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Celebration in Mexico – March 2008
The
Board of Directors of Come To The Waters M.I traveled to Mexico and were
taken
on a tour of the churches the Ministry is planting.
The
Mexican people gave us a warm welcome when we visited the first week of
March. With grateful hearts they thanked us and treated us like royalty. Although
they have few possessions and their living conditions are far from Canadian
comforts, they are rich in the love of the Lord which they share freely
and openly.
El Tamarindo
In
the mountain village of Tamarindo, we were escorted by women and children
through a blue-and-white balloon arch over the path that leads to the little
brick church. On the arch hung a sign written in English; “Welcome.”
Dr.
Esaú Salinas summoned the people to the service with a megaphone. About
sixty people attended the celebration service to hear our words of encouragement. Because
the small church holds only forty people, the congregation sat on lawn chairs
under a blue canopy that stretched between the church roof and the new extension. After
the service, a free health clinic was held inside the church where Dr. Salinas
attended to the needs of about twenty people.
Pastor Santiago
and Analis Miranda prepared a hearty meal in a country kitchen made of sticks.
Atlixtac
Pastor Fortino
Cassarrubias and his family generously provided food and lodging for us during
our over-night stay in the mountain village of Atlixtac. We had the privilege
to take part in two services at Templo Evangelico Pentecostes, the church Pastor
Cassarrubias shepherds. This is a growing church; many in the village
are attending and giving their lives to Jesus. While Pastor Armida was
preaching the lights went out and she finished the service in the dark without
a microphone. Five people that evening accepted the Lord. Praise
the Lord.
Acapulco
The third
church in which we were invited to speak was Gloria de Dios under the direction
of Pastor Rodolfo. It was a blessing to worship with the congregation
and spend some time with them.
Just before
the end of the service, we hurried to the home of Pastor Gonzalo and Maria
Elena De La Rosa which is next door to their church Casa Del Alfarero. A
ladies’ Bible study group meets at their home weekly. Mrs. De La
Rosa, who heads the group, invited Pastor Armida Schulha to speak that evening. It
was a pleasure to meet and pray with the ladies.
Tres Palos
Mount Zion
church is a small shelter made of wooden planks, a sandy floor, and a large
curtain that services as a backdrop behind the pulpit. The property owner has
asked the congregation to vacant because his daughter wishes to build a house
on the lot. Just down the road is a cement brick building under construction
which will soon be their new church. We stopped to chat with the men
who were erecting the walls. Today the walls and roof are complete. This
church is facing opposition from the witches in the neighbour. The witches’ high
priest lives in the middle of the town. Please remember Mount Zion in
prayer.
La Venta
On our way
to El Arbol de la Vida (the Living Tree church), we stopped briefly at Llamados
Para Servir. The sound of joyful voices worshipping God drifted out to
the highway that the church sits beside. This was the first church assisted
financially by Come To The Waters Ministries and is growing strong. It
is under the leadership of Pastor Carols Navarret.
The evening
service at El Arbol de la Vida was held under a large old tree that stands
in the middle of a sandy courtyard surrounded by a two-storey housing complex. Although
Pastor Pedro Calixto has no church building, the congregation is growing rapidly. It
began with 3 people; Assistant Pastor Socorro and her two sons, and now the
congregation consists of 130 people. The people gathered around the tree seated
on plastic lawn chairs to hear our message of encouragement and to worship. Eleven
people requested water baptism that night.
Afterwards
photographs were taken and everybody celebrated with a delicious dinner of
chicken consommé and tacos. Shirley and Corinne presented the
Pastors with a gift of Spanish Precept study books contributed by a Canadian
donor.
