| Author | Message | ||
| Colleentinker (Colleentinker) |
I just have to share with all of you what we did this weekend. Richard, our younger son, and I went on our first mission trip. We went with a group from our church to a community near Ensenada in Mexico. Our church has a house-building mission. At the recommendation of a local missionary couple in Ensenada who minister to people in this literal shanty town where we went, Trinity church builds small (12' x 12') two-story houes for those who need shelter. In this community there is no running water, and in the end where we went there is no electricity. People have to buy bottled water. Many of the people in this community are Mayan Indians who have come up from So. Mexico to find work. They are marginalized because they have their babies at home and therefore get no birth certificates for them. Consequently, the children are not allowed to go to school, and the adults have trouble getting work. The people live in absolute destitution. Most live in shanties constructed from scrap plywood, cardboard, old garage doors, tin, tarpaulinesówhatever they can get. Most are not water tight--unless they're lucky enough to have a tarp. Many (if not most) have no outhouses, either. Many people have to walk the equivalent of several blocks to use the toilet at the nearest outhouse. The ground is rockówe had a team of young men with a jack hammer who were able to dig only two holes for outhouses in an entire day. We were assigned to a painting teamówe painted two houses built last month. The first was for a twenty-something young woman with two small (under three) children whose husband had been seriously injured in a construction accident and had been unable to work for two or three months. She had been attending a Bible study conducted by the missionary there, and she had asked for prayer that she would be able to get enough money to buy a tarp. They had been living in another family's shanty, and that family was asking them to move. They had nowhere to go, and she needed something to protect them from the weather. The missionary told Trinity that this family was a good candidate for a house, so last month the church built them a "loft house", as they're called. When the team arrived to build, the family had entirely run out of food and money and had not eaten for two days. The church had sent care packages made by women's ministries for the recipients of the houses, and when they opened their box, this family found some staples such as beans, olive oil, tortilla flour, etc. They were beyond grateful. This weekend we painted that house. The young woman was totally filled with gratitude. At noon when our trip director arrived with an ice chest containing peanut butter, jelly, bread, and potato chips for our lunches, she gestured animatedly and demurred in Spanish, indicating she wanted us to come in. She had prepared lunch for usóher way of saying "thank you." As we stood she prepared flour tortillas which she cooked on an old gas griddle. She had a small pan of beans and an even smaller one of hot chilies and meat. As she took the tortillas off the griddle, she ladled meat and/or beans onto them and handed them to us. That food was absolutely deliciousóand we were all humbled by her generosity which grew out of a thankful heart and transcended her poverty to serve us in return. People from our group also conducted a clinic; two physicians, a nurse, and a dental hygienist saw patients for several hours. The emphasis in this mission work is completely unlike my perception of missions from my past. There is no sense of bringing people into church membership. There is only the concern to serve them in the name of the Lord and to introduce them to Jesus who can change their despair and greed into hope and gratitude. As one man whose family had a house built for them this weekend said (in Sapnish, or course!) at their house dedication, "I used to want to make money and get things. But when I found Jesus I was no longer driven to get things. Jesus filled me. And now Jesus has given me even things I had wantedóI have a house!" He wept and prayed and praised God for his goodness. To him, that 12'x12' loft house was a mansion. It was totally beyond his capability to earn it. Richard said it so well during the afternoon as we were preparing to paint a second house: "Jesus said the poor we would always have with us. The point was never that our serving the poor would necessarily get them out of poverty. But they make us look outside ourselves and serve outside ourselves. And by serving them, we help to make it possible for them to reach out and serve also." Wowówhat a weekend. If you've never gone on a mission trip, I highly recommend it. Praising God for his blessingsóspiritual, relational, and material, Colleen | ||
| Sherry2 (Sherry2) |
What an awesome trip, Colleen! Man, it just makes me want to go down there myself. I went down to Mexico several years ago and loved it. Where we were there were literal mansions next to tiny cement huts. It was weird to see that. And dogs everywhere. Gosh, I can't believe they won't let them attend school. Didn't that just make you want to start a mission school down there? Praise God for what Jesus does in our hearts.  It is amazing. I know their hospitality is awesome. When we were down there, I had the translator tell them that their language was so beautiful, I think it is the language of heaven. I'd love to go to Mexico again myself. Thanks for sharing. | ||
| Sabra (Sabra) |
Thank you so much for sharing! What a blessing! Is there any way people can send food or tarps or whatever directly to them? I have been praying for God to send me someone I could help but you don't know where to send your money or who to trust. I know people would help out more if they just knew a specific need. Would it be possible to get money or food directly to the missionaries and let them distribute it? If so, send me an e-mail. I feel I can't go on a mission trip at this stage in my life with 3 small kids but I'd love to get involved. Praise God for using you to bless others! Sabra | ||
| Colleentinker (Colleentinker) |
Sabra, I'll ask the missions director at church. I'm sure he'll know how to get supplies to the proper channel! I'm sure there is a way to send things directly to the mission. Thanks! Colleen |
