Hola! From the mountains of Chihuahua… the little village of “Rosanachi”. I can’t believe I’ve been here just over a week now. Saturday, August 19, Ana Cristina, her daughter and 2 young nieces, and I made our way to the mountains. My sister and some friends followed us with the truck. Both vehicles were filled to the brim, and there was barely enough room for us all to squish into the vehicles. It began to rain as we entered the road to her village. The thing I was most nervous about, though, was the hike down into her village… with all of our belongings.. It is about a 20 minute hike down the mountain to the house where we are staying. Like always, God has things planned out much better than we could imagine. We caught up with a family with a 4x4 truck, also going the same direction. They were so kind and allowed us to fill their truck box to the top, mattresses and all! You’d be surprised how full a truck box can get when you know you will be carrying the rest down, hahaha!
This past week was spent getting to know Ana Cristina’s family, inviting children for the school 3 days a week; as well as the youth for Saturday mornings. We hiked, crossed rivers and climbed mountains all over the village… including the neighboring village. It rains here every single day nice, sturdy sandals are a necessity, as one is constantly crossing rivers. I thought I had pretty sturdy flip flops… they lasted 2 days, then Ana Cristina sewed them together. As there are no stores around, I guess she’s had some experience fixing the weirdest things. I am also learning their language, as women and children barely speak Spanish. Only men are fluent in Spanish. I’m learning some phrases, as Ana’s mom always speaks to me in her language, with the biggest smile on her face. I also am learning that eating fresh mushrooms are such a treat… definitely an acquired taste, I guess. I also learned how to make “Kobichi”, a must have for any time of the day. It’s popped corn, grinded into powder. One fills half a cup of this powder and pours water over it.  Then mix it as if it were chocolate milk… but they drink it in HUGE portions, like a 1 liter yoghurt container full. I brought some jam from home, and it amuses me to watch how Ana’s family loves to eat a spoonful of jam, drink some kobichi, and eat some more jam. I guess jam is a treat around here. I am also learning to wash my clothes on a rock, or one time we washed in the river. Showering and bathrooms are equally adventurous…
 

Art class
Recess Time!
As much fun as it is to learn about the Tarahumara culture, my favorite part is getting to know the people. One day, I stayed in the house, while Ana went to her parents’ house. I was organizing when, all of a sudden, someone peeks into the window, and says “Kuira!” A lady from the village was walking past and saw me, and decided to say hi. I asked her if she wanted to come in. Although her Spanish wasn’t fully fluent, she knew enough that we could communicate. I made some milk from powder, and it was a good time of fellowship. Another day, we went to visit an elderly couple. Since they both struggle with hearing, we didn’t talk much, but that didn’t stop them from giving us beans and tortillas. This past Saturday, we had our first youth event, and 3 youth showed up. We shared a Bible story with them and spent the rest of the time learning to make beaded bracelets. We finished the class with cookies and milk and a game of soccer. It brought me so much joy to see Ana Cristina enjoying herself so much. She is learning to work with kids and youth, as this year will be her “training year” to take over the ministry. Today (Monday) was our first school day. 7 students showed up, between the ages of 3-9. None of them have ever attended school. It was a good day, and the children had a lot of fun learning new things. We served the students a meal, and finished the day with an art/gym class. The elderly couple I shared about before, hiked over to the house just to see the kids. We invited them to eat with us, and it brought me so much joy to see that they took the time to come and see what is going on.

Lastly, I want ask you to pray, not only for the village of Rosanachi, but for the Tarahumara people as a whole. They are a beautiful tribe of people, yet a much wounded, hurt people. Families are scarred by broken relationships, as parents haven’t learnt to communicate their love well to their children, and in turn, many grown children don’t cherish their parents. The stories of children feeling abandoned by their parents and parents feeling uncared for once the kids grow up are endless. I was shocked to learn that children in this small village don’t even know each other. When I asked the kids if they had a really good friend, their response was “ke’e” (no). I am also learning it is rare that people will go visit a neighbor. There isn’t much of a sense of ‘community’ in the village. Yet, they seemed to appreciate it when Ana and I went house to house to visit. I know there is so much work to be done in this village, and I ask you to please pray for strength, wisdom, love and unity for Ana and I as we love on this village. I have been reading Paul’s letters to the new churches, and I find so much encouragement in them. 1 Timothy 1:5 “The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience and genuine faith.” Only through God’s word can we be filled with these beautiful things. Please pray that these will be the things that characterize us as we serve Him in the village of Rosanachi.
 
Praise and Prayer:
  • Praise God for one of our student´s baptism on Sept.11. Pray for her as she continues to seek Jesus.
  • Praise for safety and health so far
  • Praise for the interns coming to Chihuahua to serve alongside Amelia the next few months.
  • Praise for the openness of the people as we share about Jesus. The people are hungry for a real, tangible love.
  • Pray for the people and children, that they would come to understand the gospel.
  • Pray for Ana’s family as they seek a remedy for a bedbug infestation that has everybody itching all the time.
  • Pray for our trip to Cuauhtemoc area September 10-12.
  • Pray for Yudi, a good friend of ours, who will be making her way to Baja California September 1st to enter a women’s shelter. She has hope of finding healing and purpose for her life, which she one day wants to share with other struggling women.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support!! We are so thankful for our prayer warriors that make this mission in the battle field possible! God bless! Amanda.