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Loreto
Email: loreto.ministries@gmail.com

LORETO

Loreto is a city of about 18,000 people currently, with maybe a total of 300 people attending our nine small evangelical churches. (The other towns and cities nearby have a similar ratio.) So there is a real need in this area, and many of these small churches are interested in having teams come to help them reach out to the people in these areas with the love of the Lord Jesus Christ and the message of salvation.

However, the State of Baja California Sur is an area of Mexico that has very few evangelistic teams coming to it – except for Cabo San Lucas. (The reasons are basically that flights to Cabo are a little less expensive, and there is a “tourist attraction” to that area.) So, as missionaries who have been here for 5 years, it is our desire to see still more evangelistic activity in the central areas of Baja Sur.

Loreto is strategically located for reaching out to the towns of Santa Rosalía and Mulegé to the north, and to Ciudad Constitución to the southwest, and to the many villages in between. So there are many people within a 3-hour radius of Loreto who have never heard the Gospel, and we are endeavoring to reach these people with our teams. (In fact, the large city of La Paz, 5 hours south of Loreto, also is an area of great need -- and we would love to help the people there as well.)

Loreto is a developing city. The local government projected a couple of years ago that by the year 2020 there will be 125,000 people living in Loreto, and the developers have begun their work. What a task it will be to reach this ever-increasing population with the Gospel! New churches will need to be established, and many new ministries begun. Today, Loreto is a strategic ministry location!

Loreto was at one time the capital city of Baja Sur, and is the location of the first Roman Catholic mission in all of the Californias. And today the Catholic Church still has a very strong influence in this city. Loreto's main industry is fishing, and its second industry is tourism - although it is nothing like Cabo San Lucas. Loreto also still has a very Spanish culture, although you can tell there is an American influence. Loreto is a very friendly city, with an extremely low crime rate. There are a few RV parks to accommodate some of the "snowbirds" coming to the Baja. Loreto has a new hospital. And there are stores in Loreto where you can buy almost everything that you might need.

In summary, we believe you will enjoy coming to Loreto, (and to the other cities and towns nearby), and we know you will be appreciated by the people here when you come on one of our teams, because your involvement will be a great blessing to the people in and around Loreto.
Serving in Loreto: back to top
Karsgaard, Don and Lorraine loreto.ministries@gmail.com
Items Needed: back to top
Loreto One-Time Needs-
Canopies (1-2 pop-up)
Metal folding chairs
A small PA system
Portable (hand carrying type) dental unit
Portable/rechargeable otoscope & ophthalmoscope

1999 (or newer) Ford F-350 Super Duty Crew Cab Short Bed (or F-450, or some other make of truck capable of pulling our new 10,000-pound Mobile Dental Trailer)

Loreto Ongoing Needs-
Christian books in Spanish (new & gently used)
Bibles & New Testaments (Spanish: Reina-Valera & NVI)
Sunday school materials in Spanish
Toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, soap, washcloths, combs, shampoo (not conditioner by itself)
Latex gloves in all sizes- small, medium, large, extra large
Test strips and lancets for ‘ReliOn Ultima’ (Wal-Mart) machines;
Batteries and control solution for the same type of machines
Cotton balls
Cotton hygiene bags
Reading & distance glasses (from Sharkeyes.com)
Reports from Loreto: back to top
06/15/10 Annual Report for Weekender Teams 2009-2010
05/25/10 Loreto Weekender May 21-24, 2010
05/01/10 Loreto Weekender April 23-26, 2010
03/25/10 Loreto M.A.S.H. Team March 14-21, 2010
03/24/10 Loreto Weekender March 19-22, 2010
02/23/10 Loreto Weekender February 19-22, 2010
01/26/10 Loreto Weekender January 22-25, 2010
12/10/09 Loreto Weekender December 4-7, 2009
11/17/09 Loreto Weekender November 13-16, 2009
10/27/09 Loreto Weekender October 23-26, 2009
10/07/09 Hurricane Relief October 1-6, 2009
Videos: back to top
Loreto Weekender Teams 2009
Upcoming Trips to Loreto: back to top
TBD Loreto M.A.S.H./ Outreach Team read more...
10/01/10 - 10/04/10 Loreto Weekender October 1-4, 2010
11/07/10 - 11/14/10 Loreto Family MASH/Outreach Team read more...
11/12/10 - 11/15/10 Loreto Weekender November 12-15, 2010
12/03/10 - 12/06/10 Loreto Weekender Team December 3-6, 2010
01/21/11 - 01/24/11 Loreto Weekender January 21-24, 2011
02/18/11 - 02/21/11 Loreto Weekender February 18-21, 2011
03/13/11 - 03/20/11 Loreto MASH March 13-20, 2011
03/18/11 - 03/21/11 Loreto Weekender March 18-21, 2011
04/29/11 - 05/02/11 Loreto Weekender April 29- May 2, 2011
05/27/11 - 05/30/11 Loreto Weekender May 27-30, 2011
10/07/11 - 10/10/11 Loreto Weekender October 7-10, 2011
10/30/11 - 11/06/11 Loreto MASH October 30- November 6, 2011
11/04/11 - 11/07/11 Loreto Weekender November 4-7, 2011
12/02/11 - 12/05/11 Loreto Weekender December 2-5, 2011
Recent Trips to Loreto: back to top
05/21/10 - 05/24/10 Loreto Weekender May 21-24, 2010
04/23/10 - 04/26/10 Loreto Weekender April 23-26, 2010
03/19/10 - 03/22/10 Loreto Weekender March 19-22, 2010
03/14/10 - 03/21/10 Loreto Family MASH/Outreach Team
02/19/10 - 02/22/10 Loreto Weekender February 19-22, 2010
01/22/10 - 01/25/10 Loreto Weekender January 22-25, 2010
12/04/09 - 12/07/09 Loreto Weekender December 4-7, 2009
11/13/09 - 11/16/09 Loreto Weekender November 13-16, 2009
10/23/09 - 10/26/09 Loreto Weekender October 23-26, 2009

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