Dear Praying Friends,
What a blessing it is to once again share all God is doing in our lives. You are a tremendous encouragement to us and your faithfulness is making a real difference in the lives of our people. We are very busy this summer and it seems the more we do, the more there is to do. It was a blessing to have help this year. The Raby family from Phoenix came to visit as well as Craig's brother, David, and his family. They were a big help and we were able to get a lot done. It has also been a blessing to have Jessica home from college for the summer. She plays the guitar in our services. With her being thousands of miles away at college and the restrictive long distance rates in Mexico, we cherish the times we have together.
Isaac will also be leaving in September. He is eighteen now and has grown into a fine young man. He graduated from high school this year and we had a celebration for him. We presented him with his diploma from Central Christian Academy. Also, he received a Christian Service scholarship from Pensacola Christian College where he plans to attend. The scholarship reduces his tuition by $1,000.00 each year. Praise the Lord! That is a real blessing. Our missionary status in Mexico prohibits him from earning money in the Mexican economy. Isaac plans to try to work while in school, but he will still need financial assistance. We are praying that God would lay it on the hearts of some of His people to help him in this opportunity. If you could adopt a missionary college kid, he is certainly worthy of your trust and would truly appreciate your help. Our family is making every effort to provide for a Christian college education.
Bethany, our youngest, won't be far behind. She has been working overtime and will be graduating next year. Bethany, had a permanent tooth that would not come down. We have been working with a Mexican dentist for about a year and finally they were able to get the tooth down, but it is turned completely backwards. They determined an orthodontist would have to use braces to correct the problem. It is very expensive and the orthodontist's office is located in a city ninety miles away. We were hoping to come to the US in the fall, to visit our supporting churches. But now, the orthodontist has told us we will have to have appointments every two or three weeks for the next year. Nothing is ever easy, is it? Please pray with us about all of these important details, as we trust God to work them out.
The ministry is going better than ever. While David and Susan were with us, Susan used her skills to join with our girls in providing special music during our services. We also thank the Lord that we have been seeing room packing attendance. It's really time for a new room! We still have many people who seem to wander, but God has given us a good core group of believers that are faithful and a real encouragement. Recently, one of our greatest blessings has been our ministry to the Indian people. They are very different culturally and can be difficult to reach. In our community, the Mexicans and Tarahumara Indians don't mix very much socially. We have had several new Indian families represented in our services. For them to attend our Bible services, mixing with the Mexican people, each accepting the other, is a milestone in our ministry. It is a long slow process, but we praise the Lord for the way He is working to bridge the cultural differences. We had a surprise visit from Maria, Miguel's wife and their son, Jorge. Miguel is a young Indian man, who was saved under our ministry and is a close friend of our family. They had to move to Chihuahua to find work and we hadn't seen them for a year. Jorge is one year old now and trying to walk... very cute. You may remember we set the land speed record getting Maria to the hospital to deliver, even driving through a forest fire to get to the rural mountain hospital. We were glad to hear that Miguel has a good job in construction and it was a blessing to have Maria and Jorge with us for several weeks.
Recently, we shared how God was working in the life of an Indian lady named Rosa. She is the mother of our young friend Ignacio "Nacho," who trusted Christ through our ministry. Rosa has been involved off and on, but has always been somewhat distant. It was a tremendous honor when she recently invited us to her home. They live according to the Tarahumara customs and wear the traditional clothing. They live on a small farm in a little stone house with a dirt floor and no electricity or running water. On the day we visited, she had worked all morning cleaning the house. She told us later that she wanted it to be nice for us. When we arrived, Nacho came running out to greet us. We had a good visit and felt like we were with friends. Rosa, was a perfect hostess offering us handmade corn tortillas. She also showed us how she made some of the traditional clay pottery that they use. She sells the pottery and other hand crafts to help her family. Her husband, Nazario, has a serious drinking problem. Often, she and the children suffer because of his drunkenness. It is a horrible but common problem and keeps him from being much help to the family. Rosa showed us a rock on the hill just above her home where she was hand spinning wool into coarse yarn. They use it to make a traditional blanket that is very heavy and warm. The boys took us to see an underground spring where they go to draw water and to see their grandfather's hogs. It was a delightful visit, and though we have been to the ranch on many occasions throughout our ministry, this time we were the guests of honor. We love the Indian people and their fascinating culture. It is a real treat to enjoy their hospitality, but we treasure most, the opportunity we have to build our friendship with them. To be accepted by them as friends is a tremendous honor. As we continue to work with this family, we pray that God will do a great work among the Tarahumara people, one life at a time.
