The Ramey Report

Todd & Kristi Ramey, serving in San Marcos, Mexico

at Face of My Father Children’s Home

May 2008
We’ve Arrived!

Almost three
weeks after
leaving
Zanesville, we
pulled into
the little town
of San
Marcos where
we will make Traveling through the mountains in
our home and our Excursion and new trailer
minister at
the Face of
After crossing the border there were a few
My Father blown tires on our overloaded trailer on the less-
Children’s than-smooth Mexican highways. A couple days’
Home. stay with missionaries in Torreon and visits to some
children’s homes there were a much-needed break
and a good learning opportunity. Another couple of
stressful driving days ensued but the last 90 miles
from Guadalajara to San Marcos were the worst
It was an EVENTFUL trip and God roads of the whole trip. We averaged a breakneck
protected us through all kinds of trials and blessed speed of 25 miles per hour! We were welcomed by
us with good fellowship as well! In Arkansas about the Cookes with balloons and hugs. They had our
three days into the trip, our trailer, filled with all our air mattress bedrooms set up and ready for a much
earthly goods, broke apart and we spent several needed rest. We were “home!”
days there with a family we had not known before
this who helped us build a trailer. Though we lost
some time (and considerable money), we gained so The girls got a
much more through the experience...mainly to trust little taste of our
God in every circumstance! It also caused us to future ministry
miss our connection with the family that was going as we visited
to help us cross the border. However, we were Children’s
able to connect with an Alliance couple who gave homes in
us guidance. The visa and customs process was a Torreon on our
breeze! We even gained a few supporters along way to San
way too! Marcos
 We have been on the ground for a couple
weeks now and the emotions range from overwhelming
joy to utter despondency. Our living area consists of the
two dorm rooms on the lower floor, which are complete
except for painting. The dining room is tiled but the front
doors are not yet installed so it is open to the outdoors.
We are using it as a staging area for unpacking. The
kitchen does have a fridge (smaller than we are used to)
but no sink or stove. Meals are simple with what we can
cook in the microwave and crockpot. This calls for some
creativity on Kristi's part. The bathroom has one working
sink and two flushing toilets. A difficulty for us is the
water rationing. San Marcos is in their dry season, which
means that we have water from 4 a.m. to noon. This is
not ordinarily a problem but our building does not have
storage tanks yet…they are coming in the near future.
The girls now have real beds! Kristi and I have a new
mattress but no bed frame. For some reason a cheap
bed frame is really hard to find. There is a man that sells
a cheap bed base but he travels around and has not
been in San Marcos since we have arrived. There are
several things that stores do not carry because the
traveling peddlers take care of that niche.
Our bathroom and
dining room are the
more complete areas
of our home
We are falling into a daily routine now. Tod has
jumped right into the construction work on the Children’s
Home building. We must get the second story bricked
up and under roof before the June rains begin. The girls
are finding ways to help in the construction too! Kristi is
in the process of trying to organize our living space as
much as possible without any cabinets. Katie Cooke is
giving the family formal Spanish lessons but each of us
is learning from our every day necessity as well. Our
two families are working out our schedules and
cooperating on various duties during the day and week.
The second story needs to be under roof before the
June rains…funds & workers needed
Two of our greatest challenges now are dust and
dust. Try to imagine living in the middle of a construction
zone where it has not rained for two months. We only
have doors on the dorm rooms and the bathroom. The
dinning area and kitchen are open to the dust. One
blessing is that most the insects don't show up until the
rainy season. Many of the extras for the first floor will
have to wait. All of the money left in the building fund
must be used for completing the shell of the second
floor. This is a race with the oncoming rainy season. The
second floor roof must be complete in 6 to 8 weeks to
beat the rain. If it is not done we will have a very leaky
first floor. The ability to win this race depends on money
and bodies. We have almost enough money left to
complete the job but it will be close. The budget only
includes enough to pay two workers. We have a youth
group from our Zanesville church coming for a week in
June and another young man will be here for the whole
month of June to help. Please focus your prayers on
more funds and more help. Most of the men in our
church here do not have the spare time to devote to the
project but some have helped out when they can. If any
one is interested, one or two more men here could
make a big difference. A work team can be one or
two people! Let us know if you have a week to spare.
All has not been doom and gloom. We feel so blessed to
have gotten this far in just one year. When I think that
we are living better than 98% of the rest of the world it
helps me put every thing into perspective. When I get
down, the Holy Spirit reminds me that we are here to
serve not to be comfortable. The reward of holding the
first child will make me count it as all joy. I think of all the
people praying for us to succeed and all of the problems
seem so trivial. Thank you for your faithfulness and love.
Please allow us one last hardship to list...
Missing all of you!
Todd & Kristi

