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     We hope that all of you had a wonderful holiday time with your family and friends; celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior and the many blessings he has given all of us.  We had a busy but rewarding month of December.  It started with the first two weeks of the month we went as a family down to the coastal area of Chiapas.  We worked hard and much was accomplished.

     Gabe, with the help of Chencho and Chuz, two young men from the community of Nachig, were able to drill 4 successful wells.  Two in the community of Punta Flor and two in Arenal.  Both places are fishing villages, right on the Pacific Ocean.  The majority of the men work as fishermen and their livelihoods depend on them getting a catch.  What surprises us the most is that even though they are very close to the ocean, we are able to drill to almost 100 feet and find clean, sweet water.  The water level actually rises above the ground level.  We are constantly telling them how blessed they are by God to have this kind of water available.  Their only problem is that they can't afford to pay someone to drill so deep and they suffer.  So us being there has started a frenzy of excitement and has resulted in Gabe receiving 16 more requests for wells. (which is probably only the beginning)  This is a two way blessing; we are able to bless them with water and spiritual encouragement and we are blessed to be used by God in a way that is truly impacting the lives of these people. 

     While the guys were drilling I had lots of ministry outreaches.  In Punta Flor we had 2 different kids outreaches, showed a movie in the plaza and had a community wide health/hygiene class.  In Arenal it was similar...2 kids outreaches and 2 movie nights.  Each community has its own set of problems spiritually; one place dealt with a lot of homosexuality and the other battles with alcoholism among the women.  Both places have Christian churches and we were able to spend time visiting and encouraging the Christian leaders.  They have a very tough job!! 

     Thank you for helping us do what we do.  Being able to sit and eat a meal together with these people, love on them with a hug, stand side by side with them when you're neck deep in mud, pray with them when they are down, share with them a gift of a Bible, watching the kids sing with all their hearts to the Lord...all these things are priceless to us.  We are truly grateful to be servants of God.  Thank you for partnering with us, words cannot accurately express our gratitude.