POWER trip perspective

Faith Mission

2012-01-28T22:36:00.000-08:00

Good Evening Y'all... That's Tex'n for all of you, and before we get too deep into the wonderful things God has been working into the lives of people living in the Mexican, and Texas region let me ask those who may know; why is there such a preponderance of apostrophes in Texas vernacular. It is this humble blogger's hope that the reason is they have such nice things to say, that God has given a vocabulary where one could string 5 or more words into the space of one word....As in Y'all'haven'yo'sef'good'evnin', it kinda rolls off the tongue.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/powerministry Go there and check out all the photos from today. But for those who are enraptured by my prose let me tell you of the beauty and the Glory of our Lord and Savior (amen). We finished a roof for a family, electrified missionary duplexes, added siding and extended a restroom area to the same missionary duplex. In the dormitories at Faith Mission (not to be confused with Faith Mission International) we finished up the front porch, as well as loaded God only knows how many lbs. of beans and rice (each bag has enough servings for 504 people) I am probably missing so much, but when God is working through someone it takes them over, and leaves them asking for nothing but to be worthy enough to be working for such a kind and gracious master.
Huge shout-out to the family and friends who are praying for us and supporting this true work of our Lord. We miss you all.
Tomorrow is Sunday, and I am so ready to get my worship on, my personal favorite time of day, and tomorrow, I will be swimming in it, oh oh oh, and did I mention a party tomorrow? Carnival in Mexico with the ninos...(sorry I don't know how to do the squiggle line) How awesome is our God to give us these moments in life? Family, when we return we shall have those moments to share as well.
Till next time God Bless, Keep Praying, and Y'all'get'yo'sef'sum'beauty'res'cause'tommorrow'y'all'gonna'be'lookin'evn'betta'than'taday!

2012-01-28T22:18:00.000-08:00

Prayer/Praise Requests:

Today we ask everyone to lift up our brother Steve Huddleston and we ask Father God to help him primarily with his walk with God, but also for guidance and direction in his business affairs.

Tonight we ask everyone to keep Mike Day's family in your hearts as he has been called Home leaving them behind.

We also pray for Barrie Day's medical difficulties, and subsequent difficulties in finding ways to pay for these difficulties.

We pray for Robert, Adam's dad, he recently suffered a heart attack, but is presently doing well thanks to our King.

Tommy lifts up his friends and family currently experiencing medical difficulties, and asks God for a speedy and painless recovery

And always we Praise God for giving us the opportunity to serve Him this week and for teaching others of the loving sacrifice He made so that we may be with Him always.
Praise God!

Group 2 Day 3 Selected pictures

2012-01-28T07:37:00.000-08:00

Here are selected pictures from our awesome-glorious day in Acuna, Mexico January 27, 2012. To view the full Flickr photo pages, click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/powerministry

Top to Bottom:

POWER guys pass out T-shirts, caps, gospel tracts, and testimonies at a neighborhood built for factory workers in Acuna, Mexico.

POWER guys pass out T-shirts, toiletries and testimonies to inmates at a jail.

POWER group poses with Christian and Yazmine Viegas in front of their new home.

POWER Group dedicates the Youth Center to God by a prayer and the POWER shout.

Pat Schmeling interprets for Christian and Yazmine Viegas' thank you plaque presentation at the new youth center. (note the new big screen TV presented by POWER to Pastor Geraldo for the youth center)

Prayer/Praise

2012-01-27T22:52:00.000-08:00

God Has set us apart again tonight to lift up our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you all for your prayerful support. I believe that God is listening, and His spirit is felt in what we do.

Tonight Fred lifts up Liz to God and asks Him to help her with her vision, macular degeneration, and we pray surgery, if necessary, ultimately results in healing.

We all pray for Ken for a safe trip home tomorrow. As he consoles his Associate pastor during his moment of grief over the loss of his wife. Our hearts and prayers go out to you.

Pat prays for the new relationships among the men here that God can sustain them and use them as a way of bringing us all closer to Him.

Rick asks God to help with his confusion and to Speak guidance into his heart so that he understands clearly and without conflict the actions he should take.

Robert asks God to be with the Moss family and Billy during his difficult medical issues.

Praise Reports.

Way to go God for giving us the strength to finish the Acuna projects.
for the inspiring reception from the inmates,
for the touching testimony's of our brothers in Christ.
and for all the souls who have made the choice to accept Christ in their hearts.

All Praise to God.

Thank you Family and friends for your thoughts and prayers. It is being felt and God is giving us His strength thanks to you.

--In Christ love

Signs of a rookie POWER Webguy

2012-01-26T21:50:00.000-08:00

Picture of Joey, just after submitting the blog for tonight. He'll catch on! You sleep when you get home.

POWER Group 2 Prayer Requests

2012-01-26T20:31:00.000-08:00

What an amazing time of prayer tonight… January 26, 2012

Gathered together were 14 men: Perry, Doug, Rick, Fred, Scott, Pat, Paul, Ken, Twiggs, Jay, Robert, Ben, Bill, and Mark

We had much to praise God for and the following requests.

Doug: Wants his mom, Joni to give her life completely to Christ and be saved.

Twiggs: To grow in intimacy with his wife in the same way he has grown with Christ.

Jay: Praising God for his wife and desiring to continue to build an even deeper relationship with her.

Rick: Discerning what God has to reveal. The completion of the Wham!

Perry: May God make a maximum impact upon me son Evan during this trip.

Robert: Asking God to help his mom, Nila with her health.

Bill, Praying that Stephanie overcomes the pneumonia and her health is restored.

Ben: Praying for a close friend Eva, that she would return 100% to God again.

Fred, Wants God to show him what is next for his future.

Pat, Praying for his daughter Elisha to know the Lord personally and be saved.

Mark, Wants Bill Hargus his neighbor to recover from heart-burn. Praying no damage occurred. He needs nutritional wisdom. Lol

Thank you wives, friends, and family.

Please continue to pray for unity, power, miracles, effective evangelism, and safety.

Praise God

2012-01-26T18:05:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I have doubts, I wonder how much of my life is directed by either God or myself. Seeing the lives of children who live less than a mile away from our border, and at times, a rather cynical view of "random" car checks that lead me to believe, perhaps life is not as random and I am not is as control as I had hoped. I am beginning to realize that only God has that total control in our lives.

This morning, prior to our divine driven excursion, each man heard a devotion and an explanation of an experiment I had seen Dr. Stephen Covey do in some Leadership class I have taken....

So what are your "big rocks". As a Christian I would argue there can only be one, and that would be building and nurturing our relationship with God through His son Jesus Christ. But in the "big rock" analogy I realized That while some things may need to be sacrificed, it is possible I would outgrow some of the thing that I once was, There still is room.

See my fear is that if I REEEEAAAALY put God first, I wouldn't be able to do anything else (WWWWRRRROOOOOO OOOOOONNNNNNGGGG) The truth is I wold be able to enjoy more of God's gifts when I am on the same track as him.

Today each Man here, put God first. We all experienced His love and compassion, His joy, and his desire to be in our lives. Joy tours got to see the experience of one of our own binging a lost soul back to start their relationship with Jesus. Others worked construction in ways perhaps unfamiliar to them before. and Others served their brothers by preparing delicious meals. However as one becomes closer to Christ, We cannot start as an empty vessle, but as one who is filled with our Father's love.

God Bless You All,
Stay posted for Bics!
Power IT

Power Trip 2012 Week 2 Day 1

2012-01-25T23:03:00.001-08:00

The Power of Prayer starts Mission Trip right!

