Hi all,
I’ve got a number of entries (4) from different people on the trip. Here they are:
Paul McGinnis
We got a good start on the house today. It will be a 140 square feet and will be
for a family of four (a mother and three kids). We were able to get all four walls
up today and got a good start on the roof. We should be able to finish the roof
tomorrow and hopefully get it painted. It was great working as a team with fellow
believers and knowing this will serve an important need in the lives of these four
people.
Steve Pierce
This afternoon we visited the state prison in Matamoros. We first met with Benito,
who I remembered from last years trip, and Brian. We met in the new library which contained approximately two-hundred christian books. They also had a 13″ TV and DVD player which they showed christian movies on. It was an amazing encouragement to hear the testimony of Benito and Brian. Both of them were Americans and spoke good English. They both gave their lives to Christ after being incarcerated in Mexico. Although they were living in a horrible place,the joy of the Lord was evident intheir lives. They were more of an encouragement to us than we were to them. We then attended a service at the prison chapel. The song service was good, even though I could not understand a word. Some were standing, some were kneeling, and some were dancing, but all were worshiping. It reminded me how big God is. People from every nation and tongue worhip Him, I just never get to see it. It helped remind me that God reigns over EVERYTHING, not just Arlington Texas.
Mark
We did some prayer walking and ended up playing soccer for the entire morning with a group of kids from the neighborhood – no serious injuries to report. We had a really good time and invited the kids to the feeding at Caminando con Jesus (Walking with Jesus), the church we are helping.
In the afternoon, we went to the other church run by Pastor Abel, Iglesia de Libertad, and helped feed about twenty-five kids. We also were able to make balloon animals because Rick McGuinness, from MBC, brought lots of balloons. It was a blast and the kids loved it too.
Jason Thibeaux
Our group in the morning walked the neighborhood. I spotted some kids kicking a soccer ball so we decided to ask them to play a pick up game. During our game I noticed a man reading something looking like a bible across the street at his home. Our friend and translator walked with me to talk with him. Come to find out he was preparing for his sermon to be preached tonight. So we got a chance to ask about his ministry and family and pray for both. His name was Ricardo Gomez. We also prayed for his 3 year old daughter Estrella. She has not been eating lately.
After lunch I went with a group to the state prison. This was an amazing sight as it was more like a whole community behind prison walls. There were food stands, different building for different groups like AA and vendors walking around selling items they made or candy. The most amazing part was the chapel they had constructed and the ministry taking place there. It was awesome to experience their worship with them that was that of truly free men in the greatest sense. It was humbling to see their faith and passion for the Lord.
Me again. It’s been a great day. I’m working on Steve Basden’s cell connection, so I can’t upload very many pictures. Hopefully there will be more tomorrow.
Thank you for your prayers
