Power Ministry

It was another full day in Del Rio/Acuna. After rolling out of our dorm beds, we had breakfast, devotion, and took communion. Heading across the border, we split up to finish up the projects at yesterday’s sites. My van went to finish a house for the Silva family. The metal roofing went very quick, and by the lunch break we had completed all the work for the day. Early on I could see that there was not enough work for everybody. I observed one of the Mexican men starting to demo an outside toilet (there will be a new one inside the house), and I started helping him. I discovered that he knew some English. I knew enough Spanish so that between the two of us, we could communicate. One of the other POWER guys came over to help us, and in short order, we had removed the concrete floor around the toilet & the toilet, hauling them away with a wheel barrow. David (I discovered later in the day that he was a pastor) started digging down to the pipe that drained the toilet. I asked him if they had any palas (shovels). He said someone was going to get them. Rather than wait, we used our claw hammers as shovels to expose the pipe, pulled the old pipe out, and had enough time to connect the pipe from the new house to the existing downstream pipe. I actually got to use my pipe knowledge on a POWER trip. I never thought that I would see that day. I even used my torpedo level to check the slope on the pipe.
On to of that, we had enough time to visit with a local lady and her young child who came by to see what we were doing. And, Josh Muse was able to lead her to the Lord! After lunch at the dance hall converted into a church, I jumped into a van heading back to Faith Mission, where a group of us spent the afternoon putting together packages of short Bible stories. There were over 100 of them, stapled together in small pads. The packages will be delivered to various missionaries along the border. They are very popular, according to Dave Johnson; maybe even more so than the Bibles.
We gathered for one last time in the Faith Missions cafeteria, where Tim Ehlers, the new leader there, spoke to us about his faith journey back from Appalthia. Several of our brothers, who had early flight times tomorrow, shared their highlights of the week. We are truly brothers in Christ, having impacts on each other more than we realize!
I looked up our roster for the week. There are 71 of us, from 10 states plus Mexico. For all three weeks, there will be a total of 192 men, from 19 states, Canada & Mexico. We are making a difference for the kingdom here along the Rio Grande Valley area!
We made it safely through the rain to San Antonio, arriving at the Travel Lodge at 11 pm. ‘That will be all’ for today (although Marty and his van crews still have a couple of hours of work to do, and maybe an early morning pancake run).

We all did surprisingly well today, considering we were operating on only 4 hours of sleep. Our food
crew cooked up a good breakfast offering of eggs, oatmeal, cereal, donuts, juice, several kinds of fruit & of course coffee. We had our morning devotion at the Faith Missions cafeteria, right after breakfast. Bob Biber gave us a great send off again. We all split up to do construction projects in Acuna, Mexico. My van headed to Pastor Vincente Ramirez’s church, where we worked on classroom additions. We finished the roof sheeting, did all the tongue & groove siding, and completed the electrical wiring in the classrooms. Some of the guys have a clue about construction, and some don’t, but we all work together to get the job done. POWER provides all the building materials and power tools, etc. They organize all the projects and have the materials delivered to the various sites for our teams. We pray before we start working, and stop at 3 pm to again pray over the work. Our partners are so thankful for the work that we do that will enable them to carry out God’s work for years to come. They always provide food and drink for us at the sites (usually the Pastor’s wife & church helpers).
At noon all the teams headed to another larger church in Acuna, where we again were provided with
food. The building used to house the largest night club in Acuna, but now is a place of worship. We
heard of the church outreaches (youth programs, programs for homeless and aged people, and more).
One of the cool things about POWER is that almost all of our partners take the time to join our team for a week, so that we get to know them and they can contribute and learn first hand about our ministry.
This week we had Josh Muse, Paul Garcia, John Nielson, and Francisco Segura, plus I am sure a few
others that I can’t recall at this time. We endured the standard 1 ½ hour wait time to cross back to the US of A, then staggered into Faith Missions, where the food crews had prepared a great meal of steak, baked potatoes, salad, a macaroni dish covered with cheese, plus choice of apple pie, chocolate pie, cookies, and more. We had the four mission partners listed above share about their ministries. Francisco does a prison ministry in Acuna.
John is the current director of Laredo Stepping Stones, a place where pastors and missionaries can
come for a relaxing sabbatical. Paul & Thelma have run a ministry called ‘Blessed to Bless’ for 19
years, where they build, do repairs and provide food for needy churches in the Acuna area. Josh Muse
& his wife Olivia have started a ministry called Kaleo International in Reynosa. They focus, among
other things, on planting churches, both in Reynosa and surrounding areas, and providing training for
pastors and missionaries.
‘That is all’ for today.