The Power Ministry team arrived tonight at the beginning outpost: Faith Mission in Del Rio, Texas after a great day of travel by plane, bus and van.

We will be serving the people of Cuidad Acuna tomorrow. Before logistics were discussed and before devotional booklets were distributed, Doug Wible sent the 65 member team into small groups to pray and set our hearts upon God.

The rooms of Faith Mission were filled with prayers for marriages, encouragement, physical healing of ourselves and loved ones and for effectiveness in ministry for the glory of Jesus Christ.

All of this to remember that God works mightily through men who are dependent upon God!

Its quiet now as men rest for tomorrow’s ministry.

Doug Husen

Power Trip 2012 Week 1 Day 7

2012-01-22T21:31:00.001-08:00

TEXT to Follow

Text by David McKnight
Pictures Provided by Chris Chop, Micah Davenport & Daniel Balboa

Power Trip 2012 Week 1 Day 6

2012-01-22T21:30:00.000-08:00

Text to Follow

Text by David McKnight
Pictures Provided by Chris Chop, Micah Davenport & Daniel Balboa

Power Trip 2012 Week 1 Day 5

2012-01-21T04:50:00.001-08:00

Text to Follow

Text by David McKnight
Pictures Provided by Chris Cho & Daniel Balboa

Breaking Out in Spontaneous Song and Prayer

2012-01-20T13:16:00.001-08:00

I finished my last bite of lunch at Magdiel Bible School in Matamoros, and heard music and singing coming from outside. Stepping out to see what was up, I saw a large circle of students and POWER men singing the same Christian songs in two languages. It just started spontaneously, and it was amazing.

I pulled out my phone to post this, when I heard, "It's three o'clock!" shouted in the courtyard. Three in the afternoon is where POWER stops whatever we're doing to pray.

The song stopped and prayer started -- just as spontaneously and just as musical. And just as amazing. Pray for the students of Magdiel.

Power Trip 2012 Week 1 Day 4

2012-01-19T17:28:00.001-08:00

While last night it approached midnight as most POWER team members called it a night. This morning, they needed to be packed, with their bag on the luggage van -- ready to depart the Red Roof Inn in Laredo by 7:00 AM.

They were on the road to El Cenizo, for a quick breakfast at David Burkett's Faith Mission by 7:30. Today was the mid point of week one.

Worship and devotions kicked the morning off as Bobby Biber talked about fellowship, and truly being engaged with one another and with God.

By 9 AM, crews were working on projects around or near the complex: roofing, framing, a porch, a pantry. Work continued through the day, ending with dinner and a departure for Brownsville, TX (the very last stretch of border between Texas And Mexico).

Be sure to view the slide show, above, for a great look at the day's activity.Tomorrow, it's off to Magdiel Bible School, and a day with the students...

Text by David McKnight
Pictures Provided by Chris Cho & Daniel Balboa

Cory at Faith Missions Ministry.

2012-01-19T12:29:00.000-08:00

Power Trip 2012 Week 1 Day 3

2012-01-18T23:58:00.001-08:00

Third day of the trip, it's Wednesday, and the group spent the day in Acuna.

If you caught today's earlier mobile post, for those of us on the JOY (Jesus - Others -You) Tour and puppet team, the morning started with a smooth border crossing, followed by a police stop (scroll down to read more on that).

All four vans then continued to a small elementary school, where Pat from Faith Mission introduced the group to the principal, teachers and students.

As the puppet team set up for their show, the rest of the group visited a classroom, where the children sang them a song in English. They then visited a younger class of students -- who sang them Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (in Spanish). And the POWER men sang the same song back to the students in English (to wild applause of course).

Music is important in education, so the kids were definitely ready when the puppets took center stage. Lots of music, lots of cheering and lots of fun.

There's nothing quite like watching a group of men known for their ability to build homes and churches -- taking on their alter egos in the form of these fantastic puppets.

Pat then rounded up the JOY team, while the puppeteers continued to wow the kids. Two vans took off to the store to pick up fresh tortillas (and soccer balls). The vans were already loaded with clothes, blankets, beanies, caps and gloves (along with bibles and candy). With a few more provisions they headed to a community that was in need.

They gave testimony, and handed out their two van loads of clothes and goodies to the large group of both adults and children gathered. What a testament to the power of JOY!

Lunch at Mission 1 was followed by visits to the various project sites. To get more done; of course. The youth center got its roof on, and practically looked like a finished building before crews pulled out. This building will be finished once week two arrives next week.

Then on to dinner, and three more hours on the road as the group launched for Laredo. And of course. A lot more tomorrow!

Written by David McKnight
Pictures provided by Chis Cho & Daniel Balboa

Wed Night And We are Headed Out.

2012-01-18T15:38:00.000-08:00

Today went great. We will be posting more later tonight after we make our way to Laredo, TX.

Border Crossing for JOY Tour and Puppet Team

2012-01-18T07:30:00.001-08:00

No problem crossing the border this morning -- but shortly after crossing, our van (driven by Loren Vander Schaaf) got pulled over by the local policia. Then the three other vans in front of us got pulled over, too.

That's a little nerve wracking. BUT no problem. They were just checking in with us, and took names and phone numbers -- and let us know if we needed anything, to just give them a call.

Pray for law enforcement in these border communities. Great people with a tough job.

Power Trip 2012 Week 1 Day 2

2012-01-17T21:24:00.000-08:00

As Much As We Can
"This might be the only mission trip some of these guys ever go on," said Mark LeDuc last night -- early this morning, really -- before we hit the sack. It was about 2 AM, and the IHOP bible study group hadn't returned to their dorm beds yet. There were three or four of us in the main meeting room still. Mark was talking about why the POWER leadership team was so driven to get in as much during each week along the border.

There is very little down time during the annual POWER trips. In fact while most of the guys started the trip yesterday in Del Rio at Faith Mission, an advance team has been here since January 5. Concrete foundations don't just appear magically. Building materials have to be brought in and delivered to each site -- and not just in Acuna; all along the border where each project site is located. 382 miles between Del Rio and Brownsville, TX.

Welcome to Day 2. "It's dark outside, but there is plenty of light inside," said Doug Wible as he kicked things off with the group this morning. Assignments were announced, and the vans took off. And before you knew it, ten hours had passed, and the crews were back at Faith Mission, eating dinner.

What happened during those ten hours? A lot!
Cases of English and Spanish language bibles were palletized for distribution to missions along the border. Damon Nevatt of East Hills described the work that was done today. POWER has distributed thousands of bibles to the border communities since starting these trips.

When asked the progress on his project, Ray Hahn of Sandals Church said, "done!" They had started a house for Christian and Yazmine Viegas. "It's coming along great. The guys all got together, and knocked it out, and we're way ahead of where we should be."

Scott Anderson of New Day Christian Fellowship talked about how far along they had gotten on building a house for Pastor Armando. Walls and siding were up. Roof and ceiling joists in place. "A lot of neighbors ended up showing up in the afternoon -- they were kind of amazed at what took place today," he said.

Cody Gibbs of Calvary Bible Church and Pat Schmelling of Faith Mission described the Youth Center being built in Acuna. Schmelling talked about the core group of Christian teens who would be ministered to through the center.

But that wasn't all: there was a visit to a large group of men in a local prison, resulting in thirty or so coming down for prayer lead by the POWER team that made the visit.

There was a JOY tour visiting local kids, passing out beanies and gloves and candy, followed by a visit to an orphanage.

"That's what happened today; the FIRST day," said Wible. "So you can see when men unite for one reason and one purpose, we send them to so many places -- and look at all the good that was done."

