Life: an adventure, a journey with Jesus!
The TEAM

TEAM – by now you know our ministry is a TEAM approach. We believe it takes all of us (that includes you) to fulfill the Word of God to function as a healthy body, and carry out the great commission. Our TEAM acrostic is: Together Each Achieves More. These words are not found in scripture. They are not particularly profound. They are simple and to the point. But as I reflect on most of what we do, over and again I am reminded that we cannot do it of and/or by ourselves. Even the little tasks in our daily lives, bring us to a dependence upon each other and others. Relationships are important and help us both get through the day, to remain accountable and to enjoy the journey over the hills and in the valleys. Our TEAM has been on my mind quite a bit recently. Let me share some thoughts with you. Being on a TEAM brings about a sense of belonging. Being on a TEAM makes you feel like you have a part to play. Being on TEAM encourages us to work harder together. Being on a TEAM – it’s the only way to go.

The Bible tells us time and again that we are the body of Christ, and we need each other.
Romans 7:4 So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.
Romans 12:5 so, in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
1 Corinthians 12:27 Now, you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

It is truly amazing to ponder our physical bodies, their complexity, and uniqueness, along with the fact that our Father knows all, yes ALL, about each one of us individually (even the number of hairs on our head!) Just thinking about that amazes me. Watching the birth of our grandchildren brought me to tears, each and every time. It is incredible, remarkable, miraculous, and as they say today it is mind-blowing! So should our lives be when we function together as the Body of Christ! I have to ask one question, “Are we functioning like that?”

To fulfill the great commission, we (we is all inclusive) must go. Go, tell the good news, make disciples. In different seasons of our lives God will direct our steps in different directions. But, now, we can all ‘go’. We can ‘go’ ourselves into our neighborhood, schools, and community; within an area not much more than a day’s travel, and to work; or even a greater distance or to a foreign country. We can all ‘go’ by sending others who know God is calling them to another place. We can send them with financial support and/or prayer support. This is where we (all inclusive) are a TEAM.

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. This is a constant reminder that we need one another. Seriously, how often have you been doing something and found you needed help? Alone we become distraught or weary in the task. We get beaten down going it alone. We may even give up. With another, we can work it out together, but when there are three working together, the additional support or strength carries us through the situation. The encouragement needed is close at hand. We can take turns bearing the weight of the situation, allowing one another to rest and recuperate, all the time focusing on the goal and not the problem. As our acrostic says….together each achieves more.

Earlier I said, even the simple daily tasks require dependence upon others. Not just Don and I. It would not be wise for us to be the team, but to be part of the team! And, that we are! We need translators to help us many times. In church services and our small group, sometimes at the clinic, and always at immigrations! Often times we will try to get our point across, but later ask Heather, Martha, Gina or Martin to call someone and confirm they understood what we were trying to say! We need those who are trained in computers to assist us as we are definitely TCP (technologically challenged persons)! When software or hardware problems arise, Eddie and Martin come to the rescue, or we call Tim back home in the states. When we are working on projects beyond our capability (because we have not been taught) we have help readily accessible. (Producing our DVD is one example.) We treasure our prayer partners because we can turn to them both when a need arises and when we are so excited about what God has done, that we just have to share it! We are reminded every month of the sacrifices of our financial supporters, and in turn pray for them and their families. Our family and friends emails are similar to you having daily conversations. We just have to depend upon the internet!

We have friends who are always willing to help and without them we would struggle or be lost. Even at the local Mercado, we have been building relationships with several vendors and they are so helpful when we try to buy something new, or when they don’t have what we usually purchase. Our neighbors and landlord would come to our rescue should it be necessary. They take time to try to understand us, and we them. At church there’s Orlando, Edgar, Pastor Arsenio, Nellie, Blanca, and the ladies in the café who regularly talk with us and assure we are attended to. Translators at services are a huge help to us as we listen to the message. Translators when we are in the community, or at one of our ministry sites are a great help and without Heather, Fanny, Jazmin, Pamela, Greg & Bridget or Rebecca we would not be able to accomplish the things before us which we feel we are called to do. They are part of our TEAM.

The list goes on and on. But what we want to stress is that we have learned that God’s plan for the body of Christ is exactly what we all need to know-- live life to it’s fullest. That’s the practical side of real life. The other thought is that within the church, we need to pull our weight, to do our share of the work. This has been part of the Lumps of Clay study. It’s amazing how much head knowledge of scripture we seem to amass, but the heart knowledge, the motivation to put what we know into action, is where we slack off. There’s always a reason we don’t follow through, but God’s purpose is for us to “live life together for Him.”

This month we are on furlough and are in the states with the family. We depend upon them for just about everything, but in exchange, we try to help out. We are living life together. It’s different, three generations in a house with individual preferences and needs, family rules, patterns, schedules and traditions all needing to be tweaked to make it work. We all share a responsibility to make it work and work well. Some give a little here and there. Others pick up the loose ends. It’s a little like Moses needing the help of his men to hold up his arms so the plan would work. Exodus 17:10-13 “So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

We (all inclusive) are a TEAM!