2013 Mission Team #4 day 7

The last day is always the most emotional and the toughest..no matter how many times you come…and how many times you lead groups…it is still so tough to know it is over…The people on the teams become a part of the big picture….a part of this ministry…a part of the lives of all the people of Olivos and Copprome….their lives are forever changed…in ways that cannot be explained…

Tonight in our devo…one of the men said it best…”my wife has been here 3 times with teams…she prepared me for this trip with pictures and explanantions…but until I came…I did not fully understand her feelings”. 

We did a food drive at Olivos today…we began the day by going to the grocery store and buying food for all 27 families….each family on the team had a food assignment and they went and found it, put it in the basket and brought it to the front to be paid for….it feels kind of like the shows where the competitors are racing through the store to see how much food they can buy in a certain amount of time…..except this food is for families who are seriously hungry…who sometimes don’t know how they are going to buy food for their family…not knowing when they will get their next meal….these buggies full of food take on a whole new meaning of the word hungry…
We buy necessities…hopefully to feed them for a week or so…these are precious people…learning how to provide for their families…learning new trades and learning about a God who loves them and is providing for them…learning how to talk to Him and trust Him….
Pastor Jay, Pastor Luis, Shelton and Raul stayed today to do “church” again with the people of Olivos….one more accepted Christ today…there were 40 at the service…it lasted 2 hours and they were hungry for more…we take learning the Bible for granted as we look at our watches each Sunday wondering where we are going to eat lunch… shame on us!! I pray that all of us become as hungry for the word of God as theses precious people are….building a village is more than houses……we are seeing the fruit now…and it is beautiful….
Leaving Olivos with lots of tears from both the people of Olivos and our team…most, if not all, said we will be back!!

Then we went to Copprome to say goodbye…we laughed and hugged and played in a way that was obvious it was our last…they were so full of joy as everyone seemed so excited to see each other…then it was time to leave…and yes…more tears….it is so amazing how a bond can be so strong in just a week…
Ty said it best this morning…the tears mean you have loved well this past week….

Then off to JR’s for our final dinner and a birthday celebration for Shelton…then our final devo and Gabriel singing the Lord’s prayer as we ended….it is always so beautiful to hear…but I cannot help but have tears flowing as his angelic voice fills the air…he is so gifted…
This has been one of the most Spirit Filled groups we have ever brought….the fields were ready for the harvest…the workers were here…and His work was done….