We got to sleep in a little today, to 7 am. After a quick breakfast at the hotel in McCallen, we drove back across the border to have worship and devotion at the colonial Nopalera (Bruce & Paula’s place). They have been there 12 years now, building houses and drilling a well for people with nowhere else to live. It is easy to find their place- just follow the bumpy dirt road along the irrigation canal.
Then it was on to Alianza Church for lunch with our translators. We got to be greeters for the people
coming to the 1 pm service at the church, then sat among the congregation for the church service.
They got us up on the stage to thank us for our help- POWER has been instrumental in helping them build their church from just a large tent to a structure that seats several thousand, plus school buildings. Our own Bob Biber preached the message, and several hundred people responded to the altar call.
We piled into the vans and drove several hours to Laredo to have dinner at Luby’s, hear a brief message by Dave Burkett in the parking lot, then back into the vans, arriving at Del Rio at 1 am in the morning. We unloaded our bags at Faith Missions, made up our bunk beds, and crashed for some sleep.

Today was an early departure day, as we drove across the border to Reynosa, specifically to Sende De
Vida (Hector’s homeless outreach), where we had morning devotions. I had hopes of pounding some
nails or some type of construction work, and loaded my backpack with all 25 lbs. of tools. Alas, it was
not to be. But the day was great anyway. After singing a few songs, Pastor Bob Biber focused on
another aspect of Christian perseverance. We can’t let our age deter us from sharing the Word. That
goes for seniors, young men & middle aged guys! We must keep the mindset that quitting is not an
option. Hector (the founder of Sende De Vida) shared his powerful testimony of leaving everything
behind to follow the vision that he got from God. POWER has been a huge help to him in building his
ministry on a dump site right next to the Rio Grande River. He helps people unsuccessful in trying to
cross the border into the US, who have nowhere else to go.
From there POWER split up into smaller groups. Our van went to Alianza Church to meet our
translators, and check out the layout of the festival that would happen later in the day. Then we drove to
a Rehabilitation House that the church sponsors, for men who are trying to overcome their addictions
and get their life right with God and family. We spent several hours with the men, receiving their
testimonies, and sharing some of our own. The Pastor who runs the rehab. House, along with Pastor
Mario, and Angel (one of our own) preached the Word, encouraging the men to stay on the right path.
Even though it is a relatively new outreach, it appears to be working to change their lives.
After driving back to Alianza Church for lunch, we stayed for the duration of the festival. The church
has expanded it’s festival area from when I was here two years ago. They had about 15 carnival rides
for the kids, along with horse rides, and games that POWER put on with the help of the college age
translators from the church. We had soccer shoot outs, basketball shooting, two types of ring tosses,
cotton candy booths, and several other games. The kids got candy for participating, or soccer balls,
hats, or small toys if they were successful at the games. I would estimate 3,000 youngsters had a blast
with their parents today! The wind was blowing pretty hard, but that did not slow anybody down. I did
have my name tag blown away, but fortunately one of the guys found it so that I did not get fined by
Marty.
After helping clean up, we piled back into the vans and headed back to the US of A. We got stuck at the
border crossing for about 1 ½ hours, but then had a delicious meal at a Mexican restaurant in
McCallen. Several of our mission partners shared the meal with us, including Micah Carter & Jenny
(Big Heart Orphanage), Bruce & Paula Hepburn (Mexico Missions), Becky (Alianza Church), Rick &
Kim Hall (Valley Baptist Mission Educational Center), Rick Caywood (Chihuahuan Connection Food
Bank), and Gerry & Albertia McKnight (Border Missions).
The day ended at the hotel in McCallen once again, with the van crews doing their late night chores,
the worship team preparing for the morning, and the prayer team again doing their important work.

