2016 POWER TRIP …. Week Two – Day Five
“When I couldn’t …. He could do all things” – Charlene Ehlers (Who with husband Allen Ehlers founded Faith Mission International over fifty years ago) on trusting God.
We arrived at Faith Mission International at about 1:00 am last night; and after settling in to the bunk room sleeping arrangements and completing the routine end of the day duties, the men started “hitting the hay”. As I was writing the Day Four blog, sitting in the Mess Hall, I certainly could hear and nearly feel the rumble of the snoring vibrating through the bunk room wall!
Day Five almost started before Day Four ended, as we experienced another short night. Jay Taverez led the praise songs again …. Another touch of the Holy Spirit! Pastor David Burkett shared about his own faith story; stating that his faith and trust in the Lord were tested during a first time missions trip to Mexico in 1990. During this trip David was convicted that full time missionary work on the Mexican border would be his calling. By 1995 David and his wife, Amy, stepped out in faith, leaving family, friends, home church and jobs behind, to become full time missionaries at Faith Missions Ministry on the border in El Cenizo, Texas.
Pastor Burkett and his family are living out the focus verses shared with the men this morning, Psalms 37: 3-7. Pastor Burkett challenged us not to trust in our own understanding, skills, strength, and intelligence; but to learn to trust fully in God’s plan for our lives. Fully trusting in the Lord and stepping out in faith is clearly a common thread connecting all the missionaries connected to Power Ministry, many of whom have shared their testimonies with the Team this week.
Being reminded to trust God’s plan and not lean on our own abilities was a great reminder and encouragement as we set out on a full day of building projects and ministering over the border in Acuna, Mexico. Four construction projects occupied the efforts of three work groups during both the morning and afternoon sessions. Work continued on a 24’ x 48’ dining hall to enhance the ministry at the Victoria School. Enclosing a former car-port and adding a second story to the same structure will provide much needed classroom space for the Heart of the King Orphanage. Construction on a home began for the Aguilar family, whose former home was destroyed, forcing them to live in tar paper shack. Construction began on a three bedroom home for the Rodriguez family, a family with five children.
In addition to the construction work groups, one work group in the morning and another group in the afternoon had the opportunity to go on a Joy Tour into two local neighborhoods. The purpose of a Joy Tour is to meet the physical and spiritual needs of very impoverished areas that are clinging to a meager existence, if not literally clinging to a rocky hillside with little or no improvements. The presence of the Joy Tour Team is announced by a portable sound system playing lively upbeat Christian music to draw the residents out of their homes. As the men, women and children gather, a distribution of rice, beans and clothing items takes place to provide much needed physical assistance. Toys and lollipops are handed out to the children; providing them with something sweet and a new toy that they can call their own! If soccer balls are part of the distribution, you can guarantee that the children will engage some of the men in impromptu soccer games! The smiles on the faces of the adults and the excitement in the eyes of the children goes beyond heartwarming.
With the assistance of the Spanish speaking members of the Week Two Team, including Missionary Mike Magee and Pat Schmeling of Faith Mission, several of our men gave testimonies about their salvation and how knowing Jesus as Savior has changed their lives. One of the men shared with me that he had not intended to give a testimony, but that when he saw these men, women and children, he just felt compelled to try to share about his relationship with Jesus … to help in filling the void that can not be filled with rice and beans alone.
That is the beauty of Power Ministry …. To meet both the physical and spiritual needs of the Mexican people living in great need along the Texas-Mexico border. While the Power Trips focus their activities in a three week span, Power Ministry is helping local missionaries throughout the entire year with rice and bean deliveries and the provision of Spanish bibles and tracts …. Helping those missionaries to live out the admonition to “ Trust in God and lean not on your own understanding” as they faithfully live out God’s plan for their lives.
Terry Hickey, Week Two Team