Hi,
Thank you for praying. The Lord is faithful and powerful and we’re pleased to say that Alma is out of the hospital. She responded well to the medicines and is on the road to recovery, getting stronger by the day. They will be heading out to Lajas when we all head out on Tuesday. Beatrice (the little girl from Milpillas) has only in the past few days been downgraded from “critical” to “stable”. I went by the hospital today and she is looking better and the doctors are much more hopeful.
We praise God for the help our church has been here. One of the problems we face as a team is that a patient’s family has to buy all the medicine that the hospital uses on the patient. A regular part of our ministry is buying medicine for sick people that we bring in from Lajas. As there are a lot of people in the hospital who cannot afford the medicine they need, the hospital is always running short. Sometimes when we are given a list of medications to buy, say for Alma, it will sometimes include medications that the hospital needs for other patients in the same ward. The first list I was given for Alma was so long, I became a little concerned. It was going to cost in the vicinity of $6000 pesos ($600 USD). The Lord provided through our church. Leo the pastor put us in contact with Alberto who runs a pharmacy. Alberto not only is able to tell what medications would be definitely needed for our patient, but the quantity and how long that medication would last before more is needed. He also offered to travel into the hospital everyday and deliver the medications that Alma needed. The entire cost of medication for Alma’s treatment ended up being around $1400 pesos ($140 USD), which is a huge savings.
The church also is involved with and supports a ministry called CASA. CASA is run by some ladies in the church and it is a small restaurant/kitchen that provides free meals for the needy. Being that it is only two blocks from the hospital, it was the perfect place for Marselo and Emiteria to go and eat. Both Alberto and CASA have not only saved us a lot of money and running around, they have also saved Anne Marie and Candy from having to cook meals for an extra family. This has been a huge blessing.
On Monday a young man by the name of Santiago was brought in from Lajas. He had been bashed by 5 other guys and left for dead. He was in a coma and things weren’t looking very good. I visited him in the hospital two days ago and I could hardly recognize him. He had come out of the coma, but wasn’t moving or speaking, nor was he responding to anyone talking to him. I took his aunt (Martina) down to CASA as she hadn't eaten for over a day. Whilst there, she got a good meal and the ladies prayed over her and witnessed to her. I translated what I could for her although she does speak and understand Spanish. Yesterday when I went back to the hospital I could hardly believe the change, not only did Santiago recognize me and respond when I greeted him, but he also was beginning to eat on his own. God has been incredibly gracious to this boy; he would not be considered your model citizen by any means. He is often drunk, sleeps around even though married (he may have ended up with the wrong girl, hence the bashing) and anytime we’re with him, his jokes and speech are always dirty. Keep praying for him as it is still not known if he will have any permanent damage from his head injuries. Pray also the God would use this near death experience and the kindness we have shown him to lead him to repentance. If this guy got saved, I can’t imagine him being quiet about it.
All this sickness and medical needs in reality are encouraging. Jesus spent much of his time healing the sick and making sure the hungry were fed. We are blessed to be in a position to be able to help people in this way. The gospel has never been just a message of good news, but the message in action. We pray that as the Tepehuan experience the love of God through us, that it will open their hearts to receive the Good News.
For Jesus,
Andrew and Anne Marie
P.S. Pray for us as we head out on Tuesday for three and a half weeks. The final week will be a dental clinic. We’re thankful for Dan (dentist), Susan (Dan’s wife and assistant) and Michelle (Dan and Susan’s daughter and dental student) who have offered to come and help. John and Linda will also be along to help. Pray for a great turnout and that we’ll be able to help as many Tepehuan as possible.
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February 2008 letter
