2013 Week 1, Day 5: Magdiel Bible School

GRADUATING CLASS OF 2013

Today is a day a lot of the POWER guys look forward to every year, and that's visiting Magdiel Bible School (find it on Google Maps by clicking here: Instituto Biblico Magdiel). It's in Matamoros, directly across the border from Brownsville. This is a relationship building day!

Magdiel has graduated more than 1,500 students, many of whom have gone on to become influential spiritual leaders throughout North America. POWER is committed to supporting the mission at Magdiel, and a visit from the POWER team helps the students raise money -- but more importantly to meet with Godly men who care about the Magdiel mission, and about them personally.

More on that in a moment!

This morning the POWER team jumped in the vans before 7 AM, and headed for Luby's Cafeteria. While not generally open for breakfast, today is different. Luby's opens for breakfast just for the POWER team today, and we fill the restaurant. But great food is not the only thing on the menu.

Continuing his men of POWER devotion, Craig Gilbert spoke today on Endurance. He talked about Noah, and how it took him 75 or more years to build the ark, while the world around him scoffed. He was a man of endurance, and trusted God in his word. Craig explained that God wants us to persevere. Even in the face of those who may scoff at what we do. "Perseverance," said Craig, "means you get back up when you fall down."

He talked about how to build endurance, ancient runners would train with rocks tied to their ankles. "Then when it was time for the race," Craig said, "they would throw them off." That made the event for which they were training easier to run. 

Craig used this to compare becoming men of endurance by throwing off the things that hinder.

In Hebrews it says, "Let us throw off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles."

"All the trials and things of this life are NOTHING in the arms of Jesus," Craig said.

After the devotion, Dave Johnson got up to speak about Magdiel. "It just hit me that there are two people who aren't with us today," he said, "and they're Ray and Jessie Morelock." He added, "None of us would be in this room if it weren't for these two." 

Morelock was director at Magdiel from 1952 - 2008. When he passed away, the school went through a difficult period of transition. Today, it has passed through to the other side, and is growing again. Morelock's name is included on a sticker on every box of bibles POWER distributes as a remembrance of what God accomplished through this man.

New dorms, a dining hall and worship center were started over the past few years -- with the dorms just a cinder block shell when the POWER team arrived in 2012. When we arrived at Magdiel today, they appeared completed. Footings were about to be set for new classrooms, and the POWER team jumped into the excavation, praying over the new construction.

But today was not a day for building projects; it was a day for building relationships. The POWER team was split into groups, and each group went to one of three classrooms (one each for first, second and third year students).

Joe Ramirez of Grand Terrace, CA played facilitator in the third year classroom. To help students and POWER men get to know each other, he brought up the POWER men, five at a time, asking the students to "vote" for the POWER man who they thought met a certain profile, like job, and special interests -- a little like the old game show What's My Line, and with some very funny picks. Young POWER guy Enrique Mejia of Reynosa was the interpreter.

Afterward, the room was divided into two teams, combining both POWER men and Magdiel students on each team for a game of Bible pictionary. Students received sweatshirts and backpacks from POWER, and sold tee shirts as a fund raiser. Lunch followed, and extended fellowship. Then before we knew it, time to leave. Dinner, and a drive back to McAllen.

During the night's prayer team meeting, the students of Magdiel and the future spiritual leaders of Mexico were lifted up. 15 guys participated in the prayer team, and a lot of ground was covered. In addition to the students, we've had guys who were sick, men dealing with issues at home and work, family members needing prayer; what a great opportunity. To find out more about the prayer and praise reports, go to the POWER websites prayer and praise page.

Tomorrow we're back in Reynosa, continuing work on the building projects -- then it's our annual festival time at Alianza Cristiana (the domed church). There are going to be some great photos and terrific stories to tell!