Magnification

This next reflection is from Troy Larimer after the first day of work. Don't worry I wasn't late for group time.

The first day of construction work awaited me with a beautiful sunrise. I slowly worked my way towards the kitchen to stock up on my favorite cereal…Honey Nut Cheerios. After noticing that Jacob Lyle’s right eyebrow was making no progress of returning, I went through my preparations in autopilot. My mind was consumed with the excitement of doing my first real construction mission (New Orleans does not really count because here we start from the ground up…LITERALLY.) What new faces would I encounter today? What kind of tedious task would I be assigned in our site? All would be answered after the 15-minute car ride supplied by Casey’s readily driving skills (resulting in many cases of “hang-time” in the truck bed,) we stopped at our destination. Nothing but a concrete slab and six rebars. By the time our crew was done with it, this slab would be a place of comfort, rest, and togetherness…this would be a home. By now the Mexico Mission trip can be described in three simple words; WE BUILT IT. With our two God given hands we moved the cinderblocks, mixed the mortar, and built a full story, minus the roof, in one day. That is a true accomplishment. The home my work group provided for was a 15 year old boy, Felipe. His mothers life was untimely claimed by cancer and he, his father, and his two sisters were devastated. For a few years of his life he was living in many different houses with his father was in the States. Finally we were giving him a place he could truly call “home.” The thing that really caught me off guard was that not matter what was going on, the Mexican workers, women, and ninos were always smiling. Wherever I looked I was greeted by a smile. It dawned on me our presence was something to smile about. God was gifting them through us and they were happy. Today during group, we all shared our experiences of working in the hot sun ALL DAY. Many complained of the blazing heat, some commented on Jacob’s missing eyebrow, but the universal message was, “Wow…what a great day to be serving God.” But I wonder, how are we serving God. What exactly do we do that is, “serving God?” Then it answered itself. Jock Murray took time to share his point of view of our service. He spoke of how 300 soldiers defeated the Mineanites, and how a small Shepherd defeated a monstrous man. He told us on how these things magnified the power of God, but not in the way you think. He is not magnifying it in the way a microscope does, making small things bigger than they really are, but in the way a telescope magnifies a star; It is so far off and mysterious, but becomes so close and clear that all of its power and majesty is seen. This hit me like the one of the cinderblocks I was lifting today. WE ARE MAGNIFYING GOD! We bring something so far off and rare in Mexico right to them with the work and interactions we have daily. That is how we are doing God’s work, and that is what put a smile on their faces. That’s all I can share about today, but I can tell you that I plan on drawing back Jacob’s eyebrow with a Sharpie.
-Troy Larimer-


Keep praying for us. We poured a floor this morning and finished our 2nd house. Leah Barefoot had a small accident today when she got hit with a bucket. Her forehead needed 4 stitches. Made for an interesting moment, but she's doing just fine.

Adios,
Casey