Written by David McKnight
Pictures provided by Chis Cho, Micah Davenport, Eric Yakura & Daniel Balboa

Power Trip 2012 Week 1 Day 1

2012-01-16T23:32:00.001-08:00

This morning, men from ten states rolled out of bed with a single objective: make their way to San Antonio, TX. They started in Rome, GA and Riverside, CA; Oklahoma City and Maurice, IA. There were veterans and first-timers, all with a similar expectation of God working in big ways over the next week.

A couple of us, leaving with the Southern California contingent out of Long Beach, weren't sure we'd make it. Bobby Biber and David McKnight were met with "you're not on our list" from the Jet Blue counter agents. But Mark LeDuc, Power operations, came to the rescue; how could we have doubted? It's clear God is in charge, here, not Jet Blue.

Those flying into Austin met the groups that came in to San Antonio directly, climbed into nine vans, and headed for dinner (chicken fried steak), then the 2 1/2 hour drive to Faith Mission in Del Rio, TX.

10:30 PM, guys grabbed their bags off the vans, claimed beds in the bunk house, and gathered for a general meeting to talk about tomorrow. "Before we get started," Trip Director Doug Wible said, "let's put the road blocks behind us."

Men broke into prayer groups in areas where they had concerns: health, employment, marriage, family, spiritual renewal, addictions. "Take that burden, and fire a fast ball right to the wall," Doug encouraged the guys.

Power's Financial Manager Bob Krull stood up to talk about van driver responsibility. "How many of you guys," he asked, motioning around the room, "are fathers of kids at home?" A lot of hands went up. "Van drivers, you just got an idea of the value of the cargo you're carrying."

Personnel Manager Marty Read (who headed off this evening for a Kmart run and late night bible study at the local IHOP) talked about being prepared tomorrow. "You're 1700 miles from home," he said. "If you miss the van, it's a long walk."

Tuesday in Acuna is shaping up to be quite a day.

Written by David McKnight
Pictures provided by Daniel Balboa

Week #2 Attendance Stats

2011-01-25T23:26:00.002-08:00

Debriefing and Travel

This morning is our debriefing. This is where we try to express to one another in words what God has done in our midst and in our hearts. It’s a touching time of hearing men express their love for Jesus and the privilege of serving Him in this way. There are stories of people we met in the Acuna neighborhoods, pastors whose churches were built, families too. And the joy of blessing the children in the orphanage and students who will change the world for Christ.

In addition, commitments will be made public. Friendships new and old will be valued. And the leadership of Power Ministry will again see how vital it is that we do it all again next year, with new men… echoing our cheer of JOY = Jesus, Others and You, POWER!

While POWER is based in Riverside, CA, a look at the Week #2 roster tells a story of diversity:

63 people
21 different churches

(top attendance from Crossroads Community church in Ridgecrest, followed by East Hills in Riverside, CA)

24 cities
7 states

Power Trip 2011 Group 2 Day 7

2011-01-25T23:26:00.001-08:00

Magdiel and Matamorros… a big finish to the week two mission trip!

Today we crossed the border from Brownsville to Matamoros on the gulf coast. The tropical weather, warm sun and cool breeze was a perfect backdrop to the day of encouragement and ministry.

We entered Magdiel Bible College that prepares young men and women through an exhaustive 3 year Bible training program to change the world for Christ through prayer, social, worship leading and pastoral ministries. The students have an excitement and seriousness about their studies.

Damon expressed joy and a sense of pride as he talked about seeing Mireya who will graduate in May. He has known her and encouraged her in her schooling the past 3 years of mission trips.

Our group divided and spent a couple hours playing games and getting to know the students personally in their classrooms. Together we shared where we were from (using a giant map), our favorite foods, all about our families and our “suenos” (dreams)! During the time together in the classrooms we read scripture and when we read Romans 10:15 “how beautiful are the feet of them who bring good news”, the students were instructed to take their seats and our men proceeded to present a brand new pair of Sketchers / Converse shoes. They knelt down and fitted them to the “beautiful feet” of each student and laced them up and blessed them. The students were thrilled with the thoughtfulness and recognition that what they are doing (preparing to share the gospel) is the most important job they could ever do! Then the pizzas arrived and the students ran through a cheering Power Ministry gauntlet as they entered the lunch room.

Our afternoon began with worship in both English and Spanish. Then it was time for our annual “schooling” on the soccer field. The Magdiel students ran circles around us and managed to score 9 goals to our 3. Hey, that’s not bad for us! Time seemed to fly by and it was 4PM. Hugs were exchanged, and time for our journey to San Antonio, where I sit writing this summary. Our prayer team just completed a time of praise and prayer and now our pillows await our heads. Thank you for praying for us.

Power Trip 2011 Group 2 Day 6

2011-01-25T00:01:00.001-08:00

Border Mission, Hidalgo… is a staging area for distributing Bibles, rice, beans to Reynosa. Our assignment was to “demo” (demolish) a large structure. This can be a lot of fun, since we get the opportunity to swing sledge hammers, and use skill saws and sawsalls to break things.

The job was more difficult than expected. Why? Like ogres and onions, this building was layers upon layers. Just when we got the roof off, another previous roof was exposed. Over and over, then finally pay dirt… we reached the travel trailer inside, that the entire structure was built around.

Kyle and Peter worked ferociously and suffered minor injuiries from nails in their feet. “I am 24% there” says Peter Manley who served God and ended up with a nail in his foot. Jokingly he said “Just three more trips and I will really understand Jesus”.

In the end all hands helped bring the project to the point where the trailer could be removed. Two haul away dumpsters were filled and enough material to fill two more. Wow!

Power Trip 2011 Group 2 Day 5

2011-01-24T06:02:00.000-08:00

Sunday, on the Power trip means worship in Reynosa at the “Dome Church”.

What a joy to sing songs in Spanish from the stage and hear testimonies from two of our men. Then, Pastor Willy began to describe how real Christian men are not whimps… but like Power Ministry, they go out and serve, take risks and proclaim the gospel.

Then it happened… imagine hundreds of men from the church streaming forward for prayer and to pray with our Power Ministry men, literally making the commitment to be a Man of God, to share their faith and love their wives and children. Our reaction to this privilege and awesome movement of God is summarized by retired fighter jet pilot, Lance Floyd who said of the experience, “it was difficult holding it together”. We were all blessed and grateful to be part of this great church.

On a side note. 2 weeks will put some real wear on some guys.

Power Trip 2011 Group 2 Day 4

2011-01-23T05:04:00.001-08:00

Today we spent the day with Pastor David Burkett and his wife Amy (and their 5 children) of Faith Mission in El Cenizo, Texas. We were continuing projects begun by the week 1 Power Team… primarily building the large Dormitories to be used by visiting groups that will help them in the ministry to Mexican families in Nuevo Laredo.

The family felt so encouraged and thrilled that our teams combined for 200+ man hours and built this structure one day last week and another today!

At the same time, two homes were built for families nearby… Each a very unique and special story and blessing.

What really touched our hearts was when David expressed how proud he was of his oldest son Joshua who was leaving Monday for one year of ministering with a drama group called 99! They will be sharing God’s love by acting out a powerful drama about domestic abuse, suicide, as well as alcohol and drug related deaths among teens. They expect to share and counsel upwards of 10,000 a month.

For me, listening to him praise his older daughter who lives in San Antonia and her ministry, then his joy over Joshua, and then about each of his children and he embraced them before us, and kissed them and spoke about their unique giftedness and heart for God. This is how a man of God blesses his family.

