Each evening we gathered on the front porch of the multi purpose building to share in God's Word. On our first evening Mark challenged us to love the Lord our God with all our heart. He referenced Jeremiah 29:11. Mark shared how we should totally exhaust ourselves unto the Lord. God should be our greatest desire in life, nothing else. God should be our passion in life. Mark shared how he felt we all were loving God with all our hearts today as we are worked diligently for HIM. God stays a little ahead of us so we will depend on HIM totally. God has us in HIS Hands. He challenged each of us this week to pursue God with all our hearts. At the end of each devotional Pastor Neil would ask us if our hearts were clear. If they were not make sure they were before leaving the porch of the multi purpose building.
Second evening Ben proud a powerful message on PRIDE. He referenced 1 Corinthians 1:31,"Boast in the Lord". He gave several more great references on PRIDE, Proverbs 6:16-17, 16:5, Isaiah 2:11, Jeremiah 50:31, Luke 16:15. God hates pride. What is pride Ben asked us? Pride is boasting about yourself, showing pity on yourself, unwillingness to recognize our weaknesses and many more were shared. We are to give God the glory for even being here laying blocks this week. We are created to boast in the Lord. He is sufficient in our weaknesses. How great and powerful our God is compared to how puny we are in our flesh. As Mark shared the evening prior we are to love God with all our heart. Pastor Neil then challenged the group if there was any pride tonight they needed to get rid of and give their all to Christ. Several folks shared some amazing testimonies on pride in their lives.
A few God moments today was Karen was having health problems so the team prayed over her. Magness shared how a taxi stopped in front of the church. One of the workers walked over to the taxi to assist a lady who could not walk out of the taxi and he then carried her home. Would I have done this for someone in need after mixing mescal all morning long. What a humble act of service for another human being shared Magness. Minnie shared how she enjoyed seeing her daughter Rachel playing hopscotch with the other teenagers of the church. Jordan shared how the devotional tonight really spoke to him and the pride in his life.
Sunday evening Sam, 16 year old shared a devotional on how to encourage each other. His bible reference came out of Hebrews 10:22-25. Sam shared how we need to encourage each other in our faith. We need to never give up on each other but lift each other up in the name of Jesus. God moments today Shannon shared when the two ladies received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior after the worship service. My God moment was worhsiping in a church my family built ten years ago almost to the week we were here building the Sunday School Classrooms. Mike and I seeing Melissa leading the children in her church as she was once a child playing jump rope on the same street in front of this church. As I sat on the bags of cement in this church in the very same corner seven years ago we were building a home with our home church team. That same corner where I sat on bags of cement Sunday I led a young man to the Lord sitting on a pile of bag of cement. His name was Carlos and the only way I was able to do this is because he only spoke English. He had lived in the states all his life and was sent here to live with his aunt. He had lived in the states near Virginia and had never heard of Jesus. He did not know who Jesus was. I sat there with tears streaming down m face as I reflected back over the last ten years and how great this little church is doing and how it was good to be back after five years away. It felt like home again and that was a great feeling. Thank you God for allowing such beautiful memories to reappear that Sunday morning.
Monday evening Jordan provided another amazing devotional on forgiveness. He read from Epheisans 4:31-32. He shared forgiveness and unforgiveness goes along with the devotional on pride and loving the Lord your God with all your heart. Bitterness in our lives can eat us alive and we not even know it is happening. We should take forgiving others seriously. It can affect our witness as Christian leaders. We cannot serve our Lord if we are carrying bitterness and angry for anyone in our hearts. The Lord blessed us with more testimonies of how forgiving others freed them from the bondage of bitterness. How they all shared how once they were forgiven or forgave someone else they peace of God came over them and they never looked back. God moments for this day were from Pastor Robert and Rachel. Pastor Robert shared I might want to cover my ears from about what he is fixing to share. Alex, Cody and Sam all ate the food from the village. We always share with the team how they are on their on if they eat in the community. But when Pastor Robert shared how these three young men sat under a tree with their friends from the Mescal Pit that was my God moment as well. These young men sat under that tree daily building relationships with their new friends. What a blessing from God to see this transform each day. Thank you gentlemen for reaching out and befriending this young men and sharing the love of Jesus with them.
Sandy shared on Tuesday evening her favorite bible verses and challenged us to find our favorite bible verses. Once we find our favorite bible verse then we condensed them to memory so they are readily available to share with whoever God leads you to share them with. We need to take back all we learned here and apply it to our lives and run the race God has called us all to do which is worshiping HIM and serving HIM, Always keep God first in our lives. Some of the God moments was singing along with the Hondurans some familiar hymns in two different languages.
Our last devotional was by new team member Greg. He read the story out of Mark 5 about the four friends taking their friend to be healed by Jesus. Greg shared I am the least of these. We serve a God who created ALL things. We should be faithful in our prayer to God. This is a charge or a challenge to all of us to be faithful in our prayers to God. God can do all things if we only ask in HIS NAME. JESUS IS THE SAVIOR OF THE UNIVERSE.
There was one last testimony and a few God moments on this last evening gathering together as a team and a family. Sam's God moment was when Greg and Mark presented the keys to Juan Ramon and how overwhelmed with gratitude for what the team had done for this church family. Mark's God moment was an amazing one in itself. Pastor Carlos always picks one individual who he can call upon at a moment's notice, well Mark you were his chosen one this week. Even though this was your God moment which I see as being very humbling for you to share this the fact you felt honored every time he hollered "Marcos vamos" . Mark what a sweet response to such an amazing privilege to serve beside Pastor Carlos. Someone shared with me how Pastor Carlos would come across the project calling out your name needing you for something. The simple fact how you received this gift is my God moment. Mark you are a blessing a quiet and sweet blessing and you were Pastor Carlos' blessing this week. Greg, new team member shared about the time the second or third piece of tin was going up it started to rain maybe only about ten or twelve drops but it started to rain as this roof was going up to protect this building from the elements. All in God's timing sweet Jesus. Shannon shared with Kayla this was God's "happy tears" pouring down on the project of completion. Kayla praises the Lord for being here this week and how she almost missed out on so many blessings. Glad your smiling face was here Kayla. Magnum was grateful for the opportunity to be here to work beside of everyone this week and was grateful for Mike and Ginger so they all could be here to serve in Honduras. Jordan enjoyed the time working with the children and watching them learn about Jesus this week. Tim shared how the hospitality that was displayed by the Hondurans was something we all could take home with us. Rachel enjoyed working in VBS and playing with the children daily.
So each evening we were faced with a challenge or charge first to love the Lord our God with all our heart, secondly to get rid of pride, on the third night to forgive or ask for forgiveness, fourth evening a young man of sixteen challenged to encourage each other in our faith walk, fifth evening is to know God's word and share it willingly with others and on the last night we were challenged to pray to God faithfully and trust in HIS answers.
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future
Jermeiah 29:11
Therefore, as it is written: "Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord."
1 Corinthians 1:31
let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:22
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
Ephesians 4:31
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship.
Romans 12:1
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