Please allow me to share with you the past several weeks that have passed here in Matamoros. Triumphs and struggles. This is a lot to read at once. Break it up if you must because…it is stinking long.
First. Hospital.
Today I went to the hospital, I was able to accompany the hospital group and many neat things took place.
Although you read the word hospital and you imagine what you would see walking into a regulated hospital in the States – that is not this case by all means. Walking in instantly smells of formaldehyde. After passing the center common admissions area we walked through double doors entering into a glass hallway – windows open. Passed the hallway is a square-shaped hall area that encompassed a square garden in the center, on each side of the square is a different wing of the hospital. Entering the square I instantly noticed blood on the floor that looked to be several days old, sterile gloves lying around and a bird flying inside – trapped. Being familiar with a hospital, this site was a tough one to digest.
So, the group split up in two sets and went off to different wings of the hospital. Jenny and I had visited and spoke with several patients, praying with them and sharing with them hope of Christ . Suddenly a woman approached us and asked if we “were the Church�. If she were to have said nothing, her eyes would have told me everything. True despair could be seen. A yearning for help. I said yes, that we “were the Church� and she instantly began to cry. She ask if we would come and pray for her sister. We followed her to her sisters room, walking in I instantly felt sickness in the area. I asked the sister what it was she requested prayer for, she couldn’t speak. Inhaling with random, short-bursts of gasps. She looked towards the one who had sought us out and signaled for her to answer.
The prayer request was for a smorgasbord diagnosis. Cancer, diabetes, pulmonary issues, and more. I began to pray for this lady and tears began to flow from both her and her sister. I truly felt the presence of God enter the room. We prayed for what seem like hours, but I know it was no more than 20 minutes. We prayed for cleansing, healing from the perfect physician. The next week the girls went back she was not there. Were not sure what happened but I pray that it was an answer to our prayer.
Second. Sports complex ministry.
Today we went to the sports complex. Here in Matamoros, as I am sure you can imagine, there are many public sports complex’s similar to back home. They have all the variety of sports from Basketball, volleyball, to (of course) soccer. We were there on a Saturday evening and the area was ‘packed’ well into the night when we left.
Our group, in the entirety, was 18 people. So we broke off into smaller groups trying to join some of the locals games. Eventually John and myself made our way to a game of 3v3 basketball and joined in to make it 4v4. It was great. We played hard. The second to the last game I pulled something in my knee – I slipped on some sand on the court. (Side note: my knee hurt for weeks after that incident). Furthermore, that night was a great night that allowed us to share the reason we were here. I was also able to tell them about our church.
Third. YDC.
The guys visited the youth detention center one Saturday morning. I love this ministry, it was one I was involved in my first year here. Some of the same guards that had been working there my year remembered me – that is always nice. In the beginning we simply interacted with them, stood around and talked, or sat and listed to music. We brought and American football, so we tossed it around – for some of them it had been the fist time they had seen an American football up close. I had already formed a relationship with one of the guys inside the fist time I went in the beginning of the semester, his name is Gabriel, he is young – I believe 16 – but he is just a great guy. We talked again and he asked for prayer. I was able to pray for him and one of his friends the first time so it was great to be there with him again. After just hanging out, we took it to the back an got serious – soccer. We played a game of soccer with the inmates. My team lost…big surprize. haha. But it was a nice time of visit.
Fourth. Esters.
I went with the group that goes the the children shelter today. Usually during this time there is action and games with the children. But this time, insted of that, we were ask if we could help clean. Of course the first time I go we are asked to clean…ha. Well no worries. Abbey, Chad, and myself helped clean the new facility that they were moving into the next day.
Fifth. Work week.
We had a work week here recently on our church, Castillo del Rey. So much was accomplished …and I must say mostly without me. The second day I stepped through a cement nail! Crap it freakn’ hurt. I had to go the the hospital because it had been around 8 years since my last tetanus shot and I did not have the right material to doctor it correctly. My entire doctor bill was $38 including the shot. How amazing. Well, I struggled to walk for weeks I had to use a cane like object for 5 or 6 days after that just to walk. I am just now in complete recovery. Well about the church. the guys dorm side had a cement slab pored throughout the rooms and hallway and also had all the electrical parts of it wired. We – or they – also poured two other slabs to extend the actual church. Praise God.
Sixth. Plaza.
The entire group went to the plaza Saturday night. Great and strange things happened. We had two dramas prepared and a short message. During the first drama a man came up to me and asked for prayer. He said that he saw the anointing of God on me and that’s why he came specifically to me. He and I prayed for his drug and alcohol addiction for about 20 minutes or so. He was just crying out to God for a change …literally. Well after he left, 10 minutes later or so, another man came up to me asking for prayer – again for an alcohol problem. He said his problem was so bad that the would decide to buy alcohol over food, and not eat for days sometimes because of that. So again, I was praying for healing from an alcohol addiction. How strange it was for me to pray for two men with the same problems when there were 18 of us there that they could have gone up to. As well, they had to pass everyone to get to me because I was purposely placing myself “out of the wayâ€�.
The best part of the story is about me. I was having a terrible week that week, and especially that day. I felt so distant from God, but I prayed that morning for something new and different to occur. And there he showed up that night. He used me by merely being available and clinging to the situation. God used me to minister into there lives even with I felt myself that I could not do anything. But I was there. And God used that. Praise him.
Seven. Trash dump.
We all went to the trash dump this Saturday. We went as a feeding ministry. We went and handed out hot dogs. We handed out 75 hot dogs in all. So many grateful people. Several of us had some great talks with the people working there. Mine was with a 12 year old boy and his dog. I found out he lives in my neighborhood. I hope to have to opportunity to expand on that relationship.
