I have to start by saying that my husband has had to learn to be a diplomat and a peacemaker during these well drilling trips.  This particular village has been challenging to say the least.  Since the first day we arrived the people have been murmuring and complaining about each other, about when they are going to get their well, etc.  As the week has gone on it has begun to frenzy more and more.  Yesterday, Gabe had to stop the well drilling, call everyone together and tell them that it needed to stop!  That we were there doing this for the Lord and none of them had shown a grateful attitude.  Unfortunately, the Christians were some of the worst.  We know that the Lord sent us to this village to help them with water as well as share the light with them, but it is sometimes challenging for us.  We showed the Jesus movie last night in the village and could relate with the way some of the people would want more and more from Jesus.  It amazes us and makes us appreciate even more how patient and merciful our God is with us.  I literally dreamed all last night that I was constantly surrounded by a group of people, all of them asking me at the same time when they were going to get their well.   

     On a more positive note, we have shown two movies in the plaza.  Each time several hundred people were there.  We've been able to pray for the sick, share the Gospel message, and encourage the brokenhearted.  Those are the moments that make all of this worth it.  We have a few personal stories to share but I'll wait for another time.  Time to go back out to La Gloria and face whatever challenges the day brings. 

In Christ, 
Gabe and Jessica         

     Hi everyone...just wanted to update all of you and let you know that we (Gabe and Jessica) are down in Arriaga right now and will be here for about 2 weeks.  We flew down from McAllen on Sunday.  We want to try something different this time and post an entry to the blog  throughout our time here and then post the pictures when we get back home.  In this way we can communicate with you faster and share the victories as well as the prayer needs as they come up.
     Today we were able to pick up our truck from the Ford dealership.  Praise the Lord it is fixed and running!  We will be focusing this time mainly on a community called La Gloria.  Today we drilled a well at a kindergarten and tommorow we will drill at another kindergarten.  Right now the schools are closed for vacation but next Monday we will get together with both schools and dedicate the wells, as well as minister to the children.  Wednesday we hope to drill at the central plaza of La Gloria.  Our plan is to have several nights of showing evangelistic movies, with Wednesday night being the first.  
     There is a frenzy in this community for water.  Last June the people bombarded Gabe with requests for wells.  It is understandable, considering that they only receive water every 3 days and then it's only for a few hours.  They are desperate for water but sometimes that desperation comes across as being aggressive and demanding; sometimes even selfish.  This can be frustrating for us, but at the same time we understand their great need.   
     Please pray for the people in La Gloria, that their hearts would be open to receive the Gospel, that the Lord would guide and direct our steps, and that God would give us His words to speak to the hearts of these people.  Thank you for sharing in this with us.       

   

                          
                  Arriaga, Chiapas Mexico



      Situated along the Pacific Coast of Chiapas is a town called Arriaga.  As you get closer to the water there are many small communities lining the coast line.  Many are poor fishing villages, others work for local ranchers, but they all seem to have one thing in common, a need for clean drinking water.  In the fall of 2008, God lead us to this area and it has been a continual stream of requests ever since.  The water is shallow (around 100 ft deep) and some wells are even artesian, with the water just bubbling up above the ground.  The problem is that most of them don't have the money or resources to have a sealed well dug for themselves.  Spiritually, there are multiple churches in every community, but there is a very heavy spirit of religion among them which causes division among the brothers as well as a host of other  problems.

     God has given us grace with the people and we are welcomed into each community; some even anxiously waiting for 6 months or more for us to come to their village.  Granted we are giving them a well for free, a much needed commodity, but what an opportunity to share Jesus Christ with them in a real tangible way.  For each community we work in, we show evangelistic movies in the plaza, share the gospel with them, give Bibles to the churches, minister to the kids, and teach health and hygiene to improve their standard of living.  Sometimes just sitting and talking one on one is the most effective way to share Jesus.  

     All of our work is in the small villages outside the town of Arriaga, but we work from there because it is where all the hotels and places to eat are.  Right now we have over 30 requests for water wells, so there is a lot of work to be done in this area.  Our prayer is that with every person we meet there will be seeds sown into their lives for the Kingdom of God.

January/February 2010 Trip: 
      Gabe and Vic just returned from a trip to Arriaga.  Unfortunately, as soon as they arrived our truck broke down and wouldn't crank.  Despite the stresses of being in a small town, not having mechanics that know much about this truck, and the fact that it was the 3rd time this truck has broken down in Chiapas; God made a way for the work to get done.  They were able to borrow a truck and finish 8 wells.   They supplied fresh, clean water to 2 clinics, 1 school, and 5 churches.  When they showed a movie about God's plan of salvation there were several hundred people in attendance. 

     We are planning a return trip soon to pick up the (hopefully) now repaired truck.  When we go we hope to drill another 6-8 wells, as well as have kid's ministry, some evangelistic outreaches, and hygiene training.  We will let you know when the dates are planned.  Your prayer support is invaluable on these trips.  Below are some of the pictures from the trip. 




     On a personal note; we are settled into the house in McAllen, TX.  The kids are happily enjoying going to a Christian school and we parents are enjoying the conveniences of American life.  While our focus is still on the ministry in Mexico (and wherever else God leads), the move has been what we needed as a family.  Thank you for your friendship and continued support throughout these changes.  We miss our family and friends in Southeast Texas and hope to get to see you all more often now that we are a little closer.  We love you and God bless you.

Gabe, Jessica, Payden & Audrey 

               

Hello All,

It has been a while since we posted anything and we wanted to give everyone an update. As most of you know we made the move to live in Chiapas the first part of August and it has taken a little time to get everything adjusted and get back to work. 

We just finished up with 4 new wells down on the Pacific Coast in various villages around Arriaga. We were blessed to have Mark Halliburton get to come down ... << MORE >>

The end of May and first part of June, my long time friend Greg Wallace from Lindale, TX went with me on another trip to Chiapas. Jess and the kids were still tied up with school and were not able to go this time. We first went to a small town in the state of Oaxaca near the Chiapas border to drill at a church there but we hit rock about 30 feet down and after drilling for another 3 or 4 hours on the rock without advancing even another foot, we decided to head to our next location the next day. << MORE >>

As some of you may remember from our past newsletters, last year in May we were finally able to finish a water project up in the mountains of Chiapas in a small place named Chimix. There we constructed a cistern to collect water from a small water source that came out of the side of a mountain in order to keep the water clean and also to store enough water to last them through the dry season.<< MORE >>

Hi everyone! We returned home this past Monday from being in Palenque and other parts of Chiapas for about a week. This all came about when Living Water received a request from a church in Houston, Texas. A few ladies from the church wanted to have health/hygiene training for some pastors at a local Bible college in Palenque, Chiapas.<< MORE >>

We had another good trip to the coastal area of Chiapas in January. Vic Spillman and Felix Cedillo went with me on this trip and we were able to complete 5 wells. Three of the wells were for three different schools all from the same community, Villa del Mar. We were able to share with the kids about Jesus by giving them each a Christian coloring book and a box of colors. Our last well in the community of Villa del Mar was in the central park area.<< MORE >>

     2008 has been a record year for us in terms of the number of projects we have been able to complete and the number of people who have heard the Gospel. The first few years of drilling here in Mexico, we were fortunate to complete 3 to 4 projects per year due to the difficulty of drilling here in the immediate area (of Soto La Marina) and also due to financial constraints. But this year has ... << MORE >>