Work and Witness 2008

The Work and Witness Team made another trip to Mexico last month and my husband, Bill and I were privileged to be a part of that team.
We left Friday, March 28th from Aspermont, driving to Hamlin’s Church of the Nazarene where we loaded our selves and our belongings into the van and trailer, heading off to El Paso. It was close to daylight when we began the long journey, with J.D. Josey at the wheel, stopping for breakfast and to pick up a few more helpers.
The plan was to build a room on the second floor of a cinderblock building in Chihuahua City, Mexico. The churches here in the U.S. had already sent money to build the first story of the church. Our team of 29 people included workers from North Carolina, Colorado and all over Texas. Pastors, carpenters, contractors, electricians, nurses, secretaries, evangelists, and many other professionals and lay people were part of the team. Children as well as adults filled the three large vans that arrived at the motel in El Paso, pulling trailers full of equipment, tools and supplies. We picked up additional supplies there before eating a meal together at the Rancher’s Steakhouse, and then settled in to rest before heading across the border Saturday morning.
The border crossing was several hours of waiting, customs inspections and paperwork. But Bill decided to use the time wisely and told me to come and “Let’s get someone in the boat.”
We got out of the van and walked over to a truck driver sitting in line, waiting for the customs office to open. He told us his name was Humberto and I translated while Bill asked if he went to church. He said no, he didn’t. Bill asked him if he were to die tonight, did he know where he would spend eternity. Halfway laughing, he admitted he’d probably spend it in hell. We proceeded to share the gospel with him over the next half hour, and during that time, another man named Gabriel joined us and the conversation. He and Humberto each had two little girls, and neither was married to their girlfriend. We talked a long time, and I shared Romans 10:9 with them, along with several other scriptures. When we finished, both men prayed a sinner’s prayer to receive Christ. We prayed over them before we left, and when we returned to the vans, we knew why we had been so delayed at the border crossing that morning. The angels and we were celebrating that morning in Juarez!
The rest of the journey south was pretty uneventful, with long waits at the immigration/visa office and the importation office for the vehicles. By about 8:30 p.m. on Saturday night, we arrived at the school where we would set up camp. The water was on but there was no electricity, so the generator ran all day and night. After a while, you didn’t notice it so much.
During our stay, we took cold showers at first, but after a few days, the guys purchased small water heaters that hung on the bathroom walls, attached to a propane tank. Since the water pressure was minimal there, they were only effective in heating water to put into a bucket, to be poured over the bather with a cup. Just like camping! It was an adventure, and sleeping on cots was not like being in your own bed, but if you’re tired, it was a place to rest.
Our food was prepared in a school room and we enjoyed all of our meals together, with a time of devotions and testimonies at each meal. The two hour time difference was a little hard to get used to at first, and the sunsets were nothing like West Texas sunsets, but we enjoyed the fellowship and just getting to know people from other places.
Many of us in the group had been a part of the previous teams. For over 20 years, this group of believers has been building a church each year in Northwestern Mexico. There were a few new faces, including my husband’s, but after a short time, we all became friends.
Bill and I painted signs on plywood, including several for the church they were building on this trip, and two more for two churches in Juarez. This was my husband’s first time to help me paint, and he did a good job. A graphic artist from Arlington also helped us paint the signs, and we got them all done in time for the inauguration Thursday night.
The celebration was held on the side of the road near the church, and a visiting pastor came to give the message. The wind was blowing, dirt was flying (just like in Texas!) and the sunset was glorious! What an inauguration for this new church.
We had a meal for all that came to enjoy it, and everyone had their fill. During a service earlier in the week, four new converts joined the church and we celebrated with the family of God that night.
We left the celebration with mixed emotions, knowing that our time in Mexico was coming to an end, and that we might never see these new friends again on this side of heaven.
But we were rejoicing in God’s faithfulness, and the pastor shared his heart, telling us that for all his years in ministry, our team had made their dream come true with the new church building. We have found that when we go to bless others, we get blessed in the process.
We look forward to our next opportunity to share the love of Jesus with those less fortunate than ourselves.
For every one of us, our “mission field” begins when we walk out our front door.