Our fourth trip to the Prince of Peace Methodist Church in Colonia Santo Niño took place from May 21-24, 2015. Those participating were Mark and Meg Matthews, Alvaro and Adeline Jackson, Nick Nichols, and Tom Pilkington, all from MUMC; Harold Higgins (Food Pantry and Friday Bible Study patron); and Pastor Lupita, Santiago,and Fletch Illi from the La Puente United Methodist Church. The weather stayed warm, in the high 80’s and low 90’s.
Here is a report of what was accomplished:
Finish Sewer Plumbing…That was completed, thanks to Harold Higgins. The sewer from the bathroom was dumping into an open collection basin and is now changed to a closed 3” sewer pipe. The water from the sink was incorporated into the sewer line.
Hot Water…We installed a tank-less water heater that runs on propane. This was deemed cheaper to operate than using electricity to heat the water. The hot water was plumbed to the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink and a new shower room.
Figure 1- the tankless water heater being installed
Air Conditioner…Because it gets so very hot (I’m told 125-130oF. in July/August) to make the Community Center usable for dental and medical clinic work as well as the computer lab, we will be installing air conditioning. Using the Community Center throughout the summer is vital as we are just getting the Medical and Dental Clinics working and we can’t afford to have volunteer doctors and dentists working in such a hot building.
We thought we could use a swamp cooler (Evaporative cooler) which was not only inexpensive to buy, but also inexpensive to operate. We were told by the pastor, a doctor, the Home Depot salesman, and virtually anyone else in Mexicali, that since the weather is not only HOT, but HUMID as well. So the only choice is a 2-ton refrigeration unit. We found a locally manufactured unit at about half the price of what we found at Home Depot or about $700 installed…We are working on getting that accomplished before to awful heat begins.
Computer lab… Thanks to your donations, we now have 3 computers functioning complete with an internet connection and wifi. With school letting out soon, we will focus on getting an English class started. Nick brought a computer and some software to help people understand how to speak English by using the Bible. Pastor Miguel has a teacher lined up to start English Language lessons for not only kids but for adults (including Miguel).
Shower… All of the preparations were made in turning a closetinside of the Community Center into a shower room. We installed the hot water as mentioned above, installed a fan to pull out steam, and a water-proof light. However, we expected to be able to purchase a plastic or fiber glass shower stall to slide into the room and plumb the drain through the floor…but we could not locate one in Mexico. So, we will have to back up and rethink the way forward. Current thinking from the brain trust is to install a plastic shower pan (which we will bring in from the US) and plastic or Formica walls.
Figure 2-A storage closet in the process of becoming a shower.
Health Kits…Meg and Adeline made sandwiches, bagged them and put in a bottle of water which we planned to hand out with the health kits. The place where we passed them out last time had another group, so we moved to another park…there were no immigrants there when we arrived, but the news spread fast and we soon had the 50 people to receive them we had prepared for. Much more orderly this time. We also learned that the Central Church was feeding immigrants at the church so we went there to hand out another 50 health kits and spend time with the pastor and staff. Here are pictures from both events:
Figure 3- Immigrants getting health kits, food
Figure 4 - After receiving Health Kits, a time of prayer
Figure 5 Immigrants waiting for hot meal outside Mexicali Central UM Church
Figure 6 - Inside the church dining hall
Dental Clinic…Meg and Mark became our painters and put a fresh coat of paint on the interior walls of the Dental Clinic. Anna, our dentist who is helping get the clinic open, visited us again and took an extensive inventory of the tools and supplies we had on hand and made a list of what is needed. She also inspected the dental chair and X-Ray unit and found most working well…except the suction part that removes saliva from the mouth. We contacted a technician from a dental supply company to come out and determine what is necessary to make that work. At the present time there aretwo dentists in Mexico that are willing to volunteer time; at least two more are needed. The plan that is developing is for the dental and medical clinics to alternate weeks. In other words, on Week 1, a dentist would come and serve the Colonia, on Week 2, a medical doctor would come, and so forth. If there are four dentists and four
doctors, an individual doctor or dentist would only have to come once every 8 weeks.
Medical Clinic… There is currently one medical doctor who is volunteering her time to work at the Colonia. Dr. Anna Lillia was with us after worship on Sunday, not to visit patients but to discuss how we can get more volunteers. She has a working relationship with a medical group- from Azusa Pacific University in California that we will contact to see if we can gain their support. She will also put us in touch with the Medical Association in the Mexicali area to request their support. Our Meg has connections with Loma Linda and Cal-Baptist Universities and is endeavoring to get support from them. The only piecesnow missing from the medical clinic are a small refrigerator in which to store medicines and a security system to control access.
Projector…After a few false starts, we now are using the projector in two places in the Colonia. First of all, we are showing movies. On Saturday, a few of us drove around the Colonia
(as well as an adjacent Colonia) and put up posters advertising a weekly movie to be shown on Saturday at 6:00. We set up the projector outside as well as chairs and chose Veggie Tales to be the first movie, directed to kids. About 30 people from the community showed up to watch the movie. We started with some fun songs, prayers and discussion. Sandwiches and drinks were passed out and the movie started around 6:30…too early as the sun was still low in the western sky and in the early going, it was very difficult to see. By around 6:50, the movie was clear. Pastor Miguel will be changing the signs to 7:00 for the next go around. We have a few more movies (including Jesus, Heaven is for Real, Dolphin Tail, and another Veggie Tale)…but we need more with the Spanish Language option (preferably not sub titles)…so we encourage donations.
We also hooked the projector up in the sanctuary and projected onto the wall an orchestra/bagpipe rendition of “Amazing Grace” and another song that Lupita typed in alternating Spanish and English stanzas for us to sing…powerful. Everyone loved it!
Kids Party…Pentecost Sunday was celebrated with a piñata. Our team filled it with bags of candy and fruit. Here is a photo of the piñata sharing the back seat with Al Jackson.Wow, they have piñatas a tad larger than ones usually seen in the states.
All in all, it was another wonderful trip. We accomplished a lot (although not as much as we had hoped given the problems with the A/C and the shower stall). I think God was playing with us a little. Up until now, everything has worked as planned.
Pastor Miguel to Murrieta…It was previously reported that Pastor Miguel was working on obtaining his passport and Visa. I’m happy to report that he now has his passport and has beenapproved for the Visa (to be delivered to him in the next two weeks). So, expect him to be in our Murrieta UMC Sanctuary on June 21st. He will speak to you and be available to meet and greet you.
Future Trips… A few projects are being planned. First of all, while we fixed the leaks in the Community Center, there are still problems with the roof on the Chapel. The men of the church are replacing some worn plywood sheeting on that roof. On June 15, Roger Humphriesplans to bring down shingles and install them. Meg is talking about an early July trip to train families on how to perform CPR and to intervene in choking emergencies (especially for children). There is also talk of a summer trip with young adults and possibly youth. However, unless that happens soon, it may be too hot…not much fun in 110+ degrees F. humid conditions.
We are grateful for the generous donations which were provided to make much of the work described in these reports possible. Your love for helping others is very much appreciated. Please consider planning to JOIN US in September and/or October (week-long trip to install a new floor in the community center).
Respectfully submitted, Tom Pilkington
Home: 951-698-3515 Cell: 909-645-1212