Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ROMANS 12:12
Prayer and Praise
We have many ongoing prayer needs and appreciate you lifting them up to the Lord as you are led.
We have many ongoing prayer needs and appreciate you lifting them up to the Lord as you are led.
Prayer
Among the continual needs in Samachique are:
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 Mexico Medical Missions, att.: Edwin & Shelley Rivera 4001 C.R. 114, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601.
Among the continual needs in Samachique are:
- Wisdom for Dr. Mike Berkeley and his wife Maci, as they direct the ministry, hire personnel and oversee all of the ministry’s aspects and the different ministries’ and hospital’s finances. Pray for an increase in our finances, as the economic crisis is seriously affecting the ministry.
- Please pray for Tarahumara families. This year there really hasn’t been much (any) rain at all. Last year more families chose to use their fields for drug crops, and though there was money to be paid, there’s a lack of food in the area, which has caused beans and corn prices to double, triple and more in some areas. There's just not enough food for the families, meaning children and women are usually the ones to go without, causing severe malnutrition.
- Pray for wisdom for our doctors when they make the decision to transport critically ill patients to other area hospitals that are 1 1/2 to 5 hours away from Samachique. As violence increases and gets closer to the area, please pray for their protection and safe travels as they have to transport and have to go out at all hours of the day and night.
- Grace and wisdom for Dr. Mike Berkeley, Dr. Bruce Daugherty, Dr. Pedro Ramírez, Dr. Dagoberto Gallaga, Dr. Francisco Velasco, Dr. Carmen Reyes and all the staff of Hospital Misión Tarahumara as they treat Tarahumara patients in the hospital in Samachique.
- Wisdom and safety for Edwin, Shelley, and other Hospital staff and missionaries, as they go through badly maintained and very treacherous roads to go to Tarahumara villages in hopes of providing and teaching basic hygiene and health care. What some people do for fun (off-roading/4-wheeling) is done here as a necessity in order try to reach these people to provide basic care for them. Many times we end up bringing patients with us to better care for them here at the hospital.
- God’s protection and healing for critically ill Tarahumara children. Parents usually don’t take their children to the hospital until they are severely ill and/or too late for adequate treatment. Pray for this attitude to change as we go to villages and encourage parents to take a more proactive role in their children’s health.
- God’s touch upon the Tarahumara people. Pray also that He will continue to lead the right Tarahumara women to Shelley & now Jean for midwifery training. And for midwifery students to be quick learners and to be spiritually and emotionally mature to handle the different situations that arise before, during and after deliveries. Most of these are usually caused by the patients’ poor health and malnutrition.
- Also pray for more midwives to come to be a part of this ministry. Jean Dhority and her husband, Mark, have arrived. Please pray for God to open doors for them, for language learning and grace in communicating and interacting with hospital staff and fellow missionaries, as well as in caring for the native women in this area of midwifery.
- Pray for wisdom for Pilot Mark Egolf, and mechanic Dave Hardin, to know when to fly in or out (due to terrain and weather pattern changes) and for the overall aspects of this vital ministry. Pray for a common vision and full understanding of their ministry, pray for them and their families and children.
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 Mexico Medical Missions, att.: Edwin & Shelley Rivera 4001 C.R. 114, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601.
Praise
Recent Praises:
Recent Praises:
- We cannot believe that we've been with Mexico Medical for 5 years already. Quite honestly, we couldn't be here without those of you that are supporting us emotionally, financially and/or spiritually. We do thank God for His protection from all the violence that's affecting Mexico, for His love and care for us as we've faced different issues, and we pray for more wisdom as we try to reach and share His love with the people here by doing what we're doing.
- We cannot thank God and you enough for the role you play in our lives and our ministry to the hospital staff and Tarahumara population here. We know it’s been said many times before, but we really could not do this without you!
- We thank God for His tender, loving care to us Riveras during the past year, as we’ve transitioned from being in Mexico to the US fulltime and His faithful provision for us.
- We thank God for His protection over our staff and other ministry friends as they’ve had a few “run ins” with cartel people, and that no one has been physically hurt. Thank you Lord for protecting them!
- We also thank God for Michelle Hopkins, a midwife student from Alabama, who has been in Samachique on and off for a couple of years receiving more training and has been of great help to Shelley & Miriam, and to the hospital. She assisted at the birth center and at the hospital in caring for patients and during surgeries. We are excited that it seems that God is providing more midwives to join the work here.
- We praise God for Andy and Debbie Kramer, who for a number of years have been planting churches among the Tarahumara people in different regions. They have a special interest in establishing literacy training centers in remote villages. They are also translating Bible teaching materials and scripture portions into the tribal languages. And are almost finished with a building here at the hospital grounds where they will have a print shop and will be closer to all of us for more language training and outreaches to villages closer to us.
Rivera Ministries • 4001 CR 114 • Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 • Email: info@riveraministries.org
Photo Gallery
View photos from our ministry in Samachique among the Tarahumara people. VIEW PHOTOS
Video Gallery
You'll enjoy these two short ministry videos. See how things look from our perspective. VIEW VIDEOS
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