work

Several years ago we were assisting a short term missions team that was here for a week to minister to some of the neighborhoods in the San Ramon area.  The team was playing games, working on crafts and teaching a bible class each day to the younger school age children in that particular neighborhood.  In the background stood several teenage boys who were too old to appreciate what was going on, but they were never-the-less curious.

One of the leaders of the group noticed them and had a desire to get to know the boys more.  That’s when he approached us to ask for help in going and speaking to the young men.  After a little bit of getting to know each other, he asked the young men one question:  “What do you guys need?”. To his amazement, as well as ours, they all said without hesitation, “jobs”.  It was at that point that we knew God was leading us in our ‘tent-maker‘ role to use what we were familiar with doing prior to our arrival in Costa Rica, remodeling and building homes, to move forward in earning our way yet also providing for those in need of jobs while training them up in the ways of the Lord at the same time.

Just as Aquila and Priscilla were willing to invest the time necessary to take one young man under their spiritual care and pour into his life the things of Christ, we strive to do the same thing with our Work Discipleship Program.  Working side by side with young men to train them to be tent-makers, our goal is to teach them the truth of God as we labor together making it a part of both our life and ministry.  And as a result of this time, just as with Aquila and Priscilla, our prayer is that each laborer may become an effective servant of God (1 Cor. 1:12).

“The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.  For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”  1 Corinthians 3:8-9

Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.”  Deuteronomy 24:14

If you would like to help support the salary of someone in the work-discipleship program, please click below to donate.