from a foundation to a house to a home...

A bit about our Mexico house-build trip... and you can see the transformation from a cement foundation to a house...to a home!

When we arrived on the site, this was what greeted us: two small pieces of property each with a reinforced poured concrete foundation, and all of the framing and wall lumber, dry wall, and other materials needed to build two houses, and two eager and ready building project managers. (oh, and a wonderful view of all of Rojo Gomez, a border town "home" to thousands of poor families in shacks with no running water) Just add our two teams of eager builders (about 50 total)...and ...the building begins!

...10:45 am Friday...

(yes, that's me...not very flattering, I know!)
It was amazing to watch these two houses being built from the ground up and a privilege to be a part of it!

I helped build the frame of our house and then spent much of the rest of the day hammering on the outside wall boards... then hanging dry wall inside!
(all new skills for me!)

Windows and a door had to be cut and the roof put on.

This is Pablo, the project manager for House #1 (our house!).

He and Hector (HM for House #2) were AMAZING!

They knew how to do every needed task and how to teach us

unskilled labor how to do them as well....

all with cheerful attitudes and smiling faces!

Me hanging dry wall...

POWER TOOLS!!! COOL!!

The inside of the house looking into the "loft" from the largest of the three rooms.

(Oops. This came before the drywall photo!)

Me demonstrating my awesome and well-honed hammering skills!

(Please pardon the lovely look...it was HOT!)

"Charlie's Angels" pose

Two of my life group buddies (Kristen and Anita) and me.
Powerful girls with tools (and toolbelts!!)!

* * * * * *

...And this is what our house looked like 6 1/2 hrs later at quitting time...

I couldn't believe it.

House #2 was just as finished right behind our house.

* * * * * *

Day 2

full of dry wall hanging, mudding, putting in the windows and doors, trim on the outside, building a ladder for the loft, tar papering and shingling the roofs, sanding the inside walls to prep for painting, gathering tires and building a stairway into the hillside out of the tires, entertaining the neighborhood kids with games and fun, wiring the houses for electricity, working together with one another and with the families as they joined in the building of their houses

* * * * * *

Day 3

Because we had large teams, we were able to finish our houses mostly on Day 2. That allowed us some extra time to paint the interior of the houses as well.

This was the happy peach color in House #1 and the ladder to the loft:

And these are the finished products,

all ready for the dedication ceremony:

We dedicated each house to its family...

and prayed over the family...

There were tears of joy and excitement...

And very very big smiles!!

This was the family of House #1--

Flavio, Luz Maria, and their two little children...

a "mural" was created for each house, and this one says:

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!"

~Joshua 29:15b

...and the house becomes a home...

To God be the Glory!!

celebrate the Sabbath...serving...

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you,

then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,

whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River,

or the gods of the Amorites,

in whose land you are living.

But as for me and my household,

we will serve the LORD."

~Joshua 24:15

serving the King...

"The King will reply,

'I tell you the truth,

whatever you did

for one of the least

of these brothers of mine,

you did for me.'

~Matthew 25:40

with all your heart...

Whatever you do,

work at it with all your heart,

as working for the Lord, not for men,

since you know that you will receive an inheritance

from the Lord as a reward.

It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

~Colossians 3:23-24

in His name...

Early tomorrow morning I am off to Mexico with a group of about 35 folks from our church. We are spending the next three days in one of the extremely poor border towns where we will be building two houses. Each of these houses is to be given to a family there in great need. Along with the houses, we also are providing various "house warming" gifts such as towels, dishes, pots and pans, and some toys for the children.

When we arrive on the site tomorrow morning, there will be a poured concrete foundation. And we will take it from there, starting with building the frames for the walls. Over the next two days, we will raise walls, put in windows, add drywall, and everything else that goes into building a house! When we leave on Sunday, each house will be wired for electricity, plumbed, painted on the outside, and finished to the point of painting on the inside. (We will leave them paint for the interior as well.)

While we are building the homes, there will be games and activities for neighborhood kids as well as folks going out to visit with others in the community. The purpose is not only to build a couple of houses but to continue to build relationship with folks who live in this little town. (our church sends several teams down throughout the year to follow up on previous families and to make connections in the community. We partner with a local ministry to serve in this area.) And, of course, we pray for opportunities to share the love of Jesus whenever and however possible.

It's supposed to be very hot while we're there, so if you have a spare moment, please feel free to pray for our team--for physical stamina, for hearts to serve, for unity in the teams, for opportunities to share love, for safety, and for that the name of Jesus would be glorified!

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed,

do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks to God the Father through him.

~Colossians 3:17

heading for home...

No soul is desolate

as long as there is a human being

for whom it can feel trust and reverence.

~George Eliot

...as I sadly say good-bye to my beloved family in Georgia and head for home, I am truly grateful that I have loved ones to miss... I am grateful for time spent with them across the many miles... and I am grateful for a Father Who keeps us in His tender care while we are apart...

a masterpiece of nature...

A friend may well be reckoned

the masterpiece of nature.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

a "love"ly dinner....