Then we gathered and prayed for them as only Power Ministry can! (followed by our cheer: Jesus, Others, You = JOY POWER!)

Power Trip 2011 Group 2 Day 3

2011-01-22T02:08:00.000-08:00

Today we started our morning with the Acuna “Joy Tour” with Pat who leads the Faith Mission outreach work in Acuna. Our first stop was the store to buy 36 dozen fresh tortillas and beans. While my preference is the flour tortillas, the fresh corn ones were delicious. We drove through several poor neigborhoods that are known for drug activity and finally stopped in a place where Pat has just begun to reach out and begin a relationship with the people. We formed teams and went door-to-door and inviting people to receive rice and beans and gifts for their children.

The distribution was fun. Kids received candy and beanies knit by a wonderful group of women from Ridgecrest. The men and women formed a line 25 deep. After a brief testimony, we were invited into homes to pray with people, encouraging them to live for their Christ. We visited a very generous family that served several of us hot chocolate and crackers. The father shared that his name is Noe. We met Ysenia his 16 year old daughter. As Pat asked each about their relationship with Christ, Ysenia didn't know the Lord. After a long conversation about salvation, Pat felt compelled to talk to Ysenia about purity and remaining strong against the temptations of youth. Then during prayer, she confessed that she was already pregnant. We affirmed God's love for her and that she will need the love and forgiveness of her family too. Ysenia received it as she shed tears. We hugged each family member goodbye, and Pat plans to start Bible studies in the homes after such a great reception.

Power Trip 2011 Group 2 Day 2

2011-01-21T04:26:00.000-08:00

With so many things that happened the first day I want to focus on an event that happened during our Joy Tour. (Jesus, Others, You- J.O.Y.)

The Acuna “Joy Tour” is our opportunity to drive a special van into the neighborhoods and bless people. We are led by Pat, the director of Faith Mission. Our hope is to open doors for sharing the gospel and future church work.

After “stocking up” with fresh tortillas (some 36 dozen), we visited a neighborhood that is known for drug activity. Going door to door, we invite people to come out and prepare to receive rice and beans and gifts for their children. Two of our men share a testimony, then the fun begins as children are giddy to receive “paletas”… lollipops and also stuffed animals. The men and women line up 20 deep for the food.

After a brief prayer together, our teams are invited into homes to pray with people, speaking a blessing upon them and encouraging them to live for their Christ. We visited a very generous family that served several of us hot chocolate and crackers. The father shared that his name is Noe. Pat used the opportunity to talk about Noah of the Bible. We met Ysenia the 16 year old daughter. As Pat asked each about their relationship with Christ, Ysenia didn't know the Lord. After a long conversation about salvation, Pat felt compelled to talk to Ysenia about purity and remaining strong against the temptations of youth. Then during prayer, she confessed that she was already pregnant. We affirmed God's love for her and that she will need the love and forgiveness of her family too. Ysenia received it as she shed tears. We hugged each family member goodbye, and Pat plans to start Bible studies in the homes after such a great reception.

Power Trip 2011 Group 2 Day 1

2011-01-19T21:43:00.000-08:00

Its 9:59PM in Rio Bravo. The Week Two team has arrived from Riverside, Ridgecrest, South Carolina, Idaho, New York, Oregon, and even South Dakota.

Not everyone endures travel with the same level of energy. As seen in this photo, Ezekiel Alejandro hits the rack first. He is probably the smartest man alive, because when the rest start falling asleep, the noises men make, will prevent the late comers from getting any sleep at all. This is real genius at work! Congratulations Ezekiel.

We begin tomorrow from our launching pad at Faith Mission International in Rio Bravo. Our ministry will take us across the border to Cuidad Acuna where we will be building churches for Pastor Hugo and Pastor Juan Guillen. A house will be built for Vicente & Cecilia Casas (no pun intended). As usual, there will also be unexpected surprises and opportunities to love people in Jesus name. Pray for us.

Week #1 Attendance Stats

2011-01-17T14:40:00.000-08:00

While POWER is based in Riverside, CA, a look at the Week #1 roster tells a story of diversity:

66 people
31 different churches

(top attendance from First Presbyterian Church of Rome, GA followed by Sandals in Riverside, CA)

20 cities
10 states
2 countries

Power Trip 2011 Group 1 Day 7

2011-01-16T22:21:00.000-08:00

Today, we left Rio Bravo for the Dome Church in Reynosa. Projects started at the Rio Bravo Ministries orphanage will be completed by the Week 2 POWER team, arriving in Austin and San Antonio Wednesday. But there is still a lot to do today.

The Dome Church is an amazing sight. It can hold upwards of 2,500 people or more for a service. With two services, now on Sunday, we were looking at as many as 1,700 worshippers, when the POWER team arrived to give their testimony and sing (that's right, sing in Spanish) for the church.

Pastor Willy, who has been with us all week, is at home here. This is the same place, where just yesterday, hundreds of kids and their parents and family attended the carnival under the Dome. Now, everything that made it a festival has been packed up and moved out. No more bouncing games, puppet ministry or cotton candy.

But it’s still a lot of fun! The church has a great band. The musicians play contemporary Christian music, and they were having a very good time. The worshippers sang in Spanish of course, but the POWER men recognized several melodies that are also popular back home.

All the POWER men wore collared, red shirts today, and marched onto the stage, filling almost every open space across the back. Doug Wible, trip coordinator, was introduced, and led the congregation and the POWER men in song, praising God. During a break between songs, Doug introduced two of the first-year rookies to share with the congregation how the experience had been this week: Gregg Francabandera of Long Beach, CA and Mark Haverdink of Maurice, IA. Both shared their experiences for the week, and the impact it had on their lives.

Mark shared about how connected he felt with the people of Mexico through his experience at Magdiel this week, and how this experience would help him as a pastor. Gregg talked about his family and his marriage, and how it’s important to be a Christian husband. Later, Pastor Willy asked the men in the congregation to come to the front, and the POWER team to leave the stage to pray with them. It was a powerful moment for the church, and when it was over, one of the men in tears told Gregg that he was about to divorce his wife and leave his children, but God had touched his heart, and changed his mind this day.

Two more songs and two more testimonies from third-year POWER men, Ron Kiefer of Rome, GA and David McKnight of Riverside, CA. David talked about how the experience over the last three years showed him that the POWER men were truly his brothers and that the Dome Church was his family in Christ. Ron brought POWER verse Acts 1:8 home to Reynosa: “But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive POWER and will tell people about Me everywhere – in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth.” He said that those locations point equally to Reynosa, the colonias and the neighborhoods. He encouraged them to share the Good News with their neighbors.

After services and lunch, the POWER team started the long drive back to San Antonio, to get ready to head home the next day. It had been a great week, and the men began to think about debriefing the next morning. What was the take away value for them? How had God spoken to them? How would they put this experience to work in their lives? A lot to think about…

Others on the construction team headed back to Del Rio to start the cycle again for the Week-2 POWER team arriving Wednesday. Construction Director David McClellan of Riverside, CA, Project Coordinator Brian Albright of Ridgecrest, CA, Project Leader Cody Gibbs of Bellevue, ID and Handyman/Lead Utility David Haefele of Ridgecrest, CA, all looped back to get projects ready for the next team.

