Devoted to service

Hola! I spent this last weekend at my team retreat, getting ready for the trip to Mexico. I heard we were the last team to take our retreat, but it was also team commissioning at church this weekend. It was a double-good weekend to be had. I picked up my brother-in-Christ on the way to the house where we would be retreating. Ed was there that night to talk more about the culture and what exactly we would be doing at the orphanage. After that, my brother (in Christ) and I went on a run to get some dinner and brought it back to the house to eat. We stayed up with most everyone just chatting and having fellowship that night. Saturday morning after breakfast we went and did a community service project at the Good News clinic in Rockwood. What we did was pull up weeds, put down two loads of bark dust and planted fresh new flowers in the front. I think we all felt really good about doing something to help the community. I bet God was happy with His children, seeing them work like that to make something look beautiful.
When we were done, we went back to the house for lunch. We were all hungry after doing all that work. Later on, we left to go to the church to get ready for service in which all the short-term teams would be commissioned. Since we were having our retreat that weeekend, we worked it out and did not have to stay and help with the barbecue. We ate some dinner and worked on some children's praise songs in Spanish. Sunday morning we were back off to church again to be commissioned two more times. The Russia team left today so pray that they have a safe trip and that they would be devoted to serving the One who called them to go. We stayed after 2nd service to help set up and serve at the barbecue...I was the official 'ice sculpture guard'. There was this very nice 2-dimensional sculpture of the world, made of ice. It was very 'cool' looking! Both barbecues were a success and I am sure that everyone that helped felt good and appreciated all that came to eat.
Today I served the state I live in, and it was actually pretty cool. Service of any kind is neat because you are doing it ultimately for the One who made you, then to the community, to the team. I hope that we all can do more service this summer, not just individually but also in groups. God will get the glory for it all!
"and they spoke to Moses, saying ' The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work in which the LORD commanded us to do' " Exodus 36:5