Mexico Mission Trip

Dateline Coverage
 
May 27, Lubbock, Texas
 
May 29, Creel, Mexico
 
May 31, Pitorreal, Mexico
 

Dateline: Lubbock, Friday, May 27
by Rev. Doug Chapman

Rev. Doug Chapman
     On Friday afternoon, May 27th, Rev Doug Chapman and the First Church Mission Team left for our annual Mexico Mission Trip. This trip is our partnership with our Mexican Methodist brothers and sisters in outreach to the Tarahumara Indians of the Copper Canyon region in the Western Rockies of Mexico.

     This tribal group has a significant portion of its population living in log cabins and caves, making it an obvious challenge for us to providing dental and medical care. We will help with the building of a new clinic, as well as providing full dental service through amazing portable dental units purchased through the special generosity of the Rafters Sunday School class several years ago.

     However, our mission is more than ministering to the physical health needs of the tribe in the name of the Great Physician Healer, Jesus. We see our mission as partnering with the brave and noble vision of the Mexican Methodist Church in seeking to proclaim salvation to this tribal group.

     Evangelism is slow and laborious among the Tarahumara. They are significantly different in terms of their spiritual dynamics than the Mexican culture. Nevertheless, the Methodist Church has planted five new congregations in recent years. While on our trip, we will be visiting and participating in the worship of these new congregations.
Please pray for our safety and efficiency in Mexico as we desire to do a good job. Please pray for our safety, also. Since September 11 th, we do not take lightly the reality that anyone, anywhere, any time, can be drawn to an American group in American vans from an American Christian church. We also will pass through the armed guard inspection of the military drug enforcement operation. These concerns are in addition to the usual dangers of travel and construction labor in a primitive country.

     Most of all, please pray that we will become reflectors of Christ’s love, so that many of our patients will desire to know the Christ that has blessed us with so much.

 

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2005 Mexico Mission Trip, May 27th
 

 
 
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Dateline: Creel, Mexico   May 29, 2005
Emailed by Wesley Robinson

Wesley RobinsonWe arrived in Creel following an interesting journey.  Our tan van's air conditioning went out in Brownfield. Borrowing coping strategy from Apollo 13, we loaded people (women, children, and other innocents) into the white van, leaving only a certain few men to shape the "masculine bond" in the airless brown van, blessed by rain storms and an unusual cold front.  All in all, it really hasn't been too bad.

At the border we met an entry official whose English was limited to two words: "No Mistakes!" as he handed out our entry visas to be filled out.  Kelly Robinson became the special concern of this "border Nazi" as we now call him.
On our first day in Creel, we visited the church and set up the clinic (see pictures below).  We look forward to really going in to full swing tomorrow.  Please pray for our stamina and our spiritual sensitivity to these special Tarahumara Indians.

In Christ,
2005 Mexico Mission Team

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2005 Mexico Mission Trip, May 29th
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Dateline: Pitorreal, Mexico, May 31
Emailed by Rev. Doug Chapman


Our Mission Team went into full swing today, inaugurating the new clinic in the village of Pitorreal. Our dental team was full, serving 32 patients - well above the number we had last year. They were excited to be able to use the rooms built the last three years with dental chairs, dental lights, etc. So, with our mobile units, the rooms were perfect!

Clinic


Our construction team began their projects today. More info on that tomorrow!

The most exciting thing today was meeting Don Burgess. Don is a Bible translator who has pioneered the development of the oral Tarahumaran Indian language into written form! For forty years Don has been working on the first translation of the Bible into the special dialect of Tarahumaran used in the western regions of the tribal area. He anticipates being finished in 2-3 years!


Trucks


It was amazing to hear the deeply spiritual and intellectual understanding of the Tarahumaran culture at a depth we had never understood before. Our local Methodist pastor shared how he is a major figure in the Christian ministry here - a kind of hero among the Tarahumaran Christians.

The neat thing is that we connected with this mission hero because he is the cousin of Jimmy Burgess, long time member and usher at First UMC Lubbock. It is always amazing to find the great relatives of our members. We were humbled to be able to hear this great leader as he took special time to share with our group last night.

Please pray for Don Burgess as he finishes the translation of God's Word in Tarahumara.

Thank You for Sending Us!
Doug Chapman

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