Another wonderful blessing was in Jorge's life. Monse, his wife, was saved last year but for some reason Joge has been putting off a decision. We have been praying for Jorge and see great potential in his life. A few weeks ago, Jorge and Monse stopped by our house in the evening to talk. We visited and talked about a lot of things. It just seemed like the time was right and that God had been working and brought them to us that evening. After a while, we told Jorge that we knew he had heard the Gospel message many times in our services, and that he knew it was his decision to respond. When we then asked if he wanted to trust Christ as his personal Savior, he answered, " Yes, I do." There in our living room, we had the privilege of leading Jorge to Christ. Praise the Lord!
Please continue to pray with us for this young family. The economy in our town is worse than ever. Jorge works at the big saw mill that has been having problems paying their employees. They only get about a weeks pay every two or three weeks. Now, we have learned that the sawmill will be closing. Jorge thinks he will be able to work for just a few more weeks. Several other businesses are also having problems. In our area, if someone stays with a company for several years, they will receive severance pay if the company lets them go. But, if an employee leaves, the company pays nothing. In the current economic crisis, the companies aren't able to pay the salaries, but neither are they able to pay the severance. So, the people continue to work without pay, with the companies hoping they will leave, so that severance pay is not owed. At the same time, the people don't want to quit and lose their opportunity for severance. It's a difficult time for everyone. In Jorge and Monse's case it is compounded by the fact that the company quit paying their state health insurance without their knowledge. Now, it has been discovered that their daughter, Bethany, has one leg shorter than the other and will need to have surgery. It's a lot for anyone, especially a young couple, new in their faith. Please pray for them.
Another blessing in the ministry is developing at the Indian school in Gonagochi. It is the school we encouraged our Indian children to begin attending. It is a school run by Indians for their own people. They have a limited budget and operate like the people live, hand to mouth. We have wanted to get involved in helping them, because the school is so important to the people in that community. Recently, it was our privilege to meet the administrators and to sit down and talk with them. During our visit, we saw children holding boiled potatoes in their hands. We learned that because the people are so poor, the school provides a noon meal. The plain potatoes were their meal that day. They are out of school for the summer, but this fall, we hope to help provide beans and rice for the daily meal. Our desire is to work through the school to minister in the lives of the Indian families. It would be a tremendous blessing if we could someday teach English or a Bible class for the children. It is a wonderful opportunity and we are praying about the possibilities.
The mission building is also a great source of opportunity. We have been working as much as possible to make it useable. Craig's brother, David, helped us complete the electrical wiring, and install the front door which has been repaired after the break-in. We also have made progress on the security fence and are ready to paint the interior walls. The greatest immediate need that we face, places us on the threshold of a historic moment; the opportunity to complete the agreement for the title deed to the property. We have met all of the criteria of the state office handling the deeds. As soon as we can make the $2,400.00 dollar investment required, the agreement will be signed and the application for title deed completed. It has been a long haul to get to this point and we appreciate all of you who have shared our vision to make the mission possible. Will you pray with us about this final legal step to secure the property? If the Lord allows, please consider having a part in this crucially important opportunity.
There is so much more we wish we could share. Thank you, for being a blessing to us, we truly appreciate you. Your prayers are being heard, and your faithfulness is making a difference for all eternity. You are a valuable part of our team and we pray God's richest blessings on you!
Sincerely, For Souls Who Have Not Heard,
The Chambers Family
