The whole team and the church that we worked with.
Receiving a Thank You speech from the local authorities.
The completed guard railI just got back from a week-long outreach to a village about two hours away from Tlaxiaco. Even though we had to use out-houses the whole time and I had to sleep in a mud-brick home, sharing a double bed with two other full grown men, we had an amazing experience. The village has about 600-800 people and we were able to partner with a local church there to help drill wells, teach health classes, run a medical clinic, and my favorite part, we helped build a 64ft long guard rail to help protect the locals from a dangerous drop-off. The Lord has blessed me with a strong back and I was able to help with a lot of the heavy lifting, including hauling a 100 pound bag of cement up a steep hill. Ouch! To finish it off, we painted the guard rail a bright yellow color and also got to help paint one of the local speed bumps.
All the Mexicans call me Oso, which means bear in Spanish. The first night we were there three little girls were following me wherever I went. I finally turned around and told them that people call me Oso because I like to eat little girls. They ran off laughing to tell all their friends. It made me an instant celebrity and everywhere I went little kids would call out to me and challenge me to chase after them.
The last night we were there we invited all the children to a movie and a dinner. I showed up late after playing several of the locals in an aggressive basketball game. Those men were short, but they were tough. When I walked into the little dining hall where all the kids were eating, the place erupted with yells of “Oso, Oso!” It made me quite happy and I fell in love with those sweet children. Even now as I sit here typing, my eyes fill with tears as I remember their sweet little smiles and voices. The fact was not lost on me that they are the future of Mexico. As they ate, I walked behind them and prayed for the Spirit of God to fill their little hearts. Before they left that night, one of our Mexican brothers shared the Gospel story with them and they all bowed their heads and prayed for Jesus to forgive them of their sins. It was a very touching time for me.
The next two weeks we will be hosting two more Spring break teams from the States and going out to two more villages. Please pray that the Spirit of God will continue to go before us to soften hearts and reveal Himself to these sweet hearted people.
