To say this trip to Veracruz was tough would be an understatement.  It's taken us a couple of weeks just to recover enough so we could write this newsletter.

     We started off the week with Audrey being very sick; vomiting, diarrhea, etc.  So when we got to Alamo, Veracruz we took her that night to the health clinic.  We found out she had parasites and amoebas.  Probably she picked that up on our last trip to Chiapas.  We started her on a round of medicine and she was feeling better the second day or so. 

     The drilling started off with a bang.  Gabe and Greg had high expectations to drill one well a day.  From our past experience in this area, that didn't seem so far fetched.  What they didn't expect, was to find so much OIL!!  If we had been in the states we could have helped with the gasoline crisis but as it was these people really wanted to see water.  The guys drilled 3 wells in 2 days with no success.  Then the 4th well proved to be lots of smelly oil (chapo as they call it) as well.  These people live in an area where Pemex (the government controlled oil company) had been in that area before and test drilled.  They had an oil spill and just abandoned it as a reserve.  Of course that didn't stop the people from settling there and now they have yards full of sticky, smelly, black stuff.  These are some of the poorer families in the village and they are the ones who battle the most with water.

     The only solution was to drill on the other side of the highway where there wasn't much "chapo" and run  black pipe through a ditch across to the side where the families live.  Thankfully we were able to drill a good well there and provide them with an electric pump and the necessary black pipe.  They have agreed to work together to pay for the electricity and finish the water system by building a cistern in a central location near their houses.

     The 6th and final well was drilled in front of a Christian church.  They, along with many other people had solicited us for a water well and we wanted to help out our fellow brothers in Christ.  The guys drilled as deep as they could and encountered large rock that was impassable.  Luckily they had met some local guys who had developed a drilling tool that breaks up the rock so that they can go deeper.  It was all scheduled for them to come out the next day and work when IT happened.

     That night when we went to bed, Gabe started feeling bad; he had fever and chills all night long, diarrhea and stomach cramps.  First thing in the morning I went for a doctor because it seemed pretty serious.  As soon as the doctor had left the hotel, Greg fell sick as well.  Everyone was dropping like flies and we still had a well to finish.

     We got both of them started on medicine and well enough just to barely get everything done and make it home.  Caleb, Greg and Melanie's son, started getting sick on the way home too.  Payden came down with it last week and is just now regaining his strength.  We all had some form of Guardia or amoebic dysentery.  We ate everyday with people in the village and somewhere we encountered some really nasty bugs.  We spent the second week of Greg and Melanie's visit just trying to recuperate. 

     Now on the spiritual side...we were able to minister to some families one on one.  One family in particular was struggling with so many different physical and emotional problems (from the parents, to the children, and even grandchildren) that we really tried to focus and minister the Word to them.  One night we showed the "Jesus" film in town at the aunt and uncle's home.  Their daughter with tears in her eyes accepted the Lord and asked her mom to forgive her for being so rebellious and difficult.  She told me she didn't want to be that way anymore and wanted to change.  We had the privilege of praying for just about every one of the family members.  We believe that God is doing a work in this family and they will see God do great things.  

     Overall we showed the "Jesus" film 3 different nights, gave away numerous Bibles, tracts, and Bible study guides.  We had 2 kids classes and one afternoon had a massive give-away of clothes, household items, toys, and eyeglasses to some of the poorer families.  Along with just visiting and ministering with different families as we would eat and spend time with them.  All in all the area is very Catholic and there is a lot of turmoil and indifference among neighbors and family members.  
 
     One afternoon as we were drilling, a long line of trucks full of people came rolling by heading to a neighboring village.  The people were screaming "We are going to kill the deputy!".  The situation got so bad that they had to call in many federal police officers to help with the situation.  Even still the police were too afraid to go into the village and just stationed themselves in La Estacion, where we were.  The spiritual atmosphere there is very heavy.

     Even though the trip was difficult, we trust that the seed that was sown will not return void.  It is the Word of God and it goes with power.  Thank you for your prayers during this trip and please continue to pray that we will all recover completely and regain strength.  It hit Gabe really hard and he is still fighting feeling very weak.   We hope to make another trip to Chiapas the second week of April.   God's riches blessings to all of you - Gabe, Jessica, Payden & Audrey