The children,
at all four churches which we visited, were spellbound by the story and lesson
presented by Shirley Tye of Aunt Shirley Story Ministry
El Tamarindo
The "Welcome"
People in Church
Pastor Santiago and Pastor Armida Schulha
Atlixtac
Aunt Shirley with children
Pastor Fortino Cassarrubias
Pastor Cassarrubias - Ladies' Day Service,
Mar. 5
Acapulco
Gloria de Dios
Ladies' Bible Study - Maria Elena (far left)
Pastor Armida (far right)
Tres Palos
Mount Zion Church - old site
Tres Palos #90 - Mount Zion Church - new site
La Venta
Llamados Para Servir
Pastor Pedro Calixto & wife
- receiving Spanish
Precept Bible study book
People gathered at the Living Tree Church
GOD BLESSES MEXICO
After having our Board of Directors visit in March and giving them a tour
of the churches being planted, we moved into a new direction. Our
Apostle Carol McLean and Pastor Jennifer McLean, her daughter (both from
Ontario) toured all the churches and gave the Mexican people prophetic
words received by Apostle Carol McLean.
The Association of Pastors of the Valley of Acapulco of which I, Pastor
Armida, am a member, held a prayer and breakfast reunion April 14. The
Lord had given a word to Pastor Carol regarding the year 2008 being a new
year full of blessings and new authority for God’s people.
We then moved to the Coloso Auditorium where several hundred people heard
the message of love, redemption and prophecy for the next two days.
During this Evangelistic Crusade the signs and wonders the Lord performed
humbled us. We saw limbs grow, lost babies were saved, backs and
tumors healed, and people under demonic possession or influence were delivered. Praise
the Lord!
Acapulco fell in love with Pastor Carol and her with Mexico, and the hot
Mexican food!
We were invited to speak on the radio station and more prophetic words
were given. Now Acapulco wants Pastors Carol and Jennifer back soon!
I thank all of you who have sent your gift of love to build small churches
where these wonderful congregations will be able to praise and worship
the Lord. Although, their churches have dirt or cement floors and
plastic chairs, their worship is genuine. They pray constantly for
Canada.
I will also ask you to continue to support this effort to bring relief
to the poor children and hope to the adults. Your contributions are
highly valued by all of us but more so by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
May the Lord richly bless you and may He put in your heart to provide a
brick to keep the construction going.
We still have no altar for Mount Zion, floor, windows, doors, or bathrooms. Please
see our page for information on how you can donate.
May the Lord richly bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon
you.
Rev. Armida Schulha
All the pastors of Come To The Waters and
Llamados Para Servir met Apostle Carol at a breakfast.
Dancing to the Lord during
the Evangelistic Healing Crusade, April 14 & 15 at Coloso's Auditoriu.
Pastor Carol preaching on Ruth at Evangelistic
Crusade promoted by Come To The Waters and the Association of the Pastors
of the Valley of Acapulco.
Pastor Carol and Pastor Armida at the radio
station where a prophetic word was given to Mexico.
Pastor Armida and Art in the lot adjacent
of the new location of Mount Zion that is to be used for a Bible School
or children's refuge.
The new Mount Zion
Pastors Carol, Jennifer, Pedro and Armida
blessing the new temple of Mount Zion.
Pastors Carol and Armida preaching at the
present location of Mount Zion - a hut of sticks with a bedspread as
a backdrop behind the altar.
Feb
`08 Update
On Feb 8 amd 9, Rev Armida Schulha along with Rev Santiago and Analis,
brought a team of 14 volunteers to El Tamarindo, to work on the addition.
They worked on building the wall and included arches to allow light as
well as a beautiful mountain view. The guys all slept on the floor and
were visited by scorpions , while the girls had the luxury of sister Talita`s
house, a palace by comparison ! At least there were real bathrooms instead
of night trips out on the mountain fields!
The women made tortillas by hand and fried fish caught in the river.
They added some black beans [frijoles], coffee , water or coke and this
fed the hungry workers.
The mayor who was recently saved after one of Armida`s messages,
even sent two donkeys loaded with large bunches of fresh coconuts, so tender
you could eat the flesh with a spoon ! Even the kids helped by serving
the meals on a half broken table, but the joy of the Lord was there and
they had lots of fun.
They are hoping to complete the roof on time. Shirley, our treasurer
and Corinne, VP will be going on March 2 to visit the construction site
and meet the people of El Tamarindo. For Shirley it will be a first mission
trip to a third world area, and for Corinne, a return to the Mexican mountains
after 41 years! Both are very excited. Both would appreciate your prayers
for safe travel.
