Last month my team was in a small, jungley town called San Felix, Panama. We were working under a couple named Alex and Mimi Taylor, a Costa Rican couple who have lived and served there in Panama for the past 7 years. We worked with indigenous children in a native reservation and did various painting and restoring projects at one of the 14 churches the Taylor family has planted in and around San Felix. Watching the way that the Taylors loved and served each other, other missionaries, and the people in their community has completely altered the way that I think about selfless service.
Alex and Mimi served the Lord with everything they had in them. They are an older couple, both in poor health. Their own children are all grown up and moved out, but they continue to take in more children. They have a pair of young twin girls who have been living with them for 4 years now, and they also have 4 teenage girls from the reservation who live with them so they can go to school. Their home was always open to anyone who needed a meal, a listening ear, or a place to rest. Every Sunday morning and evening, Alex spends several hours driving around the mountain, picking up people from the town and reservation and taking them to their nearest church, then making rounds and taking them home afterwards, people who would not otherwise have a way to get there. When he’s not doing that, he’s outside working with different crews of workers, planting trees, digging ditches, building churches, painting and working on other projects. Meanwhile, Mimi is inside making enough food every day to feed her extensive adopted family and an army of missionaries and workers. And everyday, they work like this with the big smiles and kind, warm words. They exude joy. Pastor Alex said that by his estimation, he only has 4 or 5 years left on earth, and he wants to spend them serving the Lord to the end of himself.
Not only were the Taylors great at serving others, they were also humble enough to let others serve them. When you see people love the way they do, you can’t help but take joy in serving them in return, which is exactly what our team got to do. We cleaned the kitchen nearly everyday after Mimi cooked, we jumped in to help and learn how to cook like her, we hosted a date night for them, and did improvement projects around their home. Serving alongside Pastor Alex and Mimi was such a lesson for me and my team in love, service, and joy.
My team talked a lot this month about ways that we could be more selfless within our team and in the ministries we work for, as we were inspired by the Taylor family. It is better to serve than to be served–the further I continue on in this Race, the truer that becomes for me.
What about you, reader? How are you serving those around you? How can you do that better?
Team AJ with our Squad Leader Megan and hosts Pastor Alex and Mimi
