what they had done for her. They had walked to find a midwife, but no one was home. Then Miguel walked to town to find us. They live in a remote area about six miles, off road. We jumped in the truck and drove out to the ranch as fast as possible on the rough roads. When we arrived, Maria was moaning with each breath and could hardly walk. Normally, she is shy around us and doesn't talk much. But, when we told her we had come to take her to the doctor, and asked if she could make it, she immediately responded and came out to the truck. We had to travel slowly to the pavement because each bump caused terrible pain. We were sure that she was in labor and hurried to the clinic. The doctor examined her and said that she was fully dilated and that she would be delivering within a half-hour to an hour at the most. He informed us that they were remodeling and that we would have to take her to the hospital twenty miles down the mountain. Then, the doctor with urgency in his voice told her to quickly get in the vehicle. We all but flew down the mountain, driving as fast as safely possible, with cries of pain at every bump and dip in the road. To complicate things, there was a forest fire between us and the town where the hospital was located. There was dense smoke and we could see the flames. Not knowing if the road was passable ahead, we were starting to have visions of delivering the baby along the road. Thankfully, as we continued, the road was still open and we were able to make it through to the hospital. That was the longest twenty-mile trip we have ever made. Miguel said he didn't know the truck could go so fast. When we stopped in front of the emergency room, our daughter Jessica jumped out and ran in ahead of Maria. She explained the situation, and one of the orderlies told her to have a seat. With bold determination, Jess took control saying, "You don't understand, this girl is having a baby right now!" He must have understood the look in her eyes because he dropped everything and took Maria directly in. Shortly there after, as we waited outside, the news came that a baby boy was born. Everyone in the waiting room that had been watching the spectacle cheered with us as we congratulated Miguel. A while later, when we were allowed to see Maria and the baby, as we held him, they told us that they wanted to name him Craig. But, we thought a Mexican name would be better for him. That was a great honor and a time that none of us will ever forget. Please keep all of them in your prayers.
Then, one week, another man named Ramon, who accepted Christ under our ministry and attends our services, stood up to recite the books of the New Testament. Ramon is a real nice man, but may have a bit of a mental handicap, and has great difficulty remembering details. Honestly, we thought that he would not be able to memorize the New Testament books, and were surprised when he raised his hand to indicate that he was ready to try to recite them before the group. He stuttered and stammered, and confused a couple of the books, but it was obvious that he had been studying very hard and successfully recited the entire list. He was so proud to stand with us for a picture as he received his new Bible. That was a very special event in our ministry and as we reflect on it, feel that it was one of the most precious things that we have seen God do. It is truly a privilege to see God work in people's lives in such a real way.
Martín, the man for whom we had prayed for the last two years and recently accepted Christ, has also been a real blessing to watch grow. He has been faithfully attending and helping in our services. It is a thrill to see him stand before the group to help by reading the Scriptures. What a difference from a few months ago when he avoided any situation where he might be confronted by the Lord. Last week, we asked him if he would stand and recite the books of the New Testament. He knew that we had been memorizing them, and we knew that he had been studying them. He is a little shy, so when we called on him out of the blue, he was surprised. But, he stood and recited from memory, the entire list of New Testament books, and when he finished, the people cheered and clapped shouting, "Bravo." Martín, has also been helping us off and on at the mission property. One day, as we approached the bathroom where he was working on the plumbing, we overheard as he was talking about the Bible with a young man that was helping him. What a blessing it is to see Christianity at work! Martín and Andrea are also expecting a baby this month. But, we plan to be out of town. ( Just kidding. They have a small apartment and will need more room for the baby, so in between everything else, we are working with them to build an addition so that they can have two bedrooms. This week, with Craig's brother, David, and his family visiting from the US, we have been building the addition. David had put up dry wall before and his experience really made a difference. With their help we put the entire ceiling in place. We planned to frame the walls, but lightening knocked out the power at the sawmill, so we were unable to cut the needed 2x4 studs. We hope to be able to finish the addition before the baby arrives. Please continue to pray for Martín's spiritual growth and for his wife, Andrea, who still needs to know Christ as Savior.
The mission-building project continues to dominate all of our spare time and energy as we are feverishly working to complete the outside walls of the main building before the rainy season gets into full swing. Hopefully this month, we will be able to pour the cement floors and do the finish up work in order to move in. It is exciting to see it coming together and it is really starting to look like a nice building. It is a testimony to the Lord's work and influence here and we appreciate all that you are doing to help make it possible. Space is such a problem, for our family and for the services that we need to do all we can to finish the building at least enough to use while we continue to work. Please continue to pray about the legal paperwork and permits needed. This week we were granted a temporary (30 day) permit while the architect finishes the necessary plans. One set should soon be ready, which will allow us to complete the legal documents for the land, which will give us a better legal standing. We found out that they will be about twice as expensive to obtain as we were originally told. Please pray about these very necessary and important documents and the associated expenses.
Other Current Needs:
*We really need folding chairs for our services and are asking for help in sponsoring a seat for someone.
*Also, we need an electronic piano. We are using an old one now, but not all of the keys work and Deb struggles to play it, using only the keys that work. It is better than nothing and adds a lot to the service, but we would like to do better. We found a very nice one, but for now the $169 price tag has prevented buying it.
*Also, we are still waiting to receive the renewal of our visas to live and work in Mexico. We are confident that they will come through, but we are still waiting.
*We desperately need tires on the van we use on Sundays and for road trips. 16.5" tires are not available in Mexico, so we are considering changing to 16" wheels and tires. The tires are dangerous now; one of which is a different size, and last week we had a blow out on the highway. The investment could be as much as $800.00.
Thank you, for caring enough to invest yourselves in the lives of people that you may never meet in this life, but with whom we will share eternity. It is difficult sometimes and we know that many times you sacrifice to make this ministry possible. We want you to know how much we appreciate you and feel like it will be worth it all when we see Jesus. The rewards are yours, and we count it our privilege to labor with you.
Sincerely, For Souls Who Have Not Heard,
The Chambers
