North TX Men/Medical Team March 2009

27 men from Covenant Church in McKinney, TX came to Chenalho during the fourth week of March. The team was led by Paul Pogue, a long time friend of Missionary Larry Myers and friend to the missions work in Mexico. The week's work for this group of men involved many different facets of accomplishment. In a recent newsletter, we had mentioned about the desire to convert the small kitchen in the mission's headquarters into a large commercial kitchen. The second part of this was to turn the large patio area into a dining room. So you can imagine our delight when we found out that one of the group's projects was going to be to work on the dining room. They were able to weld the beams and screw down the roofing over the dining area. They made 8 new benches for the church in Chenalho since they have completely run out of seating. They scraped, cleaned and spray painted the entire metal stadium. Also, they poured a new large balcony that will be over looking the stadium area so more people can attend the general convention that is held there in Chenalho. An unbelievable amount of work was accomplished in 3 days. We salute the men of Covenant Church and their pastor, Michael Gamble! As the work week concluded, the group spent the last day shopping in San Cristobal, touring the Sumidero Canyon by boat and visiting the Casa Hogar Alegre orphanage in Tuxtla.


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Simultaneously, Dr. Jim Nichols, his wife Carmen and Dr. Ken Morgan conducted a medical campaign that same week. Arriving a few days prior to the rest of the team, they were of great assistance with the multitude of necessary task to be done before a team's arrival. The medical team worked in Chenalho for 2 days early in the week. On the third morning the medical team left for an overnight stay in the village of Santa Marta. Accompanying Drs. Nichols and Morgan was a member of Covenant Church Dr. Ralph, our own local physician, Dr. Lulu, and a team of interpreters. The overnight stay required tent camping but this always gives a wonderful opportunity to connect with the people of that village and be more involved with their personal needs and lives. After their return Drs. Nichols and Morgan also went to the village of Batchen located on the mountain peak above Chenalho.


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Our last evening together concluded with all the teams meeting together in Tuxtla at Pastor Carlos' church, Torre Fuerte. Larry and a team of workers hosted a lovely meal that evening inside the gymnasium behind the church. The food was delicious and the facility was decorated and prepared beautifully for the team. Pine needles were placed throughout the dining area which is a gesture done by the people of the highlands to show honor and respect to their guest. It was a delightful way to conclude a fantastic week!