This summer I was privileged to go with a St. John's share team to Juarez, Mexico.  As we made the second part of our drive, from Tucson, AZ to El Paso, TX, my husband and I had an opportunity to talk without distractions during the four hour road trip.  I told him what was on the horizon for Family Ministries, and how God had been laying the ground work over this last year for this to begin to take shape.  My husband knows that one of my favorite verses is:

Psalm 127:1 "Unless the Lord builds the house, it's builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stands guard in vain."  

He had shared this verse with our Juarez team in June as we prepared for our trip with a team building event.  Now,  in July, it seemed to me as though the mission trip was giving a small glimpse of God's bigger plan for families during this new season of growth.   

Arriving on Mexico on day one, when we emerged from the big passenger vans and unloaded our tools, we hit the ground running.  After we prayed over our empty lot we got to work.  Our first task as a team was to frame and prepare for the concrete foundation the home would be built on.  Hammers began swinging as some worked on the foundation frame.  Others cleared rocks from the pad of dry dirt where the concrete would be poured.  Still others measured and cut wood, placing the finished cuts into piles of various lengths.    Each piece of wood would be used for framing for the walls & the roof.   Each nail was thoughtfully and prayerfully pounded into place.  And, each person there was a part of the large goal.  Side by side we all worked;  teachers, parents, kids... Shoulder to shoulder with one goal, as one body, we moved.  Throughout the week, every day with tired hands & weary backs we jumped out onto our work site eager to finish what we started.  

At times, this reality seemed overwhelming to me.  We had some people who were skilled craftsmen, those who God had put onto our team provide direction and answered questions.  Others were there as part of our team to contribute in other ways.  Measuring and cutting wood, laying out wall frames and hammering them together, cutting and "hanging" blackboard or drywall... chicken wire, stucco, tar paper, roofing, paint...the jobs were wide ranging and many.  And every job, big or small, were important.  And, every person there was important too, because every person there was eager to serve.  

Each night, my husband and I spoke softly to one another in a compound of sleeping people.  We were blessed by what God was revealing. We were seeing and helping in more than the building of a home.  We were seeing lives being changed.  Of course the lives of the Juarez families receiving the homes were changed; this was a great blessing to them as a home changes a family's future.  However, we also were blessed to see how God was moving in the lives of those who came to build.  By seeing His body work together for the goal of the home build in Juarez, we were able to glimpse how God wants to work in St. John's as a whole church.   

During September, St. John's will begin a new Life Group series called "Foundations".  As a staff it is clear to us that God has moved us to this place, in this time, and has revealed Himself to the people of St. John's.  We firmly believe that the people of St. John's want more of Jesus.  We know that many want to see Him move and breath something new this fall.  Just like my husband and I were excited to see God work through His people in Juarez this summer...we on the Family Ministries team are excited to see how God will work through this Life Group and sermon series on "Foundations" this fall.  Just like we witnessed God working through His people in Juarez to accomplish the house building, we look forward to witnessing God working through His people and His families this fall, to solidify and strengthen deeply rooted faith in our families and Life Groups.   

When our small group left Juarez, we were changed.  We were changed by our time and the accomplishment of building the two homes.  And, we were also changed, and somewhat more importantly, because of what God was and is building within and through us.  Come and work with us.  Come.  Work shoulder to shoulder with us as we unpack the "Foundations" of our faith during this 6 week study.  Come and see how God can and will change you.    

1 Corinthians 14:26 says "What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or word of instruction, revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up"

Irma Bates 
Early Childhood Coordinator