Last Day
(Reynosa, Mexico – June, 2007)
Allow me to offer a few global accomplishments for this mission trip. As I said, the biggest thing to happen was the growth of each one of us. We came to help change the lives of the Mexicans there, but God wanted to perform deeper work in each of our lives. The profundity of the changes were remarkable. God removed habits that had bound people and restored relationships to His right and perfect standing. Smoking, drinking, drug habits, sex out of wedlock – gone. Marriages healed. Old wounds healed. New character built. We are different people then when we went left.
Our impact on Mexico: many people made very strong connections with the little girls and they felt loved. A couple random people met on prayer walks came either to, or closer to Christ. It was interesting to see how God put a uniquely qualified person in exactly the right place to meet exactly the right person to transform both lives. One man was trying to escape the drug life and had been tracked down by his old friends, and Glen helped him to find safe passage.
The outside walls of the second floor of the orphanage were built up.
The biggest mark we made was at the detention center. Charles spent almost his whole trip there. He was uniquely qualified to, and felt a calling for ministering to these boys. And he made a mark on all of them. Several came to Christ. The two girls there were definitely impacted. And the staff was impacted. One came to Christ. Another had given his life to Christ 4 months earlier but had felt embarrassed to share it with anyone. When we left, no one was embarrassed to talk about the Lord. And I know that new boys that come through there will enter an environment of God, where none stood before.
It’s important in life to work diligently in the way that He calls you. To seek Him and respond in the best way you hear Him leading you. But it’s also very important to know that you don’t know what’s around the corner. You don’t know all the reasons that He has you where you are. Sometimes He will have you moving in one direction and you will think you know the primary reason only to find out later that He had an entirely different plan. But this is the spice of life. And as you follow Him you come to understand that the surprises He has for you are far greater than what you could dream up. Follow Him, and He will bring you life abundantly.
I’ll soon have more reports from other incredible mission trips. So invite someone you know to join us.