Day 119 – Walls & CCA

After two hard days of hauling rocks and building panels separately, the team was reunited on the side of a mountain to put up the walls of the first house!  It’s so cool to see the walls go up so fast (especially since they were pre-assembled)!  After a late lunch, the rain came and we had to get off the mountain before the roads washed out.  Thus, the girls went to the Women’s Rehabilitation Center to visit with the ladies there and trade testimonies.  As the girls in this group are so young, I think it was probably a bit overwhelming for them, but still good for perspectives.

This afternoon, we were given a presentation by Maximo and Pastor Alberto about the vision of the CCA (Centro Christiana de Alabanza) Church.  This was very enlightening as CCA has a ton of ministries (Men’s Rehab Center, Women’s Rehab Center, Children’s Feeding Center, Yellow House Project – built 50+ homes for the poor in the past two years, Senior’s Center, Christian School, Indoor Soccer Fields, Bakeries, Car Washes, Internet Cafe’s, Pizza Restaurants, Print Shops, Mechanic Shops, etc).  Essentially, the vision is not to “do as a church does”, but more so to “be the church” in the community…  The church is not a building, but a group of Christ-Followers who are living as He called us all to live!  That said, I believe that CCA is making a tremendous effort to “be the church”.  They have their faults, like any organization does, but overall, I really think they get it.  I wish more churches spent more time reaching out to the community as opposed to simply focusing on the people who passively fill the seats on Sunday morning…  As Pastor Alberto told us today, “we are waging a war against misery in our society…  A real follower of Christ cannot stand for people to be left in misery!  With all the misery that exists in our society, how is it that churches are full of celebration on clapping on Sunday mornings when many are not doing anything to get rid of this misery?  It’s like a team who loses every game they play and then celebrates like champions afterwards…”

Feed the hungry, heal the sick (spiritual, physical, emotional, mental), and clothe naked…  One at a time.  And then give all the glory to God.