Building a church & Building bonds

Some time back I wrote and spoke about the building of a meeting room for the church in Toltecas. Following that I wrote a post about our brother Alfonzo who had received very little money for his harvest. Well as we all find out the Lord knows what he is doing.

As we began to construct the room we found that between the most of us we were not sure how to build the brick columns for the the posts that will hold our frame for the roof. This is where Alfonzo comes in. He has been working with the concrete and bricks for many years. After the bad harvest the Lord put something on my heart. Contract Alfonzo to build the columns then he can have some extra money for his family and the rest of us get to learn a little more about how to work with brick.

Well most days the work crew consisted of Alfonzo, his assistant Milano, myself, and sometimes Brandon Owen and Greg Wilkey. As a team we were able to construct the entire 8 10 foot columns in 4 days.

There was a lot of work to be done. We mixed a lot of concrete in a loaned mixer the first day. But after that all the mixing was done by hand. Some thing struck me as I put up that picture of my self, I am always behind the camera so here is proof I actually was in Mexico, even if I am not in most of the pictures.

So most of the time Alfonze and Milano laid brick and I was gofer boy. Hey I need water!, Hey I need bricks!, Hey I need mortar. Brandon was also able to help by laying brick and helping to mix the mortar and concrete.

But more than just building with our hands there was time building up our spirits. Alfonzo is great brother in the Lord and I enjoy our talks. One particular day while working we began talking about the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and how God is always the same. So then his question was "So if God is constant where are so many Christians in America not the same?" I ask how he meant. He went on to tell me that in his travels he has met other Americans who called them selves Christians and lived contrary lives. Or others who held believes that where contrary to the Word. I simply answered that what most believers lack desperately is a deeper knowledge of the Word and what it says. He agreed and said that is a common problem in Mexico.

There are times when I find my self growing in the Lord and working through my own struggles and trials and think I am alone. And then there I am 2500 plus miles away from my birth home and I find a brother in the Lord working through similar trials but with a faith I sometimes feel I lack. It is then that I best understand that I can not always assume I am here to serve but also to be served and taught.

As I write this we have been out of Mexico for only 3 days but I greatly miss my friend Alfonzo.