Back in town and encouraged

I just got Deep Justice Journeys and have only read the first chapter so far. But I have some feelings a thoughts about the evaluation presented in the chapter. There needs to be honesty in the design of service opportunities. If the purpose is to ultimately raise funds from those participating it may be that is unrealistic in many cases. My personal experience serving in Zapoco, Bolivia and planning and organizing many service opportunities in homes for the elderly and disabled, community youth centers, Saturday noon meals for the underprivileged, and in work projects for the city, schools and county is that the value resides in the experience and insight gained in those setting by the participants. If you are looking for money maybe the money is not there to find. My income did not increase as a result of participating in these projects and it may have decreased as a result. I wasn’t working for pay for the agency or my employer and neither were our kids. The time was sacrificially given to glorify the Lord.

When I went to Bolivia I questioned going because I wondered what I could offer that a national couldn’t. And it is a fact,that no one but me seems to remember and I will never forget, that I offered a solution to a problem related to a piece of equipment the truly enabled the bricks to be cut to complete the top row in the construction of the church. The church that I got to experience cross cultural worship in singing praise to our Lord in three languages ( Ayore, Spanish, and English). Have I had the finances or opportunity to repeat,No … have my finances increased, no … has my oppotunity to serve changed, no. But my life will never be the same. And I praise the Lord for the opportunity to serve Him whenever He calls.