Tenamigos

Ten Amigos Check IN

Walter: Homeschool 7th grade. Soccer. Handstands. Science inventions!

Rachel: 9th grade homeschool. 3-6 year olds’ Sunday school teacher. Horseback riding, volleyball and friends!

Scott: 11th grade at home.  Welding and El Monte construction work. Camp counselor at South Mountain in N.C. this summer.

Becky: Bible degree at CIU, South Mountain Christian Camp. Short-term missions trip to France. Semester caring for grandparents. Back to CIU this fall.

Ned: Graduating from Grove City College with teaching degree in High School Physics. Migrant Education in Philadelphia, and then?

Will: Graduating from CIU with minor in ESL.  Special girl friend.  Summer internship with his church.  Aiming for full-time missions.

Sarah: Working in the D.C. area as techie for home school curriculum publisher. Dreaming about future short-term missions trips to fields that need computer support.

Mary: Medical leave in Philadelphia for persistent headaches during past two years.  Being seen by specialists. Working in Greek restaurant.  Hoping to make improvements and return to Mexico in five months.

Debbie: Leadership responsibilities for WEC team. Food service director at El Monte. Short-term team/individual coordinator.  Orientation committee. Hostess.  Praying for help!

Ed: Deputy field leader. Missions school director.  El Monte development. Preaching Running Swimming.  New puppy. Wants to climb the volcano!

Congratulations Will and Ned!

May 15  was a big day as our two oldest sons received their well-deserved college diplomas.  We parents cheered as hard as we could from here in Mexico, while Mary was in PA as Ned received his teaching degree in High School Physics from Grove City College, and Sarah was at Columbia International University, SC, to witness Will receiving his degrees in Bible, Missions and Teaching English.
Thank You for your many years of friendship and prayers for the wellbeing of Will, Ned and all of our eight children.  God has been faithful and so generous to them.  It is our greatest joy to count them as our best friends and fellow followers of Jesus.

El Monte News

Construction: The dream is coming true before our eyes! We’re moving ahead!  Work is going on at our second cabin, a maintenance shop, and soccer fields.  You can see all of this online by visiting us on Facebook at “elmontemexico”.

God’s Recent Provisions:
•    Camp pick-up truck and four wheeler!
•    A good Christian lawyer (to defend us in court against greedy neighbors who claim El Monte is their property)
•    Promised pool modifications to handle large groups

•    Electric transformer for the camp zone

Camps: Exciting but challenging would be our feelings as we plan four interdenominational counselor trainings and camps this summer for the statewide evangelical pastors’ alliance.  We praise the Lord for experienced Short Term workers to make it happen!

Training Mexican Missionaries: Join us in prayer for God’s will for our fourth year.  We’ve sent students to China, Indonesia, India, Africa, and the Middle East ….and that’s just so far!

New Staff: You can imagine our JOY in receiving two young families from New Zealand and France!  Pray for their language studies…not an easy task with young children.  Next month brings an MK teacher from Korea.

Praise the Lord with us!

Some Things to Pray About:

• Daily protection.  Although our area is not a danger zone, we are constantly aware of the need for God’s angels around us. Please pray!
• Wisdom to lead ministries, teams and our family.
• Should we turn our house over to the missionary training school and seek to build a cottage for our reduced family further up the hill?
• Students for the new year of missionary training
• Resources to build new cabins, picnic shelters, and bath houses.  E-mail us at tenamigos@gmail.com for a Powerpoint presentation

Heads up! We’ve had to postpone our normal furlough until 2011.  We look forward to seeing many of you then, but in the meantime, we love to receive news and pictures from you!
MUCH LOVE, The Somervilles

Hello from sunny Philadelphia, where green things are just starting to peep out of the ground after our strong winter…  feet upon feet of snow piled up on the sidewalks, meeting the neighbors as we share a shovel… Makes me thankful in new ways for warmth, sunshine and crocuses  What do you notice about early spring?

