Grin Like Jesus

The bus took us as far as it could up the hill. We had to walk the rest of the way. Zigzagging between make shift huts we found ourselves in a small opening where a pile of lumber rested. There were many small huts built with scrap wood left over from logs being cut down into lumber. Almost every hut was accompanied by a small house (about 3 times bigger than the hut) of nicer wood that looked much like the lumber we had in the pile before us.

In this area of the little community of Mogote, almost every family had a new home built by teenagers like ours. The family standing before us had torn down part of their old house and were living in a very small space with a curtain for a door, anticipating the arrival of God’s Hands to build them a new home. We were warmly welcomed as if we were family. The kids wanted to do nothing but hug on us. All of these scenes on our first building day are etched in my memory very clearly.

Sylvia, from the Mogote Church of Christ, is a joy filled woman who was excited about us being there to build this family a house. She was excited because God’s Hands from Oklahoma built her house. God’s Hands from somewhere else built her neighbors house. And the house after that. And so on. She was joy filled that her friend was now finally going to get to experience the joy that they had been feeling for some time now.

Sylvia taught me something that day. I saw Jesus in her. I saw in her the excitement the Jesus gets when someone finally gets a new house. I don’t feel like I get excited enough when I find out that someone just got a New House from the Hand of God. These people were ready to celebrate with this family because of their new found joy. At some congregations all you find are some hearty amen’s and if the congregation is gutsy enough…clapping. I’ve been rethinking the whole baptism/giving your life to Jesus thing. Why not throw a party? Celebrate it every year as a bigger deal than your physical birth? Would it mean more to us later in life if we acted like it is as big of a deal as we believe it is? I want to be more excited like Sylvia. I want to grin like Jesus.