“You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so… get on your way!” — Oh, the Places You’ll Go! — Dr. Seuss
“The adventure begins where the comfort zone ends.” — Unknown
Day 6 started with another outstanding breakfast at the VBRC. Then it was time for our daily devotion by Pat Schmeling, which took place at the Rio Bravo Orphanage in Reynosa. Pat closed out his week by emphasizing the method in which Jesus taught his lessons during His 3 ½ years of ministry—through both action and words—what he called The Discipleship Model. This is the method Jesus used to make His greatest impact on the world. Not only should we seek those we can disciple, but we should also look for those who can disciple us.
2 Timothy 2:2 — “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”
Thank you, Pat, for the simplicity and clarity you brought throughout the week with the theme of the “King’s Heart.”
After Pat’s devotion, we had the honor of hearing from Ray Hanson, the Director of the Rio Bravo Orphanage in Reynosa. Ray Hanson’s “few words” about faith, purpose, and talents were strong and meaningful—if truly taken to heart.
Hebrews 11:6 — “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”
Philippians 1:6 — “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Luke 9:62 — “Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’”
Ray Hanson concluded his “few words” with Matthew 25:14-28, The Parable of the Talents, reminding us that each person is to serve God according to their abilities. He ended with words that struck home to all of us—almost haunting in their gravity:
“There is nothing worse than coming face to face with the Savior with nothing.”
To the best of my knowledge, every Sunday of every Power Trip since its inception, the Power Team has gone to the Church of Alianza, pastored by Pastor Mario. This trip was no exception—and what a grand experience it was! The Power Team was given the privilege of greeting the incoming congregation, and our very own Pat Schmeling also preached on The Parable of the Talents, in Spanish. One might think that God had a particular theme in mind for the Power Team this week!
And what better way to conclude our Sunday than with a visit and tour of Big Heart Orphanage in Reynosa, hosted by Micah and Jenny Carter. As luck would have it, it was Gator Carter’s birthday (Gator and his wife, Deanne, were the original founders of Big Heart Orphanage), so of course, we all sang “Happy Birthday” to him.
The usual final dinner of the week took place at Golden Corral. After returning to VBRC, we all gathered to watch a video tribute for Brian Albright from Ridgecrest, who participated in at least 17 trips over the years and went to meet the Master Carpenter in the fall of last year.
This is my last journal entry for the 2025 Power Mission Trip, Week 3, Day 6. Tomorrow will be a quick working breakfast, followed by our “debriefing,” where our ragtag group of 48 men will each have a few minutes to stand up and share an experience or observation from the week. Some will shed a few tears—and that’s all right.
Tomorrow, this group of 48 men—from different churches and different states, with different occupations, ages, and personalities—will gather one last time, dressed in our best, clean, white Power Ministries shirt, before heading back to our homes, families, churches, friends, jobs, communities, joys, and struggles.
Though I can only speak for myself, I’m sure the other 47 men I had the privilege of working with this past week would agree:
I want to live my remaining years—however many days that might be—striving to live a life that exemplifies the “King’s Heart”, and advances His Kingdom on Earth, as it is in Heaven.