Helping Grandmother walk to the clinic! Sometimes we forget how blessed we are.

Some things we could use if they were donated to us: a gas range that works, and some roaster pans. These would be for the fellowship room in the new building being built for the church in La Palma. We can ship them down in May. Please let us know if you can help.

We also want sewing patterns for men's and ladies and childrens clothing. They need to be complete so we can teach the ladies how to use them.

A portable PA system that can be used for preaching in the park or in remote villages will soon be needed.

A very good exercise bicycle for the young lady who is learning to walk at age 23. She needs a better bike to build leg muscles.

We need more school desks - large or small.

Need some folding tables and folding or stacking chairs.

God bless you,
Ralph

We are home from the Tulsa workshop. There were at least 15 La Palma travelers at the event. We all had a great time and enjoyed the fellowship as well as the recruiting work. We have several persons very interested in going with us on future trips-some as early as June.

We had to leave about an hour and a half early because of the weather. Tulsa had 7 inches of snow and it came down very fast.

We have had a great day of recruiting and soliciting funds today at Tulsa. No funds came in yet, but lots of people are interested in going on future trips. We met some great resources and did some profitable networking.

A group of us are at the Tulsa workshop with a great exhibit. We have had some very encouraging visits with potential translators, preachers, and hopeful mission workers. We will be here through Saturday.

These ladies prepared a meal for a fellowship activity. Some are volunteers who helped the paid hotel staff.

This photo of the new church building construction is taken from the roof of the new school building. It shows how the cement is mixed--all by hand. All of the concrete for the foundation and floor and columns, and all of the mortar for the blocks is mixed with a shovel.

The La Palma mission team has a booth, #418, at the Tulsa Soul Winning workshop. Come by and visit if you attend this event.

This is the construction going on in La Palma for the new church auditorium/fellowship building. It has a very substantial footing and foundation, and the progress seems to be appropriate for the time spent on it.

Please let us know if you are planning to go on one of the June trips to La Palma. There will be a group going down on June 6 and one going down on June 13. The first group can come home on June 13 or on the 20th with the 2nd group. We need to get tickets bought now!

This is the face of Josephine, a sweet old lady who walks the streets. Our nurses have helped her arthritis pain with Ibuprofen at times. She seems unable to grasp the concept of a different language. She talks when no one can understand, but she keeps on talking.

A mother and her six children pose while waiting to see a doctor at the medical clinic. Too many children grow up illiterate, enter the workforce at a very early age and continue a cycle of poverty. Our mission is to help them learn about God and to help them learn how to be self-supporting and live as families in God's way. An extremely high number of families have no male presence, and often the children have different fathers.

No posts for a few days while we are away from the computer. God bless you. Ralph

This shows some of the 72 children attending the La Palma Christian School. Many of them still need scholarships to help keep the school operating while the costs of operation are increasing. For information on scholarships, call Steve or Pat at 417-678-2419. For $30 per month you can help a child get an education to help him/her earn a living AND the child will be taught about God!

Some fun and recreation are necessary after a long day doing medical work in a foreign country and environment. Here Marcy pretends to extract a tooth from Carolina, the beautiful Dentist who lives south of La Palma. Carolina is a hard-working Christian lady who seems to 'like' a certain missionary from West Palm Beach.

Many have asked what it means now that El Salvador has elected a leftist, Marxist, socialist president. The short answer is nothing - at least in the near future. Nothing happens fast in El Salvador---partially the reason that the former party in power lost the election.

The new president is a moderate and has tried to distance himself from Hugo Chavez--at least in his campaigns.

The problem I see is that President Bush and President Saca were good friends and our countries had a good working relationship. Our new president has not even acknowledged that there was an election going on down there and probably hasn't had time to consider it. He may not even know where El Salvador is!

So, we wait and pray that things will not deteriorate to the point that we are unable to continue our work there. However, the seed has been planted there and we can be confident that no matter what happens, God will continue to be preached by those who have learned about Him and decided to follow Him.

We need to read II Chronicles 7:14 each day and pray for our country and for El Salvador.

