Here at Oasis they do a really good job of having activities for people to do if they are feeling well enough. This is a picture taken on Saturday. Whoever wanted to could jump on the Oasis vans and head out on a twenty minute ride to Rosarito Beach. Ramona's knee was still not right so we did the wheel chair thing (I'm impressed with how well Ramona is handling it, but it's sure not ideal to hurt her knee right now when she could be out walking and getting excercise and soaking up the sun). As you can see, the shops aren't exactly crowded with people during rainy season.

Bruce and Vicky Northy are the leaders of Amigos de Esperanza. Essentially, Bruce is the pastor of the hospital. Ten years ago, Bruce had cancer himself and came out here along with Vicky and a missionary couple whom they were working for/with at the time. They came out here expecting there to be music or devotions or something every night, but there wasn't. So, the four of them started something on their own. The missionary couple visited all the patients in their rooms and every evening they pulled out a guitar and sang songs together. Apparently they had six people out the first night and after two weeks when Bruce's treatment was over they had 42 people out to sing. Anyway, Bruce has since been healed and over time they developed a ministry here called Amigos de Esperenza. This means that a couple will come out here and live here for a month at a time as spiritual leaders and to organize some activities here. Every weekday morning we have devotions at 8 a.m. Whoever wants to and feels good enough meets to sing and pray. This morning there were six of us.
I also read on the board that there is a time of prayer for cancer patients at the San Pablo Church tonight at 7. This is a pink church about 400 feet from the hospital.

This was the weather yester. We stayed inside all day. Bruce was also the one who made the popcorn and made sure there was a Super Bowl Party here yesterday. Having mentioned all the above things it's actually felt quite....slow here yesterday and today...the rain kept us inside on Ramona's day off Sunday. And today is also a day off of treatment for Ramona but something is not quite right in her stomach and she has slept quite a bit and.....just doesn't feel very good. That is something that can definitely be prayed about.

This is Amos. He is one of the people we've met out here. He is here to be with his mother who will be a patient here for another week-ish. Oasis very intentionally does what they can to make it feel like we're one big family. There are people from Norway, U.S.A., Australia,U.K., Mexico, and Canada right now.

Have a good evening everyone,
Earl

Okay...one last question. Somebody please explain the Mexican culture to me. I think it's some sort of status symbol to have a car with an alarm. We probably hear car alarms 25 times a day. I mentioned this to someone out here and he said that he saw a group of people sitting in their car and simply....... they just set of off the alarm.....because??????...I don't know...maybe it's a new form of alarm therapy...anyway...maybe the alarms are just a bit to sensitive...Amos and I bought some firecrackers....who knew that setting one off in front of the hospital would set off a car alarm too...