God is Working on Us
Today we launched into a variety of projects in Reynosa and the day was productive and spiritually rewarding. Tim James brought a message from the Word of God that is found in an unusual place in scripture, the Book of Esther. Stay with me, I’ll explain what I mean here in a moment.
It’s an intriguing story about a woman that God used to save the Jews from the hand of an arrogant and perverse King. King Xerxes made a decree due to the justified actions of his wife, but in his arrogance, he plans with his aide to kill the Jews under his rule. Through a series of events Esther became the Queen. It’s a powerful story that I encourage you to read.
The story was unusual in the context of a room full of men, because it wasn’t about a male character or hero from a male perspective. It is about God’s placement of a Godly individual, a woman, in a pagan culture for a divine purpose. Mordecai had adopted Esther as his daughter and watched over her in the King’s palace. Esther followed Mordecai’s instructions as a wise man of God keeping her heritage and Identity as a Jew hidden. She believed him and risked her life before King Xerxes to save her people by making a plea to the King to spare the Jews. Like I said, you’ve got to read this for yourself! The details are fascinating and intriguing.
Tim brought it home when he shared a verse in chapter 4:14 when Mordecai says to Esther with great faith in His Heavenly Father, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows, but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Tim reflects on how God has called this band of 35, just as we are, in Group two this week, perhaps short in numbers or even abilities, but called for “such a time as this”. We have moments with divine appointments, in these communities and ministries on the Texas/ Mexico Border. It is crystal clear that God will be glorified through us despite our human frailty and that He alone will make a way when there seems there is no way. Feeling the room, humbled, desperately dependent on our Heavenly Father, we will soldier on with joy and expecting from God to provide as He wills for each of us.
Our Golden Opportunity
We laugh as paint drips from the eves of the orphanage home we are painting covers us in Gold. I have this moment of personal pleasure, laughing to myself as I brought a paper coverall, booties, and latex gloves to cover my shoes, clothing and person from the paint drips and splatters while the rest of our crew gets covered in paint, head to toe. I’m looking like I was responding to a toxic spill in a Hazmat suit! The paint is bright yellow, among several buildings on a large plot of land that will soon burst with laughter and joy. There are 69 children ages 8-12 years who are cared for at Refugio de Ninos when we descend on the place with games, toys, and the love of Christ tomorrow. There are carnival rides and a new structure on the property that will provide shade on a large dirt lot. We need the shade; it gets hot out here even in the Winter!
I’m with a mix of guys from different nationalities and ethnic backgrounds. The cool thing about ministry I have found over the years as a veteran of some short mission’s trips to as far as India, is that you feel an instant connection with the men and women you meet along the way who are followers of Christ. It’s snapshot of what heaven will be for us all!
The group I’m with today has a veteran among us of 21 years with POWER. On our van ride I start asking questions. Larry Handflan is a humble man who pokes at me from the start as guy code for “I love you man”. He started with “Hands Across the Border” back in 1995, as a member of a 11–12-man crew that helped Louie Davenport, the POWER ministry patriarch, deliver thousands of pounds of beans and rice to the Mexican people at the Texas/Mexico border. I later learn that evening that Larry had an amazing career in the Airforce as a pilot of some very large aircraft to include a B 52! “You’re my hero”, I declare. I lift my right hand to the ceiling of the van in comparison to my left and say, “Your status with me as just gone up, now that I know you are a veteran and a pilot”, now finally poking back at him implying he was much lower before (just to “yank his chain” a bit). Now it’s my turn in guy code for, “I love you man!”. We laugh and I listened intrigued by his stories, as he shares what it has meant to him to be involved with POWER from the early days until now.
Larry has a heart of Gold. Transformed by Christ in his years of triumph and tragedy. The things he has seen and done have informed him about how deep the sin nature of man can fall. He participated in war…a very unpopular war in the history of the United States. Certainly, it changed him, then God enters his life equipping him with great compassion and Love.
Larry’s love for others just pours out of him. Authentic and genuine…the “real deal”. How grateful we are despite our personal failures, that the Holy Spirit in dwells in us once we come to Christ with open hands to “release and receive” as Doug Wible prompted us the day before.
“It’s been my passion to be a servant of the Lord”, Larry states. Twenty-one years with POWER has reaped tremendous fruit through Larry, the evidence of faith in the one true God and creator of all things!
A Captured Audience
The van rides provide a unique opportunity for us to get to know one another. We become a “captured audience” on these rides. Sometimes, these talks are serious as guys share their testimonies and prayer requests. At other times, we’re laughing at some of the goofy stuff that happened that day or stories about their spouses, family, children, and grandchildren.
YOU ARE APPRECIATED and LOVED! (Yes, I’m yelling at you, LOL)
This brings up an important point, none of what POWER does is possible without the support, encouragement, and prayers of our families. I have had many conversations about the sacrifices of family members and spouses to release their husbands to participate in this ministry. Let it be known, you all are greatly loved and appreciated… beyond words!
The Brave Men and Women at Our Border
Tonight, we have dinner with Mike McGee who has a ministry to the Border Agents called “The Border Patrol Bible Project”. Several of our crew went out with him today, approaching Border Agents on the US side, striking up conversations as the Lord leads. Knocking on official vehicle windows, driving up to agents in a van, all that could trigger the agents into suspicion of the intent of those inside. The border is a very dangerous place, and these agents must be always on high alert. Fortunately, these intrusions by Mike and our team are meet well as God opens doors…and rolls down windows.
Our guests tonight are a few of the agents and their family members, that our team and talked to earlier that day. The room is silent as these men share their experiences. One agent is also a Chaplin among his peers and provides some alarming statistics regarding the dangers at the border, particularly to children. These agents assume a variety of roles. Protector and perhaps counselor, a Lifeline to refugees from Mexico, Central and South America desperate to find safety and refuge in the United States. The sign at the border reads, “Bienvenidos de los Ustados Unidos”, “Welcome to the United States” in English. There are so many complications and complexities to entering this country with no clear understanding or path to finding safety and security here. The agents struggle with understanding their place and purpose. Changes in priorities by each successive President and his administration like the Rio Grande that each refugee must cross, “muddy the waters”. “What are we doing?”, is a question in the minds of many agents.
Agents can feel isolated and unappreciated, Mike McGee shares. We listen captivated by each agents’ experiences. Mike distributes Bibles that are written specifically for those in Law Enforcement and a special coin as a reminder that these Agents and their families are loved by Christians, but most importantly by God.
The food is great too, provided by a local church and several volunteers. Forgive me if I’m not providing names for these individuals and the church we are visiting. I’ve just had a long workday, I’m tired and hungry and honestly, I didn’t bring my pen and paper into record these details. A rookie journalist’s mistake. Even if I did, I couldn’t write fast enough. Thank you in advance for the grace.
It’s 4:30 AM. I get up early to write these journal entries. It seems, I’ll have to carve out time daily at an earlier hour to have time to contemplate the day and write. There is so much more I could share, but it’s time to prepare for the next day’s adventure. Man, I’m worn out…but in a good way. Stay tuned!