We got an early start, meeting for breakfast downstairs at the hotel at 6 am. Devotion was at 7 in a
meeting room at the hotel. Our worship team led us in singing praises to the Lord, then Pastor Bob
Biber spoke on our theme for the week- Perseverance, with the key verse being ‘Consider it all joy, my
brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your
faith produces perseverance.’ (James 1:2-3) Today he spoke about how stretching our faith when we are
fatigued will produce pure joy (fatigue happens a lot on POWER trips). He encouraged us to be
observant for finding that one lost sheep to bring to the Lord.
After piling into the vans, we flipped the normal schedule backwards by driving down to Matamores, to
the Magdiel Bible College. We broke up into 3 groups, and each group visited with one of the three
classes of students (years one, two & three classes), getting to know them a little bit by playing games
and attempting to memorize names and favorite books of the Bible, likes & dislikes of food, etc. We
then all gathered in their cafeteria for lunch, and the graduating class auctioned off T shirts for a fund
raiser. Of course there was the soccer game, pitting Magdiel students against POWER guys (with a
little help from a recent Magdiel graduate). We actually held our own for a change (for a little while),
as a couple of the younger POWER members had played soccer all through school. The day at Magdiel
ended with an unrehearsed singing led by several of the Magdiel students (by the end everybody was
involved).
After leaving Magdiel, we played follow the leader in circles for a bit, then found our way to a quick
border crossing back to the USA. We actually had a short (50 minute) break at the hotel back in
McCallen, then drove a short distance to the Golden Corral, where we stuffed ourselves. We then went
back to the same hotel (we will stay a total of 3 nights at the same hotel, which I think is also a first).
Our prayer group tonight grew to a total of 16 men. It seems to me that the week is starting off a lot
more prayerfully this year. Maybe it because we are not all so exhausted from the physical work parties
and long drives starting the trip. Maybe it is because our spirits are so lifted up from the joyful
experience at Magdiel. Maybe it is because we heard testimony of a new church ministry starting up in
Reyonsa, and the large church (Alliance) encouraging the ministry instead of competing with it (Kaleo
Ministries by Josh Muse, who is on the trip with us this week). Whatever the reason, the week is
starting off with a bang!

It was a very rainy day in Los Angeles, and my wife and I started getting a little worried that we would
not make it to LAX in time for the flight to San Antonio. Traffic was terrible, especially coming on to
the 405 and heading up Sepulveda Pass towards the airport. Praise the Lord, I got on the flight on time,
and everything went smoothly into San Antonio. It was good seeing all the guys at the Travel Lodge,
where we were given a pep talk and basic instructions for the week. We have 7 first time guys, along
with at least one of the original founders of the group. Weather was clear and not too cold.
After being given our seat assignments in the vans, we took off towards McCallen. Our van prayer
leader got us on the right track, and we all shared a little about ourselves. After about an hour, we
stopped at a Taco Shop, where we kind of overwhelmed them with the size of our group (about 70), but
were filled with a good Mexican dinner of tacos, burritos, beans, rice, along with a plate of chips mixed
with cheese, hamburger, cream cheese, guacamole and red sauce.
Back on the road again in the vans, after another couple of hours of caravaning, we arrived at our hotel
in McCallen.
Everybody got their gear, found their rooms, and about 11 of us stayed up for a time of prayer in the
breakfast area. It was a good way to end the first day, as we were able to pray over some specific prayer
requests, and Joe Ramirez asked each of us what was the one word we would use to describe what we
hoped for this week.
The van crew also had a late night date out in the parking lot, getting the vans ready for tomorrow.
Well, it a little after 12:30 at night, so ‘that is all’, as Marty would say.