Armida has been very busy with our other projects as well. She is
hoping to have the church in Mount Zion closer to the coast built
by April. However, more funds are needed for building supplies.
An orphanage is also desperately needed but will have to wait for
sufficient funds.
Your help would be so appreciated to help fund these projects. Please
see donation section.
Nov-Dec Update
Well, the construction in El Tamarindo continues. More money has
come in which should cover the cost of renting a backhoe to move the
dirt and fill in the area by the retaining wall.
The two bathrooms are nearly finished. This building may have the
only flush toilets in the village! There is a large water tank which will
facilitate the process. It`s amazing how much we take for granted in our
own country. When you see these hard working people building on the side
of a mountain and having to carry water uphill and break boulders with
a pickaxe, this project takes on new meaning. It has become a labour of
love with a lot of manual labour by many volunteers.
The plan is to finish by March 1st. There is still much to do.. We
continue to ask for your support and thank all who have kindly donated.
Please consider giving for building materials and interior furnishings.
On behalf of the board at Come to the Waters we wish you special
blessings of peace and joy this Christmas knowing that Jesus is the reason
for the season.
Everyone fills the foundation with stones.
Setting reinforcement rods for bathroom corners.
Cementing rods in bathroom corners
make-shift sunroof of palms to keep workers out of the sun.
Scenic view of the Hwy to Acapulco.
Sept/October Update
The latest word from Mexico is that dengue fever and influenza are
still rampant in the villages because of the flooding. The
good news is that Pastor Armida has arranged for one of the
doctors, Esau Salinas, from Gloria de Dios church to go to El Tamarindo
with Santiago and bring medications with him. They will hold
a clinic for all the people of the village at the construction
site. Imagine, our original all purpose building will soon be used
as a clinic for the day !! This is SO needed and appreciated.
Pastor Santiago was in El Tamarindo recently, in spite of the bad
road conditions. He brought another $1,000 of your donated money
to continue the construction work. They are presently completing
the bathrooms and have the walls up. With the extra money they,plan
to rent a backhoe from a neighbouring village so they can move large
mounds of dirt that was donated for filling in by the retaining wall.
Hopefully, if we can raise another $4,000, the construction should
be completed by March `08. The people of El Tamarindo are already
planning a grand celebration, rancho style, and the excitement continues. Every
donation helps. Won`t you consider giving in memory of a loved
one, or to honour someone`s Birthday or Anniversary ?
Come to the Waters will send a receipt and a letter of acknowledgement
for all donations of $10 or more.
May you be blessed, and be a blessing to others.
A new window has been installed in the present church
building.
Having worship before and after work.
Pastor Santiago digging hard on the rocky terrain.
The boys digging for the foundation of the bathrooms.
Pastor Jesus from Llamados Para Servir in Acapulco lending a
hand with the reinforcement rods.
Mixing cement for the foundation and to secure the
rods.
Children's provisional school.
Pastor Analis and one of the congregants
Cement being stored in the temple but we have no
door!
Group of brethren from Acapulco who came to help
with the construction of the Bathrooms in El Tamarindo.
August 07 Update
The report for August is troubling. Hurricane
Henrietta flooded Acapulco, Oaxaca, and villages along the coast. It
also hit the village of El Tamarindo where we are constructing
the second church building. The river overflowed its banks
and flooded all the fields which were ready for harvest. Many people
watched helplessly as their refrigerators and stoves floated amid
dirty water and tons of mud. Cars were covered in mud and
motors clogged making it impossible to start them again. The depth
of the water in the lower parts of the city and some of the Colonias
or subdivisions was one to two meters. Cars, houses, furniture
and clothing have been lost.
Seven precious
lives were lost in this flood. Five of them were children of about five
years of age. They were asleep in cardboard huts when a mud slide ripped through
a retaining wall crushing them to death. During the funeral procession
to the cemetery, several men walked ahead of the others digging their way through
the mud with wheelbarrows, picks and shovels to make passage for the convoy.