God bless you, dear ones, for carrying me so long in your prayers during this struggle with daily persistent headaches.  Its been now since Nov 2007 that I began with this strange pain, came to the USA in July 2008, moved into Philadelphia in Feb 2009  and now I’ve been seeing the doctors at Jefferson Headache Clinic since July 2009.  I’ve had CT scan, EEG, MRI, lots of different medicines and  several kinds of holistic treatments.  Praise God that Jefferson has the reputation for being one of the best Headache Clinics in the country.

Even so, there has not been significant change to my condition, and all my medicines and actions are noted down as ongoing research about this new kind of headache that we don’t know too much about.  The latest step in conjunction with my doctors is to try three different medicines for two months each, to see what kind of effect they will have on my pain levels and what kind of changes they may induce in my health.  This seems like an unending trial and error process, and yet I’m aware every day that the One who made medicine and who gave me these smart doctors continues to hold me in his arms and he is completely trustworthy. I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken, or the son of the righteous man begging for bread…

My WEC USA leadership agrees that I should stay here in Philadelphia for the next six months as these medicines are investigated, and while I continue to work 30 hrs/week at a Greek restaurant (a joy to me, to have coworkers from Mexico, Honduras, Morocco, Mali, Mauritania, Greece and USA)  and live in close Christian fellowship with my church family at Circle of Hope (www.circleofhope.net).  But they also agree that, as God leads and not depending on being “pain free”, I may begin to prepare to return to Mexico and/or active missionary service again soon- in a more limited way of course, but with a new awareness of the privilege and joy of serving Jesus as his wounded hands and hope filled mouth as a missionary.

Please pray for me during these months of changing medicines, increased pain and preparation for what God has in store for the future- Thank you very much for loving and praying for me- I’ll keep you posted!

Blessings, hugs- Mary

Dear Praying Friends of El Monte,

Two-and-a-half years ago our neighbors in the adjacent community threatened to steal our land. We thought the issue had been resolved, but now they’ve returned with a court summons…

This is good.

Because of the history of Mexico, the revolution that took place in our exact location, the confusion over communal lands and private property, and the lack of communication between their different registries, it was eventually going to be necessary to legally establish the ownership of El Monte once and for all. With this suit, we are forced to deal with the issue a bit sooner than we thought.

Our lawyer urges us not to worry. He assures us that these people have no case. Our land has always been private property and never a part of their community, but it costs them nothing to try to take if from us, and with luck a corrupt judge might rule in their favor.

On the other hand, we have a very strong case; “like horseshoes inside our boxing gloves,” says our lawyer.

* Our deed is perfectly legal and certified by one of the highest powers in the government, bearing the weight of the president’s authority.
* We’ve established that the land has been private property back to the middle of the previous century.
* The presidential decree that created the borders of their community mentions our land as one of their boundaries.
* The GPS coordinates they’ve submitted for the property they think is El Monte, and are fighting for, are actually over a kilometer away from our land.
* If all else fails, the men who are taking us to court aren’t even the legally elected representatives of their community and have no right to bring this suit.

Even so…we must be prepared to protect ourselves…”innocent as doves, but wise as serpents!” Our legal posture is purely defensive (we will not resort to counter suits or scare tactics; God is our defender) Our board of directors has contracted a highly-qualified former judge and expert in land matters to be our lawyer. We are confident that the Owner of El Monte (Jehovah God) is more than equal to this challenge.

But we DO invite you, our praying friends, to join us in seeking God’s protection of this, His project. We also ask you to pray for His provision of the substantial legal fees that will be incurred. We’ve been warned that this case may take anywhere from months to years to be resolved. We’re asking that you commit to seek the Lord with us, asking that justice be done and that this issue may be resolved quickly, thoroughly, and permanently. May God get the glory!