Today is the final day of an amazing week for the Power Ministry team serving the Lord. We have seen projects unfold like the construction of a church long hoped for on a vacant lot in Acuna. Great progress was made on a small house that will make it no longer necessary for two families to share the same roof of even smaller quarters. Construction on another house was begun in the Napolera colonia in Reynosa, while undeniably practical projects also took place that included chicken coops, sheds, painting and other maintenance and repairs. Different members of the Power team also had the opportunity to go into small pockets of the communities for a street ministry led by the local pastors. Everyone was needed for the annual Festival at the Rio Bravo Orphanage and the very special time of fellowship and worship with the students at the Magdiel Bible College in Matamores. And how could all this been accomplished without the presence of the Holy Spirit and the dedicated support of our food crew team and the Power Ministry leadership and their constant encouragement!
On the surface we think of the tangible projects we left behind. But every man of every age experienced the presence of God and the love of Jesus during the week. Far and above any one event or day was the overwhelming experience of relationships renewed, restored, and developed. The team got a taste of the Body of Christ at work through sharing our faith, our energy and our encouragement not with one another but also with our brothers and sisters along the Mexico border. The children and young adults and older adults we met in our travel had needs like ours, hopes and dreams for their families, and a desire, even a hunger, to know God and to rely on the promises of Jesus Christ for their lives.
Prayer and praise was always enthusiastic. Prayer was a constant throughout the day. It kept us connected with our Father, it allowed us to approach him with our new friends to intercede for one another, and it allowed us to express our constant gratitude for His provision and protection throughout the week.
Every man’s experience was different. His relationships and encounters with people and the Lord were unique. These daily blogs have been but a small sample. If you have the opportunity and feel the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit’s encouragement I hope you will consider being a part of the Power Ministry team. And if you know someone that went on this trip or took another, get them to tell you how God showed up and blessed lives far more abundantly than the small sacrifice that was made in being His servant.

We spent most of the day in the vans traveling from McAllen, TX to Brownsville, TX then into Matamores, Mexico for a visit to the Magdiel Bible School then back across the border to finish our 8hour drive to San Antonio. The drivers and their navigators riding in ‘shotgun’ position did an amazing job because all afternoon and into the night it was raining.
The morning devotion took place in one of the McAllen Motel’s meeting rooms. Dave Barnes who has provided the devotions throughout the week concluded the series by talking about the struggles we face as men and the assurance we have for help through the Holy Spirit in us. After the devotion Brian Park lead worship through the sharing of Communion. We have all experienced the presence of God in our midst this week and before taking Communion everyone had the opportunity to quietly reflect on the struggles in their lives and how they would seek the Lord’s help to deal with them.
After Communion we departed for the Brownsville, TX border and arrived at the Magdiel Bible College late in the morning. We immediately joined all the students in a time of praise and worship. Praise to the Lord was enthusiastic with song. All the Power Ministry team of men sat among the students. We engaged in introductions on a one-on-one activity. For those of us not skilled in Spanish the challenge of communicating basic personal information like our names, where we lived, family members and so forth became quite a challenge but one everyone eagerly undertook. The worship service led by Pastor Mario was filled with a message about the priorities of bringing the lost to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. This focus was particularly suited to the students since most, if not all, are intending to take up positions as pastors. The worship service concluded with a time of prayer for the students. The Power Ministry team was privileged to lay their hands on the students as the Pastor prayed over them.
Following worship lunch was served in the school cafeteria. The Power Ministry team provided table service for the students. At the conclusion of the main meal several members of the Power Ministry team were celebrating birthdays and became the benefactors of cake for desert and a birthday song by the students. Finally, the Power Ministry team provide the students with new shirts with school’s name screen-printed on them along with some new bibles for their use. Although most of us were lacking in Spanish speaking skills and students new little or no English many new friendships were made because of our common love for Jesus Christ. As we departed in a gentle rain all the students gathered at the school gates to exchange waves of good-bye and those more athletically inclined playfully rocked a couple of vans. The Magdiel visit will undoubtedly stand out as a highlight of fellowship and worship between those committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Today everyone is aware of the spiritual high we experienced on Sunday. So we are more deliberately encouraging one another and praying that we will win the spiritual warfare with God’s help in the day ahead. This is our last day of work projects and we know that Satan knows how to disrupt the plans of men. But we will rely on the fact that we are committed to God’s plan this day so that the light of Christ through us will dispel any darkness lurk around the corners.
The morning devotion took place in the Border Missions Church in McAllen, TX. Today’s scripture found in 1 Cor 10:13 drew our attention to the difficult, or uneasy, topic of temptation. While it doesn’t make the subject any easier to face we were assured that all men face it in one form or another. What does provide reassurance for us is that God doesn’t allow temptations to exceed our capacity to resist with the provision of escape He has promised that we might not succumb to temptation. As men we must look for God’s provision of escape, choose perseverance and keep our eyes on the eternal prize. We were reminded that the effort on our part requires constant ‘practice’, or repetition, of Christ-like behaviors and thoughts to prevent the temptation from maturing into sinful acts or thoughts, which then lead to our own separation from God. That separation has consequences of not only spiritual death but can have worldly consequences, including physical death. Rather than being a lesson of condemnation it was a lesson of assurance of God’s grace and provision.
Before departing for our various project sites we prayed intentionally for God’s protection from discouragement or discord as well as joyful hearts to carry out His work. Prayer was also lifted up for our families and loved ones at home that they might likewise be protected by God’s grace and provision to face the difficulties of our absence. We prayed for our relationships with the local ministers and nationals who we will engage on our projects that they might reflect the love of Christ through us and that ultimately those that haven’t might be drawn to surrender to His Lordship.
A very busy morning of construction in Raynosa, Mexico was planned for everyone. With prayers ligted up to God all along the way I think we experienced the most effortless border crossing so far. At the end of the day the crossing was also the quickest and smoothest so far. It seems amazing that on the job sites men from around the US seem to work not only in harmony with one another but also remarkably organized and productive. Skills and abilities vary but it is clear that Jesus Christ and his example as a servant is showing forth in every man. The weather was chilly and overcast throughout the day but by all accounts great things were accomplished on project sites including reports of unexpected interaction with local children or church members. In all the day’s events the spirit of Christian fellowship by the Power Ministry men was abundant.
On a more worldly level the Power Ministry group had some wonderful food both at lunch and at dinner. We gathered once again at the Alianza Christiana Church for lunch. We were treated to tacos ‘al pastore’ with all the necessary ingredients including cilantro, onions, various salsas, lime and even pineapple for some … YUM! While dinner was state-side it was no less delicious consisting of BBQ and great sides.

