We first heard about (FFHM) Foundation For His Ministry in the early 80's while members of Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church in Milwaukee.
In the early 90's we ventured down to the Baja, Mexico mission for our first trip with 2 of our 3 children and several families from our church. Flying to San Diego, staying overnight in a motel, renting a van and starting out early in the morning for the 6 hour trip to the mission before it got dark!
At a later trip we met Frank Tichnor at the mission and while there he left for Oaxaca to scout out the area for a new mission base.
After reading about FFHM and the ministry in Oaxaca, we felt led to go there. One Sunday at church (Eastbrook) we asked Ron and Dolores Blust and Carol Beimborn if they wanted to go with us. The rest is history!
Now we can fly to Oaxaca City
SHORT TERM MISSION TO OAXACA, MEXICO
March 2005
On March 9th, 2005, five
Eastbrookers – Richard and Naomi Dassow,
Carol Beimborn, and Ron and Dolores
Blust – left for a nine-day mission to Oaxaca, Mexico.
We had an opportunity to serve at a new home for children, Hogar Para Los
Ninos, founded by the Foundation for His Ministry which has been
established in the Baja Peninsula of Mexico for approximately thirty years.
The Dassows and
other members of Eastbrook
Church have served this
ministry in the Baja. Dr. Patrick Murphy and his wife Anna (Gini and Fred
Schneider’s daughter) spent more than a year there early in their marriage,
providing for the medical needs of the Mission.
Because the
Oaxacan graduates of the Bible School at the Baja Mission wanted to return to Oaxaca to minister to their own people, a branch was
started in Oaxaca
about 8 years ago, with a mission serving 40 children. Now a new location
has been secured and construction has begun on a facility that will accommodate
100 children. Ian Croft, Construction Manager for the facility, along
with his wife, Elaine, hosted us while we were there. Ian schedules and
works with the teams of volunteer workers in their assignments. The
plan is to move the children into the new facility by mid-July. They also
have future plans to build a church, conference center, school and medical
clinic on the grounds.
Our team worked
together with a team of five from Montana
and two couples who are SOWERS, Servants on Wheels Ever Ready. They
traveled to Mexico
in their RV’s and are planning to stay for 3-4 months as needed. Others
serving there are giving a year or more of their time to benefit the Mission, in answer to
God’s call on their lives. In addition, there are talented Mexicans
working in the kitchen providing meals, as well as skilled Mexicans laying tile
in beautifully artistic designs throughout the facility. So it was truly
a time for many different people to come together. We were able to
practice our Spanish as the native Mexicans practiced their English on
us. We visited other churches while we were there and celebrated
community with our fellow Indian (primarily Zapotec) believers. They
joyfully shared their love of Jesus with us.
We took part in a
wide range of assignments including painting, carpentry jobs, sewing, cleaning,
kitchen kp, and caring for the grounds. It was our delight to do whatever
was asked of us, knowing that we were serving Jesus. In the process, we
established relationships with selfless Christians who were being used of
God. People from all over the U.S.
and Canada form work groups
to go down to Mexico
at their own expense in order to help. One of the things our men helped
with was placing forms for concrete work in preparation for a team of 13 coming
from Chicago
the week after we left. Their particular skill was pouring concrete so we
prepared the way for them to exercise their gift.
Mexico is a
marvelous country, the weather was beautiful – 80 to 85 degrees in the daytime,
55 degrees at night. The Mission is in a
lovely valley nestled in the mountains of southern Mexico. An out-of-season
shower brought us a beautiful rainbow – another reminder of God’s
promise.
The bougainvillea and geraniums were blooming and even though we returned to blizzards in Wisconsin, we had a wonderful taste of Spring and of eternity – faithful people saying “Here I am” to Jesus Christ.
The bougainvillea and geraniums were blooming and even though we returned to blizzards in Wisconsin, we had a wonderful taste of Spring and of eternity – faithful people saying “Here I am” to Jesus Christ.
Dolores Blust
Thanks Dolores for this great summary of our trip!
Oaxaca (wa-ha-ka), in southeast Mexico, is a rugged, mountainous land of diversity. One of the great treasures of this beautiful state is its people,
many of whom have never heard the name of Jesus. To these we have been called, “…so that they may turn from darkness to light from the dominion of Satan to God…so they may receive forgiveness of sin and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ. ” Acts 26:18
BOOMERS in action!
Naomi,Carol, Ron and Dolores.
I took the picture.
Thanks Dolores for this great summary of our trip!
Oaxaca (wa-ha-ka), in southeast Mexico, is a rugged, mountainous land of diversity. One of the great treasures of this beautiful state is its people,
many of whom have never heard the name of Jesus. To these we have been called, “…so that they may turn from darkness to light from the dominion of Satan to God…so they may receive forgiveness of sin and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ. ” Acts 26:18
BOOMERS in action!
Naomi,Carol, Ron and Dolores.
I took the picture.
Foundation For His Ministry. Oaxaca
Ian and Elain Croft: Our great mission hosts!
Picture from the top of nearby mountain that we walked up on.
Hey Langdon! We are going to climb this one!
This is what we helped build.
Working in the Carpentry Shop
Beginning of the climb to the top!
Overlooking the mission!
Hey Langdon! In less than 2 months you and I are going to be sitting where the man below is sitting!
Long and hard climb!
Link to info on mission base.
