It’s hard to believe that we have a developing nation within driving distance of our community. The Tarahumara Indians are living in one-room houses with dirt floors, no running water and no electricity. They are living on a small stipend from the Mexican government and little food they grow. Very little grows in this region because of the harsh weather and depleted soils. In the past, the men could earn a small income by working in the logging industry, but most of the large trees have been cut down and logging is no longer an option. Men now travel to distant farms to harvest crops. The women weave small baskets which they sell to tourists in nearby towns.
Our mission is to provide a Christian witness to the Tarahumara and to improve:
• Their lives through education;
• Their health through better diet, medical care and sanitation; and
• To enable them to become more self-sufficient and prosperous while maintaining their cultural identify.
The mission building includes a kitchen, a dining room, several classrooms, a medical office, bath and shower facilities, 10 dormitory rooms, and apartment for the mission managers. The 2 hectare property also includes a wood- working shop and an orchard where strawberries, black berries and apples are grown.
We serve about 30 children of Santa Elena after public school hours by reinforcing their school subjects, providing Bible based instruction, and teaching personal hygiene. The students learn personal responsibility and participate in group recreation. About 15 of these children live at the mission 5 days a week as they live too far away to return home every evening. While the children are at living Santa Elena, they are provided 3 meals a day and are closely supervised by our mission managers.
We serve children off-site by providing full scholarships to Complejo Educacional Bautista or RAHOBI (Rancho Hogar Bilingue Indigena) school. This is a boarding school in nearby Bocoyna that provides 3 years of ‘secundaria” and 3 years of “preparatoria” education. It is our goal to support 5 to 10 students at RAHOBI.
For the adult population at Santa Elena, periodic Bible Studies are conducted and there are occasional workshops to teach sewing, weaving and other skills.
The overriding mission is to show God’s love and teach the loving way of Jesus.