Berean Bible Church - Mexico Trip - Day 3

Sure enough, Berean Bible Church does not disappoint!  They have sent another "work horse" group.

The work began today, or at least the "scheduled work that we had planned" began today.  We started the day by eating breakfast and then looking into God's word by discussing the first 12 verses of James 1.  We were reminded of the command to "consider it all joy" when we encounter trials.

Our work day began a little slow since the tile could not be started until Lazaro (spelling) prepped the floor. No problem with this group - we just started a number of other projects.  Matt and John tore out the toilets in the nursery bathroom so we could tile that floor.  Laurie, with the help of some of the others throughout the day, began moving the schools curriculum from broken folders to the ones that the team brought with them.  Rachel and Erin spent some of the morning playing with the little children that were here.  Heather and Kaitlynn were taking turns taking pictures and helping with the various projects.  Mike and Alan ended up helping in the school room breaking out the concrete because the floor was not level. Needless to say, the morning went rather quickly, but much was accomplished. 

As the afternoon arrived, the team was working on the same projects they began in the morning, with the addition of digging out the road at the base of the hill (where the sewer line meets the road).  Matt turned to me and asked, "Didn't we do this the last time we were here?".  Sure enough, we were digging the same dirt area we dug last time, but this time with a different purpose.  The road is washing out and is at too much of an incline for the cars, so we are putting in blocks to assist the cars in making it up the hill, minimize the erosion, and generally look a little nicer from the road.

We knew it was a true Berean trip when someone yelled up the road, "turn the water off!".  Why?  Someone had hit the water line (that the Berean team installed last trip).  Over the next 30 minutes, John, Matt, Mike and Alan worked together to repair the pipe.  It took a quick trip to the hardware store for supplies, but eventually the line was repaired.

Some of the highlights of the day would include the fact that neighborhood boys are working along side our team - helping with everything from shoveling, making concrete, and mixing the concrete.  They are hard workers, but they also love to play soccer with the team.  Adolpho (one of the deaf children) has been working along side of us - as a 14 year old, he has been impressive to work with.

One of the most interesting parts of the day was a special visitor we had.  Six year old Vicky joined us today.  She is a student at the school, but she missed the graduation on Sunday, so Janelle decided to visit her.  Janelle and Ruth found her yesterday with a bandage on her arm - placed there by a "witch doctor" - and the bandage was stopping the blood flow to her hands.  They removed the bandage only to reveal a very bad injury to her arm.  Not sure how bad it was, they took Vicky to the doctor.  By the days end, Vicky had surgery on her elbow that was broken.  X-rays revealed that it had been broken before but was not repaired.  The surgery expenses are expected to be $1000, and Ruth said they had 1/2 of the money necessary.  The team informed Manuel this evening that they had brought down a $500 love gift from Berean Bible Church, and they would love to assist with the need if that was the best use of the money.  God had provided for their need before the injury even occurred - isn't God great??

The rest of the day was spent eating dinner, going to the farmacia for ice cream, talking, singing, and preparing for another day.  It has been a very productive day.

Thought for the day:  Every trip the group talks about why we are here, and ultimately the answer is to do whatever God has planned for us, and to do it for His glory.  Today we shoveled dirt, broke concrete, graded papers (Erin and Rachel), breaded chicken (Kaitlyn), filled notebooks... all for the glory of God.  We played soccer, laughed with kids, hugged the children, read God's word, prayed, sang...  all for the glory of God.

The thought for today is, how is this any different than when we are at home?  I should go to work - for the glory of God.  I should go to a movie - for the glory of God.  I should watch TV - for the glory of God...  and on and on the list goes.  What is the difference?  or What makes the difference?  Not what I am doing, but why and for Whom.

If today were your last day on the planet, how did you bring glory to God today?  Did you sing to bring Him glory - like the birds do?  Did you work to bring Him glory - like the ants do?  Did you make noise to bring Him glory - like the oceans do?  It really is that simple - if we are all about Him.

Just a thought.