Feb. 2006 report & photos #2
Dear Friends,
G'day from Durango. We're pleased to say the dental clinic went
well and many Tepehuan were able to receive some much needed relief. Some of these folk endure years with intense dental pain and are very
grateful to have it over with. I was able to talk to the governor and advertise the dental clinic, but wasn't called down to physically advertise it before the people. John and I were able to get quite allot of work done on the house in the meantime. I've included a few pics of both the clinic and our house or at least a door. We had fun making and fitting the door to suit the not so square doorframe.
Its an incredible experience dealing with tribal people and their teeth. One poor guy finally made it into the seat and when he opened his mouth, the odour was quite can we say,compelling. With windows open and dental masks on, it still seemed to be a case of taking a deep breath, work, and then come up for air. Tensions eased when finally John realized it was this fellows shoes rather than his teeth. Many of the older Tepehuan are allot fussier about how carried away we can get when it comes to pulling their teeth. Regardless of how bad a condition their remaining last three teeth might be, they'll only want one pulled. This get's interesting when it comes to speaking and understanding Tepehuan clearly. A couple of times I hoped I was relaying the correct info to the dentists as to how many and which ones to pull.
It's a long week in not so easy living conditions, but we are grateful to be able to love a people that only God knows how much He'd love to save them. We pray we were a blessing and brought the touch of Jesus to a lost and hopeless village.
Our goal as a team is to be able to move full-time into Lajas this summer. With all that we have to do to get both houses ready, we are hoping to be able to move sometime in August. There is still an incredible amount to do. There is the solar electric system to take out and install. We have to try and figure out how we are going to get water to the houses plus the plumbing. Furniture has to be taken out and kitchens setup etc. There's a long way to go before the houses can become home.
Some things we can praise God for:
We praise Him for the good turn out at the clinic and that we could be a blessing. That we are all thus far experiencing good health. In spite of the recent opposition, we are still able to work on the houses with the aim of living in Lajas.
Some things to pray for:
Pray we would stay encouraged and fired up. That we would have the energy to work on the houses and get then finished in time. For the village to continue to accept our presence and to realize that we are no threat. Pray that we would all advance in the Tepehuan language.
We thank you all for your help through prayer. It is a great encouragement.
For Jesus,
Andrew and Anne Marie
...
