TEAM!!

It has been exciting to share so many stories with you about the El Salvador trip. Each of the 17 teammates of mine has a plethora of stories to share of lives changes, tasks finished, much accomplished.

We slogged through the mud to see how much of the home our teammates were working on is completed. We were greeted by a mother whose 8 month old daughter rode on her hip. This girl is one of the reasons Pastor Ivo selected this loving family to benefit from our work. At 8 months, she is only 11 pounds. She has an infection inside that contributes to her lack of stature. But she is absolutely gorgeous--curly dark hair, chocolate brown eyes and olive skin. We all wanted to take her home with us!

With a pick axe in hand, her brother who was 6 or 7, dug out the mucky ground where the foundation eventually was laid. The guys marveled at this little worker and his ability to split a brach in two with a machete. No nintendo for him; oh no, he's gone on to much greater things.

Though we have left El Salvador, we are doing the same...going on to much greater things. Don't be surprised if you hear about them in Life Groups, in the hallways of our campus, in a letter or two from those you may have supported by prayer or monetetarily. We sense God's hand on us to serve out of the overflow that He has provided for us. We have enough resources to continue the work that has begun in El Salvador as well as the work we are doing here.

We have discovered the secret of the Body of Christ: together, with prayer and the gifts and abilites God has given us, we achieve more. We can TEAM up and make great strides for the Lord right here in our region. This includes the upcoming Family Fair hosted at four sites in Elyria on August 14th to help children go back to school equipped to the virtual "barnraising" that will happen throughout the summer. There are lots of places for each of us to jump in and be involved.

Will you continue to pray that our transition back to our routines and obligations will be good. We don't want to miss a beat, but we want to be right where God can use us the most. I think it was Mother Theresa who said that small things done with great love change the world. We have experienced that first hand. We hope that you will join us here in Elyria as we change our world for Christ.