The Lagoons
of Puerto Marquez and Tres Palos overflowed and mixed with sewage. The
government fears for the residents’ health and are trying to prevent
the danger of typhoid and intestinal illnesses from developing and spreading.
Dr. Essau said that Dengue is rampant and the elderly and the children suffer
the most.
For a people
already poor, this is a devastating blow. I ask everyone who is lead by the
Lord to donate funds to food centres that are being set up to assist the poor. It
is urgent that these people get help to prevent further tragedy.
Matthew 25:40, says
"Then the King shall answer
them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done unto the
least of these, my brethren, ye have done unto Me."
Please send your donations to:
"COME TO THE WATERS M.I. " or donate through PAYPAL
HERE and may the Lord richly bless you for your kindness to His people.
Rev. Armida Schulha
This picture is of the new wall that
is being built as a retaining wall for the new church.
July 2007
News from Pastors Miranda and Analiz
Pastors Santiago and Analiz have instituted a service on Wednesday
evenings. Since Pastor Santiago makes the 6 hour trip only on
Sundays, two pastors-in-training, Beto and Juan conduct the services
- one sings and one preaches. There are from 6 to 15 people in
attendance at the Wednesday services.
Sunday, July 22 Pastor Jesus from Llamados para Servir preached.
He was joined by his brother Miguel and two
youths who sang.
After the service, the four of them finished filling in the floor
of the new building with stones and earth so that work can continue
on the walls. They returned three times to help with the digging
of the two holding tanks for the two bathrooms. One of the fellows
has volunteered to build the walls of the bathrooms.
The poor of El Tamarindo appreciate your prayers and financial
support. Donations can be sent to Come To The Waters. God rejoices
when His children help each other. Thank you for your prayers and
support.
JUNE `07 UPDATE
The retaining wall on the hillside is finished at last. This
was a huge job !! You can see from the picture of the pastor`s
son how high the wall had to be to hold the soil back and level
the land. Now
they are working on the bathrooms and planting some lovely flowers
around the building. The roof is next, then hopefully it will be
safe enough to open the school.
The local people are still enthusiastic about completing the work.
A few months ago Armida visited a family who live across the road
from this building. She discovered that the mother and daughter were
heavily into witchcraft. Armida explained the dangers and encouraged
them to turn to Jesus instead of the curanderos and idolatry. He
not only answers prayer; He`s also FREE and AVAILABLE 24 hours a
day !!
The mother refused to change her ways but the daughter did and soon
began coming to church. Recently, the mother became very ill and
couldn`t be moved down the mountain to a hospital. She was
in great agony.The daughter ran across the road and asked the 2 pastoral
assistants if they would come and pray for her mother. The mother
asked them to pray that she be healed. "If you do not accept
the Lord how can you expect Him to heal you ?" She replied, "but
I know about Jesus". They told her she needed to know Him personally.
Finally she agreed and accepted the Lord as her personal Saviour,
and they prayed for her. Nothing happened.
The next morning she got up and was totallty healed. Now she even
comes to Church !
This is just one example of the way this little church and soon to
be school is meeting the needs of these dear people.
Pastor Santiago and his wife, Analiz, and 2 children, Aby and Oby,
drive from Acapulco for 6 hours each way to El Tamarindo every weekend
to conduct services at this little church in El Tamarindo. Lately,
because of road construction they have had to leave their car at
the main highway [ a risk in itself ], and walk 10 kilometers up
the mountain to the church. Then they sleep overnight on the sanctuary
floor, accompanied by tarantulas and mice. Can you imagine how
rested they might be for services the next morning and another trek
down the mountain afterward ?
Juan has been offering his horse and donkey which helps, but the
very bumpy ride gives them back and leg pains afterward. This is
the price they pay to bring the Word of God to these spiritually
starving people !
One day, the kids asked their Dad,"Why do we have to walk so
far Dad ?" He answered, " Because Jesus had to walk a long
way, so we too must walk. "
Please continue to support this amazing project. The people of El
Tamarindo are SO grateful, and so are we.
