During our last day in Purral, time seemed to fly by. Manuel started our morning in devotion with some thoughts about Nehemiah, in Nehemiah 1:4-6. Next, we had our last men's and women's classes at the church. Diane had a servant day planned for our class. We worked on displaying how to be a servant by serving the ladies of the church with foot/neck/hand/head massages, manicures, and pedicures. The ladies all enjoyed themselves and had many kind words to say after we had finished. They commented how they could see our love through this whole week and they felt greatly encouraged through all of our work for God. The men finished up their class on the Christian home by delving into communication. Interestingly enough, the men decided to have their class on one of the buses outside the church building because it was cooler with the air circulation, than in the classroom with no windows.
We ate another delicious lunch and dinner today. I'll go ahead and tell you the best part: Blackberry Juice. I cannot tell you all how wonderful it is that we've had a different kind of juice every day we've been here. Blackberry, Pineapple, Apple, etc. If you had this growing up, you would probably spit out the juice we have in the States and ask what it is wrong with it. It amazes me the difference it makes when everything is fresh!
The afternoon was split into our 3 groups one last time. A very large group went to the orphanage for the last day so that they could say goodbye to the kids and give away some of the things they had brought. We also did our last VBS there, which went the best it has all week! The painting group did the roof of one of the buildings ( I think ). The door knocking group did one last round around the neighborhood close by the church. We were able to obtain 11 contacts today which was a great blessing! We ended our knocking at the house of one of the members. This couple is the oldest in the congregation and they are one of two couples who started the church of Christ in Purral. We stopped by their home because Fernando had been door knocking with us and his wife Berta had been sick and unable to get out today. It was so encouraging to hear their story of starting the church here and how they had groomed so many preachers and teachers during their time in Purral. There has been so much fruit harvested from this blessed congregation and I pray they continue to flourish.
We have all made friends on this trip, whether they be a part of the TORCH group or the church in Purral. These friends are exceptional because the Lord's work is what brought us together. It is rare that we meet friends with whom we have knocked on door's sharing the opportunity to hear the Gospel. This kind of relationship is more than just friendship, it is a family: the family of God. Our brother Tim spoke about friends tonight. He began by illustrating the story of the paralyzed man brought through the roof to Jesus in Mark 2. These friends did everything in their power to get this man to Jesus because their faith was so strong. They knew that nothing else was more important, despite whatever consequences might follow: that's how much they loved their friend and wanted the best for him. The paralyzed man had friends that changed his life. How many friends do you have that would do the same for you? I hope that you have someone in mind at this time because the truth is: You need friends to help you get to Heaven. We all need those influences in our lives to help us press on toward the goal. Reverse that thought, and consider whether you are being a friend that is helping those around you strive for Heaven. We must be willing to sacrifice everything for our friends if it will get them to Heaven. Now is the time to act without fear for what people may think or what they may say. If the worst thing someone can say about you is, "He tried to convince me that I should believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that I should obey His Word," then what are you waiting for? Tomorrow may never come. You can make all the plans in the world, but if Christ comes tonight, He's not going to recall what you said you were going to do. He will remember what you did, or possibly what you didn't do. We need friends who believe in Christ and help us reach out to others who have not made that confession yet or been baptized to save them from their sins. Our friends should not only support us, but also come to us when we have erred from His way.
The friends in Mark 2 cast out all fear because of their faith. When you are able to find those kind of people, that's when you're going to change the world.
At this time, I am unsure of our access to internet over the next few days. I will be surprised if there is internet at the Camp we are staying at tomorrow (Friday) night, so you should not expect a blog post tomorrow. However, I believe we should have access when we get to La Fortuna Saturday night and stay through Monday morning. Stay tuned for more information and most importantly, please, keep all of us traveling this weekend in your prayers! You never know when a bus may break down going up a mountain...(not that that has ever happened before). Ha!
We have all made friends on this trip, whether they be a part of the TORCH group or the church in Purral. These friends are exceptional because the Lord's work is what brought us together. It is rare that we meet friends with whom we have knocked on door's sharing the opportunity to hear the Gospel. This kind of relationship is more than just friendship, it is a family: the family of God. Our brother Tim spoke about friends tonight. He began by illustrating the story of the paralyzed man brought through the roof to Jesus in Mark 2. These friends did everything in their power to get this man to Jesus because their faith was so strong. They knew that nothing else was more important, despite whatever consequences might follow: that's how much they loved their friend and wanted the best for him. The paralyzed man had friends that changed his life. How many friends do you have that would do the same for you? I hope that you have someone in mind at this time because the truth is: You need friends to help you get to Heaven. We all need those influences in our lives to help us press on toward the goal. Reverse that thought, and consider whether you are being a friend that is helping those around you strive for Heaven. We must be willing to sacrifice everything for our friends if it will get them to Heaven. Now is the time to act without fear for what people may think or what they may say. If the worst thing someone can say about you is, "He tried to convince me that I should believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that I should obey His Word," then what are you waiting for? Tomorrow may never come. You can make all the plans in the world, but if Christ comes tonight, He's not going to recall what you said you were going to do. He will remember what you did, or possibly what you didn't do. We need friends who believe in Christ and help us reach out to others who have not made that confession yet or been baptized to save them from their sins. Our friends should not only support us, but also come to us when we have erred from His way.
The friends in Mark 2 cast out all fear because of their faith. When you are able to find those kind of people, that's when you're going to change the world.
At this time, I am unsure of our access to internet over the next few days. I will be surprised if there is internet at the Camp we are staying at tomorrow (Friday) night, so you should not expect a blog post tomorrow. However, I believe we should have access when we get to La Fortuna Saturday night and stay through Monday morning. Stay tuned for more information and most importantly, please, keep all of us traveling this weekend in your prayers! You never know when a bus may break down going up a mountain...(not that that has ever happened before). Ha!
Adios mis amigos,
Leah -- email leahcwright17@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment