Acts 20:35
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Today’s devotional book guided us to this passage in Acts 20, Luke 10:25-37 (The Good Samaritan), and a quote by Martin Luther King, “The first question which the preist and the Levite asked was: “if I stop to help this ma, what will happen to me?” But the good Samaritan reversed the question: “if I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”
As I reflected on this passage in my quiet time, I thought about how the Samaritan saw, felt, and acted. He saw the man in need, an image bearer of God who was in a bad place. He felt compassion toward this man and, in some way, identified with his pain. He then acted on his behalf, tending his wounds and providing a place for him to stay. In doing so, he reflects the loving kindness of God, who pours out his mercy toward us in Jesus Christ. It is because of Christ’s work that we want to see, feel, and act in a way that serves others and leads them to Christ.
We had an amazing breakfast prepared for us by Momma Vero! Brother Gabby shared his testimony with us in morning devotions. I love hearing Gabby share his testimony and hearing about the work God has done in his life. It brings me great joy to bring others here to Mexico to hear from Gabby, Kayla, and Jocsan. Gabby experienced the struggles and brokenness of this life early in his childhood and made decisions that led him to live on the streets and seek happiness in drugs and alcohol. But God intervened in his life, called him unto himself, and provided a way for him to walk away from his addiction into a transformed life (You can read his testimony HERE). As he shared, I was amazed to hear how Gabby’s story lined up with the Good Samaritan story, as a man saw Gabby’s need, acted on his behalf, and cared for his soul.
Gabby walked away from the streets and addiction through intentional discipleship. God has called Gabby to start an addiction recovery ministry that follows a similar plan that worked in his own life. That is what Casa Ebenezer is preparing to do. It is a place where men who want to overcome addiction can come and live on the property and be discipled by Gabby so they can reclaim victory in their lives and restore their families. Although the property is not finished, Gabby already has a few men living there and going through his program. One young man, Oscar, has recently given up drugs, moved to Ebenezer, and is pursuing Jesus. Oscar was working at the hotel we stayed at on our first trip. Today, he was working with us at Ebenezer!
Today, Kayla and Jocsan had graduations to attend, which provided us the opportunity to work with Gabby at Ebenezer to repair and grade the driveway. It is amazing to see what God is doing at Casa Ebenezer. Two years ago we painted the only building on the property. Today we see how much they have expanded and see Gabby's dream coming to fruition.
Our team moved a mountain! They worked hard and endured high heat and humidity. Pictures will do a better job of describing it than my words:
We also went to town this evening and bought a bunch of supplies to put together grocery bags for the locals. Tomorrow we will put the care packages together and deliver them. I will talk more about them tomorrow.
Tomorrow we will head to Casa Abba and do some concrete work!
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