Power Trip 2011 Group 1 Day 6

2011-01-15T20:57:00.001-08:00

Today was split between the orphanage at Rio Bravo and the Dome Church, both hit by light to moderate rain, which made walking around, and picking up mud pretty common. The POWER team met at the hotel in Hidalgo this morning for breakfast, followed by worship and devotions. Buddy Sliva of New Castle, WA shared his testimony and the impact that family health issues have on one's faith. He talked about the importance of family, and shared some examples of how long-time POWER leadership team member Louie Davenport of Gooding, ID was a tremendous support and an example of Christ to Buddy and his wife, Louie's daughter.

By a little after 8:00 AM, and with the box truck being left on the Texas side of the border, everyone held their POWER bags in vans for the trip into Reynosa. First stop was Rio Bravo, where work projects awaited, and where the team would later spend the night.

Teams were split up into roofing, painting and building pews and beds — a lot of activity in a small area, but the projects only lasted until lunchtime, since the second half of the day was devoted to the festival at the Dome Church.

Rain continued steadily through lunch, and there were concerns about turnout for the festival, which was being held entirely under the dome because of the weather. When the puppet team started, the crowd was a little small, but before long, the church was full of kids and families, singing songs, playing games and glorifying God, who made sure everyone who was supposed to be there was.

Dinner was back at Rio Bravo, followed by a discussion of Rio Bravo's history by its founder, Ray Hansen. After that, "court" was in session as Tim Morgan of Rome, GA donned a white wig, and became The Judge. First POWER fine of the night went to... Larry Johnson, also of Rome, who as the bailiff, introduced this as a 2010 session of court. Without even waiting for the judge, he opened his wallet, and added a donation to the POWER bank. There were a LOT of "fines" assessed (along with a large dose of good-natured ribbing), and we'll have to see how this stacks up against prior sessions of court.

In the morning, it's back to the Dome Church with several of the POWER men giving testimony to the congregation during second service, and then it's back across the border and on to San Antonio.

Power Trip 2011 Group 1 Day 5

2011-01-14T20:09:00.001-08:00

Has this really been five days? So much work being done, and so many early mornings and late nights, the days start blending together. About 9 PM CT, the POWER team rolled into Hidalgo, TX, just across the border from Reynosa, home of Pastor Willy Perez' domed church. While 9 PM may seem like a late arrival, it's actually one of the earlier ones. In every case so far, arriving in a new town happened after 11 PM — with days starting just a few short hours after the last person climbs into bed. More often than not, that last person has been a member of the POWER leadership team, who spend countless hours planning, organizing and coordinating activities in nearly a dozen cities this week.

The POWER men started their morning more than 16 hours earlier with breakfast at Luby's in Brownsville, where the crew opens the restaurant early, just for POWER. After breakfast, Mark Weber of Cedar Creek, TX, Eric Yakura of Westminster, CA and Jim Runyan of San Bernardino, CA added their guitars and pocket trumpet to the singing voices of the POWER men. Then Jim Saiz of Moreno Valley, CA offered his testimony to the team. Jim, an avowed adrenalin junkie, who jumps out of planes for fun (with a parachute), shared how important it is to keep your family a priority. "I've got a lot of money in toys," Jim said, "but I'd trade it all in for a redo on family." You can lose the chance once children are grown and left home. Like these last five days, years will zoom by if you're not keeping an eye on them.

After devotions, vans loaded up, and headed for the border. Next stop: Magdiel Bible Institute in Matamoros. No construction projects on the schedule today, this visit was all about teaching and receiving the word of God. Magdiel will graduate a new generation of church leaders in Mexico. Assignments for today were to classrooms.

POWER men and Magdiel students were paired, and given a chance to learn about one another. Julie, a second year student from Michoacán, was paired with Jim Saiz and David McKnight. Working through the language barrier, they learned about favorite foods and hobbies, and then shared the information with others in the room. Among other things, Julie learned that Jim was a sky diver, and when Larry Johnson came by to introduce his student, all learned that Larry was a pilot. He pointed at himself, and said in Spanish, "piloto." Then he pointed to Jim, and said "loco!"

A highlight for the students was when Pastor Willy (who has been with the POWER team all week, working with them on all the same projects), spoke with them about being constant and diligent in their relationship with God through prayer and reading God's Word, and in the relationship with their future congregations through teaching.

Following lunch, everyone headed into the chapel for music and special presentations. The students put on a skit about giving everything to God, and recreate an encounter with Jesus. "Should I give Him my cell phone?" one of the students in the skit asked aloud. "No, I need it more than God does; I have to call my girlfriend." Instead, the character offers Jesus his tie, representing something of little value. When the last student wants to give up his cell phone, he says it's not enough, and gives Jesus his heart. Point taken.

The students, teachers and administration at Magdiel have a special relationship with POWER, and hugs and handshakes were passed all around, ending with a lively game of soccer. With about 16 men on one side from POWER, and about nine students on the other, it was clear that these unbalanced odds were unfair. Magdiel should have had fewer students on their team.

Tomorrow we head into Reynosa on project work, and also for the annual children's carnival. This should be a blast!

PS - Larry Johnson says hi to everyone, especially his POWER buddies in California, who will be out next week.

Power Trip 2011 Group 1 Day 4

2011-01-13T23:20:00.001-08:00

Laredo Stepping Stone was a quick overnight stop. The POWER team was back up and on the road early with work projects at Faith Mission in El Cenizo today. David and Amy Burkett have dedicated their lives to serving God through the people in colonias on both sides of the border. Last year, the teams worked in Nuevo Laredo. This year they worked on the US side of the border at the El Cenizo mission center.

The largest project today was building dorms, starting with a base of an existing mobile home that had been donated to the facility. A raised floor was positioned right next to one side of the mobile home. Walls went up, and then roof trusses — right over the top of the old mobile home. This was one building project few on the team had seen before. When next week's team arrives, the trailer will be the foundation of part of the building, but it will no longer look like an old trailer sitting on the lot.

Another transforming project today involved painting the church. It's amazing what a little paint can do. Just ask Sam Hieronymus of Riverside, who ended up himself coated in paint. "They said we were going to paint the church," he said, "and, hey, God's people are the church!" he laughed. Other projects, today, included drywalling a bathroom, and building an interior wall.

After lunch, David Burkett introduced the team to Raul Reyes, mayor of El Cinezo, who along with the City Council proclaimed January 13 POWER Ministry day in the city. Mayor Reyes, the youngest mayor in the state of Texas, told of growing up in a Christian home, and the impact that made on his life. After the proclamation was read, the POWER team prayed over Mayor Reyes, and then the young mayor had his photo taken, flanked by the youngest member of the team at 18, Harrison Freedman of Long Beach and the oldest member at 92, Vance Luke of Rome, GA.

With projects completed for the day, the POWER team made the long drive south to Brownsville. Tomorrow they make their way across the border to the Magdiel Bible Institute in Matamoras. This will be a day of spending time with the student, who are the future leaders of the Christian Church in Mexico. And if it's not raining, there will be an opportunity for the POWER team to prove itself on the soccer field! More on that in tomorrow's blog.

Tomorrow the team heads across the border.

power Trip 2011 Group 1 Day 3

2011-01-13T05:47:00.000-08:00

Day three was a challenging day with wind chill starting in the teens, and a lot of the men wishing they had worn their long underwear before heading out in the morning. It didn’t seem to warm up much through the day, but when you’re doing God’s work, you don’t think about the cold much. Building projects wrapping for the day in Acuna – and waiting for the second week crew to complete – included two churches and a house. Actually, not a house. “It’s a home,” explained Doug Wibble of Riverside, POWER Trip Director. The Casas family really appreciate what the men are doing for them. When the second week crew comes in, they’ll put on roofs for the churches, finish the work started, and maybe even begin new projects. David McClellan, also of Riverside, and POWER Construction Coordinator, has been here since early in the month. “Everything is right on schedule,” he said.