May 2007 Update
The multipurpose building being erected for the people of El
Tamarindo is still progressing, but at a slower rate. The money
collected is running out soon. What a sad time it will be if
only some of the children can go to school. In order to complete
the second room and furnish it with desks and school supplies
will take about $2,000. We are hoping the building can be completed
before the rainy season sets in. Then the road becomes too soft
and supplies can`t be brought in. Last year the road was impassable
until December!
The people are still excited to keep volunteering their efforts and
do what they can until the money comes in. The children are very
anxious to start school but until the roof is completed and the building
is safe, the school cannot be opened. Last Sunday, four churches
in Acapulco got together for a special concert. They took up a love
offering for El Tamarindo and raised a whopping $800 pesos! That`s
a lot for these Mexicans but only amounts to $80. This is why they
cannot manage alone; it can take many years to complete the construction.
We trust, dear readers that your kind donation will help us complete
the project on time.
Please send your cheque made out to "Come to the Waters
MI" and mark in the memo"El Tamarindo". Donations
can be sent to :
Shirley Tye, Treasurer,
6 Sparrow Court,
Little Britain, Ontario,
K0M 2C0
OR With a Credit Card on a secure server
at PAYPAL
All donations of $20 or more will be receipted.
With deep gratitude to God and to you,
Men on a hot tin roof!
Breaking up
the boulders after they were heated by burning tires,
then cracked when cold water was poured over them .
A little girl who attends church with her family.
The mayor`s wife and daughter, back left.
The wife objected to the building but now she and her family
are actively involved and the daughter wants to help teach the children.
Armida standing near the men who are breaking up
the rocks by hand.
A Mexican sunset to be enjoyed by rich and poor
alike.
APRIL `07 Update
Well, praise God, Armida and Art, her husband, have returned
safely to Canada. There were so many "miracle" stories (See
Testimonials) resulting from her preaching and teaching ! Large
crowds continue to come to Sunday services, partly because this is
the ONLY church in the village and there is a deep spiritual hunger.
The addition of a larger room is underway, and a retaining wall is
now in place. A pulpit has been donated by a church in another village, "La
Gloria de Dios" that is also under CTTW. Once the construction
is completed the school will open as a 2 room school.
Come to the Waters has since been invited to help with two more churches
in other areas of Mexico. --one is already built and needs to be
enlarged, and the second has walls only--Mount Zion.
God is on the move in Mexico! Many people are being healed, set free
from demonic influence, and want to get their lives right while there`s
time. I suggest, dear reader that you go to "testimonials" and
read what actually took place this past year. In spite of the violence
and murders in Acapulco and elsewhere, that we all heard about in
the news, God is pouring out a mighty blessing on those who turn
back to Him in ways we have not seen here for many years.
May it open our eyes to the need to get things right, not by joining
a church or denomination, but by turning back to God and asking for
His forgiveness and direction in our lives. He WILL be returning
soon. Are you ready ?
We so appreciate your interest and financial support. The work is
still in process.
May you be blessed in a special way today,
MARCH 2007 UPDATE
Exciting news!!! The building isn`t
finished yet and it`s already too small!!!
Armida went to visit the site recently, and preached from 9AM to
9PM on the Sunday, --and people kept coming ! They really enjoyed
the singing, prayer, and the moving of the Holy Spirit!
There were only 20 chairs, and no pulpit or altar yet but that didn`t
seem to matter. They
were hungry for God!! Even the lack of bathrooms didn`t keep them
away! It was standing room only!!
So, a decision was made to double the size of the building. This
will make it easier for the school as well. Now we`ll have to see
how God provides the funds. In fact, He has already begun !
One day last month, Pastor Santiago sent his younger son to buy some
tortillas from the store whwere they live. The older one was also
supposed to go but had too much homework. When the 7 year old returned
with the tortillas, he said, "Look Papa, the Lord rewarded me
for going to get the tortillas. I found 160.00 pesos in the street
among the garbage. The pastor father asked,," Was there anyone
around who may have lost it "?
He replied, "No, Papa, nadie [no one]".
