Created by: AGIF Editor
5/24/2009 1:38 PM

I wanted to send out a quick update and let you know some of what is going on in the ministry right now.  I just returned from the orphanage site in El Higo and the island in Oaxaca.  When I arrived in El Higo, the students were finishing up their time there.  They had been at that location when the Swine Flu outbreak started and within a few days the government of Mexico had basically shut down the entire country.  All the schools were closed, churches, government offices, and no public gatherings were permitted for one week.  There was a lot of uncertainty about what was going to happen and a lot of fear spread by the media.  In the area where the students were, we did not have a single case reported but for a few days some of the people wore  face masks out in public.  The students had several events canceled and so decide to just work mainly going door to door visiting people.  They were amazed at the response from the residents.   Instead of locking their doors in fear, they invited the students into their homes and eagerly received the gospel message.  Many accepted Christ into their hearts and invited the students back to their home again to teach them.  When we were finally able to resume services again, the church was full and standing room only.  The students were leaving the area in a few days but we decided to return and spend more time working with the new Christians and the church.  So after a stay on the island, they will all head back to El Higo for more time there. 

My reason for the trip was to check on the students, but more importantly, to take a new tent down to the island for sleeping quarters for the students.  We had built a structure for the students when they were visiting there last month, but had not been able to raise the finances to finish the thatch on the roof.  Instead, we decided to place a large tent over the sleeping portion of the structure to protect them from the sun and rain.  We left the kitchen portion open since we are cooking with wood and need a place for the smoke to get out.  After a couple of days in El Higo, I headed south with Joel and a pastor friend of mine, Sandy Shaw.  We arrived on the island in time to visit with our missionaries and check out Dennis and Elda's baby, Katia.  She is tiny and Dennis tells me she hardly ever cries.  It was also my first time there since the first cabin was finished and the second one built.  Both were very comfortable and our missionaries have made them home.

We returned to the island the next morning, and were able to visit our friends and family on top and later make out way back to our own property and set the tent up.  Before we could begin, our electrician needed to reroute the neighbors electricity coming from the pole since it passed right over our new building.  Once done we pulled the tent top over the structure and began driving stakes and standing poles.  The 100 plus temperatures and high humidity made the work even harder and it was certainly not the easiest way to put up a tent.  But we finally had all the poles up and it all fit perfectly.  It covered the sleeping area and also provided an open area for eating and relaxing during the hot afternoons.  Once done we headed back to the mainland and started our two day drive north to the border.  By the time we returned to Texas we had traveled over 2000 miles in Mexico.

The students are there now and I expect to hear some great reports about all that God is doing through their ministries.  There is no internet on the island so I have less contact with them right now.  I always tell people that no news is good news from the groups and students, but I am also excited to hear from them and hear those reports.  I will see Joel this next week as he takes a few days off to attend Wade's (my youngest son) wedding.  Before they left El Higo, I asked them to all write a short paragraph about their most memorable event while they were in El Higo.  Those are all posted on the DMT blog.  That URL is listed below.  Please remember each of the students in your prayers.  They are on the front lines of ministry where they are. 

In His service,

Roger Tomlinson

Dayspring Outreach Ministries

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