(Rev. Chad McMullin serves as Pastor at First Christian Church in Sedalia, MO.)
I experienced profound joy on a mission trip to Puerto Rico. We traveled across the ocean to help our neighbors who had experienced a devastating hurricane. I remember looking out of the airplane window over the homes on the island. At first, it appeared that almost everyone had swimming pools, only to discover upon landing that those blue objects were not swimming pools—they were blue tarps covering almost every home on a portion of the island.
I was the least experienced crew member when it came to construction efforts. However, I was put on a team that could get some real work done. We were sent to work on the home of an elderly couple. Our mission was to share Christ’s love with these folks and to work on getting their roof repaired. The house was meager and in horrible shape. What the hurricane did not damage, termites had attacked. The floors were thin and dangerous, the structural walls were barely holding. It seemed hopeless.
The family that lived there hosted us each day and brought food and drinks and shared in some of the work. We were a source of hope and joy for them, and pretty quickly—they were a source of joy for us. As people of their community drove by, they all honked and waved and some even stopped to encourage us as we worked. The joy filled transactions happened each day. Their friends and some family even started stopping by to pitch in and help. A neighbor bought us all tacos—that we ate on the street (hence the name Street Tacos). We applied hard work and resources to their lives and did it as witnesses of Jesus Christ. We prayed with the family and they were grateful and humbled by our offerings.
In one weeks’ time, we had made significant progress. We were glad to hear that another crew was arriving a few days after us to continue the effort. As the process unfolded, we all felt strangely warmed by the relationship with these neighbors we had never known before. We felt like part of something much larger than ourselves and we were clear that we would never be able to finish the job alone. Nevertheless, our part mattered. My part mattered. And in the process, in the rubble and dust and debris we all found joy in serving together, sharing what we had and in receiving warmth from the people who lived there and the people of Puerto Rico.
