Felipe

We were at a prayer meeting in a town called Atizapan a few weeks ago. While we were there we met a man named Felipe. He is single and lives in the unfinished church building. We were told that he has lived there for a year now, ever since the church was robbed. They were robbed shortly after fundraising for sound equipment and other supplies that help them minister in their area. This was very upsetting for the people at the Atizapan church and so Felipe decided that the church needed someone to stand on guard and that person was him. Just like that he left his bed, privacy, comfort of his stuff. Before you get the wrong idea let me be clear the church is a plain Mexican building with cement floors, no window coverings no soft pews, no cappuccino bar, toilets that can handle flushing paper or any of the extras we tend to have in Canada. The problem is that last Friday he fell 15 feet to the floor of the construction sight that he was helping work on. The Atizapan church has been in constant construction mode for the last 10 years. They do not have bank accounts to draw on to pay for the renovations so instead as money comes in or when missions teams come down from Canada they get a chance to build a bit more. This accident has left Felipe in a wheel chair until his leg heals. Felipe told a group of us that he was awoken the other night (remember he sleeps in their unfinished church building) around 3 am by three young men that were checking out the place to attempt to rob it. This was worrisome for me because I instantly thought how on earth would he defined himself? I was inspired by his commitment and drive. His actions certainly spoke loud and clear what he held dear, what he valued most. Do you think the things you value most are that obvious to the world around you? I had to ask myself if I were in his shoes, single and living on my own would I be willing to give it all up to guard my church's equipment?
I love meeting inspiring people like Felipe they remind me how important it is to share our stories with one another in the hopes of them encouraging a friend, a brother , a sister to step out to whatever it might be they are being called to do. It also reminded me of the sermon on the mount when Jesus talks about what we treasure.
Matthew 6:21
Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Luke 12:34
Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.