Had a great night of rest in a non-snoring room last night. It’s a little hard to describe, but Stepping Stone at Laredo just has a comfortable, homelike atmosphere. I could definitely stay there again.
The day did, however, start out on a somewhat stressful note. I was the first or second one out of bed this morning and I didn’t want to wake anyone up, so I got ready with my trusty headlamp that has a red light setting. Everything was going smoothly as I collected the necessary items for my morning shower. The last thing to grab was my to well which I had left on the vacant bunk above me on top of the extra blankets. I stood up to grab the towel but was dumbstruck to find that it was gone. I wanted to ask around to see if anyone had any idea where I could get another towel, but much to my disappointment, everyone that was up and around seemed to either be praying, or had their nose in the Bible. I just couldn’t bring my self to interrupt my brothers time with God, so I went to the bathroom anyway determined to get a shower even if I had to drip dry. Fortunately there were a couple guys in the bathroom that didn’t seem to busy for me. It was Howie, my good friend and fellow Power class of 2016 van crew brother who gave me some hope that I might not have to drip dry. I hopped in the shower exercising much faith that by the end of my shower I would have a towel waiting for me. Of course Howie did get me a towel. Thanks brother.
You might be asking, What is the story behind “Power Class of 2016? I picked this up today from Brian Albright. He, Scott Thon, Barry Olsen and Ronnie Eubanks are Power Class of 2004…aka “The Dirty Dozen” These 4 guys have gone on a Power trip every year since their very first time with only one exception when Ronnie couldn’t make it one of the 15 years.
We had another great time of worship this morning. Singing the Spanish version of I am a friend of God is just awesome, especially with Pastor Mario leading. He is one of those people who has a countenance that constantly exudes joy and peace. I have had a couple of opportunities to talk with Pastor Mario the past couple days. He is very approachable and also gracious with my broken Spanish. I was a bit confused though about the Spanish wording of the song we were working on; “I am a friend of God”. In Spanish we sing “Eres mi amigo fiel” which literally means ” you are my friend faithful. I even like the Spanish version better now. God is truly a faithful friend isn’t He.
Confession time…. I guess the distress of the missing towel this morning could be to blame, but as an experienced Power trip participant I should remember that on a project day, you don’t pack your tools in the luggage bags. Oops! God is faithful though. His provision often exceeds my expectations. I envisioned scrounging around for a spare hammer or an extra tape measure. Instead, I was privileged to use Loren Vanderscaff’s contractor grade belt with suspenders and everything I needed for the house project I was assigned to. Loren, by the way, is another man who the more I get to know, the more I admire.
The house we built in a poor community on the outskirts of Nuevo Laredo was a simple, one room 12X16′ structure with a concrete floor, two windows, a roof and a door. One really cool aspect of this particular job was that with the exception of the concrete, our two teams finished building a house in one day! Unless you were there, you couldn’t imagine the gratitude that Karen, her 3 children and her mother showed for their brand new house. I hear the ceremonial giving of the keys to Karen was a special experience. David Burkett and the crew spent some time praying a blessing over the family in the new house, and the Holy Spirits` presence filled up that 12X16′ room and touched Karen in a special way.
David and his wife Amy work with Faith Missions to get the good news to many people in various places in Mexico, including Nuevo Laredo. They also help out with missions groups like Power Ministries on border. One thing I picked up on being around David for a little bit was that he is a man of prayer, and I don’t know how else to describe it, but he prays it is moving and powerful.
While one crew was working on the house today, there were 5 other crews doing projects in and around Centro de Refigio. The list of projects included:
1) building pews
2) making bunk beds
3) installing flooring
4) making storage trunks
5) making sloppy Joes for lunch
It was an awesome experience.
Crossing the border at Nuevo Laredo was quite the experience. There was a long line of traffic moving at a snails pace and vendors everywhere. Some were selling statues of the crucifix or Mary, bobblehead dogs, other yard art, food, cheap musical instruments, and there was a nice statue of a 4 point buck deer. They even had a couple venders selling windshield cleaning. The border crossing must have taken about 3 hours. It must have been close to 9:45pm when we ate dinner, followed by the long drive to McAllen where we would spend the next 2 nights. I ended up climbing in bed at 2:30am, but that,s OK because we get to sleep in until 6:20, and we eat again just in case anyone is hungry.
Good night, It’s been a long day.