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.
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