"Then you may give it back to the Lord who has rewarded your obedience
and you may buy something for yourself like toys or shoes !!" The little
boy replied, " Can I buy them instead for the children of El Tamarindo
because they have nothing and we have too much "
The pastor cried because they are not well off, and because of the
tenderness of the heart of his child. He decided also, to teach the
older boy a lesson. "You see,if you had gone with your brother,
you could now share the money with him. The older boy replied, "I
too would have given it to you and Mama for the children of El Tamarindo" These
are the precious children of the future pastor and teacher for El
Tamarindo !! They love visiting and helping with the children.
Two more donations are coming, and one is from Vancouver, Canada.
This older senior lost a doctor friend of Êmany years, and
is sending a donation in his name. She heard about our project earlier
and donated as an encouragement to us. The second donation is in
memory of a loved one as well.
Will you consider, dear reader, how you may help these precious people
of El Tamarindo complete their project ? They are so grateful and
pray for you.
How will you remember them ?
 .  .
 .
FEBRURARY 2007 UPDATE
Oh the joy of building on the side of a mountain with lots of rock
and no water!
Armida`s team have run into the following challenges this month:
-they had to purchase a water pump [$500 U S] to bring water
from the stream far below the site.
-one of the workers brought his donkey to carry wood and other supplies
up the mountain, but after a few trips the donkey had an accident
and died. Since donkeys are still the best
mode of transportation on mountain roads, another will be purchased
at $100 US.
-the large mounds of rock on the property had to be blasted to level
the ground
-several sheep and goats have been coming to visit the construction
site [maybe this was their home], so a fence has had to be erected
around the building. This will be safer for the school children
when out playing during breaks.
The roof is now on the building so they will proceed with floor,
windows and electricity.
Also, the local people have been helping to clear brush with their
machetes, and bring food for the workers. Now they just need
to add 2 banos (outhouses) and that should complete the essentials.
Once again, we thank you for your generous donations, your patience,
and mostly your enthusiastic support for this project. Big
abrazzos [ hugs] from everyone in El Tamarindo, and from us as well.
Hopefully, when the Mexican "cameraman" on the team returns
from being called to Mexico City, he`ll send us more pictures.
Until then, may you feel well blessed as you drive your car and use
your indoor facilities!
With deep gratitude,
CTTW staff
This picture below is of one barefoot boy from El
Tamarindo and the Pastor's two boys playing with him. They are
poising in front of the best building in the whole town!
The little boy in the pail taking a bath is in the
village the water is cold! and then back to little more than rags
on his back. And of course no shoes! When you take a bath or flush
your toilet, remember these little ones!
Jan `07 Update
We are excited to share the first pictures of this
multipurpose building in El Tamarindo. As you can see from the
first one, the terrain is rocky and hilly--not the easiest to dig
out.
Strangely enough, in Mexico they put
up the walls then pour the floor . No basement here because of
the rock! The people are so excited as well!
Armida visited the site in early January [ as seen in one of the
pictures].
On Jan. 23rd, she emailed us to report that they were cutting wood
to support the corrugated metal roof.
On Feb 3rd, Armida and team will visit again to supervise the pouring
of the floor and assembling of the roof. Can you believe this multipurpose
building is well underway ? Considering how slowly things move
in Mexico, this is absolutely amazing!0 We had complications from
the bank trying to set up a new account and get the necessary documents
etc. in December. Now, it`s full speed ahead!
There will be 2 couples looking after the programs. Both men
are pastors and one is a chartered accountant as well.. He`ll
oversee the financial running of the project. The adult literacy
program is free and will be taught by the wives . This should
really enhance the quality of life for the people of El Tamarindo. Upgrading
their reading and writing skills will make such a difference for
their self esteem and job possibilities. Both couples are Mexican,
so language is not a problem. The building will also be used as a
church and Sunday school on the weekends as well. What good use of
facilities!
How can we ever begin to thank you for your generous donations, and
for making a difference in the lives of these forgotten villagers!
They are still in shock that people from Canada would want to help
them build something they could never afford on their own.
We`ll keep you up to date with more pictures to come!
Wishing you a wonderful New Year,
With many blessings,
Corinne
December 2006
"December Update
re School Project"
We have good news to report to you. Armida and a team from
Llamados Para Servir visited the rancho of El Tamarindo on Dec.
