Dear Friends, I always give thanks to God for all of you and for all that you do, for me and for all the thousands that are reached, touched and strengthened through this ministry each and every year. Your help is vital, appreciated and so very much needed. Hearts, lives and eternal destinies are changed, forever by what we all do here, together, at Rancho Santa Fe Mexico Mission. Romans 1:8 “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.” Building projects take lots of extra money. Regular operating resources, special funds and designated donations are never used for unspecified construction projects. Therefore, without having the extra, non-appropriated finances, no work projects are undertaken. Work projects or building projects must generate their own special funds before being undertaken. Yet, at tmes, it is still important to build new buildings at the mission base in San Vicente. Therefore, it is improtant to get the word out concerning structural needs and to ask our friends and supporters to pray wabout the needs that are currently being prayed for at the base in Mexico. So, I will let you know about some projects that are currently on the building project prayer list. If you, your Bible Study or Church group would like to undertake some, any or all of one or more of these projects, just let me know. Of course, you are invited to come down and help in the actual building, too. As the Lord leads. Thank you all, and always, for all that you have done and are doing to reach out to the lost and hurting people here in Mexico. Also, thank you for making the base in San Vicente as comfortable as it is. It is what it is, because of your response to the direction of the Holy Spirit. God Bless You All!

A new, bigger and deeper septic tank is needed at the base. Five toilets,sinks and showers are now using one that was built for a single bathroom. It's costly to keep having to get it drained a half dozen times a year. Once this new tank is operational, it will probably not have to be drained for years on end.

There is a big need for more dorms at the base. At present, the base can hold about 30 people but when groups number in the 40s or more, which happens several times a year, it becomes obvious that a few more sleeping rooms would help make everyone more comfortable. It wouldn't take much to finish some spaces like the one shown here.

The base's kitchen is in need of expansion. Some of the ground work has been laid and many supplies are already at the base. More are needed, of course, but once done, this one project will make the base much more useable as this is one area where visitor congestion always takes place.

Technical Difficulties

Thank you all for your patience, I've just been facing a ton of trials with the computers of this world. They are not going to win. Mine is old and has several problems each month. Not huge things but I have to keep taking it back to Ensenada and waiting for them to get it fixed. Then I get it back here and boom, it dies. A tad bit frustrating but that's just the way it is. So, I work with it. Right now I am without a home computer and will be that way for a long while yet. Please, pray with me for a new computer. God knows that they are a part of all ministry operations in this day and age. It's a good tool, but just like all tools, they wear out and must be replaced. Keep looking,more news and videos are on the way...soon. Plus, the mail service here continues to be next to impossible to work with. Not fast, at all! I just sent a CD to a friend. It must have taken several months for it to finally get over the border to find its final destination.

Short Needs List

As I look around my area of Mexico, which is basically the northern part of the Baja Peninsula, I often shake my head and just think, ‘the needs are so big, what can I do?’ The answer to my question is, not very much. That is, without your help. I do pray every day for the needs I see and I believe and know that the Lord hears me and that He is extremely concerned with these people’s hardships. “For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always,” Matthew 26:11. I understand as I read the Bible and learn the heart of the Lord, that He is not happy that there are poor people. One can see from the Scriptures that in the Old Testament the Lord had a working and effective ‘welfare’ program for the poor. The Holy Scriptures teach us to think about the poor and how to meet their needs from what the Lord gives to us. "Now when you reap the harvest of your land you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit from your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God,” Leviticus 19:9-10. As well, in the New Testament, we see how the church was feeding the poor, primarily meeting the requirements of the poor and nurturing the saints, and they remembered the destitute and needy, Acts 6; Gal. 2:10. When someone asks me, ‘Why are there still poor people?’ My answer is, I am not sure. I think about the ultra rich multi-billionaires who could easily send everyone in the world, let’s say, just Fifty Thousand Dollars, to help stop extreme poverty, and knowing that they don’t, well, it just makes my heart shudder, Matthew 19:23. At times I get asked for a ‘needs’ list that people could read and work at filling to help meet the necessities of the poor and hurting and the supplies at Rancho Santa Fe Mexico Mission. And, to tell you the truth, not much ever happens after that. I am not sure why. But, generally, that’s as far as their concern ever goes. Of course, some people do answer the call and then send down or bring with them needed items and for that, I always rejoice and thank God for their valuable and kindhearted aid. It’s a wonderful thing to have someone come along side you to help you make your mission work more of a blessing than it would be without their help. So, here on my blog, I am going to place a small but detailed list of some of the needs we face daily. And, as the Lord leads, I hope and pray that there might be some people touched and guided to help meet these needs. Spanish language Bibles & Spanish language Christian movies, VHS or DVD Men and women’s clothing, especially children’s clothes, including shoes Bedding of all types and sizes, including pillows School supplies Candy & Piñatas, Christmas presents for boys & girls aged 0 -16 Cake mixes & frosting, boxes of pudding and Jell-o Pots & pans, plates & flatware and other kitchen supplies To keep this list short, I will leave off writing at this time and put this in the hands of the Lord. If anyone is interested in sending anything to the mission base, it must first be sent to California, and then it will be brought down into the country as quickly as is possible. Sending directly to San Vicente, at this point in time is not safe, nor possible. We don’t have mail service, and packages often come opened and have missing items. Contact me at: ranchosantafemax@aol.com “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching,” Hebrews 10:24&25

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Mexico's Day of the Children Heroes

In Mexico, just as in the United States and every where else in the world, kids like to eat candy. Me? Not so much. But, this is almost a universal truth among the world’s youngsters, kids and candy go together and one could even say, they were made for each other.

One thing that is always needed here at the mission base, church and all of Rancho Santa Fe Mexico Mission’s outreaches, is candy which is used to help us bless the children that come to our services. Of course, that’s a lot of sweet treats every month.

One day in particular, where candy and piñatas come in to play is April 30th, the Day of The Child in Mexico. Lots of famous people were born on this special day, for example-Eve Arden was born on April 30, 1909, Koningin Juliana was born on April 30, 1909 and Cloris Leachman was born on April 30, 1926 even Willie Nelson was born on April 30, 1933 and then Gary Collins was born on April 30, 1938. The list goes on! But, in Mexico this day celebrates some of Mexico’s young men who did a heroic act back in 1848. The President of Mexico then was Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, certain strong winds are named after him, at that time, President James Polk had sent U. S. troops to Mexico wanting to take possesion of some new lands for the expansion of American territories. Polk’s soldiers came to Veracruz, Mexico, and battled at Chapultepec, where there was a military school. During this battle six young Mexican soldiers gave their lives for their country, Juan de la Barrera, Juan Escutia, Agustín Melgar, Fernando Montes de Oca, Vicente Suárez, y Francisco Márquez, all of which were between 13 and 17 years of age. The captain of the American forces declared that these soldiers were just ‘children,’ and from then on, these men were known as the Children Heroes.

Mexico celebrates the soldier’s lives and commemorates their valor on the 30th of April, with parades, military shows and has special songs and tributes in memory of these young men. In San Vicente and with all of our outreaches, we too, try hard to celebrate Mexico’s holidays along with those universally recognized by the world. It’s always wonderful to have sweets, cakes, pies, jell-o and even pudding to help the boys and girls we reach know that they are appreciated and celebrated by those of us who live and work at the mission base and by those who come and join with us in celebrating them.

Thanks to all that help support this ministry and its work here in Mexico. It’s a blessing to have your help and a joy to see how the children smile and enjoy the sweet gifts you send down to them. God Bless You All!