It's been a month since our last post and things have been very busy. Robin and Micaela spend lots of time in their classrooms and Ruben is working from sunup and often way past sundown, six days a week. On his one free day, he often tries to repair things around the house; this week a leaky shower. Christopher, Danielle, and Kelli are keeping up with their own school work and whenever they have time they are helping with different activities with the kids.
The next few weeks are busy with preparations for a Christmas program. Many of the parents will visit on the 17 of December for a special day of holiday activities. The kids really look forward to this day because many of their family members do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ and they know that while here, they will hear a clear gospel message. It is so wonderful to see the heartfelt prayers of children who have given their lives to Jesus and want their loved ones to spend eternity with them in heaven.
We have been blessed with several visitors this month. Bridges Bible Church brought their church to Mexico, and by church we mean 730 people! A small group came here for two days and were an incredible blessing. Among the people assigned to this location were the Simpson family, our friends from Hume Lake. Julie now works in a classroom for the deaf in Bakersfield and she was able to spend some time in Robin's classroom advising. She was a wealth of wisdom and because of her advice, things have changed for the better in room 6. Erik was put to work on a remodeling job and the five younger Simpsons entertained the kids and provided some much needed indoor entertainment on a rainy day.
Just two days later, Bob and LeeAnn Mull came to RSM with the Joshua Wilderness Institute from Hume. Our busiest week yet, but so much fun. Bob and LeeAnn were able to stay with us so evenings were spent together after long days of work and nightly tacos in Guadalupe! LeeAnn was able to talk her local Starbucks into letting her buy Christmas blend a few days before its annual release because she knows that it is Robin's favorite.
One of the Joshua students blessed these parents more than he will ever know. One morning in the chow hall a young man pulled Christopher aside and told him he wanted to speak to him. He told him that he had been watching him and that he was moved by Christopher's work with the kids. He told him that he could see his sacrifice for this place and it had inspired him to try and do the same. It is always encouraging to hear that others see the good in your children.
Rich Ferreria and Jen Manlief are running an amazing program. We are so excited that Micaela will be applying to attend next year. If you do not know about the program and have a young person in your life who would benefit from a year of Biblical study, hard work, and service, look them up at joshuawilderness.org.
And the blessings did not stop there. The day after Joshua left, Dan and Kristi Rodriguez and Dan's brother and his family came to visit. With his creative eye, Dan is trying to help us figure out how to make our house comfortable for a family of six. There is a lot of work to be done and so little time, but Dan was very encouraging. We have heard so much about Dan's brother and his wife and children and have prayed for this military family but had never met them. We were so grateful for their visit and very happy to finally meet the people we already felt like we knew!
It is always a joy to introduce people to this ministry because the work that is done here is so meaningful. But introducing our beloved friends was a highlight for us. Oh, and did we mention that Kristi brought us amazing gifts: lots of diet coke and Harry Potter! The diet coke in Mexico is not the same as in the United States and we have not been able to find the movie. You cannot imagine how excited the kids are about the movie and how happy Robin is about the diet coke. We have started a list of things that are not available here: cornbread mix, taco seasoning, chocolate chips, and diet coke. We really can't figure out why no one sells chocolate chips here, not even the Costco in Ensenada.
On Ruben's most recent trip to the States he purchased diet coke only to have it confiscated by the federalies who stop people on the road to search for drugs. They asked if they could have the soda and since they have machine guns, Ruben thought it wise to comply. Robin thought he should have gone down fighting!
We have a few prayer requests. On Saturday, one of our students, Isaac, fell off of the swing and hit his head. When he started throwing up, Ruben and Luke got him to a hospital in Ensenada. This was Saturday night and come Monday morning, he still had not been seen by a doctor. Please pray for his healing and quick return to school. Isaac is one of Robin's favorites. This is his first year at the Ranch and he was initially placed in her class. He could sign very little but had major amounts of historical information memorized. One day he used sidewalk chalk on the playground to write a detailed story in Mexican history, including all the dates. He had been in a public school in Tijuana where he was able to absorb information despite having no translator. He learned to read and write simply by watching what the teacher wrote on the board and from books!
Please continue to pray for Milagro. Her parents visited recently and continue to be amazed at her progress. Among many "thank yous", her father wispered "she used to be like an animal, but now she's a little girl." We can't begin to count the number of times we cry in a day. Milagro most recently brought Robin to tears when she signed her name. She has been signing Ruben's name for quite a while, but not Robin's. She looks for Ruben in the chow hall, asks Robin where he is and then when he comes by her table, she hides and giggles. We really haven't figured this one out but it makes us laugh every time.
Please pray for our Christmas program; for the family who will be attending and for the children whose families will not attend. We are hosting a separate party for these students and plan to make it a memorable time, but it is not the same as being with your own family on Christmas. A few of the children are orphans and the rest have families who simply cannot afford the trip.
As we spend our first thanskgiving with our new family at Rancho Sordo Mudo, we pray that your holidays are blessed and Christ filled!
Ruben, Robin, Micaela, Christopher, Danielle and Kelli
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