January 14th, 2022
Dave and Ali Wade have had some interesting and rewarding experiences while on mission trips to Guatemala. Today they’re sharing one of their memories with us. We appreciate Dave and Ali, and all they have done as faithful disciples of Christ.
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The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-12)
Our church for as long as we have been members has always had an active mission team. The team has found ways in both the local and international communities to serve those most in need. We do what we feel God leads us to do working on projects and serving the people of Guatemala, Atlantic City, or states in our own country. Ali and I have been to Guatemala twice and both times we had extremely rewarding experiences.
On our last trip to Guatemala, we helped a widowed mother with several children rebuild her dwelling. She was in debt with the water co-op so much so that she sold the metal roofing, doors, and window shutters of her house. Our team worked for a couple of days bring it back to life. We rebuilt beds, her kitchen cook area, installed new roofing, shutters and gates to the house and walls. What I found interesting was while we carried our supplies for the day on half mile trek up and down hills to her dwelling, I was feeling the burn. Legs, arms, back all starting to struggle the last 100 yards or so. When we got to the compound I looked around and there were several large bags of concreate mix, lumber, tin roofing and all the hardware. As we set up the area to work, we moved a brand-new concrete sink to use as our table to cut the lumber. The striking thing was it took at least four of us to move it 10 feet. How did this sink get to this compound? Well, it was not by us; no, it was by hard workers from the mission that delivered all the heavy stuff. The team worked well in getting everything restored for the widow and her children. Our influence in their community was deeply felt and they saw the hands and faces of God in action.
To this day whenever we are in a remote location and see steps, or walkways, or outbuildings we have a deep sense of appreciation for how that work was accomplished. It may not always be a faith-based project, but we have a different outlook on how it was accomplished. We too as Christians need to have a different outlook on how things get accomplished. We all may not be able to directly serve on a particular mission, but we can still contribute so the mission can get done. Gifts, support, prayers all work together so our church can make a difference in the lives of the people we touch.
- David and Ali Wade
_________________________
The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-12)
Our church for as long as we have been members has always had an active mission team. The team has found ways in both the local and international communities to serve those most in need. We do what we feel God leads us to do working on projects and serving the people of Guatemala, Atlantic City, or states in our own country. Ali and I have been to Guatemala twice and both times we had extremely rewarding experiences.
On our last trip to Guatemala, we helped a widowed mother with several children rebuild her dwelling. She was in debt with the water co-op so much so that she sold the metal roofing, doors, and window shutters of her house. Our team worked for a couple of days bring it back to life. We rebuilt beds, her kitchen cook area, installed new roofing, shutters and gates to the house and walls. What I found interesting was while we carried our supplies for the day on half mile trek up and down hills to her dwelling, I was feeling the burn. Legs, arms, back all starting to struggle the last 100 yards or so. When we got to the compound I looked around and there were several large bags of concreate mix, lumber, tin roofing and all the hardware. As we set up the area to work, we moved a brand-new concrete sink to use as our table to cut the lumber. The striking thing was it took at least four of us to move it 10 feet. How did this sink get to this compound? Well, it was not by us; no, it was by hard workers from the mission that delivered all the heavy stuff. The team worked well in getting everything restored for the widow and her children. Our influence in their community was deeply felt and they saw the hands and faces of God in action.
To this day whenever we are in a remote location and see steps, or walkways, or outbuildings we have a deep sense of appreciation for how that work was accomplished. It may not always be a faith-based project, but we have a different outlook on how it was accomplished. We too as Christians need to have a different outlook on how things get accomplished. We all may not be able to directly serve on a particular mission, but we can still contribute so the mission can get done. Gifts, support, prayers all work together so our church can make a difference in the lives of the people we touch.
- David and Ali Wade
2 Comments
Reading your blog on the trip to Guatemala touched my heart! Absecon Methodist has been serving and blessing ASELSI and the families in Chichi for many years now. Thanks for taking the time and risk to go and share the love of Jesus to others! You are making a difference!!
Your wonderful message brought back many memories of our time in Chichi. We all went to make a difference in their lives & they in turn changed oursâ¤