August 2022

Dear friends,

It has been SO long since we sent out an official update! Please accept our apologies for being MIA in communication. It turns out that the busier you are the less time you have for blogs. Nonetheless we want to be better about sharing our lives and ministry with you all — You are an integral part of our ministry here in Oaxaca, and we so appreciate all your prayer and support. We truly could not do what we do without you!

We have had a very busy season as a family. The kids just wrapped up their school year, for which they are thankful. They worked hard all year and we are so proud of them. Here in Mexico, there is an official graduation for each stage of school, so this year we had three graduates! Cooper, Sage and Norah each graduated to the next level. There was a beautiful ceremony where the kids sang in a choir, did traditional dances, and performed a waltz. It was so fun to celebrate and mark the kids’ accomplishments together.

Our biggest family news is that we are expecting kiddo #5! Many of you may already know, but this is the “official” announcement. As you can imagine the kids were rooting for another of their own gender, and in this case the boys won! Baby will break the tie and the boys win out. We’re so looking forward to meeting him.

Even though the baby looks wonderful, the pregnancy has had a complication, and we’d be so thankful if you would keep us in your prayers.

Some months ago we discovered through ultrasound that Hannah has a condition called placenta accreta. Basically the placenta has not simply attached to the uterine wall but has grown into it. This can cause serious issues at delivery – the primary concern being heavy bleeding, which can be fatal to the mother if not quickly controlled.

We are so thankful we found out about this early!

After consulting with several doctors and numerous ultrasounds etc., the plan is to have a cesarean hysterectomy – deliver the baby and immediately remove the uterus. This is major surgery but will mitigate the risk of bleeding that could occur should the placenta detach from the uterus. Again, we’re thankful to have a plan in place.

What does this mean for us? We are tentatively planning on travelling to Oaxaca City about 6 hours away to have the surgery. We’re hoping to safely make it to 37 weeks gestation to allow the baby’s lungs time to develop etc, but the timeline is somewhat fluid since we want to make SURE there’s no chance of going into labor. We will see how things go! (I’m currently at 32 weeks.)

All this is a different plan that our original, obviously. But we are confident we are in good hands, both medically and of course in the hands of the Father.

This brings several challenges:

1. A week or so away from home, meaning leaving the kids back, which will be hard.
2. A long trip to and from Oaxaca City.
3. A longer recovery time, etc.
4. Our desire is for safety for an uneventful, safe surgery.
5. There will be extra unexpected expenses – we will pay for the trip, as well as the surgery and recovery, and it’s likely we’ll have to pay for extra blood to have on hand as well. While this is much more affordable than it would be in the States, the expenses are likely to be several thousand dollars.

But the baby looks GREAT. Right on track for growth, getting lots of good blood flow and nutrition, active, etc. And it seems we’ll get to meet him sooner than we had thought.

All in all we are thankful, somewhat nervous but assured in the Lord.

Would you pray with us as we walk through this and make decisions? Thank you so much.

Here are some family pictures and videos to check out. (Norah has a solo in her dance!)

The short-term ministry at Roca Blanca is going strong! We have received 5 teams so far in 2022, with 11 more teams scheduled for the rest of this year and into 2023. In addition to teams from schools and churches, we’ve been able to work with many individuals and families who have come to serve to meet specific needs. We are so thankful for those who have taken the time to bless Oaxaca!

Short-term ministers have helped in many ways.

Gateway church sent a team of men, many of them professional builders, to help with two long-awaited projects. They put in a kitchen for a church in San Martin, and updated and made a ton of progress on a church in Loma Bonita. It’s hard to describe the impact that this will have over years.

Pilgrim Center for Reconciliation came and put on two retreats – one for the base staff and another for the zone pastors of Roca Blanca churches. It was a blessed time of healing and ministry.

We have partnered with Corban Clinic on numerous village outreaches (which include medical care, children’s ministry, and food pack distribution, among other things), distributed clothes, done service projects on the base, provided humanitarian relief after Hurricane Agatha hit the coast, and many other wonderful acts of service. Hiram and Dana Martinez and their beautiful family came and spent a week with us gathering and distributing mattresses and pillows.

Upcoming teams will be serving in these capacities:

Continuing hurricane relief – food and household goods distribution, rebuilding and cleanup efforts

Local projects – Pouring a floor and accessible ramps at the home of a wheelchair-bound man who has not had easy access or movement in his home

Base ministry support – prayer, Casa Hogar children’s home, work projects, trade school

Village outreach support with the clinic

All manner of encouragement and support for our area of Mexico!

Short-term teams and ministers are a vital support to the ongoing work at Roca. We receive teams of all ages, skill sets, and experience. Please reach out via rocaguests@gmail.com if you are interested in coming to serve. We would be thrilled to work with you!

Here are just a few pictures of our ministry work these last months:

Another major project that has been a recent focus is a building project for the multigrade school. The school is for preschool through high school, and the Lord is using it powerfully to provide not only a traditional education but also English and, of course, teaching Christian principles and discipleship. Over the last year, we have had to turn students away due to lack of space. This is never our desire but we haven’t had a choice.

Some months ago we began seeking support for the multigrade project, and in a very short amount of time all the funds came in to cover a second floor with several new offices and classrooms! We are so excited and thankful.

Ben has been involved in moving the project along at a quick pace and the goal is to have it all ready to go before the new school year starts in a few weeks. Here are some progress pictures. It’s a huge project that will be a huge blessing. Right now our prayer is that it will be finished or mostly finished before we bring our new addition home. We will be limited for a while after his arrival! God has been faithful in this project and we are confident it will all come together.