Dear RBA -
Again, my first word to you is thanks from the bottom of my heart for the blessing it is to be a part of this ministry.
The last two weeks have been amazing.
The project IS going to be completed, but we're not going to be here to see it finished. We've got all the walls up and completed (or will have, by the end of today), and the team will probably begin preparations to pour the roof either tomorrow or on Monday. That has been one of the many REALLY COOL things about the way the trip has progressed. The 5 men who work in White Stone have been here working with us, and have done the lion's share of the work. And when i asked Valetin if it would be within their abilities to come back and help Norberto finish the job, both next week and two weeks after that, when the roof is cured, he told me he was already thinking in that direction.
Don Bell, a member of Thalia Lynn church in Virginia Beach (Leslie's home church) and an independent contractor, has also done wonders with replacing the gate and front fence - something that was not in the original plans, but which has come together from existing lumber we had available from inside the old structure. He has also done a lot of the breaking up of the two previously existing floors (with a sledgehammer) and the hauling of the STUFF we dug out to a nearby lot for dumping (and back, we needed some for filler).
Again, my first word to you is thanks from the bottom of my heart for the blessing it is to be a part of this ministry.
The last two weeks have been amazing.
The project IS going to be completed, but we're not going to be here to see it finished. We've got all the walls up and completed (or will have, by the end of today), and the team will probably begin preparations to pour the roof either tomorrow or on Monday. That has been one of the many REALLY COOL things about the way the trip has progressed. The 5 men who work in White Stone have been here working with us, and have done the lion's share of the work. And when i asked Valetin if it would be within their abilities to come back and help Norberto finish the job, both next week and two weeks after that, when the roof is cured, he told me he was already thinking in that direction.
Don Bell, a member of Thalia Lynn church in Virginia Beach (Leslie's home church) and an independent contractor, has also done wonders with replacing the gate and front fence - something that was not in the original plans, but which has come together from existing lumber we had available from inside the old structure. He has also done a lot of the breaking up of the two previously existing floors (with a sledgehammer) and the hauling of the STUFF we dug out to a nearby lot for dumping (and back, we needed some for filler).
This past Sunday we had a Gathering here at The Manzano Arellanes' family home, where we've been staying, and had about 12 or 13 people in attendance. Romualda and her youngest daughter Cristina and her son Guadalupe came. We flipped the regular routine around a little, and started with the devotional/worship time. I read from Matthew 7, where Jesus spoke about the wise man who built his house on the rock, and the foolish man who built HIS on sand. I learned something about foundations last week. the building we tore down did not have one. it was a fairly substantial structure, but it came down pretty quickly. The foundations we dug and the footers we poured would suppport up to a three-story building (if and when Romualda gets to that point ... who knows?). It was a lesson to me to know that OUR plans are for a single story, fairly simple structure, but we have no idea what the potential for the family or for the structure is. We don't know what God has in store.
So in a way it is ENTIRELY appropriate that WE will not see the project finished, that we only have the promise that it will get done. We are part of the process, we're not the beginning of it nor the end of it. There's a Kingdom aspect to that that makes sense, and helps me have a clearer understanding of what being a part of the Kingdom is.
Romualda has been exceptionally gracious and hospitable to a crew of 6 and 7 strangers who've invaded her property and disrupted her routine. She is always asking us if she can serve us some fruit juice (if the day is hot) or coffee (if the day is cool, as it is today) or something to eat (if it's been more than 30 minutes since we last snacked). She has a ready smile, and is constantly thanking us for what we are doing. I remind her that it was not our idea, that it was prompted by Isidra and Norberto on our visit in January.
At the end of the gathering on Sunday, as we were saying good night, she couldn't say enough about the meeting. In fact, she said that it was the first time she had ever felt the presence of God.
We may have witnessed the first meeting of the first baptist church of the Ciudad Alegre neighborhood (the Happy City), Chimalhuacan, Mexico.
We pull out of here tomorrow morning around 11 (noon Emmerton time), fly out of the airport at 2:00, and arrive in Atlanta at 6:24, then we have about an hour and twenty minutes to get our bags and go through customs before boarding our flight (678) for Richmond, which is scheduled to arrive at 9:20.
Please pray for traveling mercies, and for seeds planted, and for lives touched and transformed (including our own) and I look forward to seeing you all on our return.
Grace & Peace
Kenny
ps: please say a prayer for Guadalupe. today is his 13th birthday.
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