Tonight a friend of mine came over to visit.

Not only did she come to visit, she brought supplies with her and MADE ME DINNER!

I felt like a celebrity with a personal chef!

What a gift of love she gave me... and delicious, too!

When I sat down to eat, this is what I saw on my plate...

LOVE on a bed of rice!

(lots of love)

I am grateful for the love she showed me by making me dinner,

and I am grateful for the love God showed me

in a little heart on a bed of rice

and in the big heart of a friend!

ps. I know the photos aren't the best, but that's not what this post is about... the food was actually very beautiful!!

true friendship...

A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend;

one human soul whom we can trust utterly;

who knows the best and the worst of us,

and who loves us in spite of all our faults;

who will speak the honest truth to us,

while the world flatters us to our face

and laughs at us behind our back;

who will give us counsel and reproof

in the day of prosperity and self-conceit,

but who, again, will comfort and encourage us

in the day of difficulty and sorrow,

when the world leaves us alone to fight our own battle as we can.

~Charles Kingsley

Thank you, Father, for this kind of friends in our lives...

those who love us in spite of ourselves;

those who love us with Your love;

those who remind us of who we are in You;

those You have given to us

and us to them.

I am grateful.

Two are better than one,because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! ~Ecclesiates 4:9-10

being loved...

Now, to all you out there who may be thinking I've gone over to the "dark side" with my post yesterday... fear not! I am still here searching for God's amazing love in all I see and delighting in the ways He shows me along life's way. There are times, however, when one just has to tell it like it is. Yesterday's post was one of those times--a time of gut-level honesty...and, in the end, a preaching to myself!

And, today... an example of the joy, the great delight, the unbelievable comfort and wonder of loving and being loved... (204)

bah humbug....

Ok. I decided I should probably do my Valentine's Day 'bah humbug!' post today, so it doesn't spoil anyone else's actual Valentine's Day...or, to put it in a more positive vein, so that it may cause us to really THINK about the day before it actually arrives.

Please don't throw things at me or send me nasty comments, but I really do NOT like Valentine's Day. I never have. I'm just being honest here. To me, it is merely a Hallmark holiday--one created as a money-maker for the card, gift, and flower industries. And a "holiday" which creates--or at the least 'intensifies'-- dissatisfaction, aloneness, and relationship troubles.

I mean, really. Let's consider the scenario of many a Valentine's Day...

Men know they had BETTER get their wife/girlfriend/love-of-their-life a gift of some sort to show how much they love said loved one. If they forget, or if the gift is not just right, they are in some serious trouble, and may even be sleeping with Fido in the doghouse...

And the loved one... she has expectations of above-mentioned gift/card/dinner/flowers as a demonstration of the depth of his love! If he forgets, or if the gift is not just right, she experiences a range of emotions anywhere from a bit sad and morose to ready to divorce/break up with/take a frying pan to the no-good, unappreciative, thoughtless lout!

It's a set-up for disaster, if you ask me. And, I didn't yet mention those who are like me--single. In a society centered around couples and families, and on a holiday that is focused on romance and love and that one special relationship, the single person cannot help but feel not-quite-good-enough, forgotten, left out, lonely, incomplete, or just plain unloved. Hmmm. Somehow, the "holiday" doesn't seem like a day of flowers and sunshine and hearts, but instead, one which emphasizes one's singleness.

So, what to do about Valentine's Day?

Well, as for me, I am fortunate. I have a darling mother who never forgets me on Valentine's Day. I think she is even more conscientious about the day since I am single. She never misses a year of sending me her love with a card or a package, and I adore her for it. That's love. Years of always making sure I know I'm thought of and loved...and from many miles away, at that.

Some years I pull myself out of the Valentine's Humbug by sending cards to my friends. Or by making cookies or other treats for them. Some years I just can't "get there" and try to ignore the day altogether. Some years are a mix of the two--a bit of melancholy feelings counterbalanced by the wearing of pink and red to at least acknowledge the day.

I don't mean to sound like Oscar the Grouch. I do, however, want to encourage us to be mindful of what it is to truly love others as the Bible says "...according to their needs." It's not about ONE day of showing how much we love others. And, what is done or not done on that ONE day is not the indication that we love or are loved. It's not about flowers or gifts or Hallmark card moments--it's about the every day living a life of love with those in our lives. With our friends. With our family. With that one special person. And with each person with whom we come in contact--loveable or unloveable. We need to show them and tell them every day, every moment, in every word, and in every action, that we love them...that they are well and truly loved. Because that's how God loves us.

Yes, I know. It's a tall order. It's a tough command. But, it's what our Lord calls us to. Not one day of showing love--getting the right gift or sending the right card--but a daily walking in kindness and love and generosity, a putting the needs of others before our own.

That's love.
That's what Jesus did for us.

How about we commit to making every day a Valetine's day?

...for a great post on Valentine's Day from a man's perspective, take a moment or two to read Travis' Valentine's Day post from last year. I think it was very insightful, and I really appreciated what he had to say...