From Fox News:

Left Turn at El Salvador
Leftist ex-CNN reporter wins nation's presidential elections, bringing party of former guerrillas to power

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — A leftist television journalist won El Salvador's presidential elections Sunday, bringing a party of former guerrillas to power for the first time since a bloody civil war and ending two decades of conservative rule.
Mauricio Funes, a moderate plucked from outside the ranks of the rebel-group-turned-political-party Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, became the latest leftist to rise to power in Latin America at a time of uncertainty over how President Barack Obama will approach the region.

The FMLN (socialist) party appears to have won the presidency in the El Salvadoran elections yesterday. It will be some time before we really know what that means, but any change is likely to be slow in coming. The ARENA party retains probable control of the General Assembly through a coalition. See http://luterano.blogspot.com/ for more information but realize that this is not a news feed--just reporting what he reads and giving his opinions. Please pray for the La Palma mission work to be able to continue without governmental interdiction.

Also pray today for Connie from Aurora. She went with us to La Palma in June '08 as a teacher and did a wonderful job in the school and VBS. She is having major surgery today and will be hospitalized for a few days.

Today is election day in El Salvador. The mayor of La Palma was re-elected for three years in January, so we are still welcome to work in his region. Today a new president and some congressional representatives will be elected. The way they conduct elections is somewhat complicated, but it is a big deal in their country.

Please be in prayer that the parties/persons elected will continue to allow the Word of God to be preached through the mission work in La Palma and that we will be able to continue doing good for the people there. Pray that the people of El Salvador will have their rights as humans respected by the new government.

See http://luterano.blogspot.com/ for one person's report on the status of the elections.

It is prayer time for all of us! Sunday is election day in El Salvador. The people appear to want "change". Doesn't that sound familiar?

Please be in prayer that the party/person elected will continue to allow the Word of God to be preached through the mission work in La Palma and that we will be able to continue doing good for the people there.

Three men waiting at the medical clinic. They are far enough in line to get chairs in the shade of a tent. It would be fun to know what their discussions are about as they visit.

This is another view of the construction work going on for the new church auditorium/fellowship building. The people there love Christian fellowship but have not had a place for it. This will bring them closer together and promote evangelism in the community.
Note that they do not take chances on the building settling. The footings and foundation are going to be significant in size!

Look at the work going on for the new auditorium for the church in La Palma! They have moved a lot of dirt and begun pouring footings for the foundation. This building will include facilities for fellowship for the church, and they love fellowship---they just need a good place to have it.

Also remember that we have committed $40,000 for this construction that has to be paid by the first of June. We need a lot of donations to prevent borrowing for this. Please be generous in donations and in praying for the success of the work. God bless you, Ralph

It takes a tremendous amount of work to operate the pharmacy for a medical mission that treats 200 to 300 patients in a 6 hour period under a tent in a foreign country. We are grateful for the people who love to do this kind of work.

Visible in this photo are Sharon, Lisa, Marcy, Dea, and Gabriel.

Doc Harris checking a little girls heart----- and she is checking him out also! This was Doc's 4th medical mission to La Palma. He is a great guy to work with and loves to help people. He can even pull teeth when the dentist gets to much backlog!

Marcy and Lisa grew up together from about age 2. This was their third medical mission together. They stay in contact with each other even though they live about 1400 miles apart.

Please remember the new construction going on in La Palma. A new auditorium/fellowship bulding is under construction right now! Also remember that money is needed for this construction and for increased monthly costs for the school.

God bless you, Ralph

Please continue to pray for the La Palma mission work, and that funds will come in to cover the cost of construction.

Please pray that God will provide the needed funds for the new auditorium and for the increased monthly costs for the new facility.
God bless you, Ralph

Growth in the Kingdom of God is good, even though it costs time and money and effort to make it happen! We are convinced that growth of the facilities in La Palma is now necessary to continue to grow the Kingdom and to grow self-supporting Christian young people there.

Those of you who have been there know that the auditorium overflows for Sunday worship. That can be discouraging to growth. You also know that the classrooms for the school are poorly arranged (of necessity) and do not give good utilization of the small spaces that are available. You know that the playground is accessible only after climbing some very steep steps with inadequate handrails; in fact, it can be hazardous to get there. You know that the highway so close to the building creates a safety hazard for children playing near the school. And you know that the truck and bus noise often stops the teaching/preaching. Security is inadequate as evidenced by the loss of the best computer system one night.

