Love at Work: Pastor Alberto on "12 Homes, 12 Days"

A collection of thoughts from Pastor Alberto on the significance of the “12 Homes, 12 Days” project:

“For the past couple of years, we have been building one or sometimes two houses a month in Jasmín. But this month, we are building twelve! Some have said ‘We’re crazy!’ But what a wonderful thing -- twelve families will be sleeping in their new houses tonight. We did it!”

“I asked one of the mothers, ‘What is it like in your shack in the winter?’ She said, ‘When I go to bed at night, I sleep with an umbrella in my hand.’ Saturday morning, we were with all of the families, and we prayed with them and celebrated. Ruth, one of the homeowners, stood up and said, ‘Because of you, twelve families will have dry houses this year. God bless all of you and praise our Father in heaven!’”

Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

“You know, there’s a young man in Jasmín who really doesn’t like me. And I don’t know why, but he is always saying bad things about me and about CCA. I’ve tried many times to develop a relationship with him, to break the barrier between us. I would talk to him, but he would have nothing to do with me.”

“However, yesterday, he came up to me, and he asked me, ‘Do you know who’s moving into the second house over there?’ And I said, ‘No, I really don’t. There are twelve houses, and I haven’t met all of the families.’ He said, ‘It’s my mother-in-law. And I want to apologize. I don’t even know you, and I’ve been saying bad things about you. I’ve never been to your church. But you are building a house for someone you don’t even know. And I know her, I’m her son-in-law, and I’ve done nothing. I was wrong, and I need to apologize to you. Forgive me.’”

The people dwelling in Darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2, Matthew 4:16

“Jasmín has been an example of the anti-kingdom . . . how much Satan can push down a people. So much sickness, poverty, suffering and darkness . . . and people who have lost their faith, lost their hope. It is a huge spiritual problem. Many people have probably been praying for them. But as the people of Jasmín see us building more and more houses for them, they are recovering their hope, they are recovering their faith, and we are pushing back the darkness. We are pushing back the darkness with hammers and a saw.”

“So we have to work, we have to get our hands dirty. There must be evidence that we are winning the battle. Every yellow house is something we can show . . . every man or woman in our Restoration Centers . . . every elderly man we pick up on the street. We are winning. Every time we take a child from Jasmín and give them a scholarship to CCA’s Christian School . . . we are winning.”

“Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit, and he would walk the streets and bring help to to people, undoing the works of Satan. He was doing spiritual warfare. Usually spiritual warfare is only surrounded by prayer, but that’s not changing the situation. Our mission is to keep on doing what Jesus did. I don’t think the church has any other mission. The way we do it is by undoing the works of the Enemy. Our war is not about destroying the Enemy, it’s not ours to do. On the Day of Judgment, God is going to do that. What we can destroy are his works.”

As the last of the gringos departed Jasmín on Saturday, a young boy named Eliazar came running to Larry and Carole asking, “Are you bringing another group of gringos tomorrow?” “Yes, Eliazar. We (E91 and CCA) are not going to leave this community. We are going to be here until the work is finished.”

Thank, you, gringos! God bless you! We love you! Larry and Carole