Update

Here is two pictures I took of the first night we went to meet with some believers who live outside of Autlan. This is the house of Juana and Fransisco who are on the left side of the picture. They have expressed their desire for a Bible study and prayer time during the week. We are blessed and encouraged by them. We started a Bible study on Friday nights at their house. We can hardly wait to see what God has in-store for these believers.

FYI: The plant that is hanging all around is called chiote, which are similar to potatoes. They have a nice patio area that is really comfortable except when you hit one of the chiotes with your head, they have little prickles all over them.

Norma and Carlos's daughter, Akati, who the girls love to play with.

Here is the first time we got to see Baby Daniel outside of the hospital. The doctors encouraged everyone to wear masks, at least for the first couple of weeks. A quick update about him. John and Elizabeth continue to see Daniel amaze the doctors. After leaving Guadalajara, John and Elizabeth were waiting to see how Daniel's eyes would do. The eye doctor said that if his eyes did not improve he would have to have another surgery. Praise the Lord his eyes improved and he does not need the surgery. The next little hurdle is his hearing. He can hear, but needs to pass a hearing exam. John and Elizabeth are going back to Guadalajara this week to get another test done. Please pray for this new baby. At the end of last week he weighed over seven pounds. YEAH!!! That is much better than two pounds.

Ok, I am stopping from this whirl-wind experience we are having with all the stuff that is going on. The last update was over a month ago and our lives has been busy since that point. First bit of news is that we found a new home! We stumbled across some guys painting an empty house and found out it was for rent. The price was about the same as what we were paying for our other house. This is the style of house that has a courtyard just on the inside of the house. It is great because it is only two blocks away from La Roca. We have come to find out that it is over a hundred years old. There are many interesting thing about the house. Right now we are in the process of having the roof re-done. It made of tiles and has many leaks. So this week we have a guy here is now removing all of the tiles and placing plastic down and putting the tiles back down so it won't leak. We thought it would only take a day. Going on day three we are hoping today it will be finished and we can put our living room and bedroom back together. After being here for two weeks we feel we have taken a step backwards the way the house looks. We are very happy that the roof won't leak anymore though. We have posted some pictures of the house on clarkcreation. You can take a look if you like. There is a link on side of this page.

The next bit of news is that English classes started last week. I (Andy) am teaching three different levels this year. Level 1, Level 2 and Level 4. It has been a bit of a challenge to focus on class preparation as there are still so many things that need to get done in our house. Jessie is again teaching level 3 this year. I have over 25 students in both level one and two. Pray that God gives us opportunities to speak into the lives of our students.

Other exciting news. John and Elizabeth have brought Daniel home. They have to get his eyes checked to see if he needs another eye surgery but as of right now everything is going very well for them. He is just about 6 pounds which is really a big difference than 2 pounds. They are all adjusting to life together. I have yet to see him due to a cold, but Jessie was able visit them on Friday and actually got to hold him. She said is a cute little baby just small. Please pray for them during this time of transition.

I wanted to add a few photos, something I haven't done in a while. Last week I went up the mountain near our house a few times to pray about the ministry in Autlan. It really helped me focus on what we are doing here. During my time on the way up, I thought you would like to see how people get there water up in the mountains. Here they use big plastic jugs that they fill up and bring to their houses. Seeing this makes me realize how good we have it, where we live. It would be hard to carry your water up the mountain everyday. In this picture they use a donkey to carry the jugs. The house behind it is adobe, which is bricks that are made out of mud that haven't been heated. They still use these bricks off and on. It is more expensive to use the normal bricks and cement, so this might be all they can afford to build their houses.

I meant to post this when we got back from Guadalajara the first time 2 half weeks ago. This is baby Daniel. He is doing well. This morning he weighs 3 lbs. 1oz. which is such a wonderful answer to prayer. He has been gaining weight more quickly now. A few weeks ago they would weigh him everyday. He wouldn't gain anything or very little. Then he started gaining 15 grams a few times. Now they weigh him every other day and he gains close to 80 grams in two days. We hope and pray that this continues to be the case. The faster he grows the sooner he will be able to come home to Autlan. Below is John the father (our ministry partner). Can you see the resemblance? John was in Autlan for a few days trying to get the process started for a birth certificate. He is now back in Guadalajara.

Tuesday

Last week was a very busy week. We went to visit John and Elizabeth on Monday and Tuesday, I started working at La Roca all week. It was a bit different to be gone from 3:30 PM to 11:00 PM everyday. It was a great time to catch up on some maintenance at La Roca.

The week ended with some sad news. Our dog Denver ran away on Thursday. He was a small Fox Terrier who loved to run. He got out underneath our front gate just after I left to return some videos. I want looking for him right after I got back about 30 mins or so later. He was no where to be seen. After a few hours it was evident that he was not coming back. We even put up signs with his picture on it with our phone number. As we started talking to people, no one had seen him. They also said there is a good chance that someone just picked him up and took him away. The worst part is not knowing what happened to him.

Today, I walked up the mountain close to our house and had a great time of prayer. (The picture of at the top of the page is of the mountain.) Someone back in states reminded me how important it is to pray and how it is a good idea to prayer walk. As I sat up there on the mountain next to "Mary Alter" I was compelled to pray that the people of Autlan would become hungry for the God's word and God would reveal Himself to them. There are many people who try so hard to earn their salvation. Our hope is in Him and not ourselves. We all have fallen short of the glory of God. It is God who redeems us.

Wednesday

Norma and Carlos the couple who were staying at our house for a few days had a baby boy Ariel Isiahi was born of Thursday morning. Both Mom and baby are doing great back at home. We plan to visit them this week. I am not sure about the weight and height but he looks really good.