Buddy Sliva of New Castle, Washington worked with Martin Foster of Rome, GA this morning, siding Pastor Hugo’s new church building. By the end of the day, all the buildings were enclosed and secured with windows and doors installed.

But it’s not all about hammers and nails, sometimes the building and repair work involves souls. This afternoon’s JOY (Jesus, Others, You) tour of Acuna included a stop at a prison. Gregg “TwoGee” Francabandera of Long Beach shared his faith and his testimony with these forgotten men, standing in a very cold prison yard. Miguel Pascual, also of Long Beach, interpreted in Spanish, and then a few minutes later prayed with one of the guards, who told him he would have be worshipping and praying with the team and the prisoners had he not been on duty. God was really working there.

As we leave Acuna and Del Rio, pray for this prison ministry, and for Faith Mission and its work in Acuna, and keep them in your prayers through the year. Next stop: Laredo Stepping Stone.

Power Trip 2011 Group 1 Day 2

2011-01-11T21:55:00.001-08:00

6:45 AM Central Time, and 65 men gather in the bunkhouse common room for breakfast, devotions — and project assignments. There are two churches being built, and what the crews this week get started, the crews next week will finish. Pastors Juan Guillen and Hugo and the local worshipers will have two amazing new buildings in which to gather and pray. And in Mexico, there is a tremendous need for prayer.

Close neighbor, America's third largest trading partner, Mexico is described by many as a third world country. Where many US citizens may see pristine resort areas and sandy beaches, the POWER teams see extreme poverty, mixed with a dose of Hope. Gregg Massie of Riverside almost missed the trip this year. But God had other plans. Some of them included a JOY tour of Acuna with Faith Mission Director Pat Schmeling. "It was the best," Gregg explained as he told the men in an after-dinner meeting about his experience.

A stop at an orphanage included a soccer game with the kids. Then the men drove through an area Pat has trouble getting local pastors to visit. Crime and drugs make it an unpopular, but important destination. "Just honk," Pat said as they drove through a neighborhood. Residents gathered and heard testimony from several of the men, including Miguel Pascual, a first-year from Long Beach. Pat located a family he'd been looking for, and the team prayed with them, while offering knit beanies and blankets.The mother was so touched, she covered tears with a beanie pulled over her eyes.

Jeff Camire of Riverside worked the afternoon at one of the church builds, and talked about how they ended the morning behind schedule, but by the end of the day, God had made a way. The church was framed, the building of trusses finished and installed in short order. Many of these little miracles happen throughout the POWER trips. It will be interesting to see how God handles the rest of the week. Wednesday night after dinner, the team heads for Laredo.

Power Trip 2011 Group 1 Day 1

2011-01-10T23:52:00.001-08:00

It's January, and from all over the country men have traveled to Del Rio, Texas for the first of two POWER trip weeks, working in neighboring Texas and Mexico communities across some 380 miles of border.There is the contingent from Rome, GA, including Tim Morgan and Larry Johnson, who caught the last flight out of Atlanta before weather closed it down Sunday night. They were waiting for another inbound group traveling west from San Antonio and Austin, catching the BCS championship game, and rooting for Auburn. There were the men from Southern California, flying out of Long Beach into Austin, making the four hour trek in light rain to meet up in Del Rio.

The kick off point is Faith Mission, and from the highway, you gaze through the border fence and across the Rio Grande toward Acuna, where the real work begins on Tuesday. Rookies like Lincoln Ye of Broadview Heights, OH and Eric Yakura of Westminster, CA hear stories from trip veterans as they clean the vans, getting ready for the next day. Some have trouble getting to sleep. There is tension and excitement and expectation. Tuesday is going to be a very good day.

John Holcombe 1/26/2010

2010-01-27T22:53:00.000-08:00

I first heard about Power Ministry when a friend of mine, Adam Othman, said the Lord had put it on his heart if I would consider coming on a trip to Mexico with him. When I asked him about the trip he told me but he also said “the trip” was really too hard to put into words. The tone in his voice made it appealing. And the look on his face made it even more appealing. What little I knew of Adam, I had just met him at a church Bible study, was that he was very passionate about serving the Lord and serving other people. Especially the weak and needy. So I went on the trip. I am on the 5th day today. I am tired, sore and ready for some rest. I’ve heard of men talking about their families, their lives and their struggles. From the strongest to the weakest in the group, and only the Lord knows who those people really are, they all have a growing passion to glorify the Lord and make their lives count for His Grace. I knew there was going to be construction and ministering to the needs of the people. But I was surprised about how much prayer went into the preparation and implementation of every decision and every move. Other than the chances to minister to others and a chance to fellowship with the guys on the trip I guess what I would say has most impressed me—and there is way too much to share in this brief amount of space—is the quality of people that Power Ministry “partners” with! I just spent today with a man named Pat Schmeling ministering to the prisoners and the poor of Acuna. He is a man who will, and is, paying whatever price is required to reach another soul for Jesus and be used by God to bring all who want to into His Kingdom. The other is a pastor named David Burkett. He is definitely a man who is, and will, greatly impact the people of Nuevo Laredo Mexico. I would say of all the people I met on trip he was the one my heart resonated with the most. He has a South Carolina accent and speaks fluent Spanish. But his vision for what he sees the Lord doing, and preparing to do, in Nuevo Laredo Mexico is really challenging. Not in a condemning way but in a godly way. In a way that makes you want to see the Lord do the same things in your own life. And that is what I am leaving this trip with (I still have two more days to go): I have seen what the Lord can, and is doing, through a remarkable collection of believers. But I am wanting to see the Lord do the same things in me. Not for my glory---but for His! It is requiring me to get out of my “comfort zone” and “stretch muscles” that I haven’t used for a while. But being around these men has showed me a new way of looking at things ... people ... and the whole world around me! It is definitely going to require more of the power of the Holy Spirit working in my life and probably more time working with the Power Ministry!

Anthony Cassise 1/25/2010

2010-01-25T22:43:00.000-08:00

Pulling into the colonia there are many likely responses to seeing the living conditions. In this part of Nuevo Loredo the poverty is not hidden and my response was a deep heaviness on many levels. The task for our day seemed quite ambitious and it was emphasized by the leadership that we needed to rise to the challenge to complete every project. Also, the past three days of work and ministry have been complimented by very little sleep. With these aspects progressing in my mind and in my body we pulled into the colonia and my heaviness got just a bit deeper. Here, outhouses and holes in the dirt are substitutes for a community without running water. Our teams required generators to build in a community without electricity. I whispered a prayer for wisdom; and courage in particular. It has become my refrain for the week. I want to reach out of my comfort zone to speak, pray, and share as He leads. The spiritual weight, the apprehension of the task, and the physical draining were the levels of heaviness I could almost literally feel.

Some children came to watch these strangers who do not speak their language and inspect our clanging hammers. We had a plan for side-stepping some communication barriers. We gave them a paint brush and put them to work! Of course candy and some prodding smiles helped our cause.

By the late afternoon my team was putting the finishing touches on the home that we built. It was amazing. Before the day started we had a concrete slab. 8 men, 8 hours, 1 home. For a family living under sheet metal and cardboard it was a 16’/12’ palace. The reward was the joy of their ownership in handing them keys at the end of the day. In Spanish, we learned one oft-repeated phrase: “God’s gift to you.” One of the levels of weight was lifted. We finished our ambitious task. But my word kept coming to my mind: courage.

