Blessed Beyond Measure

1 Cor 3:11-15

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Psalm 127:1

Unless the LORD builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the LORD guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.

It was with no small concern that I would be able to help this cause in any meaningful way when I sensed God leading me to join the Casas team. I am not a young man anymore and I am acutely aware of my limitations (mostly because of my back and ailing knees)! However, having met others of the same vintage as me that were going and had been going for many years, I was somewhat comforted (and not a little bit ashamed)!

The fellowship we shared was wonderful: on the trip, during the work, and while recovering in the evenings after a long and hard day of work! There was a real sense of camaraderie and self-sacrifice for the families we were working for that truly buoyed my spirit and made the day’s work a sweet and savory blessing!

What blessed me most was seeing the way our young people, from the age of 10 to our young and up and coming adults! They worked as hard (or harder) than any member of our team! They truly had a spirit of service to the families we were building for and for the Lord, Whom we were serving! Then after a hard day’s work, they served our teams by preparing our food and leading us in worship! There was a real sense of joy in serving others that I witnessed! Wow! Praise God for these young servants!

Four homes in three days?! Is it possible?? Well, the Lord did it through us and even used me! To see a raw, uneven piece of land transform into a family dwelling over three long and wonderfully fulfilling labor-of-love days, was truly amazing! We were able to meet and fellowship with the family as the days progressed and were even fed lunch by the family each day! This, at considerable expense to these families that were truly impoverished. Truly humbling.

The families were so grateful and thankful. It was a true blessing to see them take possession of their new home! While we would cringe at the thought of living in such a small and basic home, these families were awed and overwhelmed by this gift from The Lord. The family of 5 we built for was living in a lean-to of scrap plywood, old wooden pallets and a dirt floor. Their new home was palace in comparison to their former dwelling.

While this trip benefited the families, I was the one who was truly blessed. To give a young mother a place of safety to raise her children, and a father a Casas to come home to… is a true and real blessing! That week, “the Lord built the house,” and I was able to add to my Heavenly Home too!

Many Blessings,

Tim Farrington