Chapel at River Crossing

Some of you may be reading this and wonder where in the world is Hickiwan? Is it near Tucson? Hickiwan is a village on The Tohono O'odham reservation 2 and a half hours(130 miles) West of Tucson. It has a population of about 200 with smaller villages nearby. You won't find it on most maps, the closest place with a store is at least 45 minutes away called WHY? Also close by is Organ Pipe National Monument which has some very cool looking cactus! So why here in the middle of the desert far away from populated areas? The Great commision is at work and God has some great plans for our week. This is the first PPM Native American village trip ever and our team is on their way from Jackson now! Check throughout the week and see how God is at work! The picture is of our host church(the only church) in Hickiwan.

After many hours of driving we have arrived in the Native American village of Hickiwan. We were met in Casas Grande by missionaries Ken and Thurleen Bain and they led the way the hour and a half drive to our home for the next week. We arrived at the church at night so it was difficult to see the village. We are happy with the much warmer weather as it was 6 degrees when we left! it is also about 4000 feet less in elevationwhich is awesome. So what are we doing to tomorrow? breakfast and devotions, then worshiping with the church at 10. Lunch with the pastors family, preparing for the week, checking out where we are helping a family build their home, and a surprise visit to a church in a old mining town! Hopefully we will have some pics by tomorrow depending on the internet being up!

Here is a pic from the church we are staying and working at this week

"You have no idea the importance of your being here this week" Ken Bain NAMB missionary at Hickiwan to the Chapel at River Crossing Team Tonight Ken said that after many years of struggle often with just 3 couples attending Sunday morning service. Now the church is seeing revival like never before. This morning there were about 40 adults and children not including our team. We were able to participate in the service and play with the children during and after the service. At lunch we shared a great ham meal with the leadership and some church families. In the afternoon we organized tools for a house building project we are starting Monday morning. This evening with visited a historic mining town called Ajo (in spanish means garlic) and went to a 5th Sunday interdenominational singing service at a hundred year old church.

Historic Mine

Evening Worship in a hundred year old church

Our Team looking into the huge open pit mine in Ajo, Az

We began work on a home for a family in a local village of only 75 people. Our part of the project includes running the electrical cables, insulating the walls and celling, installing a window, and hopefully hanging some sheetrock. The with some help from the family receiving the home did a great job cleaning the "front yard" of 70 plus years of trash, mesquite branches and lots of glass. The glass needed to leave so the boys would have a place to play! Jeremiah and Will worked inside setting up for installation of the window and cutting holes and running the wiring. Ken Bain and Pastor Tim made the 3 hour plus trip into town to get much needed supplies to continue the project. Another cool part of the day was a kid's club at the church. It was awesome to see over 34 kids and 6 adults attend the first night! The kids were full of energy and had fun acting out the story of Noah, playing kickball and other games and eating nachos! The sun went down fast along with the temps. It felyt like it cooled down 20 degrees in 20 minutes! Taking the kids home was interesting with many kids living far away from any concrete road! Missionaries Ken and Thurleen said this is probably the biggest attendance the church has ever had for a children's event! wow let's see what Tuesday brings, keep praying! In the picture is our team in front of the home we are helping build

THe children of the village have loved our team being here, no only because of all the energy they have to play kickball with them but the love they are showing. Most of the kid's here come from broken homes and are often left with families members like grandparents who often raise them. Each night we have had special foods to share with them like nachos, mesquite brick oven pizzas, hot dogs over the open fire and chicken parm tommorow.

Pizza chef Will makes a pizza paddle of a cactus stick and an old platter. When you are an hour and a half from the nearest store you put your imagination to good use

Early this morning over our village

One of the projects we are doing is helping with the construction of a home for a family that is currently living in a home flooded and filled with mud and often rattlesnakes. The home was one built only to last a few years and now is 50 plus years old. We are installing windows, Electrical wiring, insulation and sheetrock. Hopefully tomorrow we will get to hang a good portion of the sheetrock. God is good we accomplished so much today.

It gets very cold here at night in the winter and this will keep the home cooler in the summer and warmer on those cold winter nights