On Monday, we again went to see John, Elizabeth and Daniel but this time we took some other people as well. We took Ady and her two kids Denora and Daniel as well as Barbara. Our girls came and were glad to see John and Elizabeth. It was the first time they had seen Elizabeth since leaving Mexico. Our girls have been praying for Daniel almost every night before they go to bed so it was good they finally got to see who they were praying for.

This week, Ady our waitress for La Roca needed some time off, so I am working at La Roca all week. This is a good thing because it gives me plenty of time to catch up on maintenance at La Roca when we are not busy. The shelves I wanted to build before I broke my toe will finally get finished as well as lots of little things that have needed to get fixed or painted.

Update on Baby Daniel:
Last e-mail John and Elizabeth sent out, Tuesday August 11.

This process can be a roller-coaster ride. A few days ago when we saw him in the afternoon his color was pale and his little eye lids were red tipped. Also his heart was slowing often. The doctor was just going on vacation (he set up substitutes) and his normal nurses were on their day off. So all the people that were around him were new and didn’t know that he looked different and weren’t going to do anything about it. On top of that they are not used to little white babies so his color would be harder for them to identify. So we had to ask them to call the doctor. The doctor had a blood test taken right away and discovered that his Hemoglobin was down. The next morning he was given his second transfusion. There was blood left over for him from the last one. He looked and felt much better.On a positive note the eye doctor looked at his eyes early and said that they were fine so far and he would repeat the exam in 8 days. Maybe we will avoid a laser surgery? The doctor said his heart rate was slowing because of a condition that happens to them when they eat through a feeding tube. The doctor says that is normal and that it is just that the tube agitates them a bit.

So once we got through that and felt better he started having reflux which looked rather dramatic because his heart and oxygen goes down to about half and they send us out of the room to suction away the guck that comes up. Apparently that is normal for a preemie too. They have changed his position, put him on some medicine and are feeding him more slowly so that he digests the food as it comes in rather than filling up his stomach and have it burp back up. They say that his little valve in the stomach will mature and close as he grows and he will pass this stage.

On the upside he is now 1 kilo and 50 grams. They gave him more calories and alternated mother’s milk with formula. His cheeks are more puffy and we notice more meat on his legs and arms. He is getting a round tummy like his father has developed. There is a Krispy Kreme donuts here in the city and I find it hard not to visit once in a while. Tomorrow they are going to see if his hemorrhage has cleared up in the brain.

We thank you for your continued prayers and concern. We keep hearing of people who are still praying for him daily. If you would remember these details when you pray again that would be appreciated. We will give you an update on these things soon. God bless.

John and Elizabeth

We are back in Mexico!!!

WE ARE BACK IN MEXICO!!!

We have hit the ground running. Everyday we have something that takes up most of the day. We got back on Wednesday night. Those first couple of days we were in recovery mode with Lilly and Aletta throwing-up on the way home. Sunday, we went to church (I preached), a birthday party, and I worked at La Roca. Monday, we visited Guadalajara to see John, Elizabeth and Baby Daniel. Right now we have a family staying with us that are about to have a baby. They live to far out of Autlan and do not have a car so they are staying with us to be close to the hospital. Needless to say we have been busy since getting back from the states. Everyday I mean to update. I start but never finish. So today I determined to finish.
Furlough was great. We had wonderful time all the places we went. We were so encouraged by our visits. It was a breath of fresh air for us. Even with being sick off-and-on through out our time in the US, we still loved being in the states. Every step of the trip, we were so encouraged by the love we felt from other believers. We were able to share with many of you face-to-face which is so much better than e-mail. We hope and pray that your faith was encouraged by hearing what God is doing here in Autlan.

For those of you who have been praying for Baby Daniel, John and Elizabeth's baby, please continue to pray for him. Pray that God would would continue to help him to grow. If you have a Facebook account John has post a few video's of Daniel. One is of Daniel when he was only 30 minutes old. We were so happy to be able to finally see him on Monday. He looks really good for a preemie. Thank you for praying for him!

This is an update that was written by John today. I thought I would post it for those of you who have been praying for John and Elizabeth.
Andy

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to give you an update on things. Daniel is doing very well. He continues to breath on his own. He weighed 880 grams when he was borne and now has lost weight (which is normal) and is 715 grams. His waist is 19 ½ cm his height is 32 ½ cm. He will stop loosing weight in a few days. He should be out of the lights soon which will slow his rate of loss. Also he is starting on his mother’s milk today via feeding tube which will also help. His infection appears to be clearing up and they will do a test tomorrow. We feel that he is going to make it and do well due to your prayers. It seems our faith is becoming sight. We are not out of the woods yet so please keep praying. You have all been such a blessing to us, you can’t imagine. We saw one eye open up today when they turned off the lights. It was blue like Elizabeth and we wonder if it will stay blue. He has a perfect shaped head just like his father. His little cry is absolutely heart breaking and we are filled with love for our son.

We have been shown so much love and kindness by all of you and many Mexican people here. We have a free place to stay in Guadalajara now thanks to Jeff and Lisa King our language teachers from 5 years ago. The Hotel refunded our money for the month that we booked (I will always remember their kindness). Plus some very kind people have responded to help with our bills and we thank them so much. Every bit helps allot. If you feel that someone needs to be forwarded this update don’t hesitate to do so. It is hard to get everyone when things are so crazy right now. Thanks to Bethany Baptist for sending us a good quality breast pump and prayers. That’s all for now. We will try to send pictures on our next update. We also have a video of Daniel when the Pediatrician was reviving him and we will put that on facebook when we get the chance. I am going to Autlán tomorrow to pay bills and take care of some business. My sister Charlene is flying in tonight to be with us for a week. Bless her soul. It may be a couple of days until I get a chance to update since I am going to Autlan round trip tomorrow. Don’t worry I am getting better sleep and can drive perfectly safe. God bless.

John