The team leader asked me to do some painting touch ups on a home finished last week across the way. I knocked on the fence (upright pallets nailed side by side). A middle-aged Hispanic woman with her 2-year old boy came out. Through mostly gestures I communicated my task. Walking around and inspecting the house, the Spirit was prodding His own task.... I ignored Him. She doesn’t speak any English and what would I say anyways? Eyes on the wall, hands on my brush. Then almost prophetically and instantly I hear behind me: “Ah!” I look back and in her pulling rusted nails out of an old board one popped out and hit her. She looked up more embarrassed than hurt. How could I not ask? Does He have to spell it out for me? So I said: Necessita ayudar? “Do you need help?” Pulling the nails out of her board I began to exhaust the inventory of my Spanish. “What is your name?” Rena. “What is your hijo’s name?” Javier. “How old is he?” Two years old. She smiled and said something I didn’t understand. “Sorry, my Spanish is pecheño.” I returned to finish my touch-ups. More prodding. Why can’t I just be a nice gringo. I told Kevin, do you want to pray with Rena. With palms together we ask her: “Puedo pray para ti?” A big smile. She calls Javier over and I pray for her and for Javier. She didn’t understand a word I prayed, expect maybe “Rena” and “Javier” but the smile was enough for me. God is extending his kingdom, in spite of my stubborn obstinacy. One soul, one family, and hopefully one prayer at a time.

Lance "Pink" Floyd 1/24/2010

2010-01-24T23:52:00.000-08:00

Sunday night on week two and all I can say is WOW! Someone asked me today if anyone had told me a lie about the trip. Interesting question for a new guy to answer. Honestly, all I was told has come true except it isn’t cold at all. It has been a fast a furious trip. Rough weather for the California contingent to get to San Antonio but all arrived safely. My first meeting with the group was very exciting. Everyone was very friendly and wanted to hear my story. Of course there were a few comments about being a new guy and how little sleep I would get this week. That prediction was true on the first night. We started south and drove and drove and drove and did I mention we kept driving. I forgot how big Texas was. We stopped at the regular stop for some Texas sized chicken fried steak then we drove and drove... We finally got to bed about 2:30 AM for a 6:30 AM breakfast. Morning devotional was great. I’ve never been in the presence of this many men who are so spiritually driven. Saturday was a big day of work. We built walls, hung sheet rock, decked a roof, built shelves, visited a prison, went bowling, built a pavilion, and many other things. Needless to say, we were pretty tired after a long day in 85 deg weather. I thought it was supposed to be cold in January. We all got a good night’s rest and up for church on Sunday. The “Dome Church” was awesome. How great to worship with these people. They really worship from their hearts. Only one thing to say, “how great is our God!” The afternoon was no less impressive. What a great opportunity to be a servant for so many needy children. The whole group was dedicated to the effort and really enjoyed the opportunity. We are back on the road to Lorado. In case I forgot to say it, Texas is big and driving is long. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the week. I can say without a doubt that this effort would not be possible without Jesus. I don’t believe you could get 71 men to work this closely together and accomplish so much if it weren’t for the leading of the Holy Spirit and the awesome power of God.

Brandon Craig 1/23/2010

2010-01-24T23:49:00.000-08:00

Granted.
Here on the POWER trip we are given a word of the day. I have decided on my own word of the day, and today that word is “granted” and for two reasons.
First because my life has been taken for granted. I’ve seen the television shows with the homeless orphans with no food or water and I’ve thought to myself, “how terrible,” and then proceed to shut the television off and order a pizza. Why? Because although I succeeded in agreeing it was a terrible situation, I failed to recognize that these are HUMAN BEINGS. These are beautiful children, created by our Lord Jesus, who have been through hell on earth. And unfortunately in America, our ‘blessings’ have become a ‘curse’. We have grown ignorant and foolish in our mediocre serving of God. If you would only take the time to look into the eyes of these children. Take the time and your heart will be tremble and your shame will collapse you to your knees. I know because it happened to me.
Second because I have been granted a second chance. The same second chance that the Lord is granting you right now. These people need the gospel. We have so much in America, we give out of our abundance so that it does not cost us anything. Everything worth anything will cost you something. Please take the time to stop and think about these orphans. What if they were your kids? What if it were you? What if you were the helpless orphan and you knew what lay in the hands of the Christians across the border? And these Christians pat themselves on the back for the small contributions they make, and stroke their conscious into a deep sleep sung to the lullaby of a lukewarm melody. And I’m not talking about just your finances. I’m talking about your love, your prayers, your time, your sacrifices. What will you do with this one life you are given.
I close with a story. There was a young lady rescued off the streets down here in an orphanage. She was malnutritioned and to the point of death. She was taken in, cared for, recovered her health, and was given the gospel. When she graduated from the school she devoted a year of her life to a small Bible college down in Mexico. After her studies, she called the orphanage back and beckoned them to come see her at the Bible college. They arrived and greeted the lady. As they were walking down the street to the Bible college, children from every direction in the community swarmed her. She took the orphanage director by the hand and pointed to one child “This one I’ve led to Christ”, then she pointed to another, “and this one I have led his mother to Christ”, then pointed to another “and this one her parents have died but she has accepted Jesus”, and she pointed to another, and to another, and to another, and to another. Here is a lady who has nothing, she’s 85 pounds, short, worthless by society standards, casted away and forgotten. And she could take his hand and show him the fruits of her labor.
I want to ask you, if I were to visit you, could you take me by the hand and show me the fruit of your labor? Could you show me the impact for Christ that you’ve made to your family, to your friends, to your neighborhood, to your work place? You, who have everything and have been given so much?

Dan Leusink at the Festival

2010-01-17T17:41:00.000-08:00

Today we had a great day of worship. We started with a devotion time with just the POWER guys then we sat in on the 2nd worship service. Even though most of us could not understand the message we could feel the love these people have for the Lord. After the two hour service some of us were able to go shopping for some gifts to give away at the festival. We had a great time grabbing toys, balls, marbles, and jump ropes. The guys in my van pooled our money together and filled two carts of toys which cost us over $3100 ($215 US dollars) in about 15 minutes. The festival started with a 30 minute concert from the puppets, then we started the games to give all our gifts away. The day was not as physically demanding but it was still a lot of work and definitely worth it.

1-16-2010

2010-01-17T17:12:00.001-08:00

Wow what an experience! To think that I had trouble making up my mind if I was going to come. The Lord has blessed me in so many ways, just to see the faces of people when you give them just a little something to eat. The most unbelievable thing is the men that are so ready to help the people we come in contact with and how the people appreciate what we do. Thank you power for what you stand for and all you do for Gods kingdom.This has been a life changing experience, cant wait till next years trip.

Jan 15, 2010

2010-01-16T06:21:00.000-08:00

In October I deceided to go on the Power trip. I figured by January my work load would be slow and I would have plenty of time to take off. As January approached my work load increased tremendously; and being in contructions services, I figured I should take the work while it was here and not go on the Power trip. So I call and informed them I was not going on the trip this year. I felt relieved by the decison and it felt like a burden was lifted from my work shoulders. I realtionalized that I would not enjoy the week since my mind would be on the jobs instead of the ministry. I went to Bridges the Sunday before the Power trip was to take place, and spoke with a few of the guys that were going on the trip. They were encouraging me to reconsidere my decision nt to go, expressing that they believed God had done some amazing things with them and others business-wise when they did go. So anyway, the words of these men stayed with me throughout Sunday and Monday. Monday night I had a change of heart and felt compelled to go to Mexico.

