How many of you have children in your home? What are they doing right now? Playing Xbox or just maybe watching TV? This little girl does not even know what that is. She has an important role in her family, making sure that the chickens get fed and watered, which in turn makes sure that her family gets to eat as well. We have been observing families who have been given a hand up, not a hand out, how they value what has been given to them, how they appreciate it, how hard they work to tend to it and how it has given them a sense of self worth. I wonder sometimes if we are teaching them or if they are teaching us. The Bible says, "and a little child will lead them". How appropriate.

These precious people are from and area called Loxicha. Victor the tall one by Kerry, is the pastor and the other man pictured is Feliziano. They have recently started an incubation production in their new incubator and are excited and praying for all of the eggs to hatch. Please join us in praying for this it means they will get to have protein in their diets and be able to share with the orphans and widows in their village and surrounding communities. This also gives them and excuse to share God's word with them. How cool is the God we serve to use agriculture as a way not only to fill their stomachs, but to feed their souls.

Day of the dead is a celebration here in Oaxaca and all over Mexico that is very real and celebrated by almost everyone. The people do this from fear of the dead rather than respect for their relatives who have passed. They believe that not doing this would anger the spirits and cause them bad luck. Business owners all close for this 4 day weekend and spend time with their families as they all build their alters in attempt to reach their dead family members, even to the point of sleeping at the grave yards throughout the night. They place breads, candies, mole, nuts and skulls of sugar on the alter with hopes that the dead will pass by and eat what they have prepared for them in remembrance. Fireworks explode all over as this is supposed to guide the spirits of the dead back home. We share this with you not to cause you to think how odd, but that you would pray that satan is bound during this time of darkness and lies and that Jesus, Lord of all would be the light during this time of evilness and deception. He is and will forever will be the Ruler of all.

We minister to a lot of different people here in Oaxaca, Zapotec, Mixe, Mixteco, men, women, children, youth, etc... however the one thing that we are finding to be a common thread among all of the peoples we work with is not only their need to know Jesus but there sense of feeling alone. The women and elderly seem to be more willing to talk about this with us and when they do we continue to remind them that they are never alone that God is always with them, however last night as I was with a group of ladies for a study one of the older women, named Maria Luisa shared with our group that she is a leader of a cell group in her neighborhood and that it is a real problem for the ladies in her group. A feeling of abandonment and feeling left out not only by their families but their friends. I am praying that God will give us wisdom on how to effectively help these people not feel alone, to keep their focus on God and know that He is always with them, they will never be abandoned or forgotten, He will include them in everything, but it is like she said the security has to come from with in so pray with us as we try to help this sense of loneliness among people here.