Houses and Homes

It's amazing how time flies sometimes! Looking back at the date of my last post and thinking about that has taken place since then, I could be writing here for a long time! But I won't take away too much of your time - I'll just share one highlight in particular.

We've come to the end of our busy season with the final mission team have left just over a week ago. It's exciting to look back on this winter season and to see not just some of the projects that have been completed by the many teams that have come but much more importantly the lives that have been changed not only through the opportunities that the work projects have created but also the local churches at work in their surrounding communities. As I said before, I could write for hours here about the different ways in which God has shown Himself and lives have been touched by His grace. Look for a newsletter coming in the next few weeks taking more of an in depth look into this season. But for now, let me share with you the final project that we found ourselves working on.

Some of you have probably met a young man named Alex. He's a living testimony to God's grace and power, and how He can change a life around. By observing him now, you would never guess the past that he has come from. His testimony has left a deep impact on the lives of many who have heard it. Alex was born in the state of Durango but grew up living with his grandmother in neighboring Sinaloa though she struggled to make ends meet, taking care of him and some of his siblings. At the age of 12, he left home began traveling around Mexico, working in a traveling circus. Those of you who have met him probably saw him at some point balancing just about anything on his chin from a spade to a pick axe to even a chair! For about 4 years he traveled around even learning how to ride a motorcycle in those metal, circular cages with up to three bikes going around at once! Growing tired of this lifestyle, along with the drugs that tended to accompany it, he left the circus and ended up staying in a little town about six hours from here, called Banamichi. In this town there was a missionary couple, who themselves were originally from San Carlos and were planting a church. Having found a place to stay renting a room from a Christian lady, he was invited to the Sunday services at this church plant. As weekends were typically spent in drinking and drugs, by the time Sunday morning came around when this lady asked him if he wanted to go to church, the answer was a no! But one weekend, not having had anything to drink nor having had any drugs, the invitation was made and he said yes, meeting the pastor of the church plant, whose name was Nacho. Nacho and his wife, sensing that God had something in store for this young man, built into his life and encouraged him to look to the Lord. Eventually, he gave his life to the Lord and the process began of leaving the old life behind!

He will be the first to tell you that this is not always the easiest to do! Over the past couple of years he made his way down to San Carlos to live and find work here. I remember first meeting him probably about three years ago, helping him patch a tire on his bicycle. Those three years have been up and down for him, leaving drugs behind and then falling back into them. He drifted around from job to job, at times jobless, and moving from place to place, sometimes regularly a part of the local church and at other times not. But about three months ago or so, he came to the point where he had had enough of the old life. He shared with myself and Juan Carlos, a good friend who works here at the mission with me, his desire to leave the old lifestyle behind once and for all. He took us to his place where he had a little stash of marijuana. He took it and spilled it on the ground, (covering it with dirt and gravel so that he couldn't come back and gather it together later!) and together we prayed that God would give him the strength to live as a new creation, leaving the old behind once and for all.

Since that day, the joy that has filled him has been so evident. If you have met him in the last couple of months one of the first things you would notice about him aside from his servant heart and always positive attitude is the fact that he is almost always singing worship songs. It has been a joy to see him walk in this new found freedom!

So, back to the final project of the year, the final team of the year that we hosted was a youth group from Reno, Nevada. Having a little extra time on their hands and still having some extra project money, they took it upon themselves to build Alex a little place of his very own. As we worked to build a little 12' by 12' quarter for him, he would thank everyone of us time and time again, each and every day.

Not many of us would be super content with a little 144 square foot place to call home but for him, it was as if you had built him a palace! A place to call his home...security, something that he had known little of in his life.

The group wasn't able to finish it in the time they were here but we were able to put the finishing touches on it, getting him some basics such as a new bed to sleep on, a microwave oven, some drawers for his clothes, and curtains on the windows, transforming that little room into his home.

Looking back on this season, it is a joy to see God's hand at work in the lives of people. I look forward to sharing more stories soon about this past winter. Until then, Dios te bendiga!