Now the education ministry mandates improvements in school facilities. As mentioned, several options were considered. A good plan has been developed for combination of the school, church, and preacher school in a much larger facility that offers security and safety. The new auditorium will have 363% more space! The total facility, when completed, will have 368% more space! And there is room for even more growth in the future.

The task before us is huge: we must raise $40,000 by the first of June! At the beginning of July we will have to pay significantly more in rent. Will you help? Will you examine your own ability to contribute to this growth? Will you tell your friends and neighbors about a town where people will still come to hear the Gospel preached? Where they will allow you to come into their homes and teach the Bible? Where even the poorest of children can attend a Christian School and learn how to make a living AND how to make a life? Where Christians gather in each others' homes throughout the week to encourage one another?

We know that God has blessed this mission effort in the past and firmly believe that He will continue to do so. The people of La Palma need your help.

Please send donations to the Monett Church of Christ, PO Box 172, Monett, MO 65708. In the memo line on your check tell whether it is a one-time donation (toward the building fund) or the first of regular donations toward the monthly cost of rent.

God bless you. Ralph

This is the new building that will be used by the La Palma Christian School for classroom, computer lab, administrative and storage use. It will also house the interrim preacher school and possibly some living quarters. It is a poured concrete structure with brick veneer outside. Even the internal walls are poured concrete, and so is the roof--making it easy to add a second floor as soon as funds are available.

You can see that there is playground space (much more than the present facility) and a beautiful view of the mountains. There is also a good security fence, although some fence work is needed on the back side.

We believe this is the best place for the school and church to be for the next several years. We have trusted God to help us get the funding needed for the increased rent and other costs plus the cost of the construction of the auditorium.

God bless you,
Ralph

This is Lisa, another missionary who likes to hold babies and kids! You can tell by the smile that she is enjoying the trip and getting to hold a snuggling baby.

OK, let's continue the story about the facility for the school, church, and preacher school:

This property, that was a former dental clinic, has 2 buildings on it--one with 4 classrooms that meet the guidelines of the education ministry and the main building which has 1 large classroom and space for the computer lab, administrative offices, storage, interrim space for the preacher school, a utility room, and some space for living quarters. The property itself is large enough for a good playground and to build an auditorium. It is secure with a fence all around and locking gate at the entrance. There are security lights as well.

The auditorium being constructed will be 40' by 50' with a small kitchen at the back so the building can do double duty as a fellowship hall. There will be only a few pews at the front and the remainder of the seating will be stackable or folding chairs.

The rent on this property is going to be about $1100 monthly (starting in July) compared to the present $400 monthly. The cost of the auditorium is $40,000 (due by the end of June). The cost of growing the church and the Christian School just went up significantly! Not growing either of them is not an option. We are going to be asking more churches and individuals to help on a one-time basis toward the construction cost as well as monthly support for the cost of rent and teacher salaries.

We believe it is God's will that this mission work continue to grow. Please help us make that happen!

Tomrrow there will be photos of the new facility and some more details.

God bless you,
Ralph

Barbara is another nurse who has been on several trips and loves children. Here she hugs one of the sponsored children.

When the team went to La Palma in early February, there was one task that was extremely important to complete: locate and negotiate for a suitable facility for the La Palma Christian School, the La Palma Church of Christ, and the La Palma Bible Institute (preacher school). The deadlines to submit a plan and for moving the school were rapidly approaching.

The team looked at several options from bare land to a large motel, but one stood out as a logical choice. A former dental clinic was vacant and available for lease in a very good location. It had sufficient space for the school and for the preacher school for the present time, but it lacked an auditorium for the congregation to worship in. The owner was willing to build an auditorium to our specifications if we would 'front' him the construction costs.

All of the other options considered were found inadequate for size, location, security, or price reasons. The former dental clinic seemed to be what God had in mind as other options closed out. There was some very serious negotiating done to get an agreement that was good for both parties.

The mission leadership team took another big leap of faith and made a deposit on the property for a long-term lease and the new auditorium. The new construction is to be complete in early June and possession of the property will take place then- in advance of the deadline to move.

Come back tomorrow for more of the story!