Visas
We crossed the border without too many problems
with the paper work. We paid the tariff on all of our
belongings and obtained permits for our car and
trailer. The visa process was very simple and fairly
quick. Our visas are the typical tourist version and
good for only six months. Obtaining ministry visas
(FM 3) is the next step. Most of the paper work will
be done with the help of the Mexican C&MA. The
cost is the big hurdle in this process. Each visa
costs $500 and of course we need five of them!
FM 3 visas are good for five years with an update
required every year for another $100 fee. With FM
3 visas, we can avoid making a border run (driving
to the border, staying 48 hours in the U.S. then re-
entering Mexico on a new tourist visa) every six
months. The first run will be fairly easy, but a year
from now we will have children to look after so we
need to get the FM 3s as soon as we can. If you
would like to give toward the $2500 cost of this,
just mark the donation “Visas.”
A Day in the Mind of Jossie
bucket and then hook it to rope and pull it up to the
second floor. This is some really hard work! Carlos and
Victor tell me I am a real worker!
Now it time for breakfast…. Ah, finally. Lets see…
oatmeal or toast?…hard choice. Well, I will have them
both. It’s a long time until lunch and I will be working
hard. After breakfast Miss Katie comes over for our daily
Spanish lesson. Sometimes it makes my brain hurt but I
am catching on really fast and it helps a lot to be working
around Spanish-speakers all day.
Well, back to work for a few more hours and then the
best part of the day: lunch and then…siesta! More next
month. Sooo…tired….
Muchas Gracias!!
We want to say thank you to all that helped us get out the
door and on our way…by financial gifts, food, household
and personal items and especially the time sacrificed to
help us sort, clean and pack. What a huge help that was!
Lastly we wanted to thank all that helped us along the
way… to new friends, and gracious host families. We
could not have made it without you. Dios les
bendiga!

Yaawwn…..time to get up. Ugh, it is only 7 AM and it’s

not even bright out
yet. Where is my
closet? Oh that’s Children’s home needs
right, all my clothes
are in a suitcase…
There, all dressed Urgent! Funds to complete second floor
for a long, hard before rainy season begins in June.
workday. Well, not
a whole day, just Urgent! Work team THIS MONTH to help
until 1 or 2 PM. complete second floor and have it
under roof before the rains come.
Time to get to
work…first put on
the work gloves Kitchen: Stove, counters, sink, table and
and then I go to cabinets
ask Victor and
Jossie in a second story Bathroom: Cabinets and working shower to
Carlos what work
complete one
hallway ready for work needs to be done.
Carlos is the
Also needed: Water storage tank.
contractor who is
building the
Children’s Home
and Victor is an elder from our church here who is
helping him. Of course I have no idea what they are
saying; it is all in Spanish. So I go and ask my Dad what
they are saying and he says, “Go stack bricks.” Ay, ay, Contact us at:
ay! Stacking bricks is fun until your hands start hurting
but it will be great when the house is finished. Now on to faceofmyfather@gmail.com
the cement… It is my job to shovel the cement into a
 Spanish with Annie
Did you know that many Spanish words are the same as English
but with a slightly different pronunciation?? For instance:
The doctor becomes el doctor (stress the “or”)
The tractor becomes el tractor
The elephant becomes el elefante (stress the “fan”)
Fantastic becomes fantástico
The monkey becomes el mono
Isn’t that easy? Now you know some Spanish words.

And here are some palabras importantes (important words):

God is El Señor or Dios
Prayer is la oración
¿Es fantástico el Señor?
Sí, el Señor es fantástico!!!!
Here’s a computer artist’s idea
of what the Face of My Father
I'm glad you are learning something along with my family and me!
Children’s Home will look
Talk to you next month. Love, Annie
like when it’s all built!

Support Form
Please check the following that apply:

I will join the Rameys in….

___ prayer & give financially at $_____/month
___ prayer & enclose a one time gift of $____
___ prayer but I cannot give financially now.
Check to receive our family newsletter. _____e-mail _____ postal mail
I would like to support the Children’s Home with building needs, operating expenses, or wherever needed:
____ one time gift of $_______
____ monthly gift of $_______/month

Name_________________________________________
Address________________________________________________________________
City_____________________________________ State______ Zip _______________
Phone________________ E-Mail___________________________________________

Please return form to:
Good Measure
785 Harrison Ave.
Charleston, IL 61920
Our Mexico Address:
Face of My Father Children’s Home
Tod & Kristi Ramey
Quetzal #9 Colonia El Palomar
San Marcos, Jalisco 46540
MEXICO
U.S Contact Information
Good Measure International
785 Harrison Avenue
Charleston, IL 61920
(217)-348-1587
www.goodmeasure.org
The Ramey Report
Todd & Kristi Ramey
c/o Good Measure Int’l
785 Harrison Avenue
Charleston, IL 61920
www.faceofmyfather.org

Prayer Requests for the Rameys:

* Please pray for our quick adjustment to the
culture and lifestyle here in San Marcos
* Pray for good health for the whole family
(Genna’s continued physical therapy and
everyone’s asthma)
* Pray for our ability to learn Spanish as we
study together with Katie and “learn by doing!”
* Pray for family unity as we prepare for our
ministry together.
* Pray for the needed funds and work force to complete the second story of the Children’s
Home before the June rains come.
* Pray that all the details will be worked out for the Home to open & accept children
* Pray that we will be able to secure our ministry visas easily (costs are $500 per person)
* Pray for the ministry of William & Katie Cooke at the San Marcos Peniel Church, as they
help us assimilate and oversee our ministry here.
* Pray that our support money comes in regularly and that we will soon be up to 100%.