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Not Just Brick and Mortar
Utilizing Projects as a Process for Discipleship and Worship
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"It is enough for me to pick up but a piece of straw from the ground for the love of God." -Brother Lawrence
We have a saying at the ranch that we like to share with groups when they come for the first time to join us in the daily work and project development. We usually share it with groups after they have sweated for a couple of hours under the Baja sun, swinging hammers, shoveling dirt, cleaning up, and laying block. It goes something like this…
Some churches worship with the sound of a guitar, we worship with the sound of shovels digging in dirt. Some churches worship with the sound of drums, we worship with the sound of the cement mixer. Some churches worship with the sound of the triangle, (picture hand moving in the motion of a triangle) we worship with the sound of the toilet bowl brush in the toilet bowl.
You see, we believe the project development and work at the ranch is much more than just moving dirt, laying block, and building walls. We believe deeply that these can be and are acts of worship and statements of faith. These actions are beautiful sounds being lifted up to the Lord by faithful individuals who are sacrificing their time and their energy within our community of faith at the Ranch. And with every swing of the hammer and with every spade full of dirt we are declaring that God is faithful and that his Kingdom is indeed breaking into this world and He is calling for the reconciliation of all things. (Col. 1:20) We are participating in the global Body of Christ as Mexican and American work side-by-side declaring that we serve one God, one Spirit, one Lord, and one Savior. (Eph. 4:4-6)
And on top of this we believe and intentionally design work projects to be a process of discipleship and spiritual growth. People from different cultures are praying together, studying the Word of God together, singing songs together, sharing testimonies together, and uniting together under the name of Christ as they live and work together in the community of faith at the Ranch.
You can ask any of our local staff and they will be able to tell you that what goes on at the Ranch is deeper than construction projects. Ask our staff member who came to know the Lord through working at the Ranch or our staff member who was moved to tears (story below) by the presence of God during a work project. Or you can ask many of our work volunteers who encounter the presence of God as they work around the Ranch and learn that they can be used by God and are able to conquer things they never dreamed possible. The physical work at the Ranch is more than just brick and mortar it is a process where people are able to encounter the presence of God, be equipped for the work of God, extend the kingdom of God, and ultimately exalt the name of God.
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Ranch News
Moved to Tears, Project Development, & Donations
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The projects at the Ranch involve grueling, hard work. The days are hot, the sun is intense, and there isn't much shade to hide under. We have already reached well into triple digits and its not even the hottest part of the year yet! It was on one of these days that we were reminded of what we mean when we say, "The ranch is more than just brick and mortar."
We were working up on the staff house project one morning with a group from the states and our local ranch staff along with some volunteers from our community in the colonias. The group and our staff worked hard all morning, and we all retreated to the shade for a much needed lunch break. We made sandwiches and sat down to eat, and then we noticed that one of our local ranch staff had tears in his eyes. Knowing that he is struggling with some health issues, we thought he was hurting physically and had had enough for the day. We immediately asked him what was going on and if there was anything we could do. However, in a sweet and quiet manner he explained that it was not the heat, the sun, or the hard work. Rather, he was moved to tears by the beauty of the moment. He had enjoyed a morning of hard work with teens from the US and their leaders, and he felt the peace and the presence of God as he sat eating lunch with his brothers and sisters in Christ. He was moved to be able to be a part of something that brought together people from different cultures and languages under the common cause of Jesus Christ. He was experiencing the goodness and presence of Christ when brothers and sisters dwell together in unity. (Psalm 133:1, Matthew 18:20)
Our local Ranch staff and local volunteers in our community of faith are blessed by the groups who come down to work with them at the Ranch. These groups bring encouragement and a spirit of unity to our workers...and it is something palpable. You can see it in our staff's faces and the smiles they exude when groups are present. They love swapping stories and testimonies, and they enjoy spurring one another on in the faith.
It is also a huge blessing as these groups bring necessary funds to continue to pay the local Ranch staff and move the projects forward that need to be completed before we can add any more ministry/camping programs to the Ranch weekly schedule. The Ranch relies on the generous donations of these individuals and donors abroad. These donations help to pay our local staff and build the projects and ministries of the Ranch.
Currently, the Ranch is moving forward this summer with our project development and focusing our attentions on the Ranch staff house which will enable the Ranch to house two more families on site and increase the ministry quality and capacity of the Ranch.
If you'd like to partner with the Ranch and contribute to the ongoing ministries you can do so this summer by making a contribution through TEAM HERE. Your donations are very much appreciated and needed. Thank you for your partnership.
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Family Update
Ali's dream came true last weekend as she was able to participate in a ballet festival with her ballet school in the city theater. She had so much fun that she went to bed crying that night because it was all over until next year! It's a joy to see our girls thrive and enjoying activities in our community here in La Paz.
(Watch Ali's ballet dances HERE on our blog.)
Ava and Kylah have been continuing to enjoy a local story hour each week, and we have been blessed by the many friends we have made through this activity in particular. We also learn important cultural rules through these friends...usually by making mistakes, but they are gracious enough with us to laugh only after we've laughed at ourselves! We were invited to a pool party to celebrate a child's birthday a few weeks ago. Being that it is so hot, I (Emily) looked forward to the swimming pool and went in my bathing suit, cut-off jean shorts, and no make-up. I was the ONLY mom in a bathing suit...all of my friends looked amazing as usual with pretty dresses and hair-dos. Apparently kid pool parties are just that...KID pool parties! What can we say...life is fun here, mistakes and all!
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Blog Post of the Month
We recently took the kid club leaders out for their monthly activity. This month we went paddle boarding down on the malecon. It was a blast to spend time with the leaders teaching them to use the board as well as improving their swim strokes…of course you know we couldn’t resist throwing out a few pointers. We may have also had to swim out and rescue a few kids who were being blown out by the strong afternoon winds! It has been incredible to watch as these kids have stepped up in leading. Last week, kids led everything from the teaching time, the games, and songs. The only thing we had to come prepared with was the craft....
Click HERE to read the full post and see pictures of our outing.
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Prayer Requests
1. Pray for our 15 teen and college aged summer interns (6 from the US, 7 from Mexico, & 2 MKs). They will be living and working at the Ranch this summer and assisting us in the summer day camps.
2. Pray for the 3 weeks of summer day camps we will hosting in the colonias and at the Ranch. We look forward to updating you on how the camps go in our next newsletter!
3. Pray for endurance and patience for our staff as we work through a particularly hot summer. (Temps here have been "above average!")
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