Spoiler alert! Today we experienced an awesome outpouring of God’s love and presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst.
The itinerary was a day of worship and play in Reynosa, Mexico. The morning devotion took place in a small ‘colonia ‘ in Nopalera. The devotional scripture found in Ps 126 and Rev 2:1-5 provides a connection between the joy experienced as a result of God’s grace and power in our lives and the warning expressed by Christ not to be lured away from our first love for Him as was the church at Ephesus.  Instead we are called to repent, or change. The devotion encouraged us to embrace the change necessary to hold fast to Christ, to continue to sow seeds for His Kingdom that will secure for us the joys of a harvest in eternity as described in Gal 6:9.  Following the devotion prayers were offered to the Lord for the strengthening of support of the homeless ministry by future partners because a lack of workers and funding has suffered from fears for past partners about safety in the region.
The Power Ministry team then went to Alianza Christiana (the Dome Church) for worship. The team assisted with greeting, ushering and even took the stage to raise their voices with the rest of the congregation in joyful songs of praise and adoration for our Savior Jesus Christ. Testimonies from new and veteran team members declared God’s grace and saving work in their life. Then we were all humbled as the church honored Vance Luke for his long life, at 100 years old, and to his Christian witness and dedication to their church.  Mr. Luke acknowledged his gratitude for their expressions of love and on his total dependence on the prayers of the people to God for His grace in sustaining him and helping him to be able to return over the years. The entire worship service from the joyful singing and music to the wonderful leadership and messages of the pastor helped to show forth the love of Christ for His church through His people to one another and by the presence of the Holy Spirit in that place.
After lunch at Alianza the Power Ministry team traveled to the children’s home of the Rio Bravo Ministry. The entire afternoon was a wonderful Festival of games and activities for the children and other families.  Hundreds upon hundreds came to eat popcorn, cotton candy and hotdogs.  In between they played games that Power Ministry team members helped run.  Language was no barrier as the common language of smiles, laughter and joyful play engulfed every part of the Rio Bravo facilities.  It was a blast!
God has been very good to us this day and we have all been blessed beyond measure by those with whom we shared worship and play on this Lord’s Day!  What a wonderful name it is, the name of Jesus!