Day 3 Ciudad Obregon to Tepic via Guamuchil

Guamuchil, Sinaloa

At least all that driving has paid off!  While Colleen and I visit with Pastor Rufino and his wife Guadalupe (see picture below) the kids enjoyed a well deserved dip in the local hotel’s pool.  Ministry isn’t all bad!  When we first drove through Guamuchil in 2007 the town was riddled with drug addicts.  The problem then was that the addicts were mostly children!  One of the churches here had even started a drug rehabilitation ministry in Guamuchil and were overwhelmed with street kids as young as 6 years old who were addicted to meth.  The rehabilitation center was then quickly turned into an orphanage where many young children were rescued from an early death on the streets.  Unfortunately, with the recent down-turn in the economy this led the church to have to close the orphanage and place the children in homes.  That was then.  Now, Guamuchil, along with the capitol city of Sinaloa, Culiacan, which lies 1 hour to the south, have become blighted with chronic drug violence from rival cartels.  The only plus-side to the violence has been a steep decline in drug addiction among the local people as very few people now venture out after dark.  Pastor Rufino and Guadalupe shared how difficult it has been to do ministry when most people can’t leave their homes after dark to attend church services or small groups.

Day 2 Yuma to Ciudad Obregon

Well we only made it to Yuma, but since today’s journey traverses a more dangerous part of Mexico we’ll be traveling through Nogales and then down the autopista (tollway) to Ciudad Obregon. Pipe organ cactus gives way to ocotillos and then the beginning of the agricultural areas of southern Sonora.

Ever looked out the window of an airplane and wondered what the terrain was really like? For many years we wondered the same thing about this fascinating country of Mexico. Do people really live out in the desert? The answer is YES. Even more interesting are the occasions when we drive by people, usually men, who are walking along the highway and there isn’t a visible “home” for miles! We often talk about where they might be going, and what it takes to survive in a desert.

We're off again!

Well we’re packed and ready to hit the road. You might notice that the back of the car looks a little heavy! Well we’ve got car parts, tile, and other miscellaneous items for friends down in Mexico. We have it in our head to make it to Casa Grande, AZ this evening, but we’ll see.