Wednesday was a day of travel and Thursday we started building and doing ministry in Acuna, Mexico. We stayed at Faith Missions in Del Rio, Texas. That afternoon I received a call from a gentleman in Florida interested in hiring me for a rock consulting job. He said he would email me pictures of the job, and I expklained to him that I was out of town on a mission trip in Mexico building houses and churches. He said to me, “that would be a dream come true”. Then he asked, “what part of Mexico are you in?” I said, “Acuna”. He said that he was very familiar with that area of Mexico because his in-laws live in Del Rio. I told him that is where we are staying. I told him about Power and their ministry and he was very excited. He wanted to know more about Power and how he could be involved.

This is a great example of how God is control over all areas of my life and can bring people together in places you couldnt imgaine.

I am glad that I came and am looking forward to more miracles!!

Marshall Noriega

Bobby Biber

2010-01-15T00:32:00.000-08:00

It is the end of our first full work day here in Mexico. It is now 12:50 am and it is pouring rain. But the spirit of the men is high and full of blessings. Today we were in the city of Acuna. We had several groups out in the city building houses, class rooms, church pews and a church. Others went out and toured the city with Pat our local missionary and the rest of the team went out on what Power calls a JOY tour. The JOY tour is where we put JESUS first, OTHERS second, and YOURSELVES last. So we go out into very tough parts of Acuna and give away food, clothes, bibles, candy and love. We just want the people of Acuna to know that we love them and more importantly Jesus loves them. As for myself, today was a construction day for me. In the morning I was on the pew construction job and the afternoon I was able to help on the site where we are building a church for a local pastor. However, the interaction with the people that come by to see what we are doing and some pitch in and help, that is what truly touches my heart. Their genuine gratitude and appreciation is something that just hits home, that makes you want to do more for them, that reaffirms that God has a purpose and a plan for you being on this trip. Jesus said “What you do to the least of these you do unto me.” And Power has embraced this concept in everything that they do. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but with God leading the way and choosing to follow his lead, I know that it will be nothing less than amazing.  

1-13-10

2010-01-14T21:42:00.000-08:00

After all the preparation, and all the planning that the leaders had to do to make this day happen, today was the first full day of the POWER trip. What an amazing day!!
We had teams of men that started on a church build, another that built pews for mini mission 2, others worked on a house additions, the puppet team went to a local school and put on a performance for some local school children.
We ended the day at the Upper Room with pastors and their families that probably do not get any other opportunity to go out to eat at a restaurant at any other time of the year. Towards the end of this dinner, there is a time when the pastors and there families pray for us and we also in turn pray for them, It is amazing how powerful that is. When the Mexican people pray they all pray at the same time and you can feel the power of there prayers!
I love to see and personally feel the effects that this trip has on all of us. I also love the way 89 guys from all over the U.S get together and experience many really life changing things. We worship together, pray together, go through all sorts of emotions that change our lives forever. We end up being a team turn into great friends forever.
I found that things that we experience here are things that really cannot be described but has to be experienced. The POWER trip is a a life changing opportunity and an amazing way to go out and completely, without any other distractions, be able to be used by God. Also it is a great time for God to get us men together, slow us down, and really work with our hearts to build better a personal relationship with Him and the other Christian men.
We all miss our families when we are here, but what we experience and what God allows us to do, enables us to go back home with a new perspective and be better husbands, fathers, friend, and servants at our churches and communities.
Thank you POWER!!

Group 2 day 1

2009-01-26T01:17:00.000-08:00

note: sorry for the delay on this post, but our internet connection in Mexico was down just as we were loading this. We are now on day 3 of our trip and have arrived at Laredo Stepping Stone mission.

Group 2 Day 1

Here we are - sixty four men assembled together from all points of the US, to spend a week working, worshiping, and serving our living Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We’ve met up with the leadership group from week 1 at San Antonio airport and are making our way in eight vans, south to Reynoso Mexico for two nights there. We all share a common purpose to serve God in this mission for the people of Mexico and in doing so, to help fulfill God’s will at this time in our lives.

During this week we hope to be posting with pictures and words what is accomplished on this mission. Please check out the prayer and praise requests and cover us with prayer as The Holy Sprit leads you. We also welcome comments to this blog and especially those of encouragement to be passed on to the team.

2009-01-19T23:27:00.000-08:00

This is Kevin LeDuc from Riverside, CA. This is my 4th power trip. So we have just finished day 6, our last "work" day, and it was a great day. One thing that really stood out for me today was seeing the final framing go up for Pastor Valesquez's Church in Reynosa. As me and a fellow power member were talking we looked over and saw Pastor Valesquez just looking at our project, and his prayer coming to fruition. This building was a long day for our team, but a life changing event for his life. We are able to have a small impact on orphanages, churches, and individuals in the time we are here, but the real ministry begins as we go home. That is when the people we have equipped can begin, or continue the ministry they have established here. It is a blessing to just be a part of the equation, and seeing Pastor Valesquez look at his new church as the sun was setting over it was a wonderful way to end our time in the city of Reynosa, Mexico.

Day 5

2009-01-18T13:54:00.000-08:00

Hi my name is Loren Vander Schaaf and here is my perspective on the trip. I was told that we would be exhausted when the week was over - but that it would be a great week. The 1st evening was by far the most challenging. Meeting all the guys (I am the new guy from Iowa). Everything late and a long ride. I thought what was i getting myself into. Thur morning 180 degree turn around getting to know great guys going to projects and meeting local people. Yes sleep is a bit on the limited side, van rides are a bit long (allows for great fellowship). But the ministry and projects are great so is the authentic food. I am thoroughly enjoying the trip and I know that many prayer are being lifted up for strength and endurance.

day 4

2009-01-17T12:41:00.000-08:00

hi my name is Andrew Holybee,

This is my 4th year here at power. The thing that stand most out in my mind is the awesome power of everyone surrendering to GOD and letting HIM work through us. No matter what the obstacles we seem to over come it and it seems like that was GOD's plan the whole time. For me the underlying theme is surrender and i am not happy with my where my spiritual walk is at i want more, i want to be more involved in my community make more of a difference in the lives of those around me. i will return with renewed strength and the memory that great things can be accomplished when we surrender our will to GOD.

Day 3

2009-01-17T12:37:00.000-08:00

Hi,

This Ron Kiefer, from Rome, Georgia.

Well this is day three, and we are in Laredo. What a great experience so far. What I thought would be mostly construction, is much more. We have had great interaction with pastors and members of their community. It is a great spiritual experience. It is fantastic to be a part of a team with great Christian men. All for the glory of God.

Day 2

2009-01-15T21:37:00.000-08:00

Hey I'm Craig Gilbert, pastor of East Hills Community Church. I'm a "Rookie", which means this is my first time on a Power trip. But, this is not my first time on a missions trip, in fact I have been around the world more than once serving God and His church.....the problem is it has been a few years. Being in full time ministry you can get too comfortable with the people you serve and can easily forget that the Great Commandment has no boundaries...Today, as we walked around a cardboard city praying for and ministering to people, I fell in love with the world again and it felt absolutely wonderful!!!!This trip isn't about nails and two by fours it's about loving people. people...all people.

Day 1

2009-01-14T22:57:00.000-08:00

Well Day 1, as well as my first time to POWER. Started early, With a Great Group of Guys. Today was going well till we got into San Antonio, Southwest didn't put our bags on our Plane, So they came later lots of flying and driving. Great Worship, making new friends, all for the work of God.
God Bless, Keep us in Pray Josh Read