9th. This was the earliest they could get in because the
road had been closed due to heavy rains and an impassable river. However,
once in El Tamarindo the team lost no time in purchasing the land
for the school/community building. The municipal government gave consent
and the construction will now begin.
The people are all excited and have offered to help by donating their
time, labour, wood, tools, et cetera. Others have offered to bring
food and drinks to the volunteer workers. Many of the local
labourers will be donating their time after a full day
(10 to 12 hours) of working in the fields. The man in the El
Tamarindo photo was told by Armida that he and his child could be
seen by people all over the world. This sparked such an interest
that he now wants to come out and help with the roof !
Armida and her team will return to El Tamarindo on December 28th
with wood, cement, and other building materials. A school/community
buidling will be constructed that will accomodate 50 students, and a
smaller room and bathroom for the teacher/pastor. This building
will be used during the daytime to teach children and
in the evenings adults will be taught basic skills such
as reading and writing. During weekends it will be
used for church services and community meetings.
We are very grateful to CIASP for raising $1600 to date and GOJI
customers for their donations toward this project. Many
others have given generously as well. Thank you all for
your kindness. With these donations we are able to
begin construction of this building. However, a little more
is required to purchase desks, books, and teaching materials. If
you would like to donate to this cause in memory of a loved one, or
to honour someone, you can send donations from now until April to:
Come to the Waters Ministries
c/o Shirley Tye
6 Sparrow Court,
Little britain, On
K0M 2C0
To God be the glory for He is our faithful provider.
March 2006/ 06
NEW MISSION PROJECT- EL
TAMARINDO, MEXICO
El Tamarindo, a small rancho at the border of Guerrero and
Oaxaca and south of Hidalgo, is nestled in the Sierra
Madre mountains. These wonderful people have requested help to have
a building that could be used as a school during the day, community
centre for evening meetings, and church on the weekends, as they
have none at present. This building could be shared by the 2
adjacent ranchos who also have nothing. A small apartment needs to
be added at the back for the teachers/clergy who will come to work
there. Already a couple have offered to teach and stay at the school
so this is very encouraging.
Financial Estimate:
land 9,000
pesos $900 Cdn
excavation 3,000
pesos $300 Cdn
bricks, cement etc 15,000
pesos $1500 Cdn
paint, wiring etc. 5,000
pesos $500 Cdn
desks, chairs, etc. 8,000
pesos $800 Cdn
total 40,000 pesos $4,000 Cdn
This may not seem like much money by Canadian standards, but for
these Mexicans, it could take forever to raise this amount. These
people want their children to be educated but so far this has
remained only a dream.
"Llamados Para Servir" representing 5 churches from the west coast
near Acapulco will oversee the project. These churches barely have enough money
to meet the needs of their own people, but they saw the need to respond to
the people of El Tamarindo.
By Canadian law, a charity cannot give money to an individual or
group of individuals, but only to another charity. For this reason,
Come to the Waters Ministries will be giving whatever money is raised
to Llamados Para Servir, a recognized charity, and they will
ensure that the money is spent only on the specifics above.
What we need are generous Canadian donors who are willing to give
to improve the lives of these precious poor.
On June 24th 2006, a Canadian organization called CIASP [Co-ordination
of Inter American Student Projects ], met after 40 years for a reunion
in Toronto,Ontario. These CIASPers had traveled to Mexico as
students in the 60`s and lived in rural ranchos like El Tamarindo.
Many commented during a sharing time, how they learned so much about
life from their experience living with the Mexican people, and received
far more than they gave. Now some gave back by donating $1,500 toward
this project so far.
Some of the many people involved in This Project:
ARMIDA, President, Come To The
Waters was born in La Paz, Baja California, and came to Canada In
1964 after marrying Art Schulha, a Ukrainian vacationing in
Mexico. She worked for 30 years with the Bank of Montreal and attended
a Catholic church in Scarborough, and later, St. Pascal Baylon in
Willowdale [Toronto]. Armida and Art were also invited to his father`s
Pentecostal Church in Scarborough. It was here that Armida developed
a hunger for serving God on the mission field. After she retired
from the bank, Armida and Art began going to Mexico for longer stretches
in the winter.In Mexico she would routinely say" No, Gracias" to
the many vendors that were trying to sell their wares. One day the
Lord spoke to her and said "Do you really see your people Armida?
