A Day Filled With Blessings

What an incredible day we had today!  The Lord was with us in all we experienced.

The day started with two major activities.  The SAFE presentation Jenn gave on Tuesday was so well received that she was asked to give another presentation at the church in Membrillal.  She and Jared went with Micah who was the driver and the interpreter for her presentation.  The presentation went very well and touched the pastors deeply.  At the same time, the rest of the team assembled to pour the cement into the columns created by the new levels of bricks the team built during the week.  Three sand, three rock, one cement, mucho water spun in the mixer into a fine, chunky soup that was carried in buckets, lifted up onto the scaffold by a rope (Kenzie took a turn hoisting buckets impressing one and all with her strength), and poured into the forms that were put in place yesterday.  Getting this far on the construction was a huge accomplishment made possible only by the empowerment of the Lord in each and every member of the team.

The team gathered for lunch and then headed for Membrillal to lead a Vacation Bible School for the children there.  The VBS started with a time of singing lead by Sean and Tono.  The children were divided into three groups to participate in the three activities the team had planned.  Matt lead a teaching session which included a gospel lesson and a magic trick.  Jenn and Kenzie lead the children in making crafts.  When the children finished their projects, they showed them with great pride.  Earlier in the week, Troy led the team in construction of two Corn Hole game boards that were used in the game playing session.  The children enjoyed all of the activities, including a few who were “too cool” at the beginning, but joined in with joy very quickly.  At the end, the children thanked us with a “hug fest” which moved us greatly.  The joy and love the children showed was such a blessing to us.  The Lord poured out His love on all of us during the VBS.

But wait, there’s more…After another great dinner, we went to the Youth Group at Iglesia Galilea.  The turnout was overwhelming – the room was packed with over 40 people who came to worship and fellowship.  The youth group is led by Maria Jose and a team of youth who do a fantastic job.   The worship time, even though the words were in Spanish, was Spirit filled and powerful. Following the worship time, I was humbled and blessed to share my personal testimony of how the Lord made me a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).  Sean followed this with a sermon on the same topic.  We then played games together, and had a great time.  We were all impressed by the number of youth involved and the quality of the leadership.

This day was truly filled with the blessings of God.  We all felt His presence and love in everything we experienced today.

 Gerry