PRAISE THE LORD FOR CAMPS! Back in April, we found a man soaked in sweat at the locked gate in the hottest part of the day in the hottest month of the year. He said he was a pastor from Mexico City looking for a place to host his summer evangelistic camps for kids and teens. He had just walked the last 2 miles to El Monte from the closest bus stop! Pastor Josue has quickly become like family to us, with his heart and our vision in perfect alignment! His camps were the first summer camps ever held at El Monte! We cannot express the joy we felt hearing his precious evangelistic messages filled with God’s love in perfect Kid and Teen language sandwiched in between loads of good clean fun, sports and singing. In July alone, we will host camps from 4 different denominations, expecting over 700 kids altogether! Yes, we still only have one real cabin! And sometimes the rains are so hard the tents fall down! Thank you for prayers for safety (we kill an average of one scorpion each day) and spiritual fruit. (and staff endurance!)

Praise God for a good visit at Jefferson Headache Clinic last week, with outcomes including both a diagnosis and a plan of action- What I have has been called New Daily Persistent Headache (NDPH), and seems to be most common in young people during/after adolescence and into early adulthood. Characterized by “sudden onset” at a defined moment (as i can “date” the beginning of this headache, this checks out), 30% of NDPH patients had some kind of viral infection/flue symptoms beforehand (I had several months of parasite related problems before the headache began, so that could be a relation?).  Another factor of this kind of headache is that it is not episodal, or present some days and not present other days, but rather “persistent” in duration and relative pain levels.

Based on how long I’ve had this headache, and how many other ideas I’ve already tried for treatment, Dr Young recommended an agressive treatment plan, starting with a month long adjustment to a new medicine, TOPAMAX, followed by three day long sessions in the Jefferson Infusion Center, for infusion treatment- the objective being to break the headache completely before working to adjust medicine levels, etc. Side effects of this med include: 50% chance of body tingling (goodness!), 20% chance of confusion/memory loss, 2% chance of kidney stones… but “even these things pass,” he says with a smile. He also recommended to take an MRI and a VMRI (something with blood veins), to thoroughly check for anything else abnormal. I’ll see him again in one month to schedule this medical infusion treatment.

Dr Young’s “best case scenario” was a six month adjustment to the medicine, followed by a time of gradually coming down off it as much as possible.  While I’m struggling sometimes to keep my chin up thinking about so much more time/money/thought process involved in this one “getting well” ocupation, I do remember and keep on giving thanks to God for 1. such a great prayer crew (Mom, you would be so glad to know how many people have written/called me this week…) 2.This great hospital, and capable Dr. Young et all, and 3. His own STEADFAST LOVE that never ceases…

Thank you for being with me as well- Love, Mary

The Legend of El Zarco

Praise the Lord! In preparation for my Sept 2nd appointment, I called the Jefferson Headache Clinic to confirm that I had all my paperwork in order and was ready to come at a day’s notice in case of cancelations…And they immediately scheduled me in for July 13th, only three weeks away!  I’m thankful, and thank you for your continued prayers as my head seems to hurt worse in these past few days- Good thing God’s mercies are new every morning- Love in Him, Mary

How about some praise reports from Mexico! 

1.  Our teammates baby has moved into position for a natural birth!

2.  Debbie’s surgery biopsies from face, neck and arm are benign.

3.  The Very Important Papers from their Very Important Country arrived into the hands of our students!  They will pack for a Nov. transition to their field of service.

4.  Thank you for your prayers for students for our missionary training school!  Sunday’s open house found 5 potential candidates surrounded by pastors and family cheering with tears for God’s affirmation.  One girl has not actually applied because of heavy family responsibilities, but an elder in her church has offered to Fully Support her year at our school!  (That is a First!) 

5.  Our beloved Melanie Rissler has arrived for full-time service after years of annual short-term trips with her PA youth group.  She is a corporate computer tech, socially gifted and ready to get to work (and we have Plenty of it!)

