POWER MINISTRY 2018 … WEEK ONE/DAY THREE
“Get Out Day … We’re Going On A Road Trip”
See You Next Year Acuna …. Work continued in Acuna and at Faith Mission during the first half of the day. After lunch all of our personal gear and the Power equipment were loaded into the vans and trucks and we headed off on our six hour road trip to McAllen, Texas.
Without the need for traveling at the end of the day most of the men got a decent night’s sleep …. after having been forced to eat a steak dinner cooked by the day’s Food Crew, including a baked potato, green salad (fancied up with strawberries, dried cranberries, and candied pecans), and a choice of several desserts … it really is quite a sacrifice being on Power Trip!!
During our morning devotions Pastor Brian talked about Faith leading to Assurance; acknowledging that stepping out of one’s comfort zone to serve the Lord, or to tackle anything in life, can result in anxiety. He reminded the men that God’s word says to “cast your cares (and anxieties) upon the Lord”. He encouraged us to pray for the Faith it takes to cast out, throw off (kick to the curb) any worries or anxieties we have and step out in Faith and serve the Lord … whether in Acuna, Reynosa, Matamoros, or in our daily lives back home. Pastor Brian stressed that it is a choice to “cast our cares upon the Lord”.
While the Men of Week One are stepping out of our comfort zones this week, clearly the local missionaries, such as Pastor Morales and Pastor Julio that are serving in Acuna at some point made a major choice to cast aside their fears to serve in very impoverished neighborhoods of Acuna, and continue to live by faith in overcoming daily challenges! By God’s grace the projects in Acuna this year week will ease the daily anxieties they encounter in serving their flocks.
As we leave Acuna this afternoon we are excited to report that the walls were erected at the Morales Church, including cut outs for the doors and windows. In addition more of the roof trusses were constructed in anticipation of completing the roof by the Weeks Two and Three Teams.
All thirty-nine of the trusses needed for Pastor Julio’s Church were completed, as the Men of Power worked side by side with men of the nearby community. ( As a side note … After having spent nearly four hours bent over applying glue to the joints of the trusses before applying the plywood gussets, and several hours yesterday afternoon stapling gussets to the truss joints, I think I might benefit from a truss of a different definition!)
All the roof trusses were completed for Sister Blanca’s house. I am sure that sister Blanca will appreciate the new roof, as it will provide protection for her family of fivr children and several nieces and nephews that live with her, as well.
Another crew stayed behind at Faith Mission to assemble packets of Spanish Gospel Tracts. 75,000 tracts were assembled into packets for distribution to local missionaries along the Texas-Mexico border over the next year ….. perhaps a tedious job assignment, but vital to the ministry of spreading the gospel message!
One highlight of the day was the Joy Tour; which involves taking a crew of men and a van stocked with rice and beans, clothing items and toys and candy for distribution in a very needy neighborhood. The Power team go door to door inviting the men, women and children are invited to come to the van. Approximately 200 people gathered around the van where Power Team member Ernesto Criollo shared in Spanish about Jesus, his sacrifice for us, and their need to accept Him as their Savior. Praise God about twenty people came forward to accept Jesus! One of the Power Team, who does not speak Spanish said that even though he did not understand the words spoken by Ernesto, he was brought to tears by the sight of the people intently listening and then coming forward … it was a good day to serve the Lord!
Welcome to McAllen, Texas ….. Reynosa, Mexico!
After leaving Acuna and Faith Mission we headed off to McAllen, Texas our home base for the next two days, as we serve in Reynosa and Matamoros, Mexico.
Signing off from the second row seat of a fifteen passenger van …. one too many bumps on the very rough Acuna roadways, while in the far back seat of a fifteen passenger van can result in an unacceptable contact between one’s head and the ceiling of the van! I’ll be back in the far back seat once the swelling goes down (Note to self … next year pack a helmet!).