Family Mission Trip 2009

Thursday, July 23, and Friday, July 24:

Last night, Thursday, we had another great day of ESL, construction, and VBS. God, once again, blessed us with an amazing turn out. The construction crew, made huge progress, the ESL classes went very, very well, and the VBS team was able to present the plan of Salvation to the children. Yesterday, three young ladies and one young man accepted the Lord as their personal Savior. Praise God! It was truly exciting to see God working in the lives of these children, and to be a part of that is also truly amazing.

We had our second Block Party last night, this time at the church. We had a pretty good turn out. It was so fun to see the kids having a blast at the games. You could see the love of Christ being shown to the kids and their families as our team served them hot dogs, chips, water and candy. I think most of the families who stayed for the movie, Facing the Giants, were members of the church. There may not have been public professions of faith, but I believe God still worked in many lives through that powerful movie.

One evidence of God’s movement during these Block Parties was shown last night. A man had come by himself to the movie, Fireproof, at the Park. Part way through the movie, he said “That is my life. This is me.” He got up, went home, and apologized to his wife for the way he’d been treating her. She must have seen a genuine change in him because she returned to the block party with him to finish the rest of the movie. She came to our second party because she thought they were going to show the same movie. She wanted to see the beginning of this God-touched movie. God used a movie, shown at a block party in Penitas, TX put on by a bunch of white, English speaking people from Garland to minister to this couple and many other families and individuals. This is what our work is all about.


Today, Friday, was our last day here. I think it was bittersweet for many of us. We are all feeling the physical exhaustion, but I think we will all miss the wonderful friends that we have made or strengthened this week. For myself, I have been such blessed by these amazing people in Penitas, but also by the amazing and incredible team that has come down here.

The construction crew, continued to work through the heat and sweat and did an outstanding job. They have about 99% of the lower floor of the new life center completely framed, and about 20% of the second floor. They have done so much for this church. I know the church and community will be greatly blessed by their efforts. This new building will house classrooms, a gymnasium, food pantry, and possibly more. Because of our team’s hard work, love, and efforts, many people will come to know Christ better. Thank y’all so much! It’s been a blessing to get to know you!

The ESL teams didn’t end up this week as had been planned, but God had a different plan in mind for these groups. He took away some students from learning English, but placed more people in a class where they can learn to teach others English. God knows exactly what His people need, and I believe He provided for them this week. Thank you for being flexible to what God directed.

The VBS team also had their last day of the Esquela de Biblica. As always, it’s a blessing to see their smiling faces and see how our group interacts with them. Our translators did a fantastic job communicating what so many of us could not. Thank you for your extra efforts. Many of the children did speak English, but even those who didn’t, could still feel the love of Christ pouring from our team. It was such a blessing to witness.

Tonight at our reflection service, we got to witness what church on Sundays probably looks like. It was so special to be able to participate together with them in worshipping our Savior. I don’t think there was one person in the building who wasn’t touched in some way.

I want to thank every person who went on this trip, every person who stayed at home and prayed for us, and every person who donated money to make this trip possible. Souls were saved, lives were changed, and families have been impacted because of your willingness to follow and serve Christ in the way He has called you. Thank you for allowing your time, efforts, and money to be a blessing to God’s children.

Please continue to pray for our group as we travel home tomorrow. Thank you!!