“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
                                                             Romans 12:12

We have many ongoing prayer needs and appreciate you lifting them up to the Lord as you are led. Among the continual needs in Samachique are:

• Update. Good health and safety for each member of our family. We all have had bouts with Salmonella, Typhoid, and/or other ailments that are very common in this area.
  
  
• Safe travels for Edwin as he transports critically ill patients to hospitals that are 1 1/2 to 5 hours away from Samachique.
  
  
• Ongoing travel mercies for Edwin, especially as he goes to Juarez for mission trips and brings visitors from Juarez to Samachique. A beautiful (during the day or night) but GRUESOME 10 hr drive (as experienced by those who’ve come here). Also that our vehicle stands up to all the traveling. Please see our Spring '08 newsletter for more info on trips planned and dates.
  

• Wisdom for Dr. Mike Berkeley, Dr. Carmen Reyes, Dr. Dagoberto Gallaga, Dr. Narciso Cuevas and the staff of Hospital Mision Tarahumara as they treat Tarahumara patients in the hospital in Samachique.
  
  
• Wisdom for Shelley as she goes into Tarahumara villages in hopes of providing and teaching basic hygiene and health care.
  
  
• God’s touch upon the Tarahumara people. They are superstitious about pregnancy and very apathetic about their own health and that of their children. Pray also that He will lead the right Tarahumara women to Shelley for midwifery training.
  
  
• God’s protection and healing for critically ill Tarahumara children. Parents often don’t take their children to the hospital until they are severely ill. Pray for this attitude to change as we minister in the villages and encourage parents to take a more proactive role in their children’s health.
  
  
• Wisdom for Dr. Mike Berkeley and his wife, Maci, as they oversee the ministry, hire personnel and handle the hospital finances.
  
  
• For Shelley’s students to be quick learners, and to be spiritually and emotionally mature to handle the different situations that arise during deliveries; that they become spiritual pillars in their communities.
  
  
• On April 14th Allison Rozga, a graduate midwife from New Life School of Midwifery (www.midwifeschool.org) is coming from Michigan to check things out. Please pray that it's a good fit both for her and for the ministry here, so Shelley can continue reaching out to these women and many more, and go to the other remote areas that we would like to expand to. We're also praying for another midwife, Amanda and her husband Josh (along with their 2 kids), that have expressed interest in joining the work here.
  
  
• Please pray for our girls' former teacher, Vicky Rodgers, who has arrived safe and sound in the Philippines where she'll be getting more training (with some friends of ours) for the next 3 months. Please keep her in your prayers, and (selfishly) pray with us that she doesn't stay there and that she comes back to us as a midwife to villages!
  
  
• For our girls schooling situation. Vicky has left to pursue more training in midwifery. Shelley is currently teaching our girls. In May we'll receive a young lady from GA (Jordan Williams) who will serve here at the hospital during the summer months, as well help teaching our girls. We may have someone coming in November that might be interested in helping us with that. Please pray that God sends the right person at the right time! Still, if you know anyone interested in doing something like that, please let us know.
  
  
• Please pray that GOD grants us wisdom, as we're also looking at and talking with some other people that are seeking summer internships here at the hospital and that it's a good fit both for the ministry and for their educational needs.
  
  
• Pray for God to allow us to sell our current plane so we can get another one that would allow us to use even during the different seasons of the year. Our current plane is out of service due to bad weather and windy season here. We can not purchase a new one without selling it first.
  
  

Reminder:  Contributions for the needs list above are 100% tax deductible. Please make your check payable to Mexico Medical Missions and mail it directly to Edwin and Shelley Rivera c/o Mexico Medical Missions, 4001 C.R. 114, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601.

Recent Praises:

• The "good use" that the Air Ambulance is being put to. We've "air lifted" several patients that if we were transporting by road it would take anywhere between 4-8 hours but now is easily done in 8-30 minutes. Pray for wisdom for Pilot Mark Egolf, and mechanic Dave Hardin, to know when to fly in or out (due to weather pattern changes) and for the overall aspects of this ministry.
  
  
• A BIG THANK YOU to ALL our friends at Priority Marketing (www.prioritymarketing.com) for ALL their hard work and excellence at providing such great newsletters and keeping our website as awesome as it is, thus keeping you all informed on all that we are doing and all that’s happening here in the Sierras! They are the best!
  
  
• We can not believe that we've been here for over a year already. Quite honestly, we couldn't be here without those of you that are supporting us whether emotionally, financially and/or spiritually. We can not thank you enough for the role you play in our lives and ministry to the hospital staff and Tarahumara population here.

We frequently have urgent prayer needs. If you would like to be on an email list for those, please click here to contact us.
 
May God continue to bless you and yours in all you do.