September 16 Celebration

In Mexico, Independence Day is celebrated on Sept. 16. This year we held a special event/fundraiser for Templo Cristiano Libertad. We formed groups within the congregation and each group was responsible for a booth with an activity or food for sale. Everyone dressed up in traditional Mexican clothing and participated in the evening, which went for almost 4 hours. There were prizes for the best costume, best booth, best activity, etc. We were able to raise a good amount of money to go towards construction expenses as well as reach out to the neighbourhood.

Note: We still don't have electricity in the church so most of the pictures are a bit dark.

 We had a time of worship before the fellowship.

 One of the food booths.

 A games booth.

 Another games booth.

 The drinks booth (lime water, horchata (rice and cinnamon) water, and jamaica (hibiscus) water).

 Thirsty party-goers!

 Another food booth, selling enchiladas and chilaquiles (fried corn tortillas with salsa and cheese).

 More food!

 Basketball contest.

 Selling tamales.

The drinks booth again, which won the prize for best booth as well as most money earned.

Update #6 on Stephen

Stephen was able to leave the hospital yesterday and is now recuperating at home. He is still tired and has some pain, but he is getting better day by day. Thank you for your prayers and please keep praying for a smooth recovery.

Update #5 on Stephen

I'm just back from the hospital and Stephen is doing well. He was up and walking today so he's tired, but the doctor is happy with his progress so far and everything is working as it should. He still isn't eating, just on IV fluids, but hopefully he will be able to progress to some "real food" in the next couple of days. As always, I will continue to post updates about his progress and keep you informed. Thank you for your ongoing prayers!

Update #4 on Stephen

Stephen came out of surgery last night about 10pm local time. The doctors were able to patch the perforated area of the intestine and deal with the blockage. He was in some pain overnight but is conscious and able to talk for short periods of time. He is still in need of rest and quiet, but the doctor is hopeful that he will not need further surgery. Thanks for your comments and prayers and as before, please keep praying for his full recovery. Also be in prayer for the various ministries and projects taking place in San Pedro and for the people who will be taking over while Stephen is recuperating.

Update #3 on Stephen

Stephen will be going in for surgery this afternoon because it seems that he has an intestinal blockage in addition to a perforation. The doctor said that the perforation isn't large, but that it need to be fixed to keep toxic material from leaking into the rest of his body. Please keep praying for him, that the surgery will be successful and that there will be no further complications. Thanks for your comments here on the blog and for your prayers so far.

Update #2 on Stephen

This afternoon I went to see Stephen in the hospital. He is resting a lot and still has quite a bit of pain and swelling after his operation. The doctor came in to see him around 6:30pm and after checking the dressings, found some signs that Stephen might have a perforated intestine or colon. There is a strong likelihood that they will have to operate again, but for tonight they are keeping a close eye on the situation and will see what develops in the next few hours. Please keep praying for Stephen because it will be a long road back to health, and he is definitely not out of the woods yet. Pray specifically:

-for peace for Stephen and his family
-that the doctors will be able to discover if there is a perforation and that they will be able to close it
-that the remaining infection will be cleared up completely

I will continue to post news as it becomes available.