Thank you for your prayers…

1.  For just the right house for Melanie to rent; secure, affordable and with great neighbors!

2.  Ed seeks the Lord’s special blessing and help for his aging parents in SC.

3.  For Mary’s appointment at the Headache Clinic to open up asap.

4.  For continued safety and understanding for Will in his special summer internship.

5.  A miracle provision of a new transformer for the camping zone at El Monte. (the extension cord we’re using now just doesn’t have the power we need!)

The Lord has sent the rains we need for the new soccer field!  We’re preparing (bracing ourselves!) for 500 campers in the month of July!  Several denominations will be trying out our limited facilities for the first time to host their summer youth camps.  Ed is praying for those 10,000 souls!

Thank you for your encouragement and faithful support.  We PRAISE the LORD for you!

With much love, Debbie for your Ten Amigos

Top Ten Memories of 2009 BEST DAD winner, Ed Somerville:

#10- When we tried to outsmart Santa’s helpers one Christmas, and I hid the baby monitor in the kitchen where I thought Dad and Mom would be filling our stockings in the middle of the night…sleeping lightly with the hand receiver pressed to my ear to catch the subdued crinkle of candy dropping into socks… waking up suddenly to find an index card pressed between my cheek and the receiver, with words printed on it: “NAUGHTY GIRL! SANTA WILL OVERLOOK THIS TIME, BUT DON”T TRY THIS AGAIN!” I never did… but wasn’t that fun!?!

#9 When we lived in NC, Dad threw a rope high into a tree to make us a rope swing with a small wooden seat for maximum comfort- Fun!  The next day he nailed a 2×4 between two other trees and raked leaves underneath to create a combination balance beam-gladiator fighting zone- Fun-ner!  We learned to have fun with what we had on hand.

#8 When baby Will was choking on a small piece of hard candy, and Mom was holding him upside down and hitting his back, and turned to me and said “Go get Dad” and I ran out of the house and started across the football field to find Dad, and he was already walking across towards me…  We learned God works miracles.

#7 When Dad was combing my long 6 year old hair, and i was complaining because it was tangled and hurting, and he took me into the bathroom and gave me a cute short haircut-  I learned “it could always be worse!”

#6 When Dad gathered all the campers at SMCC around the unlit fire in the twilight (frogs croaking nearby in the lake) and told the stirring account of Elijah and the prophets of Baal… and when it was Elijah’s turn to pray to God to send fire from heaven to consume the soaking wet offering… a quick blaze in a tree nearby illuminated the face of a brave young counselor/helper who lit and let go of a piece of kerosine soaked rag down an almost invisible fishing line right into the heart of the unlit fire, and KABOOM- we learned God answers prayer.

#5 When Dad single-handedly took on whole groups of campers/counselors in the SMCC IRONMAN challenge: Canoe out and around the island in the lake, jump out and swim across from the dock to the lifeguard stand and back, then shake off the lake water and run around the whole lake… He was never beaten!  We learned that Dad can do anything.

#4 When in my teens I would come home from some amazing spiritual event, overflowing with joy and wanting to share- I would come in and sit on the side of Mom and Dad’s bed, in the dark, and tell them everything…Even if Dad was usually still asleep, it was cool to be there, talking for long times without interruptions.  I learned to value listening as a gift.

#3 When for my 18th B-day Dad and my best friend’s dad took us for a fancy dinner at the Grove Park Inn- we were scandalized and delighted when Dad BYO- cheap wine and surreptitiously poured and passed us our first taste of wine- almost cured me of wanting to drink- almost.  But I learned: Dad can be cool.

#2 When Dad had my name in our Christmas exchange one year, not too long ago, and the best gift was a plain white envelope with a “date with Dad” coupon- valid for one year, but I think it was only a few weeks before I cashed in and remembered that Dad loves me so much.

#1 When I chatted with Dad a few weeks ago and he reminded me that he’s praying for me every day.  I remembered that Dad’s faith is his best gift to us- I treasure my Dad!