Do you know if they are hungry ? Do you bother to look at them
?"Armida was shaken by this. The very next vendor was a woman
with 3 kids and an infant in a rebozo strapped to her back. She was
selling buckets for the beach for 5 pesos each. Armida changed her
approach and asked, "What is your name ?" The reply was "Pasquala" [a
name from the Naualtl Indian tribe }. "How many children do
you have ?" "20" came the reply.This poor mother had
no money for herself or her children to return home on the bus as
she had not sold anything. Armida and her friend bought all the buckets
and saved this woman`s dignity and allowed her to return home with
her family. From that day on, Armida has had a passion to help her
own people and to teach them how to have a personal
relationship with Jesus, the One who loves them unconditionally and
will hear and answer their prayers day or night..
Now when Armida goes to Mexico, she spends some time at the beach,
sitting in her office[ chair]. Many locals come to chat , to learn
more about God or to have her pray about their needs. A Catholic
man who sells sunglasses at the beach brings his Bible and Armida
teaches him. Luis also gets her advice regarding his project to
take boys off the street and turn them away from drugs and alcohol.
At the priest`s house they get to play basketball and learn their
catechism, as well as emotional support for their concerns. Luis
can go to places Armida can`t so they make a good team ! For Armida," the
only religion that God recognizes as righteous is the one that
helps widows and orphans, the poor and the sick. He didn't intend
that we be separated by denominational differences"
El
Tamarindo 2006
CORINNE , went to Mexico with CIASP in 1967 and` 68 as a young
and inexperienced graduate nurse. Her first summer was spent in a
mountain rancho much like El Tamarindo. She visited each household, helping
the people where she could with their medical conditions. Corinne
also taught a few health classes to the children who had a school
but no teacher, and saw how eager the they were to learn.
This memory encouraged Corinne to support the Tamarindo school project.
Corinne, like Armida, grew up in a Catholic home and actually attended
the same church as Armida in Toronto in the `70`s but never
met her. Corinne married and was later led to a Pentecostal
Church where she was drawn even more to mission work but because
of her husband`s illness that was put on hold. Now after losing
2 husbands, Corinne is free to get involved in missions again. She
and Armida both moved to Lindsay in the late `90`s and only met in
2002 while working on a project to bring 120 Latinos from Toronto
to Lindsay for a concert. Armida and I found we had a lot in common
and a similar passion to help the poor and needy in Mexico. For
Corinne, " I still remember the little children with beautiful
big eyes carrying heavy buckets of water attached to a a wooden stick
across their shoulders. Some as young as 5 would be working because
there was no school for them. We Canadians have so much
here and a responsibility to share with the less fortunate of the
world. Having lived in the mountains in Mexico, I have a deeper understanding
of real poverty and the words of Jesus, "Whatever you do for
the least of My brothers you do for Me.
El Rayo 1967
MIKE DAVIS an American who has lived in Mexico with his
wife and 2 children for 18 years and GREGORY WINSLOW who is from
Boston and married with 9 children, all born in the Acapulco
area, are the ones who began Llamados Para Servir to bring the
local churches together and train local leaders. They support
a Catholic orphanage and work with a local Catholic priest. They
provide clothing and transportation for the orphanage. Mike and
Greg are still overseeing the 5 churches and the co-operation
among the clergy is very good.
. .
For those of you reading this who would like to donate to the El Tamarindo
project, you can send your donation online through paypal or mail
a cheque payable to
"Come to the Waters Ministries"
1 Shirley Anne Dr. S,
Little Britain, On
K0M 2C0
All donations are tax receipted if over $10 and 100% of donations
for this project will be sent with no administrative fees.
"Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one
of you says to him,"Go, I wish you well;keep warm and well fed",
but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it ? In the same way,
faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead. James 2: 15-17
Let`s do our part to help our brothers and sisters in need.
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