Creel Mexico Water Projects | Tarahumara Indian Photos

Outreach at El Tejaban Feb '08

Hello everyone,
I just got back from one of the most exciting outreaches I have ever been apart of. As you know from the last newsletter I was going on an outreach to a village deep into the mountains. The team consisted of a group of guys from Montana and some from Juarez, Mx. Pastor Tomas Bencomo (Pres of the Christian Missionary Alliance of Mexico) and his wife also went with us. It is he that first began this work several years ago. Just getting there was an adventure in itself. We got a late start and had to travel after dark. There were three vehicles in the caravan. The mountain roads were very dangerous, in most places barely wide enough for my truck to safely pass. I am glad it was at night when we went in there, because if I had seen the roads in the daylight I might have had second thoughts. There were many sheer drop offs, steep descents and hair pin turns along the way. We arrived late at the little home of the couple who hosted us. They live in the small community of El Tejaban on the edge of the canyon. We slept out under the stars each night. It was unbelievable how many stars you could see when there are no lights to drown them out. It dipped down below freezing during the night, but we all stayed warm enough in our sleeping bags.
The second day we spent visiting the people who live nearby inviting them to come see the Jesus Film that night. I'm sure that over 95% of them had no idea what a film was. We set up the equipment as it was beginning to get dark. I used the sound system to play Spanish Praise music a while before we started the film to get the people's attention from far away. The people started showing up in large groups even though the wind was blowing and the temperature was starting to drop. We lost count at 110 Tarahumara Indians after it got dark. Many more showed up later with some having walked for more than two hours just to get there. This was the first time that they had ever seen a film - and in there own language!!! After it was over they didn't want to leave. Brother Ernesto shared with them on how to accept Christ since they could also understand a little Spanish. We wondered afterward what they thought of having just seen something for the first time and not knowing anything about it.
I had to leave early, but I have plans to return this coming Monday. We have arranged to have someone there to meet me when I arrive and have a couple of pack mules ready. I am going to take the Jesus Film equipment down into the canyon where the other group went the day we had to leave. We didn't get to go down because we found out that it can take 6 hours just to get there. It is in this canyon the group has been building the dorms and school for the children of the village of Guacaivo. We were able to go to the rim of the canyon to see the village from a distance. While we stood there looking down you could hear the sound of drums echoing up out of the canyon from some other village further in. It is this time of year that the pagan ceremonies begin.

The canyon is very deep, in the bottom they grow many fruits year round. There are also Spanish ruins there that date from the 1600's and 1700's. The Urique river runs in the base of this canyon. It is along this river that once ran the "El Camino Real" ( The Royal Road), a road that began as Indian trails and then carved out by the Spaniards from Mexico City to El Paso as a trade route.
Pray that everything goes as planned and for my safety and that souls would be touched for the first time. I will be there till the following Thursday and come out with the group.

* One more thing, We can tell we must have the devil stirred up because it seems like everything is coming against us right now. I came home and my laptop computer has crashed. I have lost a bunch of email contacts.

Onor uami' micuirsa' (God Bless You in Tarahumara)