A sunrise, something so beautiful; one of God’s prettiest creations. A sunrise, something so simple, yet so amazing. The sunrise our first morning in Mexico was so beautiful, people were peering through the church fence to get a glimpse of God’s beautiful creation in Juarez, Mexico. Often times in life we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and forget to take moments to appreciate the unending beauty of God’s creation. There are no words to describe how beautiful God’s creations are and Juarez, Mexico is one of the best places to take away all the distractions and show us the beauty of God’s creation, even in a place that has seen so much sadness.
Casas por Cristo is an amazing organization that has been in Juarez for many years, helping to rebuild the society and community in a firm foundation of Christ. This year, we had the opportunity to build two houses; one for a single mother with multiple children and the other for an older couple. Through God and his amazing blessings, our work sites were super close together, not even two blocks apart. God also blessed us with some amazing leaders; through their guidance we were able to build two amazing homes for families in need. It never ceases to amaze me how God works and how he provides us with exactly what we need.
Team Gordon got to build the house for the single mother and her children. Unfortunately she had lost her husband in an accident and ever since then she has been working like crazy to make ends meet for her family. She had kids ranging from all different ages, so having a proper house for them was such a blessing. Team Gordon powered through their build with Casas por Cristo leader Zach. This was Zach’s first solo build, and we were so glad to be his first team! The build went well for team Gordon; there were a lot of laughs, smiles, and sweat. The house that they built was amazing, and the most amazing part was that it was built in a firm foundation in Christ, a house that was built in his name that will protect this family. One of the best parts about building these houses is putting all of the bible verses on the wood before we put the dry wall on, building a house firm and strong in the word of the Lord.
Team AC meanwhile was up the street, building a house for a sweet couple that was desperately in need of a new home as well. Brigham was an awesome leader; he always had a smile on his face and was full of good advice for every situation that we came across. Their home that they had was so small, something that was barely a one-room house. The husband, Jose, was one of the first people to ever live in that area of Juarez and because of that he has seen how the city has changed. He and his wife had recently given their lives to Christ, and he believes that everything that is happening there is because God has abandoned Juarez; I told him that God will never abandon us and that he will always be with us to keep us strong.
The team that went to Juarez this year was absolutely amazing and we touched so many lives. Not only did we get to go to the park and play with the kids the first day, getting our butts kicked in soccer, but we also got to build relationships with so many people. We did an amazing VBS with some local kids and we were able to give them little stuffed animals. Words cannot describe the joy on these children’s faces when they got their stuffed animal; they had never had anything like it before. Back at Rosa de Sharon we were able to give out stuffed animals to the children of that church as well. One kid was so happy about his stuffed animal he could not stop hugging it and had tears of joy coming out of his eyes. Juarez, Mexico is a place that has stolen a piece of my heart, as well as many others. It is a place where God truly touches your heart; a place where you are able to do his work and spread his word; a place that needs us.
