voiceofthebride

This month we are sharing a story (and ministry) very dear to our hearts. You would have heard in recent news, of the small medical plane that crashed in Philadelphia. Sue, a missionary nurse friend, cared dearly for one of the victims at her ministries therapeutic ranch for disabled children in Maneadro; a small rural agricultural town just south of Ensenada Mexico.

Over the past couple of years we were blessed and honored to meet Sue, visit the ranch a couple of times, and deliver donated medical supplies and horse gear. After this tragedy, we have connected another colleague ministry, Circle of Concern, who are collecting medical supplies for the ranch at this very moment, including a needed activac negative pressure machine to close pressure sores. (A resource that had been needed to help Valentina – and will help many others in the future).

Please take a moment and visit His Wings Ranch website. With all that is going on in the world, I promise it is uplifting to see the joy of these kids from the love and care they receive. And maybe consider helping with a donation in memory of Valentina! ❤️

“Wayne & Carol;

Our hearts are broken by the death of two beloved members of our community, Valentina Guzman Murillo and her mom Lizeth Murillo Ozuna as well as the lives of the 4 professional providers on board the plane, and bystanders killed or injured on the ground in the plane crash in Philadelphia on January 31st. We have worked together with Valentina and her mom for the past 5 years, to assist with her Spina Bifida condition and her numerous health challenges at His Wings Ranch.

Lizeth applied for desperately needed medical care from Shriners hospital, and Valentina was approved for services at their Philadelphia hospital to address a pressure sore associated with her Spina bífida condition. After receiving months of treatment at Shriner’s hospital, Valentina and her mother were flying back to Tijuana (in route to Ensenada, Mexico) when the accident occurred.

Valentina and Lizeth lived here in Ensenada with Lizeth’s incredibly supportive parents, who fought alongside Lizeth for the best quality of life possible for their grand daughter Valentina. She was deeply loved and adored. Valentina’s mother was one of the most attentive and loving mothers a child could have, never leaving her side. We ask that Valentina’s grand parents are given time to process their tremendous loss and grief in peace. We are forever thankful to Shriners hospital for providing high quality medical care for Valentina and for providing so much peace and reassurance for Lizeth who knew her daughter was getting the best care available.

Valentina and Lizeth lived every moment together and they entered eternity together. Our hope and comfort is in the Lord Jesus, that they have run the race and they are forever together. Please pray that with this tragedy, beauty will come from the ashes, that we at His Wings Ranch may continue to work together to fight alongside parents like Lizeth to improve the quality of life for their children who need help regardless of the country where they were born. – Sue Fasino “

Happy New Year friends! And wow what a busy first 2 weeks it has been already. I (Wayne), just returned from a west coast visit. I officiated Gabriel’s wedding to his lovely bride, Roxanne. Gabriel, you will recall, assisted me for several years with the compassion arm of VOB, serving Mexico. He came across our path as a young man of 19, somewhat newly saved and dedicated to serving the Lord. Now, fast forward, he has a couple of semesters remaining, before earning his Mechanical Engineering degree from Berkeley University, in Northern California. Gabriel, much like a son to Carol and I, we were more than honored to officiate their union in Christ. It was a wonderful ceremony, and is always a blessing to witness. One of my favorite things (an advantage as the minister standing with the groom), is seeing the grooms face, as he first lays eyes on his bride. You can’t help but imagine how much greater Christ, our Groom, delights over His bride, the church.

After a few days of pre-wedding preparations, and the wedding itself, I took the train down the coast of California, to the border, for some time planned to spend with our team in Tijuana, Mexico. If you are following the terrible devastation of wild fires in the Los Angeles area, you would know that I just missed such peril, traveling through the Southern California area. The train route goes right through Malibu and Palisades. After living in San Diego for so many years, we experienced a couple of wildfires brought on by the dry Santa Ana season threats but nothing as severe.

After spending some time with my partner collecting and sorting donated food (a familiar pastime and one that Greg continues to do like the Energizer bunny), I couldn’t wait to cross the border again. I do love the land and people of Mexico!! I got to visit most of the families (not all pictured) we continue to support, including spending a significant amount of time with Pedro, whom we continue to mentor in his ministry. He has a heart to reach his peers and encourage them to make Jesus the center of their lives. We love his heart of compassion and his heart for worship. It is really important for us to keep a lifeline connection to the ones we support each month – our Tijuana missionaries. I am always inspired by their dedication to the Lord no matter their hardships and living circumstances. Thanks to your support, we are able to help shoulder the burden a bit.

The US Mexico border wall has been a topic again in recent days. We thought you would be curious to see it from a Tijuana Colonia (neighborhood) perspective.

If you have been giving to this ministry, we just mailed out tax deductible receipts. If you have not received yours by the end of the month please contact us and we are happy to send you a pdf copy.

We cannot convey how grateful we are for your support. As explained last month, we have had a significant drop in our monthly support. We understand that for some, it may not be clear enough, after our move, that we are still very much continuing our work in Tijuana. Our stepping away from all the physical aspect only signifies our original goal (18 years prior) to raise up locals, and help them help their own communities. A mission accomplished. But a mission that we need your support to carry on seamlessly.

Be sure and check in with Carol on when and how to join her for weekly online worship and prayer times with our fellow worship friends on Global Tabernacle of David!