Sometimes an overlooked truth that we miss in scripture is that Jesus really liked parties. Throughout the gospels we see Jesus attending weddings, visiting people’s homes, and generally being the “life” of the party, pun intended. He even describes God as throwing a party in Luke chapter 14. After some discussions this week and reading a blog I follow (Mike Slaughter), I have thought about Jesus and his association with the unclean, the tax collectors, the sinners, and the outcasts. The truth is I don’t think Jesus cared about social status, wealth, or religious affiliation. I think what he enjoyed most was open, honest, genuine, and authentic relationships. It just so happens that most of the time you don’t find this with the religious élite or those that seem to have it all together.
This week Porch de Salomon hosted a group we have jokingly named “Team Moza”. “Moza” is a popular Guatemalan beer. They are a group of good ol’ boys who work really hard and know how to have a good time after a hard days labor. Every year our Porch crew looks forward to this group of guys coming down. I think it is because they are some of the most genuine, authentic, and generous guys I have ever met. In our morning devotionals we heard honest testimonies of men seeking to follow God while still realizing their short comings and it made for some great thought-provoking conversation.
This family’s social status wouldn’t get them invited to any parties but Team Moza went out of its way to make them feel included and special by serving them all week.
Each day we rode across the lake to our work site located just outside the town of Santiago. It was a beautiful ride each morning I really enjoyed taking in the beauty of the lake each day.
We then took a pickup truck ride to our job site.
There house was among a grove of coffee trees. I love coffee so I really enjoyed seeing the trees with their multicolored coffee cherries.
We quickly got to work on their house digging footers, moving dirt, and twisting wire for rebar support beams.
While we worked we had lots of help and on lookers. The kids in the surrounding homes and the family came out everyday to help and watch everything.
Melchora’s parents gifted them some land to build on. These are some of her family members sitting outside their home sewing guipils (Mayan women’s traditional dress).
Much of our work consisted of carrying block, rock, and other building materials to the family’s house.
Tex took on the task of digging the septic tank hole. It took him 2 days to dig an approx. 9 foot hole. He then got to leave a permanent mark on the septic tank cover.
We had a great week of work. And it was a really refreshing reminder to me of the kind of folks Jesus prefers us to be. I will leave you with a passage of scripture from Luke 14. Jesus tells a story about inviting folks to a party but the élite people had excuses or didn’t want to come. So he invites a different sort of crowd.
‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 22 After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ 23 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full.
– Luke 14:21-23
Deedsville 
