Worshiping together with the other 63 or so men in the dining area at Faith Mission was particularly awesome. There was nothing fancy about our worship team, although they are great! It was just Cody on the Guitar and Doug leading vocally, but every time they were able to get us awake, focused and into God’s presence, ready to hear from the Lord.
This morning we went back to Acuna for more work at Poncho Villa, Jaime Blanco church and Justo Sierra School. I got to work with my new friend Doug Stewart and older friend from Oregon, Angel Torrez. Damon Nevatt was our leader on this project. Damon, like all the project leaders are servant leaders and no one works harder than these guys. Man, he was everywhere at Justo Sierra, patiently answering our questions and making sure everything was done well for God’s glory at this worksite.
Also, when we finished installing the roof, and got the drywall moved to where it needed to be, Damon suggested that we spend some time with the kids at the school while him and a few other guys cleaned up.
I had no idea how incredible the next 15 minutes or so would be:
Chase, a hulk of a guy was like a giant among these kids and they swarmed all around this gentle giant like honeybees around the queen. The crazy thing was, we were out of suckers and the kids new it! They simply wanted to be close to this smiley big guy with a black eye. Honestly, if I had encountered this big guy with the black eye in a back alley somewhere, I would have kept a safe distance. I get it though. They were drawn to the warm smile, the broken spanish and the Love of Jesus.
Casey, the magician, also had little ninos and ninas swarming around him. He was doing a magic trick with a string and the kids were very impressed. Honestly, I was impressed. It was so much fun to watch the kids eyes light up as Casey gently touched their finger with his and magically removed the string. This was an opportunity to touch the lives of these kids personally and I have a feeling they will be talking about it among themselves for some time. I was so glad to be able to hang out with the little children at Justo Sierra and cant wait to see them again. Our photography guy was around so I’m hoping we got a good shot of this heartwarming scene.
After projects we went back to Faith Mission for lunch, followed by what we call Debriefing. In debriefing, all of us, including the leaders get a chance to share a highlight or two from the trip. I love hearing all the different perspectives from all the guys. I knew that David Burkett’s messages impacted me significantly. Every morning I looked forward to what he would say or do next. I actually didn’t realize how many of the men were impacted by his devotions though until debriefing. Part of me would like to share more from this time, as it is precious and so encouraging, but it is a safe time and I believe it is meant to be kept sacred among the men who were there.
I can’t believe its our last day today. I’m always excited to get home and be with my family again after Power Trip. I look forward to SLEEPING for more than 5 hours a night for one thing, but I am also excited to share some of the things God has showed me this week with my wife and family. Even more than that, I am looking forward to living out some of the things I feel God is calling me to do and be with greater faith and victory. I’m going to turn my hard place into an “alter unto the Lord” for one thing. I am going to step out in a ministry that I have never done before at our local church. I am going to press into God in prayer this year more than I ever have before. I am pumped to get back to work and to just be a better husband and father.
For the life of me I don’t completely understand how I can be so energized after a week of so little rest, but I can assure you that most if not all of the men on week 2 this year feel the same. You might be thinking yeah,” this guy’s coming off a mountain top experience this week and it will probably die down in a day or two”. I would be thinking that too. It’s a pretty common scenario. I will say though that if I thought that were the case, I wouldn’t be writing this. I can’t explain it completely, but I was touched in a way this particular trip that I strongly believe I will never be the same. I have a hunch there are around 63 men who will be heading home refreshed and inspired in much the same way as I have been.
Thank you to all of the people who make it happen!