JWAV News

29 January 2007

Our service team recently visited San Pedrito. This was our third service trip and our largest and smoothest to date. The team include - Greg Abell, the Bateman Family (Drew, Jillian and Chloe), the Gonzalez Family (Roland, Clara, Gisella and Dante), David and Brandon Jumpa, and the Schulers (Paul, Cindi and Heidi).

San Pedrito and Agros are simply doing an amazing job in the village. Here are a just a few updates and some of the things we witnessed:

-	We ate beans and corn from the San Pedrito's first fully successful crop made possible with credits from Agros - 3/4 of which went to market for profit.
-	We some of the 30,000 trees in the hills behind the community, that the community planted to reforest the woods and renew the natural hatitat.
-	We met and prayed with Victorio, Ricardo, Maria and Jose in their new adobe homes, and walked among thousands of adobe blocks waiting to to be set into walls for the remaining families.
-	We drank water directly from the new chlorinated filtering system.
-	We ate chiles and vegetables from the new gardens. Each home now has its own vegetable gardens and fruit trees.
-	We witnessed the children in their third school semester, and they are starting to read and write in Spanish and Tzotzil.
-	We completed and inaugurated the new community librabry and stocked with its initial sets of books for the children.
-	We listened to Mariano and Sebastian, and even Pedro Perez play and sing with the band for the first time. They were incredible. We started working on a plan with them to bring music to all of the children starting this year.
-	We saw the Domingo miraculously heal from his long-term illness and work alongside the other men for the first time in years.
-	We saw pictures of the Miguel and Augstin, the two prisoners, for the first time and learned they now might be freed within two years, and received greetings from and prayers from Miguel.
-	We learned that the village's application for electricity has been approved by the state.
-	We saw both our communities children finally play together safely, something that was not previously possible.

Cheri Brune pulled together our first prayer calendar for the service team and the village. Everyone of those prayers resulted in a wonderful trip. We thank Cheri and everyone in the congregation for joining in and making sure we were safe and well taken care of.

And lastly we finally saw the first updates to this website in almost a year thanks to help and support from our new team members. We pray that this ministry continue to grow.

10 February 2006

Phase I of the water system has been successfully completed ahead of schedule and under budget. They filled the main storage tank with 40,000 gallons in 72 hours. Click here for details on the Phase I Water Project.

With the remaining funds they acquired and installed plumbing to transport water directly from the tank to the individual homes. The women of San Pedrito no longer have to haul water in containers at all. This was a huge cause for celebration and an enormous step in continuing to build the necessary trust, faith and partnership required for long term success and transformational development.

They continue work on the dam and the reservoir. The reservoir level has already reached 10 ft (3.0 m). They dam will eventually reach 25 ft (7.5 m). The village is having having its first irrigation planning meeting this Sunday 12 February 2006 to begin pulling together its requirements in order to leverage the new availability of water. Click here for details on Phases II & III Water Project.

Water is only part of the required hygiene program for improving the community's health and overall situation. They have started working with the children to reinforce the need for a pollution free environment. This starts with education in the classroom and litter retrieval.

28 January 2006

Work on the PVC pipe from the spring cistern to the main storage tank at the top of the village has commenced. The men are highly motivated and the construction is ahead of schedule and well within budget as they are very effeciently utilizing their materials. They are using this opportunity to start work on the Phase II dam and reservoir just below and to the north of the village at the bottom of the seasonal stream. Click here for details on the Phase I Water Project.

23 January 2006

Phase I of the water project is nearing completion, with the final progress payment for construction going out this week. Here are pictures of the main storage tank as the walls are nearly complete. It's 8 feet high and holds approximately 40,000 gallons. Construction on the water transport from the spring to its final destination here has started. Click here for details on the Phase I Water Project.

14 January 2006

Cross Sound's second service trip is announced for March 16-26. Key activities for this trip will include inaguration of the water system; more detailed documentation and needs assesments around the individual families; infrastructure planning for the coming year; assessement of project activities to date; and continued work on latrines, stoves, crop management and so forth. Click here if your are interested in participating or supporting.

12 January 2006

The construction team is rapidly making progress, and is on schedule to complete the water system before the peak drought period in March. The walls of the of the main storgage tank at the head of the head of the village are nearing completion. Click here for details on the Phase I Water Project.

22 December 2005

The Acteal massacre took place on this date eight years ago. Our partner in Morelos, Pastor Alejandro, is leading a prayer vigil for the San Pedrito men imprisoned for the Acteal massacre. Please join him and his congregation in prayer. Click here for details on the Acteal massacre.

20 December 2005

Construction of the amplified water capture system at the spring source has been completed. Construction of the reservoir at the head of the village has started, and the foundation is already complete. The walls are next but construction has stopped so that the village can harvest the remaining crops before livestock from the surrounding ranches get to it. The teams will pick construction back up first week of January. Click here for details on the Phase I Water Project.

07 December 2005

San Pedrito has made much progress. All the plastic lining is completely installed in the homes, and the village is experiencing a noticeable improvement in warmth and protection from the elements. Click here for shelter project details.

27 November 2005

With help from you, the Agros team in Mexico has purchased plastic construction liners to keep the wind, rain and cold out of their homes until such time construction can begin on permanent houses. Together with the new stoves we have been building, this lining will greatly help minimize illness and suffering this winter.

We have much progress to report this week. With help from our partner church, Bethel in Morelos, San Pedrito has hired a new teacher. After two years with no school, San Pedrito’s children started class this past Monday 28 November.

Through you generous donations we have received enough funds to immediately begin construction on the first phase of the water project so they can have enough water for drinking and cooking during the dry months. We are still waiting for final plans for the remaining phases to meet all of their water needs – irrigation, hygiene and so on. We need your continued donations to ensure completion of these phases. Click here for details on the Phase I Water Project.