family and sacrifice

These two words have been on my mind this week.  I spent the past 6 days in San Quintin with a youth group from Mayfair in Huntsville, AL.  This was the first time they have brought specifically teens, and it was a blast.  One of my favorite things was getting to witness many families serve God together. There were various parents and kids, whole families, and even 3 generations in the group.  It was exciting to see the passion these parents have for putting God first and the amazing ways we experience His love serving together.

During the week, it was also fun to see the families to introduce their sons/daughter/parents/siblings to our brothers and sisters here at the church in San Quintin.  We were extremely touched by the family we were building a house for and learned what being a family is all about.  We heard amazing stories of their sacrifice for one another and the love that they have as we got to know them throughout the week.  This family had been living in a one room house made out of cardboard with an open roof.  It had one bed where the six kids slept, and the parents slept on the floor. We learned that the parents work in an onion field about an hour away, and the mom wakes up a 3 am to start a fire to prepare lunch for the kids before she and her husband leave for work before sunrise.

Thanks to God's provision, this group built the family a new two bedroom house with new beds, mattresses and a stove.  It was a very emotional morning as the group said goodbye celebrating our bond as a church family as our hearts were broken in awe of how hard these parents work to provide for their children.  They taught me about what it really means to love someone so much to sacrifice everything for them.  I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to meet this sweet, loving and humble family and am looking forward to spending more time with them.  I am shaken with a new image of the great love God has for us to sacrifice all he had to give us a better life as His children.

Lord willing, we are headed back down to San Quintin this weekend with another group from Mayfair. Dios bueno es!!