A quick note this morning.....Stephanie, Josh Rose and myself went to the 'Ranch' yesterday morning, so I could move some dirt for the new Sunday school room. I filled the inside of the foundation, pushed dirt around the perimeter, and made a channel to divert water during the rainy season. Joel and Beatrice had came out with us, and held church in the evening. Got to bed at 10:30, and back up at 5:30 to climb the mountain, and came back to town.....then working at the school the rest of the day.

After our supper last night we went to Sinforosa.  It is a breathtaking view into God's amazing creation.  Wow!  The top photo is one that Dad took while we were there.  The air was very smoky, so our long range view was limited.  However, the vast area that the Copper Canyon emcompasses was clear.  We simply cannot comprehend the magnitude of the canyon.  The Tarahuamara people live throughout the canyon area and are the center of the Capps ministry. Dad says that at night one can see the home fires of the people who dwell in the cliffs.  We could see the trail, incredibly steep in many areas, wind up and out of the depth. The Tarahuamara walk miles and miles and miles and miles - all day in some areas- to reach the top, then they have to walk on to catch a ride to town.  How many of us complain about having to carry the garbage clear out to the dumpster, 50 yards away?  We spoiled people with our first world problemas! 

It was rewarding after a day of hard work to take a fun-break!
(The lower photo is a close up (taken from the above link) of the same place Dad's photo came from.) 

Here are some random pics from the worksite.  I am limited with time, so I won't go into detail with each photo.  ~Steph

 Mixing concrete for the school bathroom/shower-house for mission groups.

 Moving cement into the bathroom/shower-house.

 Building up the dirt around the foundation.

 Putting up gutters.

 More dirtwork.

 Several layers of work going on in this photo: dry wall mudding, insulation installing, window work, dirt work, concrete work.

 Materials for inside of buildings.  Drywall, insulation, etc.

A good photo of the drywall work that the girls are doing.  The guys/gals installed the bars over the windows, too.

Back to Class

Today was a special day!  We got to go back to class.  It has been many years since any of us were in primary school, some longer than others.  This morning the school invited us to join them in a musical and teaching service.  We arrived a la escuela the same time the students were. 
Pastor Antonia and his guitar led us in beautiful worship.  The students sang their favorite songs, including actions.  They even gave us a special surprise and sang a song in English.  I'm staying with Josh and Candice Rose; Candice is the English language teacher at the school. She, Isamar, and Flor Castro are teaching the students praise songs in English.  After the song service, the students took part in a message from Daniel.  I'm going to be honest and say that I had not much of a clue was was being said, but did pick up on a few points.  The Pastor was very entertaining and had the students laughing and interacting the whole time.  I know enough Espanol (barely) to know he was speaking to the students about guarding their heart.  A deceived mind equals a deceived heart.  Mr. Bullard, headmaster of the Christian Heritage Academy in Oklahoma, spoke to the students via a translator.  He challenged the school kids to take the message to heart, and told them that his students in Oklahoma receive the same sermon regarding the mind and heart.
  After the service we divided into groups and visited classrooms.  The students were as excited to host us as we were to visit!

  Chloe, Ashley, and Blanca are handing out supplies to the 3rd grade class.

  Estudiantes enthusiasticos!

Mrs. Yadida showing off some of the material her classroom, and others will share.  Every student received a new pencil. 

We kept Debby, Stephanie and Chloe awake until 11 pm working on the airplane, Monday night, trying to start it .......Up early on Tuesday morning and after some persistence we got it started! All part of being on the mission field :) What fun that was!
Today (first day of work) in Guachochi, the group installed more insulation, put up sheet rock, helped mix cement, hauled cement in buckets, put up rain gutters and more. Ed and I had equipment that needed servicing, parts to get fixed in town, running parts to the school ground and more! I started making up some of the wiring in school rooms, and then showed one of the young men (Mark) how to do it, while Ed and I had to go pick up parts for small engine I am rebuilding. Just got started on that project, when it was time to have supper with the group, then downtown for ice cream afterward.
Back to the house, and visiting with Pastor Antonio until 10pm.....shower and off to bed now.
Another big day tomorrow

It's 6 am.  Dad and I are eating breakfast.  We've been up since 5.  I think Chloe stayed at Nate and Maya's last night, but I'm not sure. She might have slept at the church.  I know, Mother-of-the-year material, right?  Two other teens- Erasmo and Blanca- joined us last night from Carlsbad, NM.  They stayed at Nate and Maya's, too. Their mom is originally from Guachochi. The OKC group had a breakdown yesterday, so were projected to arrive 11 or so last night.  They were to stay at a little Baptist church near here.  As soon as they arrive here at the house, 6:30ish; we will load the van, suburban, trailers and depart for the border.  The border we will use to cross is in west El Paso.  It is a bit out of the way, but not as congested as the one in south ElPaso/Juarez.
I'm not sure when we will next update this blog.  It will depend on time and available wifi.  Our desire is to arrive in Guachochi tonight.  Pray that our border crossing goes smoothly, that we have safe travels, and in the event we are stopped, pray these teens girls some ugly!  I shudder to think of  a cartel boss eyeing all of the beautiful teens.  We hope to get there before dark, as it is not really safe to travel at night.
Adios!
Steph
We made it in to Guachochi around 9:30 pm.....trip from the Border was uneventfull, with the usual stops for gas, 'potty' breaks, and a 2:00 pm break for a sandwich. We came thru Chihuahua City/Parral getting here. I have no idea the hi-way numbers, just the route; if anyone wants to follow our path. Supper was warm and awaiting us, upon arrival at the school property, and was very much appreciated! Lulu and Candice and family's were all there to greet us and serve that wonderful meal....."thank-you!"
The 'work team' are all camping out at the school site, with the exception of Stephanie (staying at Candice and Jose Rose home, and myself at the Capps home). We will take some time to get 'settled in' this morning and then get to work.
I know 'pictures' have been mentioned.....we just have to slow down for a minute to get them posted. Don't give up on us, we will get some posted. Time and Internet resources seem to limit us on these postings, but we do wish to keep you all updated....bear with us, they will come.
Steve

Well it's way to late to post much post much right now....11:40(that's PM), I just had a quick shower and am ready for some 'shut-eye!' We had two oil changes on the suburban and the van, and worked on the airplane in between. Finally got it started a couple times but it would not stay running. We will try to post some pictures tomorrow as time allows.......good night all. Steve