Since I first signed up for The World Race, all I could think about was picking up, holding, and playing with fatherless children. Children have been my passion for as long as I can remember. So, finding out that my first month on the Race involved construction was, at the time, a little disappointing. However, I was determined to do this ministry with a positive and Christ-like attitude regardless of how my flesh felt.
It didn't take long to have a change of heart mainly because of our Ministry Contact, Pastor Arnoldo. This man is the closest thing to Jesus that I have seen. His unspeakable joy, his incredible faith, and his servant's heart has challenged me in so many ways.
God gave him a vision to build a conference center in between his two churches. He has two in different towns, so this would be a place for them to meet in the middle. He has christened this center Penuel which means "the face of God". Our first day on the job, we walked up to this roof-less, half-walled, and floor-less structure. One of the half walls was poorly built, so our first week on the job involved tearing it down in order for a stronger one to be erected in its place.
As we tore down the wall, the pieces were smashed into smaller bits. With those smaller pieces, he asked us to build a cobblestone-esque road leading up to Penuel. Up until now, there was no road resulting in many a trucks getting stuck in the mud because IT RAINS EVERY SINGLE DAY IN GUATEMALA. No joke.
Because there was only so much wall, there was only so much of the road we could build. It is not finished yet, and Pastor Arnoldo doesn't have any resources to finish it whether it be by purchasing cement or rocks. We had a conversation with him about our predicament, and this is what he said with absolutely no worry in his voice:
"If we had the money to complete the project, we would just buy the materials and finish the road. However, it wouldn't be a vision then. When God gives you a vision, you really don't understand how it's going to happen. It's only by trusting in God for the things you need that you will see the vision unfold. God has provided this far, and He will continue to do so."
I likened this with fundraising for The World Race. Seeing that it has a price tag of $15,500 could be very discouraging, but when God gives you a vision, start building the road. I had no idea how that money was going to come in, but it has. As of today, I am only $363.70 away from being FULLY FUNDED!
We can't look at God's visions through our own eyes because they can only see so far. We must look at them through the same lens that He is.
