Halfway up the mountainside Deb Howells leaned against a tree and watched people trudge past in the mud. A moment ago she'd been sweating; at least the frigid rain was good for something.
She glanced at the 24-pound cinder block and decided she was almost ready to put it back on her head. Just a moment more of rest was all she needed.
A pair of boys, young believers, slowly walked into view. They were hauling rebar up the sloping path. They hit a bad spot on the trail and Deb fought a smile as the mud almost slid them backwards down the mountain.
They didn't fight smiles, though. Grinning, the smaller one said, "It doesn't matter how hard it is to get this up here, so long as all the people here can hear about Jesus!"
The boy's words revitalized Deb. She bent down and brought the cinder block back up to her head to resume hiking.
Dodong, an 11-year-old believer, passed her on his third trip of the day, carrying another cinder block on his head. His parents are not yet believers. He comes to church by himself, and on this day, with his little lunch box of rice he had shown up early -- not to play, but to help.
Even when it rained and he got muddy he didn't complain. Quietly he slid past the other believers on his way to the top.
No longer did the mud and soaked clothing seem important.
One hundred believers had gathered for this pahina (work bee) to carry 33,000 pounds of construction materials to the top of the mountain where a remote Tala Andig village had outgrown its church made of tarp. This group of believers decided that, as part of their continuing outreach, they would build a new church building for this village.
It was rainy and it was cold, but this was the day that the Lord had made, and the believers had chosen it to commence building preparations.
What about you? What are the cold, rainy, muddy mountain paths before you? God will restore your energy; will you let Him use you as He sees fit?
_img.jpg','Tala Andig believers greatly desire for the Gospel to be taught in neighboring villages.', 324, 243))
