bajmission.com

CHRIS and LORI
BAJKIEWICZ
MISSION MEMOS   
# 50   winter-spring  2007

Extending God’s hands of mercy to Mexico,
Latin America and the Developing world ...
since 1991!

Greetings to our ministry friends, partners, and everyone reading! It’s been a few months since we’
ve written a prayer-newsletter, and there’s much to tell. We have seen GOD weave His faithful
love through the hectic and the frantic, somehow arriving at relationships and His kingdom. Each
event or outreach mentioned here represents weeks of work, set-up and wrap-up… but we offer it
all UP as praise to the great Father of Lights, from whom all good things flow (James 1:17).

WELCOME to the expanded version of our news at bajmission.com!  We have some really great
pictures that we just can’t fit on the paper version. Actually, if you would prefer email newsletters,
do let us know… it saves postage costs!

This season has reminded us that serving in missions can require a high price. As Lori and team
were traveling by ground to the San Quintin outreach in September, three team members flying in a
small plane to the same outreach crashed in Ensenada, Mexico. Outreachers Merlin, Bob and
Brianne died instantly, joining the cloud of heavenly witnesses. The team in San Quintin, knowing
of the deaths, continued the outreach, caring for those who came to the clinic from the work
camps and honoring their comrade’s sacrifice ‘in the line of duty’. Please pray for the families who
lost their loved ones.

In late December, I was part of a 6-day outreach in New Orleans with Point Loma Nazarene
University and Heart to Heart Ministries. We reached out to residents of the Gentilly district,
who had sustained weeks of flood surge during Hurricane Katrina 16 months prior. As we
worked to re-connect the residents to local health care, I saw the sacrifice of many to reach
out to the people affected by the large-scale destruction. In the middle of tragedy, God’s hope
is shining through in the Gulf coast.

< Chris and team
scoping out the next
place to go in New
Orleans


   Chris working with >
the PLNU staff in
planning the day's
house-to-house work in
the Gentilly district.

Lori has been living out of a suitcase these past months. September and November each saw 4-
day trips to the San Quintin clinic for kids’ ministry and translation work. A long week in San
Vicente meant screening clinics with a medical team, as Lori bravely learned how to manage
screening blood sugars. Yes, blood was involved! She then taught 80 sessions of oral rehydration
skills in the Mexican schools with 850 students over 2 days. Returning from south Baja, she almost
immediately boarded a plane with me as we joined Project Compassion for a week of clinic
outreaches in Oaxaca. Returning from that southern Mexican state, with ‘tired feet’ from caring
for over 450 people in four clinics, there was great joy in our hearts. The outreach partnered with
a local church in Huatulco and literally over 300 people received the Lord. Praise GOD for His
faithfulness!

<  Lori and the marathon oral
rehydration classes in the Mexican
schools of San Vicente, Baja.

Can you believe it? Vital signs and
screening BLOOD sugar testing....!  >

Lori writes, “While ministering medically in Oaxaca, members of Amistad de Huatulco church joined us daily
to serve. WOW, were they on fire! I was reminded of Psalm 133:1-3, “How good and pleasant it is when
brothers live together in unity! ...For there the Lord bestows His blessings, even life forevermore.” One of
the women, Maria Luisa, would greet me each day with a BIG hug, and then proceed to minister to the
patients. There was a prayer area, but Maria utilized the patient waiting areas by sharing scriptures, using
the evangelism cube and praying for their needs. What a blessing to work alongside people who have such a
passion to bring others into the Kingdom.”

Oaxaca outreach... Chris seeing patients, Lori working as pharmacy tech!

We continue to diligently work on
our ‘long-term’ projects. Over the
last year, Lori’s HAT PROJECT
has given over 700 hats in Baja
with various outreaches we work
in, a great blessing in this
unusually cold winter. To keep the
number of hats growing, Lori is
teaching various groups to knit
and crochet for the hat project.
We continue to work regularly
with the San Pablo Church during
their outreaches to the
impoverished in Tijuana.

Grateful,

warm

heads!

We joined the Medical ‘Brigada’ outreach team in December and March to underserved
neighborhoods, where I saw patients and Lori ministered to a couple hundred kids. As usual,
we saw over 800 people come through each outreach.

Araceli is a person who stands out to me from a Tijuana clinic day. She had felt bad for over
two months, and with high blood sugar and severe symptoms, I was teaching her about
caring for her newly-found diabetes. It became obvious that she was totally overwhelmed.
“How can I do this? So much happens to me!” she cried. Calling over one of the sisters from
the local church, we began to pray with her and share how the LORD can carry our burdens
for us as we follow Him. Araceli gave her heart to Jesus, and tearfully prayed for the Holy
Spirit to fill her life with strength and joy. The church members committed to visit her and
encourage her regularly, which lifted her spirit. She left the clinic hopeful for her future. It
helped me see that we are not the ‘great white missionaries’, but part of a team with the local
and national church, extending His great touch long after the clinic is over and the medical
team has left.

Two activities have kept me a busy boy. One is being a part of
the administrative team for the 2007 West Coast Healthcare
Missions and Ministry Conference (formerly the ‘Fuller’
conference), which has meant a great deal of work. Please
consider yourself invited to attend in August... visit the website
at  http://healthcaremissions.org
I am also working weekly at the PLNU Health Promotion
Center, a godsend to the marginalized Latino community in
south San Diego, and a caring place of ministry and hope.

On the family side… introducing Corporal and Mrs. Zachary P!
Hannah and Zack were married in a quiet September
courthouse ceremony prior to his deployment. Zack is a
Marine currently serving in Iraq (pray… we sure are!!) and due
to return home in June. They will be having their marriage
blessed by the church and their families this summer. Ruth
continues her studies and teaching at Berkeley, and hubby
Marco spends a great deal of time in his Bay Area law practice
that defends the poor.

As we continue on, we are thankful to GOD for His sustaining love, and for each ministry partner
and friend who stands with us in financial and prayer support.
We are grateful for each prayer lifted up on our behalf, and every dime of support sent. As we
move into the summer, please ask the LORD for strength, health, boldness, grace and mercy as
we continue to reach out to those who’ve been left aside.

"The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the
wretched of the earth have God’s salvation hospitality extended to them. "
Jesus in Luke 7:22, The Message

Let’s all invest in announcing the unshakable and astounding Kingdom!
Your brother in Jesus,
Chris

MISSIONARY SUPPORT
The majority of our financial support to work as missionaries comes from INDIVIDUALS and PEOPLE
LIKE YOU, partnering with us in this mission work… of which we are GRATEFUL !! (Philippians 1: 3-6)  

CONTRIBUTIONS  towards our support can be sent to us at:
POBox 120265 *  Chula Vista, CA  91912
For tax-deductible receipt, make checks out to  REDEEMER FELLOWSHIP OF MONROE, MI

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