Bless Ejido Durango in Baja Earthquake zone 1

PICS:
<>meeting in the church (that's still standing) in Ejido Durango to pray and share together

<>Unloading the 4 trucks worth of supplies brought for the 25 families

<>gathering with Pastor Elias, hearing about the huge 7.2 and 5.2 quakes, how few injuries occured (60 people, already cared for) but most structures are uninhabitable

<>driving the seriously torn-up roads... roller-coaster-ish, lots of cracks and gaps...

<>Chris pulling together the 25 first aid kits taken down...

Baja Norte, Mexico... near the Epicenter of the 'Easter Sunday 7.2 Earthquake"...

well, I wish I could have blogged from there, but it's the day after, and I am SO jazzed that we were able to get supplies and first aid kits into the Quake Zone...

Divide and Bless:San Vicente + Earthquake epicenter

8 Apr Chris in Chula Vista

OK, friends, we'll need prayer covering for this...
Lori is pre-trip for a 10 day bit in San Vicente, to do a week of sewing classes and work with the teenage girls...
I (Chris) am heading with a small team into the epicenter region of the recent 7.2 earthquake in central Baja. Our friends at the la Vina Ejido Durango church are right there, were hit very hard, and they need our help... so, working with the Mexicali la Vina, we're taking supplies as requested, going prepared to minister to injuries, pray for the people and also assess what's the situation to help for the future.

We'll just call this the 'Divide and Bless' week...

Pray, pray, pray

your brother, Chris

Yolanda gets a sewing machine

Monday, March 29th, 2010

If you read my previous blog, you are probably wondering what Yolanda is doing in this picture just two days after her wedding. Well, let's just say that the honeymoon will have to wait, $.

In the meantime, I'm working with Yolanda and one of my other sewing students as we try to get the micro enterprise launched with them taking advantage of me being in town and having use of the sewing machines. The good news is that Yolanda has been able to save up enough funds from the bags that she has sold already to be able to purchase a used sewing machine. This will allow her to continue working on creating products even when I'm not in S.V. It should be exciting to see what sews in the next few months.

Lori

wedding bells

Saturday, March 27th, 2010

What a wonderful day as Chris and I were able to celebrate the blessing of Zacarias and Yolanda's marriage in San Vicente. Weddings are such a communal event in Mexico especially in small towns. Costs for the couple and their families are keep down as friends volunteer to provide a variety of items for the festive event like food, drinks, flowers. cake, decorations, even table coverings. Yolanda asked me to sew 24 fabric squares in "her color", burgundy, that were used in enhancing the tables. A breezy day resulted in the outdoor reception being moved indoors, a little cozy!

When I asked her two days after the ceremony how things had changed, she expressed how she felt closer to God now that His umbrella was over them as a couple.

A Full Week

March 14, 2010

Wow! It was a full week in more ways than one. Between the 10 classes held, 30 different ladies attended this week's sewing classes filling 84 spaces. Seems like the morning class melds into the afternoon class even though I have 2 hours between the two sessions. With people staying late to complete projects and others anxious to get started, I'm lucky to get a bite to eat for lunch.

The international border was long today, over one and half hours on top of the nearly four hour commute. Yuck. Still, I LOVE my job!

Lori

Blue Jean Purses

March 13, 2010

Aren't these blue jean purses the cutest? (pictured) Alvina, has been one of my faithful sewing students when she's not working in the fields. I've been praying about what product I could create to launch her into a micro enterprise. Well, she is taking off with these adorable purses made from old blue jeans. They are lined with cute prints and trimmed with lace, ribbon and buttons. It seems like the perfect fit for her creativity as each bag is unique.

It hasn't been easy getting Alvina going. She never went to school, and as a result what some of us consider easy/basic skills can be a real stretch, for instance: measuring. She has been taking some reading classes the local govt. offers. Still, it's amazing how many things we really do learn in school and what challenges confront those who have never gone.

Currently, Alvina, her husband, and four children are living in a very small travel trailer (about 15 ft long) while they construct a house for their family. Her husband manages field hands for one of the farms nearby. Things are a financial struggle and Alvina plans to use the money that she earns from selling the bags to help with school expenses for her children and to help complete their house.

If you live near Chula Vista, please save your worn out blue jeans and Alvina will be happy to recycle them into something beautiful. Just think you'll be helping the environment while encouraging Alvina in her micro enterprise. Also, if you have ribbons, lace, button, appliques, zippers etc. that you want to send my way for the sewing class, just contact me.

Lori