Spring Break Trip Update

We used our talents to be a blessing

This trip was unique in that we brought together three different groups - Redbird Community Church Youth Group from San Antonio, Faltech Robotics team from Four Points Middle School in Austin, and veteran trip participants from Austin area churches - to form a team of 46 participants that reached the colonia in a myriad of different capacities. 
Read below of how God used us to be His hands and feet to communicate His love and heart. Thanks so much for all your prayers. The weather was absolutely perfect and that made everything even better. 

Towel & Toiletry Distribution/Canvasing

Every trip we start by walking through the community, introducing ourselves, giving a gift and praying for the families. During the Spring Break Trip, we distribute donated toiletries and towels. These items are very expensive for the families living in the colonias. The recent devaluation of the peso, as the dollar's value has climbed, has caused inflation which has made buying these needed items even more costly. 

We are so grateful for the many people who donated to make this distribution one of our largest. Special thanks to those who had collections for the trip: the Women's Bible study at Grace Covenant, to Faltech Robotics at Four Points Middle School, to Redbird Community Church...and to several dentists who gave a ton of toothbrushes and toothpaste...Wired Orthodontics, Duggan Endodonics, and David Slaughter, DDS. 

The video by Chris and Crestina Hardie does a terrific job telling the story of this wonderful aspect of the trip.

Medical and Dental Clinic
This was our fifth medical clinic and second equipped dental clinic in the colonia. Led by board member Scott McDonald, we saw 119 patients during our Friday/Saturday medical/dental clinic. We are so grateful to Dr. Sergio and Dr. Corona (and family) and our local dentist, Dr. Anais Olivares Vela. They faithfully serve each time we come to Reynosa.

Special thanks also to Velvia Feller, who, at 82 years old, came back to serve after the Thanksgiving trip in November. She did initial intake and really commiserates with all the patients and makes them feel comfortable and loved while they communicate their medical history and symptoms. 

We are also so grateful for Mauro Esquivel, who continues to help us purchase the medicines for our pharmacy and comes with his two bilingual daughters, Ximena and Valeria, to help each clinic.

Thanks also to David Marsden and Zoie Cowan who took vitals, Amanda Gonzales (with an Army medic background) who handled our pharmacy on Friday, and Griselda Parra Reyes, RN, who handled the pharmacy Saturday. Also special thanks to Pastor Jaime Mayorga who helped translate. 

Our medical clinic is a partnership of local servants and Rohi volunteers. It is a beautiful symbiosis of people committed to providing care to those who would otherwise go without. We keep records on each patient, tracking their progress over time, and often watching their conditions improve as they receive the medications and regular checkups they need.

Be sure to watch the Hardie's video about the medical clinic and see how this ministry is such a blessing to the community and to us. 

STEM Day at the Schools and Orphanage

Watch the Video too!

This is our second year doing a STEM day at the schools. This year Faltech Robotics Team from Four Points Middle School volunteered to lead the high school portion and provide experiments for the older elementary, which Tony Vessa and David Simonson led (with the help of translators Valeria Esquivel and Elizabeth Reyes Duarte). Joel Simonson, Anthony Vessa, and Aaron Watts also assisted. Missy Watts planned the younger elementary activities and Leah Marsden led the activities (as Missy became ill that day), with the help of translator Samuel Luna and helpers Rose and Grace Simonson.

It was a wonderful day filled with smiles and excitement. The kids in the colonia never have the opportunity to do science experiments. We hope to inspire in the kids a love of science and show them the wonder of God's creation. 

Special thanks to Karen Norrod and Gloria Gonzales Dholakia who organized all the experiment kits and were so full of enthusiasm and joy. And Gloria's mother, Gloria Garza, was a huge help as our main translator. They were so eager to serve that they even organized STEM demonstrations with the children at Big Heart Orphanage after long days in the colonia. 

Faltech even donated their old Lego Robotics kits and trained Roberto Maldonado (Big Heart Orphanage) who plans use them to do robotics activities with the kids at the orphanage and Regents Christian School (where Big Heart's children attend). 

Be sure to watch the video Chris and Crestina Hardie made about the STEM day.

Construction Projects

We had a long list of construction projects for this trip. Repairing the roof supports in the breezway between the older elementary classrooms at La Union School and replacing most of the wiring at the school topped the list. Both were hazards to the students and community.

Led by board members Tom Erickson and Lana Morris, the team worked diligently to complete the projects. Forrest Norred, Reynaldo Garza, David Simonson, Michael Dagerath and his two sons Josiah and Jonathan, and Noah Cowan rounded out the repair team. 

These projects are a lasting reminder that Rohi is committed to helping the community over the long haul. These repairs aren't glamorous, but they are greatly appreciated by the community and show the love of God in a very tangible way.

Our ministry partner, Bruce Hepburn, of Mexico Missions, also needed some extra help completing a house for a family in the colonia. Michael Dagerath and his two sons and Noah Cowan, volunteered to help. With the help of other locals, they had it done in less than two days.

Art and Crafts
Sarah Allen volunteered to lead the ladies art activity with her daughter Helena. Helena had an idea to do yarn art and it was a tremendous success. For three days straight, they had a constant stream of ladies and children participating both at the school and in the waiting area of the medical clinic.  The creativity abounded and everyone had fun expressing their artistic talents while visiting and getting to know each other. 

We also had a painting activity after school for the kids. The children delighted in the simple watercolor paints as they created picture after picture. Missy Watts and Leah Marsden did a wonderful job encouraging the kids and just listening to the explanations of their creations. 

Afternoon Activities

Painting the School
The school at La Union needed to be painted. We decided that this was the trip to tackle it after we discovered we didn't have the right type of paint for the block house we were supposed to paint. It was a daunting challenge and just getting two of the four buildings done that Saturday morning was difficult. Team leaders Tony Vessa, Missy Watts, and Leah Marsden and their support team - Valeria Esquivel, Elizabeth Reyes Duarte, Rose and Grace Simonson, Holly and Anthony Vessa, Aaron and Isaac Watts, Lily and Evangeline Hardie and a host of colonia children - worked diligently. 

We used recycled paint from Austin Resource Recovery. We are grateful for their recycled paint and always bring down a pallet full to share with our ministry partners in the community.

Community Picnic
On Saturday afternoon, we closed out the trip with a community celebration. Rohi purchased chicken, potatoes, tortillas and ingredients for pico de gallo. Led by Fernanda (the Garcia's daughter), a team of girls from the Pastor Antonio's church's youth group, spent the morning cooking all the side dishes. Late morning, Pastor Antonio and some of his male congregants began the great barbecue of hundreds of pounds of chicken. Around 1 PM, the Garcias led worship and Bible lessons with the kids. Then, trip participants joined in the fun and started face painting, crafts and even a zip line for all the kids to enjoy. With donations of candy from Redbird Church, Faltech, and Women's Bible study at Grace, we had filled 1500 eggs for a community Easter Egg Hunt. It is hard to hide that many eggs but in no time at all, they were found by kids. It was a frenzy of fun! Around 4 PM, the girls youth from Pastor Antonio's church and the Garcias fed over 200 people! The celebration was a superb way to end our time in the community and bring everyone together for fun, fellowship and food!

It is Your Turn to Come to Reynosa!
It was a tremendous trip, full of God’s provision and blessings. There are so many more stories to tell. Be sure to check out Rohi’s Facebook to see more of the pictures. And please prayerfully consider coming with us on our next trip this June. We will also have trips over Thanksgiving (November 22-26, 2017) and next Spring Break (March 14-18, 2018).