November 2006
"And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, says the Lord of hosts; and all the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land, says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 3: 11-12."
Mexico
Thanks to a generous donation the Children’s Home was able to buy a new washing machine which will help a lot with the mountains of laundry needing to be done daily. One of the old machines sounds like a propeller airplane ready to take off when it spins clothes and it is not because of an unbalanced load. Of course when you use a washing machine every day they do not last as long as you would like them to.
We are finally getting the electricity hooked up on the farm. Francisco, the director who is living on the farm with his family, has the wiring all installed and has even put in the light bulbs. Now all that is needed is for the Mexican government electrical workers to come and make the final connection. Who knows how long that will take?
Francisco and the new fuse box he installed.
The light bulbs are ready to go. We are just waiting on the government owned electric company.
The children keep flipping the switches to see if they work. Do you think they can wear the switches out before we get the electricity?
Now that we have the farm open and some of the children there we have a whole new group of needs. For example, we are going to need a hot water heater before the cold weather comes this will cost about $100.00 The house will need 2 or 3 gas heaters to keep the children warm which will cost about $400.00 each. Right now we have two water tanks on the roof and we are able to pump the water up with a borrowed generator but the gasoline is costly. When the electricity is finally connected so many things will be easier.
The farm has a large vegetable garden where we grow chilies, tomatoes and other things. We also have some fruit trees and pecan trees. The children love the fresh fruit and veggies.
Francisco with some of the tomatoes.
We also have 12 chickens and two roosters. The chickens lay eggs and each day the children are thrilled to see how many eggs they can gather. Because of having the garden and the chickens the children can have fresh eggs and fresh chickens which is very good for the children.
Christmas is right around the corner. If anyone would like to send a gift for any of the children, may we suggest that you send a check instead shipping a toy or gift. This way the directors can purchase exactly what each individual child needs. Some need shoes, others need skirts, blouses, underwear, and still others need jackets or sweaters. Once all of the more urgent needs are met we can buy each child a small toy or for the older ones a soccer ball for the boys and a girlie thing for the girls.
Philippines
In Mindanao, the peace talks have broken down between the government and the Muslim rebels. As a result much violence has once again broken out. The bombings and killings are again a regular occurrence. Our director tells us that it is not safe to walk the streets. The economy is in an upheaval and the people are all scared. This after a time of peace makes it harder for the people to deal with.
The rebels are attempting to force the government to give in to their demands by this new outbreak of violence. In Cotabato City, where our mother church is, 12 people were killed and 30 were wounded because of bombs that the Muslim extremists exploded. The rebels have been waging a rebellion for the establishment of an independent Islamic state on Mindanao since 1978. The Islamic rebels are a minority but they are very violent and the Filipinos are very passive people. It is extremely dangerous to do anything in this area once again. Please pray for the protection of the Pastors as it is not safe to walk the streets or travel at this time.
Thank you for your prayers and support. Ron & Bernadette Gartner
25th Anniversary Year
Ron and Bernadette Gartner
Your Evangelists to the world.
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About Refuge Ministries and the Gartners
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Africa - Philippines - Mexico
Click Here for Ron & Bernadette's 2005 report from their trip to Africa.
