"We Will Rebuild...by the Grace of God"
By John Kunkle, Hispanic Ministries USAJuly-September 2014
The church where I pastored a small congregation of Spanish-speaking believers on the Texas/Mexico border in Laredo, Texas, faced a trial of its own. The church building, now around 60 years old, had some major structural issues in the roof. The central ties in the rafters were breaking loose and the ceiling was at the point of collapsing.
We were amazed at God’s timing in the matter. It happened, without our knowledge of this need, that a year before, God had placed it on the hearts of our WGM field leaders to request that the Men With Vision project for 2010 be set for refurbishing the Laredo, Texas, church buildings. In our minds, we saw the potential of getting other needed items repaired around the property. God eventually led us to see the urgent need to repair the church roof, and plans were put in place to have work teams come to help us with the project. In March 2012, Pastor Steve Parker led a church work team from the Lighthouse Ministries Church in Columbus, Ohio, and helped install strong braces to keep the roof from falling more.
Then in May 2012, we received Gaylen and Marilyn Roades and their work team from Winchester, Ohio, who began the tedious task of doing the actual repairs. Because not all the repairs could be done in their time here, the Lord provided a local Christian contractor who donated his time and workers to come and finish the structural part. Over the following weeks and throughout the summer, several contractors installed new electrical conduits and wiring, air-conditioning ductwork, and drywall ceiling, all at a discounted price! As we rejoiced in seeing our new sanctuary come back to life, we were reminded of God’s undying love and care for His people, supplying all our needs in due time.
Let us never shake our fist in God’s face again. Let us humbly let Him rebuild those areas of our lives that have come under His discipline so that we can be molded and shaped into His purpose and image again. Then we can truly say, “We have rebuilt, by the grace of God.”
MORE: The MWV project for 2014 is helping two churches in central Mexico expand so that they may minister more effectively. Watch the MWV Annual Project video to learn more and find out how you can get involved at www.wgm.org/annual-project-2014.
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