Sara's story

This is Sara and her boy Angel. You will hear ongoing updates about her because Darrell and Maureen are pretty involved in her life and we are building a friendship with her as well. She feels as close to them as a daughter to her father and mother. Many of you may have already heard Sara's story. As we get to know her, we hear more details but I will try to sum it up. Right now she is a single mom with three boys. Her middle boy, Jesus, is catatonic and has epilectic fits. It is quite difficult for her to make ends meet and many times she doesn't know where her next meal will come from because it is costly to try to get diapers and medical assistance for Jesus. Her home is very neat and organized, but is substandard according to our expectations of a home. They live in an old bus, converted to a bedroom/living space, and she now has a dirt-floor kitchen which was built by a group that visited us this spring (instead of cooking outside in the sun and wind.) She is thankful for everything she has, and now she is very positive about life, but in the past she has been in desperation, not feeling that she could continue forward. She is from Oaxaca (southern Mexico) and moved up here to the Baja with her husband and sons. Her husband left her after the problems started with their middle son, because he didn't like how much money it was costing to take care of him. We don't know too much about her situation with her husband but he is not in the picture anymore.

She is doing quite well, and like I said, thankful for everything that she has or that is given to her. One of the main things Missions Network International is doing for her is helping her to keep her son in school. The uniforms, books, and supplies cost a lot, but we believe strongly that it is important for James, her son, to continue into Secondary school (middle school) instead of quitting in order to work in the fields. We also help with supplies for Jesus.

Nic and I had the opportunity, to spend quite a bit of time with her and her boy, Angel, 2 Sundays ago. It was a great day! We drove down the road about 45 minutes to a clinic so that we could get some medical attention for Angel's eye, which he hurt while playing. We visited them again on Friday afternoon and had a wonderful time. She lights up when she sees you and is so enthusiastic! Even after a few shorts visits, we feel like we are becoming friends.

Mount of Olives Kids

We just had a nice morning at the Casa Hogar. Darrell and Maureen were in town yesterday and today to bring down a young girl that will be helping out in the house. It is exciting to welcome another auntie, or misionera. Her name is Marci and she is a student at Western Washington University in Bellingham. Imagine: yesterday she probably woke up at home just like every other day and today she woke up to 15 kids, a whole other language and culture. It is wonderful that people are willing to spend their summer this way!


Here is a family picture from this morning. Angela and Danny are the house parents.

Back row: Angela, Jazmin, Crisanto, Jose, Danny
Middle row: Santa (Vicki), Maria, Gino, Blanca, Enrique, Alejandro, Javier
Front row: Juan, Selene, Ines, Martin, Augustine

This Little House: Part One

What a project! We are fixing up this house. After 4 months, we still have not unpacked our boxes except a few to find necessary items. We have figured out, though, that we only NEED about 10% of the stuff we have. Most of our things have been in storage for months, and we have all but forgotten what is in those boxes. We will soon find out. Nic is putting on the finishing touches and we are just days away from unpacking everything to settle in for good.

I must add that we have been blessed by many willing to lend a hand. Drywall, tile, painting, electrical, a patio - we were even donated, by a church who came on a short-term mission trip, a new washing machine. At times it has been a headache, but we are very grateful to have a place to live! For more pictures, go to www.photoblog.com/nicandclaire

Welcome to our Blog!

This blog is where we will be sharing stories along our adventure as missionaries. We also hope that it is informative about what God is doing here on the Baja. Let me start with where we are located. We live in a small town called Ejido Uruapan off of Highway 1, the main road that runs north to south on the Baja. We are half an hour south of Ensenada, two and a half hours from the border and about four hours from Los Angeles.

The air is clear in this small rural town surrounded by beautiful hills. Driving through our town, first you will notice the bumpy roads and lots of dust, big boulders scattered on the hills and the workers in the fields tending to the various crops. Roses, grapevines, squash, cabbage, beans, goats, chickens, pigs, horses, dust, dust, and more dust...

Why are we here? Nic and I, trusting that God was leading us to Mexico, made the move in February of this year. We are primarily here to help host groups who come to Bethesda Mission. We also help with the Mount of Olives Children's Village, a place for children who are orphaned or in need of a loving, safe home. We see God at work here and are excited to be a part of it. If you are interested, you can read more about how Missions Network International got its start with these two ministries at www.missions-network.org.

And we hope that you will come visit, and see it for yourself.